//------------------------------// // Chapter Twelve: Affairs Of Darkness. Part III // Story: Heroes and Allies // by LewisClarke //------------------------------// Author's Notes. I know, it's about time, right? Lynolius here, thanking all of those who've read this story! Ten Thousand Combined Chapter views for the win! Well, enjoy! Chapter Twelve. Affairs Of Darkness. Part III The familiar klaxons blared over the darkness of the night in Ponyville. Anypony with weapons had gone off to stall the approaching army, leaving medical staffs to manage the evacuation. A brick crashed through a storefront window. "Come on, we can't do this!" a young pony desperately pleaded. "Says who? This town's doomed anyway." another young pony spoke gloomily. "But-" "But nothin'. Now hurry up before sompony sees!" The two ponies hopped through the hole in the glass, pilfered anything that their saddlebags could carry, and quickly galloped away. Fluttershy could only look on. "Come on Fluttershy! We're leaving!" Nurse Redheart called out to the timid pegasus. She snapped out of her daze and briskly trotted over to a large caravan of carts, stretchers, wheeled beds, and physicians. Most families had a single cart to carry any belongings they could gather, pulled by the parents. Among the foals riding in the carts, Fluttershy could not make out a single smile. She looked on as the distant sounds of batle didn't even seem to faze them anymore. "You looked out of it over there. You okay?" the concerned nurse spoke. "Uhm. Yeah. Just, I don't know, tired." Fluttershy mumbled then began to dig into here bag. "I brought the supplies." "You've been quite the help around here, but we still need all the help we can get. Take these antibiotics to the back of the caravan. That's were the wounded are being cared for." Fluttershy nodded. "Okay. How many are hurt?" "Too many I'm afraid. Most are being cared for at the other medical outposts. But there are several dozen ponies that have been brought here for treatment. There are also twenty-seven humans back there at my last check." "Twenty-seven? I didn't know that many human soldiers we're here. Where did they come from?" another nurse asked. A human doctor walked up to the group. "You forget, the capsule seated more than seventy, and a few more arrived with the helicopters." the doctor explained "Including me, there are, or were, one hundred and thirty one humans in Equestria. Thirty of us are scientist. The rest are military and workers, and we're quickly running out of both." The ponies (and other humans) all looked at the human quizzically, as if they weren't expecting such a specific answer. "Uhh, okay?" Nurse Redheart answered. "Fluttershy, better get those meds back there then." Fluttershy put the medicine in her bag and began to make her way to the back. Distant bowfire, gunfire and the general sounds of a battle assaulted the poor ponies mind. About halfway, she noticed Twilight and Rarity passed out in their beds. I hope they're just sleeping. Fluttershy thought. She looked at their clipboards to find out. Twilight and Rarity stirred. "Don't stress over us, Fluttershy. We're fine." Twilight opened her eyes and spoke. "You should go help those that aren't." "You mustn't worry so much, darling." Rarity stressed her accent. "We'll be up and galloping in no time." Fluttershy nodded. "Okay." She left her friends and continued toward the back of the evacuation line. "Twilight, you still haven't told me just what's going on." Rarity spoke. "Sorry, you keep drifting in and out, and I wasn't sure if you we're going to stay conscious." "Drifting? Whatever are you talking about? The last thing I remember was going to the Ga- The Gala! Twilight? Care to explain?" "There was an attack." Twilight simply stated. "By whom?" Rarity questioned. "A huge army of non-ponies called the "Liberation Alliance." "Non-ponies?" "Well the griffins are the only ones I recognize. But there are these horned creatures called rams, and weird reptiles called pandragons." "What do they want?" "I'm not sure, I didn't wake up til after the fighting started. But judging by their name, they want to "liberate" something" "So why can't I use my magic?" Rarity finally got around to asking. Twilight sighed. "I'm not so sure. But I heard it was some kind of magic weapon they used. That's