>Private Anonymous.
>Rifleman of the United States Colonial Marine Corps.
>This is my first entry in this stupid green book.
>Just a bunch of useless information I’ll never use.
>So I’m using it as a journal of sorts.
>I’m part of Echo Squad, Rifle Team.
>Corporal Evans has my back for this mission.
>Watching out for the new guy I guess.
>My platoon has been directed to some rock called Tranek-5.
>Search and Rescue op.
>No big deal, but enough to get my feet wet.
>I serve with the best, so I better give them mine.
 
>You wipe the sweat off your face as you delve deeper into the temple.
>The heat is unbearable in here.
>“Shrug it off Private, a little heat won’t kill you.”
“Yes sir.” You reply focusing on the path ahead.
>If you’re going to be a bonified marine you’ll need to act like one.
>The further you go, the stranger this place gets.
>An ancient temple in the middle of a lifeless planet was one thing.
>But you feel like someone’s watching you.
>The black coating around the walls doesn’t help much either.
 
>You follow Evans into the next chamber, that black shit covering every inch of it.
>”I’ve got a bad feeling about it.” Another private blurts out.
>”Can it Marine, you’re not here to feel.” Evans replies.
>Evans may act tough, but you can tell he feels it too.
>This shit is just too weird.
“Clear.”
>You move into the next room which opens up into some sort of arena.
>The scientists should be somewhere in here…
>”Any movement private?” Sgt. Barret calls out.
“Nothing on the tracker sir.”
 
>”Alright, Alpha and Bravo take left. Charlie Squad, make your way around the right. Delta will cover you from the upper floor. Echo secure this door.
“Done sir.”
>”That a boy, now move out.”
>The marines fan out, leaving your team to hold a door.
>”Stuck with the shit job, like usual.” Pvt. Johnson moans.
“Unless you want to get stuck with latrine duty, I’d man up and deal with it.”
>”Keep talking like that and you might make it places rookie.”
>Cpl. Evans doesn’t give praise lightly, you’d feel gitty if you weren’t so fucking hot.
 
>“We got one!”
>”Roger that, Delta and Charlie get back her on the double.”
>Finally, time to get out of here.
>”Yo Sgt. He doesn’t look to good man.”
>”We got some more over here!”
>”Fuck man what’s wrong with this guy?” *pop*
>”The fuck is that thing?”
>A few rounds go off at Alpha’s location.
>You ready your weapon.
>Hisssss…
 
>*ba beep** ba beep*
>Your motion tracker is going haywire.
“I’ve got movement!”
>”No shit marine, where?”
>You tap your tracker, the signal still growing.
“I’ve got movement all around sir. 15 meters and moving in.”
>”There’s nothing besides us, check again.”
“I’m telling you sir, 12 meters!”
>”Evans, status report.”
>He looks at your tracker, “10 meters sir, that’s the truth.”
 
>”All squads back to the door!”
>Too late.
>A scream comes from your right along with a roar of gunfire.
>”Charlie and Delta squads report! Give me a sitrep dammit.”
>”They’re everywhere sgt. We need to g- ahhhh!”
>More screams come from Alpha and Bravo.
>Gunfire blazes through the chamber.
>”Let’s get these assholes!”
>Pvt. Johnson and Cpl. Foley charge into the fray, letting out a hail of bullets.
 
>”Echo Squad, hold that door! Bravo’s on its way."
>You look at Evans who’s back against the wall and aiming down the sights.
>”Copy that! Anon we hold until Bravo arrives.”
>You imitate Evans, scared out of your mind.
“What about the others?”
>”What do you think?”
>Fuck.
 
>Something crawls along the ceiling, moving towards you.
>You squeeze the trigger and it drops like a sack of potatoes.
“Another!”
>You and Evans unload everything you have into the crowd.
>So much for short controlled bursts.
>”Bravo should have been here by now.”
>A marine runs around the corner, making a sprint for the door only to be dragged off.
“What the fuck are these?”
>”We hold at all costs.”
>You never signed up for this shit.
 
