The Equestrian X-Com Project

The Equestrian X-Com Project
Chapter 6: Thunderlane

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"Get up Thunderlane, that IED of yours bought us some time. Are you alright? You look pretty beat up."

"I'm fine Milk, I didn't think it would explode so early."

"I told ya to stand further back. But it got the job done anyway."

I stand up, I see the flames around me and the remnants of the building I had placed the IED in. It had made a mess of the front of the small carriage shed flinging debris all over the road.

"I hope Mayor Mare doesn't mind abit of collateral damage" my wingpony comments as he looks over the destruction.

"Judging by how many aliens we just took out in that blast, I think we can justify blowing up the carriage shed." I hear screams and more gunshots, the town isn't safe yet. "Have you heard any news from Midnight Strike and Rainbow Dash yet?"

"Last I heard they brought a heap of civilians and hid them in the town hall. They told me they were going to hunker down there and wait for us to finish off the aliens in this area. We should hurry over there now before the brunt of the attack force hits the town hall."

No! I can't go there yet, there is still an area I need to check on. "West Ponyville, we need to go to west Ponyville first."

"What are you talking about Thunderlane? We need to get to the town hall before the-"

"Listen to me Milky Way! I need to go to west Ponyville, I need to make sure it's safe!"

He pauses, and then speaks the words I want to hear, "as you wish captain."

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"And then I wake up, with sweat covering my body" Thunderlane explained to Dr Whooves while he sat on the doctor's psychiatrist lounge. The ticking of a clock upon the doctor's desk and the drone of the base's lights were the only sounds breaking the silence of the doctor's thinking.

Dr Whooves sat a small distance away from him on another seat, with a pen in his mouth and a clipboard in his hoof. "Hmm, very troubling. Recurring dreams are not to be taken lightly. There is a message hidden inside it your brain doesn't want to forget" Dr Whooves explained bluntly, he wasn't known for sugar coating his diagnosis.

"But what? What is my brain trying to tell me?" Thunderlane asked sitting up on the leather sofa facing the brown earth pony.

Dr Whooves put down his pen and clipboard and faced Thunderlane with a stern look on his face. "I want you to stop blaming yourself about Milky Way. His death wasn't your fault, he simply gave his life in the fight for Equestria."

"He trusted me doc, he never questioned my orders, and look where it got him."

A small alarm went off on the doctor's watch, he slowly got to his hooves, "I'm sorry Thunderlane, I need to tend to Vinyl Scratch. Remember what I told you and I will catch up with you later about it" the doctor told Thunderlane as he left the room.

Thunderlane slowly stood up from the sofa, it felt like he had been sitting on that sofa for hours even though Dr Whooves could only spare 30 minutes for Thunderlane's problem. All of the doctor's time was spent operating on Vinyl's injuries, it was the 3rd day of operations and no pony had heard anything about Vinyl's condition. The medical personnel had told the other operatives that she was alive, but no pony had seen any evidence to believe it.

Octavia had been pacing about infront of the medical wards for the last three days. She had been there right when Vinyl was first brought in from the Trottingham operation and she had not left, apart from going to the other side of the lounge to get food from the bar. She looked composed when ponies would talk to her about it, but Thunderlane could see it was just a facade. She was afraid.

Thunderlane slowly trotted past Dr Whooves's desk when he saw a small framed picture sitting beside a stack of papers. It was a picture of Dr Whooves first day of medical school, his younger sister Derpy was standing next to him in front of the Stalliongrad National University. Dr Whooves looked so happy being accepted into such a prestigious University, while Derpy just looked happy for her brother. The picture brought up thoughts about Dr Whooves speech he made in the medical ward while Thunderlane and Bonbon were being treated. Thunderlane couldn't help but feel a connection with Dr Whooves researching on his sister and Octavia pacing about in the lounge, 'the things we do for the ponies we love' Thunderlane thought to himself as he left the doctor's office.

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Elsewhere inside the base Head Researcher Twilight Sparkle searched for Base Commander Luna. It wasn't that hard finding her, she was usually found inside the command room, constantly watching for any alien presence on Equestria. And she was there today, same post, same expression. Twilight approached her and pulled out three autopsy reports out of her saddlebags. She had spent the last three days working with Spike performing autopsy on the newly met alien species. "Morning Base Commander, do you think the aliens will attack today? It seems lately the alien presence has been dropping, hopefully they have given up" Twilight Sparkle pondered.

"We must not assume such things Head Researcher Twilight Sparkle. We must always remain vigilant for what ever they are planning" Base Commander Luna boomed. The other staff operating the computers had become accustomed to Luna's voice, she tried to control it as much as she could.

Twilight nodded and then placed the reports onto Luna's desk, "here are those autopsy you requested. And also there is a request for more gemstones in that pile, Spike would be grateful if you accept it."

Luna took the reports and began to flip through them.

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The thin pony appears to be the alien's attempt at infiltrating our defensive lines. It appears they had trouble matching our shape, skin and coat. Celestia help us if they ever master infiltration, we must always be cautious around the aliens, we are only seeing the base of what they can be out on the battlefield.

As for genetic differences, their structure is an unpolished replica from us, almost like an incomplete rushed project. As for larger differences it seems the aliens couldn't help arming their infiltrators with deadly weapons, their insides contain a small organ holding a compressed poisonous gas. Our field agents report that they can spit said poison, which can have devastating temporary effects on our lungs. There are also report of the Thin Ponies exploding into poison gas clouds, this is easily explained. When punctured the organ explodes releasing it's gas in the surrounding area, I highly recommend staying away from these gas clouds just the same.

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This species of aliens appears to be the physically strongest alien we have seen so far. For obvious reasons our troops should exercise extreme caution around these aliens, their arms appear strong enough to rip a pony limb from limb. According to the soldiers these aliens were armed with larger guns compared to the thin ponies and Sectoids, my guess is that these Mutons are the alien's foot soldiers. I guess that means the aliens are stepping up their invasion again.

In summary these aliens are stronger than the others, perhaps stronger weapons are required to fight these aliens. Until then good tactics will serve as the best weapon for our troops to fight these Mutons.

-----

This alien is quite different to the others we have seen, it seems to have been combined with it's mechanical jetpack. Half alien, half robotic, it's craftsmanship is amazing to say the least, it far outshines our own cyber pony Interceptor battle suit (sorry Rarity.) With further research into it we may find ways to improve our cyber suit designs to be more effective during flight. I will be pushing for further research into this species in the future.

As for the alien autopsy, we have concluded this species to be quite weak against our current weapons. It appears the mechanical components are focused on flight and not protection. Although our soldiers should still use caution when fighting these aliens, they seem to be quite agile and could quickly flank our positions in a few seconds.

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"Excellent work Twilight Sparkle, I will send for more gemstones to be delivered to thy labs for 'testing' purposes. I also have a new task for your team, I wish for your team to design a new chamber of the base, a chamber to contain... A live alien" Luna told Twilight in a low tone.

"So we are going through with Applejack's plan then?" Twilight Sparkle asked, her face lit up as she began to think of what she could learn from an alive alien.

