“Stay ready, ensign. Even if it just came down, there could be loot onboard.”

“Or, maybe, a survivor waiting in ambush, Captain?”

“That too! Keep your head on a swivel, ensign.”

Celestia risked a peek from the rock she hid behind. She saw the pair coming from a ways off, one a hulking male and the other a rather slender female.The sun baked Celestia in her suit, making a light sweat break out all over her. Princess Celestia’s skintight outfit was definitely more of a curse than a blessing.

The red, silty surface of the planet left clear tracks. If the lady was charismatic enough to get her imbecile leader to follow them, Celestia would have to... do what?

Princess Celestia knew it, but she didn’t want to think about it. She loved people, and she didn’t want to kill them. She would, however, never let on to that, not when her livelihood was on the line. She clicked the safety of her Protonic Inversal Atomization Ray to off, lest the O-1 be perceptive enough to notice.

“You go left, I’ll go right,” the mouth-breathing captain ordered, his hushed whisper projecting just fine. Celestia silently coiled herself up and prepared to strike. No doubt he would be fearful, so his finger would be ready on a hair trigger. Celestia plucked up a fist-sized rock and prepared to throw. The pair circled, only one set of feet readily audible. The man was coming around to her strong side, her left, but Celestia didn’t know if that was a good thing. She’d have the first shot, but could not guard her flank. No time now, fatty was almost upon her.

Suddenly, she could hear the ensign, and held her breath. Celestia gripped her weapon tight and looked up, her side grinding into the red rock, and she wanted nothing more than to just melt into it, become a big hunk of red stone and throw her hunters off.

The soft crunch of boots slowed both in front and behind her as Celestia rose to a sprinter’s ready. The pale blue toe of the captain came in view, just a foot away, and Celestia attacked. She launched her projectile, striking hard in his bulging upper arm, making his energized shot go wide. Celestia stuck her PIAR in his sweaty, oily, fatty face and pulled the trigger gently, warming up the protonic propulsion core.

“Drop it, dear, or I’ll paint a cone of the ground a nice grey-matter pink.” Celestia stared death at the blond captain. She quickly stepped behind him and ground the hot muzzle into the side of his head, hooking it through his open visor.

“Drop the weapon!” She barked at the female, aiming her M999 expertly, shoulders rolled forward, cold determination distinct in her eyes, clear as day through her visor.

Celestia sighed internally with relief when she did so. “Alright, alright,” the captain muttered definitely. “What is it you want, huh? What do we got that you need?”

“I need to not be dead, you slick prick.” Celestia pressed the now hot muzzle harder into his head with the intent to brand. “And the two of you probably need the same, no?” Celestia let the patronizing tone she hated to use come through strong. “Now. You, ensign. What’s your name and why are you creeping up on crash survivors?”

The helmeted ensign held her hands up and gently responded: “My name is Ensign Octavia, and that question is better left to my superior.”

Celestia admired her coolness as well as her curves. Her name was pretty, too. “Alright,” she agreed. “And?” Princess Celestia questioned, digging her weapon a little less harshly into his scalp. She took care to stand back as she restrained him, lest her large chest provide any cushion for him to lean back into.

“T-that’s classif-fied-”

“You’re fried if you don’t spill it, boy!” Celestia’s gut wrenched tight with sick as the smell of singed flesh drifted to her nostrils.

The shaking captain’s sweat did nothing to douse the fire. “Ow! Okay, okay! We were following the ray to the DCC when we saw your ship come down right in front us. We kept walking along and came to your ship, assumed you dead, then sought to air on the side of caution, okay?! FUCK that’s hot!”

“We can talk about my two-pack later, captain.” Celestia shoved him forward and clicked the safety on. With no finger on the trigger, the circuit opened and let the crystalline glass inside her weapon cool. “Now, I never got your name, what I originally wanted from you.”

The captain righted his unfortunately tight suit, the blue folds hugging his bulges a bit too well for comfort. “Toru. Captain, Toru. And you’ve already learned my co-pilot’s name, so that just leaves yours, love.” Celestia suddenly hated the “L” word. “Please, your prowess for combat in the face of adversity intrigues and excites me.” His coffee breath was nearly as detestable as what may have been a legitimate pass. Celestia wished his helmet was airtight.

Celestia depressed a button on her weapon, automatically folding itself compact into a metallic box, perfect for the holster. “Celestia. Miss Celestia of the Equestrian Royal Space Command,” Celestia read off the label on her perfect suit.