>You make your way towards the door, ready to escape.
>”Where do you think you’re going private!?”
“I’m not sitting around here to die like the others.”
>”We hold!”
You pepper off another few rounds, dropping another intruder.
“Like hell I will.”
>You sprint up the stairs, leaving the chaos behind you.
>The rings of pulse rifles and shotguns echo in your ears.
>You won’t die like them…
 
>Cold air hits your face, relieving you temporarily.
>Past the stairs you continue sprinting towards the evac zone.
>You can still hear the gunfire behind you.
>You’re almost at HQ when you see a pistol on the floor.
>Nothing shows up on the tracker as you pick it up.
>The gun is covered in some oozy substance, sticking to your hand.
*bleep*
>Popping up your head, you see it down the hall.
>It’s black as night, buglike in appearance. Its teeth quiver as it gets ready to charge.
>You aim down the sights, barraging the bug with ammo.
>It weaves around the walls gaining speed.
>Whipping out your Pulse Rifle, you fire the grenade launcher, detonating square on its head.
>The tunnel collapses, forcing you to find a way around.
 
>Your heart is beating at a hundred miles per hour.
>Who knows how long you’ve been running.
>Another right, another dark hallway, the cackle of gunfire fading behind you.
“Fuck!”
>You check your motion tracker. Nothing.
>Too fucking close.
>You walk down the hallway, eyes peeled for anything suspicious.
>That motion tracker is what got most of your Squad killed, can’t be too careful.
>Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice- *bleep*
>Twenty-four meters and closing behind you.
>A hiss echoes from behind you.
>NOPE!
 
>You barrel down the hallway, throwing away subtlety.
>That thing isn’t going to get you like the others.
>Another right and you can see a large room at the end of the hall.
>Sprint man!
>The room is bigger than you remembered, the walls shifting away.
>You shut the door, locking away any monstrosities that may want in.
>Taking a few steps back, you look around the room for anything you can use.
 
>Thank the fucking stars this place is hasn’t been emptied out yet..
>You even spot a couple boxes of UA-571C Sentry Guns.
>Nothing on the motion tracker.
>You strip a few pulse rifles of their magazines, adding them to your own.
>A pair of legs sticks out from behind the sentry guns.
>Drawing your weapon you work your way around.
>It’s Corporal Evans, poor bastard.
>One of those bugs got him in the head.
>You spot an Incinerator on the ground next to him, so you bend down to pick it up.
>Some goo coats the handle and sticks to your hand.
>You’ve seen this stuff before…
 
>You take a step back, bumping into some controls.
>A loud roar comes from the console.
“Shit…”
>You started something alright.
>A growl turns your attention away from the console.
>Something grabs you and throws you up against the wall.
>The thing is blurry, not having a definite shape.
>*shling* A pair of blades juts out of nowhere.
>Goodbye world…
>Another creature slams into your attacker and drops you to the ground.
>You run to the other side of the room and draw your pistol.
>The creatures are hidden behind a desk, still fighting each other.
>A blinding light engulfs you and you can feel yourself losing consciousness.
>Fucking alien temples…
 
>Fresh air fills your lungs invigorating you.
>Moving your hand around you feel the fresh grass on your skin.
>The sun extends its warmth and safety to you.
>You bolt up, your basic training kicking in.
>The room you were in is gone, now replaced by some open plain.
>You draw your combat knife and get into stance.
>There is no sign of your attackers or the temple.
>You put your hand on your head, where the hell are you?
 
>This place reminds you of the pictures you’ve seen of Earth’s past, wildlife and nature running wild.
>The contents of the room are scattered around, even Corporal Evans’s body.
>You tear off his dog tags and place them in your pouch.
>He had your back, but you left him.
>Too scared to watch his.
>You should’ve been there.
“Sorry sir…”
 
>Evans still has his Combat Shotgun in his hands, you probably need it more than him now.
>You sling the shotgun around your back and continue scavenging around.
>An assortment of guns are tossed about the area, you gather them up and put them all in a large bag.
>The sentry guns made it, but they’re too big to take alone.
>A couple research logs were lying about, so you place them in your pocket. Never know when you’ll need them.
>After a couple minutes you sit down on the sentry boxes and take out your green book.
>Might as well make use of this thing.
 