"That is correct, currently Applejack's department are working on an electric stun gun for our soldiers to use to capture a live alien. When your designs are done her engineers will construct it inside the newly vacated space beside the laboratory. Time is against us Twilight Sparkle, Celestspeed" Luna ordered.

"Right away commander" Twilight answered feeling proud Luna was trusting her with important tasks against the aliens. It only seemed like a few days ago she was Celestia's student, but now she was one of the rulers of this land, and she had to protect it.

As Twilight Sparkle left with her head held high and proud, another unicorn entered the command room to search out Luna. The mint colored mare spotted Base Commander Luna and trotted over hastily, "Base Commander Luna, I have that field commander survey completed princess. I asked everypony in the base to vote for which soldier they wanted to command forces out on the field. Here are the results commander" Lyra explained holding the survey in her mouth.

"Excellent work Lyra Heartstrings, what do the results tell us?" Base Commander Luna asked turning to face Lyra.

Lyra quickly read over the results, "it seems only three ponies were nominated, the most popular being Sergeant Vinyl Scratch, followed closely by Corporal Thunderlane. The third pony only has one vote, errrrr, I don't think we have a Major Muffin in our ranks." Lyra looked at the third nominee for a few seconds before scribbling it out with a nearby pen. "Only two ponies were nominated commander, it seems like the position should go to Vinyl Scratch, as soon as she recovers."

"We can not be hasty on this Lyra Heartstrings, just because Sergeant Vinyl Scratch is popular does not mean she is right for the job. Field Commander is a very difficult role, we must make sure we choose the right pony for it. I will monitor Vinyl Scratch and Thunderlane over the next 3 operations and make my decision on their performance" Luna explained as she put together her plan.

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"Now ya sure your up for this Spike? I could easily find something else to test this on" Applejack warned Spike over her small microphone from outside the test chamber.

Spike nodded his head, "I still owe you a life debt! This is the least I could do" Spike explained putting on a set of goggles and facing the small device sitting on a robotic arm in the center of the chamber.

"I thought we already cleaned that whole issue up already! I don't owe ya anything Spike" Applejack moaned hoping that topic wouldn't have been brought up again.

"Well I'm in here anyway, so come on already! Hit me with all you got" Spike boasted bracing himself for the test.

"Err, alrighty then. Okay turn on the cameras, ready the Arc Caster. Set power to... 5%" Applejack told her engineers, she wanted to go easy on Spike for the first test. Applejack closed her eyes, she didn't feel right doing this to Spike, "fire."

A tiny strand of electricity peeped out of the 'Arc Caster' in the center of the room and impacted on Spike's finger. Spike was unamused "you call that a stun gun? No pony with a right mind would attempt to stun a alien with this cheese melter" Spike groaned.

Applejack felt challenged by Spike's comment, "you sayin I make shoddy work? Right; your on Spike, 75%, fire 2" Applejack bellowed. She then realized what she had just ordered. The test chamber flashed white and blue for a split second as the Arc Caster unleashed it's payload on Spike. As soon a visual contact was possible the baby dragon lay on his back knocked out, his fingers twitched as slight jolts of electricity ran through his body. "Spike? Spike!? Spike say something!" Applejack cried as she galloped into the test chamber.

Spike raised a hand in the air "I... I think it... Works fine" Spike moaned weakly and dropped his hand back on the floor.

-----

The day passed quite calmly, and for the fourth day the aliens did not attempt anything. Later in the afternoon the clinic doors opened and Dr Whooves left the clinic. It was the first time he had left the clinic today, he was up to his neck with work. Vinyl Scratch was still unconscious and now he had to deal with Spike who had just been admitted by Applejack, apparently due to a prototype mishap.

Dr Whooves was immediately approached by Octavia Philharmonica. "Good afternoon Octavia, here to check up on Vinyl Scratch?" Dr Whooves guessed.

"I was hoping to see her today, how is she? Is she alright?" Octavia inquired, desperate for information. Her body looked ragged and tired, she had not slept comfortably ever since Vinyl was critically wounded.

"Calm down Octavia, Vinyl is alive and well. She hasn't woken up yet but she will soon" Dr Whooves answered calmly. He felt slightly worried about Octavia's health.

"Can I see her? I just want to be with her through her recovery. Please, I will stay out of the way and will not cause a fuss" Octavia begged taking a few steps closer to the doctor.

Dr Whooves frowned, it was not recommended to allow loved ones in the wards. But if it was enough to give Octavia some peace of mind and hopefully get her to sleep, he had to agree to it. "It's alright Octavia, she is in the wards, last bed on the left" Dr Whooves explained as he took a step to the left allowing Octavia to rush into the wards. She was in such a hurry she forgot to thank the doctor. Dr Whooves shrugged his shoulders and trotted over to Pinkie's bar, his eyes were drawn to Thunderlane who had just entered the bar.

Quickly the doctor trotted over towards Thunderlane. "Thunderlane, there has been a question plaguing my mind about your dreams" Dr Whooves explained to Thunderlane.

"What did you want to ask me?" Thunderlane asked, he sat down with the doctor in a nearby booth, he had his suspicions this was going to take awhile.

"Was it true? Was it a memory of Ponyville? Or was it all fabricated?"

Thunderlane paused briefly and then spoke two words. "It's true."

-----

I look to the skies as 3 Wonderbolts fly overhead and unleash their payloads on alien groups searching the town. The sky was blocked out by smoke and firery haze, but from what I can tell it was still around midday. Explosions tore up small sections of Ponyville as the FLD forces clashed with the aliens, the FLD had been tracking a large alien attack force for days and decided to strike before the aliens could destroy Ponyville.

I would be fighting alongside them, but there was a place I needed to be. "Hurry up Milky Way, it's just around this corner!" I shout at my wingpony.

"Contact! Dead ahead!" Milky Way shouts and points his hoof towards 3 of the aliens that would be later be called Sectoids searching through houses.

"Get to cover! Free to engage!" I command as I dive behind the cider barrels to my left. The aliens spot us and set up behind somepony's front fence. A gunfight takes place, the Sectoids have a hard time matching Milky Way's accuracy and my experience. But I am distracted by a single thought. 'Are we to late? Please Celestia, don't make us be to late.'

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Thunderlane lay awake in his dorm, another sleepless night to add to his list. Even thought his dream prevented him from sleeping he had already decided to stay up tonight, there was something he was planning to do, somepony he was going to confront. Quietly he got out of his bed and edged open his door. Good, the pony wasn't there yet, the bar was empty. Thunderlane quietly trotted out into the bar and hid himself behind Pinkie Pie's counter.

And just like every other night the shadowy pony trotted stealthily through the bar. Thunderlane peeked his eyes over the bar, he still couldn't make out who it was, but the pony was definitely carrying a gun, Thunderlane could see it clearly holstered on the pony's back. Silently Thunderlane left his hiding spot and stalked the pony from a safe distance. He followed the mystery pony out of the bar and down a few dim lit halls. To save money Luna had ordered sections of the base to be deactivated when not in use through the night, areas like the command room remained operational at all hours of the day.

