• Published 14th Jun 2013
  • 2,035 Views, 38 Comments

En Taro, Equestria - Saacsa



A United Earth Directorate Viking pilot is whisked away with his best friend to a new world where plenty of surprises await.

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First Blood

The walk through town was rather easy, although the looks we got were strange. I don't blame them, though. Hell, if two creatures I had never seen before were just waltzing down the street of my home town, I'd be giving them strange looks too. We eventually reached the library, where Fluttershy lightly knocked on the door.

"Coming!" A voice sing-songed from inside, though it sounded more like a child's voice to me. A male child's voice. Maybe this Twilight Sparkle was just a flamboyant colt. Now that would be pretty funny. I heard something similar to claws hitting wood before the sound of a door knob being turned reached my ears. The door swung open and, believe it or fucking not, a tiny, purple and green lizard was there. Now, let me just elaborate for a second. Flamboyant male Lizard named Twilight Sparkle.

Man, what the fuck even is this place?

"Fluttershy! Chocolate!" He said with a large, greeting smile, then caught sight of us. "And... Um... Want to tell me about it?" He asked with confusion.

"Yeah, Spike." Charlie said. Okay, not a flamboyant male Lizard named Twilight Sparkle.

Still, it was a talking Lizard.

"Mind if we come in?" Charlie finished her thought.

"Not at all." He said absentmindedly, still working that brain of his to figure us out. "Are they dangerous?" He asked as we stepped through the doorway. At this, Ty and I both laughed heartily.

"These two softies? Pssh, nah." Charlie joked. "As long as you don't piss them off, anyways." She muttered. Spike raised an eyebrow, but let us pass. Inside was a massive library with a staircase leading up to another room. This was awesome, it was like one of those really cool tree houses that those guys build in that one show.

"Where's Twilight?" Charlie asked.

"Basement. She's doing some sort of experiment." He said with a nonchalant wave of his claw.

"Thanks, little buddy." She responded. Charlie led us to a small door on the opposite side of the tree/library. She opened it and proceeded through, the rest of us trailing behind, though Ty and I had to duck a little as to not smack our heads.

"Twilight?" Charlie called down the steps. I heard a small yelp, a breaking glass, and a rather audible sigh of frustration.

"SPIKE!" A intelligent, albeit pissed off, female voice yelled from the depths of the basement. One freaky purple flash later, a lavender Unicorn with purple and hot pink streaks in her, rather disheveled, royal blue mane appeared. This startled both Ty and I, prompting us to fall on our asses.

"I thought I specifically said, NO visi-" She cut herself off as her huge, yet strangely adorable, eyes fell on the girls. Her attitude was instantly changed from 'I'm going to kill the little ass munching lizard', to 'Hello, best of friends! How was your day?'. Luckily, freaky purple butt hadn't spotted us yet because we were hidden behind two, four foot tall, technicolor ponies. I know how it sounds, but hey, we weren't visible to her yet.

"I'll be in the kitchen." The bipedal lizard commented.

Smart guy. Getting out before the shit hit the fan.

"Fluttershy! Chocolate Skies! What brings you two by?" The purple Unicorn asked with an air of friendliness. Charlie and Fluttershy each cast one another unsure looks, then moved to the side, revealing Ty and I. Her eyes went wide and I could almost see the cogs working in her head. So I decided it would be funny to break those cogs.

"Hey there, you come here often?" I smirked suggestively. Then a shit-eating grin spread across my face as half of her jaw hung limp and her eyebrows raised in disbelief. Her face froze that way. It was rather hilarious, until a hoof, which I discovered was much harder than a hand, smacked the back of my head.

"Ouch! Okay, I kinda deserved that." I admitted, trying to throw my headache back into my minds deep recesses by rubbing my temples. Fluttershy had walked up to the teleporting Unicorn and timidly poked her, letting out a small 'eep' as Twilight swayed back, then forth again, remaining completely stiff. Then, out of nowhere, a hyper pink pony exploded out of a bookshelf, sending the hardcover knowledge flying across the room, yet missing all of us somehow.

"Wowza! I think you broke her!" The pink pony said rapidly, not giving my heart time to recover. The new arrival walked. . . Trotted over to the purple pony, who still had the broken face on, and started making strange faces herself. Ty and I both cast each other looks of confusion before turning back to the scene in front of us. The pink mare stretched her lips back with her hooves, revealing a set of, oddly omnivoric, teeth and stuck her tongue out through them. She wiggled the large pink muscle while making strange noises. The expressions, the way these ponies talked, it was all a little TOO human. And I mean come on, omnivores? Horses are suppose to be herbivores! I took the chance to examine the other ponies teeth whenever they flashed, yet all of them were herbivores. I made a mental note to question the pink demon later.

This whole world was beginning to freak me the hell out. I wished I could just go home, despite my knowledge of there not being a home to go back to. It really was a crushing fact, and I'm surprised the other two got over it so quickly. If they even did, considering the weight of the fact. They probably just shoved it to the back of their minds and locked it away until later. Regardless, we all had to get over it to save that damn pony-planet and, maybe, make a life there. I could only hope that they were faring better mentally than me.

Back to the weird world of pony. Out of seemingly nowhere, the pink mare grabbed a bucket of icy water. With her hooves. While I was getting my mind fucked from left to right, the spontaneous arrival doused Twilight. The resounding screech told me just how cold that water was.

"Pinkie!" She stamped her hoof in outrage.

"Yeeeessss?" Pinkie drew out with the most innocent face I'd ever seen.

"Why did you do that!?" She asked with intense irritation.

"Because the new guys over there broke you!" She said with a chipper bounce, then drew in an inflating breath that made her rise off of the ground.