>Location- Unknown
>Time- 1320 hours
>Turns out the “search and rescue” op was a load of shit.
>There weren’t any survivors on Tranek-5, only some temple.
>We locked in onto the scientist’s transponders only to find death lying in wait.
>Nothing could have prepared us for that slaughter.
>Those bugs… they wiped out my whole platoon.
>Corporal Evans and I were told to hold the escape route.
>I was never good at following orders.
>I panicked and fled like a coward.
>I left them all behind.
>I found him back in the main chamber, a hole in his head.
>Whatever killed him tried to do the same to me, but something happened.
>I had hit some switch and a blast of light hit me and I woke up in some field.
>My attackers are gone, but they left me with a bunch of gifts.
>I have no idea where I am, but I’m going to try and find out.
>[End of Entry]
 
>You look around observing the equipment.
>It doesn’t seem like a good idea leaving this stuff out in the open.
>You find some bushes and discard what you can’t carry. You can always come back for it.
>A river flows nearby, where there’s water there’s civilization.
>You need to get some answers.
 
>You check your equipment, a simple routine.
>Armor and helmet undamaged, Combat Knife, VP-70 Pistol 2 clips, M41A Pulse Rifle 3 clips, ZX-76 Combat Shotgun 16 shells, M240 Incinerator full tank, flares, motion tracker and your green book.
>You jot it all down, hell you’re basically a walking armory.
>You set off down the river, not burning daylight.
 
>Location- Unknown
>Time- 0600 hours
>Had to turn off my motion tracker, the wildlife kept setting it off.
>I almost wasted a shot the first time it went off.
>Those bugs have me jumping at shadows.
>Still no sign of people, I’m thinking I went the wrong way.
>Can’t sleep, there’s no telling if those things are here or not.
>[End of Entry]
 
>You keep walking for a couple hours, finally spotting a town on the horizon.
>The river leads you to a cobblestone bridge, the town on the other side.
>Looks a bit old timey though, constructed mainly out of wood.
>You keep your hand on your pistol as you enter town.
>There doesn’t seem to be any people out, just some small horses. Ponies more like it.
>The silence is deafening, the ponies all have their eyes on you.
>They kinda freak you out though you don’t show it.
>You could have sworn you had heard voices before.
 
“Private Anon, Colonial Marines, anyone here?”
>No response.
>The ponies continue to stare.
>Great, find a town and it’s completely deserted except for some cattle. Just my luck.
>You walk further in, “Hello? Private Anon, Colonial Marines. If anyone’s there respond."
>”Sorry about them,” a sweet voice responds behind you, “they haven’t seen anything like you before.”
”Who’s they?” you say turning around.
>A purple pony stands before you, a horn on its head.
>”The rest of Ponyville.”
>De fuck!?
 
>You draw your pistol and back away.
>”Umm, are you ok?”
>A talking purple unicorn, and it wants to know how you feel. Completely normal.
“How can you talk?”
>This is too much shit for one week.
>”All ponies can talk, you- you didn’t know that did you?”
>It steps closer, though you don’t sense any hostility towards you.
>You holster your pistol, hand still hovering just in case.
“Affirmative.”
 
>She appears puzzled at your language, but signals the all-clear to the others.
“So what brings you to Ponyville, Anon correct?”
>She may not be human, but she is willing to help.
“Yes ma’am. I came looking for others like myself; do you happen to have a radio I can use?”
>”A radio? I don’t know what that is sorry.”
>Damn, looks like you’re going to be stuck here for a while.
>Activate Courtesy.
“It’s alright, I didn’t catch your name Ms…”
>”Twilight Sparkle, pleasure to meet you.”
 
>Strange name, but ponies can talk so I guess that makes it ok?
“So Ms.Twilight-“
>”Just Twilight please.”
>She seems nice.
“Apologies, exactly where am I Twilight?”
>”That would be Equestria.”
>Equestria huh? Doesn’t ring any bells.
>You yawn, the lack of rest getting to you.
>”Do you need a place to stay?” she asks concerned. “You look like you need some sleep and a place to lie down.” You see her eyeing your weapons.
 
“I’ll sleep when I’m dead,” you reply disappointing her.
>You can feel your equipment weighing you down.
“But I could make an exception for now.”
>She smiles. “There is a house at the edge of town you could use. No one has moved in there since I came here. Is that good enough?”
“That’d be perfect ma’am.”
>”Wonderful, I’ll talk to the mayor about your presence here, and please just call me Twilight.”
>You give her a nod.
“Roger that ma’am.”
>She giggles before disappearing in a flash of light.
>This place is fucking weird.
 
