"Warning! All systems failure imminent! Evacuation is highly advised!" The A.I. said. Isaac, who was at the wheel, had been trying to keep the gunship under control as they were hurdling towards an uncharted planet. The gravity field was too strong for the gunship that it went crashing down through the atmosphere in pieces.
"Everybody, we have two options. We either jump and suffer broken bones, or we stay on board to try and repair it and risk the chance of blowing up." Isaac explained as he put on his helmet. Richard also put on his helmet, helping Ellie with hers as well. They all pressure sealed their suits, not knowing of the atmosphere, and to keep out any gases that might risk their health.
"I assume we're jumping." Isaac said, opening the hatch. Richard grunted as he swan dived out first, then Ellie, and lastly Isaac. Isaac carried Ellie while Richard was about 200 feet below him, stabilizing himself with his jet boots. Once Isaac deployed his jet boots, they descended slowly towards the surface. They looked back to see that the gunship veered out into the forest, near the mountain range, and a big explosion could be heard. There was a smoke stack coming from the crash site, and the smell of burning metal was in the air.
"Is everybody alright? No one's hurt are they?" Ellie asked, Richard shook his head.
"I'm fine, but we need to know where the hell we are." Isaac said, taking out his Plasma Cutter and reloading it.
"We seem to be on an uncharted planet just outside the Aegis System. There's a chance those things are here too. I'm getting weird vibes about this place." Richard said, looking at a map displayed on his RIG.
"Well, you're not the only one." They all agreed and stomped nearby crates for anything useful. Isaac had his signature Plasma Cutter, Line Gun, as well as his Pulse Rifle. Ellie had her Plasma Cutter and a Pulse Rifle, while Richard had his Plasma Cutter, Flamethrower, and Seeker Rifle.
"There seems to be an artificial structure not far from here. We should check it out for any survivors." Ellie said, using her locator. Richard scouted ahead, not wanting to take any risks, and Isaac covered their six. They went at a rather fast pace, not wanting to stay any longer due to the eerie feeling they were getting.
Richard stopped moving as he grabbed for his head, he could see the Marker just messing with his head as everything turned into a horror scene. Everything turned orange and black, and he could see his dead family, just taunting him. The symbols flowed through his head as apparitions of his dead brother and sister appeared
"You think you can just run away from me? Well, you thought wrong. Where exactly are you going?" He could hear his dead brother say.
"Richard? Are you alright? Richard? RICHARD!" Isaac snapped him out of his trance. He shook his head as everything went back to normal.
"They're talking to me again." He said to him, he put a hand on his shoulder.
"Whatever you do, when they say to 'make us whole,' don't listen to them. No matter what." Richard nodded as Issac put the helmet of his torn Advanced RIG back on. Richard did the same with his Riot Security Suit, but it wasn't as damaged as Isaac's RIG.
Just then, they heard screaming coming from a woman, it was too foggy outside to see, but they could clearly make out a slasher. The slasher growled as it was cut to pieces, and eventually went limp after Isaac cut both an arm and a leg off of the reanimated corpse.
"They're here. Stay close to me." Isaac said, firing off his Plasma Cutter, dismembering the slasher in front of him. It let out a gargle before it died, he stomped the corpse and it revealed a Small Med Pack. He picked it up and put it in his inventory, but didn't use it.
"Hello? Is somepony there?" The woman's voice said again.
"Somepony? What is she talking about?" Richard asked, Ellie shrugged as they neared the source of the terrified voice.
"We're over here! Can you walk?" Isaac announced.
"No, I twisted my leg when I was being chased. Can you talk over RIGLink?" She replied. Just then, a screen appeared in front of Isaac, revealing a lavender colored pony. Isaac took off his helmet and introduced himself.
"What are you exactly? Who are you?" Isaac asked, she giggled.
"Well, I'm a Unicorn, everypony should know that. As for my name, I'm Twilight Sparkle, part of a group of survivors in a nearby safehouse." She said.
"Can we go to this safehouse? We're in need of some supplies, and I don't think you can walk with that leg." Isaac said, she nodded.
"I'm giving you my coordinates now. Come pick me up and I can lead you to the safehouse." She said, ending the RIGLink. Isaac's RIG gave a holographic projection saying, 'Objective Added,' as he used the locator to find Twilight. As they turned the corner they were jumped by The Pack, in which they were easy to dispatch, but something was wrong.
"By my assumptions of that talking horse, these Necromorphs are built from equine corpses. They are not like human based Necromorphs, we may have to make a new strategy for any new species." Ellie said, dismembering a pony slasher in the process.
"Agreed, but they too have limbs that can be cut off. I recommend we find the Marker that's causing this outbreak, fast." Richard said, pointing over to Twilight. Isaac nearly dodged a plasma shot, the shot landing making its mark on a scorched building behind him.