The pony would occasionally turn to check if it was being followed, but Thunderlane was to quick and far away to be seen. Thunderlane followed the figure to the armory, the armory was one of the areas deactivated by Luna. The silhouette entered the firing range to the right of the armory and closed the door behind it. Thunderlane slid up beside the door and listened in, he heard gunshots from the mostly soundproofed walls. 'But who in Equestria would be practicing this late at night?' Thunderlane thought to himself.

As he entered his eyes were drawn to the target range getting pummeled by a hail of bullets, none of which hitting the target. His eyes were then drawn to the third booth which flashed as a gun fired inside. Thunderlane saw a rifle magazine drop out of the booth and slide along the floor. "Luna damn it! Why can't I just do it properly!?" a stressed mare's voice echoed through the firing range. A mint colored hoof reached out along the floor and slid the magazine back into the booth.

Thunderlane relaxed slightly as he realized who it was, "bit late for practice Lyra?" Thunderlane asked breaking his silence.

Lyra's head peeped out of the booth, her eyes went wide and panicked like a filly caught with her hoof in the cookie jar. "Oh! Thunderlane!" she managed to eep out, "hows it going? Fancy meeting you here? Come here often?" Lyra blurted out trying to hijack the conversation and steer it away from where it was going.

Thunderlane wasn't going to have any of Lyra's shenanigans, so he got straight to the point. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm... err... Practicing, yeah practicing! Just trying to improve my skills out of the field" Lyra explained hastily.

Thunderlane approached Lyra and picked the rifle magazine up off the floor and held it in front of Lyra, "I think theres more to it than that, whats bothering you?" Thunderlane asked holding out the magazine on his hoof.

Lyra took the magazine from Thunderlane and attempted to reload her gun, she put the magazine in upside down. "I... I just.." She stammered trying to force the magazine in. She threw the magazine on the floor in frustration "I never passed the training okay!" Lyra snapped, it took her a few seconds to realize what she just said.

"Then why are you here? How did you get into X-Com?" Thunderlane curiously asked picking the magazine off the floor.

"Bonbon wanted to join X-Com, she just came up to me one day and said something about joining the fight for Equestria. I didn't want to abandon her, she is my friend, she needed somepony to watch her back on the battlefield. So we joined up together, best friends on the battlefield fighting side by side, like something straight from a movie... And then I failed the training" Lyra explained. "Nothing ever seems to work out that well..."

"So how did you get in? How did Luna let you through the training?" Thunderlane asked.

"Bits. Lots of bits... The Heartstrings family is quite rich, and daddy always lets his only daughter in where ever she wants. It was how I got into 'Celestia's University for gifted Unicorns' even though I was never that talented with magic, and it was how I got into X-Com. Luna was quite desperate for bits during the early months of X-Com and my father was willing to donate... I just want to help! But I always seem to screw everything up!" Lyra barked angry at herself dropping her gun on the table.

Thunderlane remained silent while he thought, keeping Lyra around was putting her life at risk, but he could see where she was coming from, and she had done reasonably well on the battlefield. "Well extra midnight training sessions will help you get better at fighting, but having someone train you might help out even more" Thunderlane suggested picking Lyra's gun up off the table and correctly loaded the magazine into it. He then gave it back to her.

"You mean you will train me?"

"I couldn't sleep anyway, now lets see your technique."

And once again friendship had worked it's way into the X-Com base, it pulsed through the walls and into the staff like an unstoppable force, powerful enough to pierce through the destruction the aliens introduced. It was slowly uniting them all, and making them stronger. Deep down Luna never really thought of friendship as a weapon, but it was the strongest weapon X-Com had, as long as it remained, victory was not that far away.

-----

At approximately 5am the aliens broke their silence, and made themselves known to all of Equestria. A call for aid came into the X-Com headquarters, the call originated a few miles from the X-Com base; Ponyville. "Princess Luna! We are under attack, we need help right now! They came out of nowhere and are spreading by the second! Please send help right away before the whole town is overrun!" Mayor Mare; the mayor of Ponyville; cried inside the town hall of Ponyville.

"Remain calm Mayor Mare, we will send troops immediately. Gather your civilians and protect them in a safe location, we will clear out thy aliens!" Luna boomed waving her hoof. At her order command staff rallied a squad and prepared the Skyranger. The transmission was cut and Luna turned to Twilight Sparkle at her side, "how many aliens are we facing?" Luna asked.

Twilight quickly checked the radar feed at her side, her face dropped as she saw the numbers. "This... This can't be right. The numbers are way to high for a sneak attack... And its growing! What are they up to?!" Twilight asked seeking guidance from Luna.

"It is a message, they can hit anywhere, at anytime. And we can not do anything to stop them... Let us prove them incorrect!" Luna bellowed. "Send for a 5 pony squad to the Skyranger and deploy them to central Ponyville, send thy rest of our soldiers up the road and push forth into Ponyville. Let us hurry!"

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20 minutes after the call for aid the X-Com Skyranger few over Ponyville, Fluttershy didn't want to land straight away without scanning for hostiles. From what she could see the town was a mess, flames poured from buildings in the Ponyville outskirts, ponies fled further into the town to avoid the incoming alien forces, but they became completely surrounded by the searching aliens. Ponyville was once a small peaceful village, but even before this alien assault Ponyville had changed. Due to refugees from Las Pegasus and other destroyed settlements Ponyville had to expand to host its new civilians, shacks and tents lined the outskirts and were crudely placed where ever they could be in town making the village a crowded mess of shelters.

Even the Ponyville river had degraded from it's once beautiful state into a raging dangerous river no pony would dare approach. Without the pegasus's ability to control rain the river quickly overflowed and ate away it's old banks. The river expanded in size and filled with dangerous currents and depths, it's new size collapsed the bridges Ponyville had once. Mayor Mare had her citizens put up 3 new heavy duty bridges, one in the crowded north Ponyville, one in central Ponyville near the town hall, and the final bridge was down in the south west corner of Ponyville where the river left Ponyville and flooded into the Everfree forest.

Onboard the Skyranger Thunderlane called out to the pilot over the loud road of the Skyranger's engines, "Fluttershy! Whats the situation like down there!?"

Thunderlane could barely hear Fluttershy's response as her voice was quite soft, "I-I'm not sure, I can't see anything through this smoke. I'll land in the market area just off the town hall if that's okay with you Thunderlane?" Fluttershy sounded scared.

"Yeah its alright... Umm Fluttershy, are you okay with all this?" Thunderlane asked as he picked up her frightened voice.

Fluttershy did seem like the last pony to be on the frontline, she was once a quiet pony who cared for small woodland creatures, but now she was flying a military aircraft into combat zones, her mind was a wreck. She wanted to go home and wait until everything goes back to normal, but she was a wielder of harmony and she had to live up to that title, she couldn't hide while Equestria was in danger. "I'm okay, touching down" Fluttershy said blocking out Thunderlane from her inner thoughts.

