Humans seeking escape, equines seeking justice, homes destroyed, peaceful lives meddled, and soon, innocent lives will be claimed. For in the crossfire of war, death does not discriminate...................
Andrew and his team were making good progress despite their current circumstances. Ten minutes into the chase and their destination only lay less than 500 yards away, but their pursuers had pressed up the attack significantly. Beams of magic had now transitioned into scattered blasts that made landfall all around them, kicking up dirt, rock, and debris with each impact. But the humans endured, returning fire on occasion while still keeping up speed. Andrew was desperate to get an evac out of this place as soon as possible, as he didn't want to stick around to be ambushed, killed, or worse, captured by the enemy.
Suddenly, the ground directly ahead of him burst into a million tiny pieces from a blast of magic fired from Celestia. It did very little to him other than obscure his vision for a few seconds as it kicked dirt and grass into the visor covering his eyes. The force of the impact caused him to stumble a bit, but he was quick to regain his balance. He whipped around and fired his MTAR from the hip at the two alicorn sisters. The two quickly evaded his shots as they scattered around their intended targets. Luna quickly returned with a three-round burst of magic aimed directly to his right. Andrew's quick reflexes saw them coming the moment she fired them off. He immediately dodge-rolled to his right and slid himself back around to rejoin his team en route to their destination. By the time her shots made impact, he was already out of their effective reach.
Luna was somewhat astounded how fast he saw her attack coming, which incentivized her and her sister to increase the pressure of their attacks. The two speculated that the humans would no doubt return to the Everfree to escape. It was where Tim had come from so logically they assumed these humans would take the same path. But after they had destroyed Twilight's castle, they headed north, putting them in a direct path to Sweet Apple Acres, where every soul in Ponyville was now located. To make matters worse, the reserves from Canterlot would no doubt arrive by train, which stood on the other side of town, meaning that any sort of reinforcements might come too late. All that was unknown was their intent. The destruction of the castle came out of nowhere, and both sisters wondered just how they pulled off an explosion of that scale? Just another weapon devised by humanity, or perhaps there were more humans that initially believed. If that were the case, they wondered if there were more on the way.
Regardless, their attention needed to be focused on delaying the humans in front of them. If they could buy just enough time for Commander Spark and his reserves to catch up, this whole mess might finally come to a close. If not, things had the opportunity to get much worse. Celestia swooped in closer, firing a concentrated beam towards the central concentration of the group. With a quick horizontal swipe, she scoured the ground that lay in their path. But yet like so may attempts, her efforts were easily avoidable as the humans evaded it and continued onward.
On the other end of the situation, Andrew made an effort to keep a strict visual on his team, making sure that they didn't get separated, while still maintaining their spacing. One blast would no doubt kill any of them instantly, and whether or not their pursuers were shooting to kill, it made sense not to group together, the last thing he wanted was to have one blasts effectively kill two or more of his sqaud.
"Wolf 4, how much further!?" Andrew yelled out.
"Less than two hundred meters, sir!" Nate replied.
Andrew tried to get a good glance ahead of them. They were close to the outskirts at this point, given how the buildings seemed to be getting smaller and less congested overall. Spacing was getting more open, and while that was an indicator that they were getting close, it also had the misfortune of leaving them more exposed with cover to utilize in a pinch. As he squinted into the distance, he could see the large plantation that the RARD had picked up before dusk had settled in. He wasn't a mathematician by any means, but there was no doubt that their evac point would be somewhere around that area.
Luna charged up her horn and fired off another blast of magic. As the giant ball of ethereal energy was sent its way towards Achmed and Lamond, the former catching wind of it just before she fired it off. Achmed did some quick thinking, and had an idea on how to lessen some of the pressure currently on them. He switched his AN-94 to two-round burst fire. The unique feature that made the rifle stand out amongst the rest was this particular fire setting. In theory it could fire off two rounds in less than a second. This was for armor penetration capabilities, one bullet to soften the target and one to punch through. As a bonus, the AN-94 had some considerable accuracy on this setting, as any recoil wasn't felt until after both rounds had been fired. Achmed theorized the possibility that the same effect could be pulled off against their attacker's shields.