"Whoa, whoa, hey!" He said, Twilight's eyes widened as she saw the man that was just on the RIGLink. She only got a face shot, and was unaware that Isaac was a completely new sapient species.
"Y-You're not ponies." She stuttered. Richard picked her up and carried her like an infant, with her fitting perfectly in his arms.
"No shit, and you were telling the truth when you said you were a Unicorn." Richard said.
"W-Who are you? What are you?" She asked.
"We'll talk later. It's not safe out here." Richard said.
"You said something about a safehouse? I recommend we go before more of them come." Ellie said, Twilight nodded as she used her locator, a blue line heading for Sweet Apple Acres.
"So, what are you? Do you have names?" She asked, they all nodded.
"That's Isaac, that's Ellie, and I'm Richard. We're survivors of another one of these attacks, but Isaac has been in more than one." Richard explained.
"Hurry, they're coming!" They started to run as they heard growls getting louder, and the sound of Ellie's Plasma Cutter going off. They went as fast as they could, eventually getting to a barn. They hastened as they neared the barn, they trucked open the door and quickly shut it behind them. Isaac grabbed a nearby metal girder and stuck it in between the handles.
"I haven't run that fast in my life until now." Richard said, putting Twilight on a hay bale. Isaac kneeled down and handed her the Med Pack he found earlier, she took it and used it, her RIG turning from yellow to a yellow green.
"I think I can walk now, thank you Isaac, for saving me." She said with grattitude, Isaac nodded and the helmet went back into his suit. Richard and Ellie did the same with their helmet, relaxing a little bit.
"C'mon, the safehouse is down here," she said, opening a secret hatch that led underground, "Applejack! It's me, and I have friends, don't shoot them."
The four of them headed downstairs and saw that the walls were reinforced with metal, as well as the air vents, which were barred. There was a Save Station, Bench, and a Microstore down there, as well as a group of the surviving members of what's left of Ponyville.
"Twilight! You're alive! We thought they got you!" A pink one said, hugging her. Also, a little lizard came up to hug her too.
"I missed you Twilight." The little lizard said.
"Well, I'm still alive, thanks to them." They looked at the three newcomers, as they towered over them.
"Hey." Isaac said, the group of survivors all gasped, and the white Unicorn fainted.
The survivors all stared at the newcomers, standing a good two or three feet above them. They did not have fur covering all of their bodies, and were not quadruped like the others. They were actually biped, but their technology was very similar to theirs.
"Guys, these are my friends, Isaac, Ellie, and Richard. They saved my life." Twilight said, Ellie smiled and waved, Richard had a straight face, and Isaac looked like he was lost.
"Uh, Twilight? If you don't mind me asking, what are they?" A flying cyan Pegasus asked, poking Isaac's chest piece. Isaac took a step back as he was approached by the flying pony.
"I could ask you the same thing." He responded.
"We are humans, and by the looks of it I assume you are multicolored, talking horses." Ellie looked down at one.
"Excuse me? I happen to be a Pegasus pony!" She spat back, but Ellie didn't flinch at all, and neither Isaac nor Richard. Rainbow sat back on the ground, crossing her front legs together and pouted.
Richard opened up the Work Bench, the ponies all stared as he used it like any other normal machine. He was no Engineer like Isaac, he was a survivor from a Riot Security Unit, hence the RIG. They all watched him use everything inside of the safehouse, intrigued.
"Uh, Richard? What are you doing?" Rainbow asked.
"I'm getting a new suit, what does it look like I'm going? Isaac, come and hack this, I don't think this is meant to be made for humans." Isaac tore off a panel and worked his magic, and the Microstore changed. Richard stepped inside the newly hacked store, and the gates closed off with him inside.
Richard came out with a new Advanced Suit RIG, the glowing eye slits had a purple tinge to them. Next it was Isaac's turn, he went inside of the dark machine and a glowing light could be seen through the door panels, he came out with an Elite Advanced Suit.
"Feels much better." Isaac said, stretching his arms. Ellie laughed as she slung her Plasma Cutter over her back.
"Mr. Clarke, how did you guys get here in the first place? I have not seen any of you or your kind before." Twilight asked, taking off her helmet.
"We crash landed here on our gunship, the planet's orbit pulled us right in." He explained, Twilight nodded.
"So, what now?" Ellie asked, making Isaac think. Pinkie perked up and put her hoof in the air.
"Oh! Oh I know! We need to destroy the marker! I know where it is!" She said, which made everyone look at her in a weird way. Isaac nodded.
"Pinks is right. If we gotta stop the outbreak, we gotta stop the Marker." He explained.
"Well, where is it?" Richard asked.
"It's usually in a top secret location. Last time it was in the Government Sector, but we don't know where the government sector is." Ellie explained. Just then, there was a growling noise at the door, which made everyone flinch. Richard used the Save Station for one last time just in case something were to happen, and he took out his Seeker Rifle.