>The path to this house is relatively clear. Everyp0ny seems to just clear before you.
>You don’t even have to intimidate them with your weapons.
>Other than that, they appear to act just like the civies back home.
>They buy their shit, go home, and mingle, same old shit just in a different place.
>The house Twilight mentioned is just ahead.
>Same structure as most of the other buildings.
>You always wanted to live in something like this as a kid.
>No more steel corridors and grey terrain.
>You shake your head and step inside.
 
>The interior is just as homey as the exterior.
>There’s a kitchen, living room and even a bathroom downstairs. No more shitting in some hole in the ground. Thank god for that.
>You set your weapons down on the counter, keeping your pistol and tracker with you.
>Nothing is catching you by surprise.
>You clear room by room, silently stepping up the stairs.
>Some office is to your right, empty.
>You continue your sweep entering another room.
>What you see utterly stuns you.
 
>A bed. It’s an actual bed, not just some dinky mattress or cryo pod.
>You run your hand over the covers. Your hand practically melds with the cloth it’s so soft.
>This is the first proper bed you’ve felt in your life.
>Stories were told at how these things felt, but you never thought you’d get the chance…
>The house is clear enough for you; you just want to feel this bed.
>You unclap your armor from your chest and set it on the ground.
>Flipping on the motion tracker you set it on the nightstand.
>This place is on the edge of town, so nothing should set it off.
>Drawing your pistol you plop down on the bed.
>So… comfortable…
>You drift off to sleep, pistol in hand.
 
>You’re back in the temple, chatting up some of your squadmates.
>Johnson is passing time playing cards, others restocking equipment.
>Just a bunch of marines ready to roll.
>You see Evans in the middle staring at you.
>He shakes his head and closes his eyes.
>Black resin seeps down the walls the light fading.
>The marines scream in agony, clutching their chests.
>Evans keeps staring at you.
 
>Your comrades begin to change, their bodies disfigured.
>They morph into the very bugs that killed them.
>You raise your weapon and fire, no ammo.
>*ba bleep* The monsters surround Evans who continues to stare at you.
>”We hold…”
>You run out the door into the blackness.
>*ba bleep* Something grabs you by the shoulders pulling you up.
>Evans is inches from your face.
>”We hold…”
>His face contorts, finalizing into another bug.
>It’s teeth quiver and open revealing another mouth.
>*ba bleep*
 
>You shoot out of bed accidentally firing your weapon.
>Beads of sweat roll down your face.
>Just a nightmare…
>*ba bleep*
>You don your armor and grab the tracker.
>Something’s coming towards you.
>You rush downstairs and aim at the door.
>*ba bleep*
“Come on in, you fuckers... Come on in... "Ol'Painless" is waiting...”
>*knock knock knock*
>”Anon are you alright in there? I heard a loud noise?”
>Just Twilight.
“Damn,” you say holstering your pistol, “I’m fine.”
 
>You open the door and turn off your tracker.
“Evening Twilight, something I can help you with?”
>”I was just wondering how you were settling in. What was that noise?”
>You pull out your pistol showing it to her.
“My sidearm, I accidentally set it off when I woke up.”
>”And it makes that loud of a noise?”
“You- don’t know what a gun is do you?”
>”Not really, no.”
>You sigh, not wanting to explain this shit.
“Well, I’m doing fine Twilight. Thank you for the thought. Is there anything else I can help you with?”
 
>”I was wondering if you wanted to get something to eat. Sugarcube Corner is still open, so would you like to go?”
>You are kind of hungry since you haven’t eaten anything since you got here.
“Sure just give me a second.”
>You pick up your pulse rifle and sling it across your back.
>”I don’t think you’ll need that…” Twilight calls.
“I’d rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.” No one has died after saying that.
>She looks concerned, but waits for you nonetheless.
>You lock the door and follow Twilight’s lead.
 