why unicorns seem to be the most affected by it." "Oh. So where are our friends?" "Applejack and Pinkie Pie said they were going to help, but they didn't say where or how. Rainbow Dash disappeared from the hospital hours ago, she was supposed to still be resting." Rarity noticed Twilight's expression changed. "Is there something else worrying you?" Rarity asked. "It's Spike. He ran off too. I told him not to, but I wasn't exactly in a place to stop him." "And you don't think he's up to it?" "No it just that-" "You're worried about him." Rarity answered. Twilight nodded. "Yeah. What about you?" "My mother and father had Sweetie Belle with them for a change. I doubt they were around when this attack started." "I hope so." Twilight spoke. "I'm sure her, Applebloom and Scootaloo will find a way to get their cutie marks out of this." Rarity looked down. "I hope not." ******************* The gunfire continued in the distance. Though Fluttershy had been told not to, she continued to worry over her friends. "Nopony has heard from Applejack, Pinkie Pie or Rainbow Dash for a while." she thought. "What if they're hurt? Or worse? Fluttershy refused to think about it. "All it will do is make me panic." The ground shook under her hooves from some distant explosion. She tightly shut her eyes in fear, and tears began to make their way down her cheeks. "Be brave, Fluttershy." she whimpered to herself. ****************** An earth pony opened his eyes. After turning his head left and right he quickly realized that either he was completely blind, or he was in complete darkness. He tried to stand, but his legs refused to move. "Where... Am I?" The earth pony heard a labored chuckle sound our from nearby. "It's best not to struggle. You are restrained, and they beat you bad" "What? Who are you? Where are you? I can't see a dang thing in here!" the pony exclaimed. "But of course! It is much harder to escape if you can't see." the voice answered. "You didn't answer my question! Where are we?" the pony asked again. "I've got nothing to do, so I'll humor you. You're in a dungeon." the voice curtly answered. "And where *groan* might this dungeon be located?" The voice chuckled again. "Who knows, I woke up here. Just like you. Though they didn't beat the stuffing outta me." "It's pitch black in here. How can you tell how injured I am?" the pony wondered. "Lets just say I have good eyes." the voice answered. "How exactly did you come to be here?" The pony sighed. "The last thing I remember was..." The pony's last memories slowly returned. "Well Mr. Bronze Leaf, we're gonna have to ask you to come with us." "I'm n-not going anywhere with y-you!" "How, unfortunate. I'm afraid we're going to have to insist. There's someone who wants to talk to you. Grab him." "No! Wait! Where are you taking me?!" "To the council." The earth pony sat up. "I was captured by enemy troops after my team was killed." "Well you obviously got away from them if you're here. How'd you escape?" "Escape? What do you mean? I'm in a dungeon." the earth pony explained. "You said you were captured by the enemy. The Equestrians didn't just let you go, did they?" "What are you talking about?" There was a slight rustling noise. "Wait, you meant us, didn't you?" the voice wondered. The earth pony would have rubbed the side of his head in confusion, but it seemed to be tied at the moment. "Who is, "us?" A blinding white light cascaded in the pony's vision. It faded to form the shape of a ram. "They will see you now. You will come with me." the ram spoke as it undid some of Bronze Leaf's restraints. "Uhh, okay." the pony responded. In his blurred vision the pony could now make out the shape of a door and a dark hallway. As the ram forced the pony to his hooves, Bronze Leaf turned around to take advantage of the new light and see who he'd been talking to all this time. He squinted his throbbing eyes and stared into the darkness. He gasped as his eyes met those of a light brown griffin. A griffin? I guess that explains the eyesight. But why is a griffin in an enemy prison? And if he could tell that I'm a pony, why did he still think I was on his side? The beaked creature scowled. "If you are going before the council, I wish you the best of luck." The ram pushed the pony out of the cell and slammed the door, returning the room to