Achmed put theory into practice as the projectile made impact with the ground near him. He evaded it effortlessly by rolling ahead, and just as quickly turned around at a crouched stance, taking precise aim at the one who fired it off, the one who murdered his friend. He lined up the crosshairs of his scope to her center. With one quick pull of the trigger, both rounds soared from the barrel. Luna reacted quickly by summoning her shield, but it wasn't enough. The first round cracked at her armor like every other round that had been fired at her. Then suddenly, the crack shattered violently as another round found itself in the same exact spot before her magic could strengthen the soft spot back up. As punched through the rest of her shield began to fall apart in little glass-like shards, completely destroying it. She was ready to summon another with haste when she felt something tear through her wing right wing and forelimb, sending trails of blood with it. What followed was some of the most excruciating pain she had ever felt in her many years of life. She screamed in agony, losing any sense of balanced flight as she began plummeting to the ground.
Celestia heard her sister's outcry, seeing that she had taken a hit and had fallen from flight. Celestia immediately feared the worst, racing to her aid. Achmed wasn't sure if the shot had killed her or not, but his plan had worked and he and the others were, for the meantime, free to advance unopposed. Achmed quickly joined back up with the others, who had just past the last structure on edge of the outskirts and were now out in the open, making a charge towards the farm which stood less than a mile away. Expecting things to get more difficult, they were quick to notice that they were no longer under fire.
"Wait. Where the hell did they go!?" Sarah asked.
"I fired a burst shot at the blue one!" Achmed informed. "It penetrated her shield, she's down!"
Everyone was relieved, though given how they were all hellbent on leaving they didn't dare stop to make time for celebration.
"Nice shooting, Osaka 5!" Vik commented.
"Did you neutralize her?!" Andrew asked.
"I don't know!" Achmed replied. "I didn't have time to confirm the kill!"
Andrew was somewhat relieved to have the pressure off of him and his team, but Sabbag's actions would no doubt have some serious repercussions in the long run. But it didn't matter at the moment, as he was closing in on the portal's coordinates.
"Vik, get Gateway on the Horn!" Andrew directed. "I want that portal ready and open by the time we get there!"
Applejack was racing back and forth from the barn to the ponies that were currently taking refuge at Sweet Apple Acres. After they got Rainbow Dash back on her hooves, she had run ahead to the farm to tell her family what had happen and to make the necessary preparations to temporarily accommodate everypony in town. The rush of towns ponies started to come in only ten minutes after that, and since then, her, Big Mac, Applebloom, Granny, and some of the guards and some well appreciated volunteers we're getting everything and everypony situated, all under the echo of gunfire in the distance that made ponies even more nerve-racked than they already were. For the most part, folks were okay. Some ponies came in with an injury or two from the fighting, but they were thankfully few and far between and not too serious. Nurse Red heart and some of the other ponies who worked at the hospital oversaw that particular task.
Other than that it was a challenge just getting everpony to take it easy. Most ponies were doing there best to calm their nerves and those of the ones around them. Parents made attempts to sooth their distraught children, others initiated their coping mechanisms in full swing, and overall just tried to spread a sense of safety.
Then it happened. Everypony for miles could have heard the sound of that explosion. One minute, AJ saw Twilight's castle standing at the west side of town like normal, then the next, a giant black plume of dust and smoke tore a hole out of the side and the whole thing went up like a tinderbox. AJ didn't know what had happened, or if anypony was unfortunate enough to be inside when it happened, she hadn't had any time to ponder on it considering that she had to suppress the panic that followed it. She feared for Twilight and Spike, and the rest of her friends for that matter but realized that a lot of ponies currently needed her help, too many for her to go out for a search and rescue.
Five minutes following the incident, many of her fears were put to rest as she saw Twilight, Spike, Rarity, and Fluttershy all coming down the road towards the farm. Glad to see them all safe, Applejack quickly put aside what she was doing to meet up with them. Twilight saw her fast approach and found herself in AJ's hugging embrace in a matter of seconds.
