Chapter 1: waking up

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Equestria was miles away from LV426. But space seemed empty, endless and dangerous. An empty starfield, no plants insight, no suns, just empty, but there was stars in the distance, suddenly they got block out by metal spires, followed by a mountain of steel.

A ship, it was an ugly ship. Battered, overused, parts repaired that should have been replaced. The ship was too tough and valuable to be scrap. Its line was awkward and its engines were oversized. It moved quietly, but quick, it was a massive military transport ship, a floating scrap heap, weightless monument to war; it shouldered its way brutally through the mysterious region called hyersleep. Like its pony cargo, it was functional.

A sun rose out of nowhere, as if it was hiding behind the planet. The suns shine at the ship, brightening it up, revealing the battle scars and the dent of where the ship got hit. The name on the side of the ship was also revealed, the letters were big and bold, C.M.E-(Celestial Marines of Equestria)-Zecora.

Inside the ship there was no movement, nothing, only noise from the hyperdrive engines. There was an empty corridor, seemingly miles long, but still no movement. The cargo bay was an enormous chamber, cavernous and dark. In the far end of the cargo bay, there were two orbit-to-surface shuttles. Drop-ships both look the same as each other, but difference was the emblem on the side of the ships. One had Celestia’s cutie mark, while the other had Luna’s. There was even other machinery in the cargo bay as well as...cranes, and loading equipment.

Across the cargo bay there was the armoury. On the walls inside the armoury were all sorts of armament as two rows of M-41A pulse rifles along with M-240 flamethrowers were stored. Next to the two rows of weapon stored two long lockers, which held an M-56 smart-gun.

Alongside the armoury was the locker room. The lockers were closed and neat looking, some locker had dents in the doors, due to being punched in by somepony. The locker even had the crews name on each locker.

Inside the bridge of the ship, it was dark with a little light shining through the window. As the sun was raising high from out behind the planet, its shine became brighter. The seats and the computers where all dusty, the dust sparkled and glittered the in the air. A sudden high-pitched came from one of the computers as it was starting up. On the computer screen lists of words shot across the screen as it was registering the time of the ship being in space. Within a sudden second an alarm activated as a sequence of lights turned on.

The whole ship then lighted up like a Christmas tree, in the hyersleep vault the lights slowly turned on. The whole room was pale white and sterile, a computer activated, listing the name of the crew for the ship.

MASTER SERGEANT ZECORA: UNIT LEADER

CORPORAL APPLEJACK: B-TEAM LEADER

CORPORAL LYRA HEARTSTINGS: MED-TECH

PFC PINKIE PIE: COM-TECH

PFC RAINBOW DASH: ‘SMART-GUN’ OPERATOR

PRIVATE RENEGADE THUNDER: ‘SMART-GUN’ OPERATOR

PRIVATE FLUTTERSHY: TROOPER

PRIVATE BON-BON: TROOPER

PRIVATE DERPY HOOVES: TROOPER

CORPORAL SPITFIRE: DROP-SHIP PILOT

PFC SORAIN: DROP-SHIP CREW CHIEF

LIEUTENANT RARITY: COMMANDING OFFICER

SYM BISHOP: TECH-SURPORT

V.I.P TWILIGHT SPARKLE: SCIENTIST

V.I.P FILTHY RICH: CIVILIAN

The capsules in the hyersleep chamber were all wet from the frost of the condensation, as they were keeping the ponies alive and in a frozen stasis. Trickles of water run down the side of the capsule as the hyersleep vault was warming up. The row of capsules then began to open. Everypony started to move slowly as they all were waking up.

Twilight opened her eyes and sat herself up; she looked to her left and saw Rarity and Filthy Rich. Rarity was wearing a white gown with a pink furry lining; she was even wearing a sleeping eyeshade that said, “Shh I’m sleeping.” She then looked to right and saw the troopers, wearing green shorts and dog tags.

Groans echo across the chamber as the troopers started to get up and out of their capsules, “Arrgh. I’m getting too old this shit.” groaned Sorain as he pulled himself up.

No one paid any attention to his comment, since it was well known (or at least widely rumoured) that Sorain had enlisted it when he was a foal. However, nopony joked about his maturity or lack of it when they were plummeting towards the surface of a new world in the PFC-directed drop-ship.

Spitfire looked straight at Sorain and groaned back at him, “You’re only twenty-five. You aren’t that old, you bastard.” She got out of her capsule and stretched.

Renegade was rolling himself out of his capsule next to Sorain’s. He’s was young as Sorain, but different to all the rest of the ponies. He was a hybrid, half zebra and half pegasi. His mane and tail was same as Sorain, but his colour was different. The colour of his mane and tail was a dark blue along with a glowing electric blue. His fur colour was the same colour as his mane, and his stripes were the same electric blue colour. He had a nasty scar on the left side of his eye and one on the right side of his face, curling his lip into a sneer. “They ain’t payin’ us enough for this,” he mumbled.

Rainbow Dash stretched and looked at Renegade, “not enough to have to wake up to your face, Renegade.”

Renegade smiled and looked at Rainbow Dash, “Fuck you too.”

“You wish,” replied Rainbow Dash in a cheeky tone.

Renegade eyed the occupants of another recently opened capsule. “Hey AJ...you look like how I feel.” He then rolled out of the capsule and started to do thirty push-ups.

Applejack just shook her head with a smile and snorts good-naturedly. She then gets out from the capsule and walks over to the
lockers, and opens the door. She puts on her cameo trouser and a green shirt.

Twilight scans the room as she looks at the ponies shuffling past her to the bank of the lockers. Though they did not look like powerpoines, but they were lean and hardened...tough, capable, and jaded, they were the Celestial marines of Princess Celestia and

Luna. Zecora moved down the row of freezers, as she rhymed her order to the ponies.

Pinkie pressed one of her hind legs to the floor and turned completely blue; she pulled her leg back into the capsule and started to shiver, “FREEZING!” Said Pinkie, as she was shivering in the capsule and wanting to go back to sleep.

Zecora cock an eyebrow as she looked at the pathetic pony in the capsule. She shook her head as walk up to the freezing pony, and she spoke in a rhyming tone.

Pinkie looked at the zebra and said in a cheeky tone while smiling, “Can you get me some slippers?” the pink pony gazed at the zebra.

Zecora lean in with an evil look. She suddenly felt taunted, but scared as Pinkie quickly moved to the lockers.

Twilight walk past through the lockers and the troopers, she felts isolated as her friends were talking to her no more, well some of her friends. When she looked at Rainbow Dash and could feel the tension on her gaze. Rarity was next to Twilight comforting her, as she was placing her officer uniform on. The other ponies were wearing combat trouser and green t-shirt. Renegade and Rainbow Dash was wearing black combat trouser along with a black vest.

While in the locker room Rainbow Dash was doing some press-up to get her muscle going, as she was pulling herself up then down. Filthy Rich decided to ask her a question. “My dear Rainbow Dash...have you even been mistaken as a colt.”

Rainbow Dash pulled herself up and turned to face the Earth-pony, “no. Have you?” with that said, his questionable smile faded from his face, and turned around to the mess hall. Everypony was laughing in surprise as Rainbow Dash handled his ass to him. She watched him fade into the mess hall, and turned to give Renegade a brohoof.

Renegade gripped his hoof with hers and smiled, “you’re just too bad.” She then slaps him around the face and smiled back as she broke with a vicious laughter.

*** *** ***

In the mess hall the troopers assemble at one long table in centre of the room, while Rarity, Filthy Rich, and Twilight sat at another table. Everypony was nursing at the coffee, tea, water or spritz and eating the food. Sorain bit down on an apple and started to chew.

His face suddenly turned horrified as the taste of the apple changed, like it was rooting in his mouth. “Ahh man, what type of shit is this” he spoke while still eating the apple.

Applejack looked at Sorain, “it a red apple. Eat it up, it’s good for you.”

Renegade sat down next to Applejack and laid down a tray that held a pyramid of green apples, everypony looked at him and thought, ‘Are you going to do the apple eating contest again.’ He looked at Sorain while eating an apple, “hey, what the op?”

Sorain shrugged his shoulders, then leaned in. “it’s probably a rescue mission. Meaning there’s going to be some juicy mares, which are waiting to be rescued from their virginity.” Sorain and Renegade then smiled and broke into a laughter as they brohoof each other, while other just shook their head and rolled their eye, as they had heard them said that multiple times before.

Spitfire made a show of looking disappointed, “great, that lets me out.” she said, as she sat next to Applejack throwing a sugar cube a Sorain.

Applejack looks at Rarity and Twilight and notice that they were the end table, she the leans and whispered to others. “Looks like the new lieutenants too good to eat with us grunts.”

Rainbow Dash looks over her shoulder and glances, “yeah they both probably have the cornbread stuck up their asses.”

Renegade raised an eye brow, and leaned into Rainbow Dash, “I thought you, Twilight, and Rarity were good friends?”

Rainbow Dash turned to look at Renegade in his eyes, “well let’s just say the elements was broken,” she then pointed at Applejack with a smile, “because of this bitch right here was having a dream of our friendship ending. It seemed to have come true.”

Applejack looked at Rainbow Dash with a cocked up eyebrow, “who are you calling a bitch?” Rainbow Dash just shrugged her shoulders and just looked at her plainly while eating her breakfast.

Across the room, at the other table, Rarity sat with her only friend Twilight; on the over side was Filthy Rich. Twilight looked over at the other table and noticed that Bishop was holding a knife, while stabbing it side to side across his hoof with Sorain’s. Renegade was holding him down while bishop was moving the knife to the left then the right. His eyes widen as bishop was moving faster and faster at every stab at the table. He then suddenly stops and gave the knife to Sorain, “thank you,” said Bishop as he turned and walked to other table with twilight and rarity.

Sorian looked at the others, as they were laughing at his reaction, “That wasn’t funny man.” hesitated Sorain.

Spitfire continued to laugh, as she was trying to find her words, “Well...if it wasn’t funny for you...but it sure hell was funny to us.”

Bishop placed his tray on the table and sat next Filthy Rich; he raised his hoof, as he saw white line of liquid running down hoof. Twilight looked and noticed that he was different, not as different with Renegade, but different as he is not a pony. She looked at Rarity and Filthy Rich. “You never said anything about an android being here, why not?” asked Twilight as she had a bad experience with one before.

Filthy Rich looked at Rarity for a second then looked back at the worried purple unicorn, “it didn’t occur to me. It’s been the policy from Princess Celestia herself to have a synthetic on board.”
Bishop looked at Filthy Rich, “I would prefer the term ‘artificial pony’ myself.” He then looked at Twilight and spoke softly, “is there a problem?”

Rarity then suddenly remembered what happened to Twilight at the arcane of science. “I remember now, a synthetic malfunctioned, when she was at the arcane of science. Some deaths were involved.”

Bishops eyes widen, “I’m shocked. Was it an older model?”

“It was a cyerdyne system, prototype number, 120-A/2,” replied Rarity.

Bishop turns to Twilight, very conciliatory, “Well that explains it. The A/2’s prototype was always a little twitchy. That could never happen now with our behavioural inhibitors. It is impossible for me to harm or, by omission of action, allow to be harmed a pony.” he smiled and lifted the tray, “more cornbread.”

Twilight knocks the tray out of his hoof, halfway across the room; everypony looked as they saw Twilight stand up from the table. “Just stay away from me, Bishop! You got that straight?” she then walked out of the mess hall.
Lyra looked at Bon-Bon, and whispered, “Looks like she doesn’t like the cornbread either.”

*** *** ***

In the cargo bay, the whole place was lightened up. The drop-ship didn’t have any missiles or ammunition; they were completely empty, even in the fuel tanks.

Everypony stood hanging around talking to each other about the mission and the planet they were going to. Renegade and Rainbow Dash were throwing punches at each other as they were flying in the air, keeping the wits about them.

Zecora step into the cargo bay and caught everyponies attention, they all snap to from their lounging among the racks of high-tech weaponry. Rarity enters with Filthy Rich and Twilight.

Rarity stop and looked at everypony before speaking, she looked and saw Rainbow Dash and Applejack whispering amongst each over. She stood up straight and cleared her throat, “At ease. I’m sorry we didn’t have time to brief you all before we left gateway but...” Rarity stops as she was interrupted by Pinkie, who was bouncing up and down.

“Sir, maim, RARITY?” Pinkie held her hoof in the air as she continued to bounce up and down.

Rarity sigh in annoyance, “yes, what is it Pinkie?”

“Is this going to be a stand-up fight, or a bug hunt, and then again it could be a PARTY!” Said Pinkie as was thinking of what the mission could be.

Everypony just shook their head, while Rarity place her hoof on her face for a second, “All we know is that there’s still no contact with the colony and that a Xenomorph may be involved.”

Lyra raised her hoof as she didn’t understand something, “I’m sorry, a what?”

Applejack leans towards Lyra, and whispered softly. “It’s a bug-hunt.” Then louder, to Rarity as she wanted to hear more of the detail of the mission, “so what are we dealing with here.”

Rarity nods to Twilight, who stood before the troops; she levitated some sets of recording disk on the table. “I’ve dictated what I know on these Xenomorph.”

She was about to walk back next Rarity, but somepony caught her attention, it was Bon-Bon. “Before we look at those disks, could you tell us what those things are? Because you’ve must had experience with those things or something.” A few other ponies agreed with Bon-Bon and they wanted to hear what Twilight knows.

She stepped followed again, to face the crowed of the pony troopers, “Okay. It’s important to understand this organism’s life cycle. It’s actually two creatures. The first form hatches from a spore...a sort of egg, and attaches itself to its victim. Then it injects an embryo, detaches and dies. It’s essentially a walking sex organ. The...” Twilight got interrupted by Pinkie Pie.

She pointed at Renegade and Sorain. “Sounds like them two.” Renegade and Sorain smiled and laughed as they thought it was true.

Twilight kept a calm and serious face as she cleared her throat, “anyway, the embryo, the second form, hosts in the victim’s body for several hours. Gestating, then it...” Twilight hesitates as tries to find the right word to speak with. “...then it...emerges. Meaning it grows rapidly...” she gets interrupted again, but it was Rainbow Dash this time.

“Look, I only need to know one thing,” Rainbow Dash coolly points her hoof, like a gun, “where they are.” she then cocks her arm, and blows away the imaginary alien.

Renegade smiles as he brohoof her, “Yo! Rainbow Dash, kick ass...”

“Anytime, anywhere,” said Rainbow Dash as she smirks at Renegade.

Twilight then step closer to Rainbow Dash...annoyed “are you finished, because I hope you’re right. I really do.” She then walks back next to Rarity and nods.

Rarity step forward one last time, “I suggest you study the disks, Twilight has been kind enough to prepare for you.” she stopped for a second, “There is also another problem. Back on Equestria the Changelings disappeared along with Queen Chrysalis. And Celestia has given us orders to find out what happed to them.”

Rainbow Dash raised her hoof, “Why is looking for changelings so important? We should be celebrating, not looking for them. And plus whats the changelings got to do with the planet.”

Rarity kept calm, “Princess Celestia thinks they’ve made a portal to that world, and have token over the colony, we have to go down there and check, along with sorting out communications.” She then stood in silents as she was finished briefing them, “are there any questions?”

Pinkie rose her hoof, “yeah, where can I find a new party canon?”

Rarity just shook her head as she rolled her eyes, “all right. I want this to go smooth and by the numbers. I want DCS and tactical database assimilation by 0830.” a few ponies groaned as they didn’t want to do the work, “Ordnance loading, weapons strip and drop-ships prep details will have seven hours...NOW MOVE!”

All the ponies moved as they knew what they were doing. Sorain sat in the roll cage of a big power loader, a machine that resembles a skeletal mechanical elephant and was much stronger. As he exerts pressure with his hoofs against the servo-controls, the hydraulic arms moved correspondingly...but with a thousandfold increase in power. The forklift-style claws on each arm can crush with tones of pressure. The loader was supported by the squat hydraulic legs which also move correspondingly with the drivers movements.

He slid the long, reinforced arms into a bulging ordnance rack and lifted out a rack of small tactical missiles. Working with the smooth, effortless movement of his external prosthesis, he swung the load up into the drop-ship’s belly. Click and clang sounded from within as the vessel accepted the offering and automatically secured the missiles in place.

In the armoury Pinkie, Renegade and Rainbow Dash are field stripping light weapons with precise movement as the loading machines in the cargo bay. Tiny circuit boards were removed, checked, and blown clean of dust ad lint before being reinserted into sleek metal and plastic sculptures of death.

Rainbow Dash likes the feel of the guns, the weight...the authority. Her hoof move without hesitation, ‘CLANK, CLANK, CLANK,’ she swings one of the smart-guns on a work stand. She used a body brace and gyro-stabilized support arm to hold it in place. She checks the systems to see if the gun needed calibrating on the automatic targeting or just needed cleaning from the last op she went on.

Back in the cargo bay, Twilight watched the drop-ship being loaded. It was a cross between a Huey Aircobra gunship and the space shuttle. It is an orbit-to-surface troop carrier, heavily armed for close support of ground missions. She watches a four-wheeled APC, “ARMORED PERSONNEL CARRIER,” being raised hydraulically into the ships belly. Twilight looks around as Lyra wheels a rack of incomprehensible equipment. “Clear please,” shouted Lyra she was moving towards her.

Twilight jumps aside, nodding apologetically. She turns and approaches Zecora and Applejack. “I feel like a fifth wheel here. Is there anything I can do?”

Zecora looked at Twilight, “my, so much work to do, so little time to do it, maybe you should look around and you’ll see it.”
Twilight looked around and saw what she could help with. She smiled as she pointed at one of the power loaders, “I can drive that loader. I’ve got a class two rating in the arcane of science, when they were building those things there.”

Zecora and Applejack looks at the power loader sitting in the corner unused, they both then looked back at Twilight and considered. Twilight walks up to the power loader and climbs in the open cage. First she straps herself in using her magic, then pulling down the safety cage down, locking it into place. She moved her hoof across the button, activating the loader. An orange light flickered as a rising whine of power came from the loader.

Twilight takes a step forward as two tons of hardened steel takes a step. She spins the wrist servo. The huge claws swings open...slide smoothly in lifting brackets on a cargo module, nearby. Twilight raised it deftly. “Where you want it?” smirked Twilight, as made Applejack and Zecora impressed.

Applejack looks at Zecora, cock an eyebrow appreciatively, she looked back at Twilight, “bay twelve please.”

On the bridge Rarity and Filthy Rich were looking at the data pad of the colony, “still nothing from the colony?” asked Filthy Rich.
Rarity shook her head and places the data pad on the decking of the bridge. “Not even a background carrier wave, dead on all channels.”

“And we’re sure about the relay satellite?” asked Filthy Rich.

“Bishop insists that he checked it out thoroughly and that it responded perfectly to every command. He ran a standard signal check along the relay back on Equestria, and we should get response in a few days.” said Rarity.

“Then the problem’s down on the surface somewhere,” replied Filthy Rich.

Rarity nodded. “Like we’ve suspected all along,” She then looked at her watch, the time hitted 0800. She suddenly tapped Bishop on the shoulder to catch his attention, “its time, tell the troops to suit up.”

Chapter 2: The colony

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The troopers were suiting up for the drop. Strapping their bulky combat-armor...interlocking plates, like they would do, if they were part of the guards for Celestia. Rainbow Dash tied a red bandana around her head, while Renegade puts on his lucky cap. His cap was a cadet hat, the colour was black and had a few cuts and scrapes, from the last time he wore it. On each of the ponies armour they had different emblems; some had their own cutie mark.

Lyra had a hand print on the front of her chest plate, on the bottom of the hand print it said, “WE KNOW.” As the ponies were clipping their armor on to their bodies, their hooves moved methodically over the fastening, it had its own rhythm...‘CLICK, CLICK, and CLICK.’

Zecora shouted her order while rhyming them to the ponies as they getting to the ready line. One of the APC’s drove pass and stopped, the side door opened. All the pony troopers line up and moved inside. Twilight was wearing a flight jacket and a headset, she move inside and seated herself facing the other troopers across a narrow aisle. Rainbow Dash and Renegade stashed their smart-guns right next Rarity.

Rarity looked at their smart-guns, as she saw the word on the side of their guns, Rainbow’s said, “TEN SECONDS,” while Renegade’s said, “BEND OVER.” The APC’s door slammed shut as the troopers pulled down the safety bar. Bishop then reversed the APC into the belly of the drop-ship.

Pinkie was checking all the safety bars; she prowled the aisle, her movements predatory and exaggerated. As she paced, she kept up a steady stream of psychobabble, unavoidable in the confined space. “I am ready. Ready to, get it on. Check it out. I am the ultimate. State-of-the-art, you do not want to mess with me.” Twilight watched Pinkie working her way towards her. “Hey Twilight, don’t worry, I’ll take care of you, also have you ever felt the G-force of a drop-ship before, or felt the rush of a roller-coaster.”

Twilight looked up at Pinkie and thought, “Ah no, here she goes, off the edge of excitement again.” Pinkie, was excitedly blabbering about the G-force of the drop-ship, and how harsh they would drop. Until suddenly Applejack grabbed Pinkie by her battle harness and pulled her into the seat next to her then slams the safety bar down, “Save it,” said Applejack, as her voice was low, but was carried.

