Starcraft: The Fate of the Artifact

Chapter 6: Introductions and hostility.

Jim briefly wondered if he had taken the right approach to greeting these aliens. Maybe they didn’t speak English? They weren’t reacting at all, just staring at him like he was some sort of monster. Jim relaxed his shoulders and chuckled to himself. Of course he looked like a monster to them. Well, no matter how badly things go here, it can’t possibly be worse than the first contact between Terrans and the Protoss. The shining fleet just warped into Terran space one day and completely incinerated the surface of the planet Chau Sara. Relations between the two races had never been good since then. Raynor looked over the massive crowd of terrified equines for another minute before speaking again.

“Can any of you understand me?” He asked out to the crowd. They collectively nodded their heads. Jim took that as a step forward, and turned back to the drop ship. “Alright boys, get down here.” In turn, Stettman, Tychus and Tosh walked down the ramp and stood behind their commander. Jim switched his hold on his rifle, pointing it at the ground and pointing his free hand at his team.

“Don’t worry, these are my friends. We don’t mean any harm. We actually need your help with something.” This made the equines turn and mumble amongst themselves. These fearsome aliens needed their help? What for? As they muttered to themselves, Stettman walked over to Jim, his face a mix of confusion and surprise.

“Uh, sir? These ponies are vibrant and colorful, as you said, but... They are a lot bigger up close than you made it out to believe.” He was right, from just the scans he had been shown; Raynor expected the ponies to be about four feet tall, max. But now that they were face-to-face, it turned out they were averaging out to be five feet tall, which greatly surprised the raiders. Except for Tychus that is; he was moving his chain gun around and glaring at the ponies from behind the gold visor on his helmet.

“Damn, Jimmy. Sure are some ugly suckers down here.” Jim snorted in frustration before turning back to Tychus, pointing a metal plated finger at his men.

“Alright, here is how this is going to work. Stettman, don’t touch anything, and Tychus, don’t shoot anything, got it?” Raynor observed the nods of his team before turning his attention back to the crowd. “As I said, we need your help with something, and the sooner it gets done, the sooner we will leave. Sound fair?” The crowd exchanged more glances, but nodded once more. “Okay then, who is in charge here?”

“That would be me, I suppose.” The mob parted to let a middle-aged mare with a tan coat and grey mane walk over to the imposing aliens. Mayor Mare stood in front of the black creature that towered menacingly above her, her knees shaking in fear. She swallowed her fear with a loud gulp, and continued. “I am mayor of this town, Mayor Mare. May I ask for your name, stranger?” For a pony, Jim had to admire this mare’s impressive courage. Raynor pushed a button on his helmet, and the gold visor lifted, showing the pony his face.

“Name’s James Raynor, but you can call me Jim. That big fella behind me in the blue is Tychus,” Tychus waved at the mayor as decently as he could manage. “The shorter boy with the glasses is Stettman,” Stettman kept glancing from his tablet to the crowd, typing things now and then. “And the quiet guy over there is Tosh. I wouldn’t mess with him if I were you.” The specter was gazing in to the distance, as if he was focusing intently on something only he could see. “And that about makes out my team, Raynor’s Raiders.” Mayor Mare acknowledged each alien before turning back to Raynor.

“Well, now that introductions are out of the way, what may we help you with?” Straight and to the point, Jim appreciated that.

“Now, ya see, we came here looking for something. It’s a-”

“WAAAAAIT!!!” Everyone in the square looked around to find the source of the outburst when a rainbow blur crashed into Stettman, knocking down the poor Terran and scaring him out of his mind. Rainbow Dash jumped off of his stomach and flew in front of the crowd, wracking her mind for what to say next.

Okay, I just gotta stall them until Twilight and the princess get here. That shouldn’t be hard right? But, who are these guys anyway?

“Who are you guys? And what are you doing here?” She asked with an abnormally gruff attitude. The creature in black armor sighed rather loudly and moved his free hand to cover his face for a moment.

“I’m going to be repeating myself a lot today, I can already tell. All right,” he said, looking back down at the not-so-little pony. “We are a race of beings called Terrans. We have colonized a few dozen worlds, but we originally came from the planet Earth. We also have technology that, as far as I can tell, far surpasses yours. My name is James Raynor. Leader of Raynor’s Raiders, and pleased to meet you.” Jim finished with a pleasant tone. He truly wanted to make a good impression on these lesser beings. God knows the Protoss would not show such kindness. Rainbow Dash turned around and walked toward the mayor, whispering into her ear.

“I know he seems nice now, but don’t you think we are being too trusting too soon? What if they are just wanted criminals or something? That tall blue one looks like he’s killed dozens without a second thought.” She said pointing to Tychus who had pulled back his golden visor and was casually smoking a cigar. As she spoke, the Mayor gasped loudly and backed away from the prismatic pony. She pointed an appalled hoof at her, readying herself to scold Rainbow for her choice of words.