"Twilight!" AJ called out. "Thank goodness you're here. I saw what happened! Tell me your castle was empty!"
"It was." She replied back. "I just hope nopony was hurt nearby when it happened."
Twilight took a gander over AJ's shoulder to see the massive influx of ponies that crowded the grounds of Sweet Apple Acres. There were hundreds, all in a state of chaos that might even have garnered admiration from a certain draconequus. Putting that and the fact that her home now stood burning in flames aside, she saw the situation desperately need her aid.
"How's everything going on your end here, AJ?" Twilight asked.
"We were managing, till that explosion. Now I got folks who're spooked and ready to bolt to the next town over. All us Apples are working non stop, the guards are keeping order best they can, and a few kind souls have even offered to lend a hoof."
"Alright." Twilight said. "Rarity, Fluttershy, If you could, see what you can do to calm some of these ponies down."
"Of course dear." Rarity replied.
"Not a problem." Fluttershy responded.
Twilight already had the knowledge that Rainbow Dash was still helping in the evacuation, all her friends were accounted for with the exception of one.
"Where's Pinkie Pie?" Twilight asked. "Has she come in yet?"
"Yeah, she's here." Applejack said. "Last I saw here she was helping drag out some food out of our stores. I reckon these folks are gonna be here for awhile."
Twilight found relief knowing that all her close friends were now accounted for and let out a sweet sigh that made it known
"That's very good to hear." She said. "With that out of the way, what can Spike and I do to help?"
"Well, don't know if Big Mac got around to it yet, but we got some barrels of water that need to be pulled out and placed in front of the house. If I recall, they should be in the back of the barn."
"I can get them out." Twilight responded. "Spike, I guess you're coming with me?"
"Yeah, I guess so." he said sadly.
Catching that tone the instant it came out, both ponies stepped up with some well needed optimism.
"Hey, c'mon now. It's gonna be alright sugarcube." Applejack said soothingly.
"Home's where we make it, Spike. We can always rebuild and replace the things in our lives. I'm just glad that I got you out of there in time. I don't want to think of what would happened if I hadn't."
The reassurances from them both managed to increase his mood, if ever so slightly.
"I'll be fine, guys." Spike reassured the two. "More than that even. I'll do what I can to help however I can."
"That's the spirit little guy." AJ said with a smile, giving him an affectionate pat to the head.
He laughed it off and soon, Twilight was running towards Applejack's barn, passing the multitude of ponies that had gathered, with Spike riding on her back. As they entered, they immediately sought after the barrels of water that were supposedly within.
"Applejack said they were in the back right?" Spike asked.
"I think so." Twilight responded.
The made their way further into the barn house that they had seen on so many occasions to attend to her task. Little did Twilight know however, that she would find herself within death's reach not once, but twice this night.
If Andrew could summarize this entire mission, it would best be described a series of random instances of good and bad luck. One minute they're home free, the next their staring at an ocean of natives crawling all over the grounds where their objective laid. Hundreds and hundreds of them across the farm. His team stood there, just less than fifty yards away from the outer reaches of it. The distance added with the darkness of night was all that obscured them from view.
To make matters worse, Gateway needed a few minutes to get the portal fired up and ready to activate, pushing their window of escape even further away.
"*Out of all the fucking places."*" Sarah cursed.
"*Look at that goddamn beehive.*" Lamond whispered.
"*How. The hell. Are we going to get through that?*" Viktor asked.
"*No way we could sneak through that.*" Asami stated. "*There's a few guards here and there but the sheer amount of civvies would make sneaking through damn near impossible. There would be a hundred eyes on us everywhere we go.*"
"*Who gives a shit, I say we gun a few of em' down and let the rest scatter.*" Achmed suggested.
Achmed's tone and mere suggestion of that elicited some serious concern from his Sergeant and those in 3rd Company, and earned him an immediate reprimand from Andrew.
"*You stow that shit right now, soldier.*"Andrew barked. "*We are not killing civilians. Period.