"Dude, are you weirded out yet?" Ty leaned to my ear and asked.

"Bro, I've been weirded out since that orange beam smacked us." I remarked, getting a small chuckle and nod.

"Right. Sorry, Pinkie." The Unicorn apologized after a deep breath.

"No probably wobbly!" Pinkie responded happily. She was like the pure element of no fucks.

"Which brings the real question," She said, eyeing us suspiciously, "What are you and why are you here?" She demanded.

"That's two." My friend responded, "And who." He added. I could feel his smirk as fiery eyes locked onto him. He shrugged and opened his mouth to continue.

"Quit while you're ahead." I warned, relieved when his jaw closed. Twilight offered us her couch, which we gladly sat upon.

"Want to answer those questions?" I asked Ty, shifting under the tongue action.

I got a groan in response from my friend

"Wait until the other girls are here!" Twilight exclaimed and bolted up the stairs. She came back down said stairs with a purple hue adorning her horn, a floating scroll, a floating quill, and a floating inkwell.

The actual fuck?

I could only imagine my face as it contorted to uncharted areas. A weak 'huh' was all that escaped my lips as the purple Unicorn looked around the room.

"Magic. It's the most powerful element here. It pretty much holds everything together and totally makes up for the lack of technology." Charlie said, reading my mind. It probably only increased my growing confusion. She must've noticed because she added, "You'll get a more in-depth explanation later." It calmed me down a little, allowing the expulsion of those thoughts.

"Spiiiike!" Twilight suddenly called. The lizard thing walked back into the room with the up-most casual chill. This guy could be such a bro.

"Yes, Twilight?" The little guy asked with obvious bordem.

"Take a letter. I need Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity at the library ASAP!" She said, dumping the floating material down on the little lizard like an avalanche.

"Yes ma'am." Was the muffled response. Fifteen awkward minutes and a very confusing flaming immolation of paper later, three resounding knocks echoed in the room. I have never in my 21 years had I seen purple move that fast. The door swung open and three new ponies were ushered in. I immediately knew which one Rainbow Dash was. Her polychromatic mane gave it away pretty quickly.

"What they hay, Twi?!" An annoyed southern voice came from the orange mare who was holding her stetson to her blonde mane to ensure that it was not thrown off by the force the purple mare was implicating. The other mares became very aware of us when they saw our forms. It took a second for them to react, but when they did, it was priceless.

The white mare fainted, the orange one charged me, and the rainbow Pegasus bolted towards Ty. I saw Ty redirect the momentum of the Pegasus blur with a swift kick to the jaw. She was out before the fight began. The orange mare pulled a 180 when she was within kicking distance. She cocked her legs back and shot them out, barely missing mine, which would have undoubtedly left me with at least a broken leg, as I threw myself in the air. The combat adrenaline that pumped around my veins allowed me to catch that air and throw my body forward, doing a successful front flip over the startled mare. The millisecond that my feet felt the ground beneath them, I killed my momentum with a swift 180 and planted the fiberglass tip of my boot into the bottom of her jaw, throwing her into a back-flip. She was out before she hit the ground.

As it turns out, yellow is faster than purple. Fluttershy was by Rainbow Dash in the blink of an eye. I saw a light purple aura wash over Ty and myself, then fizzle and dissipate. I whipped my head to Twilight, who was as dumbfounded as she was horrified. My rushing adrenaline let my mind discover a million different possibilities in two seconds, but coming up with one main conclusion. Danger. Ty must've sensed my fears, because I felt a hand on my shoulder. The muscles in my body relaxed and I forced my adrenaline down, clearing my head for rational thought.

"They're still breathing..." A soft, yet relieved voice came from behind me. I breathed a small sigh of relief that we didn't put too much force into our kicks, after all, ponies probably had weaker bones than us, being smaller and all. My relief was thrown out the window when I was forcefully turned around by a yellow hoof. My protests were silenced by a pair of normally soft, aqua eyes filled with fury.

Uh-oh

"How DARE you!" She accused, having me frozen in place with her fiery glare. "You assaulted and hurt my friends! That is NOT okay!" She yelled. A a small bit of fire flared within me due to this accusation.

Easy, Tiger. We don't need to have that blood on our hands.

I unclenched my fists and took a deep breath, deciding that my brain was right.

"Your friends rushed us, I'm sorry we had to incapacitate them." I calmly breathed out.

"YOU COULD HAVE KILLED THEM!!!" She screamed

"'Shy." Charlie's cautious voice came from the side, throwing Fluttershy's fury-filled eyes to the brown Unicorn, who cringed under the heated gaze. "The girls are still alive, there's nothing else they could've done. Remember what we told you, we were trained for that kind of thing." She pointed out. Shy dropped her hoof from my shoulder and sat down on the couch wordlessly, her pink mane casting a dark shadow across her face and not allowing me to see her expression. Silent treatment. Wonderful. She tilted her head to where her furious eyes landed on me.

"Hurt them again," They switched to Ty, "and I'll end you both." She threatened, freezing the blood in my veins with that icy voice. Or not so silent treatment, which I think I would've preferred. Note to self, don't piss Fluttershy off.

A simple, albeit fearful, nod was all it took to wash the cold rage out of her eyes.

"Chocolate, can you get me three buckets of cold water? Spike, take a letter." Twilight said, "Tell the princesses-"

"Actually, let us explain ourselves to all of you before you tell your leaders." Ty said. Smart man. I'm pretty sure our first impression didn't blow over so well. Twilight stopped and turned back to me.

"That's a good idea." She admitted and sat on her haunches. "Do tell."

"I said everyone." He reminded.

"Everypony." She attempted to correct.