darkness. The griffin laid back in his cell. "You'll definitely need it." ******************** Mike Kaiser turned his head towards one of the cockpit windows of Bravo team's badly damaged Black Hawk helicopter. He made out two Apaches slowly approaching. One of them had a small trail of smoke behind it. "Good to see you boys finally showed up!" ...."Sorry we're late. This is Arch One and Arch Two. We ran into some, er- trouble on the way here.".... ....."That would explain the smoke. We can't afford to loose any more helicopters. If you take too much damage, the Chief says you should bug out, understand? How Copy?".... ...."Solid Copy. What's the SITREP.".... ...."Radar's got several tiny contacts approaching, but don't let that fool you. They could be dangerous. You're on defense. This copter has a small insertion team on board. You get us to Canterlot in one piece, and they might be able to covertly free some of the city's garrison of troops. Emphasis on one piece.".... ...."Alright. Be advised, we have eyes on several of those wagon tank things, forming a defensive line.".... ...."Those are battle wagons. Or BM's for short. Listen. Do NOT underestimate those things. Treat them like SAM launchers and anti air back home: if you ignore them for a second, they'll blast you out of the sky.".... Mike could have sworn he heard the pilot on the radio gulp. ....."Will do, we're moving to attack formation now. Stay behind us.".... "Alright," Mike began."When we tried the first time, the copter nearly got shredded by enemy anti air. Don't group yourselves to close or they'll be able to focus their fire." The three helicopters hovered together in a loose formation. "I just want you all to know, as soon as we rise over that hill, the excrement will impact the air conditioning unit, if you know what I mean." ...."Copy. Lets do this!".... Anti air flares exploded left and right, some close enough to shake the copters. "How 'bout we try evasive for once, Kaiser!" a riding marine jeered. "How 'bout you jump down there and stand in front of the launchers to shield us." Kaiser answered. "Sit down Henson, enjoy the ride." An anti-air flare exploded just a few feet away from the cabin, cracking the glass. "Arch, we need cover. Take out the BW's with flare guns first." Kaiser instructed. The first Apache, call-signed Arch One, pitched forward to gain speed. Arch two did the same. Behind both craft, the Black Hawk helicopter, dubbed Bravo, stayed a safe distance behind. As the three craft rose above the crest of the hill, several warnings echoed through the cabins. "Everyone grab a gun or a turret, this is about to get even worse." Mike called back. A few black ops troops rushed to man the on board turrets, the ponies grabbed their assorted weaponry, and hung out of the open doors. An AOD pony put a pair of binoculars to his eyes. "Griffins." he spoke. The AOD trooper quickly turned to the other AOD's and Black Ops troops. "They've got firebolt weapons! They'll shred us if we don't take them out now!" "What a firebolt?" a marine asked. Another human looked over to him. "It's like a gun, fully automatic, only if fires tiny rocket like projectiles instead of bullets. We lifted a few of them off of the enemy back at the battle." He now held one in his hands. The first marine looked shocked. "This thing looks like an LMG! It's belt fed and everything!" "Most enemy troops carry them as primary weapons. They're not very accurate, but can easily clear out a team of soldiers." The AOD pony explained. "I've saw them take out some of my best stallions with it." "Let's hope it doesn't happen again, because they've spotted us!" a spotter cried out. A small team of griffins swooped down from above, peppering all three choppers with their firebolt casters. "There's only half a dozen or so, but we're already taking heavy damage!" Mike kaiser announced. In the back of the Black Hawk an older human stood up and put a radio to his mouth. "This is Stuart. Arch One and Two. Focus on the ground for now. We'll take the griffins." As he spoke those very words, the chainsaw roar of the Black Hawk's rotating turrets sounded out. One griffin disappeared in an explosion of feathers. The others noticed, and chose to evade, swarming the three helicopters from different directions. The gunners strained their necks trying