-----

The Skyranger landed blowing the empty market stalls away from the landing site, no pony had used them since the invasion anyway, all the food and other trading products were donated to relief foundations over Ponyville and other settlements. The Skyranger team quickly disembarked the dropship and surveyed the landing site. The Skyranger team consisted of Thunderlane as the squad commander, Midnight Strike as the long range support, Bulk Biceps the assault squaddie, and the two support ponies Bonbon and Braeburn. Along with the Skyranger squad a secondary detachment moved into Ponyville slowly from Sweet Apple Acres, this squad was slightly smaller in size, Vinyl Scratch was going to lead this squad but she was still injured so Octavia Philharmonica was selected as a makeshift commander, she lead Cloud Chaser, Derpy Whooves and Lyra Heartstrings.

Thunderlane brought up his radio, "Thunderlane here, we just landed. Where are you at Octavia?" Thunderlane asked as his squad secured the area. Screams and panicked voices echoed through the air along with a few gunshots.

The response came instantly, "we are still approaching the city limits, ETA 10 minutes."

Suddenly a third voice filled the speakers, "Thunderlane, Octavia, this is Twilight Sparkle back at the base. Thunderlane, Base Commander Luna wants your squad to link up with the survivors in the town hall, you should also keep your eyes peeled for any other civilians you find in the street, send them to the town hall or the Skyranger if it is safe. Octavia, Luna wants your squad to remain in the outskirts and stop any aliens heading towards our headquarters. There seems to be a large alien presence in the city, be ready for anything."

"Roger that Twilight, anything else we need to keep in mind?" Octavia asked.

"This... Infestation appears to be growing. Find out what is causing this, but be quick, the infestation could over run the town in an hour" Twilight Sparkle warned.

"Got it. Okay ponies get ready to move, we need to reach the city hall pronto!" Thunderlane ordered his squad as they galloped away to the town hall.

-----

The town hall was not far away from the landing site, the X-Com squad galloped towards the hall through a deserted business street. The street was mostly untouched but there were traces of alien presence. An other worldly roar came from one of the shops along the street, followed by a horrified scream. "That scream came from the dentist's clinic!" Bonbon announced pointing towards the clinic across the street.

"A survivor! Lets get in there and save her!" Bulk bellowed as he approached the house.

Before the X-Com soldiers could enter the building a blue mare burst out of the door and landed flat on her stomach. She brushed her blue and white mane out of her eyes and saw the X-Com soldiers, her eyes were wide and filled with fear as she cried, "shoot it! Shoot it!"

"Shoot what?" Midnight Strike responded. A split second later a purple monster burst out the window of the clinic. It stood on four legs at about the same height as a pony like a oversized insect, it almost looked like a purple gnarled grasshopper combined with a giant wasp.

The monster rushed forward and pinned the dentist to the ground, the unicorn let out a deathly scream as the gnarled monster opened it's small mouth revealing it's razor sharp teeth, like a monster straight from a horror story. "Open fire! Kill it now!" Thunderlane roared.

Bonbon unloaded an entire clip from her gun into the side of the monster and with a few slugs from Bulk's shotgun the monster was blown off the dentist before it could lay it's fangs into the dentist's back. Braeburn spotted three more of those monsters approaching down the street, "more of em are coming! Get ready!"

The blue mare stumbled to her feet and galloped frantically behind the X-Com soldiers, "s-save me! s-save me from those m-monsters!" she squeaked in fear.

The squad lined up and opened fire on the approaching aliens. With their combined firepower the hail of bullets killed the gnarled monsters before they could get close. "Area clear! Keep your eyes open for more of them!" Thunderlane ordered, he then turned to the cowering dentist behind him. "It's Colgate right?" Thunderlane asked kneeling down and looking at the blue mare in the eyes. Colgate nodded slowly, her body trembled with fear and her eyes were darting around her field of vision looking for any more of the monsters. "Colgate, I need you to head down to the market, the Skyranger will keep you safe" Thunderlane ordered softly.

Colgate shook her head, "n-no. N-no I'm n-not going by myself. Take me with you! Keep me safe!" Colgate croaked with fear grabbing Thunderlane by the legs.

Colgate's words struck a nerve in Thunderlane's brain, it echoed through his head as he looked over the begging unicorn. 'Keep you safe, keep you safe, keep you safe.'

-----

"Thats all of them, we should hurry up and regroup with Midnight and Rainbow" my wingpony tells me.

No; I can't leave yet, I need to make sure he is safe. "Give me a few minutes, then we'll go" I say as I approach the house at the end of the street. The white stallion agrees and covers my back. I draw my gun and silently step up the front steps, my muscles tense, my reflexes tighten, I ready myself to fire in a moment's notice. With adrenaline pumping through my veins I throw back the door and pull the gun up to my eye.

The house is empty! The aliens hadn't had a chance to raid this house! And he is here; alive; and safe, my brother is safe. "Rumble! Your here!" I shout with relief pouring through my body. I rush forward brimming with happiness.

"A-Are the aliens gone?" my brother responds as he rushes into my arms.

"Yes, they're all gone" I comfort him. I hug him long and hard, I never want to let him go, I want to stay with him and keep the aliens from him. But I know I can't, I have a duty to defend Ponyville, but I can't leave Rumble alone. "Listen to me Rumble, first thing in the morning I'm putting you on the next ship to the Griffon Kingdom, you need to get out of Equestria, it's not safe here."

He buries his grey coated head in my chest, "no! I don't wanna go! I don't want to be alone! Take me with you Thunderlane!"

I shake my head as I run my hoof through his black mane, he had grown so much, but he was still a foal, he couldn't stay here alone. "I want you to be safe, you need to go. I can't keep you safe here in Equestria."

"Promise me you'll beat the aliens! Promise me I'll get to come back to Ponyville soon!" He shouts looking up into my eyes, I can see the tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

"I swear; I will beat the aliens, I will protect the weak, I will keep Ponyville safe."

-----

"Okay stay behind us, the hall isn't far from here anyway" Thunderlane said helping the unicorn to her hooves.

"T-Thank you, you're a angel" Colgate stuttered as she shakily got to her hooves.

Midnight Strike nudged Thunderlane and whispered into his ear "are you sure it is a good idea to take this civilian with us, she could get caught in crossfire."

"The hall is just around the corner, we can drop her off there, I know what I'm doing" Thunderlane blurted out not thinking about how he sounded.

Midnight Strike took a step back as Thunderlane acted defensive, she shrugged and said "as you wish captain." For a second there Thunderlane could have sworn Midnight Strike's voice sounded like a stallion's.

Thunderlane was about to ask Midnight about her voice but Braeburn interrupted his train of thought, "heads up, something is coming up the road!"

"What the? What is that thing?" Bonbon asked raising her gun. The object approaching looked like a metallic frisbee, just like the UFOs the disk hovered along the road without any obvious method of flight or propulsion. Oddly enough this presumed alien device didn't have any visible weapons, the device itself looked like an alien contraption, but the lack of weapons seemed like it was an Equestrian device.

The disk quickly span around quickly and rotated vertical, and then top and bottom which was now it's sides expanded outwards revealing a mass of jagged alien guns and cannons, definitely an alien contraption. Thunderlane's eyes widened "get to cover now!!" he boomed as he dove sideways into the clinic.

