“Did you just say Warmind?” Exodus asked, his mind reeling.
“Yes. Are you not from HQ?” Elizabeth asked in response.
“I think the HQ you know is long gone. Records say that there hasn’t been a working Warmind HQ in seven hundred years. The ones that are left are barely functional, and the most repaired one we have seen is Rasputin.”
“Rasputin? He is still active?” She said, apparently ignoring everything else the Warlock had said.
“Yes, very much so. Do you know him?”
“I knew him a long time ago. We would talk sometimes, he was rather nice to Churchill and I.”
“Well, things have changed since you last knew him.”
The AI went silent at that, though the comms link stayed active. Exodus waited patiently until she spoke once more, “Are you able to see me? I would like to be able to bring Churchill online, and I need help to do it.”
“We have no idea where you are, are you able to give us a beacon?”
“Oh, yes, give me a moment.”
A few seconds later, Exodus’ Ghost turned and spoke, “I have an old, Golden Age beacon reading fifty metres below us. The bunker seems to have been buried over time by the surrounding dirt.”
“Elizabeth, we are unable to reach you. Do you have any way of clearing the dirt above you?” Exodus questioned.
“No, my creators didn’t build any method of removing debris from the top of the bunker. Do you not have any way down to me?”
Exodus thought on it for a moment. The situation with the Cabal required as many soldiers as possible, but having a Warmind on their side would turn the tide of the war instantly.
“I will need to speak with my team, and maybe get some help from the ponies in the town. Regardless, we’ll get down to you as quickly as possible. But just so you know, there is a huge enemy force on this planet we are currently fighting. If you need to broadcast to us, do it on the third Warmind frequency and broadcast it as powerfully as you can. If we hear you, we will respond.”
“I understand.” Elizabeth said, “Please hurry, there are multiple problems within the bunker that I cannot fix alone.”
“We’ll get to you as fast as we can. Just hold on.”
He didn’t wait for her to reply, instead, he summoned his Sparrow and took off in the direction of Solacium, his Ghost waypointing his way there.
‘Let’s hope this goes better than our more recent endeavours’ He thought to himself as the green hills flew past him.
- - -
Chrome walked slowly through the town, taking in the sights once more. The town was once a place of joy for him, being able to see his cousin and play with her when they were foals. Now, it was a place he dreaded. The ponies around him walked with their heads down, their eyes darting around in fear of their home also coming under attack.
A few of them took flight as soon as they saw the armoured unicorn walking towards them, but he ignored them. He tried his best to keep up appearances for his comrades, but after the last fight, he was beginning to break down. He needed to talk with someone, and there was only one pony in Solacium that could help him with that.
He arrived at his cousin’s home, knocking quietly on the door. It opened to a pink mare, one Chrome couldn’t be happier to see.
“Chrome?” She asked, not entirely sure of the pony below the white armour.
“Hey, Cross. Could I come in?” He replied, receiving a nod. The door opened fully to allow him in, and as soon as he stepped in, he took off his helmet and looked over at the mare, quiet tears welling in his eyes.
“Chrome, what’s wrong?” Cross asked, immediately concerned for her cousin.
“I-I can’t keep this going, I just can’t … Did you hear what happened in Canterlot?” Chrome asked, silently hoping she had, the tears beginning to flow.
“No, I was too focused on my work. I did hear that there were thousands of ponies around the town, but they are returning as soon as the issues are dealt with in Canterlot so I didn’t really have any reason to look into it further.”
“Canterlot is gone, Cross.”
She looked at him in horror, “Gone? As in, destroyed?”
He managed a nod, barely able to focus on her with tears blurring his eyes, “Anypony that didn’t evac is dead. None of the city survived.”
“W-what of the guardians? I thought they would have stopped the attack!”
“They were more focused on getting as many ponies out as possible. I saw when we were taking off… we left so many behind.”
Cross stared at him in shock, processing what had been said to her. As her mind returned to reality, she jumped forward and hugged him, “Oh, Chrome, it must have been horrible to deal with.”