“Rainbow Dash! We have not even known these creatures for a full hour and you accuse them of murder? Shame on you!” She huffed and turned back to Jim. “I apologize on her behalf, she is not usually this apprehensive.”

“No ma’am, that’s all right. First encounters with extraterrestrial beings are easy to mess up, and it’s no surprise that this little pony would be nervous.” As he mentioned the cyan pegasus, Stettman, having gotten back onto his feet, spoke out nervously to the mare.

“Excuse me, Rainbow Dash?”

“Yeah, that’s my name, what do you want?”

“I was just curious about your um, well, your wings.” Rainbow looked dumbfounded, had they never seen a pegasus before? She mentally face-hoofed, of course they hadn’t. She extended her wings, the things that gave her life meaning, and gave them a few strong flaps. Perfect, I can explain some basics until Twilight and the princess arrive. This is perfect!

“Well, there are three types of ponies in Equestria. First, there are Earth ponies.” She pointed at the wingless mayor beside her. “They are really, really naturally strong, and they are the only kind of pony that can successfully grow food and stuff. Then there are-” Stettman cut her off after typing a lot of notes into his data tablet.

“Why are Earth ponies the only ones that can grow food?”

“I don’t know; it just works like that! Anyway, there are also unicorns that-” The geeky professor once again cut off Rainbow’s speech, eliciting an annoyed grunt from her.

“Unicorns are mythical creatures. Just like pegasai, or so I thought until you kinda crashed into me. Can I see a unicorn please?” He asked, pushing his glasses back into place. Rainbow rolled her eyes and shrugged, and then flew a few feet into the air, hovering and scanning over the crowd.

“Hmmmm, AHA!” She shouted, pointing a hoof at a pony below her. “Lyra, get up over here!” The crowd parted and a mint green pony with a light green mane with a white stripe walked up to the Terrans. As her name suggested, there was an image of a lyre on her flanks. Stettman would have to ask about that soon. She showed an expected amount of nervousness, but showed few signs of terror that the others did. Upon seeing the spiral bone protruding from her skull, Jim whistled and Stettman began furiously typing notes.

“Well I’ll be damned.” Tychus said quietly. The Terran scientist prepared to continue the barrage of questions, this time directed at the unicorn that was exactly on eye-level with the scientist.

“What can unicorns like yourself use your horn for?” He asked with child-like giddiness.

“Well, we can all preform basic spells, like telekinesis, and other unicorns vary in ability based on their cutie mark.”

“What is a cutie mark?” The nerd was intrigued by this term and its apparently important impact on the lives of individual ponies. Tychus on the other hand, gagged on the thought of even saying that phrase with dignity.

“Ah caint take much more of this planet, partner. This place just aint natural, it’s like a little girl’s paradise and a living hell for me! Please tell me Ah’m just drunk and this is all a dream so Ah can wake up already!”

Jim rolled his eyes at his friend and chuckled to himself. While Lyra began explaining to the Terrans (only Stettman and Jim were paying attention), Tosh started feeling faint. The dark skinned man had sensed an extremely powerful psionic scream on this planet when they first arrived in orbit. Now that he was on the surface, he could feel its power pushing against his mind. It was emanating from quite a distance away, but even from here, he thought it would be wise to be on guard.

Tosh was looking over the crowd when the psionic scream startlingly intensified a hundred-fold, sending a bolt of agony through his skull. It pulsed inside his mind, behind his eyes, making them feel like they pop out of their sockets. His knees buckled and he fell to the ground, dropping his rifle and crying out in pain. Everyone in the plaza turned at the sound of his scream, and the crowd soon lost themselves in blind panic.

Jim immediately ran towards his ally, who was writhing in pain and gritting his teeth, his face a twisted mask of agony. Jim grabbed his hand and helped him to his feet, the ponies shouting amongst themselves in panic. “Tosh, what’s going on? Are you hurt?” Tosh leaned heavily against Jim’s armor, and finally opened his eyes.

“Bad mojo on the way, brotha.” Before Jim could even stutter a response, the Raider’s adjutant broadcasted an alert to the group, filling their communicators with its familiar metallic voice.

“Alert, Class Twelve Psionic Wave form detected.”

“WHAT?” Jim and his men became horrified, there was only one creature in the universe with that much power, and she controlled the Zerg swarm. If Kerrigan had arrived here, this planet was doomed. Jim turned back to his men, Tosh managed to get back on to his own feet, Stettman was cowering in fear, and Tychus was surprisingly calm. The ex-criminal almost seemed happy that she was here.

“Looks like we finally get ta show that bitch whose boss, right Jimmy?”

“I don’t think so Tychus, we gotta get out of here right-what the?” Jim turned his attention skyward to the bright noon sun. All the ponies in the crowd, including Rainbow Dash, gazed upward at the sight in the sky. Pitch-black thunderheads were covering the horizon at an alarming rate, blotting out the sun, and casting the plaza in darkness. The Terrans were as confused as they were terrified, what new tricks did Kerrigan have up her sleeve this time? As the cloud cover grew thicker and lightning flashed above them, Jim called Matt Horner through the communicator.