"Technically with Spike here, it is everyone." Pinkie chirped. Twilight opened her mouth to retaliate, but found Pinkie's logic a little too solid and, instead, resorted to a small grumble. Charlie walked back into the room, majeeking three buckets of sloshing ice water. Charlie proceeded to throw the water all over the clocked out ponies, waking them instantly.

"Whosawhatzit?!" The rainbow one shouted as she shot up.

"Ugh, mah bucking head." The orange mare grumbled as she sat up.

Really? Bucking?

The rather shrill, ear piercing screech was all I heard from the white Unicorn.

"Are those... Monsters gone?" She asked shakily. Too easy. When her frightened orbs landed on me, I simply smirked and said:

"Boo." She fainted. Again.

6 o'clock. A hoof struck the back of my head. Again.

"Ouch! You're gonna give me a bald spot." I grumbled, inciting a chuckle from Ty.

"God forbid." He joked. Another bucket teleported above the dramatic mare and drenched her, warranting another ear piercing screech.

"Yes, they're still here and if you faint again, you'll be falling a lot longer than you would prefer." Twilight threatened, prompting the white Unicorn to gulp audibly, then sit.

"That everybody?" I asked.

"Everypony." The white one tried to correct.

"Been through that, you're wrong and he's right." Twilight commented in her laconic manner. The white mare took a huff of indigence, then sat down hesitantly.

"Now, if you would, please give us a crash course on yourselves." The lavender Unicorn said after somehow conjuring a quill, ink, and parchment out of nowhere.

"Well..." The sound of scratching on parchment filled the room.

She's really going to do this, isn't she?

"Us humans are mad geniuses." I said, summing us up in one sentence as she scribbled it down. Presumably word for word. I wasn't about to reveal our faults, considering we just popped up out of nowhere and knocked out two of her best friends. Twilight raised an eyebrow, obviously curious to the phrases meaning.

"What I mean is, we're extremely creative. Despite our limitations, our species has overcame countless challenges and adapted accordingly to them. We have faced a multitude of consequences due to some rather unwise decisions, but always toughed it out and pulled through in the end. I say mad geniuses mainly because of our adaptability and what we are willing to do to overcome those challenges presented. And despite every challenge and hardship, we usually come out on top. Apex on the food chain, and all that jazz." I said, pausing to let Twilight finish her scribbles. When she dotted her last period, the purple mare looked up at me.

"That it?" She asked skeptically.

"Well, I did memorize an entire biography before getting teleported here against my will." Sarcasm coated my voice.

"Just how did you get here, darling?" The white unicorns voice floated to me. Twilight was still slightly aggravated at my quip, causing me to smirk.

"Still fuzzy on the details myself." I shrugged, "The guy who did it plans to tell us when he gets here." I added, inciting multiple gasps throughout the room.

"There are more of you?" Twilight asked.

"Yes... Well, no... Actually, not anymore. The guy who sent us here was an alien, I guess." I partially explained.

"As in, out of country? What other sentient beings reside on your planet?" Twilight questioned.

"No. As in, off of world. And we didn't in the first place and sure as hell don't anymore." I answered with a dry chuckle.

"What do you mean?" She asked, her eyes and voice showing innocent concern.

"We don't exactly have a planet anymore." Ty said for me without emotion. Several more gasps found my ears.

"So. . . Y'all two are the last of yer race?" Applejack's southern voice flowed in the air with empathy.

"Sadly." I said simply. Twilight frowned and rolled her scroll up with her majeek, laying it on a nearby table and majeeking another one. She dipped the quill in the ink, and wrote a short letter. She rolled up said letter and floated it past her sad, concerned looking friends. Spike immediately grabbed it from her majeekal grasp and exhaled a shoot of green fire, instantly immolating the paper in a plume of smoke that seemed to fly out of the window.

I hate this planet.

"H-How d-did it ha-happen?" Fluttershy's tender voice was barely heard, a sharp contrast from her lethal tone just minutes ago.

"Aliens similar to the one that transported us here. They had apparently found more aliens of a different species, and decided that the only way to get rid of them was to 'Purify' our planet. And by 'purify', I mean completely obliterate." I explained, inciting even more gasps.

"I'm so very sorry dear. . . That must be awful." Rarity's voice shown with concern. And when I say 'shown', I mean exploded in a flurry of awesome fireworks. She really had a flare the for dramatic.

"It all sounds a little familiar, just who are these aliens anyway?" Rainbow Dash piped up.

"The Protoss and the Zerg, and Fluttershy tells me you're familiar with them." I crossed my arms, cocking an eyebrow when her face went completely slack-jawed.

"No friggin' way. I don't believe you." She turned to Twilight, "Look, Twi, if this is some sorta prank, it's not very well thought out. It's not like you."

"Rainbow... This isn't me. Fluttershy found these two at the edge of the Everfree." The purple Unicorn turned back towards me, "Are you absolutely sure he was a Protoss?"

"He came to me in a dream with a prophecy stone and his name was Zeratul. It sounds pretty Protossy to me." I commented. At that, Rainbow froze and looked at Twilight with alarm in her features. Twilight returned the look, her brow creasing with worry. "Why, what are they to you ponies?" I glanced around the room to see Pinkie literally deflating, like a ballon. Applejack and Fluttershy looked equally confused as the other, while Rarity was just staring at us. No, our... clothes?

"A game." Rainbow said, struck dumb by this revelation. "It's... It's just a really awesome game. They can't really be real, right Twi?"