Pinkie looked at Applejack, “okie, dokie, lokie.” She said as she surprisingly quieted down. Twilight nods her thanks to her, while Applejack nodded back at Twilight, giving the sign of her friendship returning.

The C.M.E-ZECORA moved over the planet as the drop-ship lowers from the cargo-bay and locks on to a massive launch rig. The night side of Acheron yawns below...enigmatically.

In the cockpit, Spitfire and Sorain ran rapidly through the switches, they both check and made sure that everything was shut and sealed. Afterwards she puts on her pilot sun-glasses, and then a pilots helmet. “Initiate release sequencer on my mark, three...two...one...mark!”

A hydraulic whine came for the clamps as it slammed back. The ship dropped into the planet. In the APC, Pinkie raises her hooves in the air as she was enjoying the ride. Twilight had her eyes closed as she knows the point of no return. The drop-ship shook and rattled, as it was heading into the planet’s atmosphere.

As the drop-ship was heading into the atmosphere, there was a grey limbo below. The dark mantle of clouds that shrouded the surface of LV426 suddenly became something more than a pearlescent sheen to be admired from above.

The drop-ship bounced through alien jet streams, shuddering and rocking. Spitfire’s voice sounded icy calm over the open intercom as she shouldered the streamlined craft through the dust-filled gale, “Switching to DCS ranging. Visibility zero, a real picnic ground. What a bowl of crap.”

“Two-four-oh,” said Sorain as he was too busy looking at his radar, “Nominal to profile, picking up some hull ionization.”

She looked out the widow of the cockpit and then looked at the radar, “got it.” Spitfire then pressed a button on the dash board. “Nothing that ain’t in our programming,” smirked Spitfire. “At least the weather hasn’t changed down there.” She eyed the readout, “Rough air ahead.”

In the APC, Applejack was fast asleep in her harness. Spitfire’s voice sounded briskly over the APC’s intercom system. “Stand by for some chop.”

Some of the troopers sat quietly, staring straight ahead, their minds mulling over private thoughts. Rarity sat with her eyes shut tight; there was sweat that stood out on her forehead and neck. Her hooves were in a nonstop motion, rubbing the back of her hind legs.
Twilight looked over at Rarity, “how many drops is this for you?”

Rarity snapped opened her eyes and blinked at Twilight. “Thirty-eight...simulated.”

“How many combat drops?” asked Rainbow Dash pointedly, as she smirked.

“Well...two...three, including this one,” Rarity suddenly remembered the time Rainbow Dash saved her, “four if you include the time you saved me aswell.”

Rainbow Dash and Renegade exchange with the, ‘do-you-believe-this-shit’ expression. Twilight looks at Filthy Rich, as he was excited, like he was going on a fishing trip.

Cockpit voices continued to reverberate over the intercom. Spitfire managed to outgripe. Sorain’s three to one. In between gripes and complaints they managed to fly the drop-ship.

“Turning on final,” she was saying. “Coming around to a seven-zero-niner, terminal guidance locked in.” she looked out of the cockpit window again, “Where’s the damn beacon?”

It suddenly merges from the low clouded ceiling; from the twilight haze ahead the distant colony landing beacons become visible. The APC was stumbling as the ships pitches, Twilight made her way forward to the MTOB, ‘MOBILE TACTICAL OPERATIONS BAY’ a controlled line with monitor screens. She joins Filthy Rich watching over Rarity as she plays the board like a video director.

On the monitors were the names of the troopers, two for each solider, the upper screens show images from the I-IVC, IMAGE-INTENSIFIED VIDEO CAMERAS, which was in the troopers helmets. The lower screens were BIO-MONITERS: EEG, EKG and other graphic life-function readouts, other screens show exterior views.

Rarity looked at the monitor, “let’s see, Everypony on line, Renegade, check your camera, there seems to be a malfunction.”Renegade whack his head against the safety bar, as he know this malfunction, “That better, pan it around a bit.” he panned his head as the camera was showing a clearer view.

The safety bar of the trooper’s seat then lifted, as they were getting ready. Renegade looked over to Derpy and notices that her helmet was backwards. He looked at the monitor on Rarity’s desk and knew something was wrong. So he went over to Derpy. “Hey, can I help you with something for a minute.” She looked at him; one eye was looking directly at him, while the other was looking completely the opposite direction. He grabbed her helmet then turned it around, “there, you now look like a badass and not a dumbass.” He looked up at the front of her helmet and saw a picture of a muffin.

There was clatter of activity as they packed their backpacks and weapons. Rainbow Dash and Renegade buckle on their smart-gun body harnesses. While Pinkie Pie nudge Applejack on her arm to wake her up.

Twilight watched the AP station loom on the exterior screen, “that the atmosphere processor?” asked Twilight as she looked at Filthy Rich.

He nodded, “uh-huh, one of the thirty or so, all over the planet. They’re completely automated; we also manufacture them by the way.” Twilight looked at him for a second, but then looked back at the screen.

The tiny ship circles the roaring tower; it looked like a metal volcano, thundering like it was going to erupt. Rarity plays with the controls, as she was zooming in the image of the colony; she then tapped her mike, “hold at forty, slow circle of the complex.”

Twilight looked as she examined the tower, “The structure seems intact, and they have power,” on the screen the colony building loomed in with low visibility, like shipwrecks on the sea floor.

Rarity turned her chair and looked at Zecora, “okay let’s do it.” Twilight turns as Rainbow Dash squeezes past her. She looked at Twilight for second, “you staying in here?”

“You bet,” replied Twilight as she was tooken by surprise.

Rainbow Dash then looked at as she faced the door of the APC, “figures.”

Rarity tapped her mike to signal Spitfire again, “set down sixty metres this side of the telemetry mast. Immediate dusts off on my ‘clear’ then stay on station.” She turned to the troopers, “ten seconds, ponies, look sharp!”

The landing beacons sweep harsh light across the wet tarmac. The ship roared down, as it was extending its loading ramp. The drop-ship slams down on the hydraulic landing legs, and the APC drove on the ground within a moment later, pulling away from the ship as it leap up in a cloud of spray.

The APC pulls to the edge of the complex, the side door then opens and the troopers hit the ground running. They speaded out as they drop behind immediate cover. Zecora scans with her image intensifier visor. She looked through the starlight-scope visor. The place was bright as a sunny day, though it was raining and dark with the grey clouds. She sees the colony building, as trash was blowing in the streets, but there was no movement, not from ponies anyway.

Rarity voice sounded crispy over everyponies suit communicator, “first squad up, on line. Applejack, get yours in a cordon. Watch the rear, Rainbow Dash, take point and move up.”

A line of troopers advances on the colony’s main entry-lock. Parked tightly across the doors were two heavy-duty tractors. Rainbow Dash reaches one of the tractors, she looks inside. The controls were ripped out, as if by a crowbar or an axe. She then moved on and reached the main door. Renegade was flanking on the right, Zecora pressed the door controls, but nothing happened. She looks at Pinkie, “The door won’t open to show the way. Run a Bypass, and it’ll do what it’ll say.”

Pinkie hopped over to the control panel, and studies the door controls. She pries off the facing and starts clipping on the bypass wires. The wind roars around the bleak structures, a neon sign creaks overhead. Pinkie made a connection; the door shrieks in its tracks and rumbles aside. It jammed partway as it opened. Zecora gave Rainbow Dash the signal to move inside; she eased over the wrecked tractor, and through the doors. Zecora and her team followed her inside.

Rarity voice then came over the mike, “second team. Move up, flanking positions.”

Rainbow Dash and Zecora moved in the broad corridor, a Few emergencies lights were still on, the wind moaned along the concourse. Pools of water covered the floor. Farther down, rain dripped through blast holes in the ceiling, evidence of a fire fight with pulse-rifles, as there were bullet holes all over the walls and floor.

Rainbow Dash moved forward. Her smart-gun cannon swinging slowly in an arc, she studies the video aiming monitor, looking down rather than ahead, their hoof steps echoed.

Twilight watched as the bobbing images reveal the empty colony’s building. “Quarter and search by twos, second team move inside, Applejack take the upper level, and use your motion trackers.” said Rarity in the mike to Applejack.

Applejack leads her squad up the stairwell to the second level. They emerge cautiously; as they entered an empty corridor receded into the dim distance. Applejack unslings a rugged piece of equipment and aimed it down the hall. She adjusts the ‘gain.’ It remains silent. “Nothing, no movement,” said Applejack as she looked carefully at the tracker.

They passed rooms and offices, through doors they see increasing signs of struggle. Furniture overturned, papers scatted...floating sodden in the puddles of water. Twilight watches the screens, as Applejacks’ group passes several burnt-out rooms, but in the rooms there were no bodies to be found. In several offices the exterior windows were blown out, admitting wind and rain.

On the lower level quarters, Zecora’s team were split up in two’s. They pass through the colonists’ modest apartments, little more than cubicles. Pinkie was looking at her tracker as she was following Rainbow Dash. They moved forward down the corridor, Pinkie touched a splash of colour on the wall, as she looked closely, it was dried blood. Her tracker then suddenly beeped.

Rainbow Dash whirls around and aimed her smart-gun at the direction of the pointer. The beeping grew more frequent as Pinkie advanced towards a half opened door. The door was splintered partway out of its frame; there were even pulse-rifles bullets in the walls. Rainbow Dash eases up to the door, she then kicks the door in as they entered the room ready to fire.

But inside, dangled from a length of flex conduit, a junction-box swung back and forth like a pendulum, driven by the wind that poured in through a broken window. The heavy metal box clanked against the rails of a filly’s bunk bed as it swung.

Rainbow Dash uttered a guttural sound. “Motion trackers, I hate ‘em.” they then both turned back to the hallway.

In the APC Twilight watched Applejacks’ monitor suddenly she leaned forward. “Wait! Tell her to...” Abruptly aware that only Filthy and Rarity could hear her, she hurried to plug in her headset jack, patching herself into the intersuit communicator net. “...Applejack, this is Twilight. Back up and pan left.” She complied, and the picture of her monitor retreated. “There!”Applejacks’ monitor shifted, revealing a section of a wall corroded almost through in an irregular pattern.

Applejack spoke over the mike, “you seeing this okay? Looks like it melted.”

Filthy Rich looked at Twilight and raised an eyebrow, “hmm, acid for bloods, or something.”

“Looks like somepony bagged them one of those Xenomorph things here,” Said Applejack as she was looking at Renegade camera.

Twilight then looked at Rainbow dashes’ monitor and saw Pinkie looking at something. She looked at Rainbow Dash, “if like that, you’re going to love this...” Rainbow Dash then looked up and was looking at a gaping hole in the ceiling. There was another hole directly beneath them as she looked down. The acid had melted right down through two levels into the maintenance level, revealing pipes and conduit equipment...eaten away by the ferocious substance.

Rarity spoke on the mike to Applejack, “second squad? What’s your status?”

“Just finished our sweep, nopony’s home,” said Applejack to Rarity over the mike.

Rainbow then spoke over the mike in a sudden second, “this place is dead, whatever happened, we missed it.”

Rarity turned to the others, “all right, the area’s secured. Let’s go in and see what their computer can tell us.” She then spoke on the mike to the two teams, “first team head for operations, Pinkie, see if you can get their CPU on line. Applejack, meet me at the south lock by the up-link tower we’re coming in.”

Renegade smirked to Applejack, “she coming in, I feel safer already.”

*** *** ***

Outside of the building the lights arc across the dormant buildings as the APC turned onto the ‘main drag.’ It trundles down the rutted street, throwing up sheets of filthy water as the massive wheels hit pond-like potholes.

Applejack emerged from the south lock just as the APC rolled up close to the entrance. The side door slides open as Rarity emerged, followed by Filthy Rich, Bishop, and Twilight.

Filthy Rich looks back to see Twilight stop in the APC’s doorway, eyeing the ominous colony structure. She meets his eyes, shaking her head ‘no, not ready.’

Pinkies voice came over the mike, “the CPU is on-line.”

“Okay, stand by in operations,” replied Rarity back to Pinkie over the mike, she turned back at Twilight, “let’s go.”

Twilight and the other caches up with the troopers as they move into the bowls of the complex, Rarity looks at Filthy Rich as he owned the complex, “looks like your company can write off its share if this colony.”

Filthy Rich just looked forward unconcerned, “it’s insured.”

Twilight walk behind the group, she sees the ravaged administration complex. Fire-gutted offices, Applejack noticed Twilight looking around nervously; she casually fell in beside her on the other side, rifle at ready. Twilight glances at her. Applejack nods as she looks back at her.

Fluttershy then emerged from a side corridor ahead, “err, you should check this out...” she then leads the way into the corridor.

The wing was completely without power, the troopers switch on their pack lights. The beams illuminated a screen of devastation, worse that they have ever seen before. “Right ahead here...” said Fluttershy as she was leading them deeper into the wing.

They approach a barricade blocking the corridor. A hastily welded wall of pipes, steel-plates, and outer-door panels, acid holes were slashed through the floor and the walls in several places. The metal was scratch and twisted by hideously powerful forces; peeled back like a soup can, on one side. They squeeze through the opening.

They pack-light play over the devastation of the colonists’ last ditch battle. The equipment of the med labs has been uprooted to add to the barrier. The walls were perforated by pulse-rifle fire and acid, scorched by untended to bare metal. A few instruments glowed with emergency power.

“Last stand,” said Lyra as she looked around.

Rarity looked at Fluttershy, “no bodies?”

Fluttershy shock her head. “No, but it looks like it was a horrible fight,” replied Fluttershy.

Twilight looks in an open door and saw something. “Over there,” said Twilight in a low tone. The others turned and approached the door; seeing what Twilight saw, they entered the second room that was part of the med lab area. In the storage alcove at near eye level stands seven transparent cylinders. Stasis tubes, they glowed faintly with an eerie violet light given off by the field which preserves the specimens inside.

They looked like jars of contained severed arthritic hands; the palsied fingers curled in a death-rictus. But structurally they looked more like spiders with sickening translucent skin. A flaccid scrotal body and gill-like organs underneath drifting in the suspension fluid, Filthy Rich looked at Twilight, “are there the same in your research, report.”

Twilight nods, unable to speak, as Filthy Rich leaned closer in. He was fascinated by the spider-like creatures that his face almost touched the glass cylinder. The specimen in side was lit by the glow of the lights.

“Watch it, Filthy Rich...” said Twilight, as she was giving him a warning to back away.

He just smiled as continued to stare at the creature. It suddenly lunges itself as it slammed against the glass. Filthy Rich jumps back, as the palm of the thing’s hand-like body emerged a pearlescent tubule. It looked like a tapered piece of intestine, which slithers like a tongue over the inside of the glass. It then retracts into a sheath between the ‘gills.’

Applejack leaned in, “looks like love at first sight,” she then looks at Filthy Rich, “it likes you.”

In the cylinders only two of the creatures seemed to pulse with life, Filthy Rich taps the other stasis cylinder but the hand-like creatures remained inertly clenched. On the top of the each cylinder was a file folder. Twilight toke the folder from one of the live specimens’ cylinder. She looked inside at a medical chart printout with hoof written entries.

Twilight was reading one of the entries, “removed surgically before embryo implantation, subject: Star Shine. Died during procedure,” she looked at the group, “they killed him, while getting it off.”

Applejack looked at one of the cylinders, “poor bastard.”

Suddenly a loud beep, beeped on the motion tracker, they turned, as Applejack looks at the tracker and aimed it towards the shattered barricade. The beeps were getting faster, ‘BEEP, BEEP.’

“Behind us,” she gestures at the corridor that they passed through.

“Is it one of us?” asked Twilight as she didn’t want anypony shooting each other.

Rarity tapped her mike and contacted Rainbow Dash, “were you and your team, is there anypony up in D-block?”

Rainbow Dash replied, “Nope, we’re all down here searching in operations.”

Renegade then swung his smart-gun in to a ready position on its supported arm, while locking it with an authoritative ‘CLICK.’ He and Applejack headed towards the source of the signal, the others followed from behind.

Applejacks’ tracker was reading out more rapidly, as they turned into the kitchen. It looks like a stainless steel labyrinth. Twilight hanged back, but then realizes there was nothing behind her but darkness; she then caught up with the group.

The troopers entered as their lights were bouncing around the stainless steel surfaces, “It’s moving,” said Applejack as she looked at the tracker carefully.

Renegade was scanning the room, as his gaze was intense. The other troops gripped their weapons tightly, “Which way?” he said.

Applejack nods toward a complicated array of food processing equipment. They moved forward as their weapons were levelled.

Twilight shuffles forward in the dark, Lyra trips over a metal canister, sending it clanging, while making Twilight jump out of her fur.

Applejacks’ tracker beeped steadily, the beeps merge as it became a solid tone. Suddenly something hit the floor, causing a load ‘CRASH,’ as something moved in the dark, as a rack of stacked pots topped from the tables’ surfaces.

Renegade had his smart-gun steady, and was ready to fire, but suddenly Applejacks’ rifle slams into Renegades’ barrel, lifting it upwards while they both open fired at the same time. A steam of tracers fired, as the bullets ripped into the ceiling, the rounds struck like lighting.

“You fuck!” grunted Renegade as he pulled his smart-gun back into a steady position.

Applejack ignores him, as she moved past and aimed her light under a row of steel cabinets. Her eyes widen as she got Twilights attention.

She walked up to Applejack and crouched beside her then looked. She saw a tiny cowering figure. A very dirty, and very terrified filly, it was Applebloom. They looked at her and wondered, what has happened to her, and how did she get here? And why is she alone.
Twilight spoke soothingly to the frightened filly, “come on out, It’s all right...”

She moved towards her, reaching slowly under the cabinets, Applebloom back away, trembling visibly, her vision fixated like a rabbit blinded by headlights. Twilight’s hoof almost reached her, but the filly bolted like a shot, scuttling along beneath the cabinetry.

Twilight and Applejack scrambles to follow...to keep her in sight, crabbing frantically sideways. Renegade make a grab, catching the filly, but then snaps out a moment later, “Ow! Shit, watch it, she bites.”

The filly reached a ventilation duct set in the baseboard, its grille was kicked out. She scrambles inside, her tiny body barely fitted; she wriggled in, like a fish.

Applejack pulled off her bulky armor and dived in the duct without thinking. Just ahead she sees Applebloom enter a dark space and slams a steel hatch. Applejack pushed the hatch open before the filly could latch it and crawl in the other one behind her.

Applebloom back into a corner, Applejack looked at her and thought, ‘your in big trouble.’ She looked around the place and saw wadded up blankets and pillows line the space, mixed up with a haphazard array of toys, stuffed animals, cheap jewellery and comic books.

Applebloom edges along the far wall and made a dive for the hatch, but Applejack grabs her, and then started to control her in a bear hug. The filly struggled wildly, her eyes were wide, and her hooves were lashing out in a frenzy...but silent.

“It’s okay; it’s me, your sister, Applejack,” she said as she hugged her tightly. As she would always do when she had a bad dream and couldn’t wake up.

Applebloom stops and started breath heavily as her eyes were focused on the dark walls, thinking that something would come out and strike at her.

*** *** ***

They all were back at the operation room; Lyra was looking at Applebloom, as she was the medic of the group. Applebloom was sitting huddled in a chair, her arms were around her knees, and she was looking at a point in space.

“What’s her name again?” asked Lyra to Applejack.

Applejack looked at Lyra as was placing her bulky armor back on, “her name is Applebloom.”

Rarity was sitting in front of her while Lyra was watching the readout from a bio-monitoring cuff wrapped around Applebloom’s tiny arm. “Now think, Applebloom, just start at the beginning...”

There was no response from Applebloom; Twilight entered the room while levitating a steaming coffee mug.

“How did you get here?” asked Rarity as she leaned closer to Applebloom. She just continued to look into space as she was no responding; Rarity shook her head as she got off from her seat, “total brain-lock.”

Lyra shrugged her shoulders, “physically she’s okay, borderline malnutrition, but I don’t think any permanent damage.” she then unsnaps the bio-monitoring cuffs and walked out of the room with Rarity.

Twilight kneels beside Applebloom; she brushed the filly unkempt hair out of her eyes in a gentle, maternal fashion. “Here, try this, a little instant hot chocolate.”

She levitated the cup and raises it to her lips for her. The filly drinks mechanically, spilling down her chin. Twilight then sets the cup down and wipes the filly’s chin.

In the operations, the ground teams were gathered around a terminal in the computer centre. Pinkie had the CPU main computer on-line and reading out. Pinkie bashes at the key board, as her hooves were dancing expertly.

Filthy Rich looked at Rarity, “what is she scanning for?”

“PDT’s ‘PERSONAL-DATA TRANSMITTERS.’ Every adult colonist had one surgically implanted.” said Rarity as she watch Pinkie look for the colonist.

Pinkie continued to look on the computer, “if they’re within twenty clicks we’ll read it out here, but so far...zip. And nopony threw a welcome party for us as we entered.” Rarity just rolled her eyes at the pink party pony.

In the Med-Lab Bishop was hunched over a dead face-hugger, while probing it to look whats inside the alien and how it functioned. Sorian entered the lab while wheeling in some electronic gear. He places it near Bishop’s work table, “need anything else?” asked Sorian.