“Matt, what’s the status where you are? How many Zerg are there, a few hundred thousand?” Matt checked the radars on the Hyperion with no small amount of confusion. After scanning the immediate area around the planet, he called Jim back.

“Um, sir, there are zero incoming attack waves. There isn’t even an overlord around for light-years. Are you alright down there?” That news did NOT lighten Jim’s mood. If Kerrigan wasn’t here, then what in God’s name could hold enough power for the adjutant to label it as a class twelve? As if answering his thoughts, the clouds began swirling together like a hurricane. The center of the cloud mass began descending toward the plaza, sending howling gales of wind across the street. Lightning flashed across the sun-blotted sky as the cloud cylinder finally touched the ground. It remained there only shortly, and when it rose two new creatures were standing tall in front of the Raiders.

The first was another unicorn, with lavender fur and a well-groomed purple mane with a pink stripe. On the unicorn’s head was a strange, golden tiara with a purple crystal on its peak. The crystal in question was bearing a striking resemblance to the pony’s cutie mark. The other had this aura of power that radiated off her being and humbled the entire crowd with her presence alone.

This unicorn was much taller than the others by at least a foot, with lean, slender muscles and a coat of fur that was midnight blue. Its mane was mesmerizing to gaze upon, for it flowed freely as if it were caught in a hidden breeze and literally shone with the light of the stars.  It stood tall in front of the Terrans and extended its wi-WINGS? This winged unicorn looked imposing, and Jim had a hunch that it was powerful beyond compare. Jim was about to make another introduction, but a bolt of lightning hurtled through the sky and the pony spoke first, striking a pose with one fore hoof stretched outwards and rising on her hind legs.

“GREETINGS, TRAVELERS FROM AFAR!” The blast of sound from the winged unicorn caught all the Terrans off-guard, and had Jim not been wearing heavy armor, he would surely have been tossed like a ragdoll.

“We have noticed your presence among our citizens, and thought it proper to introduce ourselves formally! We are the younger of the Alicorn sisters, co-ruler of Equestria, goddess of war and mistress of the night!”

“But you can call me Luna.” She planted all four hooves gently back on the ground. The royal pony’s face bore a genuine smile towards the stunned silent Terrans. All of them, even Tychus, were blinking in bewilderment regarding the Alicorn. Jim felt his rifle slowly slip out of grip and fall with a clatter on to the ground, but he made no move to retrieve it. Twilight on the other hand, was sitting on her rump, staring at her princess in disbelief. She shakily stood and walked to her, desperate to salvage any good relations that remained after the attack of the “Royal Canterlot Voice”.

“Princess! I thought I told you to be cautious with these creatures! We don’t know how volatile they are, or what they’re capable of!” Luna shook her head and whispered back to the panicking librarian.

“Twilight Sparkle. It is necessary above all else to showcase a display of might when acquainting oneself with diplomats from another nation.”

“That may have been proper etiquette a thousand years ago! And these creatures are not even from this planet!” Twilight scolded. Luna craned her neck to look at the unicorn at her side and gave her a casual grin. The night princess then folded back up her wings and took a step closer to Jim, taking into account the fact that he was still taller than her.

“Of what matters can I assist you with?” Jim sighed with exasperation; there were so many questions he wanted to ask these creatures. He was certain Stettman wanted to ask some more questions as well, but that would have to wait. Before responding to the Alicorn, he called his adjutant.

“Adjutant, is this pony that Psionic you mentioned before?”

“Affirmative, commander. Target Equine bio-form displays formidable psionic energies, recommend extreme caution.” With that, the computer voice was cut off, and Jim reached down and picked his rifle back up before returning his attention to the Alicorn in front of him.

“Okay, I’m gonna make this real quick, before another one of you comes along and interrupts me. I hate to be blunt but we are in a bit of a hurry. We are Terrans, my name is Jim Raynor. We are looking for a protoss artifact about this big, with blue, weird markings on it, radiates a sort of….energy. We know you have it, so if you could just give it over, we can be on our way.” Judging by the way that Rainbow Dash, Luna and Twilight all had the same expression of a fish out of water, jaws hanging open, eyes widened to slits; Jim knew he hit the bull’s-eye. The three ponies formed a huddle to share their unbelieving terror at this turn of events.

“They already know! How is that even possible?”

“We will have to ask about that later, but what do we do now? We can’t just give it to them…”

“Yeah! We should just kick their galactic flanks and keep the artifact for ourselves!” Dash said a little too loudly, though Tychus rolled his eyes at the remark.

“All right, my little ponies. This is a dangerous game we are playing. So Rainbow, let Twilight and I do the talking, alright?” Rainbow huffed and stewed in her anger, but agreed nonetheless. The mistress of the night, having regained her composure, turned to the crowd of onlookers.

