Magic Gear Solid: Broken Balance

by Barrobroadcaster

Into the Woods

Twilight dashed from shade to shade as she galloped to the edge of the Everfree Forest. There were still patrols left in town but fewer than there had been before. Twilight was easily able to evade them as she hurried through the outskirts of Ponyville. Within a few moments, the town was behind her and she entered the forest.

"Twilight, we're listening in on the enemy comms through Saber's headset. Vice's forces have moved the Ponyville prisoners into the forest in order to mine materials and ship them to Canterlot. They've paved a road into the Everfree in order to extend the rail road into the forest but it's not finished yet." Octavia said over Twilight's communicator. Twilight did notice the development as she passed the trees into the forest. A flattened path of bare ground lead right through the trees cutting a swath through the underbrush. Twilight followed it into the Everfree.

Saber's voice appeared over the comms. "All that construction should make the prison compound easier to find but there will be heavy security along the path to the mining site. Keep your eyes open." he warned her. Twilight still didn't know if she trusted the dog or his story yet. He could be leading them right into a trap. There didn't seem to be any other options though so the only thing Twilight could do is be extra cautious. She tried to keep herself in the shade of the trees off to the side as she followed the path into the woods.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town...

Dagger's handcart stopped just in front of the train. The air smelled too sweet as Dagger and the two soldiers with him stepped off at the Ponyville train station. The buildings, the colors, the scenary was all too vibrant for the dog commander. Dagger was used to matte blacks and grays; he grew up in a series of caves connected by an underground tunnel network. The ponies and their society were all too sweet for his taste. Hopefully, his business here wouldn't take long and he'd be back at the castle with the first shipment.

Two gaurds greeted him as he walked alongside the tracks to the train. "Sir, we are on schedule at this point. The first shipment will have to be carted here but by the time it arrives at the castle, we should complete the extensions to the railroad so the train can stop straight at the dig site."

"Good. Lord Vice is getting impatient. I'm going to be overseeing the operations until the first materials arrive." Dagger announced. "Have we had any problems from the prisoners?"

The first gaurd hesitated before answering. "There have been a few incidents and a few patrols have gone missing. But everything is still in order." Dagger's jaw clenched. He may have to head to the prison compound to make sure there weren't any problems. They couldn't afford a setback now. He couldn't afford a setback now. Something about the air smelled too sweet to him.

Judging by the way the others reacted upon his arrival, Luna guessed the new dog with the red stripes on his armor had to be a 'top-dog' or something. She hid in the shadows and was close enough to listen into the conversation.

"Make sure we stay on schedule. Double the patrols to the excavation site. And get that shipment on the train immediately. I don't want to have to stand amongst this filth for very long." Dagger barked orders. The two soldiers that gaurded the train station began talking into their headsets and moved to obey their commander.

Dagger examined the train. "This is the train? Fantastic." he remarked sarcastically. "We're going to have to modify this... thing."

"It should be adequate for the first shipment... shouldn't it sir?" one of the soldiers asked nervously.

"It will be fine for the first shipment yes. We can't afford to waste time. When we do finally have RAM up and running, I want this entire town razed."

Luna was shocked to here that. Destroy Ponyville? The same way they destroyed Cloudsdale?! She began to feel rage build inside her.

"Disgusting ponies. All this pathetic nonsense. Entire civilization of fools." Dagger declared. He didn't like ponies and he wasn't afraid to admit it. Although his boss was a pony, he didn't care for the rest of them. Had he been in charge, he would consider liquidizing the prison labor force after they were done.

Dagger turned to one of the gaurds. "Put more pressure on the prisoners. Don't be afraid to make an example out of one or two of them." The soldier nodded. Luna had had enough.

"HOW DARE YOU TORTURE MY CITIZENS!" her voice boomed as she made her presence known. The dogs turned to face her.

"It's the sister! Open fire!" Dagger shouted to his men. They fired at her with the weapons fixed on their arms while taking cover behind the handcart. Luna summoned a barrier in front of her and the weapons fire was absorbed. She advanced on them with her horn glowing.

"Call in reinforcements! Take her down!" he called. Two of the dogs shouted into their headsets as Luna unleashed a blast from her horn. It bounced harmlessly off one of the dog's armor pieces. Luna was shocked to see the lack of effect her magic had. At the same time she watched as their own strange weapons batter her barrier. Unlike the dog's armor which deflected her spells, her shield absorbed the beams of light fired from their metal wrists. Unlike the armor, her shield was weakening.

Dagger noticed the pony's own purple barrier flickering as it took blast after blast of his soldier's wrist-mounted lasers. Still, the dark-blue alicorn advanced on him and unleashed spells from her glowing horn. Quickly, his tactical mind worked. He noticed the pony was walking along the tracks. He pulled the release for the brake on the cart. Motioning his squad with a quick hand gesture, they pushed the cart into the alicorn. The shield broke as the cart crashed through it, knocking Luna down. In an instant, Dagger climbed over the cart and aimed his right blaster at the fallen princess. He took a quick moment to switch it to a non-lethal setting.

"Sweet dreams." he said to her as she looked up at him. With a smile, he fired his weapon at her. While he did consider just blasting the princess and being done with it, he thought Vice would like it better if he had the decision himself whether or not to put an end to the princess's miserable life. Also, capturing Celestia's sister would give him an excuse to get back to Canterlot sooner. "How much of the material has been loaded onto the train already?"

"We're about half way to a full load sir."

"Then let's get it moving to the castle now."

"Sir? Our orders were to-"

"I'm aware of the situation. RAM is still in need of repairs and it's going to take more material to do that. This one found us, it's only a matter of time before a full counterattack so we need RAM up and running as soon as possible. Vice should be pleased to have the sister as well. We'll bring her to him. Load her onto the train and make ready for departure. Now." Dagger barked. Luna's unconcious body was placed on board the train. Dagger gave Ponyville one last look as the train left the station. Soon, maybe a city of his own would take the place of this disgusting town. Hopefully soon, he thought.

Comments

[Agent_Smith]

again another good chap but why did it take so long mate?

[Agent_Smith]

but still a good chap

[Barrobroadcaster]

2212298A couple reasons, for one I'm just not good at writing the slow stuff and my motivation reflects it. Also, I'm working on several simultaneous projects and I want to give them all the attention they deserve. Finally, this crossover is going to be long so I feel it's good to pace myself, not rush. But thank you for asking.