Chapter 17 A furry Situation (Due too be re-Written at story's end)

A single jump point opens and the Foxfire and the White Star emerged just beside the moon.
The first thing that was noticed was the Deadalus still in orbit above the planet, Both ships tried to contact the cruiser and when failing that the settlement on the surface. Neither replied.

As they approached they found the debris of the Scabbard drifting and the Deadalus with everything except life-support and Artifical Gravity offline. Scans of the settlement find that a golden barrier has formed around Novas and they are unable to get any messages through it.

Colonel Naomi orders a team of techs backed up by a squad of Marines, Lucy, Twilight, Applejack and Solar Flare to board the derelict vessel and retrieve the ships last log entry's and determine what happened.

Both Twilight and Lucy have bad feelings about the mission.

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A bright light filled the bridge of the Deadalus as the team beamed onto the vessel. The Marines quickly set out to secure the bridge while the techs attempt to get power to the ships powerless databanks.

Lucy had her Scythe out while Twilight had her newly acquired shadow Shards floating around her horn, both were feeling out through the shadows in the hallways outside the bridge for any sign of the crew but neither managing to get more then a few meters out.
Applejack was standing behind one of the techs with a shotgun held in her fore hooves.

One thing that Lucy noticed was a strong smell that the others couldn't smell, it may have been just her but the entire ship smelt like.... Wet dog...

Lucy turned on her radio "Were in, securing files now". "Careful over there you lot, we have no idea what happens over their"

Lucy's attention was grabbed by one of the techs "We're not " he said "I'm going down with some marines to see if I can't get some juice flowing up here"

"Ok but be careful, I'm getting a bad feeling about this place" She the tech while griping her scythe tighter "Watch yourselves"

"Yes mam" Naomi had granted Lucy and Twilight command of the mission, Twilight Lucy had understood but her? Giving command of a mission into a potentially dangerous situation to a 18 Year old didn't seem like a very good idea, but Lucy went with it.

A few minutes after their departure the remaining marines and Lucy had set up a barricade on either side of the hallway to give them a more defendable defensive position in case of attack, in this time Lucy was feeling increasingly more nervous on the supposedly abandoned ship with a feeling of forbidding that was only relieved as the consoles lit up and the voice of the marines she had sent with the techs called her name over the radio "Ms Santiago, we just transferred power over to you, lets get these files and get off this ship.... It's creeping me and my men out" "Got it Major, I'll get the techs working on downloading the Logs" "One more thing... On the way down here we found claw marks along the walls and floor, you had better keep your guard up" the Major cut his link as one of the techs rushed over and judging from his face it was bad news.

"You've got to see this Ms, we retrieved one of the logs and.... Its bad..." the man led Lucy over to one of the the nearest console where Twilight, Flare and Applejack were already hunched around, Lucy stood next to them and waited for the tech to start the log.

[Log entry 1]
This is Colonel Conwell of the Deadalus... Fort Novas has been overrun with some unknown wolf like creatures and something has happened to Princess Celestia, she has gone through a transformation that one of the pony survivors has told me Princess Luna has gone through before and is now calling herself, Nightmare Sun... She captured Luna and began infecting everyone with this Lycanthrope virus and put a barrier around the Fort... We are trying to find a way past it now but right now we are more focused on the wounded we have onboard the Scabbard.

[Log entry 2]
Dear god what have I done..... All the injured were infected by the Lycanthrope Virus and took the scabbard and were about to use the beaming Asguard transporter to get aboard.... I ordered us to fire upon the Scabbard and destroy it...... This decision is going to haunt me for the rest of my life.....

[Log entry 3]
They are on board!
One of the survivors that were in the hangers was infected and held out longer then the others... He infected the entire bay and they are now spreading across the ship, we had set up bulwarks one all the way's leading up to the bridge... But we lost contact with the last one a minute ago. Listen if the Crew of the Excalibur finds this message then we may still have a chance at fixing this, the artifact that Celestia Brough back to Novas is the cause of all this and my also be the key to curing not just the Lycanthropes but all the infected on the planet and maybe Princess Celestia too. We have left all the data we gathered... I hope you do better then us. (Gunshots, growls and screaming) Oh God their here! Please if you are on this ship, get out now, they already my know you are there. Just get out and- [Log ends]