The X-Com combat training kicked in as the four other operatives scattered in the street hiding behind carts, stalls and houses. Colgate let out another gasp and shakily began to run away from the disk but her traumatized body gave way underneath her and she fell to the ground. Bulk saw this as he made it to cover and once again his training began to fade away and his ego growing until he only had one thought remained in his head 'save her.' He darted back across the street as agile as his bulky body allowed, the disk spotted the white stallion with ease and began to open fire. A hail of yellow plasma rained down upon the street, Bulk Biceps brushed off two of the smaller bullets which impacted on his shoulder and dove over to Colgate. He quickly helped her to her feet. "Come on get up! It's not safe out here!" the white stallion bellowed pushing Colgate along beside him leading her off the center of the street.

"Take it down! Hit it with everything!" Thunderlane ordered. Suddenly the X-Com soldiers returned fire, bullets reflected off the disk's outer shell lightly damaging the hovering disk. "Damn it our bullets are barely hurting it!" Thunderlane called out.

"Leave it to me Thunderlane" Midnight Strike answered as she set her sniper up on the stall in front of her. [Headshot]
Midnight Strike lined her rifle up with the disk, but taking the extra time to aim for the revealed interior behind it's gun rack. The bullet burst from the sniper's barrel and hit true into the disk's interior. Sparks and fire erupted from the disk's interior, the disk shuddered violently and fell from the sky and exploded once it crashed into the ground.

Braeburn waved his gun at the fireball in the center of the street, "damn straight, we can take anything you throw at us!" Braeburn laughed. Bonbon smiled, Braeburn had a point, they were doing an excellent job fighting the aliens and had beaten back everything the aliens had sent against them from the large beastly Mutons to the scientific marvels like these robotic disks and UFOs, 'we might actually win this war!' Bonbon thought to herself trying to hide her smile.

"Okay ponies, lets move before more aliens come, the town hall is right around the corner" Thunderlane ordered. The X-Com soldiers and the civilian trotted off carefully towards the town center.

-----

The X-Com Skyranger squad made it successfully to the town center, they escorted Colgate the dentist to safety and were approached by Mayor Mare. "Thank Luna you have come, all of the town's defenses have been overrun, it was only a matter of time before they searched the hall" The mayor thanked the X-Com captain.

"It's okay Mayor Mare, we have two squads deployed in the city boarders and will retake the town shortly" Thunderlane explained before raising up his radio, "Octavia do you copy? What is your status?"

The voice answered stressed and worried, "Thunderlane; we have just spotted a large alien ground force inbound, it seems this force will finish off the town... I have talked it over with my ponies and we are ready to delay them as long as possible, but you will not have any support inside the town."

"Celestia be with you and your troops, we will clear the town quickly as possible... Twilight are you on the line?" Thunderlane asked.

"Go ahead Thunderlane" a more composed and calm voice answered.

"We're planning to eliminate the rest of the alien forces, do you have a reading on where the most of them are?" Thunderlane asked as he trotted outside with his squad. Mayor Mare turned back to her ponies and began to calm the traumatized dentist.

"It's not a pretty picture Thunderlane, I'm seeing a huge alien presence still roaming the town, the most of which are in the west side of town..." Twilight paused for a few seconds. Thunderlane watched the smoke rise up from the west side of the river as Twilight gave Thunderlane the bad news, "I-I just don't see how this is possible Thunderlane... These numbers are just to high... I-I don't know what we could do here, maybe with Octavia and the new Ponyville militia you could clear a portion of the town, but these numbers are just increasing to much... I'm sorry Thunderlane" Twilight explained grimly.

Thunderlane ran a hoof through his hair as he looked over the town, he could hear the screams but he knew he couldn't help them. He watched more of those purple monsters cross the bridge far to the north into the west side of Ponyville, had the aliens finally designed a weapon Equestria couldn't fight off?! Just when they thought they had won...

A call from the radio broke Thunderlane's despair, Twilight Sparkle's voice filled the airwaves. "Thunderlane! I may have found a way to save Ponyville... Well... Most of it" Twilight informed Thunderlane, there was still a hint of sadness in her voice.

"What do you mean most of it? What's your plan?" Thunderlane asked bracing for what he was about to hear.

"The river; we can use it as a quarantine line. I looked up these purple "monsters" in the FLD records, Shining Armor called them Chrysalids. Judging by how much soldiers these monsters have killed they are not to be faced lightly... Getting to the point Shining Armor stated that these "Chrysalids" cannot stand water, Shining Armor managed to destroy a hive of them while the rain caused them to panic and scatter" Twilight Sparkle explained.

"I see, you want us to blow the bridges of the river, isolating the large Chrysalid presence in the west side of Ponyville... But that would destroy any hope of saving any ponies in the west side of Ponyville" Thunderlane summarized coming to terms with the choice he had to make.

"I know, we will be abandoning a lot of ponies... But it's our only choice if we want to save the rest of Ponyville, and the rest of Equestria... It's your call Thunderlane, if you have another plan do it, but be quick, the Chrysalid numbers are growing and soon you will be overrun even with Octavia's squad."

Thunderlane looked over to his ponies, they were ready to follow him whatever he chose, they were ready to follow his orders to the letter. But a pony had died due to Thunderlane's orders, and he swore he would never lead another pony to their death. He made his choice, "got it Twilight, okay ponies heres the plan" Thunderlane announced ending the call and facing his squad. "Midnight, I want you to take position on the second floor of the town hall, I know it's going to be difficult but I want you to try and shoot any Chrysalids crossing the bridges towards this side of the river" Thunderlane ordered.

[Squadsight] "Got it Thunderlane, I'll shoot whatever I can see, and keep the hall safe while I'm at it," Midnight Strike saluted and trotted back inside the town hall.

"Right; Braeburn, I need 3 makeshift bombs with the strength to collapse the three bridges linking the town. You will also be required to set, arm and detonate these bombs once we are ready to isolate west Ponyville. The rest of us will spit up and guard one bridge each, call for support from Midnight Strike if you need it. We'll head to the south bridge together, set the bomb, and I will remain there and guard the bridge. Then the three of you head to the center bridge and rig it, Bulk, you can defend that one. Finally Braeburn and Bonbon will head to the north bridge and rig it. We blow the bridges and regroup back here" Thunderlane explained his battle plans to his squad.

Bonbon tilted her head, "why not blow each bridge as we rig it, we wouldn't have to split up that way?" Bonbon suggested.

"No; I want to have the bridges open as long as possible, while guarding them I want us to beckon as many ponies over to the east side, the more we can save the better" Thunderlane explained.

"Got it Thunderlane, I'll have three bombs ready in 10 minutes" Braeburn tipped his hat and began to rummage through the local supplies for materials to make his IEDs.

"You have 7, right operatives let's move out and save some ponies!" Thunderlane boomed raising his gun up into the air.

The X-Com soldiers answered with various inspired cheers and hoof stomps, the loudest being Bulk Biceps who gave a beefy yell "YEAH!!"