Bishop looked up from his work at Sorian; he’d seemed to have trouble answering the question, “hello, Bishop. Do you need anything else?”

He looked down at the electronic gear then looked back up at Sorain, “no.” Afterwards he turned back to the alien.

“That’s a nice pet you’ve got there, Bishop.” said Sorain as he looked over his shoulder.

“Magnificent, isn’t it?” replied Bishop.

Back in the office, Twilight wiped Applebloom’s face clean. “I don’t know how you got here, but you are sure lucky to be alive.”

“Tw...Twilight.” said Applebloom, as her voice was almost inaudible.

Twilight leaned in closer, she felt like she’d been breathing on coals. The sound was incomprehensible. “What did you say?” she asked as she wanted to hear her voice again.

“Twilight, is that you?” Twilight suddenly smiled as caught Applejack attention, Applebloom looked at Applejack, “sis, what are you doing here?”

Applejack cocked an eyebrow as she wanted to ask the same question, “young missy, you’re in the biggest trouble, I mean ‘THE BIGGEST TROUBLE’ which you’re in right now.” Applebloom locked her eyes onto Applejacks’ they then hugged each other in a sudden second. “So why did you come here?”

Applebloom pulled herself away from Applejacks’ arms and began to explain. “Ever since you recruited yourself for the Marines of the Princesses, and that you broke up your friendship with your friends. I thought it would be a good Idea if I went to one of the colony’s and work with them on getting my cutie mark.”

Applejacks’ eye twitch for a few seconds, “so you came out here, all on your own not for me, but for yah cutie mark.” finished Applejack, as she watched Applebloom nod.

Applejack then steamed up with frustration, but immediately disappeared as Pinkie cries out triumphantly.

“Hah! Stop your grinning’ and drop your linen! Found ‘em,” said Pinkie as she looked at the computer.

“Alive?” asked Rarity as she entered the room.

“Don’t know, but it looks like all of them. Over at the processing station...sublevel ‘C’ under the south tower. WOW, it must be a surprise PARTY,” said Pinkie as she showed an amoeba-like cluster of flashing blue dots.

Rarity looked at the group of troopers huddled around the computer screen, “okay, let’s saddle up and get those colonists.”

Chapter 3: The Hive

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The APC roared across the stygian landscape, traversing the causeway which connected with the colony to the atmosphere station a kilometre away. Behind it was the drop-ship settling down to the ground at the colony landing field. The massive structure was like a vast foundry, the conical exhaust tower flicked with spectral lights.

In the APC the troopers were sitting, more subdued now, swaying and bouncing in the heavily sprung vehicle. Renegade was in the saddle of the APC, driving it to the location of the colonist. Twilight and Applebloom were sat side by side just aft of the driver’s cockpit.

The vast structure towered above the parked armoured personnel carrier (APC). Deploying in the front of the APC, backlit by its lights, the troopers cast long shadows. They looked ominous, like hulking techno-samurais.

The base of the station was a depthless maze of conduits and pressure vessels, like an oil refinery. There were thrumming functioning machine systems that echoed through the labyrinth.

Rarity’s voice came over the mike, “forty meters in, ramp on axial two-two, access to sublevels.”

The troopers started to move down the open ramp-way. Lights filter down through several levels of steel mesh flooring, catwalks and pipes. Below was darkness.

Rarity’s voice came over the mike again, “B-level, next one down.” The troopers continued downwards as the thrumming of the machines grew louder as they descended.

In the APC Twilight, Filthy Rich and Rarity were all looking at the monitors on the desk. Applebloom squeezed in from behind to see what they all were looking at. She looked over and saw Rarity using her magic and tapping her hooves on the buttons of the keyboard.
Rarity looked on the screen of Pinkies monitor, and saw something out-of-place, as they were going deeper into the complex. “We’re not making that out too well. What is it?”

Pinkie tapped her mike; her voice came over static, “you tell me, I only work for the parties.”

In the complex the troopers stood looking at a bizarre tableau, among the refinery-like lattice of pipes and conduits something new and not of pony design had been added. It was a structure of some sort, extending from and crudely imitating the complex of the plumbing, but made some strange encrusted substance. It vaguely resembles the chambered nests of swallows on a much larger scale, and it attenuated so gradually into the original hardware that it is hard to see where one ends and the other begins.

The alien structure seems to extend far back into the complex of machinery. The plant thrums loudly, its functioning seemingly not impaired.

Twilight stares at one of the screen in dread fascination. “What is it?” asked Rarity.

She looked at Rarity with a blank thought, “I don’t know.”

Rarity looked back at the screens and tapped her mike to the troopers, “proceed inside.”

The troopers enter the organic labyrinth, focusing their lights over the walls. Revealing a bio-mechanical lattice, like the marrow of some vast bone, the air was thick with steam. Trickling water was dripping down the side of the walls, the place seemed almost alive.

Lyra snapped off a piece of alien lattice from the wall, she spoke into her mike; her voice came over static, “looks like some sort of secreted resin.”

“Yeah, but secreted from what?” asked Applejack as she looks at the wall closely.

Steam swirls around the troopers as they moved deeper inside, “it hotter ‘n’ hell in here.” said Bon-Bon.

“Yeah...but it’s a dry heat.” Replied Pinkie as she was dry humping the wall.

In the APC Twilight leans forward suddenly, studying the graphic readout of the station ground plan, “they’re right under the primary heat exchangers.”

Filthy looked at Twilight, “yeah? Maybe the organism like the heat, that’s why they built...” he suddenly got interrupted.

“That’s not what I mean.” she then caught Rarity’s attention, “Rarity, What type of ammunition does those weapons fire?”

“10mm explosive-tip caseless, standard light-armor piercing round, why?” asked Rarity as she raised an eyebrow to Twilight.

“Well, look where your team is, they’re right under the primary heat exchangers.”

Rarity looked at the screens, “so?”

Twilights’ eyes widen as her warning did not get to Rarity, “so, if they fire their weapons in there, won’t they rupture the cooling systems?”

“Whoa. Ho, ho. Yeah, she’s absolutely right.” said Filthy as he realized that what Twilight was talking about.

“So? So what...” Asked rarity again, as she didn’t understand what they both were getting at.

“Look, this whole station is basically a big fusion reactor, Right, so we’re talking about a thermonuclear explosion and basically kiss your ass goodbye.”

“Oh...ah, great, wonderful, Shhhit,” Rarity then spoke into her mike to the troopers. “Look...uh...Zecora...look, we can’t have any firing in there. I, uh, want you to collect magazines from everypony.”

The troopers all looked at each other in dismay, and started to argue against the command.
“Is she CRAZY?” said Pinkie.

Rainbow Dash looked at Zecora, “What the hell are we supposed to use, harsh language.”

“Flame-units only, I want rifle slung,” said Rarity’s voice over the mike.

Zecora then rhymed her orders to the pony troopers, as she was collecting the magazines from everyponies’ weapons. She walked up to Rainbow Dash and Renegade and ordered them to remove their battery from their smart-guns, to cut all power from firing their weapons.

When she moved on, Rainbow Dash pulled out two spare battery packs from her harness and inserts one in her weapon, she then gave the other battery to Renegade.

“Right on, Dash.” said Renegade as he smiled and inserted the battery into his weapon.

Zecora continued walking to everypony, collecting the ammo and placing all the cartridges in Fluttershys’ rucksack and gave it back to her to carry, “thanks a lot, I think.”

Applejack stood in the shadow, as she reached over her shoulder and pulled out an old-style pump-action twelve gauge shotgun, with a sawed-off butt stock from the leather quiver.

Pinkie looked on with professional interest; Applejack clicked back the stock of the well-maintained relic, and chambered a round.
“Where did you get that, Applejack? Did you steal it from a museum?” asked Pinkie as she stared at the shotgun.

“Been in my family for a long time, cute, isn’t it?” said Applejack with a smile. She then showed Pinkie pie a single shell. “Not your standard military-issue high-velocity armour-piercing round, but you don’t want it going off in your face, either,” said Applejack as she kept her voice down.

“I like to keep this handy...” she chambers a round in the chamber and then cocks the gun, “...for close encounters.”

Fluttershy looked her and the gun, and spoke in a quiet voice, “okay.”

They continued to move as they were now unarmed and was only to use flame-unit. The air was thick and the light flared. Rarity voice came over the trooper’s mike with a little static, “Any movement?”

Pinkie looked at her tracker, as it was scanning for any signs of movement, “nothing, zip.”

Zecora stops, her expression changed as she gazed up at the wall, “holy shit,” muttered Rainbow Dash.

They faced a wall of living horror. The colonists were attached to the walls; their bodies were frozen in a twisted position. Rib cages were burst outward, but looked like it exploded from within.

Twilight looked at the monitor in horror; she wanted to look away, but pushed herself to continue watching the monitors. She suddenly notice Applebloom was still watching, “Applebloom, go sit up front, go on.”

Arrayed across the floor was a number of leathery ovoid’s, alien eggs, their tops were open like flower petals.

Applejack went up to one of the eggs and looked inside; she shined her shoulder light and aimed her shotgun inside one. It was empty and completely dry. She then looked on the floor and saw one of the multi-legged parasites, curled up and shrivelled like a dead spider. She lifts it up with the end of her twelve-gauge to examine it, her light showing the non-pony grotesqueness of the creature.

Lyra looked to her left and moved closer to examine one of the figures on the wall. It was a mare; her fur was pale purple and her mane was a faded grey, she looked drained. Lyra lifts up the head of the mare, her eyes suddenly snapped open, “Sarge!” Zecora looked over shoulder and saw what Lyra was doing, “get over here! We’ve got a live one,” Applejack tosses the dead parasite to the floor and moves to the mare.

“You’re going to be alright, you’re going to be alright,” Said Lyra twice, as she was trying to get the mare out from the wall.

“Please...ki-kill me.” requested the mare.

“Just stay calm, we’re going to get you out of there.”

Applejack tapped her mike to contact Rarity, “ma’am, we’ve got a survivor here.”

“It’s going to be alright,” she turns to the troops. “Give me a hoof; we got to get her out of here!”

The mare suddenly began to convulse, as she started to scream, a sawing shriek of mindless agony. The sound of bones was cracking, as the mare was screaming in blinding pain. Suddenly something started to rip through the mares’ chest as blood splatters over the place.

“Lyra, get back, get back!” shouted Applejack as she pulled Lyra away from the mare.

They all watched in horror as they saw the mares’ chest rip open and burst out a small fanged head, while hissing viciously.

“Fluttershy flamethrower!” shouted Applejack to Fluttershy, as she tossed the flamethrower to Applejack.

She pulled the trigger, unleashing a blaze of fire onto the mare and the creature that just burst of from her chest. The other troopers who carried flame-units opened fire on the alien aswell, creating a tri-shot of flame.

The creature let out a high-pitched death shriek as it died; it slummed over in the flames, half in / half out of the dead mare.

Suddenly a shrill hissing began throughout the chamber, like a siren created from escaping gas. Zecora and Lyra look above them. Unseen by the troopers, shapes began to move in the walls themselves...glistening bio-mechanic forms. Visibility drops as smoke fills the chamber.

Pinkie looked at her tracker and saw multiple pale blue dots, “we got movement!”

Rainbow Dash aimed her Smart-gun to the unexplored areas of the complex, “what’s the position?”

“Uh...can’t lock in...” said Pinkie as she couldn’t tell where they were coming from.

“Talk to me pinkie,” said Rainbow Dash.

“Uh, multiple signals...they’re closing.”

The squad members snapped down their image-intensifier visors, which cover the right eye, leaving the other free for normal vision.

Rarity was playing the gain control on the monitors, “What’s happening? We can’t see anything in here.”

Twilight sensed it coming, like a wave at night; dark, terrifying and inevitable, “pull your team out, Rarity!”

Pinkies tracker beeped louder and louder at ever beeps, “I’ve got signals! I’ve got reading in front and behind.”

Renegade aimed his smart-gun at their flank and saw nothing, “Where? I don’t see shit!”

“He’s right, there’s nothing back here,” said Applejack as she looked on her tracker.

“Look, I’m telling you, something’s moving and it ain’t us,” said Pinkie getting worried.

Lyra scanned the walls of the chamber. She grips her flamethrower tightly, “maybe they don’t show up on infra-red at all.” Her shoulder lamp skims past the nightmarish creature as she turned around to look at the other wall. It suddenly leaped off the wall and grabbed Lyra pulling her upwards. She fires her flamethrower, reflexively, and widely.

Fluttershy turned and saw the jet flame engulf her. She screamed in pain as she falls over the raining, dropping like a lit match into the dark heart of the complex, “FLUTTERSHY!!” shouted Applejack as she witnessed one of her friends die in front of her.

Applejack and Bon-Bon turned horrified, as they both saw the bag that Fluttershy was carrying on fire. She quickly grabbed Bon-Bon and pulled her away from the burning ammo; “COME ON!!” grunted Applejack as they turned to run away.

Suddenly the ammo exploded, making them catapulted forward across the room, Bon-Bon strike a pillar head-on.

In the APC Twilight watched in horror as BON-BON’s monitor spins and goes black, she looks over to Lyra and Fluttershy monitor and saw just static break up, their bio-readouts gone flat line.

“Zecora, what’s going on?!” asked Rarity as she was hesitating.

Suddenly Applejack shows up on Pinkie’s P.O.V., “Derpy and Bon-Bon are down!” She turns over Bon-Bon dead body; she then turned at the sound of somepony yelling off her side. “DERPY, DERPY!”

Rainbow Dash looks over at Renegade with a grim satisfaction. “Lets ROOOCK!!”

They both open fire simultaneously, as Rainbow Dash moves ferret-quick in a pivoting dance, thunder and lightning, better than sex for her.

Rarity stared at the monitor, “who’s firing, I ordered a hold fire!”

Rainbow Dash and Renegade blasted the hive walls with their bullets, their bodies illuminated by strobes of muzzle blasts from the weapons, “YEAH!!” grunted Rainbow Dash.

Rarity stares at the APC’s monitors in shock. Her mental state starting to collapse since she didn’t know what to do and her orders were not being met, “I ordered a hold fire!”

They heard Pinkie over the mike, “they’re coming out of the walls!”

Rainbow Dash and Renegade started leading the other troopers towards the exit tunnel. Rarity looked as if she was going to lose it at any moment, she was covered with sweat.

They heard Rainbow Dash’s voice over the mike with some static, “on your right!”

Zecora spins looking all around her for unseen enemy, she couldn’t see anything. Suddenly she felt drips of water that tapped her on the helmet. She quickly looked up, and raised her flamethrower to fire, but fails as she wasn’t fast enough.

Zecora’s monitor white out as her flamethrower fires then spins crazily, the sound of vicious struggle as it cuts out to static.
“Sarge, Sarge!” shouted Pinkie.

“Zecora?” asked Rarity as she couldn’t think.

They then heard Applejack voice over the mike; “Where’s the Sarge.”

“Zecora...talk to me” Said Rarity as she couldn’t speak.

“She’s gone!” shouted Twilight as couldn’t take the pressure anymore. “GET THEM OUT OF THERE!”

“Shut up!”

“DO IT NOW,” Shouted Twilight as she wanted Rarity to get her troops out of there.

“SHUT UP!”

Twilight suddenly grabbed a headset from the counter and yelled down the mike, “Applejack, Pinkie, who’s ever left, get the hell out of there!”

Rarity ripped the headset out of her hoofs, “JUST SHUT UP!”

On Pinkies’ helmets camera, they saw Applejack running up towards her and shouting, “where’s Zecora, where’s Zecora?!”

Pinkie replied in her not joyful self, “The sarge is gone! Let’s get the fuck out of here!”

Applejack stood still for five seconds to realize that she was the only commanding officer on the field; she nods to Pinkie, “Pinkie! Move it!” she then looked at whoever was left. “Let’s go, marines!”

Renegade looked back and sees Applejack and Pinkie moving away, he turns to Rainbow Dash, “let’s move it, Dash! Let’s move it!” Dash didn’t turn her head, but was moving back toward to where ever they needed to go.

Rarity continued to hesitate as couldn’t catch the rushing images on the monitors, “Pinkie, Rainbow Dash?” she sat quietly muttering to herself as she was totally brain locked.

They heard multiple voices on the mike and shot being fired from Rainbow dashes’ and Renegades’ smart-guns along with Applejacks’ shotgun.

Twilight shock her head and levitated Applebloom into one of the soldiers’ seat and locked the safety harness down over her. “Hold on Applebloom.” She then jumps into the driver’s seat of the APC, taking a deep breath.

She started slapping switches; Rarity suddenly came back to her senses upon hearing the APC engine starting up. “Twilight, what the heck are you doing?!”

Twilight slams the APC into gear, forcing the drive-wheels to spin on the wet ground. The massive machine moved forward, moving down the narrow corridor. Rarity lunges into the driver’s cabin and grabs the steering controls, causing Twilight to lose control of the momentarily, “Turn around!”

The APC scraped along the corridor’s wall, sparks flow off as the APC moved fast down the corridor.

Rarity was trying her best to stop Twilight from going any further; “Turn this thing around!” as she continued to pull the controls away from Twilight, “That’s an order!”

Filthy Rich rushed in and pulled Rarity off from Twilight and placed her in the co-pilot seat, “you had your chance, Rarity.”

Twilight Came to a descending ramp-way and slammed the left and the right drive-wheel actuators viciously, spinning the machine in a roaring pivot. The APC hits the corridor’s wall sideways and then kept on moving.

In the hive Applejack was supporting a limping Pinkie Pie while Renegade and Rainbow Dash supported from behind, taking out any aliens that were closing in. “Come on!” commanded Applejack.

Rainbow Rash nodded and turned to Renegade, “come on, Renegade!”

The APC roared down the smoky structure, emerging from a cloud of smoke that covered the corridor. As the smoke cleared Twilight looked out and saw a wall of alien-encrustation directly in her path, she braced for impact.

The APC smashed through the walls, showing debris everywhere. Another wall was broken as the APC continues to move forward in the chamber beyond. It suddenly came to a stop as the alien debris was scattered all around the vehicle.

Rainbow Dash and Renegade opened fire on the creatures as they appeared from every corner in the chamber; Applejack saw the APC and turned to the two operators, “come on! Let’s move it!”

“Come on! Let’s go! Let’s go!” said Rainbow Dash to Renegade, as they were getting near the APC.

Applejack and Pinkie appeared in front of the APC. The debris was around it, as the it was blocking their way for a straight-away shot to the side door of the APC, “it’s blocked, we’ve got to go around!” said Applejack.

Twilight saw Applejack and Pinkie out of the APC’s front window; she turned to Filthy Rich who was right next to her, “open the door!” she then tapped her mike to Applejacks’ channel, “Applejack!”

Filthy Rich quickly opened the door. Applejack turned to see where Rainbow Dash and Renegade was, “Renegade! We are leaving!”
“Get some,” he turns to Rainbow Dash, “Dash! Run for it!” he then turned back to face the rest of the upcoming aliens. He pulled the trigger of his smart-gun, but it wasn’t firing. “SHIT!” grunted Renegade as he now knew his gun was dry of ammo. He then slapped the buckle, cutting loose his smart-gun harness and unslings a flamethrower he had picked up.

Applejack carried Pinkie Pie inside quickly, dropping her down on some ammo boxes, “let’s go! Let’s go!” shouted Pinkie.

“Renegade, Come on, man! We’re going!” said Rainbow Dash, as Applejack pulled her and her gear inside the APC, Renegade was right behind them, frying the chamber with his flamethrower, “Renegade, Come on!”

Suddenly a dark shape rose up next to him, as Rainbow Dash notices it first and fired ten-burst into its body. The alien’s body burst open as a spray of it bright yellow blood slashed across Renegade’s face and chest, eating into him like a hot knife through butter.
He yelled in agony as he fell to the ground, reflexively triggering his flamethrower, “NOOOOO!!!” shouted Rainbow Dash as she just realised was she had done.

The jet of liquid fire arcs around as he falls, engulfing the back half of the APC, Rainbow Dash rolled aside as a gout of napalm shoots through the side-door, setting the interior on fire. “Fire in the hold!” shouted pinkie.

Filthy Rich grabbed a fire extinguisher and quickly began spraying the contents of the fire. Pinkie grabbed one as well while everypony move around to get out of the way.

Applejack rolled the door close, but Rainbow Dash lunges, clawing out of the opening. She stopped her and started dragging her back inside, “HE’S GONE!”

“No his not!” grunted Rainbow Dash, as she continued to crawl out of the APC.

Applejack snapped off her armor and gun, and slams her against the door, then yelled in her face, “Forget ‘em! He’s gone!”

Twilight worked the reverse gears; Applejack got the door almost closing it, when claws appeared at the edge of the door. The door was being slowly wrenched open from the outside. Applejack yelled at a paralyzed Rarity, “Help me close this damn door!”

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie moved up and help close the door, while Applejack reaches down and grabbed her twelve-gauge from the floor. An aliens head was wedged through the opening. It hideous mouth was opening as Applejack jams her shotgun muzzle between its jaws, “eat this!”

She pulled the trigger blowing the back of the creatures head, spraying acid blood into the door, the deck, and some hitted Pinkie on the arm. She yelled in pain, while Applejack and Rainbow Dash slide the door closed, she then shouted at Twilight, “Twilight! Go, go!”

