"From the depths of the sea we emerged long ago, seeking the light of the surface. In search of still greater lights, we now send this message into outer space, sealed in a disk. Perhaps one day, we will meet others like ourselves..."

— Voyager 1 Golden Record

Gaia, Chheda Nagar Forest, "New Hin'd". NagarJuna Cement Factory. June 13th, 2038.

The morning sun hung high over the landscape, casting a golden glow on the NagarJuna Cement Factory. The massive facility buzzed with activity as trucks rolled in and out, depositing their loads of materials for cement production. The factory was one of the many facilities that had struck a deal with the UN to support the development of the New Mumbai colony in "New Pangaea." It employed hundreds of skilled laborers, whose sweat and toil contributed to humanity's great endeavor to secure a future away from a doomed Earth.

Among these workers was Dhani Mayadev, a sturdy man in his mid-thirties, with calloused hands and a weary but determined gaze. Like many others, he had signed up for the grueling job with hopes of a better life, lured by the promise that his family would be part of the first wave of colonists. Today, as always, he carried heavy sacks of sulfur trioxide from the supply trucks to the cement-mixing machines, his muscles straining with each step.

As he emptied the contents of a sack into the roaring machinery, he glanced at the clock. Lunch soon, he thought, grateful for the upcoming break. The bell clanged shortly afterward, signaling the start of the workers' break. Dhani wiped the sweat from his brow and joined the procession of laborers making their way to the canteen.

Inside, the chatter of exhausted men filled the air. Dhani grabbed his tray and navigated through the crowd, eventually finding his friend Amish Shevade at one of the tables.

"Did you hear, Dhani?" Amish said as soon as Dhani sat down. "The first wave of colonists from India is arriving tomorrow."

"I heard," Dhani replied, taking a bite of his biryani. "My wife and children are among them. I’ll try calling them tonight. Maybe I can visit their new place soon, show them around the colony."

Before Amish could respond, a sudden loud noise reverberated from outside the building. The workers exchanged confused glances, then left their food half-eaten and rushed to see what was happening.

Outside the canteen, they froze. The sight before them was unlike anything they had ever encountered. Beyond the perimeter fence stood a legion of bizarre creatures, small horse-like beings arrayed in gleaming golden armor. Their coats shimmered in every conceivable color, from deep blues to bright pinks, and some had wings, others horns. The formation stood silently, an imposing phalanx stretching across the entire breadth of the factory’s entrance. A few of the workers gasped, while others whispered frantically, trying to make sense of what they were seeing

"What... what in the world is that?" Amish whispered, his voice barely audible.

Dhani shook his head, unable to answer. Fear and disbelief gripped him, as if he were trapped in a fever dream. The factory’s security personnel quickly emerged, revolvers drawn and aimed toward the mysterious intruders. The captain of the guard shouted a warning, his voice trembling as he demanded that the creatures identify themselves. There was no response from the equine beings—at least, not in any language the workers could understand.

One of the horned creatures stepped forward, raising its voice in an authoritative tone. The language it spoke was alien to Dhani's ears—sharp and melodic, almost musical, yet entirely incomprehensible.

"What are they saying?" one of the workers murmured. "Are they... are they trying to talk to us?"

"Get back!" barked one of the security guards, his voice trembling. "All of you, get back!"

The horned creature's tone grew harsher, frustrated at the lack of understandable response. Its horn started to glow with a strange, ethereal light, and it pointed toward the gate.

"Sir, it's—it's doing something!" a guard shouted in panic, raising his revolver. The glow of the creature horn intensified, pulsating with raw ethereal energy.

At that moment, panic set in. One of the younger security officers, eyes wide with fear, fumbled with his revolver. His hands shook uncontrollably, and in a moment of pure terror, he pulled the trigger.

*Bang!* The crack of the revolver shattered the tension. Dhani flinched as the sound echoed off the factory walls. He watched in horror as the creature in front of the gate crumpled to the ground, blood pooling beneath its head.

A stunned silence fell over the workers and guards. Then, chaos erupted.

The winged creatures took to the skies, raining arrows down upon the factory with uncanny precision. One guard cried out as a projectile lodged itself in his shoulder, sending him collapsing to the ground.

The unicorns retaliated with deadly beams of energy from their horns, the beams of magical energy sliced through the air, striking the human guards with lethal precision, the beams searing through steel and flesh like a hot knife through butter. The earth ponies charged forward, smashing through the metal gates with their powerful hind legs. The once-bustling factory yard erupted into chaos and carnage.

Dhani felt his blood turn to ice as screams filled the air. Workers scattered in every direction, desperately trying to flee from the onslaught. He saw men fall to the ground, their bodies pierced by arrows or scorched by energy beams. Dhani's instincts took over. "Back inside! Get inside!" he screamed, grabbing Amish by the arm and pulling him toward the factory entrance. All around them, workers stumbled and fell as arrows and magical blasts struck. Dhani pushed through the terrified mass of workers, practically throwing himself and Amish through the doorway.

Through the small windows, Dhani glimpsed the devastation outside—the once-familiar factory yard now a battlefield, littered with bodies and scorched earth. The strange creatures moved with grim determination, seemingly unfazed by the destruction they wrought.

"Barricade it!" someone shouted. Dhani and several others scrambled to shove crates, tables, and whatever else they could find against the doors. The pounding of hooves grew louder outside, accompanied by the shouts and cries of the wounded.