“It has been. I managed to keep my emotions at bay while I was there, for the sake of the others, but this… I’ve never been in a war of this magnitude. I don’t know if I can go on.”
She stepped back and gave him a determined look, one that he had only seen a few times, “You can and you will. We need you, Chrome.”
He dried his eyes with an armoured wrist and looked her over for a few seconds, waiting to see if she would say anything else. When nothing else was spoken, he sighed, “Thanks, Cross. Would it be okay if I crashed here for the night?”
“You are always welcome here. Take one of the guest bedrooms upstairs and get some sleep, from the sounds of things, you’ve earned it.”
He gave her a thankful hug and trotted up the stairs, throwing himself out of his armour and into the bed that lay in a spare room. Sleep came quickly as he closed his eyes, welcoming the dark embrace of unconsciousness.
- - -
“I don’t understand how we can continue.” Procor started, standing with the others at the planning table. It had been a few hours since they had all come back to the town, though Exodus was still away, “We’ve lost the capital, and I doubt the Cabal will stop there. How do you stop a fleet of carriers with just us?”
“Our only hope right now is to slow them, hopefully kill enough of them to force them back.” Kervis explained, Lemon by his side.
“But how many have we killed overall? A few thousand at most? They have millions, Kervis. Not even Odium can handle that many.”
“Then we die trying.”
The room fell into silence at the Titan’s blunt response, none of them knowing how to continue the conversation. The silence was broken by a familiar voice.
“Team, I may have a solution.” Exodus said, walking over to the table.
“Where have you been?” Kervis asked, looking up at the Warlock.
“I just found out there is a Warmind bunker on the planet.”
“What? A Warmind. Here.” Procor asked, a look of disbelief on his face.
“I don’t know how or why there’s one here, but there is. It has been deactivated since The Collapse, so chances are it still works.”
“Well where is it? Why didn’t you contact us?” Kervis questioned.
“That’s the problem. It’s under a hill, and will require excavating in order to reach, but if we brought that Warmind online, we could slaughter the Cabal without issue.”
“Then what’s the plan? The Cabal aren’t going to sit back while we do this.” Procor said.
“What we need to do is continue like nothing is happening. By some miracle, they haven’t noticed the Warmind in orbit, nor have they detected the distress beacon from the bunker. We should keep fighting them where we can, and send ponies to begin digging down towards the Warmind. If all goes well, the Cabal won’t even know what hit them.”
Kervis nodded in understanding, “Alright, so where will the Cabal strike next? It’s clear that they are going for cities with a high unicorn population.”
“Uh,” Lemon started, “I think the next city would be the Crystal Empire. They have a lot of magic there, so it would make sense for them to attack it if they were looking for ways to get magic.”
“I see. That’s not all that far from us, the ships should make it there in under an hour. Who are the leaders of this Empire?” Kervis asked, looking down at the map sprawled across the table.
“Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armour. The Prince is related to one of the Princesses here.”
“Perhaps it would be a good idea to take her with us then? I’m not sure how much they might know about the war.” Exodus commented.
“That’s fair, and maybe only one of us should go. It probably wouldn’t make a good first impression if five heavily armed guardians showed up at their doorstep.” Procor surmised, standing straight.
“I’ll head over there, and I’ll grab this Princess before I leave.” Exodus said, “If anything happens while I’m gone, be sure to notify me.”
“You’ll be the first we call.”
Exodus turned and walked away, out towards the tents that surrounded the town. As he walked away, the remaining guardians turned back to the table.
“So how many ponies do you think we’ll need?” Kervis queried.
Procor glanced out at the tents, and the thousands of ponies wandering around them, “I don’t think we need to worry about that.”
- - -
Twilight was lying in her tent, staring down at a book. She wasn’t actually reading, but she needed something for her eyes to rest on while she tried to sort the jumbled mess her mind had fallen into.
