Colonization

>>22258934
So you wish it, so it shall be.
---

>"Bravo one reporting, no contact."
>"Roger that, no contact here either. Doesn't seem to be anything on this rock. What about you, Four?"
>You looked around, your scouting suit keeping you safe from what may or may not be a breathable atmosphere.
>While composed of practically everything Earth's own was (minus all the heavy pollutants), there was something in the air that the suit detected but was unable to analyze, giving the air a 45% chance of killing you slowly and painfully.
>...according to the suit, anyway.
>As a result, you were locked in here until the dropship came to pick you up.
"Bravo Four, noth-"
>Movement off to your left cut you short.
>"Four?"
"One sec."
>You turn on your Head's Up Display, bringing the suit's chaingun and shielding online just in case said movement was hostile.
>It wasn't the first time alien life has attacked, hence the gun being installed in the first place.
>Radar picked up two objects a few meters from you, in a cave and retreating.
>You followed, your three-meter high suit's hydraulics pushing the heavy machine forward at a faster clip than they were moving away.
>Gaining ground, you realized something.
>The cave was too small, you'd have to duck to get in.
>Crouching down, your suit groaned in protest as you cornered the two beings.
>"Four, status report?"
"Hold on." You replied again, this time a little impatiently.
>"Do I have to pull rank on you? You know I don't like doing that!"
"One. Second. Commander." You said a third time, finally rounding the bend.
>There stood two...equines. Horses, but with wings and horns.
>One white with what appeared to be a sun on its flank, and one blue with a moon on its own.
>The blue one was only half as tall as the white one, perhaps parent and child?
>Your suit eventually ID'ed them as horses as well. Female, and with a 90% chance that they were siblings instead of what you had presumed.
>You disarmed the chaingun, but not the shielding.
"Well hello there." You said softly, bringing the suit's hand down to their level.
>The white one hesitantly stepped forward, wings flared wide in a poor effort to obscure her sister.
"That's a good girl."
>You smiled, clearly visible through the glass cockpit.
>To your shock, the horse smiled back.
>"Hi, who are you?" She asked politely, shocking you.
"You can...understand me?"
>She nodded.
>"My name's Celestia, but my friends call me Celly! Do...do you want to be my friend?"
>The horse's wings folded themselves against her side, and Celestia beckoned her sister forward.
>"See? I told you it was nice." The winged...unicorn said, blowing a childish raspberry at the blue one.
>"B-but Celly...St-"
>"'Stranger danger', I know. Mom and dad drilled it into me too, Lulu."
>Celestia then looked back at you.
>"You never answered my question!" The equine said with the kind of smile an impatient child uses.
"...sure, I can be your friend, Celly." You say slowly.
>Muting your suits speakers, you moved to your comms...then hesitated.
>Looking back to them for a second, you made a decision.
"This is Bravo Four. It's...nothing, just turned out to be some sort of pest. Burrowed away into the rocks, got away."
>"Alright. Any damage?"
"Uh..."
>With a quick shooing motion of the suit's hand to get Celestia to stand back, you quickly stood your suit up and crushed the camera against the rock ceiling.
>Both equines flinched at the sound of metal crushing against rock, which you knew couldn't have been pleasant.
>You then promptly deleted all the recording data the camera had already taken.
"Camera's screwed, some sort of EMP on top of physical damage. I don't think this planet would be a good spot for a colony with current tech."
>"I agree. With that strange radiation in the air and those EMP pests of yours, we might as well move on. Dropship inbound in fifteen."
"Roger that. On my way back."
>You then clicked the suit's speakers back on.
"Hey Celly, Lulu? I have to go...home, now."
>"Aww, really?" Celestia whined, putting on the best teary-eyed expression you had seen since leaving Europa.
"Yeah, really." You said. "Don't worry though, here."
>You detached the camera from its port, reaching up and pulling out the lens.
>It was made of quartz, so it wasn't exactly valuable...but it was pretty enough for both ponies to go "Ooooooo..."
"Here, hold on to this for me. I'll be back for it."
>Celestia's horn lit up gold, and the radiation in the air spiked.
>Not a dangerous spike, the suit noted. In fact, the radiation didn't appear to be harmful at all at now that it was in a concentration a thousand times higher than it had been.
>You felt...much more content and happy just watching her lift it up in a golden glow and pull it over to her.
>"Okay, we'll keep it nice and safe for you!" Celestia said with a smile. "Oh, here!"
>Something was levitating your way.
>Gold and circular, with a stylized 'B' on it.
>"Hold on to this, I want it back when you come back for this!" The white pony giggled.
>"I wish you could stay! We could do so many things together!"
"I wish I could too." You replied with a small, sad smile.
>Your suit patted the equine on the head, with Lulu trying her hardest to shy away...before giving in for robo-scratches.
>You chuckled, before turning around and leaving the cave.
>The two followed you out only to the mouth of the cave, waving goodbye as you left them behind.
>You waved as well, until they and the cave were out of sight.
---
20 Years Later
--
>A civil war had sparked up and been quashed, though not without incident.
>Watching the base on Europa sink into what was now an ocean wasn't the most pleasant memory.
>It took with it most of your limited belongings, as well as most of your friends and what you called family.
>Except for one thing: The coin.
>It was on you at all times, having been fashioned into a necklace of sorts.
>You were back on a survey team, though this one...wasn't the same.
>The location was one you had been to before, the Federation wanted to give it another shot.
>It was too perfect to let go, even with the odd radiation permeating the atmosphere.
>You were sent with an anti-radiation bubble, to see if that would help.
>Somehow, you knew it wouldn't.
>Upon landing, the three others cleared a landing zone for the bubble device.
>It turned on...and did exactly jack squat to local radiation.
>"The fuck, man..."
>"Broken piece of garbage."
>Your suit picked up a spike of radiation, harmless in nature.
>Heading your way.
>Turning your suit, you saw a gold aura holding something you vaguely recognized.
>A camera lens, in a golden aura. The lens was cracked and definitely showing wear and tear, but it was still whole.
>"Well hi there." Came a voice, sounding older and more mature.
>You knelt the suit down, and the same white pony from before came out from the treeline.
>Taller, and with a crown.
>She looked rough, like she had just been in a fight.
>Twenty years sure changed a person...pony...being.
>Her sister was nowhere to be found, though judging from Celestia's looking back, Lulu was back there somewhere.
>"You said hold on to this until you got back. I did."
"Heh, I see that. Here, I have something that belongs to you."
>You reached down for the cockpit release, something the suit no longer warned against.
>The glass opened with a hiss, and you unbelted yourself.
>Getting out, you removed the coin from your neck and handed it back.
>Instead of taking it, she just wrapped you in a friendly hug.
>"I haven't seen you in two decades...please stay this time?"
>You looked to your crew, then shrugged with a smile.
"Why not?"