The armoured vehicle roared backwards, pulling out of the wreckage around and behind it. Renegade pulled himself up from the floor and saw the APC moving away. His left eye was completely blood-shot and the left side of his arm was bleeding, as he looked over his shoulder, he saw horde of aliens slowly crawling toward him. He then looked back to the hole were the APC was and saw Rainbow Dashes smart-gun on the ground.

He crawled to her smart-gun, leaving a trail of blood behind him. He reached out for her gun and pulled himself up, and looking back at the hordes of aliens, “COME ON THEN YOU FUCKS!”

Renegade suddenly stood on his hind legs and lifted her smart-gun pulling the trigger. He shot bursts of what was left in the ammo box of her gun. The aliens surrounded him, but he kept firing blowing them away.

One of the aliens sneaked up behind him and stabbed its tail into his side, making him full on one knee. But he dropped the smart-gun and jump into the horde of aliens, thrashing his fist at the aliens.

The aliens piled down on Renegade and sank their teeth into his fur, penetrating his flesh. His blood splattered over the place, but he didn’t care as he continued to fight with what was left in him. The aliens ripped him apart, slashing their claws and stabbing their tails into him, and finally killing him.

*** *** ***

Mean while back at the APC, the soldiers inside grabbed for anything, as they were buffeted around. The shock of the sudden forward acceleration tears loose a storage rack, sending some heavy ammo cases down on Rarity, knocking her unconscious. Twilight jams the actuators hard, turning the APC quickly to the right into the main access corridor.

She suddenly hears a thud on the APC, as she looks out the small windshield, an alien’s arm suddenly arcs down, right in from of her face, as it smashed through the window. It slashed at her as it was partially inside the APC.

Twilight Recoils, she reacts instinctively by slamming on both sets of brakes with all her strength. The huge wheels locked. Lunching the creature forward, and landing in front of the headlights. She hits full throttle as the APC roars forward, crushing the skeletal body under the right massive wheel. The machine powered ahead and came smashing through the atmosphere station’s main access door.

The APC thundered out into the open landscape and away from the station. A sound like bolts dropping in a meat grinder which was coming from the APC’s rear end.

Applejack moved up to the drivers cockpit and eased Twilight on the throttle lever, “It’s alright...we’re clear! Twilight, you’re blown the transaxle! You’re just grinding metal!” Applejack slowly lowered Twilight hoof down to stop the APC. “Come on, ease down! Ease down.”
The personal carrier limped to a halt, the right side of the APC was dented and the wheel was almost melted. The APC was stopped a half-kilometre away from the station.

Twilight was still on the adrenaline dynamo, she spins out of her seat into the aisle, looking all around. She looked at the seat where she put Applebloom in.

She was coughing and looked scared, but not like before, “you okay?” asked Twilight to see if did any damage to her.

The filly looked up and nodded. Twilight smiled and then went up to the other. Pinkie was holding her arm and starring in stunned dismay at nothing, her mane was straight and down, not curly or puffy. Filthy tried to look at her arm, but she pushed him away, “I’m alright. Just get away from me!”

Applejack looked around to see if everypony was alright, but one was missing. She looked on the ground and saw Rarity on the floor, she was unconscious. Applejack checked for a pulse, as she had a nasty gash on her forehead, “what happened to her?” asked Twilight.

“I don’t know. Maybe a concussion, but, she’s alive,” said Applejack.

“No! She’s dead!” grunted Rainbow Dash as she grabbed Rarity by the collar, hauling her roughly, ready to pulp Rarity with her elbow, “wake up, because I’m gonna’ kill you!”

“Back off, right now!” Said Applejack as she quickly placed her arm in the way, right before Rainbow Dash could hit Rarity in the face.

She then released Rarity and moved off to another spot, “Somepony get me a first aid kit.” said Applejack, to anypony who wasn’t wounded.

Pinkie looked over the desk of monitors and saw Zecora and Lyra’s heart monitor low, but not flat, “Hey...hey, look! The sarge and Lyra aren’t dead.”

All the ponies in the APC turned and looked at Pinkie by the MTOB monitors, as she was looking at the bio-functions screens.

“Well, we go back in there and get them,” said Rainbow Dash

“Fuck that!” replied Pinkie as she didn’t want to experience the hell she went into again.

Rainbow Dash slightly walked up to Pinkie, “We don’t leave ponies behind, besides...” she get interrupted by her.

“I ain’t going back there, you can’t make me!” said Pinkie as she went pale and her voice went panicky.

Twilight stepped up, “you can’t help them...you can’t. Right now, they’re being cocooned just like the others.”

Pinkie looked on the ground shocked, “this ain’t happening, man, this ain’t happening!”

Rainbow Dash looked intense and annoyed; she then hits the wall of the APC to getting everyponies attention. “Alright, we got seven canisters of cv-20. I say we roll them in there and nerve gas the whole fucking nests.”

“That’s worth a try, but we don’t know if it’s gonna’ affect them,” said Applejack looking at other options.

“Look, let’s just bug out and call it even, okay? What are we talking about this for?” said Pinkie nervously, as she wanted to get off the plant back on the ship, and maybe go back into cryo-sleep.

Twilight looked at the ponies, and thought to herself how to kill those things, she then spoke her mind, “I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit.” they all suddenly looked at Twilight with a ‘that-a-great-idea-face, “It’s the only way to be sure,” shrugged Twilight.

“Fuck’n A!” nodded Pinkie.

Filthy shock his head in disagreement, as he saw potential in the planet he was standing on, “Whoa! Ho, ho, hold on one second, this installation has a substantial value attached to it...”

Twilight smirked and let out quiet chuckle, “they can bill me.”

“Okay...look, this is an emotional moment for all of us, okay? I know that, but let’s not make snap judgments, please. This is clearly...clearly, an important species we’re dealing with and I don’t think that you or I or anypony has the right to arbitrarily exterminate them...” said Filthy trying to protect what he could get money out of.

“Wrong, “said Twilight shaking her head to his options.

Rainbow Dash brushed past Filthy, almost barging him, “Yeah, Watch us.”

Pinkie suddenly shot up from the chair she was sitting on, almost kicking it away from her. Her face glowed with pure anger as she stared straight at Filthy Rich. “Hey, maybe you haven’t been keeping up on current events, but we just lost our fucking friends, along with Fluttershy, pal!”

She suddenly pulled her hoof back and was about to throw a punch at him, but Applejack stopped her before she could do anything. “Look, I’m not blind to what’s going on, but I can’t authorize that kind of action, I’m sorry.”

Twilight had her arms crossed and looked at Applejack rank, then realize that there was still authority, “Well, I believe Corporal Applejack...has authority here.”

Filthy Rich looked at her with a blunt look, “Corporal Applejack?”

“This operation is under Celestias’ marine’s jurisdiction and Applejack is next in chain of command.” she then looked at Applejack, “am I right, Corporal?”

Applejack looked down for a second, “yeah...yeah, that’s right.”

“Yeah, look, Twilight?” she crossed her arms and looked at him with one raised eyebrow. “This is a multi-million bit installation, okay? She can’t make that kind of decision. She’s just a grunt!” he stops and glances at Applejack, “no offense.”

Applejack snared her face at him, “none taken. Spitfire, do you copy?”

“Standing by.” said Spitfire over the mike with some static.

“Prep for dust-off, we’re gonna’ need an immediate evac“

Spitfires’ voice came over the mike again with static, “Roger, on our way.”

“I say we take off and nuke the site from orbit,” she looked at Twilight. “It’s the only way to be sure.” Twilight then smiled slightly.

Outside the APC the side-door opened and the group walked out, while watching their surrounding for any more of those aliens. Applejack and Pinkie had Rarity between them on a stretcher, while the other followed from behind.

“Let’s go! Pick it up Pinkie.” they both then stop. “Alright we’ll set her down here.” They both settled down the unconscious Rarity on the ground, and then lighted a flare and throwing it to an area visible from the air.

The drop-ship started up as Spitfire sat in the cockpit, preparing for lift-off. She called to Sorain over her headset, “move it, Sorain, we’re rollin.”

Sorain ran up the cargo ramp and into the ship. As he hauls himself up into the drop-ship’s hold, he noticed that his hoof was in some sticky substance that shouldn’t be there. He looks all around the hold, but doesn’t notice anything unusual. “Hold on a second, there’s something...” he get interrupted.

Spitfire’s voice came over the mike clear and annoyed, “just get up here!”

He climbs in the Drop-ship and starts to close the ramp, “I’m in, ramp closing.”

The ship rises up as a spray of dampness on the ground was thrown up by the down blast of the VTOL jets. It hovered above the complex like a huge insect, its searchlights was blazing as they got turned on.

Applejack threw a few more flare around the site while the group watches the drop-ship roar in on its final approach.
“Sorain?” said Spitfire, as she tapped her headsets mike, “damn you.”

Suddenly the compartment door behind her slid slowly open. Spitfire turned, “well, where the fu...” her eye widen as notices it was not Sorain.

An alien stood before her, it was drooling as its month was opening with a hiss. Spitfire quickly goes for her sidearm, but the alien lunges forward. It bitted down her on the neck, splattering blood on the side window, Spitfire claws at the bloody window as her life slips from her. The throttle lever was slammed forward in the melee.

They watch in dismay as the approaching ship drops and veers wildly. Its main engines roared full on and the craft accelerated towards them even as it loses altitude. It skimmed the ground, hitting a ridge, while tumbling, bursting into flames, and breaking up. It arcs into the air end over, a Catherine wheel juggernaut.

“RUN!!” shouted Twilight as she quickly grabbed Applebloom and sprinted for cover, while the tumbling ship rolls by, skipping of the ground like a stone, engulfed in flames. It roared passed the survivors and crashes into the station. The fireball exploded, throwing flaming pieces of the craft in all directions.

The remainder of the ground team watches their hopes of getting off the planet, and almost of their superior fire power, reduced to flaming debris. Applejack gets up and looks around. She sees one of the smoking debris lying on top of the unconscious Rarity and quickly yanks it off her. Pinkie picks up another piece of the wreckage as she gets up.

She then hysterically throws it down to the ground, “well, that’s great! That’s just fucking great. Now what the fuck are we supposed to do?! We’re in some real pretty shit now!”

Applejack grabs Pinkie by her chest armor, getting her attention, “are you finished?!” she then looks over at Twilight, “You alright?”

She nods, but she couldn’t disguise her stricken expression when she looked at Applebloom, but the little filly seems relatively calm. “I guess we’re not going to be leaving, now Right?”

“I’m sorry, Applebloom,” said Twilight.

Pinkie started kicking rocks, “that it. Game over, man! Game over! What the fuck are we gonna’ do now?! What are we gonna do?!”

Filthy then struck out, “Maybe we could build a fire and sing a couple of songs, huh? Why don’t we try that?”

Applebloom looked back at her cosine and sister, she then looked back at Twilight, “we should get back ‘cause it’ll be dark soon and they mostly some at night, mostly.”

Chapter 4: Mostly

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Outside the structure, the wind howled mournfully around the metal building, dry and cold. One of the remaining solider raised the storm windows.

The weary and demoralized group were gathered to stock their grim options. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie brought in boxes of equipment and placed them on the table.

Applejack looked at the equipment; she then looked at the two ponies that brought them in, “that’s everything, right?”
“Yeah,” replied Rainbow Dash.

Applejack looked back at the equipment on the table, “alright! This is absolutely everything that we could salvage out of the APC wreckage. We’ve got four pulse-rifles, with about fifty rounds each. That ain’t so good, you got...uh fifteen of the M-40 grenades.

She sets a grenade down on the table, Applebloom looked and it, she then reaches over to pick it up, but Applejack stops her, “don’t touch, dangerous sugarcube.”

“Is that the only flamethrower?” asked Twilight as she looked at it.

Applejack nodded, “yeah, it’s only half full, but it’s functional...” Applebloom pick up Pinkie’s helmet and puts it on, her head disappears into it. “...and another one’s damaged, I don’t know about that one. But the good news is that we’ve got four of these robot-

sentries...with display and scanners intact, they really kickass. I think they’ll come in handy.”

“How long after we’re declared overdue and expect a rescue?” asked Twilight.

Applejack looks at Rainbow Dash. She then gazed back with a look at loss, but underlying strength as she holds her weapon. “Seventeen days,” said Applejack as she stares at the ground.

Pinkie pie turns to the group, “seventeen days? Hey...I don’t want to rain on your parade. But we’re not going to last seventeen hours! Those things are going to come in here, just like they did before and they’re going to come in here...”

“Pinkie!” spoke Twilight as she was trying to get her attention.

“...and they’re going to come in here and there going to kill us!” finished Pinkie as she hysterically panicked.

“Pinkie, This little girl survives longer than that with no weapons and no training, right?”

Applebloom looked up at Pinkie Pie while wearing her helmet and saluted. She smiled and her mane suddenly pop up and curled again, “Okie, dokie, lokie.”

Pinkie then got up from the table and bounced out of the room and away from the group. Bishop moved up from the table aswell, “I’ll be in the med-Lab, checking on Rarity and continuing my analysis.”

“Fine, you do that,” said Twilight as she watches him leave while still unnerved by his presence.

*** *** ***

Outside of the station, the giant metal volcano rumbles away, unaware of the happenings of both inside and outside itself. Inside the structure in the operations, Filthy Rich, Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie and Rainbow Dash were all bent over at a large horizontal video screen. On the screen it illuminated a complex series of charts and mechanical drawings.

“So, this service tunnel must how they’re moving back and forth,” Said Twilight as she traced her hoof down on the map.

“Yeah, that’s right, it moves from the processing station right into the sub-level here.” Said Applejack as she paused to tell Twilight to

zoom in on the schismatic of the station, “come down on that, okay come over. Hold it, go back, and punch that right there.”

She touches a spot on the screen, while Applebloom moves around up next to Applejack. She picks her up and sets her on the corner of the table, Applejack watches closely as the blueprint was moving around.

“Well, there’s a pressure door at this end, couldn’t we put a remote sentry unit in the tunnel and then seal that door,” said Twilight as she studied the blueprint.

“yeah, that’ll work, but we gotta’ figure on them getting into the complex,” said Applejack.

“That’s right, so we repair the barricades at these intersections...” said Twilight as she pointed to the area of barricades. “...and weld plate-steel over these ducts here and here and...Here. That way, they can only come at us from these two corridors.” She tapped the locations, her hoof clicking on the hard surface of the illuminated screen. “Of course, they can always tear the roof off, but I think that’d take them a while. By then our relief should arrive, and we’ll be out of here.”

Applejack nodded in agreement, “alright then, we put the other sentry units here and here right?” she then stood up satisfied. “Alright ponies, let’s move like we’ve got a purpose.”

All the ponies in the group got up from the table moved without hesitation, Pinkie and Rainbow Dash grabbed two sentry guns and walked down to the service tunnel. Applejack open up small computers and placed them on a desk. She turned them all on and typed up the commands and highlighted the units to ‘SEARCH’ and ‘AUTO.’

In the long straight service tunnel, it was lined with conduit and seemed to go on forever. At the end of the tunnel there was nothing but darkness, they wouldn’t be surprised if one of those things were waiting in the shadows, waiting for the chance to attack.

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie finished setting up the two robot sentry guns on a tripod, “do your thing, come on, come on, Dashie. Let’s get the hell out of here.” She then tapped her headset to contact Applejack, “Pinkie here, A and B sentries are in place and keyed.”
Applejacks’ voice came over the mike, “Right.” she then looked on the computer and sets sentry A and B to be armed. “Stand-by, arming now, tests it, Pinkie.”

Pinkie nod as she looked at Rainbow Dash, “do it!”

“Fire in the hold!” shouted Rainbow Dash as she hurls a wastebasket down the tunnel, into the automatic field of fire. The sentry guns swivel smoothly, as the wastebasket bounce once...and was riddled by two quick bursts.

“Okay! Let’s get the hell out of here!” nodded Pinkie as they retreated behind, a heavy steel door, which slide down closed on its tracks.
On the second level in the corridors Filthy Rich and Applebloom were moving back and forth with cartons of food on a hoof truck, and in their arms. They stack the food and cartons inside the operations centre. While behind them, Applejack and Twilight was covering an air duct opening with a metal plate, welding it in place.

As Applejack welded the plate to the duct, sparks showered in the semi-dark corridor. She then sets down the welder and hits the plate, “for what it’s worth. Now, what’s next?” said Applejack as she consults to the printout of the floor plan.

*** *** ***

The wind was utterly died and in the eerie stillness, a diffuse mist had rolled in to shroud the complex. Everything looked like it was underwater...there was no movement.

In the corridor by the barricade was sentry guns C and D, waiting, swivelling on their tripods, there was a light flashing green that said, ‘ARMED’.

Twilight carried Applebloom who was exhausted from helping out her sister and the others; she carried her though the inner connection rooms of the medical wing.

Twilight reached an operating room, which was small, but very high-tech...Vault-like metal walls, strange equipment, and a cot were set up, displacing O.R. equipment, which was pushed into the corner.

“Last stop, get in,” said Twilight as she rested Applebloom head on to a pillow of the bed. “Now, you lie here and have a nap, you’re very tired.”

Twilight then turns, reaching for a portable space heater which was sitting nearby. She switched it on and slides it closer to her bed. It hummed and emitted a cosy orange glow.

She looked at the tired filly, “now go to sleep...and don’t dream.” Twilight slowly got up from the bed and walked up to the door, only to stop and look back at the sleepy filly, Twilight gave her smile and walked out of the door.

She walked over to the Med-Lab and stood over Lieutenant Rarity, who was lying motionless on a gurney, her head was bandaged. Bishop was beside her, Pinkie and Rainbow Dash were nearby, and their weapons were cradled.

“The molecular acid oxidizes after the creature stops, completely neutralizing It.” said Bishop as he was explaining the death of the aliens.

“Bishop...that’s very interesting, but that doesn’t really get us anywhere, does it? We’re trying to figure out what we’re dealing with here. Let’s go through it again. They grabbed the colonists, they move them over there, and immobilized them to be hosts for more of these...” Twilight stops and looks at the stasis cylinders containing the face-hugger specimens. “...Which would mean that there would have to be lot of these parasites, right? One for each colonist...that’s over a hundred at least.” said Twilight as she calculated the amount of colonist and face-huggers.

“Yes. That follows,” agreed Bishop.

“Each one of these things comes from an egg, right? So, who’s laying these eggs?” said Twilight as she started to think of the circle of life.

“I’m not sure, it must be something we haven’t seen yet.” said Bishop as he didn’t have any data of where the eggs came from.
Pinkie suddenly thought of something, “Hey, maybe it’s like an ant hive.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eye and corrected Pinkie, “Bees, Pinkie, Bees have hives.”

“You know what I mean, these’s like...one female that runs the whole show.” said Pinkie as she speaking her mind.

“Yes, the queen,” agreed Bishop.

“Yeah, the momma, she’s badass, I mean BIG!” said Pinkie as she stretched her arm across the room.

Rainbow Dash then hoofed herself in the face and looked at Pinkie, “these things ain’t ants.”

“Well durrr, everypony knows that there are not ants,” said Pinkie as she was in her crazy moment.

Twilight pocked Bishop in the arm to get his attention, “Bishop, I want these specimens destroyed as soon as you’re finished with them, is that clear?”

Bishop glanced at the creature, pulsing malevolently in their cylinder and then looked at Twilight, “Mr. Rich gave instructions that they were to be kept alive in stasis for return to the company labs.” Bishop paused for a second, “he was very spastic about it.”

Twilight rolled her eyes and walked out of the med-lab and into a small observation chamber, which was separated from the Med-Lab by a glass partition; Twilight saw Filthy Rich and court up to confronted him. “This better be important. I think I was onto something, and we may not have much time left, Mrs Sparkle.”

“You may not have any time left,” said Twilight. He started to protest, and she cut him off with a gesture. “No, in there,” she gestured at the operating theatre.

It was soundproofed inside, and she could scream at him to her heart’s content without drawing everypony else’s attention.
“Bishop tells me you have intentions of taking the live parasites home in your pocket. That true?” asked Twilight.

“Look, those two specimens are worth millions to the bio-weapons division, right? Now, if you’re smart...we both can come out of this like heroes and we will be set up for life, “said Filthy Rich as he wanted to get more money.

“You’re crazy, Filthy Rich, do you know that? Do you really think you can get a dangerous organism like that past ICC quarantine?” said Twilight.

“How can they impound it if they don’t know about it,” said Filthy as he just stood looking at Twilight with a bribing smile.

“But they WILL know about it, Filthy, from Me.” replied Twilight, “Just like they’ll know that you were responsible for the deaths of one hundreds and fifty-seven colonists here...”

Filthy Rich’s eyes widen as Twilight levitated a log book with his name on it, “Wait a second...”

“YOU sent them to that ship.”

Filthy shock his head disbelief, “you’re wrong.”

Twilight suddenly throw the log book across the room, “I just checked the colony log...directive dated six-twelve-seventy-nine, signed Filthy Rich.” her fury was peaking and her frustration and rage was more focused on Filthy then the Xenomorphs. “You sent them out there and you didn’t even warn them. Why didn’t you warn them, Filthy?”