to keep up with them, firing round after round in vain. The AOD pony stood up and armed his crossbow. A marine gave the pony a "you can't possibly be serious" look. "You don't really think you can hit-" the marine began. The pony had already fired an arrow. The tiny spear flew straight and true toward empty space, or at least it was empty, right before a griffin occupied that space. The arrow embedded itself in the griffin's right wing causing the creature to tailspin right out of the sky. "But how-?" the marine stammered. "That lead was like fifty yards! How did you do that?" "Years of training. AOD is hoofpicked from the best." the pony answered, loading another arrow into his bow. "j-just Who are you?" the gobsmacked marine babbled. "My name is classified." the pony calmly answered. "Well then how do they call yo-" the marine was cut off. "If you're done chatting, I'd like to get back to work." The pony fired another arrow in a seemingly random direction, only to strike another circling enemy. "Work." the marine answered. He raised his rifle and emptied an entire magazine toward a diving griffin. Not a single shot landed. The griffin dived closer then threw a small object toward the Black Hawk. It was some kind of glass orb filled with an orange liquid. Inside, time almost seemed to slow down as the orb flew right into the open cabin doors of the helicopter, within inches of each of the human and pony riders, past the marine's face, and out of the opposite end of the chopper. The orb landed on the ground just a few yards below, and exploded, toppling several trees. The soldiers flinched, realizing just how close they'd just come to being incinerated. The explosive throwing griffin spun away, evading the gun and bow fire from the Black Hawk. "I don't want any more of those things to make it away from their throwers!" Stuart yelled. "Lets light 'em up!" The chain guns roared to life once more. "Hey, Mr. Classified, feel free to take the guys on this side out too!" the marine jeered. Together with the help of the mysterious pony. more griffins fell until only one remained. The last griffin wisely chose to retreat. "We got a runner! We can't let him warn anyone else! After him!" Stuart barked. ...."Arch One, Arch Two, We have a rolling ball, repeat, we have a rolling ball. One griffin at 11-o-clock, low!".... ...."Copy. Proceeding to target.".... The two Apaches picked off the last battle wagon and formed up on the Black Hawk. "Firing cannons." Arch one's copilot spoke. The 30mm cannons on each helicopters lit up, and lethal fire rained down on the griffin. The griffin jinked and evaded, deftly avoiding the incoming fire. ...."Arch, take him out!".... ...."Trying sir, but he's too quick!".... ...."We're getting to close to the city! You're running out of time!".... The griffin used his momentum to shoot straight into the air. Arch One's pilot craned his neck upward to follow him. At the zenith of his climb, the griffin entered a maximum speed dive, straight toward Arch-one. He dug into his combat packs, in the midst of his dive. The confused pilot struggled to make out two glass spheres falling toward him. The orbs connected with their target. The blast engulfed the helicopter in an unintelligible fireball. The griffin zoomed straight through the fireball and emerged on the other side, unharmed. He swung up and raked the Black Hawk with his firebolt caster. "Arch one is gone! Take that griffin out NOW!" Stuart barked. "Sir, we have men down! Kinniston's been wounded! Wade is dead!" an AOD pony pointed to a downed marine. "Ryder, give that man some attention!" Stuart yelled. "He's coming around again!" Mike shouted from the cockpit. Tis-tis-tis-tis-tis-tis-tis-tis! Firebolts stuck the helicopter again. "We're taking some serious heat here!" Stuart jumped to a gunner's seat, moved the wounded, possible dead gunner, and opened fire on the griffin veteran. The rounds sliced into the griffins wing destroying his firebolt caster. The griffin rode his momentum toward the Black Hawk door, and kicked Stuart out of the gunner position. The griffin jumped up, and stomped on the commander's chest, knocking out any air Stuart might have collected in his lungs. "Hey ugly!" an AOD pony called out. "Paws off!" the AOD pony landed an oddly human like punch with his right hoof, sending the griffin sprawling out of the cabin. The pony looked over the side. The griffin madly flailed his arms and his now useless wings, trying to regain control. The pony pulled himself back into the cabin, not wanting to see how it ended. The AOD pony helped Stuart back to his feet. "You've got some serious skills Mr...." The commander left the sentence open for an answer. "Classified." the pony replied. "Oh. Well whatever your name is, know that you have my thanks." Stuart shrugged. ....."We're clear."