"Go on Twilight. Evacuate the civilians, we'll hold them off." Isaac said, forcing them to go.
"You guys know how to fight these things right?" An orange pony asked, wielding a Line Gun and a little filly with a red mane hiding behind her.
"You cut off the limbs. If you see any orange glowing weak spots, aim for those first." Richard said with a stern voice. The orange pony nodded as she guided the one behind her onto the lift.
"Twilight! Where's the next safehouse?" Ellie asked, the door was close to being broken by now, you can see the metal denting under the pressure.
"Here are the coordinates! I'll meet you guys there!" She shouted as she went up the lift, and emerged outside of the barn.
"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh! I hope they'll be alright." A butter colored pegasus worried, Rainbow shoved her to keep moving.
"C'mon Fluttershy! We gotta get to the tram!" She said, watching out for any Necromorphs along the way.
The door finally busted down, and the horde came pouring in from the entrance. Richard made quick work of some of them as they approached, Ellie cut a sac off of an Exploder and threw it back into the mass of reanimated corpses. Isaac was leading out in the front with his Plasma Cutter, cutting off limb after limb of any incoming hostile.
They tried their best to fend them off, and hopefully diminish their numbers. The sheer mass of the horde was too much to handle for three humans, and so they went, backed up into the lift and withdrawed from the safehouse that was now a lost cause. As they escaped through the lift the Necromorphs followed close behind, but Ellie used a Pulse Rifle Grenade and scattered them.
Richard got attacked from behind, a blade went clean through his shoulder, he pried it off of him and punched the head off of the Necromorph Slasher, and Isaac killed it, cutting off its legs. Ellie ran ahead to make sure the way was clear, Richard and Isaac were not far behind. A Lurker jumped onto Isaac, and started to lacerate him using its tentacles, he managed to pry it off of him and sweep kicked it, killing it instantly.
"You can't fight them forever! We need to get to the tram!" Ellie yelled back to them, providing support with her sniper like aiming skills. The Tram Station was in view, and they could see Twilight in the distance, gesturing them to come quicker.
Richard shot a beam of stasis at the now dwindling number of Necromorphs, and both he and Isaac hauled ass. They barely made it inside the Tram Station, Richard and Isaac were gasping for breath. Richard opened his helmet and took a nearby trash can to vomit in, and Isaac noticed that his health was almost red. Richard got up and put his helmet back on, using a Medium med Pack in the process. His RIG went back to a yellow green color, and he sat down on a bench nearby.
"We escape the Sprawl only to find this. Just great!" Richard said, letting out a deep sigh.
"If we find the Marker soon, it'll all be over before you know it." Isaac said, sitting next to him.
"Where is the Marker exactly?"
"It's in the Everfree Forest, silly!" Pinkie Pie said, pointing to a map.
A RIGLink came up from Twilight's chest plate out of nowhere, and it was a new pony Isaac never seen before. She was white, with a horn, and had a magically flowing mane of many colors.
"Princess Celestia! You're alive!" Twilight cried.
"Yes, it's good to see that you're alive too, my faithful student." She stuttered, letting out tears.
"Why are you calling me?" She asked.
"It's about the Marker Princess Luna found, we've managed to find a way to stop the outbreak. You and the Elements of Harmony need to get to Canterlot as quickly as possible. I can't send anything to retrieve you in because it's not safe in Ponyville anymore." She said, looking down.
Isaac was looking at the Tram in the background, it was in adequate condition, but the engine needs to be replaced, because the whole block was missing.
"I bet a replacement should be around here somewhere. Richard, go into that maintenance closet and see if there's anything useful in there." Isaac commanded, Richard complied as he went into the other room. What he found inside the closet was astonishing, his eyes could not get any wider.
Richard leaned down and picked up a filly, who was curled up into a ball and sleeping. A white Unicorn out of the group of survivors looks through the window at Richard, crying. He goes back and lets the filly back onto the floor, and gives it to the crying mare.
"Sweetie Belle! You're okay!" Two more fillies came out, and the filly sleeping woke up.
"Apple Bloom! Scootaloo! Rarity! I thought I would never see you again!" They all embraced in a group hug, which made Richard tear up for a second.
Richard came back for a second time with an old engine block, it was still working, just rusty and old. He picked it up with Kinesis and carried it back to Isaac, where he prepared the socket so it could go in. Twilight had just finished talking to Princess Celestia, she let out a sigh as she looked around.
"We just need to find a way to get to Canter-" She was cut off by Isaac.
"Fixed!" They all stared at him.
"What? I fixed the tram. That's a good thing, right?" He said, they all cheered and loaded into the tram.
"Next stop, Canterlot!" Isaac said, activating the tram. It creaked slowly when it started to move, but eventually it went faster and faster until it reached normal speed.
