The Siege of Canterlot: Part Two
Applejack stifled a yawn as she was led into the war room at Canterlot Castle. She had been woken before dawn to examine the sketches hastily produced by General Thunder Wing's scouting team, and provide what information she knew regarding the assembled Khadoran forces. Applejack wanted nothing more than to go home to her family, but Equestria needed her. As she entered the room, Applejack immediately noticed Princess Celestia sitting at a large, round table, and she bowed to the Princess out of habit.
"No need for formality now, Applejack," Celestia said, sounding distracted. General Thunder Wing and her scouts were also present.
"Applejack, I'm told you've seen Khadoran military forces, correct?" Thunder Wing asked without preamble.
"Yes ma'am," Applejack replied, taking a seat as she took to heart Celestia's assurance that formality was not required. She wished she'd put on her hat. Thunder Wing pushed a stack of sketches towards her.
"These are the soldiers and warjacks comprising the Khadoran forces below us. What can you tell us about them?"
"Well, this here's Kommander Harkevich," Applejack said, tapping her hoof on the top sketch, "they say he's good at defendin' places, guess they sent him t' keep us from knockin' the walls down. He's a friendly feller, they were sendin' him around Occupied Llael tryin' to make Khador more popular with the citizens."
"How is he in combat?" Thunder Wing asked.
"I talked to some soldiers who served under him, they say he really looks out for 'em," was Applejack's reply, "they also say he's good with warjacks. Never seen him fight m'self, though."
"And the next one?" Celestia asked. Applejack pushed the picture of Harkevich aside.
"That's Sorscha Kratikoff, I only met her once," Applejack said, "she's downright scary. When she looked me in the eyes, I felt like I was freezin' inside. Ain't sure if that's some kinda magic or just the kind of gal she is, but I hear she likes ice and wind magic. She don't like warjacks as much as a lotta 'casters, they say she only uses a couple-few at a time if'n she can help it."
"There's one more warcaster," Thunder Wing said, prompting Applejack to set aside the image of Kratikoff.
Applejack furrowed her brow at the heavily-armored warcaster depicted on the next sheet. "Never seen this feller," she admitted. "Is that a chain gun? I didn't know Khador even had those."
"He's the only one down there who has one, we speculated that it was custom-built," one of Thunder Wing's bat-winged scouts contributed, "possibly a prototype based on seized Cygnaran equipment."
"Think that's a gas mask he's got there," Applejack pointed to the leather object hanging loosely from the unknown warcaster's neck, "I figure he's got some kinda gas or smoke weapon or somethin'. Those ain't standard issue in Khador."
"We'll be sure to watch out for him," Thunder Wing said, "now, let's move on to the warjacks..."
Captain Shining Armor had concluded as soon as he had been informed of its completion that the worst feature of the military train known as Raildancer was undoubtedly its name. This name, in fact, was the reason why the names of all byproducts of Project Red River now required his approval, which he rarely gave because Cadance always seemed to come up with something better. It was thanks to this policy, as well as his beloved, princessly wife, that the Soldat warjack variant had a name other than 'Punchy-'jack.' That was a terrible enough name for an early design sketch, the fact that it carried that moniker right up to the proving grounds was embarrassing. The Captain shuddered to think what title the main goal of Project Red River would carry had Princess Celestia not named it herself in the early planning stages.
The other aspects of the Raildancer were far more pleasing, at least as far as military trains went. Driven by an incredibly powerful steam engine that would not have been possible without the advances made by Project Red River, Raildancer's cars were heavily armored, and the locomotive itself was essentially a massive steel wedge, based on Crystal Empire train designs. Despite its mass, the train could reach speeds well above reasonable expectations, even when weighed down -as it currently was- by a large number of fully-equipped ponies of the Royal Guard and a significant compliment of warjacks. Shining Armor and his retinue had mobilized with unparalleled speed to answer Princess Celestia's call, and were well on their way to Canterlot Mountain with the intent of striking down the invading Khadorans. Their attack had to be timed perfectly to coincide with the strike from Canterlot's Royal Guard, but Shining was confident that they had more than enough time.