..... ....."Moving to primary objective."..... "Hey, commander, Mr. X, where getting close to the drop zone, just outside Canterlot." Mike spoke over the com. "Alright, Arch Two. Remain here to keep guard. Stay low and prepare to escort the copter back." the commander turned to the remaining ten stallions and men in the helicopter. "How's Kinniston?" "Hurt, bad. I can stabilize him for now, but he'll die without full medical attention." one of the men spoke. "Then we drop off the team and take him back to Ponyville." the Stuart answered. Mike quickly turned around. "I'm not so sure! I just got word that the enemy is taking the city!" "What?" the occupants gasped in unison. "I just got a priority one message from Colonel Highlander. The town is being overrun and that they are evacuating to the west." "Toward the array site." Stuart realized. "Gentlemen, the stakes just got higher. You all know the mission. You are to sneak into the enemy fortifications to the north-west in Canterlot and free any troops held within. Remember, you are not an army. Don't pick a fight you can't win. The goal here is to break in, break out as many warriors as you can, and use them to fight your way out. Take any weapons or equipment you find. A lot of people are counting on you. Let's not let them down." "Touching down now, sir." Kaiser spoke from the cockpit. Mason Stuart nodded. "You all know what to do. Grab your gear and let's get to it!" The helicopter's doors opened and a hoof-full of Equestria's guardians surged forward. ******************** A man and a pegasus stood atop a wall. The pegasus dug into his saddle pack and dropped a small pellet over the barrier. Smoke billowed from the small pellet below, and several rams and griffins began to violently cough. The smoke began to clear, and one by one they all dropped to the floor. "AOD smoke bomb, don't leave the stables without one." the pegasus stated. "Nice work Star. We're in." Steven Mace whispered through his radio. ...."Excellent. Contingency is at standby Mace. Good luck.".... "Right Captain. Mace, out." The man fastened a hook onto the wall and began to repel down. The pegasus jumped. At the bottom, the man gave the pegasus an odd look. "What, pegasai are good at landings." Star Sabre whispered. A heavy thunk sounded out. The two shrunk into a shadowed corner. Two enemy solders trotted out of a padlocked door. They both wore fancy headdresses and shiny new armor. "Officers." Star Sabre thought. "So how have you been?" the first officer, a male griffin spoke to the second, a female ram, or ewe. "Fine I suppose." the ewe answered. "Glad to finally get some rest. I just returned from Stalliongrad, things went quite well." "Really? I heard it was an uphill battle." the griffin replied. "It was, but they couldn't keep their effort up forever, we had them under siege." the ewe answered. The griffin nodded. "Indeed, but I figured they'd at least hol-" The two froze as they both noticed the pile of unconscious rams and griffins. "INTRUD-" The griffin never got to finish his warning, as an arrow quickly silenced the officer. The ewe jumped back and drew a small firebolt sidearm, then blindly fired it into the shadows. There was silence. Nothing moved. The ewe slowly stepped toward the darkened space and peered into the blackness. An arm grabbed hers and pulled her into the shadow. There was a muffled scream. A few seconds later the man and the pegasus emerged. "You look disturbed, Star. Something wrong?" Steven questioned. "Other than the fact that we just killed a mare, no." Star Sabre answered. "I understand. Chivalry. We have the same sentiments. " "Just not used to fighting the ladies, that's all." "I don't think I've ever had to worry about that in the past. The enemy back home wasn't exactly for women's rights, so I never faced a