Octavia snapped right to attention, bringing her right arm to the royal salute of a straight hand, no palm showing. Toru sluggishly followed suit. “My Princess,” Octavia said with diction. Her freshness from the academy, or whatever officer school was called today, was apparent but useful. Celestia brushed off some dust from her arm and looked the pair over.

“Carry on, you two.” The princess for once felt justified for being respected. She was a badass with a nice ass. “Captain,” she addressed him directly. “What’s this DCC, and does it have anything to do with the violent blue plasma bolt that grounded me?” Celestia wasn’t certain what really took her down, but that was likely related. She had a hunch.

The duo in now somewhat familiar uniforms relaxed some, retrieving their weapons. Celestia noted that Octavia could easily bend over and reach her toes. “Yes,” Toru said with his less than humble tone. Celestia disliked him already. “The DCC is a big, odd place. Not many know much about it, and those that do seldom speak of it. Or, so I hear. It’s a mystery, the DCC.”

“Princess,” Octavia spoke gently. “Permission to speak freely?”

“Yes. From now and until otherwise stated, speak freely. I hardly think military tradition would be prudent, Ensign. What is it?”

Octavia smiled a beautiful little smile, her stern face cracking inside her head gear. It contrasted greatly with the navy blue helmet she wore, like a flower in a new sidewalk. “Direct Control Center. That’s all we know about it for sure, it’s name. All the magnetic readings and instruments follow a ray from the northwest to the southeast, but only along this path. The magnetic field’s flow. Dust clouds, the sands, there’s evidence of it everywhere.” Octavia stared along the beam, directing Celestia’s eyes. She stepped behind her and saw it right away. A crease in the sand, definite but faint. She could even feel it in her core, a fluid flowing through her like a strong, slow river past a pebble.

Celestia looked down at her tattered and charred suit, wishing Toru wasn’t around to see the unmarred but dirty skin she showed. Octavia would be a welcome companion, especially without that fool. Still, an extra gun, a loyal gun, would surely come in handy on this journey of unknown distance. Celestia seriously hoped the DCC was in the mountain to the southeast, less than a day’s journey, maybe.

“I feel it,” Toru said. Celestia turned and looked down at the inertially enhanced captain. “Yes, it’s undeniable. There is a force drawing everything along this invisible path.”

Nothing new, Captain. Celestia fought to not roll her eyes and began walking without a word. Two sailors in tow, they were finally on the ray, the path.

“So, Princess,” Toru began, putting on his shining armor. “I take it your mission involved this planet’s DCC somehow, no?”

“No.” Celestia said flatly. “I have no clue why I’m here, and I just want answers. Seeing as you don’t have them, I recommend you shut your trap.” Celestia wished she wasn’t leading. Her butt felt the weight of admiring eyes.

Thankfully, Toru followed her advice. Octavia was either used to not offering her input, or had none; it was likely both.

As six feet crushed dust and pulled the mountain range closer by the hour, the sun began to go down, but slowly. It felt like many hours had passed, the shared canteen emptying one precious sip at a time. The flat plains were dotted by imprints and the faintest signs of civilization; decayed bits of wood, a length of rusty barbed wire, a door knob, a yoke that was mostly splinters. Celestia nearly stumbled on a bit of metal jutting out from the sand.

Once, they came to what must have been a trading outpost. The remnants of a fairly well used road joined the path of the beam through town and a dozen or so miles beyond, it was hard to tell. Nothing but broken glass and rust was left of the town, not even any signs. The road led to a sort of sudden badlands, a sparse dusting of rocks, giving away to an infant canyon, it’s creation stunted by lack of moisture. A river may have ran through after a flooding desert rain long ago, but the dirt was long since bone dry.

The trio trekked on, wary and hot and thirsty in the desert heat. The red sands grew orange as they found themselves on an ancient road, nothing more than a flatter track of dirt following the ray, even through the shallow canyon, whose walls stood less than double the height of Celestia.

“Everything serves the ray,” Toru muttered. Celestia chose not to respond, or even act like she heard it. She walked on.

When Celestia heard a whistling noise, she assumed it was Toru being annoying, but that was hardly the case. Celestia stopped the detail and listened. The whistling lowered mechanically in pitch.

“Take cover!” Octavia shouted suddenly. Celestia sprang for a boulder to her left, leaving Toru in the dust. Octavia sprinted to a rock a little further away. To little surprise, a massive explosion thudded Celestia’s heart, spraying rock and sand all over.