Lucy was trembling when the log ended and a sideways glance showed that everyone else was too.
With all haste Lucy brought up her radio and called the team in engineering "Major get back up here now we're getting out of here now!" Static "Major!? Dam it get ahold of the Foxfire, tell them we need immediate extraction!"
"Maaaam! We've got movement!" one of the marines that were holding the ends of the hallway leading to the bridge. "All teams get back to the Bridge for extraction!" Lucy called into her radio just as the team that had contacted her radioed back in a panic "WE'VE GOT HOSTILES! THEIR TEARING US APART!" the marine franticly cried "WHAT ARE THESE THINGS! GHAAAAA!" the line went dead and soon after that, growls could be heard from the hallway. Lucy readyed her scythe and shadow powers as did Twilight, the Alicorn mare summoning her Shadow shards that attacked the to base of her horn, multiple clicks or weapons being readyed and safety's being clicked off "Twilight help me block the door" Lucy said as she made a wall of shadows cover the doorway, Twilight wordlessly compiled and added her own shadows to the wall.

"Foxfire to Boarding party" Colonel Naomi called over Lucy's radio "Lucy what's going on over there?" "The ships infested with wolf like creatures that use to be the crew, they just took out half the team" Lucy said while trying to keep the panic out of her voice "We need extraction"
"We need a few minutes, that barrier just emitted and a burst of interference and scrambled our sensors" Naomi explained as more holes, barks a growls were heard outside "The White Star was unaffected so we're trying to tie our sensors into hers so we can use them. Just hold out for a few minutes a d we'll get you out of there" "Dam it!" Lucy growled as the line was cut.

The remaining marines took defensive positions behind the command consoles and kept their guns trained on the door, Applejack and Flare put themselves between the unarmed Techs and what lay behind the wall of shadow intent on protecting them.

Lucy had also drawn her Particle Magnum that she had kept from the White Star's hold and held it in her left hand and her Scythe in her right, she knew that the bridge was too small to rely on her scythe and was which in itself was large and required allot of space to swing so Lucy could only use the spear end.

Something barged into the Shadow Wall casing both Twilight and Lucy to wince in effort, then it happend again... Then again and then again until after a few more tries the wall of shadow collapsed and the first of the Lycanthrope's surged in. The closest thing Lucy could compare the wolf creatures to were Werewolves but unlike the mythological monsters these things didn't need to be hit with silver to be killed. That said though..... They soaked up allot of damage with fire from two marines needed to take one down and three shots from Lucy's Magnum set to incinerate.
Magic and magically conjured fire seemed to do the trick just as well, Solar Flare who no longer had to hold back for fear of losing control was going all out and reducing Lycanthrope after Lycanthrope to a pile of ashes, Twilight who's Rose was both enhancing her magic and giving her new combat spells to use was also holding her own with powerful blasts of purple magic and grabbing lycanthropes and throwing them at their fellow pack mates.

They held out well at first but the Lycanthropes out numbered them 100 to 6 and they seemed unconcerned about the loss of their own and swarmed the boarding party, the marines succumbed first, then the rest if them were drawn into a fierce melee with Lucy jabing and slashing, for the most part she managed to use shadows to keep the creatures at a distance or block and attack but one or two got lucky and scored a hit on her, mostly shallow scratches though. She had lost sight of the others but the whooshes of magic and flames gave assured her that her friends were alright.

As suddenly as it began, the attack stopped... The Lycanthropes just suddenly up and ran away leaving them all battered and bruised, but alive, even the marines who were in a bad way, looking at Twilight, Flare and Applejack they all had scratches but other then that they were fine. "Uhhhh... You lot alright?" Lucy asked while reaching down to pick up her fallen Magnum. "I'm alright!" "Anypony get the number of the thing that hit me..." "Ah feel dizzy..." everyone looked at Applejack who was swaying left and right with a drunk look on her face "Ah think ah'm gona stop standan up now..." the Mare fell to the floor in a comical fashion and proceeded to snore loudly making Twilight face hoof and Lucy and Flare burst out laughing, dispute the situation.
"Foxfire to Santiago, prepare for transport!" Lucy stopped herself laughing and picked up her radio "Confirmed, You might want to warn Sickbay that they about to get a few patients"
"You got it"