female soldier." Mace explained. The pegasus looked down at the ewe, then snapped back. "Whatever. Those two left the door open, we should go before somepony else shows up." The two silently moved through the padlocked entrance onto the catwalk of a large cavernous room, lined with empty cells that appeared to extend deep into the ground. ...."How are you two doing?".... a voice spoke over the com. "We've breached the inner wall. What about you?" Mace answered. ....."We ran into some... trouble. Don't worry about us for now. Get in and find the VIP's.".... "Acknowledged." The two crept along the catwalk. Star Sabre peered over the edge. "Looks like there's just a couple of guards." The pegasus whispered. "If we stay hidden along the scaffolding, they shouldn't even notice us." "Agreed. It looks like the bottom is several hundred feet down. That's where I'd lock up someone important." Mace added. "The map agrees." Star sabre acknowledged, reading the aforementioned blueprints. "Just how did that unicorn get a hold of these?" "She supposedly the Princess's most trusted student. At least that's what she told me before the attack." Mace explained. "You climb down first. I'll follow you. Try not to make any loud noises this time." "Okay." The pegasus answered. The man and the pegasus slowly climbed down a ladder in a darkened section of the catwalk, leading down to the room floor. They stopped next to a ledge where two guards were slowly falling asleep. "Vicktor, we need to stay- *yawn* awake, or the warden will have both of our heads." "Please, we're not needed here. Anyone foolish enough to attack this place would die before reaching the inner wall! And they would have to know that this place existed in the first place, which supposedly no pony does." "If you say so, *yawn* just don't get us killed-" The ram finally nodded off. Star Sabre shook his head and continued climbing down, Steven followed. They stealthily dropped to the floor, and slowly moved toward a large double door. "You take one side, I'll take the other." Mace instructed. The two pulled each side of the door as quietly as they could, making sure not to be visible to anyone who might be behind it. If someone was, they would only see the doors opening. The two soldiers stood against the wall on each side of the opened door. Mace put just enough of his head around the corner to see into the hall. "Clear, lets mo-" The approaching sound galloping hooves forced the two back to their previous location. "Somepony's coming!" Star Sabre warned. "Fast!" The thundering of hooves grew closer. Steven Mace and Star Sabre readied their weapons behind the doors, ready to spring on the approaching adversaries. The approaching figure finally appeared around the corner. A blue pegasus darted out of the door, stopped to catch her breath, and rapidly turned her head as if trying to find something. "Who's that?" Sabre mumbled under his breath. "Wait a minute..." Star Sabre squinted his eyes. The pegasus looked like she'd been through a wringer. Her coat was singed in some areas, her mane was a mess, and her left wing appeared to be broken. Her cutie mark was half burned away, but he could still make out the shape of half of a crescent mo- Both their eyes went wide. More hooves sounded in the distance. The pony quickly turned around. Above her panicked expression was a cracked, slightly bleeding stump of a horn, barely noticeable if you didn't look for it. "Luna?" Sabre spoke incredulously. She wore no tiara, none of her jewelry, or crests. She was barely recognizable. The princess turned her head. "At long last! Art thou here to aid m- Argh!" Two firebolts struck the Princess's back, sending her sprawling to the floor. Two enemy soldiers had rounded the corner. "No!" Sabre called out accidentally. Luna's griffin and ram assailants took notice. "There! in the shade! Intruders!" Mace and Sabre burst forth from the darkness. Rifle and bow alike hurtled their deadly ammunition. A arrow went through a griffin's shoulder, spinning him to the ground. A .50 caliber round mated with a ram's head. A horseshoe left another cold. Star sabre lunged forward, knife in mouth, and pounced on a downed griffin. The griffin flailed, trying to reach his sidearm. The pegasus plunged the blade into the griffin's chest, making him still. The man