AVP: After the Fall

The sparks were flying back against the face shields of everyponies spacesuit as the leader of the group was almost done breaching the door of the lone spacecraft. Their radios were buzzing about how they wanted to kill the pony inside and allot of them wanted to do it in very cruel ways. Except for Scootaloo, she hated Weyland Loyalists as much as anypony here but to kill them so violently. That didn't seem right to her, a blue hue shined onto them from the planet below. Equestria and all the land below looked so beautiful below her. The door was ready to burst open so the pony cutting quickly motioned a hoof to let them all know to back up for safety. Scootaloo ran her hoof against the tether that was keeping her attached to the craft as she floated back a bit to get to a safe distance.

"I can't wait to stand again. All this floating around is starting to make me sick and why do the majority of them flee to space just to run out of gas?" Just as Scoot said this the door flew open and quickly it let out a burst of air before a field turned on to prevent any more air from leaving the ship but it allowed others to come aboard. "Whoa! That was crazy!!"

"No crazier than what I want to do to whoever is in there!!" One of the troops laughed and they all made their way inside to brief and search the craft. Once inside they would be able to take off their helmets and begin working. Scootaloo pulled herself through the forced entry and took off her helmet, she pulled her mane back with one hoof and took a deep breath. The air reeked of burnt metal and maybe even some bodies it seemed. "We are in! Great! What do we do now?" Scoot like the rest loaded her weapon and quickly adjusted her sights she had mounted on the top of her gun. The debris that was announced to pass through Equestria was going to rip through this area in an hour maybe minutes. Everypony knew that they had to work fast and capture the target. The commander had stated several times that this target was to not be killed at all costs. The commander who had cut down the door turned slowly to look at the troops and the mystery pony was wearing all black and a face mask to hide who was behind. With one nod from the figure, all the troops moved out to search the stationary ship for what they were told to be a Weyland Loyalist. Each weapon had a flashlight latched to the barrel and the light that came from them beamed left and right as the troops moved. The bright beams showed just how long the craft was sitting there in the dark as plumes of dust rolled through the light. Scootaloo took a deep breath and kept her feather off the trigger of her weapon. Being a Pegasus soldier was much more difficult than most would think. The weapons were modified to rest up against the suit of armor the pony was wearing and the trigger lighter and easier to pull back because all she could use was her feathers to pull it. The modified suit was a bit heavier than unicorns because of the extra tech for attaching the weapon so moving around the tight corridors of the ship proved to be difficult.

"It looks like she just vanished! Everything in here is set up as if she was about to eat and just disappeared" Scoot stopped and moved her head to better look around the room. "I don't see her anywhere here. Anything on your end, Mick?" she let go of the button on the side of her radio and waited for a response from her troop member. Mixed Delights but better known as Mick was a very close friend of Scootaloo. He joined after a successful run as a bartender. He was well known for the drinks he served back in the day but was now less known for the other ways he served the land. It wasn't long before he responded with a slight laugh in his voice as he responded to the question.

"Why do you always ring my radio? I don't see anything over here but broken cups and burnt photos...wow....looking at them sprawled on the floor kind of makes this place that much more depressing being out here all alone" Scootaloo blushed a bit hearing his voice and she went silent, not sure how to respond. Mick had always been the backbone of what kept her happy because he always knew how to make a pony feel better. If it meant a good joke, classic conversation, or even just listening to others. Mick was the guy who could do all these things and still just smile about it and he could do this even in the darkest of scenarios. "Did you know the pilot of this ship was looking for her daugh..."

"What are you doing chatting soldier!" Scootaloo quickly turned around lowering her weapon and standing straight for the commander. The black mask covering the identity of the pony. Blood red eyes staring from the black and menacing shotgun strapped to the side of the mystery pony. "You should do more walking than talking Scoot! You do remember the talk we had before the space walk...don't you? The academy will look down on your mistakes the more you make them"

"I wasn't making any mistakes sir.." The captain's head lowered and shook with disappointment. It was hard to tell if the pony in charge was upset or tired of having to be in charge of everypony in this platoon. "I am trying my best to make this easier for you..." The captain pressed a hoof against the radio on the young mares upper shoulder and removed it. The captain always sounded a bit like a sci-fi villain when he/she was speaking because the mask contained a powerful voice changer.