>The two of you make small talk, mostly letting her tell you about the area.
>When you get to ‘Sugarcube Corner,’ all the lights are out.
“Doesn’t look like they’re open.” You sigh in disappointment.
>”They’re open, come on.”
>You follow her into the building, lights still off.
>You barely make out a sign at the back, ‘something something Anon.’
“I swear to god-“
>”Surprise!”
>God dammit…
 
>Ponies fucking galore with each screaming your name.
>You manage not to gun them down by instinct.
>You raise your eyebrow at Twilight, giving her a chance to explain.
>”Don’t look at me. It wasn’t even my idea.”
“Uh huh.” You’re not buying it.
>”It was Pinkie Pie’s idea, she al-“
“Where can I find this ‘Pinkie Pie’?”
>A haze of pink appears in the corner of your eye. No answer needed.
>”Hiya!”
 
>”Nice to meet you mister Anon, my name’s Pinkie Pie.” She’s completely pink, how fitting.
>”Did we surprise you? It’s a surprise party so of course you’re surprised…” She continue to ramble on while you pour yourself some punch.
>You haven’t had fruit punch since you were a kid, which reminds you of your empty belly.
“Sorry to interrupt, but is there anything to eat?”
>”Of course we do silly, come on.”
 
>She drags you around to a table covered in layers of sugary sweets.
>Of course, this place is called Sugarcube Corner after all.
>”Dig in!” she says scarfing down a plate of cupcakes.
“Do you have any, you know, normal food?”
>Finishing off her plate, “Why? They’re great just try some.”
“Sorry Pinkie, I can’t.”
>She gets on her knees and gives you the puppy dog eyes.
>Dat fucking face.
 
>You give, grabbing a yellow frosted cupcake.
>This’ll take a good week to work off.
>You take a bite, Pinkie searching your face for the slightest hint of joy.
>Pokerface.jpg
>It’s like you took a bite of heaven and then some.
>You gulp it down, still expressionless.
“Eh, it’s pretty good, thank you. Now about that food…”
>She jumps for joy and guides you to the kitchen.
>It doesn’t take much to make her happy apparently.
 
>You can barely follow her erratic movement as the bounces off the walls.
>Drawers are opening and closing before you can react.
>She places a sandwich in front of you, “Tada!”
>Finally, something substantial.
>You take a large bite, fighting back the urge to purge.
>The inside is all grainy and utterly tasteless.
>Managing to swallow you spot a fake grin.
“What’d you put in it?”
>”It’s called a Dandelion Delight! You’ve got hay, lettuce, dandelions of course and a variety of other flowers.
>No wonder it’s awful, the ingredients are basically all inedible.
 
>You open the fridge to see if there’s anything you can actually eat.
>There’s a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, but you need something nice and meaty.
>Other fridge might have something.
>Nope, nope and yep, more nope.
“Hey Pinkie do you any anything else in here besides the obvious? Meat maybe?
>”We don’t carry meat,” she gasps, “Only those animals in the Everfree Forest eat meat.”
 
>Animals… Is that what you are then? An animal?
>She probably hasn’t thought of anything else.
“I’m sure that some people eat meat Pinkie, not just animals.”
>”Hmm…” thinking about it for a minute, “Nope, only animals could be so cruel.”
>Your nerves begin to flare at her ignorance.
>So you’re just an animals after all…
“Have you ever considered that they need it to stay healthy? Not every-“
>”Ponies don’t need it, so neither do they.”
>That doesn’t even make sense.
“You don’t understand, t-“
>”I understand that eating meat is evil, like those who eat it. More Dandelion Delight?” She says holding out the sandwich.
>You don’t have to take this shit from this insufferable p0ny.
 
“Thanks for the party Pinkie,” you say walking out.
>”Hey we haven’t gotten out the cake yet!” she shouts after you.
>You head for the door ignoring the rest of the ponies.
>You stop by Twilight before you leave.
“Thank you sincerely for the party, but please, don’t next time.”
>”What do you mean?”
>You’re already on your way home when you respond.
“Ask Pinkie Pie, I’m sure a couple ‘people’ can figure it out.”
 
>You open the door and get on the floor.
>No walking the dinosaur tonight.
>You’re just an animal to them, some creature that eats the flesh of others.
>They don’t understand that you actually need it. How could they?
>It goes against their own being to even think about eating meat.
>Fuck it, it’s their problem not yours.
 
>The bed is still as comfortable as before, though you don’t feel that way.
>Your not even going to bother with your armor, but you lay down your pulse rifle, pistol and tracker.
>Flipping on the tracker you lay back in bed.
>Let’s hope for a good nights sleep.