"Gods, what's happening?" Amish gasped, his back pressed against the barricade.

Dhani shook his head, his voice trembling as he replied, "I... I don’t know. They—those things—they're attacking us!"

Upstairs, in the factory manager's office, Rajnish Nadkarni frantically dialed the number for the local UN peacekeeping force. The phone rang endlessly, each second stretching out like an eternity. Finally, a voice came on the line.

"This is the UN peacekeeping outpost. State your emergency."

"This is Rajnish Nadkarni, factory manager of NagarJuna Cement," he panted. "We’re under attack! Some kind of... hostile wildlife... creatures—hundreds of them, armed! We need immediate assistance! There are casualties!"

The voice on the other end hesitated for a moment. "Sir, please confirm—hostile wildlife, armed? Are you sure it’s not a misunderstanding?"

Nadkarni’s voice rose in panic. "I know what I’m seeing! They’re killing my workers! If you don’t send help right now—"

The line went dead, and Nadkarni slammed the phone down, his heart racing. He glanced out of the window and saw the chaos unfolding below: a surreal battlefield where flesh, steel, and magic collided.

As the fight raged, far above the clouds, three ancient Sirens watched with wicked delight. Their scales shimmered in the sunlight as they hovered on the winds, singing softly to one another in a language as old as time.

"The seeds of conflict are sown," one of them crooned, her voice like a haunting melody.

"The humans and ponies will drown in the bloodshed they reap," another added, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.

"And when the world burns," the third whispered, "we will feast on their suffering."

Back on the ground, the battle showed no signs of abating. The pounding on the barricade grew louder, the splintering of wood and the rattle of debris sending shudders through the factory walls.

Dhani, his hands trembling, picked up a wrench from a nearby toolbox, gripping it tightly as though it were a lifeline. The other workers huddled behind him, their faces a mix of fear and grim determination. Amish stood beside him, clutching a metal pipe like a club, his eyes darting between the doors and the trembling windows.

"They're going to break through any second!" someone cried, his voice laced with panic.

"Hold it together!" Dhani shouted, trying to keep his own fear from bleeding into his words. "We have to hold them off until help arrives!"

For a moment, there was silence. The hammering stopped. The workers glanced at each other, confusion mixed with a spark of hope. Maybe, just maybe, the creatures had given up.

But then the sound came again—different this time. Dhani could hear voices outside, faint and alien, almost like a chant. The air grew unnaturally still, and an eerie glow seeped through the cracks in the doors, casting strange shadows that danced across the factory walls. Dhani’s skin prickled with a chill, as though the air itself had turned hostile.

"They tried to break down the barricades in another way." Amish murmured

Dhani took a step forward, turning back to face the workers. "Listen up! We’re not out of this yet. Grab whatever you can find. Wrenches, pipes, anything heavy. We’re not going down without a fight!"

The men scrambled, scavenging for tools and makeshift weapons. Dhani’s heart pounded in his ears as he turned back to the barricade, his wrench still gripped tightly in his hand. He could feel the floor vibrating beneath him—whether from the hooves of the attackers or the beating of his own pulse, he wasn’t sure.

Seconds dragged on like hours. Outside, the chanting grew louder, the glow more intense.

Suddenly, the barricade shifted, but held firm. The creatures outside were clearly growing frustrated; they hadn’t anticipated the resistance. Dhani glanced to the side, where Amish stood bracing his shoulder against the pile of crates and chairs that blocked the door.

"Looks like they have failed to break the door," Dhani said, managing a faint, grim smile. "Good."

Amish forced a nod, his face pale but resolute. "Do you think they’ll keep trying?"

Dhani’s expression hardened. "They will. They won’t leave until they can’t fight anymore...or until we all dead."

Outside, the glow abruptly faded, and for a moment, there was only quiet. Dhani and the others held their breath, muscles tensed, waiting for the next assault. But when the attack did not come, Dhani dared to hope that perhaps the creatures had decided to retreat. He exchanged a wary glance with Amish.

But the silence was not an end; it was merely the calm before the storm. The ground trembled as a low, resonant hum filled the air, a sound that seemed to reverberate through bone and flesh. Dhani felt his skin crawl. Whatever the creatures were planning, it was building toward something.

As the minutes ticked by and the tension thickened, a faint rumble echoed in the distance—a different sound, one that Dhani recognized instantly. It was the rhythmic thunder of approaching helicopters, the steady beat of rotor blades slicing through the air.

The UN peacekeepers were on their way.

Dhani allowed himself a breath of relief, but his grip on the wrench didn’t loosen. The creatures outside would surely hear the approaching aircraft, and he knew they might launch a final, desperate assault to break through before the peacekeepers arrived.

"Stay focused," Dhani warned, his eyes never leaving the barricade. "This isn’t over yet. We hold this line, no matter what."

With that, he squared his shoulders and took his place at the front, ready to fight for his life—and for the lives of everyone around him. The sounds of distant rotors grew louder, but so too did the tension in the air, as though the very world held its breath, waiting to see who would break first.

Author's Note

"NagarJuna Cement" is a real company and not a fiction, the reason why i added them in the story is because they make funny
commercials...

By the way, this is the world map we will be using.

Yes, I drew it myself!!
I will make a second version to show the locations of the UN colonies in the next page.