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-"and that's pretty much what happened" Lucy finished "They just stopped and ran just before you beamed us out of there" they were seated in Naomi's quarters which was quite spacious considering' they were on a militarily warship.
"Were you able to find the rest of the team?" Twilight asked, the Alicorn had healed fast thanks to the new resident unicorn medic's magic as had Lucy and Flare, but the others that had been with them on the bridge were hurt more then the three of them and were still ether out or needed more time to heal.
Naomi shook her head solemnly"No... We can't distinguish their bio signatures from the Lycanthropes on the ship" Lucy clenched her fist and frustration "I know what your thinking Santiago, there was nothing you could have done" Naomi told her "The things didn't show up on scans until you called for extraction, it's not your fault" the speakers above the room suddenly came to life "Colonel Naomi, Princess Sparkle, Ms Santiago and Solar Flare, please report to Sickbay... Its urgent" They didn't waste time with words and quickly made their way to Sickbay, the tone that the word Urgent had been spoken with had rung alarm bells.

Arriving at sickbay they were surprised to find that it was empty with no sign of the patients that had occupied it minutes ago, Solar Flare arrived just as they did and was greeted by the chief medical officer Doctor Elric "Good your here, we have a problem" the man said tensely. "What's wrong Elric?" Naomi asked as the doctor lead them to a testing station on the far side of the room "Where are the patients?"

"Their conditions worsened while you were gone and we had to move them to quarantine..... We found a.
.. pathogen in all your blood samples" They looked startled "It's alright you three's body's have fought off the Pathogen and eradicated it completely, but the rest of your team was not so lucky..." the man pushed a button and a blast shield raised in front of them to reveal reinforced glass and a large room beyond it, inside were six of the creatures and it didn't take them long to figure it out "I-Is that the team?" Twilight asked frightfully as she spotted an orange coated Lycanthrope"Oh Celestia!.... Applejack..." "Is the Pathogen airborne?" Naomi asked quickly. "No it's transmitted by the Lycanthropes claws and teeth in the form of a venom"

"That's why they left us alone when you were about to beam us out.... They had infected us and were going to use us to infect the ship.... Clever Bastards" A though suddenly came to Lucy just as it came to Flare as well "Why were we able to fight the pathogen off"

"Ah... Well I believe that it has to do with the fact that your all hybrids, Alicorns are a fusion of all three pony types, while Ms Santiago is part wolf, the pathogen wasn't designed for your like and wasn't able to adapt"
"B-But Solar Flare isn't a hybrid... She's a regular unicorn" Twilight looked back to find Flare shuffling nervously and Lucy taking a unusual interest in her boots "She is normal... Right?"
"Sorry princess.... Celestia didn't want ponies to find out... But I was going to tell you after the mission!" Flare added quickly.
"You see princess..." Lucy started seeing Flare was having trouble telling Twilight her secret "Solar Flare's family is part dragon, Celestia didn't want anyone to know because her family has a problem that when they over use their powers they turning a massive pony/dragon hybrid and go on a rampage" "But I won't have that problem anymore" Flare told them before they said anything "Lucy's Rose somehow fixed that so me and any foals I have won't have that problem anymore" she said happily. "She can also switch between her pony form and Dragon form without going crazy" Lucy said as well.

"Twilight looked between the two to make sure they went kidding, Flare started to take off her cloak "Well since I don't need this thing anymore..." she threw it to the floor and shook her black coat.

"We still need to figure out how to help them" Naomi announced bringing everyone back on topic "Did the files from the Deadalus reveal anything that might help here?" "I read abit of the info we got but I need a little more time to read all of it, I'd say by this time tommorow" Twilight looked distraught over this "Princess I know Ms Applejack is a friend, but we need to be sure we have a sure fire way of helping them and the others on the Deadalus and at Novas" the Doctor told her.

"Doctor Elric is right, we'll meet tomorrow to in the briefing room to descus this, if you have any ideas... For now you all had better get some rest and I will context Colonel Carter on the Excalibur, she had a reputation of doing the impossible and may be able to help" the Colonel nodded to each of them and left, Lucy and Flare made to leave too but Lucy saw Twilight staring teary eyed at Applejack "Twilight... We should go..."
"It's my fault. I should never have let her come on the mission." Twilight said "I should have told her to stay on the White Star where it was safe"
"Twilight this isn't your fault" Lucy told her "Applejack would have just come anyway dispute what you said, If anyone is to blame it's me, I smelt the Lycanthropes and thought it was nothing" she put a hand on Twilight's back "If your going to blame anyone blame me"
Twilight didn't say anything for the longest time and just stared at her friend through the armour glass with empty eyes "Maria is at Novas.... Isn't she?" The question surprised Lucy, she had been trying not to think about that so she could focus on the task at hand but one though always came back to her.... Is my sister ok? "Yes.... She was working closely with Celestia and Luna. She was meant to go with her to Equestria last I was here"

Twilight sighed and turned to Lucy with determined eyes "Come on... Lets see if we can't figure out a way to fix this" The princess spared a quick glance at her friend "We'll find a way to help you AJ..." they left the Sickbay and it's occupants alone.