"Mick...I suggest you get back to what is at hoof..." The captain turned to stare at Scootaloo and chuckled. "Remember that if we find her first and your busy talking or joking around when the debris rain sweeps through here. I will leave you to be shredded by each individual metal fragment! Are we understood?" Captain put the radio back on Scootaloo's shoulder and then moved deeper into the room. "Looks like me you from this point on. Follow me and keep your weapon on safe! We need this mare alive despite the option given to kill if needed and I mean even if she shoots at you....do....not shoot her" Their lights only helped so much with lighting up the place but it was clear what went down here before the lights went out. Signs of intense sorrow and emotions as if the pilot failed her mission. The captain raised a hoof as muffled audio played behind a door. They were already close as if this whole thing was staged for them to find and Scootaloo could feel that uneasy feeling in the back of her head as the door slowly opened from their presence in front of it. They both pushed in slowly listening to the voice of a mare on a recording on one of the computer monitors.

"Hi mom! Just arriving at Valuntas Station. I wanted to leave you a message before we begin traveling. The arrival went great, docked in one peace. I still have space sickness, like I discussed in my last message..." The audio skipped and rewound replaying the Hi mom at least five times before continuing on what was said after the mare's mention of her sickness "I'm sure I will get used to it soon." The caption moved over to the monitor pressing the power switch to stop the message from continuing from there.

"She is here but we have to do this as quickly as possible. The debris is about to hit and all of this would have been for nothing for you and the rest of the platoon. So if you could do the honors and move ahead?" The captain stepped back and spoke rather slow but with a hint of no fear. "I will be fine and she shouldn't be too far up ahead. I think she wants to be found...but not by a face like my own.."

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"Well, you knew why didn't you tell them! Can you believe the princess could be so cruel!" Iron Will slammed his hand on the table and the thunder it created made dishes shake in the sink. Sunset Shimmer smirked used to that kind of anger and moved over to him placing a soft tender hoof on his cheek. " Yes I did know about the alien organisms and yes I didn't tell anypony but that doesn't make me a bad guy. I didn't say anything so that nopony had to live in fear like I do every day!" Iron Will closed his eyes and two tears rolled down his cheek and he began to shake with sadness.

"She doesn't understand allot of things and this I know from experiences when I was her student. However, in time, she might come to realize why you kept things a secret? She is ignorant at times but she is a good princess and knows when to reason and listen to others" Sunset looked over her shoulder briefly to look out the window as the sun shined through it. The grass green, the sky blue, and ponies running by playing just outside with their children. "You just need to give bad times more time to bloom into good times" The news on the T.V. was still talking about the small debris shower. Every time they would say the same thing about it. That the pieces would land far from civilization and not to worry about the cleanup because the parts would burn up in the atmosphere before actually hitting the ground. To the regular pony this kind of news sounded truthful but to Iron Will and Sunset they both couldn't help but to not trust words anymore. After White Lightning's lies to the world and Twilight Sparkle. Nothing seemed truthful because if a pony as kind as White Lighting was on the outside could be so evil on the inside. Who was to say allot of the world wasn't the same as he was?

"I just hope the good blossoms soon. I cannot take another meeting where the ponies of Equestria are not represented good enough through my words and that I am looked at like a bad representative. I need to be their words and not my own but Celestia and the others do not look at it that way anymore. Not when everything is Weyland this and Weyland that!"