In no records had a single attack been this destructive. Even Tirek kept his attacks reasonably isolated, and anything he destroyed was rebuilt. But these monsters decimated not one, but two major cities in under a week, and it didn’t look like they were stopping there.
“Uh, Princess? Is this your tent, or am I mistaken?” A male voice called out, bringing her attention up to the entrance. Outside, the being was creating a shadow on the front of the tent, one she recognised a little too well at this point.
She got up and walked over, pulling back the folds of the entrance a little to look at the visitor. The same black and blue guardian that warned them about the attack stood there, looking down at her.
“Hello, your majesty. I need to speak with you about something important.” He said, not noticing the cringe she gave at the title.
“Can it wait?” She responded, not really wanting to speak with anyone.
“I wish it could, but we have reason to believe the Crystal Empire is the next target for the Cabal. I was told you were related to the Prince there?”
Her head jerked back up to the guardian, “Why would they attack the Empire? The unicorn population there isn’t all that high.”
“According to a friend, there is a high level of magic there. If that is true, then they are certainly a target. I was hoping you could come with me and speak with them.”
“If it means protecting my brother, I’ll do it. How are we going to get over there?”
“Well, the train is much too slow and I don’t want to tire you by asking to teleport, which means my ship is the only viable option.”
She gave a sigh at that. She really didn’t like the craft the guardian used, but he was correct when he said it would tire her to teleport them, and the train could take hours they could not afford.
“How much faster will your craft be?” She asked.
“We should reach the Empire in under twenty minutes, providing the weather holds.”
Her mind almost reeled at the realisation of how fast something would have to be to make that distance so quickly, but she managed to hold it together, “And how soon can we leave?”
“As soon as you are ready, Princess. The ship is already prepared for the trip.”
She steeled herself and nodded, “Let’s get going then. I don’t want to waste any time if Cadence and Shining are in trouble.”
The guardian’s companion appeared at his shoulder as Twilight finished talking, turning to face the Warlock, “The ship is on its way, do you want it to come down above the tents?”
“Yeah, switch the engines to low power and keep it as far up as you are able. As soon as it is in range, teleport us up.” The guardian said.
High above, a small blue dot could be made out, flying at an immense speed towards the ground. Before it got too close, the three wings that stuck out of it opened, and it slowed to an almost complete stop, raising its nose to point in the direction of the Crystal Empire.
Before Twilight could speak up, their surroundings changed to that of the interior of the ship. She was used to being teleported, but the magic the guardians used felt odd. She brushed it off, however, switching her mind to the priority issue.
“Ghost, let’s get moving. Don’t go full transit, as we don’t know what the weather is like in that area.”
“Got it.” The little machine replied, moving over to a few shining monitors.
As she settled, she felt the ship lurch forward, the scenery flashing by them on the monitors near the pilot seat. The guardian quickly jumped onto said seat and began pressing buttons on the console before him, the ship responding to his input with a whirr.
“Exodus? Why are you arming the missiles?” His Ghost asked.
“The last time we were forced to fly at this speed we were attacked. I don’t want to make that same mistake again unprepared.” Exodus explained, focusing on the images in front of him.
The Ghost stayed quiet after that, flying the ship with a bit more ease. Twilight, on the other hand, was barely able to keep her mind at bay. Not only were they flying at breakneck speeds to save her brother and sister in law, but they could also be attacked at any point. The thought of facing those monsters sent a shiver through her spine as she stared at the metal floor.
“Princess?” She looked up to see the guardian’s companion hovering near her, its single eye looking over her closely, “Are you alright? You seem distressed.”
“I-I’m fine, thank you.” She said, flinching back slightly at the sudden proximity to the machine.
“If you would like someone to talk to, I am always available.” The Ghost said, hovering away from her to give her room.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
She wasn’t normally that dismissive, especially when the situation could allow her to make a new friend, but the situation was causing her mind to behave differently. The sheer fact she hadn’t broken down already shocked her more than anything.