She didn’t wait for the second shell to hit. She saw Octavia rushing forward as well, her weapon already drawn. Celestia followed suit and made for the rocky hills to the southeast as fast as her thick thighs could carry her. Sometimes, not often but sometimes, being over six feet tall and made of sexy had it’s disadvantages. Celestia’s legs ached long before Octavia’s, but she pushed on, keeping pace with her subject as she stormed ahead. Hectic analysis led Celestia to the conclusion Octavia made before the first shell hit. The shape of the craters indicated the motors, artillery, whatever was coming from the southeast. Beyond that, southeast was uphill and an advantageous direction to attack from. Why they ran towards it was unclear. Celestia’s frantic mind was yet to formulate a viable explanation.

The women slid to two boulders and got a peek at their adversary. We’re in range! The floating monstrosity looked like a demonic metal band mascot from hell, redundancies notwithstanding. The arguably living creature sported a missile battery on it’s shoulders, a minigun on its right arm and a left arm of some other weapon variety (that Celestia suspected could fire lethal lasers), and a body that seemed nearly organic, like burnt bark. Celestia ducked away from a burst of minigun fire, the small caliber bullets perforating the sandy rocks some and spraying Celestia’s hair with flakes and sand. She pieced together the enemy’s form from what her glance gave her, which was enough to a sharp mind.

The princess squatted down and made room for Toru as she concentrated her memory. The beast was floating, that much she remembered seeing right away. The black form looked like a triangle pointing down, at least in general shape, with two weapons swiveling around like arms from the wider top. A flying torso, Celestia thought. The details beyond the specific weapon types were hard to piece together, but the armor on the front looked like vines growing over one another. A weakness was likely to be found, but it might take some doing. Celestia checked her weapon as Toru unholstered his. The captain’s firearm seemed advanced, but Toru’s proficiency was yet to be proven.

“Captain, we need to spread out and flank this beastie. He’s got all his weapons on the front, so if one of us could distract it for only a few seconds, the others could land some serious shots on-”

“Are you thick in the skull?!” Toru shouted back, nearing hysterics already. “There’s no killing a gun demon! Even if you dismantle it and smash each fragment, every splinter could detonate independently. And that fuck will never run out of hate or ammo, how can we hope to defeat it?!”

The heck you just say, Captain?! Gun Demon?! What in the wide wide world of Eque-Celestia gripped Toru’s face as Octavia leaned out, sneaking one beam off before her rock was hit hard by a pair of missiles. Octavia slid down the cliff a little further than she was, her footing shaken by the explosion, placing her deeper in danger. She looked shaken already, but still useful. “Collect yourself, Captain.” Celestia was not in the mood for military courtesy. “Make yourself useful and circle north when I say go, keep low and sprint like your life depends on it.”

Toru nodded. He shook some dirt from his hair and readied his weapon while Octavia hid from a crackling of minigun fire. There was no hum from the minigun motor, the monster had no need for one. Celestia snuck a peek at the “demon” from the left side of her cover. It turned it’s head first, then it’s arms to fire a dual blast of lead and energy. Celestia’s heart was fluttering, hoping that her sandstone cover could last for a little longer.

“Alright, Captain.” Celestia overcharged her rifle and set herself ready to sprint. She held up a palm to Octavia, signaling her to stay put. “GO!” Toru took off with surprising, frantic speed, Celestia just as fast after him.

She knelt between her cover and Octavia’s and popped of a powerful shot, miraculously catching the missile as it fired from the near shoulder. It detonated violently, sparking a bit of a chain reaction. Three other missiles, the rest on that shoulder, also blew up in a vivid sparkshow. The gun demon lurched to it’s right, groaning out like an ancient and rusted suspension bridge in the wind. Celestia and Octavia let off as many shots as they could from their position, not doing any real damage to the possibly living surface. Black sap oozed from the new burns, but Celestia could tell those only pissed it off. The missiles blowing up, however, were a vicious right hook. Celestia dove and let another shot out of her proton rifle, momentarily draining the battery. It struck the demon’s head, but Celestia couldn’t see her hit’s effect as laser beams scorched the red rock’s edges black.

Celestia scrambled and sucked herself close to her cover, laying into Octavia to do so. There was barely enough room to protect one body. The demon sought to diminish their meager hiding space by pelting the cover with a constant flow of lead, and was doing so quickly. Celestia laid on the ground and pulled Octavia in front of her to save space. As Celestia lay on her belly, her head between Octavia’s legs, she looked up and saw the knowing and wanting look. Celestia returned a look of her own, unable to hide that desire. She was a terrible liar.

Toru’s shrill scream broke the tension instantly. Celestia plucked up a baseball sized rock and hucked it randomly, then took off when the robot/demon/living weapon reacted, blowing the stone to sandy dust.