-----

It took the X-Com soldiers 15 minutes to reach the south bridge, they managed to find 2 more civilian ponies hiding inside a large carriage, Thunderlane managed to convince the two unicorns to leave their hiding spot and move to the town hall where Midnight Strike could keep them safe. Thunderlane trusted Midnight Strike's skills, he had witnessed them first hand in the militia.

As they approached the south bridge they found 4 ponies crouching together behind some barrels praying that the 3 thin ponies on the far side of the bridge would not hit them, wood didn't seem to work very well against the alien plasma. The barrels shattered as the bullets struck them leaving the ponies defenseless, they scattered into the street searching desperately for anything to hide behind.

Quickly the X-Com soldiers moved into the firefight but found it hard to get solid cover close to the bridge, Thunderlane quickly assessed a building overlooking the bridge was the best spot to set up, but it was on the far side of an open stretch from the civilian ponies. It was going to be hard to protect them, but maybe they could kill off the thin ponies before they hit any of the civilians.

The X-Com soldiers charged into the nearby building and took up firing positions beside the doors and windows. "Open fire!" Thunderlane bellowed raising his pistol up onto the windowsill, his pistol could reach further than his shotgun but had less firepower.

Bulk Biceps followed suit with his captain's lead and he opened fire with his pistol instead of his shotgun, he managed to hit one of the thin ponies wounding it while Thunderlane's bullets struck their cover. "Hah one up on ya Thunder!" Bulk laughed.

A loud sniper shot finished off the thin pony Bulk Biceps had hit. "Nope, that one counts as my kill" Midnight Strike laughed on her radio.

Thunderlane looked up at Bulk's grinning face in disbelief, how could he laugh in a situation like this! Ponies were dying! How could Bulk Biceps and even Midnight Strike even smile in this warzone. Thunderlane didn't know it then but those smiles and laughter was his best chance to defeat the aliens, like a secret power hidden inside every pony in Equestria, a power strong enough to overcome any trial, and those ponies who refused that gift had already sealed their fate.

One of the thin ponies raised his head up over the cover and prepared to spit it's poison, Bonbon quickly took to the wall, she saw what that poison did to her friend and didn't want to share that fate. But to her surprise and the other X-Com soldiers, the odd shaped pony spat it's poison towards the civilians wreaking destruction on their lungs and hiding spot. The other alien pony shot one of the coughing civilians who had galloped out of the poison cloud to get some fresh air into her lungs. The poor mare was shot dead in a single shot, "why target the ponies who were hiding instead of shooting them!? Are they so bent on destruction that they would put killing innocent ponies before than their own safety!? Those bastards!!" Bonbon yelled with fury unloading her rifle across the bridge striking down a thin pony with vengeance.

Braeburn fired the final shot killing the last Thin Pony, hastily the X-Com squad moved out into the street to calm the panicking civilian ponies. Bonbon quickly took to the fallen pony's side checking her vitals, but the plasma had done to much damage, she was gone. Thunderlane and the rest of his squad tried to keep the other civilians from seeing Bonbon gently close the eyes of the pink pony. Thunderlane looked over to Bonbon to hear the news, she returned the look with a grim shake of her head, Thunderlane turned back to the 3 remaining civilians. "Listen to me, I need you to quickly move to the town hall. There are others there, you will be safe with them" Thunderlane explained calmly with great difficulty.

"What about Cherry Berry?! Is she alright!? I can't see her moving!" the grey stallion speaking for the group asked panicked.

"Just please! Go to the town hall now!" Thunderlane ordered feeling remorse edge his words. He waved a hoof at Braeburn to hurry up and set the bomb under the bridge while he comforted the civilians, time was short against the growing Chrysalid numbers, the mission had to continue at all costs.

Braeburn galloped over to the bridge with his large makeshift bomb holding bag slung over his back, he had made it out of some camping supplies he had 'borrowed' from an abandoned civilian store. "So how did ya make the bombs?" Bulk asked Braeburn who was busy carefully taking out his home-made explosives.

"I put together a few materials I found from a nearby mechanic's shed and a few other stores. These bombs should have enough force to completely collapse the bridge if placed in the correct spot. The only problem is these explosives are quite hard to work with, I can set them, but I doubt anypony will figure out how I built them or how to set them" Braeburn explained taking out a small package containing the explosive.

A few meters away the grey stallion and the others civilians were growing more frightened and interfering, but were silenced when Bonbon yelled over their voices "Look out! Two more of those purple things are crossing the bridge!"

Thunderlane, Bulk and Bonbon planted their hooves into the dirt and opened fire at the fast approaching aliens. The Chrysalids were no match for the X-Com squad's combined firepower over a long distance, but they managed to cover quite a distance before they were cut down. If these monster pounced on a solo operative it would prove much more fatal than this encounter. To Thunderlane's relief the civilians had decided to agree with Thunderlane's plan. Once the aliens were spotted they had fled to the town hall leaving the X-Com forces alone to complete their work.

-----

"Okay the bomb's set" Braeburn announced as he emerged from under the bridge, "are you sure about this plan Thunderlane?"

"Don't worry; I'll be fine defending this bridge alone. Just be quick and careful" Thunderlane explained as he took his post by the bridge. Bulk and Braeburn moved northward into an alley way leading to the next bridge. Bonbon waited a few seconds longer making sure Thunderlane was okay and then left following her other two squad mates. Thunderlane stood on his hind legs as he watched the far side of the bridge, he watched the houses slowly burn and the screams for help go unanswered. His heart pushed into his ribcage trying to force himself forward but his hooves remain planted into the ground, he wanted to help but he knew he couldn't.

The hairs on the back of Bulk's neck stood on end with anticipation as he slowly lead the way through the thin alley way, his shotgun raised to his hip and his hooves ready to pull the trigger on a moment's notice. The alley corners seemed never ending, any one of them could be hiding a Chrysalid which could end Bulk's life in a spit second, but to his luck he spotted the end of the long alley way ahead. "Look! Theres main street! The bridge should be just around the next corner" Bulk Biceps bellowed.

"Take care you ponies, I see two more floaters searching the main street, I'll take out one and you take out the other" Midnight Strike communicated to Bulk Biceps over the arm radio.

Bulk Biceps looked back at Braeburn and Bonbon, they nodded. "Okay we're ready, take the shot" Bulk answered as he got ready to pounce out on the street.

A gunshot rang out through the air followed by alien shrieks, Bulk span out onto the street and quickly spotted the remaining alien. The white stallion unleashed a slug from his shotgun impacting on the alien's chest, it fell from the sky and landed on the ground. The floater clawed and thrashed about on the ground trying to recover but Bulk Biceps stood over it and lowered the barrel of his gun to it's face and mercilessly pulled the trigger finishing off the alien in a gory splatter.

Bonbon stuck her head out into the street and surveyed the area, she saw that the bridge was close. "Street clear, hurry up and set that bomb Braeburn" Bonbon rasped, her voice was still weak and timid from the sights she had seen today.