For the rest of the flight, the only thing that could be heard was the mechanical sounds of the ship around them. The Guardian and his Ghost paid no more attention to Twilight, as they worked on making sure the ship wasn’t being followed. She was starting to drift off when Exodus spoke up.
“I think we’re here. Is this the place, Princess?”
Twilight stood up and walked over, looking at the screens that displayed the outside world. In front of the ship, a towering castle stood at the centre point of an expansive city. The entire place glistened in the light as the sun shone down on it.
“Yes, this is it. When we get down there, I think it might be better if you let me do most of the talking.” Twilight said, standing back.
“Agreed, I’ll take us down there now.”
The craft began its descent in response to the Warlock’s input, the ground rising up to them rapidly. As they drew closer, they could see masses of ponies running in fear, the guards arming themselves and standing to attention around the castle.
“This should be interesting.” Exodus said, slowing the ship above the guards near the castle.
“If you let me talk first, it should be fine.” Twilight replied, looking over the mass of ponies for any signs of Shining. When he couldn’t be found, she frowned and looked up at the Warlock, “We should get down there.”
“No arguments from me. Ghost?”
The scenery around them changed once more, this time to guards surrounding them, their spears pointed at the trio.
“Princess Twilight?!” One of them exclaimed, raising his spear to point upwards.
“Please, lower your weapons. I need to speak with my brother.” Twilight said, her hoof raised. The guards followed her orders without hesitation, dispersing to allow her passage to the castle.
She galloped towards the entrance, the guardian struggling a little to keep up. They ascended some stairs before arriving in a large throne room, two seats built into the wall on the other side of the room. On those seats, two ponies sat. Two that Twilight recognised easily.
“Shining Armour, Cadence!” She cried, running across the hall towards them. Exodus opted to walk over, giving them time to speak with one another in peace. He had stowed his Tlaloc on his back before he teleported, not expecting to use it, but finding security in knowing it was there.
“Twilight? What are you doing here?” Cadence asked, standing up and hugging her.
“We came to warn you, the Guardians think that the Empire is the next target for their assault!” Twilight said, returning the hug.
“They are still going? I thought they would have been stopped.” Shining muttered, looking curiously over at the Warlock.
“Canterlot was destroyed, and the Crystal Empire will be as well if we don’t do something.”
Shining stared at her in shock, “And mom and dad?”
“They got out, I made sure of it. They are in a camp around Solacium.”
A look of relief adorned his face as he exhaled, “So what do you think we should do? And who is this?”
Twilight looked behind her at the Guardian. He had stopped a respectable distance from them to wait for his name to be called. He stood to attention when Shining looked at him.
“This is Exodus, one of the guardians that has been fighting to protect us.” Twilight said, introducing them.
The Warlock gave a nod, his hands behind his back. He could easily tell these ponies were high ranking, and if they held the same ranking as the two sisters from Canterlot, they were definitely ponies he didn’t want to mess with.
Cadence walked over to the Exo, looking up at his faceplate, “I assume you are here to help protect my Empire?”
“My team and I will do our absolute best. We have time to set up for this attack, so we will be more prepared than we were during the Canterlot assault.” Exodus said, his hands still behind him.
“I see. And can you guarantee the safety of the ponies within my city?”
“I cannot.” Exodus started, “We will do what we can to keep your ponies and your city as safe as possible, but we are up against a force far larger than anything we have ever faced. The best we can promise is that we will hold them off long enough for your ponies to evacuate.”
“...I guess that is the best I can hope for. Thank you.” Cadence said, returning to her throne, “So what will you need in order to defend our city? All our resources and armies are available for you to use.”
“To begin with, we’ll need any and all metal you and your ponies can spare. It doesn’t matter what sort of metal it is, just as long as it’s of reasonable quality.” Exodus said.
“That can be done, anything else?”
“We will also be moving as many War Mages as possible over here to assist in the defence. They will need temporary housing if they are to stay here until the attack.”