Filthy Rich sighed in frustration, “okay, look. What if that ship didn’t even exist? Did you ever think about that?” question Filthy, as he was trying to crawl his way out of the situation. “I didn’t know, so now, if I went and made a major security situation out of it, everypony steps in. I’m talking, Administration steps in and there are no exclusive rights for everypony. So nopony wins.

Twilight shacks her head to him, as she didn’t want to hear his false story, “and so I made a decision and it was...wrong, it was a bad call, Twilight. It was a bad call.”

She stares at him with the most annoyed look, “bad call?!” she suddenly snapped as she grabs him by the collar and slams him against the wall. “These ponies are DEAD, Filthy! Don’t you have any idea what you have done here?” She then let’s him go, and takes a step back, “Well, I’m going to make sure that Celestia and Luna knows about this! You’re not going to sleaze your way out of this one!”
She looks at him with utter loathing, as if the depths of the pony’s greed were as far more horrific, she then turns away and began to head for the door.

“Twilight...” said Filthy getting her attention, “... you know, I expected more of you; I thought...you would be smarter than this, of all the ponies.”

She stared at him with the most evil look, “I’m happy to disappoint you.” Twilight then strides out of the door, while Filthy Rich stares back at her.

She walked to operations, as exited the door behind her, all of a sudden, a strident alarm begin to sound, she then breaks into a run passing through door in a quick second. Pinkie and Rainbow Dash came from behind Twilight while running behind her.
Applejack slaps a switch that killed the alarm, “What it is? What going on?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“They’re coming,” replied Applejack as she sat in a chair and look at the tactical console, which she had on the table.
“Where?” asked Twilight.

Applejack looked at the Twilight, “in the tunnel.”

They heard the sound of the sentry guns beginning to fire in the background. Their loud bursts of fire echoed around the complex.

“Here we go,” said Applejack, to the others as they looked at the consoles.

They all gathered around the monitors and the sentry units’ display. The echoing crash of the gun fire and aliens screams could be heard everywhere. The sound vibrated through the flooring.

“A and B guns, tracking and firing,” Applejack looked at the tracker, “multiple targets.”

The RSS guns pounded away, while echoing through the area. Their separate bursts overlap on an irregular rhythm. A counter on the sentry displays’ counted down the number of rounds which was being fired.

The sentry guns barrels smoked as they slowly heated up, “look at those ammo counters go,” said Pinkie.

On the screen the B-sentry’s ammo counted decreased rapidly, as the units kept blasting everything in sight. Not one creature got by them. Applejack looked at the counter, “B-gun’s down to fifty percent.”

“Man, it’s a shooting gallery down there,” said Rainbow Dash, as she was impressed.

Suddenly a warning started to beep emitting from the control terminal as the ammo began to run out.

Applejack stares at the ammo counter, “Sixty rounds left on B, Forty...twenty...ten...B-guns’ dry.” she then looks at A-gun’s counter. “Twenty on A, Ten...five...” the ammo counted suddenly reached zero and Applejack leaned back to looks at Twilight, “That’s it.”

“Sweet Celestia, they’re wall to wall in there,” said Rainbow Dash.

They all stared at the monitors in silence, but then there was a sudden knocking sound that echoed eerily up from the sub-level.
“They’re at the pressure door,” said Applejack.

“Man, listen to that,” said Pinkie.

Suddenly Bishops voice came over the intercom, “Bishop here, I’m afraid I have some bad news.”

“Well that a switch,” said Rainbow Dash.

Chapter 5: Some Really Bad News

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Everypony including Bishop was crowed at the window, intently watching the AP station which was in a dim silhouette mist.
“It’s very pretty, Bishop, but what are we looking for?” said Twilight as she looked straight at Bishop.

Suddenly, a column of blue flame, jets upwards from the station at the base of the cone, Bishop pointed as he waited for it to show itself. “That’s it, the emergency venting.”

“Ah, that’s’ beautiful, man, just beautiful....that just beats it all,” said Pinkie Pie as she turned away from the window.

“How long until it blows?” asked Applejack, as she was calmly focused on the blue flame which coming out of the column.

“Four hours...with a blast radius of thirty kilometres, equal to about forty megatons,” replied Bishop.

Applejack then scratched the back of her head, “we got a problem.”

“I don’t believe this, I don’t fucking believe this,” said Pinkie as her hair went back to the flat and straight style.

“Rainbow Dash, close the shutters,” said Applejack as she walked away from the window.

“Why can’t we shut it down from here?” asked Twilight to Bishop.

He shook his head, “I’m sorry; the crash did too much damage. An overload was inevitable, at this point.”

Pinkie continued to moan while pacing up and down in the room, “Oh, man, four more weeks and out, now I’m going to buy it on this rock. It ain’t half fair!”

“Pinkie, give us a break!” snapped Rainbow Dash rolling her eyes towards her.

She ignored her as she continued doing the same thing, “four more week, oh man.”

“Well, we’re got to get the other drop-ship from the S.E.E.ZECORA, I mean, there must be some way of bringing it down on remote?” asked Twilight, as she was thinking of a strategy.

Suddenly Pinkie stopped pacing up and down the room and looked straight at her with the craziest look, “How? The transmitter was in the APC, and it’s all wasted.”

“I don’t CARE how! But, we’d better think of something,” replied Twilight in an annoyed tone.

“Think of WHAT? We’re fucked!” shouted Pinkie, as she was thinking of no hope.

“Shut up,” said Applejack to Pinkie.

“We’re doomed!” continued Pinkie.
“Shut up!” she then looked at the other, “what about the colony transmitters? The up-link tower down at the other end, why can’t we use that?” asked Applejack.

Bishop shook his head, “No, I checked, the hardwiring between here and there is damaged, we can’t align the dish.”

Twilight rolled her eyes and rubbed her head as her mind was spinning out of options and grim solutions. “Well somepony’s going to have to go out there, and take a portable terminal with them to patch in manually.

“Oh yeah...with those things running around, you can count me out!” said pinkie as she didn’t want to face those aliens again.

“Yeah, I guess we can just count you out of everything, huh?” said Applejack to Pinkie in an annoyed tone.

“I’ll go,” said Bishop in a quiet tone.

“That’s right, man, why don’t you go, man?” shouted Pinkie as pointed at him.

“What?” Twilight asked, as she couldn’t hear him.

“I’ll go, I mean, I’m the only one qualified to remote-pilot the ship anyway,” smirked Bishop.

“Yeah, right, Bishop should go, good idea,” said Pinkie smiling.

“Believe me, I’d prefer not to, I may be synthetic, but I’m not stupid,” said Bishop giving a faint smile.

*** *** ***

One of the acid holes from the colonists’ siege had yielded access to the sub-floor conduits. Rainbow Dash was cutting an opening into one of the main shafts; she cuts a stretched circle into the pipe.

Bishop looked into the shaft with a flashlight after she finished cutting through the pipe. He looked to up and down and saw nothing, he then gave Rainbow Dash the flashlight and sat on the edge of the hole.

“How long?” asked Twilight.

“The duct runs almost to the up-link assembly, one hundred and eighty meters,” said Bishop calculating the times.

Twilight passes him a portable terminal and a small satchel containing tolls, which he pushed into the constructed shaft. “Say, forty minutes to crawl down there.”

“Right,” Twilight as she nodded.

“An hour to patch in and align the antenna, thirty minutes to prep the ship, and about thirty minutes flight time.” Bishop the laid down into the shaft, on his back, he looks up at Rainbow Dash, while she gave back the flashlight.

“So it’s going to be close then,” said Twilight.

Rainbow Dash suddenly pulls out her service pistol and gave it to Bishop. He looks to Twilight and give it to her, “Good luck,” said Rainbow Dash.

Cheerfully Bishop looked at Twilight and Rainbow Dash, “see you soon, watch your hooves.”

Rainbow Dash and Twilight place the metal plate over the hole again. Inside the pipe Bishop turned over and squirmed into the shaft, pushing the equipment along ahead of him with a scraping rhythm.

“I really hope he make it in time,” said Rainbow Dash, as she begins spot-wilding the plate in place behind him.

As Bishop Moved down the pipe, behind him was the sparks of Rainbow Dash’s wilding tool. While ahead of him was the conduit dwindles straight to seeming infinity, ending in a tiny white dot.

The robot gun guarding the entrance to operations opened up, their metallic clatter ringing along the corridors. Twilight picked up her flamethrower and headed for computer central. Rainbow Dash finished welding the floor plate that blocked Bishop’s rabbit hole into place with a flourish, put the torch aside, and followed Twilight to operations.

Twilight and Rainbow Dash ran to the tactical console, where Applejack was mesmerized by the images from the surveillance cameras. The flashes of the sentry-guns flared out the sensitive video, but impressions of the figures were moving in the smoky corridor. The robot sentries hammered away, driving steamers of tracer fire into the swirling mist.

“This is unbelievable, forty meters and closing,” Applejack looks and the other monitors again, “now fifteen.”

“How many are out there?” asked Twilight nervously.

“I can’t tell, Lots,” replied applejack looking the sentry monitors, “D-gun down fifty percent.”

Suddenly the guns’ fire lashed out at the invaders. High-pitch screams of dying creatures echoed all around the corridor.
“C-guns right behind it,” said Applejack.

The monitors showed the war out in the corridors. There is an occasional visible glimpse of one of the creatures, but it is quickly dispatched by the spray of bullets, throwing its yellow acid blood all over the corridor.

Pinkie was staring at the monitors and watching the count of the ammunition as it was quickly going down, “They ain’t stoppin’ ‘em, they ain’t stoppin’ ‘em.”

“Hundred-fifty rounds on D,” said Applejack, to the others.

“Come on, come on baby. Come on D!” said pinkie nervously tilting back and forth.

Applejack kept her eye on the monitor display as it was showing ninety-one rounds in D-gun and dropping. The other monitor showed more scenes of the seemingly-endless battle going on.

While the sentry’s were killing lots of creatures, while they explode upon contact with the bullets, and the acid thrown everywhere. The words ‘critical’ suddenly started flashing and beeping on the screen, indicating the gun is almost dry of ammo.

“D-gun down to twenty...ten,” the gun then went empty, “Dammit!” Grunted Applejack, as she got up from her chair and grabbed her gun.

D-gun clicks empty and continues tracking for the creatures, but C-gun stops firing un-expectantly. Both guns’ sat still, while smoking and swirling to locate any possible targets.

“Wait!” shouted Twilight, getting Applejacks attention, “they’re retreating. The guns’ stooped them.”

Twilight looked at the monitors very closely, as the video images was a swirling wall of smoke. There were dark and twisted shapes scattered at the edge of visibility, but nothing emerged from the walls of smoke.

Applejack stared at the monitors in disbelief, she watch the cameras on the guns’ turn left then right, showing nothing, but smoke and darkness.

“You’re right,” said Applejack in surprise.

In that moment everypony exhaled slowly, and calmed down just for a second. “Next time, they walk right up and knock,” warned Applejack.

The digital counters for the two sentries units read ‘0’ and ‘10’ respectively, less than a seconds worth of firing.

“Yeah, but THEY don’t know that. They’re probably looking for other ways to get in, that’ll take them awhile,” said Twilight giving the others some hope.

Pinkie looked at Twilight, giving her a weird smile, “Maybe we got ‘em demoralized.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes toward the crazy pink pony, “Shut up.”

“I want you two walking the perimeter... Move!” commanded Applejack to Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie.

Twilight levitated a cup of cold coffee, draining it in one gulp. Her hooves were shacking, due to being terrified and trapped, plus being tired.

The two ponies were about to move out of the room, until Applejack stopped them, “Hey, listen, we’re all in stung-out shape, but stay frosty and alert. We can’t afford to let one of those bastards in here.”

Yeah, right,” nodded Rainbow Dash to Applejack. She then turned to Pinkie and hits her on her chest plate.

The two troopers headed out of the room and down the corridor, Twilight drain down another cup of cold coffee.

“How long has it been since you got any sleep?” asked Applejack, “Twenty-four hours?”

Twilight looks at Applejack. She seemed soul-weary, drained by the nerve-wracking tension. When she answered, her voice seemed distant, and detached, “Applejack, I’m not going to end up like those others, you’ll take care of it...won’t you?”

Applejack stood in silence for a second, but then broke the silence and replied in a calm, but sincere tone, “If it comes to THAT, I’ll do us both.” Twilight then took a deep breath and calmed down, “Listen; let’s make sure it doesn’t come to that, alright?”

Twilight smiles slightly, she then looks away to drink her cold coffee.

“Hey, I want to introduce you to a personal friend of mine,” She picks up her pulse-rifle, lifting it for Twilight to see. “This is an M-41A pulse-rifle...10mm, with over and under 30mm pump-action grenade launcher, feel the weight,” said Applejack, as she cocked the pump-action and hoofed it to Twilight.

She hefts the weapon with her hooves. It was heavy and awkward, “Okay, what do I do?”

*** *** ***

Mean while in the conduit, Bishop was in claustrophobic limbo between two echoing infinites. He approached an irregular hole which admits a tiny shaft of light. He puts his eyes up to the acid-etched opening.

As he looked through the hole he saw something, as its drooling jaws flashed towards him, slamming against the steel with a vicious scraping snap.

He suddenly flatten himself away from the opening and inches along, looking pale and strained, as he glances at his watch, and then started to crawl down the long tunnel.

Back at the operations, Twilight had the stock of the M-41A snuggled up to her cheek. It was awkwardly strange, as Applejack was instructing her.

“Okay, pull it in tight here,” said Applejack, as she was securing the gun in a levelled position.

“Right,” said Twilight.

“Lean into it,” said Applejack, as she was teaching her to hold the gun more accurately.

“Uh huh,” replied Twilight.

“Alright, it WILL kick some.” Applejack then stepped back. “Alright, when the counter reads zero here, you...”

Before she could tell Twilight what to do next, she pulled up the gun, “I press this up?”

“That’s right,” said Applejack. Twilight snapped out the bolt and dropped out the magazine. “Then, get another one in quick and slap it in hard.”

“Right,” nodded Twilight, as she levitated the same clip that fell out from the gun, and slapped it back into the gun.

“Now you’re ready to rock n’ roll,” smirked Applejack, as she was impressed of Twilight learning quickly, she then looked down and unslings something that looked like hoof watch, and gave it to Twilight. “Here. I wanted to give this to my sister, but I’d never got the time give it to her.”

“What is it?” asked Twilight moving her attention away from the pulse rifle.

“It a tracking device, it helps me find anypony that goes missing. All of us have ‘em.” replied Applejack.

“Don’t Worry, I’ll give it to her.” said Twilight, she then looked back at the pulse-rifle in her hooves and examined it closely. She now knows how to shot the weapon and hold on to it without using magic, but she looks at the pump-action underneath the weapon.

“What’s this?” asked Twilight, as she indicated a stout tube underneath the slender pulse-rifles’ barrel.

“Uh, that’s the grenade launcher...I don’t think you want to mess with that,” said Applejack, nervously.

“You started this, show me everything, I can handle myself,” replied Twilight, pulling the rifle back into her shoulder.

Applejack stood and looked at her friend while she had a slight smile to her face, “yeah, I’ve noticed.”

Minutes later, the door to operations opened and Twilight strides out. While she walked down the corridor, she was now was carrying her newfound friend, the M-41A.

Rarity suddenly stepped out from the door to the Med-Lab, while looking weak, but sound, and Filthy Rich was right behind her. He barely glanced at her. That was fine with Twilight. Every time he opened his mouth, she had the urge to strangle him, but they needed him. They needed every hoof they could get, including those stained with blood. Filthy was still one of them, a pony.

“How do you feel?” asked Twilight, while she stopping to speak to her friend.

Rarity rubbed the back of her neck, “Alright, I guess, but I’ve got one hell of a hangover...look, Twilight...I just wanna...”

Twilight interrupts the white unicorn, “Forget it...excuse me.”

She then shoulders past Rarity and Filthy into the Med-Lab, he watched her as she went into the room where Applebloom was napping. Rarity turned to see Rainbow Dash starring at her with cold, slitted eyes. “You still want to kill me,” she said quietly.

Her reply mixed contempt with acceptance. “It won’t be necessary.” She continued past her, striding towards the next checkpoint.
Twilight crosses the deserted lab, passing through the annex to the small O.R. where she left Applebloom.

She entered the darkened chamber her eyes widen as Applebloom was not on the bed, to where she left her the last time. Looking around and trying to find Applebloom, Twilight looked, but on a hunch, she kneels down and peered under the bed.

Applebloom was curled up into a ball, while jammed as far back as she could. Twilight stared at Applebloom’s tiny face, so angelic despite the demons that have chased her through her dreams and the reality between dreams.

She laid the rifle on top of the bed and crawls carefully underneath, without waking the little filly. Twilight slides up behind her and slips her arms around the filly, Applebloom cries out, a vague inarticulate plea.

“Its okay, its okay,” said Twilight quietly calming the filly down, as rested her head on her arm and began drifting off to sleep. Twilight hadn’t intended to go to sleep. All she’d wanted was to share a little space, some warmth, and a few moments of quiet with the filly.

But her body knew what she needed better than she did. When she relinquished control and allowed it the chance to minister to its own requirements, it took over immediately, making her drift into a sleep.

Chapter 6: The Shit Just Hit the Fan

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There was view of the processing station from the colonies’ landing filed. Great streaks of blue lightning shot out from the station, while lightning was striking out from the dark grey clouds above.

Bishop stood in the wind at the base of the telemetry tower, his back was facing into the wind. He had a test-bay panel opened and the portable terminal was patched in. One of the commands he typed into the portable terminal caused the dish on the array to swivel and stop. He watched it move to the location of the ship in space, as he continued typing. He punched a few more keys and then hits a white button marked ‘ENABLE.”

Far overhead, the C.M.E.ZECORA drifted patiently and silently in the emptiness of space. No busy figures moved through its empty corridors. No machines hummed efficiently as they worked the huge loading bay. Instruments winked on and off silently, maintaining the ship in its geo-stationary orbit above the colony.

A sudden Klaxon sounded, as rotating warning lights came to life within the vast cargo hold. Hydraulics whined, immensely powerful lifters rumbled along their tracks as the second drop-ship was trundled out on its overhead rack. Wheels locked into place, and pulleys and leavers took over. The shuttle was lowered into gaping drop bay.

As soon as it was locked in drop position, service booms and automatic decouple extended from the walls and the flooring to plug into the waiting vessel. Predrop fuelling and final checkpoint commenced. “Attention, attention. Final fuelling operations have begun. Please extinguish all smoking materials.”

Mean while back into the surgery room, inside the Med-Lab, Twilight awoken with a start and just missed banging her head against the underside of the cot, as she had a bad dream. She checks her watch and noticed an hour had passed. Afterwards she saw something in the distance across the room, just inside the door to the Med-Lab.

Twilight looked carefully as she saw that there were two stasis cylinders on the ground. The stasis cylinders were on their sides with the tops were hinged open along with both of them empted. She then realized the inescapable certainly of a lethal presence.
“Applebloom, wake up,” said Twilight, quietly shacking Applebloom to wake up.

“Wha...?” muttered Applebloom, as she woke up from her nap, but got interrupted before she could say anything else.

“Be quiet, we’re in trouble,” said Twilight in a quiet tone.

Applebloom nodes and was now fully wide awake. They listen in the darkness for the slightest betrayal of movement, but nothing was heard. Twilight reaches up while clutching the springs of the underside of the bed, she began to inch it away from the wall.

When the space was wide enough, she cautiously slides herself up between the wall and the edge of the bed, reaching for the rifle she left lying on top of the mattress. Her eyes were clear from the edge of the bed, and noticed the rifle was gone.

She snaps her head around looking for the rifle, but within a sudden second a scuttling shape leaped towards her. Twilight quickly ducked back under the bed. The obscene thing hitted the wall above her, as she quickly reflex, by slamming the bed against the wall, pinning the creature inches above her face. Its legs and tail writhe with incredible ferocity.

Applebloom screamed. “Move, Applebloom!” shouted Twilight, as she kept the creature pinned to the wall.

She then slides out from under the bed. Twilight in a frenzied scramble rolled from underneath the bed and flips it over, trapping the creature underneath.

They backed away, gasping as the creature scuttled out from beneath the bed and disappears under a bank of cabinets within a blur. Twilight and Applebloom headed towards the door, moving as if every object in the room had a million volts running through it.

They both backed away towards the doorway. As soon as their backs struck the door, Twilight reached for the wall switch, but nothing happed. The barrier at her back should have trolled aside. She hits the switch again, and then started pounding on it, regardless of the noise she was making. They then tried pushing the door open manually, but it was jammed tight. Afterwards they moved to the observation window, keeping their back glued to the window.

Twilight and Applebloom eventfully turned and started to pound on the window. From the outside the window there was no sound that could be heard through the double thickness of the window. Twilight then looks down on a table outside the room and saws her rifle laying on it.

“Help!” shouted Applebloom, as she continued to bang on the glass.

Twilight looks around and spies the surveillance camera, she suddenly moves over to it view and waved her arms in a circle while yelling, “Applejack!”

“Somepony, help!” continued Applebloom.

On the video monitor, it was showing Twilight waving her arms, as there was no sound coming out from the speakers.