and the pegasus stood over a pile of the enemy. Star Sabre retrieved his blade, and trotted over to the princess. "What have they done?" the pegasus spoke over the body of the midnight blue alicorn. Mace quietly looked on. "F-fear n-not. Tis superficial injury." "Princess? you're alive?" Star Sabre spoke, amazed. "Yes. They did not wish for me to die. I managed to escape, but I would have certainly been dragged back to my cell for the execution had you two not arrived when you did." Luna used her hooves to pull out the firebolts. "These were meant to incapacitate, not to kill." "I'm thankful." the pegasus answered. "So am I, but we need to leave! There are probably more solders on the way. Where is Princess Celestia?" Mace asked. "They took her away, as they were going to do with me." Luna answered. "We've gotta get you two out of here before the whole army shows up!" Mace responded. "Where would they be taking her?" Luna put a hoof to her head. "I do not know. I cannot use my magic to locate her. I'm not even sure she still resides within this fortress." Mace put his finger to the com. unit on his ear. "Captain, we found Luna! She's alright, but we don't have a clue where Celestia is." ...."I think I know why. There's a massive vehicle of some kind leaving the prison. It looks like some sort of transport. There's a huge amount of troops protecting it, so my best guess is that she's in there."..... "Can you stop it?" ...."We can try. I called for help, but backup said they had to get a wounded man back to base. Get over here as fast as you can.".... "We're on our way Captain Greene. Out." "Princess-" Mace started. "Please, call me Luna." "Okay, Luna can you walk?" "I am weak." She paused. "But I believe I will be able to keep up." Star Sabre nodded. "Great, time to climb then." "Climb." Luna mused. ********************** "Hey, Vicktor, did you hear something?" "Vicktor?" "Vicktor- ack!" Mace let go of the ram's head. "I think I just did the enemy a favor." Star Sabre pushed the bodies of the griffin and ram into a darkened section of the ledge. "All clear." Just below, Luna was slowly making her way up the ladder. "I'm going to guess you've never climbed anything before." Mace halfheartedly joked. "You would be correct." the night Princess answered. The man, the pegasus, and a royal alicorn, climbed up the several hundred foot tall series of ladders and catwalks. Eventually, they reached the same padlocked hatch they'd entered though. "Let's do this quietly." Mace instructed. "We don't want to attract any attention." Mace put his hands on the padlock and tried to turn it. "It's locked. Any ideas?" Star Sabre pulled a rock out of his saddle pack. Then put his knife in his mouth and cut the soft rock into two pieces. He put those pieces back together again and stepped back. Luna quickly moved down the ladder. Star Sabre pushed Mace away from the door. "What are you doing, what's that supposed to d-" Crack! The lock was now in pieces on the floor. "Equestrian blast geodes. Don't leave the sta-" "I get it." Mace interrupted. "So much for quiet." "We don't have enough time to crack locks the long way. You ready?" The two soldiers readied their weapons, and pushed the door open. They certainly didn't expect the sight before them. A massive red dragon was looking them right in the eyes. The dragon snarled, and small jets of flame hissed through the sides of it's mouth. The aerialist grinned from atop the beast. The two soldiers fired everything they had. The dragon, and it's aerialist didn't seem to care. The smaller dragon twisted the reins on the monster, causing it to throw itself backwards and inhale. The pandragon aerialist prepared to pull the dragon's neck scales, igniting the fires that would certainly devour them. And he would have too, if not for the three ponies climbing the mount's tail. Applejack tackled the aerialist, followed by Rainbow Dash, who knocked him off of the mount entirely. Pinkie Pie was along for the ride. Lime Tree came galloping out from behind the tree line. "No Dash! Without an aerialist, the mount will go-" The Pandragon mount began to wildly stomp and thrash. "-feral. Everypony duck!" the blank flanked stallion yelled. The mount began to shoot pillars of flame from its mouth, though not at any specific target. Applejack, Dash and Pinkie Pie