"As Starswirl the Bearded once said, 'Anything is possible.'." She turned to lock eyes with her normally hyper, pink friend. "Pinkie, you've been uncharacteristically quite. What's your take on all this?" Pinkie looked down at her hooves, and back up at Twilight with what I would classify as 1.21 gigawatts of sorrowful. Her mane was flat and darkened, with large tears welling in both pitiful blue eyes.

"War is coming," She sniffled sadly, "In all it's glory..." She laid down, placing her hooves over her head. "And all it's horror." With a shudder, Pinkie Pie began to weep. Everyone in the room looked at the pink mare with one emotion, terror. My blood froze like ice. This was by no means normal, if the others reactions were anything to go by. The sudden shock passed, and all of her friends flocked to her side, Charlie included.

"Come on now, Pinkie." Applejack comforted her softly, "I know you really love that game an' all, but they've never come for us before right? Why would they now?"

"It's not like they wouldn't have had the chance if they were real." Rainbow added, "I mean, they were both super advanced in their own ways."

"I'm afraid it may not be that simple, girls." Twilight shook her head solemnly, "There are infinite reasons for them to have passed us by or intentionally ignored us. Pinkie could be very, very right." The grim statement was pierced by Ty, of all people.

"Fuck that."

Ah, that's more like it.

"Excuse me?" Rarity seemed taken aback by this.

"Seriously, fuck that." He stated again, "There are infinite reasons for both, but we can't dwell on that. We can't dwell on the fact that it's coming here. Now. We can't dwell on whether or not they've come before We can't dwell. We have to do. I may not have read every UED report, but I know that these things aren't invincible. They bleed, just like anyone else."

"And just like General Hurricane said," Rainbow's tomboy tone cut through, "If it bleeds, we can kill it."

Uh, okay Dutch.

"W-w-ww-we-eee?" Fluttershy eeped.

Yeah... Not you.

"Uh, only if you want to 'Shy." Rainbow amended after seeing her friend under such duress.

"Fuck that too." Ty spouted off once again, only this time Pinkie giggled and brightened her mood slightly.

"What." Was the collective sound coming out of six mares mouths, one lizards, and one other humans.

"Look, we can't afford to be divided in any sense. War is fought differently where we're from." He knelt down to eye level with the ponies in the room, "None of you have to be on the front lines if you really don't want to, but there's a place for you somewhere for you to defend your home. Your country. Your world. There's so much more you can do besides pull a trigger to make a difference." He finished, actually earning smiles from the other ponies in the room.

Well, I'll be damned. I put my hand on Ty's back to thank him for calming them down. Out of nowhere, a bright flash of yellow and white consumed my vision. I raised an eyebrow before turning to the left and seeing a very pissed off, albeit dumbstruck, alabaster winged Unicorn with a multicolored mane and tail flowing in a non-existent breeze. She was planted to the ground in a battle position, ready to take on anything. Did I care to mention her horn was pointed directly at me? Next to her, there was another winged Unicorn, although just as pissed and confused, it was the exact opposite in color scheme. It had a midnight blue coat and a swirling, universe-like mane and tail that you could get lost in for eternity. These contrasted greatly against her counterpart. They were both truly stunning, although they didn’t look very friendly.

“Creatures! What sorcery hath thou wrought?” The blue one demanded in a loud, feminine voice.

“Sorry honey, tricks are for kids.” Ty’s smartass comment cut in from the side. A glower that could topple armies landed on his smirking face as a teal aura spiraled up the blue Alicorns horn.

"Do not get smart with I, mortal.” She spat venomously. Jeez, if looks could kill then Ty would be paste.

“Princess Luna, wait!" Twilight tried to call out, but it was too late. With a growl, she blasted a teal orb from her horn and right at me.

30 Minutes Earlier

Celestia sat by a crackling fire, a soft smile etched on her features as she flipped through an old photo album.

Equestrian society. My little ponies have gone a long way. She thought as she flipped from a small, impoverished family to a bright and happy one, beaming in the rays of her sun.

But at what cost? A malevolent voice defiled her thoughts. She scowled and shook her head, trying to get rid of the being she had come to know as Malevolent Radiance, who merely chuckled.

Must you be so contrary? You know you can’t get rid of me with a simple shake of the head. Radiance’s voice seeped like poison.

If only it were so easy. Celestia thought with a dead expression.

At least you still have a sense of humor. Malevolent commented with a smirk, or at least as close as she could get, being a thought. Celestia ignored said comment and went back to looking over her album.

You know Nightmare and I should be ruling with iron hooves! The manifested thought accused.

There is nothing I’d love to see more. Celestia replied dryly, flipping another page, although not really paying attention to the colorful images.

And we would be if our masters never left. Radiance spoke venomously. Celestia’s next, admittedly unpleasant, thought was interrupted by a small poof as a letter with Twilight’s seal floated down to her hooves.

Your pet calls. The voice mocked.

As does your cage. Celestia said, sick of the thought. She used a small portion of her magic to temporarily lock the creature away, only drawing a small chuckle from it as it faded. Celestia frowned lightly, then grasped the scroll in her magic. She wondered what on Equis Twilight had sent her a letter for. The Princess had already received a friendship letter last afternoon. She broke the seal and unraveled it, scanning over the information within with worry.

Dear Princess Celestia,
I’m not sure how to put this, but I’ll just be blunt. Aliens have invaded. And not the out-of-country kind. Apparently, one of my new friends I mentioned yesterday, Chocolate Skies, knows the two creatures from somewhere and have brought them to the library for a small explanation on their race. I have documented the… Knowledge and stored it safely in my drawer. I have reason to believe that they’re dangerous, although passive aggressive. To worsen the situation, they are now lacking in a planet. You read that right, their planet no longer exists. The final two of their kind. I am also afraid that they could become volitile at any moment. They defended themselves quite well against Applejack and Rainbow Dash. To the point where we would all likely not survive should they wish it. Please, come with Princess Luna as soon as you are able.