Braeburn quickly hauled his bomb bag over to the bridge and began to work underneath it, the others took positions by the bridge and remained alert for any movement, friendly or not. "So I'll stay on this bridge while you two go for the next" Bulk Biceps said to Bonbon.

"Okay; Braeburn and I will head north together, then we detonate the bridges and go home" Bonbon answered bracing herself for the last leg of the mission. It was a sad thought to Bonbon calling the X-Com headquarters home, but now out in the warzone she was happy to return hide in the dark dorms of the base.

-----

Thunderlane remained alert watching both sides of the south bridge, he had managed to call another family of ponies over to the safe side of Ponyville a few minutes ago but now it was mostly silent. The silence was suddenly broken by loud thudding footsteps approaching from west Ponyville, and then it appeared, the towering alien Muton like the ones that had rendered Vinyl Scratch in her current state. Thunderlane raised his shotgun and stood as the lone defender protecting the safe side of the bridge from the bulky monster menacingly approaching the quarantine line. The Muton gave a horrific roar and banged it's chest with it's large muscular fist, challenging Thunderlane to drop his post and run. Thunderlane shook his head as he answered the alien's challenge "bring it on then!"

The duel started off with both parties charging forward into cover, the ferocious beast shot first, his large alien rifle discharged 3 shots wrecking the crate of apples Thunderlane was using as a shield. [Run and Gun] Thunderlane quickly dashed closer to the Muton hiding behind the concrete railing of the bridge, he slid behind a support pylon and unleashed a shell from his shotgun into the oversized alien.

The alien recoiled slightly but then recovered almost instantly, it seemed Thunderlane's shot only aggravated the monster even more. The alien grasped it's grenade off it's belt and threw it towards Thunderlane, the small device clanged as it hit the ground and rolled behind Thunderlane. Thunderlane knew what it was and what it was capable of, he quickly dived away out into the open. The grenade exploded just as Thunderlane had cleared the initial blast radius, the shock wave impacted on Thunderlane's rear end launching him further out in the open. Thunderlane landed on his chest with a hard thud on the cobblestone bridge, he looked up to witness the alien laugh triumphant. The alien raised it's gun to finish off Thunderlane, the world seemed to slow around him as Thunderlane began to contemplate the situation. He had lost, he was about to die, he would never see the base again, or his home, or Midnight Strike, or Rumble.

[Headshot] Thunderlane watched a bullet fly through the air in slow motion and rip through the skull of the Muton, he had to admit he enjoyed the sight. The Muton fell to it's knees as the rest of it's head dripped down it's chest and then it fell lifelessly to the ground. "Got your back Thunderlane" Midnight Strike's voice said from the radio on his arm.

Thunderlane slowly got to his knees but couldn't stand up yet. "Thanks Midnight, you saved my life" he answered, his head still comprehending he was alive.

"You can buy me a cider later, we got a job to do Thunderlane" Midnight Strike answered as she turned her scopes to the other bridges.

-----

Midnight Strike ran her scope over to the middle bridge, she could see Bulk Biceps relaxing by a street lamp watching the bridge. Seeing that the second bridge was secure she moved her vision to the third, no pony was there yet. She moved her scope back towards the middle bridge scanning for Bonbon and Braeburn. She saw them for a spit second inside one of the alley ways but then they disappeared behind a building, she had trouble covering them from her vantage point.

Bonbon and Braeburn moved frantically through the tight alley way, one more bridge to go and then the mission would be over. A sudden scream echoes through the alley way and both operatives ready their guns, ready to kill in an instant. Braeburn eye's widened as he saw a pegasus filly round the corner, "foal! Hold your fire!" he shouted to Bonbon. Bonbon lowered her weapon and caught the filly as she leapt into her arms sobbing.

"Mommy! My mommy! Don't let her get me!" the filly cried into Bonbon's chest.

"Mommy? Why don't you want your Mommy?" Bonbon asked trying to calm the filly.

The filly pointed out the way she came. Braeburn turned and saw a disorientated mare stumble around the corner. Her coat seemed decayed and patchy, along with her skin, like a pony suffering from a flesh eating virus. "Stop right there! Or I will shoot!" Braeburn commanded to the sickened pony. Suddenly the mare dropped to the ground and began to spasm frantically, grasping her stomach in pain. Something was eating her from the inside. "What the hell?" Braeburn croaked with fear approaching the pegasus mare.

Suddenly a creature burst out of the pegasus's back which caused the sickened body to explode and the foal to scream and cover her eye's in Bonbon's coat. The creature was purple, and gnarled, just like the other's attacking the city. "Chrysalid!" Braeburn shouted and went for his gun, but before he could raise it the monster rushed forward and lunged it's thorax deep into Braeburn's blonde chest.

"Braeburn!!" Bonbon screamed and went for her gun, she watched the purple monster raise Braeburn's lifeless body into the air above it, his blood ran down his body and legs pooling on the ground. Bonbon raised her gun above the filly's head and unloaded it's magazine into the Chrysalid, which killed it and made Braeburn's body drop to the ground in a heap.

Once she knew it was dead Bonbon rushed forward. The foal began to wail loudly, her whole world was destroyed a few seconds ago. Bonbon quickly got out her medical spray and rushed forward to check on Braeburn, she had no choice but to leave the foal if she wanted any chance to save her friend. Bonbon checked Braeburn's pulse, she couldn't find one. "Open your eyes! Don't leave me here!" Bonbon cried, her sanity was on the verge of breaking point.

Bonbon tossed away her rifle and medkit and began to perform CPR on Braeburn's body, tears began to form in her eyes as she used her hooves to press down on Braeburn's chest. More blood poured from his wound and onto Bonbon's hooves, she gasped and withdrew her hooves as she comprehended that her friend's blood was running down her hooves. She slowly stood up on her hind legs and took a step away from Braeburn, she knew it was time to give up, somepony was hurting far more than her. Her attention turned to the crying pegasus filly, she picked her up onto her hooves and hugged her tightly holding back her own tears.

"No! No don't hug me! You'll end up just like her!" The pegasus cried attempting to push Bonbon away, but she couldn't break her heart broken embrace.

"No; I'm not going to leave you, not until your safe" Bonbon answered. She looked down into the foal's eyes, she saw them snap to something moving behind her. Bonbon wheeled around keeping the filly safe behind her, but what she saw dissolved any remaining sanity she had left in her. It was Braeburn, standing in front of her slowly swaying in the wind. His skin and coat were patchy and falling from his body as he began to shamble towards her. "Z-Z-Z-Zombie pony!!!!" she screamed.

Bonbon reached for her gun but quickly remembered she had dropped it when she was performing CPR. She began to back up horrified but she tripped over the foal and fell on her back. The former operative began to pick up his pace getting closer to Bonbon, he was moving slow, but Bonbon was moving slower. But again a gunshot pierced the horror scene and blew apart the zombie pony's head. Bonbon turned her head around and saw the white stallion Bulk Biceps breathing heavily, he's hooves were shaking and his knees were twitching. He had heard the screams and came to check out the situation which is why he had abandoned his post. Bulk took a shaky breath and calmed his nerves, "Thunderlane... W-we found out how the infection was spreading... Braeburn didn't make it" Bulk explained in his arm radio. Bonbon lowered her head and began to weep. A cold breeze licked through Bulk Biceps's mane barely moving it, 'I-I just shot him. I just killed him.'

