The Iron Wolf
The Cutiemark Crusaders found themselves lost in the Everfree Forest again. What were they doing there one might ask, yet even to them it was a mystery, that is, to all but a certain orange pegasus named Scootaloo. Scootaloo had only stated two things, one; that she had found something awesome, and two; that she couldn't say what it was because she herself didn't know. The three young fillies with fresh cutiemarks walked onward into one of the deepest parts of the forest, in truth they had told their friends and family they were going on a camping trip... in a way they didn't lie.
"How much further is this place Scootaloo?" Applebloom asked, Sweetiebell planting her flank on the ground in emphasis of their friends question.
"It is in the next clearing girls, you won't believe it... it is like it came out of a comic book!" Scootaloo shouted excitedly.
"Should you be shouting like that?" Sweetiebell asked, looking around the forest concerned.
"Hey, we haven't been attacked at all, what could go wrong?" Scootaloo said, inwardly cursing herself for using the phrase that usually spelled their doom.
"Yeah... right." The two other fillies stated sarcastically.
The three entered the clearing and found a large tilted metal structure that was overgrown in vines and grass among other vegetation. Surrounding it were many large humps where the grass had grown over debris and in the side of the object there was a massive hole, the cause of which must have been immensely powerful. The three fillies entered the alien structure to find their hooves clicked and clacked on the metal surface within.
"Ins't this awesome girls!" Scootaloo shrieked as her wings buzzed behind her.
"Yeah, creep alright." Applebloom stated, tapping the floor a few times.
"I second that Bloom." Sweetiebell added before looking around to see a glowing button, "Wonder what that does?"
"We shouldn't be here girls, I've got a bad feeling about this place." Applebloom frowned as she began to take a few steps back.
"Aw shucks Applebloom, ain't nobody here, why not push it?" Scootaloo said, looking to Sweetiebell, "Mind um... giving me a boost?"
"Sure thing Scootaloo." She replied, using her telekinesis to help lift Scootaloo off the ground as the small pegasus used her own wings to try and help her.
Scootaloo got up on the platform with the red glowing circle and pushed it in. Immediately a deep klaxon sounded and screens all over the interior of the metal ruin began glowing. A deep voice spoke in a language nobody could understand and then as soon a sit had begun, it ended.
"So... anyone speak jiberish?" Scootaloo asked before hopping down.
"Nope..." Applebloom shrugged, looking around uneasily.
"Not me..." Sweetiebell stated, shifting about uncomfortably.
"Okay... want to go explore it... wh... what is that!" Scootaloo shouted, fear in her voice as she pointed a hoof towards a massive figure standing in the entrance way.
It then spoke the same language as the screens had and pointed a large metal thing at them before things began exploding and the three fillies ran deeper into what they would soon learn was a Cabal Empire warship.
----
Shining Armor was having a good day, his wife and daughter were in the Crystal Empire due to royal reasons but that did not stop him from visiting his sister while he was passing through. That all changed when a massive shadow passed over him and he saw a giant metal rectangle land in the nearby Everfree Forest. Without giving it much thought, he tel ported to the general area to find massive bipedal turtle things that thankfully didn't notice him. He hunched down and drew his sword before he began to creep around to the edge of the brush he was hidden in, beyond the turtles he could see a gaping hole, and from within the hole he could hear the panicked cries of three young little fillies he knew all too well.
He tossed a rock across the clearing to lure his supposed enemies away from the hole before he dashed forward into the ruins unnoticed. Inside he saw a much more massive turtle thing than what had been outside, and this one was speaking in a strange tongue to a screen that was haphazardly turned online. It turned and gave notice to him before drawing up a massive box that hung from it's twin appendages. The box then began launching fiery ballistics much like his own Royal Guards ballistics turrets, only at a much faster rate of fire.
Armor rolled to his right and put his flank against a metal wall that absorbed much of the fire, a few rounds going clear through it and into the next wall. He knew he had to get through this chamber to get to the fillies, their screams were recent, hopefully they were still alive, he dreaded to think of what might happen if he had been caught in that barrage, let alone what would have occurred to them. He reached into a pocket of his uniform, which he had thankfully been wearing when he had gotten off the train, and pulled out a curious little device he had never actually gotten to use in the field.
It was an odd sphere wrapped in thick cloth with a fuse protruding out of it's top, he quickly lit the fuse with his horn before chucking the grenade over his head. The burst of fire from the turtle directed at the explosive showed that these things were indeed kill able, when the detonation did occur and Shining poked his head out to see the massive figure laying dead in a pool of blue it confirmed it for him.
"So that armor can only handle what? Arrows?" He asked no pony in particular before the entire structure shuddered and he bumped into a strange looking pole in the ground that began flashing green.
He didn't pay it much though as when he touched it he heard the fillies scream for help not far away.
"Don't worry kids, I'm coming!" He shouted, hoping that he would be enough as he drew his blade out and charged down the corridor.
----
A Guardian in dark armor dropped down from a cliff with her Young Wolf's Howl blade sinking deep into the chest of a Splicer Captain, the rest of his comrades laying dead around them. Her armor was adorned in a dark steel and she had hints of red all throughout her wolf adorned gear. Many of the other Guardians of the tower said her armor was too medieval for their liking, but she liked it's olden appearance, something about being a knight in shining armor to protect the people.