“Easy enough. I will issue an order to the guards to alert the ponies, and request all our scrap metal from the store room is brought to the courtyard below the castle. We can make some tents for the Mages to stay in while you prepare for the attack.” Cadence said to make sure she understood everything.
“That should be everything. We can handle it from there. Thank you for cooperating with us, it will help greatly.”
“And thank you for aiding us in our time of need. If we can be of assistance to you or your team, you only need to ask.” The pink alicorn said with a smile.
Exodus gave a final nod and turned, walking out of the room. When he was gone, Twilight turned back to her brother and sister, “Are you sure we can pull this off?” She asked.
“With the guardians and the War Mages helping us, alongside three Princesses and the city guards, I think we at least have a fighting chance. We just have to hope that things go better than Canterlot.” Cadence said, looking down at Twilight.
“I hope you’re right, because if you aren’t, I think we may be in more trouble than we can handle.”
- - -
Primus Va'aull chuckled as he walked through the prison blocks onboard his carrier. Each cell had a unicorn stowed in it, some crying in their language, some yelling and slamming the bars.
‘Just a few more weeks and we will have what we need to go home’ He thought to himself, looking down at a young unicorn. It was huddled in the corner, watching the Cabal with tear-filled eyes.
“My Primus,” A Cabal Colossus called out, catching up to his leader.
“Yes, soldier?” He replied, turning to face him.
“I wished to speak with you, if that is alright.”
“Of course, speak your mind, I am listening.”
The Colossus took a long breath, before sighing and looking up at Va’aull, “Forgive me, but is what we are doing… right?”
“What do you mean?”
“These animals have done nothing to us. I’m sure I am not the first soldier to talk with you about this, but I can’t help but feel that what we are doing is morally wrong. And though I try to see the glory in conquering them, I find I cannot.”
The Primus gave his words some thought before he spoke, “Soldier, do you wish to see your family again?”
“Of course, my Primus.”
“As does everyone else within this fleet. We are doing what we need to in order to ensure our return home. Do you think the Empire would be happy with us leaving this planet and trying to return home?”
“I understand that, sir, but surely even they can see that killing off a race of animals is something even we Cabal don’t do. This is something the Humans would do.”
“If we must lower ourselves to their level for the sake of our mission, so be it. Is there anything else you wished to speak with me about?”
The Colossus flinched a little at his leader’s response, but stood tall regardless, “Yes. The pilots would like to know what zone we are moving to next.”
The Primus thought for a moment, “I will need to see the map again, but tell the pilots to be ready to move out. As soon as we have restocked, we will begin our next attack.”
The Colossus bowed and left the room, off towards the bridge. When he had left, the Primus turned once more to the young unicorn. It had started crying during their conversation, looking at him in pure fear.
For a brief moment, he felt sympathy for the poor thing, but it was quickly stamped out by the task he knew he had to follow through with.
‘No time for sympathy in this job’ He thought to himself, leaving the room and making his way towards the navigation room.
- - - In orbit above the planet - - -
///Warmind Churchill (CHRL) is now online.\\\
///System booting…\\\
///System boot complete.\\\
///Detecting faults in <63> systems.\\\
///Combat efficiency lowered by <23%>.\\\
///Feeding diagnosis data to bunker…\\\
///Diagnosis received. Scanning for WarSats…\\\
///<3> WarSat faults detected, moving remaining <197> to re-cover operational area.\\\
///Operational area re-covered. Feeding WarSat relocation data to bunker…\\\
///All requested data sent.\\\
///Cycling weapons…\\\
///Weapon cycle complete.\\\
///All primary weapons are fully functional. Frame combat support is 27% damaged but available.\\\
///Bringing background systems online…\\\
///Background systems online. Switching modes.\\\
///Executing reactivation…\\\
- - -
“Ah, it feels good to be back online. Elizabeth, are you there?” Churchill asked.
“Yes, I am here. I trust you are well?” Elizabeth replied.
“Some minor faults, but I should be okay. Any reason for you bringing me back online?”
“There is. There has been a situation.”