“My subjects! It is unfortunate to say, but I am going to ask all of you to return to your homes at once. This matter is now beyond us, and we must discuss with the Terrans in private.” When the crowd remained mostly still, Luna slammed her hoof down on the cobblestone plaza, accompanied by a wicked thunderclap that sent the crowd scurrying for the safety of their homes. All that remained in the quite town were Luna, Twilight, RD, Jim, Stettman, Tychus, and the Terran’s black airship.

“It is useless to keep up a charade when the enemy sees through it clear as starlight. Very well then, James Raynor, you are correct; we are in possession of the artifact. However, we are not at liberty to simply hoof it over to you.”

“And why is that? I want to keep this as peaceful as possible. So if you can explain, I’m sure we can come to an agreement.” The dark Alicorn closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, contemplating whether this would be a good idea or not.

“As you wish, James Raynor, I shall show you our reasons for safeguarding the protoss relic. Rainbow Dash!” At hearing her name being called, the pegasus ran in front of her princess and saluted.

“What is it, your majesty?”

“Go and alert the remaining Harmony bearers and gather them at the library. Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight snapped to attention as well, awaiting the diarch’s orders. “You will escort the Terrans to the library as well. James, please step forward.” Jim hesitated at first, but turned to his men one last time.

“My orders still stand. Tychus don’t shoot anything. In fact, put the gun back on the drop ship. Stettman, you can get a few samples, just don’t blow the place up.” The scientist replied with a yes, sir, but Tychus growled at the thought of having to relinquish his firearm. Eventually he caved in and entered the ship, appearing again moments later, significantly weaponless. Lastly, Jim ordered the ship pilot to return to the Hyperion. With a thunderous roar, the vessel took off into the sky, vanishing from view seconds later.

“Alright, your majesty, what do you have in mind?” As he said this, Luna’s horn began glowing with the blue aura of her magic. She held her head high, and in a flash of light, disappeared along with the Terran commander. After the princess vanished, the thunderhead above dissipated, letting the sun’s light shine through. Tychus and Stettman were still trying to comprehend what just happened. The commander and that pony just…vanished. Twilight and RD looked at each other and nodded, with Rainbow taking off to find the other bearers. Twilight turned back to the startled aliens. She hoped that this would go smoothly. Taking a deep breath, she ran the method of a proper introduction through her head. Step 1: introduce yourself first with a warm undertone.

“Um, my name is Twilight Sparkle; it’s a pleasure to meet y-” Twilight suddenly found her neck in the vice-like metallic grip of the blue giant. He moved the lavender unicorn right up to his face. Tychus was snorting in rage like a bull, his scar covered face sending chills down her spine as he glared at her. He held the pony above the ground effortlessly despite its size, her legs flailing around in a desperate bid to touch the ground.

“What did that little freak princess a’ yours just do ta Jimmy? So help me if Ah find out he’s dead Ah will burn this whole damn planet to the ground!” He gave the unicorn a firm shake, knocking off her tiara in the process. Stettman was trying his best to calm Tychus down, but, what can a geek do against a stone cold killer?

“J-just………a…*Cough*.....teleport-*ack*…spell. He’s…..fine.” Tychus glared at the struggling pony for a few precious seconds, before dropping her unceremoniously on the ground. The unicorn fell onto her side, gasping and wheezing pathetically. Her lungs were on fire and her throat throbbed in pain. Stettman ran over and knelt beside her, checking her vitals and her pulse. He also took this opportunity to get a sample of her coat and mane. Twilight took a mental note that these Terrans were capable of showing a wide range of emotion, from burning anger to heartfelt compassion. She also made a note not to upset Tychus again; he obviously cares greatly for the well-being of his comrade.

Stettman helped Twilight back onto her hooves. As she shakily held her ground, she gingerly touched a hoof to her neck, pulling back immediately when she felt a bruise. Her neck was starting to swell. It should not be noticeable from a distance, but if they find out that Tychus did this to her, there would without doubt be a conflict. She reached out with her magic and placed the golden tiara back on her head, clearing her throat (painfully) before continuing.

“I apologize on behalf of my princess. She can be…erratic at times. Now then, if you two would please follow me, the library is this way.” She pointed a hoof in the direction of her home.

“Two? There are three of us. Me, Tychus and To-” Stettman paused as he turned behind him. Tosh had vanished without a trace. “When did he leave? Oh! It must have been when the crowd dispersed! I should tell the commander tha- oh right….He isn’t here.” The scientist blushed sheepishly.

“It’s a good thing that psycho disappeared. He aint’ nothin’ but a whack job. Now you,” He pointed at Twilight, who shrank back in apprehensive fear. “Git goin’ to that library or I’ll kick ya there.” Twilight knew that there was force behind those words, and beckoned for the two to follow her through town.