Applejack was out the table in the centre of the room while talking into her mike, “Uh, say again, Bishop. You’ve got it into the outer refuel mode and the sequencing, right?”

Filthy Rich watched the lavender unicorn wave her arms endlessly at the camera. He suddenly turns the monitor off and straightens casually from the console, while Applejack was talking into her headset.

Bishop voice came over the mike with some static, “That’s right!”

“Okay, good. Stay on it,” replied Applejack.

“That’s where I am now!” said Bishop.

“Get back to me when you’ve activated the launch cycle,” said Applejack.

“Roger!” replied Bishop.

Applejack then turns to face Rarity and Filthy Rich, “he’s at the up-link tower.”

“Good,” nodded Rarity.

Back into the Surgery room, Twilight kept shouting at the camera while waving her arms, “Applejack...Applejack...Applejack!”

“Help, help!” shouted Applebloom.

“Applejack, help us!” shouted Twilight, as she stopped waving her arms.

“Break the glass, break it!” shouted Applebloom, to Twilight.

“I’ll try.” Twilight picked up a steel chair and slammed it against the observations window. It bounced back from the high-impact material.

She tried again to no success, smashing the chair into the window, even tried some of her spells, but soon realised the window was spell proof. She suddenly dropped the chair and places her back against the window, studying the room, while hearing for the facehunggers scurrying around on the floor.

“Twilight...I’m scared,” said Applebloom.

“Me too,” replied Twilight, giving comfort to the little filly.

She steadies herself, realizing Applebloom’s horror and the filly’s dependence on her, suddenly Twilight got an idea as she looked up at the sprinkles on the ceiling.

“Stay here,” said Twilight, as she moved cautiously across the room, she then stops under a temperature-sensor of a fire-control system. She closed her eyes, as her horn started to glow an orange/red aura.

At the tip of her horn, a tiny ball of fire appeared and triggered the sprinkling system, spraying the room from several sources with water. An alarm was soon activated throughout the complex, Applebloom ran to her, hugging her tight.

In the operations room, Applejack jumped at the sound of the alarm, finally identifying its source among the lights flashing on the board, “It’s the Med-Lab!”

She bolted for the door, while yelling into her headset as she moved to the Med-Lab, “Pinkie, Rainbow, meet me in Med-Lab! We’ve got a fire!”

“We’re on our way,” replied Pinkie Pie in her mike.

Applejack grabbed a fire extinguisher as she quickly ran to the source of the problem. Rarity followed her, trying to catch up.
Back in the surgery room, Twilight and Applebloom were drenched as the sprinklers continued to drizzle in the darkness, “they’re coming, Applebloom.”

Twilight looked around inside the room; she had Applebloom deep in her arms, hugging her tight. She looked at some cables, and equipment, she even looked back at the bed to where she turned upside down.

Suddenly her eyes snapped back to a cabinet as something leaped at her face. She screamed and fell back, splashing to the floor, while pushing Applebloom away. Twilight hurled the creature away from her.

It slammed against the wall, and fell to the floor. It surprisingly got back and up and skittered across the floor straight towards her again. Twilight scrambled desperately, pulling any equipment over as she moved, clawing across the floor in a frenzy of motion.

The creature then leaped at her face for a second try. But Twilight stopped it with her hooves and her magic, forcing the pulsing body back from her face.

Applebloom screamed abjectly, backing away, until she was pressed up against a desk next to a wall. The creature’s long tail whips out from her magical field and wrapped around her neck, forcing the underside of its body close to her.

Twilight trashed about, knocking over equipment, sending instruments clattering. Applebloom continued to scream, while watching Twilight keep the creature away from her face.

Suddenly crab-like legs appeared from behind the desk, which was right behind her. She turned and saw the creature appear, but thought fast, as she jammed the desk against the wall, pinning the writhing thing’s tail.

The desk jumped and shuddered against all the pressure her tiny body could bring to bear on it. She wail between gritted teeth as the second creature’s segmented tail slowly pulled free an inch at a time as it worked towards her.

The team of solders’ appeared outside from the room, with Applejack leading, she immediately saw what was going on inside, “Shoot it out!” shouted Applejack ducking away from the window.

Pinkie shot a burst of pulse-fire into the observation window, shattering the tempered glass. Applejack then dived into the crazed spider-web pattern and explodes into the room with a trail of flying glass.

She hits and rolled on the ground, then quickly aided Twilight. Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Rainbow Dash leaped into the room after her. They both rushed to help Applejack pull the creature off from Twilight.

“Pinkie!” shouted Applebloom, getting her attention.

“Holy shit, kid, look out!” shouted Pinkie, as she flings Applebloom away from the desk. She blasted the second creature against the wall and floor in point-blank range, while acid and smoke scattered around the area, “Fucking die!”

Applejack and Rarity had got their hooves around the thrashing of the vicious beast and was pulling it away from Twilight’s face, thought Twilight was losing her strength as the tail tightened.

Rainbow Dash appeared at Twilight’s side and grabbed the tail, helping unwind its writhing length like a boa constrictor coil from her throat. Applejack got the rest of it free. All of them had got the struggling shrieking creature.

“Over there! Ready?” shouted Applejack to Rainbow Dash, as she was ready to throw the creature.

“Yeah!” replied Rainbow Dash, who was ready to blast the creature to nothingness.

“Now!” suddenly Applejack and Rarity hurl the thing into a corner. It hitted the wall and Rainbow Dash got a clear shot with her rifle as she shot the creature until there was nothing left.

Twilight collapsed in Applejacks’ embrace, while breathing heavy for air. The alarm and the sprinkles turned off automatically, “Pinkie?” asked Applejack.

“Yeah, all clear, I nailed the other one, its history.” replied Pinkie.

“Filthy...” It came out as long wheeze. “It was Filthy,” gasped Twilight, while she was coughing for air.

*** *** ***

Everypony was in operations, all looking at Filthy Rich. Pinkie Pie came up and shoved her rifle into his face, “I say we grease this rat-fuck, son-of-a-bitch right now.”

Applejack was pacing up and down in front of him while scratching the back of her neck, “it just doesn’t make any damn sense.”

“He figured that he could get an alien back through quarantine...if one of us was...impregnated...whatever you call it...then frozen for the trip home. Nopony would know about the embryos we were carrying, me and Applebloom,” said Twilight as she had and blanket around her as she had her arms crossed.

“Wait a minute, now, we’d all know,” said Applejack.

“Yes. The only way he could do it is if he sabotaged certain freezers on the way home, namely yours. Then he could jettison the bodies and make up any story he liked.” replied Twilight,

“Fuck! He’s dead,” Pinkie switch her attention from Twilight and turned to point her gun back at Filthy Rich, “You’re dog meat, pal.”

“This is so nuts, I mean listen...listen to what you’re saying. It’s paranoid, it’s really sad, it’s pathetic,” said Filthy acting all innocent.

“You know, Filthy, I don’t know which species is worse. You don’t see THEM fucking each other over for a damn percentage,” said Twilight.

Suddenly something clicked inside Applejack, as she looked at her sister, and thought that her own sister almost had one of those ‘THINGS’ inside her, “Alright, lets waste him,” she then grabs him by the shoulders. “No offense.”

Twilight shock her head, the rage giving way to a sickened emptiness. “No he’s gotta go back...”

Suddenly the light got cut out and everypony stopped in a sudden second, as they were standing in darkness. Realizing instinctively it was a new escalation in the struggle. The emergency lights turned on, basking everything in a red glow.

“They cut the power,” said Twilight standing motionless in near blackness.

“What do you mean, THEY cut the power? How could they cut the power?” said Pinkie nervously.

Applejack looked at Pinkie and Rainbow Dash, “I want you two with trackers, checking the corridors, MOVE!”

“Rarity, watch Filthy!” said Twilight to Rarity.

“You got it,” replied Rarity, as she levitated her pistol in front of her and grabbed Filthy.

“Applebloom, stay close,” said Applejack.

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie picked up their trackers and moved to the door. Pinkie had to slide it open manually on its tracks. “I’ll go to this side,” said Pinkie to Rainbow Dash pointing to the left.

“You do that,” she nodded.

The two troopers separated and moved to the barriers at opposite ends of the control block, each moved slowly, while holding the trackers out in front of them. On the trackers there was nothing...yet.

Twilight picked up a headset and puts it on her head; she then connected herself with the Rainbow Dash and Pinkie, “anything?”

“Nothing here.” said Rainbow Dash as was a shadow away, against the wall. Twilight didn’t have to put the same question to Pinkie.

Pinkies’ voice came over the mike filtered, “there’s something. I’ve got something.” On her tracker there was a faint signal. She panned the tracker around back down the corridor and it beeped again, but loader this time. “It’s moving. It’s inside the complex,” said Pinkie hesitating.

“I don’t see anything,” said Rainbow Dash, as her tracker remained silent. “You’re just reading me,” replied Rainbow Dash annoyed, as she rolled her eyes.

Pinkie quickly swivels around, aiming her tracker toward Rainbow Dash’s position, “No. No! It ain’t you, they’re inside. Inside the perimeter, they’re in here,” said Pinkie, justifying her evidence.

“Pinkie, stay cool! Rainbow Dash?” asked Twilight over the mike.

She swung her tracker and her rifle together, and aimed them behind her. Her tracker beeped up multiple targets. “Pinkie Pie may be right,” said Rainbow Dash in a cool and calm tone.

“Get back both of you,” commanded Applejack.

“The signals weird...” said Pinkie over the mike.

Applejack and Twilight started checking their pulse-rifles, taking off the safeties and checking the magazines.

Pinkie backtracked nervously, peering all around. She looked stretched to the limit, “must be some interference or something, there’s movement all over the place.”

“Get back to operations!” shouted Applejack.

Twilight and Applejack shared a look and thought the same thing...“here we go.”

“Its game time,” said Applejack in a low tone.

Pinkie and Rainbow Dash appeared from the closing the door as they entered, “Seal the door, hurry!” commanded Twilight.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash pulled out their hoof-welders’ and began sealing the door. “Work fast,” said Applejack to Rainbow Dash.
“Cover your eyes, Applebloom. Don’t look at the light,” said Twilight as she placed her hoof over Applebloom’s eyes, while she used of magic to balance the rifle.

Pinkie looked at her tracker. The beeps continued to beep louder and louder, its rhythm increased, and Pinkie continued getting nervous at every beep.

Movement! Signal’s clean,” she then looked at the range of the targets. “Range twenty meters.”

Twilight removed her hoof from Applebloom’s eyes and pulled up Rainbow Dash’s tracker. “They found a way in, something we missed.”
Sparks showed around Rainbow Dash and Applejack as they moved fast as they could to get the door sealed. “We didn’t miss anything,” said Applejack, as her concentration was on the door.

“Eighteen...seventeen meters,” counted Pinkie, staring at her tracker.

Twilight continued looking at Rainbows tracker, as she couldn’t understand anything, “Something under the floor, not on the plans. I don’t know.”

“Fifteen meters,” continued Pinkie, as she sounded more nervous.

“Twilight!” said Applebloom, as she was getting nervous, just like Pinkie.

“Definitely inside the barricades,” said Twilight looking at the distance of the target on the tracker.

Applebloom began to tug at Twilights’ leather jacket, as she was trying her best to get Twilights attention, “Let’s go.”

“Thirteen meters,” said Pinkie, as she was breathing heavily while looking at the tracker in her hooves. On her trackers’ screen, it showed an amoeba-like mass of dots moving across the top.

“That’s right outside the door,” Twilight then looked up at both of her friend at the door. “Applejack...Rainbow Dash, get back!”

“Man, this is a big fucking signal!” Said Pinkie, as she looked at how many target that was on her tracker.

“How you doing, Rainbow Dash, Talk to me?” asked Applejack, as she was welding the top part of the door.

Rainbow Dash was heedlessly showing herself with molten metal as she welded the door shut. She was working like a demon, “Almost there.” said Rainbow Dash, getting close to finishing the door, “that’s it.” They both drooped their torches and began to move back with everypony else.

“Twelve meters...eleven...ten,” said Pinkie, informing everyone.

“Man, they’re right on us,” said Rainbow Dash as she raised her rifle getting ready.

“Nine meters,” continued Pinkie.

“Remember, short controlled bursts,” commanded Applejack.

“Eight meters...seven...six,” said Pinkie, counting down like an old egg timer.

“Can’t be, that’s right inside the room,” said Twilight, as she thought her had read it wrong.

“It’s readin’ it right, man. Look!” shouted Pinkie, as she pointed at her trackers’ screen to Twilight.

Applejack suddenly got annoyed, “Well you’re not reading ‘IT’ right!”

Twilight jerked her tracker up, not believing Pinkie. Her eyes suddenly widen in horror as she realized the reading was true
“Five meters...four, what the heck?!” said Pinkie as she looked at Twilight.

She then looked up and levitated the tracker at the ceiling. The beeps on the tracker suddenly got faster and louder.

“Oh shit!” said Pinkie nervously.

“Gimme that light!” said Applejack, as she grabbed a file cabinet from the corner and places it under the ceiling. She then climbed onto the file cabinet and raised one of the panels of the acoustic drop-ceiling, she paned her light around the inside.

As she looked to the right, her eyes widen in a soul wrenching nightmarish moment, as she saw the aliens crawling upside down like bats, clinging to the pipes and beams of the structural ceiling.

“OH SHIT!” shouted Applejack, as she yelled falling back into the room, while firing a couple of bursts of her rifle at the ceiling.

The ceiling exploded, raining with debris as nightmare shapes dropped into the room, “there they are. Over there! Get ‘em!” shouted Pinkie.

“Do something, Rarity!” shouted Filthy Rich, as he was backing away from her. Rarity turned and fired at the aliens while he bolted for
the only remaining exit. The corridor was connected to the Med-Lab.

In the room the pulse-rifles fire was flashing, as the aliens were getting closer, moving through the shock.

“Look out! There are more of them!” shouted Pinkie, as she saw more aliens fall down from the ceiling.

Medical! Get to medical, do it! Go!” shouted Twilight to the other as they slowly moved towards the exit.

Twilight grabbed Applebloom and ran for the corridor to the Med-Lab.

“Pinkie, watch out!” shouted Applejack, as she shot the alien that was creeping toward her.

As Twilight moved towards the corridor to the Med-Lab, a warrior alien came around the corner which was a few feet away from Applebloom. It moved like a locomotive, making Twilight and Applebloom jump. She raised her rifle and squeezed the trigger, but nothing happened.

She looked at the side of gun, and noticed that the safety was on. She quickly switched the safety off and snapped the bolt back, manually sliding the bullet into the chamber. Twilight then aimed the rifle at the alien before it could get any closer. She squeezed the trigger, firing the rifle at the alien. The gun forced Twilight back, slamming against the wall, as the stock whipped back to her shoulder. The silhouette creature hurled back, screeching insanely in pain.

“NOW!” shouted Twilight, as she turned grabbing Applebloom and sprinting down the corridor. As they both ran down the corridor, Twilight saw Filthy Rich by the door to the Med-Lab annex. He slid the door shut and locked it tight.

She slams on the over side of the door and noticed that he locked it on the other side, “Filthy, open this door! Filthy! Open it!” Shouted Twilight, as Filthy slowly backed away from the door. The sound of the battle still penetrated through the thick metal. His eyes were widening, and there was terror in every part of his body.

In the operations room Applejack opened fire on every dark shape that moved, which seemed everywhere. “Ahh, Come on! Let’s go, fall back!” commanded Applejack.

“Die, mother-fucker! Die!” shouted Pinkie as she shot everything moving toward her, she looked to the left and then to right spraying her gun.

Twilight and Rarity was desperately trying to get the door open; they were trying everything by using the magic or even their strength to pry the door open, “Filthy!”

“Pinkie, pinkie!” shouted Applejack, trying to get her cousins attention.

“Mother fucker, come on! Come and get it, baby! I ain’t got all day! Come on, you bastards!” shouted Pinkie as she continued shooting any aliens she could see.

She suddenly looked to the left and saw more aliens creeping towards her. “Oh! You too, you want some of this! Fuck you!” she shouted blasting the aliens apart.

Pinkie was so busy yelling and shooting at the approaching creatures that she didn’t noticed the flooring panels was smashed underneath her. The aliens’ claws seize her with lightning speed, dragging her into the floor. She yelled while firing into the floor as she was being pulled down.

“Aaarghhh, fuck you,” she shouted, shooting at the alien which was dragging her down. “Applejack,” Pinkie reached out her hoof for Applejack’s.

“Pinkie!” shouted Applejack, trying to help her cousin, by pulling her out, but the creature was too strong. Pinkie quickly disappeared into the hole, yelling.

“PINKIE!” shouted Applejack, as if time had stop, and everything suddenly turned to dark, “First Fluttershy now you,” she thought.
She suddenly rolled over just in time while blasting a diving creature before it toke her down the hole too. Another appeared as she got up from the floor, she shot it fully into the chest with the pulse-rifle.

Rainbow Dash grabbed Applejack and pushed her into the corridor with the other, “Come on, AJ, go!”

Applejack appeared through the wall of smoke and ran toward to Twilight and the others at the door. Twilight looked at her and pointed at the door, “It’s locked!”

She suddenly unsnapped the torch from her belt and started cutting through the doors lock. Rainbow Dash was standing just outside the entrance of the corridor, destroying the incoming aliens by the dozens.

She suddenly stopped firing and pumped back the grenade launcher, letting one fly. It detonated behind some machinery, blowing up a group of hiding aliens. “That was for Fluttershy! And this is for Pinkie Pie!” shouted Rainbow Dash, as she fired another with the same affect of destruction, she then turned and ran down the corridor to the others.

Applejacks’ torch burned through the lock, melting the metal into a white-hot liquid. Twilight watched nervously down the corridor as she finished on the lock.

“Got it, let’s go! Let’s go” commanded Applejack, as she opened the door.

“Go! Go!” shouted Rarity letting her generous side take over, as she was letting everypony go through the door before her.

“Move, Rarity!” shouted Rainbow Dash, as she pushed Rarity into the room.

The group crowed the annex, Applejack slides the door shut and then looks at Rainbow Dash, “Seal it!” She nodded and then pulled out her torch and began welding the door close.

In the annex Twilight quickly went up to a door that leaded to the Med-Lab. She tired opening it, but it wouldn’t budge. She then banged on the door, as she knows who locked it, “Filthy!”

In the Med-Lab Filthy, was hyper-ventilating with terror, he backs into a dark chamber. Gasping and almost paralyzed with fear, he crosses to the main concourse, as he backed into a room, he stumbled over some canisters on the way.

“Damn you! Open this door!” shouted Twilights voice, coming through the door.

His hoof reached for the control panel, pressing a button, opening a door that moved by its self. The door opened slowly and Filthy went into the door, but stopped in shock as his eyes widen, which was transfixed by his fate.

One of the creatures was standing in the doorway; its slimy jaws opened and slowly leaned into Filthy, extending to a scream.

Back into the annex, Rainbow Dash was still welding as fast as she could, as the door was getting battered by the creature from the other side.

“Get back!” shouted Applejack, to the others.

“Hurry up!” grunted Rainbow Dash, as she knew that the welding would not hold. Another impact from the door, as the creatures was beginning to dimple the door inwards.

“Rarity, get out of the way!” said Applejack, to Rarity as she standing in shock.

“Twilight, Applejack! This way!” shouted Applebloom, getting both of their attentions.

“What?” Twilight asks.

Applebloom suddenly grabs Twilights hoof and pulled her over to an air vent set low in the wall, she expertly unlatching the grill, and dropped it to the floor. She was then about to crawl inside, but was stopped by Twilight.

“Wait! Get behind me.” said Twilight, pulling Applebloom behind, as she got in the vent first.

Rainbow Dash was still welding the door shut, “Whatever you’re going to do...do it fast!”

Twilight kneels and levitates her flash light down the air duct. The flash lights shine lit up the red emergency lighting, showing nothing in the way. “Applejack!” shouted Twilight, as was about to enter the air vent.

“Let’s go!” said Applejack to the others.

Twilight entered the air shaft, which was a tight fit; Applebloom was scrambling in from behind, followed by Applejack and Rarity. Rainbow Dash finished up, in time as the door was hit by a full force from the alien mob. The dimple on the door suddenly grows larger as the impact increased.

Twilight and Applebloom came to a three way junction in the air ducts, she looked in every direction, but she didn’t know which way to go, “which way is it to the landing field from here?”

“This way,” said Applebloom, as points to the right tunnel and moved down.

In the annex the increased impacted on the door had now made the dimple reach its maximum pressure, as there was gapping crack in the centre of the door. Rainbow Dash fired into the door, there was a sudden high-pitched death scream of several of the creatures as she shot them.

Back in the air shaft, Twilight turned into a larger main duct, where there was enough room to crab-walk in a low crouch. She runs as Applebloom followed, the troopers’ armor clattered in the confined space.

They then came to another intersection, “Go right.”

Twilights’ lights illuminate the slightly dark tunnel ahead of them as they came to yet another three way junction.

“This way” This way,” said Applebloom, stopping Twilight taking the wrong way.

They headed off to the right, into a long connected duct, as they run through the duct Twilights light casted a white glow upon her terrified face.

Rainbow dash was quickly trying to catch up with the group. She fired behind her as she ran in a crab-walk. Dark shapes moved in the tunnel behind her.

