As the moon rose over the forest, the only sound that pierced the stillness was the quiet humming of a Jeep speeding through the marked path. Onboard were two beings. One, Silas, a Siberian Husky. The second was Dustin Jacobs, a Forester. The jeep was painted a forest green, black, and silver camo, and on the back were several heavy-duty crates. Dustin turned the Jeep back to the familiar path to Haven, and he sighed. Silas perked up and barked.
"Shush, Silas." Dustin said, and Silas barked again, a bit more quietly.
"Good boy." Dustin said, scratching the Husky behind his ears. Dustin sighed and looked ahead to the familiar wall guarding Humanity's last safe locale on the former United State's landmass. As the gate opened, he drive the Jeep to the garage, parking it next to the seven others, and the four campers that served as mobile supply centers. Silas barked and hopped out of the jeep, and Dustin shut off the Jeep. Grabbing his rifle, a bolt-action Remington, he started to unload the crates.
"Need help with that, Dusty?" A voice called.
Dustin turned to see Calvin Harris, a fellow Forester, walk up.
"Yeah." Dustin replied.
"Sure thing."
As they unloaded the crates, Calvin asked what they were loaded with.
"Take a look." Dustin said, opening one. Inside were several chunks of Pure Prowler meat in Ziploc bags, two Prime Mustag pelts, and bags full of medicinal plants.
"Jackpot." Calvin said. "That's gonna bring in quite a bit of coin. Where'd you find all this?"
"Near marker 26." Dustin replied. "Found a nice little grove with a senile Prowler. Easy kill."
"Nice." Calvin said. "You gonna get some sleep? You've been out scavenging for the last two days."
"Sleep's for people who have nothing better to do." Dustin replied. "Come on, let's get this stuff moved."
As they unloaded the crate contents into the Stash, Dustin sighed.
"See you in the morning." He said, and Calvin nodded. As he walked off, Dustin looked over and saw Silas curled up in a ball.
"Silly dog." Dustin said, picking him up and carrying him. "You sleep in your bed."
After a ten-minute walk, they arrived at the Forester's barracks. Setting Silas down on his Stag-hide bed, Dustin collapsed in his own. Stowing away his rifle, he slowly lapsed into sleep.
====================
Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Equestria, watched from her hotel room window as the seven ships were being loaded for the expedition. This was to be Equestria's first foray into the Great Western Sea, and Celestia had personally blessed the mission with enough funds for an army. Twilight and her friends had been asked to go, and they had accepted. They also had no choice to take Spike, Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, and Scootaloo, as they had begged to come. Their siblings had protested, but Twilight convinced them that it would be safe, as long as they didn't get into trouble. They were all asleep with their siblings, and Spike was curled up on a pillow. Twilight sighed and looked over the map she had been given. As usual, beyond fifty miles west, the nautical limit, there was no data. Celestia had, early in her reign, suspended sea voyages to the west, but she had lifted it recently, in order to seek lands for colonization.
"Twi?"
Twilight turned to see Spike walk over.
"What's up, Spike?"
"Couldn't sleep. So, what do you think we'll find over west?"
"Well, most likely uninhabited, unpopulated lands. As for their environments, that will depend."
"Well, what about if it is inhabited?" Spike asked.
"Please, Spike. The civilizations on the Equis Landmass are the only known ones in existence."
"What about those humans that Lyra keeps talking about?"
"Humans are myth, Spike. The odds that they'd be on the landmass are millions to one."
"True, but you don't know for sure, right?"
Twilight sighed and looked at the map.
"Well, we will know for sure when we get there. It's a three-to-five week voyage, based on current weather conditions. You packed?"
Spike saluted jokingly. Twilight laughed and packed her materials away.
"Let's get some rest. We'll need it."
As they fell asleep, the moon flashed silver.
===================================================
Four Weeks later
===================================================
"LAND HO!"
The shout woke everypony on the flagship up with a start. As the ponies realized what they heard, they set off to their duties at a rapid pace. Twilight woke and saw her friends waking up as well.
"You hear that?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"We did, Sister." Rarity said. "Land!"
Twilight smiled and ushered everyone to the deck. Sure enough, they were nearing a large coastline, and Twilight could see large fish swimming in the water below. Though...they didn't look like any fish caught in the Western sea before. Twilight looked over at Captain Seafoam, who was guiding the ship into the bay.
"Captain." Twilight said.
"Princess." he replied. "How's the day faring?"
"Fine. I guess everypony's excited since we finally found land."
"Well, true." Seafoam said. "To be honest, that land looks a bit to forested for my tastes. To start a real successful colony, you need a plain or a hilltop. Fresh water too."
"Well, that's easy remedied with magic." Twilight replied.
"Again, true." Seafoam replied. "But...all things aside, I have a feeling in my gut that something's going to go wrong."
As the ship set itself on the beach, ropes were lowered, and the fifteen guards-ponies aboard the flagship rappelled to the beach. As they opened the prow hold, the ponies on the ship started unloading crates and supplies. But unbeknownst to them, along the ridgeline, Dustin watched them through a pair of binoculars. He noticed six other ships in the distance. Silas growled, and Dustin scratched his head to soothe him.
"Haven, this is Dustin." he spoke into his radio.
"We copy, Forester."
"We've got a situation."
"Describe."
"First contact. Big sailboat just landed near my position. We've got multiple contacts setting up a forward camp, from the looks of it. Some armed with melee weapons, no ranged. Six ships in distance. Advise."