******

The wind violently whipped Rainbow Dash’s face as she rocketed across the sky. The sun’s light reflected off of her prismatic mane and tail, leaving a spectral contour in the wake of her flight. There was more than determination powering her wings today; forcing them to work like they never had before. Now there was uncertainty as well, a fear of what those Terrans might be capable of.

Princess Luna wanted the Elements of Harmony to be gathered, but it was beyond Dash’s knowledge why. Perhaps she wanted them to know what Equestria is capable of as well? The familiar shape of Sweet Apple Acres appeared over the horizon, and Dash lowered her altitude, touching down in front of Applejack’s house. Before she even knocked on the door, Applejack opened it herself, noticing quickly that her friend was distraught.

“What’s eatin’ ya, sugarcube? Yer lookin’ a might pale there.” Dash shook her head to clear it of doubt, and looked her friend right in eye with grim determination.

“Applejack, we are in trouble. Remember those Terran guys that Scoots told us about? Well they’re here now, and they want the artifact." The farm pony backed away in shock.

“Well we can’t have that now; Scootaloo done nearly killed herself getting that back and nopony but Scootaloo is giving it away!

“That’s what I thought too, but Princess Luna is here, and she has other plans.”

“The princess is taking charge of this herself?” Applejack gasped in shock. She then tilted her hat up a bit. “This is serious then, what do you think she’s gonna do?”

“I’m not sure yet, but the Princess wanted me to get the rest of the Elements of Harmony and bring them to the library.” Dash pointed at the emblem she wore around her neck, and Applejack nodded her head with acknowledgement.

“Say no more Dash, Ah’m on my way. Go and get the rest of the gang, and I’ll be there likity-split.” With that, Rainbow took off to get Rarity back in Ponyville. I might have to explain it differently to her, or she might take this the wrong way. I have my suspicions, but that does not mean I can’t play calm for now.

*******

The world around the prismatic pony became hazy as tears formed at the edges of her eyes from the air hitting her face. Her velocity slowed, however, when she arrived at Rarity’s boutique. Not bothering to wait for her friend, Rainbow simply barged in through the second story window. Her entry resulted with her slamming face first into the wall, knocking over a stack of fabrics and sewing materials that fell on top of her, scaring the life out of Sweetie Belle in the process.

“Rainbow Dash! What’s gotten into you! It took me forever to organize that for Rarity!” Not a second after the sentence leave her lips did Rarity charge in through the door with a horrified look on her face, her sewing glasses askew and her luscious mane a wrinkled mess. She turned her head toward her sister, who stared blankly back.

“What happened here, Sweetie? Did you say Rainbow-” The disheveled form of the blue pegasus rose from the mess of fabrics, eliciting a gasp from the marshmallow unicorn.

“Rainbow Dash, what happened to you?” She opened her mouth to express her concern but found a blue hoof held over her lips.

“Listen Rarity, I don’t have much time. The Terran thieves from Scootaloo’s vision just showed up and they want the artifact! Princess Luna wants all the Harmony bearers to get to the library right away! Got it?” Rarity nodded mutely, but she had far too many questions to simply let Rainbow leave. The moment her mouth was freed, she barked out the most important question on her mind.

“Why would those Terrans even want the artifact in the first place?” Dash shrugged and sighed, turning to leap back out the window.

“I have no Idea, that’s probably what Luna wants to find out. Now get your element and get Pinkie Pie to the library for me. I have to get Fluttershy, and I can’t be rushing all around Ponyville right now.” A prismatic contour zoomed out of the boutique and across the sky, leaving two alabaster unicorns behind it. Rarity turned to get the element of Generosity when she saw a pink and purple tail vanish behind the door. With an aggravated huff, she charged her horn and teleported downstairs, startling her sister who was about to leave the building.

“And just where do you think you are going, young filly?” She asked coldly as Sweetie Belle stood her ground admirably against the harsh glare of a protective sister.

“I was going to tell Applebloom! She needs to know that Scootaloo is in danger! We stick together through thick and thin, that’s what crusaders do!” She stood as tall as her filly legs would allow, puffing her chest out in pride of her bold statement.

“Absolutely NOT!” Rarity scolded, creating tears in the face of the tiny crusader. “I will not allow you to venture about when there are dangerous, possibly deadly creatures at our doorstep! I am sorry, dear sister, but you must stay here and be patient.” She walked past her sobbing sister and clasped the necklace around her neck before trotting back to the door. After opening it, she called back to her younger sibling. “You know I am only doing this for your safety dear: that is all I ever wish for.” Sweetie looked out through tear-filled eyes as the door closed shut, leaving her alone with her tears.

******

Fluttershy, please don’t make this any more difficult than this needs to be. Rainbow finally made it to the cottage of her cowardly friend. She knew that the yellow pegasus was terrified of everything, and she just knew that these aliens were going to horrify her to no end. But despite that, the princess was counting on her to get the elements, and no matter how much Fluttershy might fight it, that meant that Kindness was needed. She knocked gently on the door and called out to her.