Atop a small rise, Celestia was instantly spotted by one of the gross red eyes, strangely organic in nature, oozing orange pus or tears. Celestia had no time to tell as her new hiding spot was pelted by an endless barrage of lead. The horror’s shape clung clearer to her near memory. Celestia saw the demon clearly, a gnarled mass of slick black wood, the handle of a massive magnum with the firepower of an angry dictator. The head of the creature was indeed attached at a stubby neck, vines like tendons. It floated, eerily defying gravity, at least eight hulking feet of unknowable mass. The monstrosity was sure to hold a well of gunpowder, lead, brass, batteries, and Celestia didn’t know what else. This thing was evil.

A bright blue beam came from nowhere, punching the demon right in it’s minigun arm. Celestia sprang up and fired a three-second beam, draining her energy gun completely. When she ducked back down, the gunstrocity’s back had a huge gash the size of an upright beer bottle.

Another groan rang out, grotesque sounds of steel rope bending and wincing as the monster undoubtedly began repairing the deep wound. Celestia watched her weapon charge up again as Octavia sprinted to another rock further from the monster, gaining a powerful position. Toru had undoubtedly not moved, as the demon fired another missile where Celestia had seen him run. There could not have been many more rockets left.

No shower of blood nor death scream floated above the staccato carnage, just a crater and a decimated rock. The demon screamed a ear-splitting scream of nine inch nails dragged along a blackboard. Celestia watched, her PIAR quickly regenerating past 60%. The hole in the gunstrocity’s back was closing, but a reddish-green object glowed inside before the leadstrocity turned to fire at her.

It roared in rage again. Celestia hid and held the trigger at half-fire, over charging the core again, this time with a worthy purpose. As it’s lead and lasers turned to Toru again, Celestia lined up the same shot. Her bolt struck true, hitting the nearly closed wound, this time creating a larger and deeper gash. The demon screamed out and launched a volley of missiles at Celestia, forcing her to lunge forward. Two detonated feet from where she was, the third flew wide and hit a ways beyond. Stones and silt rained down on Celestia, deaf and in motion. She flinched as lead and lasers came her way again, hoping very much that they’d miss, feeling the slugs and beams barely miss as much as hear or see them.

As she slid down the short cliff face, a pair of hot bullets tore into Celestia’s suit, rocks tearing at her backside. She shouted as her chest was struck, but not when her arm was slugged with three lead pills. Celestia bled as she hunkered down at the bottom of the hill, fearing a missile attack. Celestia knew the demon’s one shoulder was out of commission, but his other obviously remained a giant threat.

Celestia laid on her back and checked the bullet hole in her chest. It seemed in a bad spot, but she found the weapon’s lack of penetrating power to be life-saving. Celestia sighed with relief, then winced in pain. Her gut might have a bit of lead in it, but if they couldn’t dig down more than an inch into her hard abs, she’d be fine. Her left arm, however, was in worse shape.

Celestia tore off the loose latex-like materiel and tied a band around her upper arm, pulling the shoddy knot tight with her teeth, tasting more of her own blood than she liked. Adrenaline pumping past capacity, Celestia only felt uncomfortable and rage.

Two subsequent blueish beams struck the demon in the head, giving Celestia an opening. She peeked up and blasted the other missiles expertly with an overcharged blast. Her atomization ray’s prototype effect finally took hold, disintegrating the demon’s body one molecule at a time into a single, independent atoms. Hydrogen reacted with oxygen and, after a tremendous fireball, created various liquids and vapors like hydrogen peroxide, water, other things Celestia didn’t remember. Carbon reacted with hydrogen and all other sorts of elements, sparking and sizzling and melting the demon on an atomic level. A horrendous bellowing scream rang out as the gut gunpowder detonated in a spectacular show, showering the entire rocky enclosure with fibrous bits, saving them the atomization. Glowing goop also splattered out, raining down in dangerous droplets. Celestia kissed the body of her weapon and laid back, smiling as pain seeped into her mind.

Octavia was on her, black bits of soot and bark in her dark hair and on her face and tight suit. “Princess!” she shouted, noticing the blood. Celestia followed her subject’s gaze and looked back up. Celestia smiled a little. Octavia looked nice without a dorky little helmet.

“Oh,” she fought to say. “That’s not healthy at all.” Suddenly, she screamed as the searing lead gave her a few seconds’ pain at once. Celestia fought and lost, dropping her head to the sandy rocks.

Author's Note

I'm in the Navy now. Sorry for the delay. Bootcamp.