Bulk Biceps could hear Thunderlane breath deeply, "Celestia be with him... He was the only pony who could have set the bomb... Okay; you two head for the last bridge, I'll move and hold the center one. Midnight I want you to keep your sights trained on the south bridge, don't let any aliens through."

-----

Approximately 10 minutes later Bulk Biceps arrived at the bridge far to the north, gasping a struggling he dropped Bonbon, who had passed out, off of his back and onto the ground. He trotted forward and looked over the bridge, a giant cobblestone structure laid out before him stretching the length of the raging river underneath. Bulk brought up his radio as he began to pace back and forth, "okay I'm here Thunderlane. How do we level this bridge?"

Thunderlane was a few blocks south, he was deep in thought by the center bridge. "Uhh, right... How to level the bridge... Is there anything nearby?" Thunderlane asked.

"Pfft, I dunno, rocks, houses, trees..." Something was ripping up Bulk Biceps's throat, "Thunderlane... This whole thing has gone to hell!"

"Noted soldier-"

"-I just blew off Braeburn's head! I just killed an X-Com operative! How the hell am I-"

"-Bulk listen to me! He wasn't an X-Com operative when you shot him, he wasn't Braeburn, he wasn't even alive. Please Bulk, I know your strong, you can rise above this."

"I... I... I have an idea."

"What?"

"The tree. I could knock it over and it could fall on the bridge and break it in half!" Bulk announced feeling proud that he came up with an idea.

Thunderlane was silent for awhile contemplating the outcomes, "okay Bulk, drop the tree."

"Already on it" Bulk Biceps answered as he put his ordnance near the tree trunk. [Frag Grenade] Bulk backed away quickly and watched the explosion from a safe distance. The fireball ripped the base of the tree into smithereens blowing the tree trunk into the air. Bulk Biceps watched it slowly spin in the air and then come crashing down onto the center of the bridge. His aiming was perfect, the tree crashed down in an unsupported section tearing through the cobblestone bridge and crashing into the river bellow. The current quickly swept away the trunk and sections of bridge creating a clear gap in the bridge. "One bridge down! What next Thunderlane?" Bulk inquired, the thought of the zombie slowly fading in his mind as he concentrated on the mission.

"Okay, bring Bonbon and the detonator back to the center bridge. Midnight keep an eye on the bottom bridge, make sure no ponies are on it when we blow it" Thunderlane ordered taking position by the center bridge.

-----

A few minutes later Bulk Biceps and Bonbon arrived at Thunderlane's position, the three ponies were silent, one of their friends were gone, and they were about to abandon half the township. Bulke glumly gave Thunderlane the detonator and gave a said sigh stepping back from the bridge and placing a hoof around Bonbon's shoulders who was still severely shaken from the past events.

Thunderlane raised the detonator up beside him and prepared to activate it, "any last ponies we can save Midnight?" Thunderlane said softly.

"I don't see any ponies down south, but... I can see somepony approaching from the center!" Midnight Strike answered.

Thunderlane looked up with hope, every pony they could save was a blessing. He saw an earth pony mare desperately search the street for any signs of life, she became visibly pleased to see the X-Com soldiers and came galloping towards them. The X-Com ponies could make out her dark pink coat and her lighter pink mane, she seemed to be in distraught and panicked as she spoke to the X-Com soldiers. "Oh thank Celestia! X-Com soldiers! Please you have to help me!"

Thunderlane recognized the mare from his days spent in the Ponyville militia, "Cheerilee? What are you doing running around the street?" Thunderlane almost didn't recognize Cheerilee in her current state, she was always so calm and comforting. Even during the invasion she remained calm and composed to keep the children of Ponyville from giving up hope, and some of the adults.

"I need your help Thunderlane! I have a group of kids secured in the school down the street! I came out here to get help before the aliens find them! Please come with me and get them to safety!" Cheerilee begged.

Thunderlane's mouth dropped open. Kids! There were kids over there?! Without their parents, without their teacher, without protection. He couldn't blow the bridges knowing they would be abandoned along with the rest of west Ponyville. But how? How could he save them? "Twilight! I need the alien numbers in west Ponyville!"

Twilight responded over the radio, "it's not looking good Thunderlane, their numbers have almost doubled since I checked last! This can't be right, how are they spreading so fast?"

"It's not a pretty story Twilight..." Bulk Biceps added to the conversation.

Suddenly Thunderlane caught a glimmer of hope, "Octavia! Where are you? Can you move into Ponyville yet?!"

Octavia responded a few seconds later, Thunderlane could hear gunshots and shouting in the background. "Octavia here, we are still fighting the alien attack force" she paused for a second as a loud explosion filled the transmission. "We have them distracted and delayed them but we will have to pull back shortly, there are just to many of them!" Octavia explained, she sounded exhausted and tired.

"Thunderlane, even with Octavia's squad moving into west Ponyville would most likely mean complete annihilation of all our ground forces. There are just to many" Twilight answered sounding dim.

Thunderlane looked back up to the burning town breathing heavily, he had a choice to make, a heavy choice, a choice that would kill a class of foals, or themselves. "Thunderlane! We need a decision!" Bulk added seeing that Thunderlane had zoned out.

Thunderlane looked back at Cheerilee, then at the bridge, then back, and back again. "Thunderlane please! They're going to die without your help!" Cheerilee begged again, sounding much more desperate than before. Her mane had become messy and her face was stained with tears.

Thunderlane breathed heavily taking a step back 'them or us, them or us.' Thunderlane paused and took a deep breath, "Midnight Strike, are the bridges clear?"

Cheerilee gasped heartbroken, Midnight responded "it's clear."

"Detonation in 3" Thunderlane began the countdown.

"No! What are you doing!?" Cheerilee screamed.

-----

"I swear; I will beat the aliens."

-----

"2"

"They are going to die Thunderlane!!"

-----

"I will protect the weak."

-----

"1"

"No! Stop!"

-----

"I will keep Ponyville safe."

-----

And with a press of a button the bombs went off, and west Ponyville was abandoned. The bridges crumbled into the river, washing away all hope for the children and the other ponies trapped in west Ponyville. Thunderlane couldn't hear the explosions, not even the one directly infront of him, he didn't watch the bridge collapse, he turned and began to trot away.

Cheerilee rushed towards him screaming something, it took Bulk Biceps and Bonbon to restrain her as Thunderlane trotted away. He only heard one voice echo through his mind breaking apart all that tied him to his sanity.

"This is your fault Thunderlane!! It's your fault they died!"

-----

"HQ; this is Thunderlane, the mission failed. We were unable to fight back the alien invasion."

"I understand, return to the Skyranger and fly back to base. Octavia's squad managed to divert the secondary attack force, and the alien presence in the other sections of Ponyville is retreating and receding. You made the right call Thunderlane."

'I... I couldn't save them... I failed.'