“Fluttershy! I need to talk to you!” She pressed her ear against the door and waited for a sound. When she heard hoof steps coming closer, she backed away and waited for the door to open. Sure enough, there was the canary yellow mare, holding her pet rabbit and sporting a serene smile. RD sighed inwardly, she was going to regret this, but it had to be done.

“Fluttershy, there is an emergency. And I need your help to keep it under control.” Fluttershy dropped both her smile and Angel, who fell flat on his rump and squeaked in anger before hopping back to the couch.

“Oh my, what kind of emergency?” She asked in her barely audible voice.

“Remember Scootaloo? She was in the hospital because she touched the alien artifact thing? I know you weren’t there for most of this, but it is important.” Fluttershy knew where this was going, and she didn’t want any part of it.

“Twilight told me about the aliens and that they are coming….here to get their rock back. And well, um, THEY CAN HAVE IT BACK!!” She shouted violently, sending RD tumbling down the hill in front of the cottage. Fluttershy flew down to her dizzy friend and stood over her to voice her thoughts like an assertive mare.

“I don’t care about some dumb rock! I don’t want to see an alien, or talk to one, or make friends with one! I just want to be left alone. So until they get their rock and go home, I am staying right here! If that’s okay…”  She then flew back to her cottage and slammed the door shut. Rainbow heard the sliding and locking of what seemed like a dozen locks on her door. Man! Fluttershy is acting stranger than usual. I suppose the thought of aliens is kinda scary, and I agree with her. These Terrans are not messing around, and neither should we. Rainbow steadied herself and ran back up to the door.

“I don’t have time for this, Fluttershy! The princess is counting on us! We need to be ready for anything, so all of the element bearers need to be prepared. That includes you!” Inside the house, Fluttershy paced back and forth nervously, glancing from the safety of her bed to the harsh world that waited behind her wooden door.

“Well…If the princess really needs me…I should go.” Her pet rabbit looked back at her and nodded, showing his support of the idea. Fluttershy was starting to stand up for herself more; and this was the perfect chance to put those abilities to the test.

“ONE!”

“TWO!” Rainbow Dash lowered her head and flared her wings, spreading her legs apart and getting ready to pounce.

“THREE! THAT’S IT!” Just before she made her move, Fluttershy opened the door and slowly inched her way out. Rainbow instantly noticed this, and tripped over her own hooves in surprise, landing flat on her face in the process. Fluttershy gasped and helped her friend back to her hooves, the two looking endearingly in each other’s eyes for a second before Dash tore her vision back to town.

“Okay, Flutters, I need you to be strong, okay? These new aliens want to take the artifact away from us. I don’t exactly have a plan, but I’ll be damned before I let them get a hold of it. Scootaloo went through far too much for me to give it up just like that.” RD extended her wings and gave them a few swift beats before completely taking off, with her cowardly friend following soon after.

******

A white earth pony stood beside the crippled orange filly. Her condition had improved overall, but she would not wake from her comma. Nurse Red Heart had been checking on the poor kid’s condition every day, on orders from Rainbow. She didn’t really have to follow them, but it was the least she could do to ease the cyan mare’s worries. She checked her breathing one last time before looking down to her clipboard. She scribbled a few notes on the patient, her coat was looking healthier, and her wing was almost done healing. There was still some scar tissue remaining, and she couldn’t use it much until the feathers grew back, but in time, it would be fine.

As she scribbled, she heard a loud clap, as if a firecracker had gone off. When she looked back up, in place of empty space on the opposite side of the bed, there stood her majesty, Princess Luna, and a terrifying creature from the depths of hell itself. She couldn’t even get out a whimper before she fainted and landed on the floor with a thud. Jim hastily looked at the room he now stood in. First he was in an open plaza, now he was in what looked like an infirmary ward.

“What the hell did you just do?” He asked the only other conscious being in the room.

“I used my magic to teleport us to this location- a hospital. Don’t worry about the nurse pony, she will be fine. In fact,” She lowered her horn to the white pony’s head and channeled some magic through it. As the magic flowed from her horn, Redheart’s breathing slowed and her muscles loosened. “She is happily enjoying herself with a hot cup of tea in her home.” The Terran shifted around uneasily in the room. It looked similarly to the way Terran hospitals are designed, even to the sterile white paint on the walls. It was…..disturbing.

“What do mean by enjoying herself, she just fainted!”

“Being the guardian of the night means I have the power to pry into the dreams of my citizens, and protect them from nightmares. I was merely assisting the nurse in relaxing her mind after she lost consciousness.” Luna responded without looking at the Terran. Jim didn’t want to think too much about a pony with the ability to see your dreams. It was just unnatural. Jim noticed that Luna holding her horn over the pony lying in the hospital bed, trying the same spell as before. After a few seconds, her aura petered out, and she sighed in defeat.

“In a coma, however, one cannot dream. So I am unable to comfort her.” Jim looked over to the comatose pony beside them. Her small chest was shaking with each breath, and she appeared rather sickly. He wondered briefly what had happened to her.