"....Fuck. Chief says get your ass back to the nearest trailer and get some reinforcements. Maintain peaceful contact, fire only if fired upon."
"Confirmed."
Dustin pulled Silas into his Jeep, and as they drove off to the Supply Trailer, they had no idea they were being watched. Twilight watched through her telescope as the strange machine-thing moved into the forest.
"Guard!" she yelled, and the Guard Sergeant ran up.
"I saw something move into the forest up on that ridge. Can you take some others and go check it out?"
"No problem, Princess." the sergeant said. Motioning to three others, they headed off towards the ridge. Twilight focused her mind and resumed unloading the crates. She, to her knowledge, was the only pony in the expedition that saw the thing move into the woods. As she set a large crate near a weapon stockpile, she had no idea what was coming her way.
===============================================
As Dustin drove through the forest, Silas whimpered from his seat.
"Don't worry, Silas." Dustin said. "We'll be okay."
As the jeep neared the supply trailer, Mark sighed. The trailers were used as portable bases, and normally, the rule was if you couldn't make it back to Haven by nightfall, you used a trailer. They were either modified Semi-trailers, or one of three Recreational Vehicles from before the Overgrow. They were stocked with food, medical supplies, and most importantly, weapons and ammunition. Dustin set his jeep alongside the trailer, and walked inside. Smiling at the image of Calvin and four other Foresters, he walked in with Silas.
"Hey, man. Chief's already told us what you found. We gonna go meet 'em?" Calvin asked.
"Soon. I think I'll need better firepower than a hunting rifle, though." Dustin said, picking up a Kalashnikov and loading it. As the other Foresters loaded their weapons, Dustin led the way to the four jeeps and Ford truck that lay around the RV. As Dustin led the way to the path, Calvin asked Dustin where the aliens landed.
"Near the coast. Marker 34, I think." Dustin said.
"Wait…didn't we tag a Prowler nest near that marker?" A Forester asked.
"We fucking did. They go anywhere near that…" Calvin said.
"They're dead." Dustin replied.
Then, they heard a scream, and the unmistakable sounds of Prowlers on the move. Their barks, howls, and roars resonated through the thicket.
"Now!" Dustin yelled, and the vehicles accelerated. After a two-minute drive, they found three of the aliens battling seven Prowlers, and one of the Aliens was wounded. Dustin motioned for the Foresters to form a ring, and they did so around the aliens, shocking them. The Prowlers advanced aggressively at the sight of the humans, then they attacked. As the other Foresters battled them, Dustin got out of his Jeep with Silas and walked over to the aliens, who had their spears raised.
"Hey...easy. I just wanna check on your friend." Dustin said, lowering his AK47.
"How can you…" the wounded one asked weakly.
"Not important. You're hurt." Dustin said. Kneeling next to the wounded one, he took out a rudimentary medkit. Spraying the wound on the alien's leg with the cauterizer serum, he then applied a bandage laced with a natural disinfectant. As the Guard hissed in pain, Dustin sealed the wound.
"Lucky we heard your scream." Dustin said. "Those Prowlers would've eaten you alive."
"Are those things…" one of them asked. Then, a Prowler leaped over the ring of vehicles and lunged. Dustin dove to the side and fired a burst from his Kalashnikov. The bullets killed the Prowler, causing it to fall dead. As the guards composed themselves, the other Prowlers retreated. The other Foresters walked over, and the guards tensed up, until Dustin spoke to them.
"You guys head back to the trailer, I'll be with you soon. Calvin, stay with me."
"Yessir!" the other Foresters chorused, and as they drove off, Dustin and Calvin took off the masks covering their faces, and the ponies gasped.
"What even are you?" Calvin asked.
"We're ponies. You?"
"Humans." Dustin replied. "We know where your landing site is, so, need a ride?"
"How do you…"
"I was surveying the bay when you ponies arrived." Dustin said. "First contact situation demanded immediate report with Chief, so I did just that before getting reinforcements. Then, you know the rest."
Dustin and Calvin jumped into Dustin's jeep, and as the ponies tentatively got on, Dustin gunned the engine and drove towards the pony camp, surprising the ponies. Calvin asked the ponies why there were here, to pass the time and gain information.
"Well, we were sent across the Great Western Sea to find land for a potential colony." A guard said. "We landed here because we thought it would make the best site."
"How far of a trip was it?" Calvin asked.
"Three weeks." A guard replied.
"Heh." Calvin said. "Before the Overgrow, we had planes that could make the trip of the same distance in a few hours or days."
"How could they do that? And what's the Overgrow?" A guard asked.
"Look around." Dustin said. "This is all a result of the Overgrow. Every inch of space to a certain point is covered in plant mass. Past the Clear Zone, it's just forest. It's too thick that we can't even send out an expedition ourselves."
The guards gasped.
"Then where do you live?" the guard asked.
"You see that mountain?" Calvin asked, pointing to the large summit in the distance.
"Yeah." they replied.
"That's where we live. Not going to tell you more, though. You know, Safety first?"
"Fine." The guards replied.
"Almost to the camp." Dustin said. As they drove onto the beach, the forty-odd ponies looked up from their work and saw the beings drive up. As they disembarked, they readied themselves for a possible fight. Then, Dustin spoke.
"These ponies yours? If so, then, well...nice to meet you all."