Two lines of Man-O-War Shocktroopers in shield wall formation stood in front of the barricade. On each side of the barricade stood a warjack - a Destroyer towards the precipice on their left, Harkevich's personal warjack, Black Ivan, nearer the cliff face on their right. Black Ivan, like its Destroyer cousins, had a long-range bombard cannon mounted on its left arm, but instead of a standard right hand, Ivan had a custom-built claw. This claw made the machine unable to carry the Destroyer-standard executioner axe, but the bulky hand with its blade-tipped fingers was a formidable melee weapon in its own right. Behind the wall stood Izak Harkevich himself, surrounded by several squads of Winter Guard infantry and riflemen. Interspersed among the troops on either side of the barricade were more warjacks, including Devastators and Demolishers with their shield fists protectively enclosing their torsos, more Destroyers, and a pair of Kodiaks. Almost twenty-four hours had passed since the flying, armored ponies had delivered their warning, and Harkevich expected a mass of undersized, talking equines to round the mountain railroad at any moment.
The ponies that arrived, therefore, greatly surprised Harkevich, so outnumbered were they by his expectations. Four of the winged, armored ponies came around the mountain, pulling a luxurious golden chariot with a red-velvet seat upon which sat a creature who might have called herself a pony, but was nearly as tall as the Pozdyov warhorses favored by Khador's cavalry, although lacking the muscle mass. This pony had a brilliant white coat, wings folded at her side, and a long horn rising from her forehead. The tall pony's mane and tail flowed in a breeze that seemed to blow for her alone, and the golden magical glow of her horn held a flag of truce.
"Hold fire!" Harkevich ordered when he saw the flag. Allowing his Men-O-War to fire their shield cannons at the chariot would not be acceptable, as its rider clearly meant to negotiate.
The ponies pulling the chariot stopped in front of the line of Men-O-War. "I am Princess Celestia of Equestria," the tall pony announced in loud, accented Cygnaran as she stepped off of her glittering chariot. "I would parley with Kommander Izak Harkevich, for I am told he leads this force."
"Very well then!" Harkevich called, "I will be with you shortly." His Cygnaran was less than perfect, but it had served him well enough in his previous Equestrian encounters. He was wary of an assassination attempt, but given the situation, Celestia was in far more danger than he. Harkevich edged between a Man-O-War and a Devastator, wary of snipers on the railway above, but confident that Celestia would not risk her own life for his. After all, Khador had many warcasters, but Equestian Princesses were in short supply. "Tell me, Princess, have you come to surrender?" The warcaster asked jovially, consciously failing to bow as he noticed that the gleaming armor worn by the Princess bore a sleek, brushed-steel arcane turbine. Normally warcasters could sense the presence of others who shared their powers, but Harkevich quickly theorized that pony magic might be so alien to the Iron Kingdoms that Celestia simply did not register to his arcane senses.
"Yesterday my messengers informed you that if these walls and your forces were not removed by now, there would be violence," Celestia said evenly. One of her eyes was hidden behind her mane, but the other met Harkevich's gaze and seemed to bore into the warcaster's very soul. "I feel a need to make one last attempt at diplomacy, however, so I have come to offer a compromise."
Harkevich had only been given limited leeway to negotiate, but he thought that if he leveraged it well enough he could at least secure further discussion. With that in mind, he asked, "and what is the offered agreement?"
"Simple. You leave now, and we will remove the walls ourselves," Celestia said flatly. "I am even willing to provide you with coal and water, should your warjacks and iron-clad men prove unable to make the trip back with your current supplies."
Harkevich shook his head regretfully, "Princess, I am sorry, but we cannot leave until you offer to surrender. Please, for the good of your people, submit without violence. Khador will take good care of your citizens, you have my word."
"I am well informed regarding the conditions of those Khador calls its citizens," Celestia said bluntly, "how many residents of your capitol froze to death this past winter, their coal seized by your dictators for their military pet projects? How many people are murdered in the streets by cruel men with masters who avoid justice by financing your government? And how many of the Winter Guard standing behind you are conscripts who will fight and die for Khador because they were forced to, not because of their trust in their homeland and their willingness to fight for it? If I had my way, I wouldn't even trust Khador's own people to your government's care, much less my little ponies. As long as there is breath in my lungs and blood in my heart, Equestria will not surrender to your tyrant empress."
Harkevich lowered Minister from his shoulder and took up a fighting stance. "I did not appreciate the implication that those sacrifices were without meaning, nor the accusation that Empress Vanar has anything but her peoples' best interests in mind." His voice had lost its jovial tone, "and it would seem that we have nothing more to discuss."
"On that, at least, we can agree. Retreat or die, Kommander Harkevich, Equestria will no longer tolerate your presence." Suddenly, for reasons Harkevich could only assume involved Celestia's magic, the flag of truce burst into flames, burning to ash almost instantly. Just as the five Men-O-War nearest Celestia fired their shield cannons, there was a blinding flash of light.