“This pony is called Scootaloo.” Thank god Tychus didn’t hear that or he would have had a conniption at how cutesy of a name that is. “She was with a small cadre of ponies who wished to search the forest for a comet that fell earlier in the week. But it was no mere rock. It was the Protoss vessel that they found. At the site, this pony happened upon the artifact that you seek.” Jim’s ears perked at this and his attention to the story increased.

“When the filly made contact with the device, she was sent into a trace. It was then that she met a member of the Protoss race. He called himself Nyon, of the Tal’Darim. He communicated with the filly through the artifacts and told Scootaloo to protect them until they arrive. Specifically, she was to protect it from Terran thieves.” Jim rolled his eyes. It figured that the Tal’Darim would get their influence on these creatures first.

But what would be the plan now? Do they still attempt diplomacy, and retrieve the artifact without violence? Or do they storm the hapless equines and take it by force? After some contemplation, James opted for the peaceful approach. Before he could speak up, Luna asked him another imposing question.

“It is clear that the Protoss have a grudge against you and your kind. May I ask why this is, James Raynor? You do not seem like the type to spur violence in others.” Jim mentally tensed; this would be a difficult question to answer truthfully, especially if he wanted the ponies to think about it his way.

“I would be more comfortable answering that question with the rest of my team, if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all, Jim.” At this, Luna’s horn shone brightly, and the duo teleported once more.

*******

Dark…

I’m surrounded by darkness…

Nothing but dark…

Wait…

I hear…

Voices…

Two voices…

They seem so…

Familiar…

Luna…

Princess Luna…

She is worried…

About me…

The other…

I have heard it…

Somewhere…

Can’t remember…

Think...

Think…

Think harder…

Ja…

No…

James…

It can’t be…

James Raynor…

Not him…

Thief…

Not here…

Not now….

Artifact…

I can’t do anything…

Protect Artifact…

Not like this…

Got to wake up...

Got to find the light…

Find the light…

Find the exit…

Can’t find the exit…

Can’t find the exit…

Light…

Can’t find the exit…

Can’t find the exit…

Brighter…

Can’t find the exit…

Can’t find the exit…

Can’t find the exit…

Can’t find the exit…

Can’t find the exit…

I found it…

********

The trip to the library took longer than originally thought; the one alien called “Stettman” kept asking about the different buildings and about certain aspects of Equestrian technology. His questions intrigued Twilight, and she was more than happy to answer them. It did her spirit good to know that there were creatures of other races that shared her thirst for knowledge. Still, she kept a good distance from the blue armored one; she had no way of knowing when he would lash out again.

It had not occurred to her before, but now that she had some time to think, she had to wonder. How did these creatures know that they had the artifact at all? She suspected that the Protoss; who owned the device, would know how to locate it, but these Terrans? How did they get such information? She couldn’t dwell on it for long, for the Library appeared just up ahead.

“There it is, just like I said.” She pointed a hoof at the massive tree. Stettman gasped in wonder, the entire tree was outfitted to look like a home. There was even a balcony that rested on the higher branches. As they reached the entrance, Twilight quickly noticed a problem. Once Tychus came to the same realization, he cursed under his breath.

There was no way that the hulking Terran would fit through the door. Stettman could walk through with no problem, seeing as he was only slightly taller than the Unicorn. But Tychus was at least a foot too tall for the door frame. Twilight turned to the two of them and stuttered nervously.

“Um, I have an idea, if you don’t mind.” Tychus didn’t seem interested at all, but once again, the scientist had her full attention.

“What is your idea, Miss Sparkle?”

“I can use my magic to teleport us inside. Just like what my princess did earlier.”

“There aint no such thing as magic, you little fur ball. You just got some psionic power is all; nothing that amazing.” Tychus scoffed and waved his hand at the notion of magic. Twilight was about to huff in annoyance but decided against it. Don’t forget, he is a ticking time bomb. Instead, she asked that they brace themselves for the spell. The two Terrans did as they were asked, and she lit up her horn and enveloped the three of them in a shimmering purple energy. The three of them then vanished in a flash of light.

When the two Terrans and magical unicorn opened their eyes, they were taken aback slightly by the scene inside the library. The trunk had been hollowed out and furnished into a proper residence, but there was this sort of ambiance that blended nature and simplistic comforts perfectly as well. When they looked at the circular walls of the unicorn’s home, there were indeed rows upon rows of books and scrolls and other works of literature lining the walls of the carved out tree, but the whole place was so organized and well-kept that it made even the most ancient tomes seem brand new! The scientist stared at the expertly carved wood for such a time that he failed to notice the presence of the other equines that stood around them.

Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow, Spike and Rarity all stood near each other in shocked silence. They had just been talking about Luna’s plans for negotiations, but they were all muted when Twilight unexpectedly teleported in. Pinkie gasped in wonder at the alien’s appearance, Applejack wondered how heavy that blue armor was, and how strong the creature inside must be to move around in it, and Rarity could not shake this foreboding sense of horror that these creatures brought with them. Fluttershy rushed behind the safety of her blue pegasus friend, and RD ran her hoof through her mane, reassuring her that despite their appearance, they meant no harm. (She hoped) Twilight looked back at them without any sense of surprise. Princess Luna told RD to retrieve the harmony bearers, and that’s clearly what she did.

“Well, I hope that Rainbow filled you three in on all the details, as few of them there may be.” The trio nodded, and Pinkie bounded happily over to the Terrans, eliciting a desperate plea from Rarity and Fluttershy. It was met with deaf ears, however, as Pinkie trotted over to Stettman and unleashed her unyielding happiness on the unsuspecting nerd.

“Hi, I’m Pinkie Pie and I just want to be the first to say welcome to Equestria except Twitwi and the princess already did that or at least I hope they did because if they didn’t that would be rude and if they were rude to a guest then you would be sad so I would have to throw you a party and that reminds me I wanted to have a party for the aliens ‘cause Rarity told me about aliens and I said if they are new here then they need a party but she told me that now wasn’t the best time for a party and that made me sorta sad but then I decided to just have a party later and that’s why I made THIS!!!”  She then held up a white index card to the Terran with pink crayon writing that said, “I.O.U one party.” Stettman scratched the back of his head with one hand and smiled nervously.

“Uh, thanks.” He then took the card and stuffed it in his pocket. Tychus looked at the ponies with disgust.

“This is all Ah need. More pony freaks to ask stupid questions. If Ah had this done my way we could’ve had the damn artifact and be long gone by now. But Jimmy had to be all diplomatic with you little runts so Ah have to play nice. But mark my words.” He strode over to the pink one and knelt on one knee in front of her so they were looking eye to eye. Pinkie smiled straight at the grizzled war veteran like he was a little puppy, but Tychus’ grimace did not fade. “Don’t provoke me. Got it?”

“Okie Dokie Loki!” She saluted and bounced away from the Terran seconds before he could throttle her. Rarity turned to Applejack and whispered to her.

“Well, that fellow doesn’t seem very polite.”

“Ya think?” RD and Applejack said simultaneously.

“All I’m saying is that if we have to negotiate with him, things may not go smoothly.” Twilight moved closer to her friends while Pinkie chatted on about how much she loved to have fun and Tychus tried to drone out her ramblings.

“I agree; we need to take this slowly. All we need to do is stay put until the Princess returns with their commander. Then we can settle this.”

“All right, if you say so, sugarcube.” AJ tilted her hat to the side and looked over at the taller alien, who was standing in a corner as far from Pinkie as he could get. “Ah sorta thought he was the leader of the two. Just how many are there?”

“Well there are these two, Stettman and Tychus,” She pointed to each to clarify. “Another that had armor similar to the blue one, but his was black. That one was the commander. Luna took him away to talk about something, but they should be back any time now. Then there was one other with much darker skin than the rest. He disappeared before we set off for the library though, so I have no idea where he is.”

They continued to talk about their suspicions about the Terrans in private. If they listened to what Scootaloo said about them, then they should have been cold-blooded murderers. But judging by the actions they previously exhibited (minus Tychus) they seemed to be very reasonable and intellectual creatures. All conversation was cut short, however, by the sudden arrival of Luna and Jim Raynor. They teleported directly to the center of the room; causing the Terrans to jump to one side, and all the ponies to the other side. Luna folded her wings and slowly marched to the side of the Equines while Jim moved back to his men. He looked Tychus in the eyes and spoke in an authoritative voice.

“Well now, did ya behave yourself while I was gone, Tychus? I wouldn’t want to have to send you to the brig without any swill.” He said with a slight grin.

“More or less, Jimmy. Ah don’t think Ah can stand it here much longer though. First chance Ah get, Ah’m having me a tall, stiff drink.” The commander shook his head and turned to Stettman, who had been asking the baby dragon about the average lifespan of his species. “Stettman, there will be plenty of time to get samples later first things first, and- where the hell is Tosh?” He looked all around, but the Specter was nowhere in sight. Twilight spoke up to the black armored alien.

“The one you call Tosh vanished before we made our way to the library. So I don’t have any idea where he could be.” Jim grunted in annoyance before trying to call him with the communicator.

“Tosh? Tosh do you read me? TOSH!! Come in Dammit!” After a few seconds of silence, he turned the transmitter off and turned back to the group. “I’ll worry about him later. For now, let’s get down to business. We need that artifact; we need it more than the protoss do, that’s for sure. And I will do everything in my power to settle this peacefully so please, just give it up.” The equines turned at each other and exchanged glances that all read the same expression. No. Then, Luna stepped forward and lit up her horn with a spark of magic.

“Very well then, James Raynor.” The ponies all gasped in shock as the artifact, still protected by her impenetrable magic, appeared before them all, and came to rest on the ground.