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle.

Celestia got up quickly and walked to the door, her swift hoofsteps clipping and clopping against the granite floor of her small office. She stopped and opened her mental link to Luna in order to tell her of the news.

Sister, meet me in Twilight’s library as quickly as possible. There is a serious matter to which we must attend. She then closed the link that was established when the Great Ones descended, and pushed open her bedroom’s door.

“Solar?” She called to her favorite Elite Royal Guard, and occasional bed companion.

“Yes, your majesty?” He asked in his deep and fiery voice. Celestia stopped, shivering slightly. There was just something about his tonic voice that set her nerves ablaze and filled her with excitement. Despite being a creature of massive power who has been around for at least four millennia, Celestia still felt a child-like thrill of adventure around the stallion. Like they had some secret code that no other being knew about, only for the two of them to share. Mischievous secrets and flaring passions mixed when they looked in each others eyes.

“There is a personal matter my sister and I must attend to. If you would, please ensure that the other guards know not to attack any strange creatures that may roam the Palace when we return.” Her voice had been trained to handle many things, but worry would always undercut her tone when her little ponies were in danger.

“Yes ma’am, I’ll get to it immediately.” He said, then softened his expression and made sure there were no other guards around. “Is something wrong, Sunshine?” He asked with care.

“Don’t call me ma’am, Solar. It makes me feel old.” She chuckled, purposefully dodging the question.

“It’s a good thing that I can make you feel young just as easily.” Solar replied with a playful smirk painting his muzzle. Now, there are few things, very few things, in this world that can make the Solar Alicorn’s judgement become clouded. One of those things is hormones. Another would be emotion. Due to the sun being so fiery, and not just in a literal sense, it’s princess developed some rather uncontrollable flares of emotion because of her direct connection to the ball of energy. The last of these things would be Solar Flare, her current, as society these days called it, coltfriend. He had a strange effect on her that the princess had never experienced, making her basically putty in his hooves and he didn’t even realize it. When something happens that just so happens to combine all three of those things, the Solar princesses mind turns to mush.

“S-Solar Flare, now i-is hardly the time.” She said, attempting to be equally as playful, but only ending up as a flustered, stuttering fool.

“Why yes, I believe you’re right,” Solar replied with a mocking tone, “You said something about having a ‘personal matter’ to attend to, didn’t you?” He teased. Celestia cursed at herself under her breath for forgetting that. “Do not worry, I’ll inform the rest of the guard.” He laughed lightly before beginning to trot away.

“And Solar?” Celestia stopped him, the flaring passion in her mind throwing some rational thought away.

“Ye-” He was interrupted when Celestia aggressively met his lips with hers. The Unicorn guard was momentarily shocked, but instantly recovered and returned the deep kiss. No tongue found its way to either pair of lips, but they did not need the pink muscle, for the amount of passion in the kiss was too great to ruin with a make-out session. Celestia eventually broke the kiss, looking less tense than before, but quite a bit more seductive.

“You’ll get the rest of that later.” She cooed softly into his ear with a sultry voice. He nodded and gulped, turning around and starting to try and trot off his arousal. Celestia quickly shook her head, casting a small spell to reduce her body’s temperature which gave her the equivalent of a cold shower, minus the wet mane and fur.

How does he get in my head like that? She thought after her mind had made way for rational thought.

Easy, you’re in love, Celly. A familiar voice floated through her head, much to her chagrin. The solar diarch hated the word love, it wasn’t true. It was just some illusion to hide behind when the real world came knocking.

Lulu, you know how I feel about that word. Celestia thought after she got over her initial freakout that Luna had figured her and Solar out. Besides, Solar is just a friend. Celestia caught her mistake as soon as she made it, cursing at herself yet again for her ignorance. She could practically feel her sisters smirk.

Who said anything about Solar? Luna thought victoriously.

A-Are you prepared to leave for Twilight’s? Celestia replied, deciding to dodge the question. Luna chuckled, concluding to leave her sister alone on the matter, for now.

Yes. Though, could you tell me what's going on?

Aliens have come to Equis. They could be very dangerous, and they are with Twilight and her friends at this very moment. Celestia stated grimly.

Well, I'm going in horns blazing to incapacitate. I suggest you do the same, dear Tia. Luna offered.

Teleporting in 5... Celestia finished her countdown, then teleported to Twilight's, ready for the worst.

15 Minutes Prior

Luna sighed and rubbed her right temple with her hoof, trying to ease her stress, but to no avail.

I wonder if Mareijuanna is still around... She thought absentmindedly, It’s one Tartarus of a stress reliever.

As is letting your emotions free. A very tempting voice scratched at her mind.

You really don’t know when to give up, do you? The lunar diarch scowled.

Persistence is key, my dear puppet. Poison dripped from her last word.

I am no longer your puppet. Luna growled.

Are you certain? Nightmare said cryptically.

Positive. Was Luna’s firm reply. It seemed to shut the nightmare up, or the thought was letting her dwell on what it said.

Sister, meet me in Twilight’s library as quickly as possible. There is a serious matter to which we must attend. Celestia’s thoughts interrupted her argument with her alter ego.

Luna stood up and walked out of the throne room, not really paying any attention to the soft clip of her armored hooves against the marble, nor the stotic guards outside of the throne room. Anxiety rose with every step of her hooves in her mission to find her personal guards barracks, throwing her thoughts back to that letter and wondering if Celestia calling upon her was a coincidence. She lost track of the short amount of time as she trotted, alone and lost in thought.