Harkevich held Minister in front of himself protectively and waited for his vision to clear. After a few moments, he could see well enough to see that Celestia and her charioteers had vanished, though the chariot remained, badly dented by the shells meant for its owner. "Hold position!" Harkevich ordered as some of the Men-O-War made to move forward. The ponies were gone, but something felt wrong.
That was when the first shell struck. The explosive fell on the soldiers behind the wall, detonating with a blast that rivaled the shells of Winter Guard mortars, killing several of the soldiers instantly. "Into the tunnel!" Harkevich bellowed, taking cover behind the Devastator as he looked through the eyes of his warjacks to search for the source of the artillery shell. More shells pounded the Khadorans, striking down Winter Guard and Man-O-War alike, and even denting several warjacks, as the force fell back to the safety of the tunnel entrance. The projectiles fell like rain, but Harkevich's armor and power field protected him from the blasts. His soldiers did not fare as well, and by the time they were safe, more than half the Winter Guard had been struck down, and several Men-O-War were dead or immobilized. Suddenly, a rifleman near the tunnel entrance fired a shot into the sky.
"In the air, Kommander!" The rifleman said to Harkevich by way of explanation as he loaded a fresh round. The warcaster looked to the skies, and saw a sight he could scarcely believe.
The Prikaz Chancellery had information regarding Cygnar's attempts to create a large balloon with a basket that could carry men, but they had abandoned the project due to the utter inability of persons in the basket to steer the craft. Equestria had clearly solved that problem, for above the tunnel floated half a dozen ships, each similar to a small naval battleship, and each borne by a single vast, oblong balloon attached to it by several stout ropes. Each ship had several hatches set into the bottom of her hull, and from these hatches more shells dropped as Harkevich watched.
The sharp-eyed rifleman fired another shot, but it fell short. That the flying ships could not be reached by Winter Guard rifles boded ill, as they were the longest-ranged weapons available to Harkevich's forces. "Kommander?" The rifleman asked, "why don't they cast shadows? It's just after noon, the ships' shadows should be right underneath them."
"Equestrian magic, no doubt," Harkevich said, "they must have arcanists aboard who can cause the sun's light pass through the ships without creating a shadow." The warcaster wondered if this was what the ponies had meant by the sun being his enemy as distant explosions echoed through the tunnels. Evidently the other entrances were facing similar attacks.
The rain of bombs slowed as a large force of ponies and warjacks rounded the mountainside. A trio of Nomad warjacks lead the group, with four Rovers following, the seven of them together forming a wedge. Amid this warjack formation walked Princess Celestia, wings folded and horn glowing. To either side of this wedge marched Talon warjacks, four to a side, shields raised defensively. Behind the battlegroup spread a phalanx of earth ponies with unicorns interspersed among them and pegasi above. Several of the pegasi appeared to be dragging small clouds using their hooves, another mystery Harkevich mentally attributed to inexplicable pony magic. All of the ponies had white coats and gleaming golden armor. The warjacks' hulls were painted a muted off-white, with several details picked out in brass.
"Riflemen, forward!" Harkevich ordered as he willed Black Ivan and the Destroyer to either side of the cave entrance. His squads of Winter Guard riflemen lined up as close to the entrance as they could without being struck by shrapnel from the still-falling explosives. As the Equestrian formation approached, the bombing stopped completely, and the riflemen cautiously moved forward, right to the edge of the tunnel entrance. The Kommander rapidly began weighing every tactical option he could think of in light of the current situation.
Kommander Oleg Strakhov never refused a mission, even when given the option. Be it pitched battles against impossible odds, suicidally dangerous black operations, or anything in between, Strakhov would mobilize with his riot gun in his hands, a few cinder bombs on his bandolier, and whatever warjacks and personnel the mission required. He had rolled out a large force of troops and significant warjack support for the siege on Canterlot. His personal warjack, Torch, had been wrecked in battle recently, and while the machine's cortex had been salvaged, the body had not. It would be some time before the requisite modifications would be finished on another Decimator body for Torch's cortex to inhabit, and Strakhov found himself missing the warjack's wrist-mounted flamethrower and shoulder-borne smoke bomb launchers. To compensate for Torch's absence, Strakhov had brought a pair of standard Decimators, which lacked most of Torch's armaments, but at least shared its rip saw on the left arm. Decimators lacked open fists, instead bearing an unusual firearm called a dozer cannon. The dozer boasted modest range, high firepower, and a pair of barrels for linked fire. Dozers lacked area-effect capabilities, making them less than ideal for crowd control -Torch's flamethrower made it much better at dealing with massed infantry. As anti-personnel warjacks, Starkhov had brought a pair of Destroyers for the explosive shells of their bombard cannons. Also in Strakhov's battlegroup were the Juggernauts practically ubiquitous in Khadoran military forces. These warjacks were arrayed around Strakhov, who stood in front of the barricade on the rail line connecting Canterlot Mountain to Ponyville and, further along the line, Appleloosa and Dodge Junction. While Ponyville had a branch of Engines Equestria, their output was surprisingly small, even for a new steamworks, and Strakhov had reasoned that any response from that direction would likely involve large numbers of soldiers and few warjacks. On the other hand, word of a warcaster in Ponyville prompted Strakhov to watch over the tunnel entrance personally.