held on for dear life. The dragon shook with wild fury, trying to shake the two ponies off. "Now this is a party!" The pink pony yelled. "Hold on!" Applejack shouted. "Nopony out bucks Applejack! This is jus' like the rodeo- whoa!" the creature flung its tail, swatting Pinkie and Applejack off. It then took off into the air with Rainbow Dash still clinging on to it. Lenard and Gerri climbed out of the bushes. "AJ, Pink, get out of there! Dash, hold on!" The Captain yelled. As the beast began to gain altitude, Rainbow looked over the side. "I don't have a choice! Do I?" She yelled down. "Grab the reins!" Lime Tree suggested. "With what? I don't have claws!" she answered. "Use thy teeth!" A blue alicorn suggested. "Luna?" The pegasus questioned, before remembering the task at hand. "Here goes nothing!" Dash bit onto the reins, using all four legs to keep herself from falling off of the crazed beast. She tugged on them with all the force she could muster. "Can you control it?" Lime Tree yelled. "Nmm rmmlm." Dash answered through the reins. She spat them out. "Kind of!" The dragon barrel rolled, nearly throwing the pegasus off. Lenard dived as a jet of flame nearly incinerated him. "Do you think you can tell it to stop trying to kill u-" There was a blast. Several griffins and rams rushed out of the fortress. "Intruders!" "Not again." Mace complained, taking shots at the incoming soldiers. A rocket spear whizzed overhead and exploded behind them. "Flank! They've got heavy weapons!" Star Sabre warned. "Take cover!" "Fire everything!" Lenard yelled. The small group of ponies and humans dived behind any structures they could, then opened up with whatever weapons they had, causing the group of enemies to take cover themselves. The enemy troops jumped up from behind their cover and a barrage of heavy weapons fire began to systematically destroy any cover the ponies and humans had. "We won't last too much longer like this!" Star Sabre warned. Above, Rainbow Dash frantically tugged on the reins of the mount. The creature suddenly dove toward the ground. "I hope this works." she nervously thought to herself. With a final pull on the reins, she leapt off of the mount. "Wings, don't fail me now!" The dragon hurtled toward the ground, right where the enemy troops were standing. Rainbow Dash crash landed next to her friends, having used her wings to slow down just enough to avoid serious injury. As the much larger dragon impacted, an enormous explosion rung out, lighting the entire area ablaze. A few seconds later, the burning structures exploded again, this time with much more force. The dust began to settle, and one by one the ponies and humans began to emerge. "I guess, *cough* they had REALLY heavy weapons in there!" Pinkie exclaimed. "That was pretty amazin' Dash!" Applejack acknowledged. The three exchanged high hooves. "Uh, yeah, I totally meant to do that!" Rainbow Dash answered. The group ran up to Princess Luna. Applejack and Rainbow Dash gasped when they got a good look at her. Pinkie Pie was uncharacteristically quiet. Luna quickly dealt with their concerns. "I am aware of my appearance, and I will seek medical attention later. I thank you all for rescuing me, but my sister needs us now." "It's good to see you alive, Princess." Lenard spoke. "You may call me Luna." "Okay, Luna. How are we going to save her?" "The vehicle in which you spoke of earlier is known as a leviathan. It is a moving fortress. We may require help." Lenard nodded. "Steven, can you see it?" Mace held up his sniper rifle and looked through the scope, searching for any sign of the vehicle in question. At first, he saw nothing but trees, but slowly, a large lumbering object filled the lens. "I think I can see it, but how are we supposed to fight that thing?" A Black Hawk rose over a nearby hill. ...."Did someone call for assistance?".... Lenard facepalmed. "Better late than never, commander. Did you get that wounded man back to base yet?" ...."Affirmative, though it's not pretty down there. Is that the Princess?"... "Yes." ...."Great! One down, one to go. This might actually go according to plan!".... The black hawk landed, and they all climb aboard. "Good to see you all again." The Commander Stuart spoke. "I'm sure there will be medals for this, but for now, it looks like we have a transport to catch."