"Emily." Her ghost's, Specter, said as he appeared out of light and floated a little out, "I just picked up a curious patrol beacon just over there, we should check it out."
She looked at him, and then checked the way-points on her HUD before nodding in agreement as he summoned her S-35 Aeon Glow Sparrow and jetting over to it, taking care as to land on a Vandal before jumping off of it and attaching a grenade to it's tail as it slammed into the other two fallen and detonated on them. She walked over to activate the beacon, but when she touched it the world around her seemed to twist of of shape and she lost her balance.
She looked up from her now crouched position to see a Cabal Centurion with his back to her, she then heard the screams, they sounded young as the tell tale sound of steel clashed with Cabal armor. She got up and drew her Shadow Prince Auto Rifle before punching the Centurion's shield out with her solar melee, and quickly taking out his head with the Vanguard Rifle. She looked to her right where the commotion was coming from before running down the hall. She dropped to the ground in a slide as she dodged a Phalanx's shield bash, she tossed a Fusion Grenade onto the back of his head before resuming her run down the hall as he detonated into embers.
What she saw next was most curious, four quadrupeds, three of them seemingly children, and one fully grown and wearing Knights armor.
"Not a step closer!" The larger one shouted, checking over his shoulder and peering at the wounded orange pony.
"We should help them." Specter stated from our internal communications.
"No duh?" Emily replied just as a wall collapsed and Cabal began pouring into the room.
She mounted her rifle and summed her Hammer of Sol before she began throwing the fiery weapon and eliminating the immediate threats before her super was used up. She then drew her Young Wolf's Howl and jumped down to join the knight as more Cabal came to meet their doom. She began slashing her opponents and jumping over a few of them, slicing off their heads in the process before she landed next to the knight, who was doing his best to chuck grenades and fire a... crossbow? What was most surprising was his accuracy in targeting their eyes with his ancient weapon and killing them in a single shot.
"Get them out, I have your back." Emily stated, moving her sword into a blocking stance and lighting up it's flames, deflecting majority of the Cabal fire back at them.
"Thanks stranger." The adult pony replied as he lifted the orange pegasus on his back and motioned the other two follow him.
Just as they were about to leave more Cabal came and blocked their path, Emily had already dispatched most of the others just by deflecting their fire back at them but the arrival of more meant she needed to move to intercept. She pushed into a dead sprint, he sword in one hand as she jumped into the fray and killed two Legionnaires before getting slammed into by a Phalanx, and dropping her sword. She drew her rifle from her back and began to deliver it's light into the arm of her opponent before he stumbled and exposed his head and it was over.
She looked over her shoulder saw them at back inside the broken bridge. She slid between one Cabal's legs and grabbed her sword, slashing upwards and slinging her rifle on her back. She drew her Binding Blaze sidearm and began firing on distant hostiles while cutting down those who were close.
She soon found herself next to the ponies, "Specter, how many left?"
"Just these guys, marking them now." He replied.
"Okay." She pulled the trigger on the sidearm and received a click for empty.
She holstered it on her back and readied her sword before charging back into the fray. The adult pony had set his charge down and drawn his crossbow, firing when he had a shot that would kill in an attempt to help the insane Guardian. It was not long before her blade broke and she stumbled back and looked down at it and then back up to the Four remaining Cabal in front of her before she sheathed it in light and charged with fists clenched. She punched the first one and a column of fire shot up, she threw another Fusion Grenade at another which dropped the Centurion's shield before she rendered him her fist of judgment. She landed on a knee and rolled out of the way of a Phalanx before grabbing his shield and twisting it off his arm, using the same implement to stab him through the neck before tossing it aside and looking at the two that remained.
"Who's next?" Emily stated as she activated the Hammer of Sol and threw it at a fidgeting Psion before charging with it at the remaining Cabal Colossus.
She clashed the hammer down on his turret just he swung it at her, both landed hits, he vaporized, she flew through the air and landed at the ponies hooves, one her Iron Saga Helm's right horn broken off and laying before them. She slowly got up before the derelict ship began sounding a klaxon.
"It's gonna blow!" Specter shouted.
"Obviously... You four need to run, get out of here and far away, this place is about to turn into a crater." Emily stated looking down on her allies.
"Thank you." The adult said before sheathing the three in what appeared to be light and trans-matting them away, "But what about you?"
"Specter?" Emily asked.
"The beacon, get to the beacon and we get out of here!" Her Ghost replied.
"I've got my way out, now you." She stated as she took a step back and looked directly at her escaped rout.
"Thank you Iron Wolf." He said before he too trans-matted away.
Emily wasted no time in getting to the beacon and going back to the Pleaguelands, leaving that curious world behind to return to her purpose of defending humanity.
"Iron Wolf... I like it." Specter stated as he appeared once more in the gentle snow fall.
Emily merely nodded, reaching up to her helm to feel the broken stub where her horn had once been.
---
Shining Armor stood outside of Scootaloo's hospital room with Rainbow Dash, mostly to just keep the cyan pegasus outside while the doctors patched her up.
"What happened?" Twilight, who had also shown up asked.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you Twi." Shining replied, using his magic to feel the horn that rested now in his saddlebags.