Surrounding the Kommander and his warjacks were his own masses of soldiers. While the other warcasters led mixed forces, Kommander Strakhov required only his Assault Kommandos, members of a new combat discipline created by the Kommander himself, most of them armed with a carbine that carried an under-slung grenade launcher and a bayonet. Assault Kommandos loaded their launchers with alchemical grenades that created clouds of choking gas, from which the Kommandos themselves were protected by their high-grade gas masks. The lenses in their masks were even treated with a valuable mixture that gave them a supernatural ability to see through smoke and fog. Assault Kommandos carried heavy, spiked shields and wore leather and metal armor alchemically treated to protect the wearers from fire and acids. The protection from fire was particularly useful in the presence of the Kommando Flamethrowers, who forewent the standard carbine in favor of a large nozzle attached to a sectioned metal hose that fed yet another alchemical agent from a large tank strapped to the Kommando's back. This volatile mixture tended to cling to anything it touched, and -more importantly- burst into flames on contact with air, making Kommando Flamethrowers terrifyingly effective in close quarters. Strakhov had created the Assault Kommandos only a few years previously, in an attempt to counter Cygnaran trench warfare tactics, and already some high-ranking Khadoran officials were suggesting that they represented the future of Khadoran infantry.
It was with equal parts shock and chagrin that Strakhov witnessed a three foot long, oblong metal object fall from the sky in the midst of his Assault Kommandos and explode with incredible force. Resisting the urge to release a five-language litany of profanities with a blasphemy garnish, the Kommander instead called out orders to fall back into the tunnel as more explosives fell. One of them hit a Juggernaut dead center, ripping a hole in its hull and tearing its boiler wide open. The shock wave from this bomb staggered Starkhov as shrapnel and scrap metal ricocheted off his armor's power field. Looking up, Starkhov saw the source of the bomb: A warship inexplicably floating in midair. suspended by a massive, oblong balloon. Strakhov quickly looked around and counted a total of six of these flying battleships, each inexplicably failing to cast a shadow as bombs descended from ports in their hulls. He let loose a comment about the Great Fathers that would have made him extremely unpopular in Rhul as he hastily followed his troops into the tunnel. A well-placed bomb snapped the rip saw off of one of the Decimators as it followed Strakhov into the tunnel.
Strakhov muttered a few curses, one of them in Llaelese just for flavor, as he considered the situation. He had heard rumors that Equestria had flying ships, but never had it even been hinted that the vessels might be armed. In retrospect, it made sense, and Strakhov was already considering the potential of these ships as troop transports. He found himself considering the possibility of capturing one of the ships, but could see no way to get himself aboard one unless the ponies decided to land the ship close enough to the cave that he could blitz it, which seemed an unreasonable hope. While the bombing had stopped now that his surviving forces were entirely within the tunnel, the ponies seemed perfectly happy to keep their flying ships in the sky. Strakhov found himself frustrated. The ships kept his men from leaving the tunnel, and he could only assume that similar attacks had occurred at the other entrances. As he mulled the situation over in his mind, Strakhov heard the unmistakable screech of a braking train.
Princess Celestia spread her wings and ascended to hover just above her warjacks, gazing across the battlefield. She could see a line of Khadorans leveling rifles at her from the tunnel, flanked by a pair of cannon-wielding warjacks. She took a deep breath and activated the Royal Canterlot Voice. "THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE! KOMMANDER HARKEVICH, SURRENDER NOW! NO MORE LIVES NEED BE LOST!"
The Khadoran warjacks and riflemen fired all at once, but their bullets and shells fell short of Celestia's forces. The soldiers quickly rearranged their formation to allow a Devastator and several Men-O-War to move forward and take defensive stances.