Twilight and the others were moving at their top speed through the shafts. “Which way?” asked Twilight.

“Straight ahead and left,” replied Applebloom.

“Bishop, do you read me?! Come in, over!” said Applejack into her mike.

“The ship is on its way...” said over the mike with some static.

Bishop was standing next to the base of the telemetry mast. The wind was blowing all around him viciously, “...E.T.A. – sixteen minutes!”

“Good! Stand-by there! We’re on our way!” replied Applejack into her mike.

Rainbow Dash finally caught up with the others, she was moving right behind Rarity. Looking back, she sees more of the creatures, coming up fast through the tunnel; she fires on them, killing them by shooting them in the head.

Twilight and Applebloom came to another intersection, She shines her light down each one, “Which way?” asked Twilight to Applebloom.

“That way, said Applebloom, indicating to the left. “No, wait!” this way she said, correcting her mistake, as she moved to the right.
Applejack and Rarity waited at the intersection for Rainbow Dash. She was moving up the tunnel while blasting any incoming creatures at the same time.

“Rainbow Dash move!” shouted Rarity.

Twilight and Applebloom went round a corner. Twilight stopped and looked back for the group, Applebloom continued forward, “Right up here, it’s just up here.” said Applebloom.

“Applejack!” shouted Twilight down the other end of the duct.

“We’re almost there!” said Applebloom, not stopping.

As Twilight stares down the tunnel, she didn’t see her friend and started to panic. She then looked to the other way and saw Applebloom getting too far ahead, “Applebloom! Wait!” shouted Twilight, as she quickly ran to catch up with the filly.

Rainbow Dash came to the intersection where Applejack and Rarity were, but they had moved on ahead. She blasts a few more creatures, but her pulse-rifle suddenly ran out of ammo.

She dropped the weapon and pulled out her service pistol and ran after the group. As she passed through under an overhead air duct, she looked up and saw an alien warrior screeching down the vertical shaft.

She fires her gun as it fell next to her, while rolling and writhing around. Rainbow Dash was wrestling the thing and managed to place her hind hoof to its head, and slammed it against the wall.

“Oh yeah!” grunted Rainbow Dash, as she fired her pistol at the alien’s head. Its acid-blood spilled out and hitted her ankle, searing into her hind leg. She gritted her teeth against the white-hot pain.

Rainbow Dash then pushed the creature away and moved clear of it while firing the remaining bullet in her gun. The alien rolled and bounced around the shaft in its death throes.

Applejack and Rarity stopped at the corner where Twilight and Applebloom was at earlier, they looked back for Rainbow Dash.
“Rainbow Dash!” shouted Applejack, hoping for a reply, but nothing.

Rainbow Dash was sprawling out on the shaft’s floor while lying on her stomach. She moaned out in pain while managing to eject the magazine from her pistol. “Ohhh, Nnnooooo!” she moaned as her gun was out of ammo.

“GO!” shouted Rarity, as she hits Applejacks on the shoulder armor. She then ran back for Rainbow Dash. Coming around the corner, she sees Rainbow Dash on the floor and grabs her underneath the arms then started dragging her towards to safety.

Until one of the creatures broke though an air duct grating in the tunnel floor in front and behind them. Rarity pulled out her pistol and fired it at the alien’s head, but the bullets seemed too bounced off its armoured skull.

Twilight, Applebloom and Applejack reached a large metal housing, “Applebloom!” shouted Applejack, as she saw her sister crawl inside.

“Up there, there’s a short-cut across the roof,” said Applebloom.

The shaft junction was of several shafts, including a vertical duct with a ladder rungs leading up to an exterior vent hood. The ‘floor’ was actually the top of a large blower drum, a veined cylinder. The room was tall enough for all three of them to stand up fully.

Twilight crossed to the ladder, she seized a rung to steady herself, as she reached back for Applebloom. “Applejack,” called at Twilight as she was ready to lift Applebloom to the ladder.

Applejack nodded as she lifted Applebloom up and gave her over to Twilight. Applebloom then grabbed onto the ladder and held on firmly.

Back at Rarity and Rainbow Dash, She unloaded her pistol into the alien, finally killing it, but it was too late.

Rarity looked to the left and saw aliens crawling along the shaft like a multi-armed freak. She then looked to the right and saw another alien crawling over the one she just recently shot.

“You were always a bitch, Rarity,” grunted Rainbow Dash, saying her last words to her.

She suddenly pulled out an M-41A grenade with her magic, Rainbow Dash was barely conscious. She looks around the tunnel one more time, seeing the aliens closing in. Rarity then popped off the safety and presses the detonator stub.

Rainbow Dash hears it and looks over; she then seizes her hoof in a deathly grip, a death grip she would only share with Renegade. Rarity returned the grip, as the aliens were beginning to strike with its jaws, but it wasn’t fast enough.

The tunnel exploded in a fire and debris, the explosion sends a powerful blast of flame up and through the tunnel.

Applejack looked back and saw a flame ball heading towards her; she quickly crouches by the door to the ventilation room. The blast knocked her over and dislodged Applebloom from the ladder.

She suddenly fell onto the blower drum, causing it to rotate. Applebloom slips nightmarishly through the narrow gap into another duct. The duct was at a chute angle into a depth at a forty-five degree angle. She catches the lip of the chute and held on.

“Applebloom!” shouted Applejack, as she jammed her pulse rifle in to the drum, stopping the rotation.

Both Twilight and Applejack lunged into the gap with their arms out to reach her, “Hold on, Applebloom!” grunted Twilight.

“Twilight, Applejack, I’m slipping!” shouted Applebloom.

“Twi, use your magic,” said Applejack, as she could not reach her sister.

Suddenly Applebloom slipped, but Twilight caught edge of her hoof, “I gotcha’ I gotcha!” grunted Twilight. But suddenly something Twilight loses her focus and lost her magic’s grip on the filly hoof.

“Applebloom, No!” shouted Applejack as she watches her sister sliding down the chute into darkness and disappearing around a bend.
The shaft recedes into darkness, there was no answer. Applejack then pulled herself from the gap and looked at Twilight, with angered eyes. “Come on! We can find her with this!” said Applejack, as pulled out her locator from her belt. It beeped slowly. Twilight nodded, and then yelled down the chute of darkness.

“Stay where you are, Applebloom!” There was a plaintive call from the darkness. “We’re coming!” shouted Twilight, as she heard a faint voice from the shaft.

Applejack then kicked out from the ventilator grille and emerged onto a stairwell, followed by Twilight. They rushed down the stairs as fast as possible.

In the sub-basement Applebloom was in a low grotto-like chamber, filled with pipes. It was flooded, almost up to her neck.
Twilight...Applejack!” shouted Applebloom, as she looked around.

Applejack and Twilight reached the bottom of the stairs and sprinted along the corridor, intent onto the locators’ signal. The signal beeped faster as they closed in on Applebloom.

“This way, she’s close,” said Applejack, looking at the distance the locator.
“Applebloom!” shouted Twilight.

Applebloom was wading around, looking everywhere for any unexpected visitors, “Twilight...Applejack!”

“Where are you? Can you hear me!” continued Twilight, as she ran with Applejack.

Applebloom suddenly heard hoof-steps and voices, she then looks up, and sees Applejack and Twilight run past.

“Here!”Started Applebloom, as she climbed up on some pipes toward the overhead grilling, “I’m here!” finished Applebloom.

They both suddenly stooped and turned around noticed Applebloom’s’ bow was sticking out from the flooring. They both then ran back, and shine a light through the floor grating to see Applebloom’s face.

“Applebloom, are you okay?” asked Twilight.

She nodded, as Applejack gripped the grating and tried pulling it up, but there was no success, “I have to cut it.”

“Climb down, we’ve gotta’ cut through,” said Twilight, as Applejack unslings her welder and flips up the guard screen.
Applebloom climbed back down into the water, she looked up and watched Applejack cut through the bars.

The torch emitted a blinding blue light that illuminated the corridor. Twilight blocked off the glare to her eyes with the light as she looked down into the sub-basement.

“Applebloom...” she looked around as the blue sparks rained down into the water next to her, “...Now, don’t move, stay very still.”

“Okay,” said Applebloom, as she continues looking around the sub-basement.

“We’re almost there, hang in there, okay?” said Twilight, giving the filly some comfort.

Suddenly, Applejacks’ motion track came to life, as it started beeping. Twilight looks over and picks it up. A blob of white dots were moving onto the screen, “Applejack!”

“I know!” replied Applejack.

“Hurry!” continued Twilight, as she looked behind her.

“I know!” re-replied Applejack.

“I mean it!” said Twilight, as Applejacks’ torch worked quickly cutting through the bars on the grating.

Applebloom was starting to get very frightened, as she continuously scanned the room while the blue sparks were showering blindly beside her. The flames were cutting through, turning the metal into liquid and sparks.

Twilight was focused on the motion tracker; she was staring at it very closely. She shocks the tracker thinking there was a fault in the system, but then she remembered when nopony believed Pinkie. She then looked down at Applebloom, “Applebloom...Applebloom! Just stay still!”

Applebloom stood shoulder deep in the water, while watching the sparks fall as Applejack cuts. Silently a glistening shape raised in a graceful motion from the water behind her. It stood, dripping, dwarfing her tiny form.

She turned and screamed as the shadow engulfed hers. Twilight and Applejack both panic, hearing the screaming below, then the splashing. “All most there!” said Applejack, finishing off the last bar on the grating.

Twilight and Applejack suddenly, kicked desperately at the grating, smashing it down. Applejack then lunged into the hole with her light. The surface of the water reflected the beam placidly, as she looked around; she then noticed that Applebloom was gone.

Twilight pulled her away from the hole; she struggled furiously, trying to tear out of Twilights grip.

“Noo, Nooo!” shouted Applejack, as she got yanked out from the flooring.

Twilight shock Applejack, trying to get the sense into her, “They don’t kill you! They don’t kill! They...” she then shocks her one more time, “Listen! She’s alive!”

“Alright, I believe you! She’s alive,” Applejack then took in a breath before continuing, “But, we’ve gotta’ go and get her now!”

Applejack suddenly pulled herself off the floor and dragged Twilight down the corridor towards an elevator, which was not far away at the end of the tunnel. The elevator door opened and Applejack along with Twilight got into the elevator.

She hitted the button to go to the surface level, but the doors didn’t close. She then hits the button again and the door began to close, but they didn’t close fast enough as an alien warrior leaped at the door. The doors stopped from closing due to the safety and reopened. Applejack fired at point blank range, blasting it in the head.

The alien fell back out of the door, as its acid-blood spewed out and flow through the door, hitting Applejacks’ armor chest plate. The lift started upwards, and Applejacks’ hooves raced with the clasps. Galvanized out of her hysteria, Twilight quickly clawed at her armor, helping her out as much as possible.

“Get it off! Get it off!” Screamed Applejack as the acid contacted her chest and arm. She shucks out of her armor, as acrid fumes filled
the lift. Twilight slammed the armor on the floor, as it a large hole sizzled at the chest plate.

The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Twilight supported Applejack, “Here,” said Twilight as carried her friend through the front doors of the complex.

“Come on, you can make it!” shouted Twilight, as they were getting closer to bishop, who was steering the incoming drop-ship with a joystick. He looked up as the drop-ship files over the north lock building, and descends towards the landing grid, while it was side-slipping in the hurricanes gust.

The ship settled down hard, as it landed on its ramps. Twilight and Applejack suddenly stumbled up to Bishop, She shouted to be heard over the wind, “Bishop, how much time?”

“Plenty, twenty-six minutes!” replied Bishop, as he helped up the other side of the limping Applejack.

“We’re not leaving!” shouted Twilight, as she pulled Applejack into the lowered down ramp of the drop-ship.

Bishop suddenly stopped, and stood in hesitation, “We’re not...why?”

His question was perfectly understandable under the circumstances. She relaxed a little. “Tell you in a minute. Let’s get Applejack some medical and close this sucker up, and then I’ll tell you.”

Chapter 7: A promise

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Bishop was in the pilot seat, controlling the drop-ship towards the massive processing station. An infernal engine was roaring out of control, as steam blasted and swirled while lightning zapped around the superstructure.

The drop-ship moved towards the station, it flew through the massive archway in front, entering the belly of the beast.

Twilight pulled out two weapons from a storage rack and tied their barrels together with the M-41A strap. She then levitated some tape around the stocks, securely fastening them together. When she was finished with the tape she threw it on the ground. And then places the pulse-rife and the flamethrower down on the floor.

Applejack was sprawled in a flight seat, while bandaging her-self up. She gave herself a shot of painkillers to stop with the pain, and then looked over at Twilight, looking at what she was doing.

In the cock pit of the drop-ship, Bishop looked around, finding a good place to set the ship down. He looks over to the right and sees a narrow landing platform, which were twenty levels above the ground.

The drop-ship hovered over in the blasting turbulence, and settled down on the platform with a ‘CLANG.’ Lightning arched all around the platform and the ship, as the station began to self-destruct.

Twilight worked rapidly, preparing for what she was planning to do. She slapped a magazine into the rifle, and the counter of the rifle read ‘95.’ She then taped Applejacks’ locator onto the barrel of the rifle.

While the guns’ were hanging over her shoulder, she pulls out a few M-41A grenades from a box and stuffed the gear quickly into a satchel. Twilight pick up a packet of flares and a bandoleer of grenades, shoving them into the satchel.

Bishop then came aft from the pilot’s compartment, “Twilight...”

“I don’t want to hear it, Bishop. She’s ALIVE and there still time,” snapped Twilight, before letting Bishop finished what he was about to say.

“In nineteen minutes, this area is going to be a cloud of vapour the size of an Ursa Major,” said Bishop, as he determined the size of the blast.

“Applejack, don’t let him leave,” said Twilight, as she ignored his warning.

Applejack was holding a bandage over her left eye, “We ain’t going anywhere.”

“I promise you Applejack, I’ll get her back,” said Twilight, as she stared at Applejack one last time. Applejack just laid back and nodded.

Twilight then nodded back and ran to the doors controls. The door opened to a side access ramp. As Twilight ran down the ramp, crossing the platform to the closed doors of a large fright elevator, she hits the button. The doors opened and Twilight moved in.

In the background the wind was blowing rapidly and machine thunder blasted in a rage. There was a mares voice of the warning systems, “Attention, emergency. All personal must evacuate immediately. You now have fifteen minutes to reach minimum safe distance.”

The elevator descended, while Twilight crouched on the floor and loaded up the grenade launcher on the M-41A. She loaded four grenades and then cocked it.

Setting the weapons down, she removes a flare packet from her satchel, pulling out six flares and stuffed them into her pants pockets. While the elevator continued going down, the level counter decreased...fifteen...fourteen...thirteen...

Twilight then removed her leather jacket and places a battle harness directly over her t-shirt. Her eyes burned with determination that holds the gut-panic in check. She then puts on a bandoleer of grenades around her chest; afterwards she hefted the guns up by her side and stood ready.

Twilight closed her eyes for a second, and thought to herself, this was the most terrifying thing she had ever done. She was soaked in sweat.

The voice of the warning systems echoes down the tunnel. The voice was calm and mechanical, “Attention. Emergency, all personal must evacuate immediately. You now have fourteen minutes to reach minimum safe distance.”

As the elevator reached to the bottom, Twilight primed the flamethrower. A blue flame emitted by its barrel.

The lift motor whines, as it slowed down, hitting the bottom with a bump. The safety cage retracted, slowly opening. Twilight stood there, swivelling the weapons, as steams cloud swirled all around her.

Twilight moved out of the lift, teeth gritted and heart racing. She looked around, and lets out a jet stream of flame from her flamethrower, spraying out above. Before her was a network of piped, which stretched in every direction.

Some glowed cherry red, from the heat build-up. She moved into a tunnel ahead and let out another jet of flame into the open space above her. Continuing forward, she fires again, lighting up the tunnel, and setting a few pillars on fire in the process.

Rounding the pillar, Twilight looks back and sees the elevator doors close with a band. There was no turning back now. As she looks around the corner, she aimed the gun watching out for any aliens.

She then looks on the locator and aims it down the set of stairs. It beeped slowly, showing the range to its target.

A blast or energy went off to her left, causing Twilight to close her eyes for protection. She then opened her eyes and quickly moved down the stairs, approaching ‘Sub-Level 03’ stairway, the bottom was obscures in mist.

Twilight reached the landing with an overheated red-hot pipe over it. She ducked down and moved straight on to a two-way junction.

She looks back at the locator and pans the guns around. The beeps became faster as she paned the gun to the right. Twilight moved on, but came to a halt as she was just outside the entrance to the alien-encrusted tunnel.

Before Twilight entered the alien-encrusted tunnel, she sprayed a blast of flame scorching ahead of her. She then pulled out a flare, and ignited, afterwards she threw the stick down. As it fell to the ground, it almost disappeared in the encrustation.

Momentum speeds up as Twilight continues forward as fast as possible; her guns were aimed straight ahead at all times, ready for anything. Her breathing was fast and hard. Coming to another stairwell junction, she flames straight ahead.

Twilight moved around the stairs, stopping at a corner to peer around in its terror. Her breathing had became short and gasped, her heart beep raced, ‘THUMP-THUMP, THUMP-THUMP’ beating loudly.

The locator had begun to beep faster by the second. She checked it and the aimed her guns towards a nearby descending staircase. Twilight dashed down the stairs, at the bottom, she quickly moved around the stairs and begins up another corridor.

The locator’s beeping had increased again. Stopping under a flashing yellow klaxon, she sends a burst of flames out ahead of her.

Twilight moved forward, swivelling to look everywhere, another flare was lit to mark the way back. Appearing out of the steam clouds, Twilight came to a corner. She points the locator around and heads right.

She run-walked along the corridor until the locators signal had became a stream of sound. Looking on the locator’s digital counter, it reads zero. Twilights eyes widen as she couldn’t believe it.

She looked down at the ground and saw Applebloom’s tracers watch, lying in the sticky encrustation. All hope receded, disintegrating into mindless chaos, as she grips the bracelet hard and begins to weep.

Mean while, somewhere very near, was Applebloom, cocooned in a pillar-like structure at the edge of alien egg cluster. Her eyelids fluttered open and she became aware of her surroundings.

The egg nearest her began to move...it opened like an obscene flower. Applebloom stared, transfixed by terror, as jointed legs appeared over the lips of the ovoid one by one.

Applebloom screamed. Her scream echoed through the tunnel. Twilight suddenly heard the screams and breaks into a run.

As Applebloom watched the face-hugger emerge and turns towards her, Twilight came around the corner just in time as it was about to leap. She fired her M41A pulse-rifle, blasting it all over the place.

Suddenly out of nowhere, a figure of an adult warrior came bouncing along the corridor’s walls like it was a spider. Firing from the side, Twilight drills it with two controlled burst which catapulted it back.

Two more warriors suddenly showed up, and Twilight toke them out without hesitation, she had a murderous expression on her face.
“Twilight, Twilight!” cried Applebloom as was trying to off of the wall.

Twilight runs to Applebloom and began tearing at the fresh resinous cocoon material, freeing the filly. She pulls her up onto her back, strands of the sticky resin stretched between them.

“Grab onto me! Hold on!” cried Twilight as pulled the filly out from the wall and placed her on her back.

Twilight turned to retrace her steps, only to have an explosion on a lower level engulf the passageway in an enormous fireball. She retreated, moving through another stream-filled corridor.

She and Applebloom emerged into a large chamber. As they entered the chamber, Twilight stopped and turned. Her expression changed to worry as she scans the entire area.

They both were standing in a room full of eggs. Dozens and dozens of them line the floor everywhere around her. She hears something and turned around slowly.

Applebloom and Twilight watched as a strange tube-like membrane placed an egg on the floor with the other. It then retracted; dripping slimy, gelatinous ooze from the tube’s opening onto the egg.

Twilight’s gazed along an egg-filled abdomen which swelled and swelled into a great pulsing tubular sac suspended from a lattice of piped and conduits by a web-like membrane. As if some vast coil of intestine was draped carelessly among the machinery.

Finally, Twilight looked up and sees it...or her. A massive silhouette in the mist, the Alien Queen glowers over her eggs like great, glistening insect-Buddha. The Queen’s deep, heavy breathing echoed around the chamber.

As Applebloom and Twilight watched, the Queens’s legs, arm and massive inner jaws extended. She hissed loudly at them, but suddenly turns into a chuckle. The chuckle was a silent call for her guards.

Three drones stepped out of the shadows and mist around the chamber. One hissed at Twilight. She sees them, and sets Applebloom down, pushing the filly behind her.

As the Queen looks down at Twilight and Applebloom, she slowly moved her head out of the shadow herself and revealed and even more nightmarish thing. Twilight’s eyes widen as and month opened wide.

“Y-You” hesitated Twilight, as she stared at the familiar face of the Queen.

“Yessss, Twilight! It is I, Queen Chrysalis,” chuckled, Queen Chrysalis.

Her form was completely changed; her form was no longer a changeling’s form, but something different. Her arms were extended and grew claws along with two extra limbs by her torso. Her hind legs were long and slender, and her tail was no longer hair, but long with a sharp tip at the end of her tail.