"*Well we need to do something and quick!*" Vik insisted. "*Those reinforcements could be on our tail any minute!*"
"*There's gotta be another way around.*"
"*Really?*" Viktor questioned. "*And where exactly would this unseen route be, eh?*"
Andrew honestly didn't have an answer, with this many civilians all in one place, reaching the target was effectively impossible. But somehow, Jelani came up with a solution.
"*Commander, I sense fear among their numbers.*" he said aloud.
Everyone turned to him,unsure of what he was on about.
"*No shit, Sherlock.*" Hale quipped. "*We just shot our way through their town and they came here for safety. What? You just figuring that out?*"
Jelani ignored his compatriot's insult, continuing what he wanted to say.
"*Fear can take a toll on those who it ensnares, Commander. I know this better than most. Paranoia, timidity, cowardice, these are things that break one's resolve. And if this fear is clearly seen in one soul, it is capable of spreading to another.*"
"*Your point, Wolf 5?*" Vik asked.
"*These creatures are not fighters. I knew this from the moment I saw them. They are creatures, who at the first sight of danger, distance themselves from it. We, and our prowess in battle, is what is most likely on their minds. It is what they fear. We are what they fear. Given all that has transpired, they envision us as monsters that not even their most capable of warriors can subdue. For many, the mere sight of us alone would make their fears made manifest, perhaps enough to falter, to flee. Were we to demonstrate a display of dominance, it would instill even more terror in their hearts. Many would run for their lives, and in doing so, more would follow suit.*"
"*So, you're suggesting we scare them off?*" Sarah said with an eyebrow raised.
"*That is one way to put it, yes.*" Jelani replied.
Everyone gave the idea some thought. Given the current track record, these ponies seemed to lack any sense of tactics, and even when they outnumbered their group ten to one, they still fled. But that wasn't substantial enough evidence to put Jelani's plan into action.
"*Okay, Jelani." Hale said. "That's a really stupid plan. Borderline insane even. I mean, I'd expect something like that from Nate, but not you.*"
"*Hey!*" Nate said in defense.
"*I'm afraid Hale's right, Jelani.*" Viktor said in agreement. "*Even if just a show, the minute we fire our weapons, we'll be painting a big red target on our backs. We need a more viable plan to play from.*"
"*A fair point, Alpha. But if you are so quick to dismiss mine, what plan did you have in mind may I ask?*"
Viktor was silent, unable to come up with an answer and falling right into Jelani's hands.
"*I thought as much.*" He said in dull tone. "*Besides, my method has already found success at least once on this night.*"
"*Wait, what?*" Andrew asked. "*When the hell did this happen? Furthermore why didn't you tell me when I asked you if you had run into trouble!?*"
"*Because we did not. To be considered trouble, I believe one would actually have to put up a fight.*"
Andrew then looked to Nate, who immediately turned sheepish when the Commander turned his gaze towards him.
"*W...wh..what he said, sir.*" Nate apologized.
"*As I was saying.*" Jelani continued. "*On our way to the rendezvous point, we encountered a large group of the creatures. Nate found himself in their sight line. Naturally, They were not intimidated by his presence.*"
"HEY!?*" Nate said defensively.
"*However when I emerged, they froze like statues. And when I discharged my weapon, they scattered like roaches. That was just me alone, I imagine with all twelve of us, the same result will happen. And if we are fortunate enough, it may even prove to be more effective.*"
This whole idea seemed like a major gamble that in principle, was bound to fail, and in some ways, it undoubtedly would. But Jelani's last words rang with a modicum of truth. Every encounter they had been through, the natives outnumbered them, and yet they still fled rather than aid their fellow kind. Add that with the limited options at the moment and everyone was willing to give it a chance. They all knew time was of the essence, and that this vast group of ponies was the one obstacle that currently stood in the way of their return to Earth. Up to this point, in spite of everything that had occurred, Andrew tried to do his best to mend as much as he could from a deteriorated set of circumstances. But he had clearly failed in that task the moment Berfield was killed. Now seeing that shit had effectively hit the fan pretty damn hard, what harm was their in throwing in more. With a deep breath and seeing no real alternatives, he moved forward.