"VERY WELL!" Celestia declared, "ROYAL GUARD, FORWARD!" She dropped to her hooves and urged her wedge of heavy warjacks into a run. The Talons, encouraged by talented, if inexperienced, 'jack marshals, accelerated to keep up with her battlegroup. Behind and above the machines moved the massed forces of Canterlot's Solar Royal Guard. In front of them, Harkevich pushed his Demolishers into a run as well, sending his great machines to intercept their Equestrian counterparts with shield arms closed protectively around their bodies. The Weather Patrol ponies surged ahead, lowering their clouds to meet the Khadoran warjacks. As the warjacks neared the clouds, the pegasi started bolt bucking, kicking the clouds to sling precisely-aimed lightning at the oncoming warjacks. Some of the Demolishers staggered, their cortexes disrupted, but others continued forward to meet the Equestrian formation. Celestia's lead Nomad hit the lead Demolisher sword first, carving a deep rent in its shield arm, but failing to cause any internal damage.
Anticipating what would happen next, Celestia surrounded the ponies behind her Nomads in a protective aura as the Demolisher opened its shell and used its massive fists to lift her Nomad and toss it into the formation, causing ponies to scatter as the six-ton machine came crashing down. As the Nomad struggled to regain its footing, the Demolisher fired its shoulder cannons into the mass of ponies. The explosions and shrapnel from the shells had little effect against Celestia's magically-shielded troops, and another of Celestia's Nomads drove its blade deep into the Demolisher's now-exposed torso. Elsewhere, Celestia's Rovers and the marshaled Talons were managing to bring down the other Demolishers, with more than a little help from the Weather Patrol's lightning. Three of the Talons and two Rovers were lost in the effort, and the lead Nomad had landed awkwardly, its left knee and ankle crippled. This damage did nothing to discourage the machine, as it lugged itself forward with sword and buckler at the ready. Celestia's ponies rushed the Khadoran line from behind the remaining warjacks, many of them warded by Celestia's golden magic. Harkevich sent his Devastators forward with one of his Kodiaks and the remaining Men-O-War Shocktroopers. One of Celestia's Rovers pounded a Man-O-War with a backhanded blow from its shield, then fired a shot from its shield cannon into the soldier's chest while almost simultaneously sinking its axe into another Shocktrooper's shoulder. Both Men-O-War fell, but the Kodiak rushed in behind them. The Rover raised its shield just in time to block a blow from the Kodiak's right fist, and the Khadoran 'jack caught the Rover's axe arm in its left hand. As the Equestrian machine struggled to free itself, Men-O-War surrounded it and began cutting it down with their axes. The Rover collapsed, but not before firing a shield cannon round into the Kodiak's torso, cracking its thick armor. A Devastator plowed into Celestia's final Rover, opening its massive shield arms to tear the Rover's cannon shield off its arm and batter the warjack into the ground. As several Royal Guard pegasi descended on the Devastator, it fired a series of small grenades from the tubes set into its shoulders, but a glowing aura surrounding the pegasi -courtesy of a nearby unicorn pony- deflected the shrapnel, protecting the ponies as they battered the warjack's exposed arm mechanisms with their hooves. Another Devastator's cortex was disrupted by Weather Patrol lightning, and it was set upon by all three of Celestia's Nomads, which managed to pound through the machine's slabs of armor and bring it down. Yet another Devastator charged forward to replace its fallen brother, destroying the head of the Nomad with the crippled leg, only to be laid low by the remaining Nomads. Men-O-War charged in, their annihilator axes biting deep into the remaining Nomads' armor, damaging vital systems in the process. A blast of raw sunlight consumed the Men-O-War, but not before the Nomad collapsed. Celestia gazed down on the battlefield, watching everything that occurred.
Chevalier charged brutally into one of Strakhov's Decimators, its right blade punching into the Khadoran warjack's hull as its left blade ruined the Decimator's shoulder, crippling its rip saw. Driven by Shining Armor's magic, Chevalier drew its blade out of the Decimator's hull and drove it back in, punching clear through the warjack's torso to puncture its boiler. The modified Nomad stepped back as the Decimator collapsed, holdings its blades defensively in front of its body. Chevalier ignored the Assault Kommando carbine bullets as they riccoched off its hull. A Kommando Flamethrower ruined the paint on Chevalier's left arm, but caused no significant damage. A standard-issue Nomad trampled into the closely-grouped Kommando unit, swinging its blade with wild abandon. Shining Armor mentally chided himself for being so careful with Chevalier, he couldn't help but worry that his attachment to the machine might be impacting his ability to utilize it properly. He did not begrudge himself the Nomad hanging back near Cadance, unwilling to leave her safety entirely to her own battlegroup if the enemy broke through his front line. No pony could deny Cadance's skill as a warcaster, but all of her warjacks were focused on ranged combat, as befit her talents, but most of them sacrificed close-quarters prowess for their long-range power. Shining Armor's evaluation was that Cadance could only rely on Percuteur and her two Rovers in melee combat, he doubted the ability of her Mules and Fusiliers to overcome Juggernauts.