She came upon the barracks and pushed the door open, the first thing hitting her being the music. She stepped inside, humming the song in tune with the one they were playing, her favorite, and examining the rowdy crowd. Her rowdy crowd. They had made some personal changes and flares to the inside of the barracks-turned-bar. Half of her guard were the specially modified Thestrals, or the more ignorant term, Bat Ponies, that she only took on very key missions that required their talents.

The Thestrals were unique, each of them having increased speed, enhanced vision (which didn’t make much sense to the princess, but it was an effective ability to have nonetheless), three times the hearing of a normal pony, and a killer sixth sense that allowed them to sense objects and others around them. The origin of Thestrals was only known by Luna, Celestia, and the Thestrals themselves. They were all normal foals once, ones who got their cutie marks early and each showed an outstanding aptitude for doing the nigh impossible. They always pushed themselves to be better, never giving in to anything. Not only were they physically magnificent, their intellect and willpower shined above all others of their age group. Another trait these ponies all shared was their cutie mark had a single bat wing behind it, no matter what the original cutie mark was. This signified their destiny to be one of the elite Thestral guards. They accepted the destiny with honor, being very mature for their younger age.

Their only fault lies with the fact that all of their extra perks were fed by Psions, instead of Mana. Psions, unlike the life force of Mana, were inherently destructive and mischievous. While both could have serious consequences if they are fully drained, Psions have a much lower threshold than Mana. If one were to exhaust their Mana completely, they would die. However, that is nearly impossible as one is more likely to faint before that can be accomplished. If one uses too many Psions, the same effect happens. Unfortunately, when Psions replenish too many too fast, it can have a permanently corrupting effect on the individual. Luna had lost many Thestrals to this in the war with her sister, much as she had lost herself.

Thestrals are very rare, sadly. Only appearing maybe once every five to ten years. The silver lining was the process they go through to change them. It made them never age past thirty years old. That process was Celestia and Luna combining their magics with the elements of harmony and blasting the small filly/colt. The process ages them, at most, fifteen years, and gives them bat wings. If they are Unicorn, the spell simply removes their horn and gives them bat wings. They are still able to use magic, but not as effectively. If they are Pegasus, their wings shed their feathers and mutate into bat wings. Unfortunately, when Luna was banished, the Thestrals had stopped appearing. Fortunately, all Thestrals have accepted their destiny and never have fought back. Luna could automatically detect when and where a Thestral foal was born due to her special connection to the mindscape.

In any case, the Thestrals were separated by everyponies choice when it came to the bedding. Mostly due to the fact that their wings can eviscerate a normal pony. But occasionally, a normal pony would pair up with a Bat Pony for a night. That was before their modifications, however, now since the “Bat Half” of the barracks had been turned into a bar. The Thestrals now hung from the rafters when they decided to get some shut eye, which forced them into their lovers beds instead of the other way around.

The walls were painted an even darker shade of midnight blue than her coat, but dotted with miniscule white specks that seemed to glow in the virtually black void of the room. The painted stars all lead up to a massive moon in the center of the roof that glowed brighter than all of the other stars, a beautiful portrait of the lunar princess in all her glory, with a bat wing that crossed a Pegasus wing behind her as a symbol of unity under their princess. Loyal to the very end. It was a magnificent set up done by the, now Nieghgermeister and Vodclop drinking, ponies of her night. The place was the same as it always was, alive with laughs and jovial shouts. Yet, as soon as she had entered, they caught sight of their princess and offered Luna a few drinks. She politely declined and raised a hoof to quiet her rowdy guardians of the night. They all stifled their laughs and sat their drinks on the tables, giving her the maximum amount of respect they could give. Even the music seemed to quiet at the Diarch’s will, becoming little more than a dramatic background piece.

“My faithful warriors of the moon,” She addressed her guards affectionately, being much more attached to them than Celestia was to hers. “I will be gone for a short period of time, when I return, do not attack any strange creatures that might roam the palace. Merely ask them for the royal seal. Now, while I am away…” She trailed off with a mischievous gleam in her eye, “Try not to get in too much trouble.” She finished, earning smirks and chuckles all around. All of the pony guards thanked their princess for the forewarning and turned back to their friends, chatting and resuming their drinking. Luna drank in the chilled air of the room and opened up a communication link with her sister, catching her last thought and immediately knowing who she was thinking about. After all, her and Solar Flare weren’t exactly a secret, but it was adorable for Celestia to think that their “secret” relationship was under wraps. Plus, Luna thought it was one of the last things keeping her sister happy.

Easy, you’re in love, Celly. The lunar diarch smirked, lightly chuckling at the reaction she would receive from this.

Lulu, you know how I feel about that word. Celestia thought after Luna had already caught an emotion of panic.

Besides, Solar is just a friend. That only increased the midnight Alicorns mirth, Celestia digging herself deeper into the hole.

Who said anything about Solar? Luna thought victoriously.

A-Are you prepared to leave for Twilight’s? Celestia replied, deciding to dodge the question. Luna chuckled, concluding to leave her sister alone on the matter, for now.

Yes. Though, could you tell me what's going on?

Aliens have come to Equis. They could be very dangerous, and they are with Twilight and her friends at this very moment. Celestia stated grimly.

Well, I'm going in horns blazing to incapacitate. I suggest you do the same, dear Tia. Luna offered.