"Well, when everyone is doing such a bad job at dealing with the Weyland this and the Weyland that's. You are going to continue hearing about it, Iron Will. Seegson needs to focus on the issues and fix them and you need to stop blaming yourself for everything that has happened. Instead show pride and be that leader you were at Wey U Station"

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"I said not to shoot! What the hell are you doing!" The captain ripped off the mask in anger and Scootaloo was now staring into dark red eyes of a female android. It was Coco Pommel who was the commander of the platoon but only those who were on Wey U Station knew what she was capable of and who she was. "Go get her now before I knock your teeth in! I will enjoy that!!" Scoot backed up and rushed out of the room to get the fleeing mare that she had shot at just moments ago. "Don't shoot this time!! THATS AN ORDER!!" the captain's radio was buzzing with ponies asking about the heard gunshot and orders on what to do. The androids eye twitched and she was unhappy that now she had to answer these idiots calls. As Scootaloo sprinted taking a turn The mare was standing there in the dark with her head down looking at the floor of the dusty ship. The suit the mare was wearing was proof she was Weyland property or maybe even a member of it. Blood was dripping down her hind left leg from the gunshot wound inflicted on her from Scootaloo.

"Did you find her! Did you find my baby girl?" The mare raised her head and revealed a loaded weapon strapped to her side. "Tell me you found at least something linked to where she might be" Scootaloo looked confused and backed up slowly raising her weapon a bit scared of the loaded one the mare had.

"I am unsure what you're talking about but you need to drop that thing and come with me! We don't have this time to chit chat because the debris will rip this place apart any moment now. I have wasted enough time and extended the wasted time by shooting at you. I have made mistakes today so maybe you could end that streak and come with me?" The mare smiled and started to walk forward towards her as if wanting to be caught and taken away from here. Coco had said something about this being a possibility earlier, seemed she was right about it too. "Come on let us get you out of here...what is your name? Are you feeling okay after the shot? Lightheaded? Anything?"

"Nothing like that at all because you did not hit me that well. I am thankful for that and I think you are too, Scootaloo" Scootaloo looked surprised to see the mare knew who she was. "My name is Twilight Velvet...it has been a long time and the Seegson brain dump seems to have done a number on you. At least when working with Weyland they didn't do that to me..." She stopped talking looking just beyond the teen Scootaloo to look at Coco who had just stepped in. "Isn't it nice?"

"Good job Scootaloo...for once you did what I told you to do. Let us get her out of here with the rest of the troops and out of the zone of the debris shower" Coco moved forward and used a hoof to move Scootaloo away. Scoot nodded and hesitantly moved out of the room and back to the breached area but Coco stayed for a moment and just looked at Velvet. "Weyland may be kinder to some of its troops but they didn't bother to keep you hidden. We found you after all this time...." Velvet smiled and looked right back at the heartless android showing no fear of what might happen to her.

"I found you first and called you here stupid android! Where is my daughter?" Coco leaned in and narrowed her eyes wanting to smash a hoof into Velvets delicate face to keep her from spitting out any more words like that but she didn't. "Where is she...I know you know and I want to know where she is!"

"Everypony knows and you should know by now too that she is dead. Wey U Station took care of her and Weyland himself. They both fried in a fire pit as the station split in two. Any more questions or can we get moving!?!?" The mission was over and soon everypony was out of the ship and back to the Seegson Spacecraft that brought them all there. Now with one new passenger, Twilight Velvet. The craft did not hesitate to check out of the area as the debris was about to hit in a minute exact. Barely enough time to get out of the way with the new technology they had attached to the ship. Scootaloo who was sitting next tot he only pony who really understood her, Mick, found herself still thinking about how Velvet knew her name. Looking out one of the windows of the ship into open space she could see large craft debris in the distance and soon it would disappear out of view as the craft moved faster out of the area turning into entry position for a perfect entry back to Equestria. This spacewalk had been the strangest of them for Scootaloo and the mission was no different. Everything about this was starting to make her brain hurt. The large debris that she saw shouldn't have been there and was she not suppose to see it there? She could only hope that she was seeing things like a reflection or maybe something smudged on the window. She kept her muzzle shut and didn't speak and if she did nopony would know now as the craft ripped down through the atmosphere and the sound of the flames rushing across the metal making it impossible to hear right now. Twilight Velvet looked over from across the other side of the bay and smiled, a picture rested on the seat where mick was. He must have grabbed one of the burn photos he was talking about earlier...a mare was in the photo along with Velvet. Purple coat color, a bright smile on her face, and the picture were signed in both of their names. Twilight Velvet and....Twilight Sparkle.