Cadance paid no mind to Shining's Nomad, she was too focused on pouring arcane might into her warjacks. Percuteur was taking time to charge its force bolters between shots, allowing for greater firing range, and had joined her three Mules -standing still to channel steam into their cannons for a similar range boost- in a standing shootout with Strakhov's Destroyers. Cadance knew that if the Khadorans did not intervene, her warjacks would soon claim victory, having the advantage in both numbers and accuracy against their admittedly more durable opponents.
Shining Armor's concerns proved to be well-founded as three Juggernauts rushed Cadance's battlegroup. Shining's protective Nomad intercepted one, losing its left arm to the Juggernaut's axe before one of Cadance's Rovers joined it to bring down the Khadoran 'jack. The other Rover interposed itself between Cadance and another Juggernaut as Percuteur hastened to join it. The third Juggernaut withstood a battering of steam lobber shells and force bolts to close on two of Cadance's Fusiliers, its axe tearing through the power field, hull, and cortex of one of the light warjacks with a single blow. The other raised its tower shield ineffectually, only to have the Juggernaut yank the shield -and the arm- off the 'jack with its free hand before bashing the Fusilier to scrap. As Percuteur and the second Rover brought down their Juggernaut, the third withstood another battering of steam lobber shells. A final shell ripped a hole in the Juggernaut's hull, into which Shining's Nomad drove its sword, ruining the Juggernaut's cortex. Cadance's 'jacks fell back into formation and returned to shelling the Destroyers. One of the machines collapsed under the pummeling of steam lobber shells as Starkhov pulled the other back.
For Harkevich and his soldiers, who knew Princess Celestia only through this battle, the typical Equestrian view of her as a kind and gentle leader would have seemed absurd. They saw her as a four-legged death bringer, flying above the battlefield with her escort of Royal Guard pegasi. Celestia created bursts of searing light within the Khadoran ranks, killing by sheer heat the soldiers who did not simply vanish in the centers of the blinding spheres. Whenever Harkevich tried to bolster his troops with spells of his own, the Princess would release a pulse of light that undid his magic. Occasionally, Celestia would surround her escorting ponies in a radiant white aura and send them at a target, their hooves striking down Men-O-War in one blow or denting and cracking warjack armor. Whenever she did this, Celestia herself would teleport away, issuing commands to the rest of her forces from within their midst before rejoining her escort in the skies. When her final two Nomads were wrecked by Harkevich's Destroyers, Celestia and her pegasi descended upon the offending warjacks like avenging angels. Celestia landed behind two of the Destroyers, which were standing shoulder-to-shoulder, and drove an armored hoof through each warjack's boiler, releasing jets of pressurized steam as the machines collapsed. Celestia tolerated the cloud of flesh-searing steam without so much as flinching. That was when Kommander Harkevich called for his remaining troops to fall back.
Oleg Strakhov's Assault Kommandos withdrew under covering fire from his remaining Decimator and Destroyer, taking potshots at vulnerable ponies with their carbines as they backed into the tunnel. His men and 'jacks had managed to bring down a number of Equestrian warjacks, and the Kommandos had eliminated a large number of ponies, even though many of the unicorns could cast spells which made themselves and their fellows proof against the Kommando Flamethrowers' alchemical weaponry. The Khadoran losses, however, were too high, and Strakhov knew that he would lose purely on attrition if he didn't change his tactics. With that in mind, he set a few squads of Kommandos to blocking off the tunnel with sandbags while his Destroyer continued to fire on the ponies, keeping them from rushing the entrance. Strakhov knew that the ponies' remaining heavy 'jacks could probably withstand the Destroyer's shells long enough to reach the wall, but they would be stopped by the sandbags, hopefully long enough for his forces to bring them down. In any case, the ponies commanding the Equestrian forces seemed unwilling to commit to charging the tunnel, apparently content to back out of the Destroyer's range and wait. Strakhov gave the sandbag barrier a quick once-over before sending runners to the forces stationed at the other tunnel entrances.