Teleporting in 5... Luna finished the countdown with her sister, then teleported to Twilight's, ready for the worst.

~~~

Commander Jim Raynor sat alone at the Cantina bar, swirling and staring at the brown liquor in his glass. Staring through the slightly transparent liquid, through the stained glass, through the metal of the bar, and even through the deep bowels of his ship. Much was on the scarred veterans mind, but the priority wasn’t the current malfunction in Hanger Bay 6, nor was it his armor that had been crushed to save his life. It wasn’t the headhunters scattered across the sector after him, hell, it wasn’t even Mengsk’s head on a pike. No, all paled in comparison to his dominating thoughts. The thoughts of confusion and uncertainty. Jim Raynor did not like to throw his troops around like guinea pigs. He absolutely hating putting his men into situations which he didn’t even know what they were to be up against. Raynor never thought as his men as units, but as Terran beings. It made it a lot harder when they died on the battlefield, but at least less died due to teamwork, which made Raynor’s Raiders twice as effective as any other militant group.

Why did Zeratul want them on this distant planet? What was out there? But most importantly, why did he not tell me himself? Raynor hadn’t seen much, if any, of the Dark Prelate since Char, and that was a few years ago. So why had the Templar just decided to send him to the edge of the Universe?

“Jim!” Matthew Horner’s voice finally shattered Raynor’s train of thought, leaving it broken but not forgotten.

“Huh?” The hardened veteran was broken from his stupor by his best friend.

“What’s gnawing at you?” Matt asked with concern, pulling a stool of his own up to the bar and popping open the top on his own can of beer.

“Nothing.” Raynor lied, not even looking up at Horner from his drink.

“If you won’t tell me, then don’t tell a bottle.” Matt responded, taking a swing from his drink.

“Hypocrite.” Jim scoffed. Matt rolled his eyes and smirked, setting his can down.

“But I can control myself,” Matt pointed out, “You can’t.” He added as Jim reached for the bottle. Matt wrapped his fingers around the neck of the container of alcohol, holding it in place.

“Matt,” Raynor warned, “you’re on thin ice here.”

“Then we’ll both break it.” Matt stood his ground. Jim momentarily glared up at his best friend, meeting an unwavering, steely gaze. Raynor broke the staring match first, chortling and taking his hand away from the bottle.

“I knew I picked the right man to run this little outfit when I’m gone. I don’t know what I’d do without ya.” Jim laughed, causing Matt to smirk.

“Get yourself killed?” Matt joked. Jim chuckled, absentmindedly staring back into space.

“Let’s get going, Swann should have your armor ready by now.” Matt said, standing up and offering Raynor his hand. Raynor stared at the appendage for a minute, thinking it over. Reaching a conclusion, he slapped his hand to Matt’s and gripped, pulling himself up and nodding to his friend as they dropped hands. They then made their way to Swann’s in idle chat, blissfully unaware of they hell they were heading into.

~ ~ ~

“General Stone Kiss!” A military pony demanded as he strode into the tent. It was set up neatly at first, but time and accidents had left it more worn and tattered. Frays spread across it’s edges and the flaps no longer held tight, but fluttered in the breeze instead. Inside, the cloth housed multiple swords and spears, with both mouth and hoof activated crossbows on the opposite wall. Stone Kiss hovered over a table with a map spread across the top of it in the center of the tent, looking over it while in deep, strategic thought.

“Sir!” The military pony insisted, breaking the brown Unicorn from his trance and getting a glare immediately.

“What?!” Irritation poured from the grey-maned generals voice.

“We are being overrun by forces in the East!” The pony informed, much too use to Stone Kiss’s tone for it to bother him. If the pony wasn’t being smug, he was being irritated. Though he did have his moments of kindness. The General was loyal and honest, never letting his unit get blamed for something that didn’t happen or was done by another unit, which happened much more than it should have. He was a very admirable pony, even if he was a little arrogant. Stone Kiss frowned deeper than usual, then slammed his hoof down hard on the map.

“Pull back, regroup, and strike. Hard and fast. Don’t let them get them regroup.” Stone Kiss said through gritted teeth.

‘With all due respect, sir. I-” The pony’s next thought was interrupted rather violently by a jagged spike that ripped through his head. Stone Kiss’s eyes widened and he hit the deck just in time as dozens of similar spikes ripped the tent apart. Stone Kiss rolled to the side, grabbing a sword and crossbow in his magical aura. He flung his head up and sent an arrow careening towards his attackers. The arrow slammed into a large, serpentine-like beast’s skull, causing it’s brains to be expelled out of the other side of it’s head before dropping to the ground with a dull thud.

A smaller, flesh-colored beast with wings (that obviously could never be used to fly) that reminded the General highly of a Changeling, bounded over his fallen companion, rancid teeth bared. Stone kiss gave it a swift dental check up. He kicked the, now toothless, creatures body away and fired an arrow at another one while simultaneously cleaving one of the serpentine creatures in half. The ground under the general began to crumble, causing him to teleport a few feet away as the ground where he had previously been erupted in a shower of dirt, acid, and carapace.

The new creature was twice his size and it was like a mutated turtle. It’s head sunk into its hard carapace, from which two large, curved sickles of armored flesh protruded. Four bladed legs let the towering creature scuttle around like some sort of crab. The terrifying beast let out a primal roar and spewed a fountain of acid at the General. Stone Kiss nimbly dodged the spray, turning on his hoof to fire three arrows at the thing. All bounced off harmlessly. He silently cursed and dodged another acid spray, but had to teleport when coming too close to one of the serpents so he could avoid the fate of his lieutenant. He did a flip over a Changeling-like creature and drilled his hind hooves into a serpentine beast, planting two arrows into its skull at point blank. He jumped off the corpse and bounded over the war table, heading straight for the turtle-like creature.