Her head was longer, almost like her crown had melded with her head. Her eyes were gone, as Twilight couldn’t see her eyes, but on the side of her head was long green hair.

“Where are your friendsssss now?” asked Queen Chrysalis, as a huge smile stretch across her face.

“Right here!” said a voice coming from the shadow, as a huge explosion burst through the wall.

Suddenly Pinkie jump out of the wall and rolled next Twilight and Applebloom. She got up staring at Chrysalis in the face with the most dreaded smile.

As she stared at the Queen, Pinkie’s mane was puffy, and in a ponytail. On the right side of her eye were a deep cut, sliced to the top and bottom part of her eye. Red blood dripped down the side of her face. Her chest plate was completely gone, and was now wearing a grey tank-top.

“P-Pinkie, You’re alive!” said Twilight in surprise.

“Told you, I’ll keep you safe,” smirked, Pinkie.

“Well isn’t thisssss just lovely, friendsssss coming back from the grave,” said Chrysalis while smirking.

“How many rounds do you have?” asked Twilight.

“Half a clip, what about you?” asked Pinkie.

“A full clip,” said Twilight looking at her guns.

Pinkie, Twilight and Applebloom then carefully moved backwards towards the tunnel they came in from, stepping gently and firmly. They stopped at the entrance to the tunnel.

Twilight scanned the room and noticed an egg unfolding near her. She thinks for a second, and then unleashes the flamethrower, igniting the field of eggs with an insane fury.

Queen Chrysalis went into a berserk, screeching like some psychotic steam whistle. She claws in the air, trying to get at Twilight, but she was too far and was stuck in her throne.

Twilight glanced at the walls of the chamber and sees the three drones coming for her. They were blown off the walls that they cling to, by Twilight’s and Pinkie’s pulse-fire. They kept firing, focusing all their rage on the burning eggs.

They exploded on contact with the bullets, as they both kept firing. Until Pinkies’ gun ran dry of bullets and Twilights’ had only fifty rounds left in her rifle.

They both stopped firing and pumped the slide on their grenade launchers. Twilight aimed and fired at Queen Chrysalis’s egg sac. The grenade punched deep in the sac and exploded.

Pinkie fired her four grenades at the remaining eggs that she and Twilight missed. She lifted the rifle and swizzed the trigger to lunch the grenade at the far back of the chamber.

Eggs and tons of gelatinous matter sprayed across the chamber floor. Twilight pumped and fired again and again and again. Four times in the egg sack.

“Let’s go!” Twilight Shouted to Pinkie.

Twilight, Pinkie and Applebloom began to back up into the exit tunnel. Twilight continued firing the flame unit into the chamber, igniting the eggs. Applebloom looked behind them and saw one of the warriors moving towards them, “Behind us!”

She quickly turned and blew away the approaching warrior, it dropped to the floor, and she finishes it off with the remaining ammo into it. Grabbing Applebloom with her magic and placing her on her back.

She and Pinkie moved around the corner, but Twilight stops and unslings the bandolier of grenades and throws the whole thing as far as she could into the egg chamber. They dashed into the catacombs and were hurled forwards by the shock wave of multiple
explosions.

The explosions around the Queen had caused her supports to break, dropping her into the flames around her. She lashed out in pain and anger, and then suddenly pulled herself free from the egg sac, ripping it away and dragging torn cartilage and tissue behind her.

Twilight and Pinkie ran, blindly, with panting intensity verging on hysteria. They saw one of the flares which Twilight dropped earlier and turns to see another.

Twilight sprints towards it as the foundation of the world shakes. Rounding a corner they find the stairs Twilight came down and dashed up them. At the top, the entire superstructure rocked as another explosion ignites within the heart of the station.

They both held on and then kept running. Upon rounding another corner, Twilight sees the lift. They sprinted to it, gasping for air, as Twilight hits the up button. Nothing happened. She hits it again, and then looked up the lifts shaft for the elevator.

She sees the lift slowly coming down the shaft. Twilight moved to the adjacent lift and hits the up button. The sound lifts motor’s started to whine as it began to slowly descent as well from several floors up.

Twilight was frantic, hitting the buttons over and over again, hoping for some faster action. A sudden enraged screech echoed in the corridor behind them. Twilight and Pinkie turned; their eyes were wide with terror. Twilight then began hitting the buttons again.
“Come on! Damn it!” shouted Twilight in frustration.

The screech echoed again, getting closer. She looks up the corridor once more and sprints for a nearby ladder going up. “Hold on to me,” said Twilight to Applebloom.

She then turned to look at Pinkie for a second, “Stay behind me, okay?”

Pinkie nodded and waited for Twilight to climb up the ladder, but something caught her eye as she was about to climb the ladder. A silhouette of figure of Queen Chrysalis came around the corner and slowly made her way up the corridor.

Twilight backs down the ladder, as the Queen sees them and hisses. The elevator then stopped and opened for them. They suddenly raced into to it and jam the up bottom.

As Queen Chrysalis quickly moved her way up the misty corridor, screeching at the top of her lungs. Twilight dropped Applebloom and readied her weapon to fire, as the same for Pinkie.

The lifts cage then slides closed just in time as the Queen came up to it. Twilight fired her Flamethrower through the cage, burning the side of Chrysalis’s face. She screeched and reels back.

She kept firing until the unit ran dry. Pinkie aimed down the iron bar and went to squeeze the trigger to fire at Queen Chrysalis, until she heard a sudden ‘CLICK’. Her gun was dry of ammo as well.

The elevator then started moving upward quickly. A sudden explosion made the lift sack and rattle, as the lift descended upwards up. Some debris falls on the roof of the elevator, along with a huge fireball that slightly engulfed the lift.

Back at the bottom, the second lift reached to the bottom and opened its doors for anypony. The queen looks over and freezes, as if contemplating the open life cage.

The ride up was not comforting as the explosions constantly shock the tiny lift and it occupants. The mechanical voice of the warning system was heard again, but it was much shorter now, “You now have two minutes to reach minimum safe distance.”

The lift reached the top and Pinkie and Twilight with Applebloom hustled out onto the platform. Twilight looked around through wind-whipped streamers of smoke and she saw...nothing, the ship was gone.

“No...,” hesitated Twilight, as she stared at the platform, it was completely empty. She looked up and shouted with an outrage at the final betrayal, “Bishop! Damn you!”

She slumped over in defeat, breathing heavily. A sound suddenly came behind them and catches Twilights attention.

She moved over to the adjacent lift cage and looked down. Looking down she saw the second lift slowly coming up. Clouds of fire exploded all around it.

Twilight and Applebloom back away from the doors. She checked her gun and saw the counter reads zero. She dropped her weapons, and picked up Applebloom. They back towards the railing where Pinkie was waiting.

There was no place to run, as there were multiple explosions detonated in the complex far below and all around them. Huge fireballs burned upwards through the machinery. The platform bucked wildly, while nearby a cooling tower collapsed with a thunderous roar and shrieked of rending steel.

Chaos and destruction totally surrounded them, offering no reprieve. The second lift then stopped. Twilight and Pinkie stare were transfixed as the safety cage opened, “What is that?” asked Pinkie.

“Bad news,” replied Twilight, as she stared at the lift. Flashes from the explosion gave a glimpse of the apparition within. Then, it moved it full view, Queen Chrysalis came was starting get out of the lift.

“Close your eyes, Applebloom,” said Twilight to her, covering her eyes with her hoof.

“There is no escape!” shouted Queen Chrysalis.

Suddenly the drop-ship rose up right behind them, it’s hovered as it’ jets roared. Applebloom looked and saw it first, “Look!”

Twilight turns and sees it too; she looks back at the lift. Chrysalis was screeching madly at them, and was moving forward.

Pinkie and Twilight lifted Applebloom onto the loading stairs extending from the ship’s side. She crawled up, turning to help Pinkie up.

Pinkie jumped up on the loading stairs and extended a hoof for Twilight. “Come on! Come on!” shouted Applebloom, to Twilight.

Twilight grabbed and crawled up. Just as she got half-way up the ramp, a tremendous explosion ripped through the complex below. She quickly moved inside, hitting the close bottom on the ramp, while running to a flight of seats with Applebloom and Pinkie.

The explosion hitted the ship, slamming it sideways, its extended landing legs foul in a tangle of conduits, grinding with a hideous squeal of metal on metal.

Twilight cradled Applebloom and began strapping in, Bishop wrestled with the controls. The landing legs retracted, ripping free, but still trailing some debris. Pinkie slammed her seats harness home.

“Punch it, Bishop!” shouted Twilight.

The entire lower level of the station disappeared in a fireball. The air vibrated with intense heat waves and concussions. The drop-ship engines fired, Twilight was slamming back in her seat. The ship vaults out and up, Bishop standing it on its tail, pouring on the gees, Twilight and Applebloom saw everything in a blur.

The drop-ship lunges up out of the clouds layer into the clear high night. Below, the clouds light up from beneath from horizon to horizon.
A sun hot dome of energy burst up through the clouds layer, whiting out the frame. The tiny ship was slammed by the shockwave,
tossing forward...and climbs, scorched but functioning, towards the stars.

As Bishop checks over the instruments for damage, he picked up the inter-ship mike, “its okay. We’re okay.”

Twilight heard Bishop’s words and closed her eyes, in relieve. She looks at Applebloom in her lap, “Hey?” smile Twilight as Applebloom looked over at her, “We made it.”

“I’d knew you’d come,” said Applebloom in relieve. Twilight smiled and hugged her. They then turn and look out at the welcoming stars
of space. The tiny ship rocketed upwards, heading back home to the C.M.E.ZECORA.

The scorched and battered ship once again sits in its drop bay. Steam blasting from cooling vents beside the engine, rotating clearance lights sweep around the large chamber. Twilight inspected the comatose Applejack. Bishop and Applebloom were behind her, “She’s going to be alright. She’s just out. I had to give her another shot for the pain.”

Twilight started to lift the seat restraints to take him out, but Bishop stopped her, “We need a stretcher...to carry her up to medical.”

She nodded and lowers the restrain back, she then looks over to get Pinkie, but noticed that she was asleep in the harness as well.

Twilight sighed and walked out of the ship.

Twilight and Bishop walked down the loading stairs, “I’m sorry if I scared you. That platform was just becoming too unstable. I had to
circle and hope things didn’t get to rough to take you off.”

He stopped under the back landing leg of the ship. Twilight catches up and stops before him, “Bishop...you did okay.”
“I did?” asked Bishop.

Twilight nodded and smiled, “oh yeah.”

They suddenly heard a sizzling sound from below Bishop. Looking down, they saw a tiny innocuous drop of liquid splashed onto the deck next to Bishops’ hind leg shoe.

‘SSSSS’ a hole began to form. Suddenly something burst from Bishops’ chests, spraying Twilight with milk-like android blood. It was the razor-sharp scorpion tail of the aliens Queen. Driven right through him from behind; Twilight Pushed Applebloom back, out of the way onto the floor, as Bishop thrashed spraying white blood out of his mouth.

He seizes the protruding section of the tail in his hand, as it was slowly lifting him off the deck and up to the Queen’s chest. Above them, the queen glowers from its place of concealment among the hydraulic mechanisms inside the landing-leg bay.

She blended perfectly with the machinery until she began to emerge. Seizing Bishop in two great hands, it ripped him apart and flings him aside, shredding, like a doll.

Bishop’s upper-half landed hard on the deck near the front of the drop-ship. His milky blood covered him; he then looked over at what did this to him.

The Queen descended slowly to the deck, the rotating lights glistening across her shiny black limbs, dripping acid and rage. She was huge, powerful...and very pissed off. She descended her six limbs unfolding in an inpony geometries.

Twilight moved with nightmarish slowness herself, starring hypnotized...terrified to break and run. Never taking her eyes off the once queen of the changelings, she motioned Applebloom with her hoof.

“Go...Move.” said Twilight.

Applebloom crawled slowly backwards, but chrysalis saw her and hissed. “No! Here...Here!” shouted Twilight moving forward slightly, waving her arms making herself a decoy.

As Chrysalis turned her attention to Twilight and hissed. Her open jaws were filled with long, sharp, translucent teeth. Drool dripped from her opened maw.

Twilight slowly backed away. She called to Applebloom, “Run.”

Applebloom got up and ran to an open maintenance hatch in the deck, dropping in. Twilight continued waving her arms at the Queen, getting her attention. The Queen loomed in front of her, standing sideways on the landing strut, ready to attack.

“Here!” shouted Twilight, suddenly falling into silence as she slowly lowering her arms and backed up carefully. But it wasn’t careful enough, as the Queen saw her movement and didn’t approve.

Queen Chrysalis hissed at Twilight again. She noticed an open cargo bay behind her. Twilight suddenly turned and sprinted towards it. The creature leaped for her, moving like an out-of-control locomotive.

Her hind feet slam, and echoed on the deck behind her. Twilight cleared the cargo door and quickly hits the close switch. The cargos’ heavy door closed half-way, when Queen Chrysalis hits the door. But she back up and the door closed completely.

Angrily, she rammed the door again and again. Twilight backed away from the door, gasping for air, as the Queen was outside continuing to slam into the door. She looked around and noticed something that would help her out of the situation. She quickly moved to it.

Bishop was still on the floor, he flailed around, positioning himself to see the Queen. She walked the maintenance to where Applebloom went hid herself. Her feet clomped on the deck, while Bishop watched quietly.

Applebloom was looking through the grille-work flooring. Light played across her shadowed face in the bars. The Queen came into view overhead, looking down at the floor for Applebloom.

She passed over Applebloom’s hiding spot. But then backed up and saw her, noticing the movement of Applebloom’s head as she watched. Queen Chrysalis hissed, pulling up the flooring with her big claws and reached in for her.

Applebloom screamed and scurried away. She crawled along quickly like a rabbit as the looming figure of the alien appeared above. A section of grilled in front of her was ripped away.

She retreated, crawling back the where she came; only quickly turning away in to another direction. Applebloom suddenly stopped and stared up through the flooring, watching the Queen move around above her.

She paused, seeing Applebloom, she noticed and scurried away again, but the Queen beats her and ripped up the flooring right above her. Applebloom froze in fright, while screaming; as the alien reached down to get her.

Suddenly a loud ‘CLANK’ echoed through the chamber as the door to the room Twilight went into, opened. The Queen pins at the sound of it, turning to see what it was.

The door opened revealing an inpony silhouette standing there. Twilight moved forward out from the shadows, wearing two tons of hardened steel. She lifted the arms horizontally beside her and stomped out...the massive feet crash-clanging on the deck.

She stopped midway to Queen Chrysalis, “Get away from her, you BITCH!” The Queen hissed with pure lethality. Applebloom looked out of the flooring at Twilight.

Twilight moved the arms up for combat, both in swinging position and takes two steps. The Queen screeched and charged. She slammed the right hydraulic arms, and catches her on her hideous skull, slamming her onto the deck.

The Queen got up and Twilight hits her again with left one, sending her into some heavy cargo boxes. Queen Chrysalis rights herself, standing in a lethal stance. She hissed violently, and was clearly pissed off.

Twilight swung around, positioning herself towards the Queen, “come on!” shouted Twilight, taunting the Queen.

Queen Chrysalis charged and Twilight closed the right arm’s fork on her skull. She lashed and writhes with incredible fury, coming within inches of her exposed body. The alien tried to bite at her, but Twilight moved away slightly.

The Queen was desperate to get free and brings up her spear-like tail to strike. She swings it around twice, slapping it against the crash-bars next to Twilight.

Twilight released the clamp, freeing the Queen, She backed away. Both stood their ground now, Twilight, constantly moved her arms around, keeping the Queen back.

Queen Chrysalis continued hissing, clawing, and striking her tail to get her. Twilight sensed this and changed the game plan.

She pressed some key command and made the door of a rectangular pit opened in the background. The Queen sensed the change in direction of the fight and charged. Twilight lowered an arm and closed it around the alien’s neck.

Queen Chrysalis screamed, as her face was now right in front of Twilight’s. The striking teeth extended almost a meter from inside its fanged maw, shooting between the crash-bar.

Twilight ducked and the Queen strikes again. She duck again and flick open the cutting torch trigger on the control joystick. The flame on the torch shot out, right into the alien’s face. The Queen screamed and moved her head away.

Twilight screamed with exertion as she lifted her right arm, bringing the alien off her feet. She dangled in the air writhing, while Twilight hits the turning controls.

The upper body of the loader swings right, bringing Queen Chrysalis with it. She was hanging over the open loading airlock. She bends the loader forward, dropping her into the lock.

Suddenly Queen Chrysalis grabbed the loader, pulling it off balance. Twilight Screamed as they toppled and fell together, over the pip of the pit. They crash together five metres below. The loader pinned The Queen, she shrieked and clawed in pain, trying to get free.

Applebloom saw them go over and jumped out of the sub-floor channels, “TWILIGHT!”

In the loading lock Twilight frantically pulled her arms out of the controls of the loader and clawed towards a nearby service ladder. She started to climb up the ladder quickly, but when she got halfway up. Queen Chrysalis loosened herself slightly and seized Twilight by the ankle.

“Where do you think you are going?!” screamed Chrysalis, as held on tight to Twilights’ ankle.

Twilight gripped the ladder rungs tightly, fighting against her strength. As she fights the pull of the Queen, next to the ladder was an airlock actuating control panel. She quickly hits the red-‘inner door override’-button.

A klaxon began to sound and red warning lights came on below Twilight. Queen Chrysalis was still screeching and trying to free herself. Twilight then pulled down the outer door lever.

As the doors opened, there was a hurricane that shrieked of air as the door on which the loader and Chrysalis were lying part, revealing an infinite pit of stars below.

The airlock became a wind tunnel, blasting and buffeting Twilight as she struggled to hold onto the ladder. The air of the vast ship howls past her into space as she locked her arm around a ladder rung, feel it almost torn out of its shoulder socket.

Applebloom screamed as the hurricane air stream sucked her across the floor towards the airlock. Bishop, torn virtually in two, was having the same problem, but manages to grab hold of the barred flooring right next to the lock. Applebloom also grabs hold of the flooring.

The doors opened slowly, due to the weight on them, but they finally opened completely. The loader tumbles clear, falling into the void. Queen Chrysalis falls free, hanging in the opening of the door by Twilight’s ankle.

She screeched in the wind as the air pushes against it with extreme force. Twilight was losing the fight. Her strength was almost gone, her arm felt as if it was going to rip free at any moment.

Suddenly Pinkie dropped into the opened airlock, while rope was tired around her waist. She grabbed Twilight, helping her with her arm. While Pinkie was helping her, Twilight screamed in pain as her shoe ripped away from her hind hoof, dropping Queen Chrysalis into the depths of space.

Queen Chrysalis spins away from the open airlock door, tumbling into the darkness, shrieking and clawing from survival.

With all Twilight strength, Twilight fights the blasting air, while Pinkie helped her up to the lip of the inner doorway. She then started to climb over it.

Applebloom’s strength was gone and she slides away from the equipment that she held onto toward the open airlock. Bishop reached out desperately for her as she slides past him.

“BISHOP!” shouted Applebloom, as she pulled herself into him.

Pinkie and Twilight crawled over the lip of the airlock and lays on the deck, Applebloom claws up to Bishop and held onto him.

Twilight yanked at the closed override panel on the deck and pulled it open. She hits the inner door close. The door closes next to her, as she pulled her leg out of the way. The turbulent air eddies and settles.

She rolled over and lies on her back, drained of all strength. Gasping for her air, weakly, she turned, seeing Bishop and Applebloom together. She then looked up and saw Pinkie on ground breathing heavily, as she was getting her breath back.

Twilight slowly crawled over to them and grabbed Applebloom, She turned and hugged her desperately.

Bishop looked up at them. He was encrusted with his own vanilla milkshake blood. His voice was gargled with the fluid, “not bad for...a pony.”

Twilight looked down at him. He gives her a small, grim smile. She then turns back and clings to Applebloom.

*** *** ***

Mean while in the hyersleep, Applebloom stands by Pinkie pie’s capsule. Bishop was enclosed within a plastic membrane. Applejack was in the foreground, asleep in her capsule with bandages over her face and chest.

Applebloom stood watching as the capsule door whine closed. She then walked over to Twilight at the hyersleep controls board. Twilight punches in a few more commands and closed the keyboard.

They both moved over to Applebloom’s capsule. Applebloom got in and sat up. “Are we going to sleep all the way home?”
“All the way home,” smiled Twilight.

“Can i dream?” asked Applebloom.

Twilight smiles and brushed a strand of hair from Applebloom’s forehead, “Yes, honey. I thing we both can.”

She suddenly pointed to something on Applebloom’s shirt. She looked down and Twilight flicked her nose. They both giggled and Applebloom lied back in the bed, “Sleep tight.”

“Aye-fermatvie,” said Applebloom, closing her eyes.

Twilight then got up and moved to her capsule. She lies down onto the bed, and then closed her eyes as the capsule began to shut close. As all the capsules were shut, the lights dimmed and the ship began its journey back to Equestria.

The End.

Aliens: Pony Marines

by Renegade Thunder

Chapter 1: waking up

Chapter 2: The colony

Chapter 3: The Hive

Chapter 4: Mostly

Chapter 5: Some Really Bad News

Chapter 6: The Shit Just Hit the Fan

Chapter 7: A promise