Forward Kommander Sorscha Kratikoff was confused. This was a rare occurrence for the veteran warcaster, yet the ponies had managed it. She had taken a large contingent of Men-O-War and Winter Guard to the southeast entrance to the Canterlot Mountain tunnels, expecting significant Equestrian forces, backed up by a large number of warjacks, to come down the rail line from Baltimare. If the Prikaz Chancellory were to be believed -and when it came to the enemy, they usually were- Black Anchor Baltimare released more warjacks each day then both Engines Equestria locations combined, their workforce bolstered by former shipwrights who turned to the 'jack works for employment when Baltimare suddenly ceased to be a coastal city. Engines Equestria's Ponyville branch reportedly produced very few warjacks, even for such a small operation, though the Chancellery suspected that branch of some other activities, as some Greylords had stopped reporting in after informing their superiors that they were investigating something called 'Project Red River'.
Kratikoff had thought that fortifying the entrance closest to Baltimare would be a sound move, and her fellow Khadoran warcasters had agreed. However, while flying ships bearing high explosives had driven her force into the tunnel, she'd seen neither mane nor tail of the ponies themselves, and not even a single Equestrian rivet. She could plainly see the clearly superior Khadoran rivets in the armor of her warjacks and Men-O-War, but the no doubt second-rate Equestrian fasteners, and the warjack armor they were meant to hold in place, were nowhere to be seen. The warcaster looked to her own warjacks, a relatively small compliment of three Juggernauts and her personal warjack, Beast 09.
Kratikoff rarely formed attachments to her warjacks the way other warcasters did, designating each with a number and leaving it at that. She spent her 'jacks with no remorse, replacing them as needed. One of her Juggernauts, 05, was the eighth to bear that number. It had replaced the seventh 05, a Marauder, when that machine was wrecked by Cygnarans in the Thornwood. Beast 09, however, was special. Its cortex had awakened in the heat of battle, giving it a tenacity unmatched by man, machine, or monster. Beast 09 had outlasted all the warjacks Kratikoff had been issued before it, and most of the 'jacks that had been issued after it, though it was likely only a matter of time before those machines fell. At times, Beast 09 continued to fight even when its systems seemed to be entirely compromised, apparently driven only by its desire to win the current battle. Though it still bore its number, it was the only of Kratikoff's warjacks to have a name, and it also had a deeply personal bond with its master that gave it an echo of Kratikoff's power over cold and ice. Due to this bond, Beast 09 was surrounded by an aura of freezing cold while its furnace was lit, its armored shoulders and the ground around its feet covered in a thin dusting of snow -moisture in the air that froze around the warjack. The soldiers under Kratikoff's command quickly learned to avoid Beast 09's freezing aura, as those lacking her near-immunity to cold would suffer debilitating hypothermia in mere seconds. This dangerous aura was considered an asset, despite the threat posed to friendly combatants. Enemies were often unaware of its effects, and even when they were, they had difficulty escaping it if Beast 09 turned its attention to them. The deadly chill could even freeze warjack joints, a more reliable version of the Juggernauts' ice axes. Shortly after Kratikoff granted Beast 09 its name, she had its stock ice axe replaced with a custom-made, far-superior weapon named Ice Breaker. This weapon had its own freezing effects, evidenced by the rime of ice on its blade. She had also had the machine upgraded with a heavier boiler similar to those of the Kodiak, which gave Beast 09 greater mobility to help satisfy its aggressive desire for combat.
It was at the tunnel entrance, next to Beast 09, that Kratikoff found herself deep in thought, occasionally shaking herself from her reverie to telepathically reign in her favored warjack. Beast 09 longed to rush out into the open and find some way to attack the enemy airships. The dent in Beast 09's right shoulder only heightened its rage, as did the multitude of fallen Winter Guard and Men-O-War lying outside on the ground. The warjack found it unforgivable that the enemy would damage its master's valuable military assets, never mind their cowardice of causing such damage from the skies.
"Forward Kommander Kratikoff!" Two messengers, one Winter Guard and one Assault Kommando, interrupted the warcaster's thoughts at the same time.
"You first," Kratikoff looked to the Winter Guard runner.
"Kommander Harkevich sent me. The upper tunnel entrance is besieged by Equestrian ground forces, led by a warcaster!" The soldier replied.
"Kommander Strakhov is in similar circumstances at the southwest entrance," the Assault Kommando said as Kratikoff turned to him, "except he faces two warcasters."
"I will lead a portion of my forces to support Kommander Strakhov," Kratikoff told both runners, "inform your Kommanders at once."
"Yes, Forward Kommander!" Both soldiers saluted, then ran into the darkness of the tunnel.
"Kommander Strakhov, what is your situation?" Sorscha Kratikoff asked without preamble.