Stone Kiss side-stepped a volley of spikes, and had to duck under a shoot of acid, but he finally teleported in front of the beast, grabbing another sword in his aura and dropping the crossbow. The beast swung one of its sickle-like appendages and roared in rage as Stone Kiss parried it and tried to cut through its armor. His blade pinged harmlessly off of the hard carapace. Stone Kiss swore under his breath as he parried another swing, having to teleport to the side to avoid another acid spray. He side stepped a few more spikes, letting them embed themselves into the heavily armored creature. The creature cried out in pain, the spikes finding a weaker spot in the armor. Stone Kiss smirked and flipped over the creature, it’s only disadvantage being where it could not turn well. He planted one sword on it’s armored back to help with his momentum and drilled the other into its side when he landed, causing the thing to cry in agony as cold metal twisted into its flesh. He flipped around a flailing sickle and sank his other blade into its roaring mouth, cutting it off with a sickening squelch.

The General pulled the blade from it’s mouth, but was slightly disappointed when it was half melted. Regardless, he smiled in victory, but that short lived smile faded when Stone Kiss turned around and came face to face with a miniature sea of creatures. He groaned, grabbing another sword and dropping his while bringing a crossbow up. He narrowed his eyes at the writhing mass of creatures that had yet to attack.

If I’m going out, I’m going to take some of the bucking bastards with me. He thought. Stone Kiss was about to charge, but a voice rang through his head and stopped him in his tracks.

I like that. His eyes widened and he stumbled forward slightly at the voice. It was doubled over, but obviously still feminine. It spoke of lethal prowess, and more than a little arrogance in the generals mind at least. It was disturbingly similar to the antagonists voice in a video game Princess Luna had introduced years ago. In fact, it was nearly the same. Now that the soldier thought about it, those creatures looked exactly like the ones from the game as well, unnerving him greatly.We are doing this, whether you like it or not. The voice added in a threatening manner. Stone Kiss finally recollected himself, frowning before replying to the voice in his head.

If I’m dying, then I’m gonna die fighting. He thought evenly.

Gallant, but who said anything about death? The voice responded, clearly familiar with the situation. We’re going to infest you, make you one of us. You’ll be stronger, faster, and quite a bit more adept in your psionic abilities. Stone Kiss began to ponder the situation. Consensually assimilate with an alien race that massacred his FOB, or be forced against his will to assimilate with an alien race that massacred his FOB.

What’s the catch? He asked.

You’ll be free of your mortal chains, but you will also be bound to the Swarm. She stated. Another similarity the the game. This was getting much too strange for coincidence. Then again, there was always the option of fighting his way out. It was an easy choice knowing that he would be helping the enemy with the first two choices. He threw his head skyward and shot out a spell to warn the princesses. Always the hard way. Then again, I never was much of a diplomat. The voice said, sounding disappointed. There was a small pause, then the miniature sea of beasts surged towards the lone pony.

Showing no hesitation or fear, Stone Kiss fired three arrows into the crowd, each taking out a changeling-like creature. He jumped over the downed bodies and sent serpent and changeling-like beasts heads’ alike rolling. Literally. His shadow moved in a fluid motion, dodging spikes and claws alike as his blades cleaved the air, yet still not being able to keep up with the acrobatic stallion. A mutated turtle swung a sickle appendage at Stone Kiss, causing him to duck and drive one of the blades into its throat. The creature was dead before it hit the ground. He attempted to pull his blade from the beasts gurgling windpipe, but the acid had disintegrated the steel much like his other blade.

Stone Kiss frowned and threw the ruined blade to the ground. Another turtle-like creature burst from the dirt, giving the general an idea. He smirked and concentrated his magic on the beast, searching deep into its mind. The Unicorn found one mental link that was full of brainwave traffic and severed it, attaching it to his own brainwave frequency. It was an advanced form of Unicorn magic, only very few ponies knew of its existence, and even less could use it. Stone Kiss was one of the lucky few. The general then flipped himself up onto its back, the process taking less than three seconds. He placed his hind hooves in the crevices between the creatures shell and sickle appendages, successfully mounting the beast. He smirked and pressed his hooves down, causing the creature to spray acid all over its former comrades.

The acid soaked creatures squealed in agony, melting into the ground. In Stone Kiss’s triumphant cry, he forgot an important aspect of his mount. It couldn’t turn very well. A volley of spikes impacted on the beasts side, followed by another to its face, downing it. Stone Kiss lost grip and fell to the ground, his magic aura failing. He coughed twice, looking up to see a carapaced biped.

It was wearing what looked like a pair of heels, but they were attached to its green and purple skin. Its body curved perfectly, hips meeting with her thin waist and melding together. Trailing up, he noticed two bulbous objects protruding from its chest. They fused with its body, albeit being strange, Stone Kiss thought they were highly attractive. Two massive boned wings came from its back, both stained with blood and instilling an emotion that the general had not felt in years. Fear. The only purpose they could serve would be two deadly weapons. His eyes then found its face. It was without a doubt beautiful to any species that would gaze upon it. But Stone Kiss soon feared that every species might get to experience said beauty. Its features were soft and young, but its eyes shone back at him the death of trillions, chilling his very core. Its mane was long and bone-like, stretching down half of its back in a wild manner. It was a bi-pedal form of the games antagonist.

“Why must you all be so difficult?” The rhetorical voice from his head obviously belonged to this… Mare. Whatever she was. “No matter. One last chance, Stone Kiss,” She held out her five-diggetted claw, “Join us in the Swarm, or we will assimilate you.”

"Go to Tartarus." He spat.

Kerrigan smiled a cruel smile.

Author's Note:

Finally, the mega update for this chapter is finished. There was a lot to change in this one. The Thestrals are based on Spartans from Halo. Tell me if I missed anything and I'm always looking for Editors guys! Don't be shy! Stay Brony, my friends.