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A day later the command staff of the Foxfire as Lucy, Solar Flare and Twilight were gathered in the ships briefing room. It had been a stressful night with telling the rest of Twilight and Applejack's friends about what had befallen their orange friend, needless to say they were distraught and had asked to see her but were convinced by the three of them not to. It would only hurt them to see what Applejack had become. The rest of the night had been spent thinking up a plan along with Lilly who had dropped a real bomb shell about the artifact that would supposedly fix everything on the planet and in it's orbit.

"-We know that the artifact that corrupted Celestia is also the key to fixing everything including the zombie outbreak all over the planet" Doctor Elric was saying as he stood before a large screen showing pictured of the Artifact "From the data from the Deadalus all one would need to do is touch the Artifact and think about healing the entire planet. The Artifact will do the rest" this got a few collect murmurs from the group.
"How are we supposed to get to it?" one man asked "We can't get past that barrier and even if we do we'll get swarmed by the things down there and get infected in a heart beat"

"That's the big question people!" Naomi announced as she stepped up next to the Doctor "We already have found a way to get past the shield, the Foxfire and the fighters onboard will attack the Barrier from different points to stretch it so that the center is weak enough for a small team to beam down. As for how to ensure the team doesn't just get infected as soon as making ground fall...." she shrugged "We still have no idea... That is why we need suggestions"

Lucy and the two ponies next to her looked between each other, time to announce their idea "Colonel.... Send us" everyone in the room turned their heads and looked at them in disbelief "We're the only one's who can't get infected and also the only one's who stand a chance against Nightmare Sun" "If Nightmare Sun is anything like Nightmare Moon was, then she'll be too powerful to fight by conventional means" Allot of murmurs "I'm the Princess of Magic so even with my magic lowered on Earth between the three of us we should be enough to deal with Nightmare"

The Colonel looked unconvinced "And how are you going to fight the Princess if your being attacked by Lycanthropes?" she asked. "That's were I come in" Solar Flare said before saying her part in the plan "I go full Dragon mode and give the wolfies a big target to focus on while Lucy and Princess Twilight go and deal with Nightmare Sun and activate the Artifact"

"There is also one more thing..." Lucy started "I was talking to Lilly last night and she identified the Artifact.... It's the Key!" more murmuring "She thinks that the Vorsoth found it and tampered with it so that when the princess touched it, she was corrupted and let lose this outbreak. Me or Twilight can touch it to restore it and the entire planet" "I know it's not much of a plan..." Twilight admitted "But it is one, but it's up to you Colonel"

The Colonel pondered the plan presented to her over in her mind "Any other ideas?" she asked, looking at each and every person in the room only to be met with shrugs and blank faces "Dammit.... Ok you three you have a go, take what you need from the armoury and be at the transporter room by 1300 hours on the dot" she Turned her attention back to the others in the room "As for the rest of you, I want everything to be in top condition for this attempt, we've got one shot at this and I'll be dammed if I'm going to let a malfunctioning system ruin our chances. DISMISSED!"

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Two hour later the Foxfire and White Star as well as the Omega Squadron Thunderbolts were all in position ready for attack, the Foxfire fired from orbit at the Barrier dome's 6 while Omega squadron approached the Dome's 2 and bombed that side of the barrier, The White Star which everyone had been surprised yo find had the ability to operate in a planets atmosphere just as well as in space, attacked the Barrier's 10 with it's primary gun and Twin Fusion cannons. The combined fire of the three stretched the Barrier until a tiny gap appeared dead center of the dome, wasting no time the Foxfire transported it's package through the gap and at once, all ships ceased firing with their work done.

Down on the surface three bright lights appeared and subsided to reveal two battle-ready ponies and Lucy who quickly summons her Scythe as she realised where in Novas they had been transported to "Somebody Done goofed up!" she commented as every Lycanthrope in the Forts Central plaza noticed their presence "Looks like we're doing this the hard way"

Author's Note

This Chapter will be going through a rewrite once the story is finished, this is because I want to press on with the rest of the story.