"Kommander Kratikoff, I am in dire straits." Oleg Strakhov answered with similar bluntness. "I have lost all but three warjacks, and more than half of my Assault Kommandos. Before the bombs fell, my men would have outnumbered the ponies, but their numbers were superior to mine by the time their train arrived."
"Tell me you have at least weakened their forces."
"I have made them pay a heavy toll in soldiers and hardware for what they've done. They have lost more warjacks than I, and I've reduced their troop numbers to the point that our superior weaponry once again gives us an advantage."
"And yet you do not strike back? Ah, I see, the flying ships are still present."
"Yes, and I'm not convinced they've run out of bombs."
"Such a strange people they are," Kratikoff said, "they claim to have enjoyed two millenia of peace, yet look how ready they are for war. Why do you think they do not attack us within the tunnels?"
"I can only guess, but I think it may be a kind of spite," Strakhov replied, "we laid siege to their capitol city, so now they lay siege to us. It cannot last, however."
"True. Reinforcements could arrive at any time," Kratikoff said, "No forces have even come from Baltimare, but a contingent could be on its way even now. Both of Engines Equestria's facilities continue to produce warjacks, as well."
"And there's this mysterious Project Red River. The Chancellery hasn't even been able to determine what it is, but if Engines Equestria is working on it, but must be some kind of warjack, yes?"
"That seems like a safe assumption. It must be a very special 'jack, given all the effort they've put into concealing its manufacture. Putting that aside, what do you propose we do?"
Strakhov grunted. "I honestly can't recall the last time I've suggested this, but I think we need to retreat. The enemy has the ability to bring in more soldiers, weapons, and warjacks at any time, we do not. They can strike us from the sky, where we cannot retaliate. If we are taken prisoner, we may never see the Motherland again."
"Indeed. I would prefer to avoid further losses. Soldiers are not meant to be spent needlessly. The question is, will they let us leave?"
"The northeast exit is closest to Khador. I do not know whether the airships will be able to spot if we use the same strategy that brought us here. Let's send a runner to Harkevich and see what he thinks."
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So let's see... Celestia has anywhere from 8 to 10 focus. Teleport or Gatecrasher, Sunburst, Purify, Deceleration/Defender's Ward?, Battlelust or Fury and is clearly quite powerful personally and potentially a weapon master. High mobility too with flight. Large base though, but who cares...
Still haven't seen her feat, but I expect it's hideously potent. Luna's was pretty intimidating breaking even Butcher's rage.
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here is what the author posted in the Warmachine Forums as Celestias Gamestats:
source: The nigthmare empire meets my little Pony post #1261
This is why you never piss off the princesses. There's really only one caster that can help the Khadorians now- ...oh crap. *starts looking for scrapjack*
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You're right, Celestia has not popped feat yet. SilverBrony kind of spoiled it, though you'll still have to wait and see what motivates her to crack it off.
Quite the captivating story, I must say. I must also applaud you for achieving something few have been able to do; peak my interest in a game. I'm quite befuddled that I haven't heard of this game before, with all the amazing lore and epic battles. I'll be looking forward to the next chapter as well as any future chapters and stories.
Sincerely, BlueMoon865
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Definitely missing a spell there. Something that lets her (at the listed profile) and her pegasi guards to crack warjack level armor, Khadoran warjack level armor even. Honestly, yes... that profile is balanced for a caster, but Celestia is not a 'balanced' character by any means. Looking at what Twilight was able to do with all 4 of the alicorns powers it's pretty clear that even one fourth of that is still right up there with IK's Dragons. Twilight was able to take a hit that plowed her through a mountain, and emit a beam which would level cities. 1/4th of that is more than able to punch a hole clean through a colossus.
'Real' Stats for Celestia would probably be somewhere along the lines of...
Spd 8(ground)/16(flight), Str 16, Mat 7, Rat 7, Def 14, Arm 18, 50+ boxes with 10 focus, if not much much more. I point to Twilight's lifting of Ursa Major or rebuilding of a dam as examples of extreme magical potency, and that was pre-alicorn. Demigod level stats, yes... but she is a demigod, so it's appropriate.
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I suspect Old Witch would look at Celestia and be like... Nope... not worth the trouble! Plus this is outside of Khador, she doesn't have nearly as much influence outside of it's borders. Old Witch is kinda interesting though... still curious what exactly she is.
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When creating that profile on the forums, I tried to keep Celestia balanced, or at least not soul-eatingly overpowered, but here, balance isn't a factor, and we've got us a steaming-mad alicorn on our hands. I don't know what spell she's upkeeping on those pegasi, but they're definately cracking off some 4d6 charge damage rolls.