"Alright, let's do this then." Andrew conceded. "Stick close together, watch each other's six! Should any of em' put up resistance, neutralize the threat accordingly. We make for that barn, use it for cover until Gateway can open the portal out of here. Everyone know the plan?!"
They responded with a general yes. Verifying that everyone knew what to do, Andrew reloaded a fresh mag into his MTAR.
"Alright then. Lock n' load men." Andrew ordered. "Let's pray to god this works."
Luna laid limp and in pain on the ground, her sister desperately trying to everything in her power to stop the bleeding from the wounds.The damage had turned her right foreleg into tissue paper, and her right wing was completely torn up on both sides. Celestia cast a spell, which formed a golden band around her sister's leg to stop the bleeding.
"Luna, please stay with me!" Celestia begged.
Luna grimaced, the pain unbearable, but regardless, she made an effort to respond.
"Sister, I.........I'm still here." She seethed through her tears. "Please, leave me, you nee....................you need to protect everypony else."
As much as Luna had a point, Celestia glanced over it, not wishing to leave Luna behind in her current state. Suddenly she heard the sound of heavy hoofsteps charging towards them. Looking towards the direction they were coming from, she hundreds of guard ponies make their way through the streets of Ponyville like a river of Navy blue and Gold. Several chariots flew overhead in the night sky. One landed just a few feet away from the duo. Stepping off of it was no other than Commander Spark, in full body royal armor. He approached them, his eyes growing wider upon seeing Princess Luna on the ground, beneath a puddle of her own blood.
"No.....no no no NO! MEDIC!" he cried out.
Several came out upon command, quick to catch on to which pony desperately needed it. They went to work immediately. The damage was grisly to say the least, and despite his years of service under the royal sisters, Commander Spark was somewhat taken aback by all that he saw. Princess Twilight's Castle had turned into a raging inferno in the distance, He and those under his command had come across several bodies of the guards ponies who had accompanied the Princesses here. And now Princess Luna herself had succumbed to a horrible injury. All this combined was enough to warrant an inquiry.
"Your highness!" Commander Spark addressed. "Are you alright? What happened here? Who's responsible for this."
She opened her mouth opened as if to speak, yet there was no words that could summarize how she felt. The human who they had sworn to aid now lay dead as a result of poor judgement. Her pupil's home and testament to her duty now stood burning in the distance. Innumerable guard ponies had given their lives almost needlessly as the were slaughtered one after the other. Her sister suffered serious injuries that left her on the ground bleeding. And now, the humans currently approach the one place where she and Luna had deduced to be the perfect refuge for the evacuated residents of Ponyville.
She was ready to lose hope, but suddenly, her attention was garnered not by one pony, but once again, by gunfire in the distance. Very loud and audible screams could be heard in the distance, echoing in the hundreds. The guards shot their gaze towards its direction, the sheer volume and consistency of it becoming more and more frequent.
"What in Equestria is that?" Spark asked.
At that moment, Celestia's usual collected nature had utterly faltered as tears began to fall from her eyes with an expression of pure and utter horror struck her face in an instant. Through the pain of it all, Luna heard it all as well, and with all the strength she could muster.
"SISTER! YOU MUST STOP THEM!" she shouted with urgency.
Luna's plea must have done the trick, because a that moment, Celestia stood up wings spread and ready to take flight. She looked down at Luna one last time before doing so.
"I will return, little sister." She said softly. "This ends now."
Luna gave her a nod, and then laid her head to rest against the ground. Celestia turned to Commander Spark, an irate and determined glare on her face.
"Commander, have the reserve advance north towards Sweet Apple Acres. You have orders to neutralize any threats as deemed necessary. Move like the wind."
With that she launched herself in the air and raced towards her subjects in need before Spark could even as so much as give a "yes, ma'am". He turned to address his troops.
"RESERVE COMPANY! FORWARD ADVANCE! DOUBLE TIME!" he yelled out to his troops.
Spears raised, horns ignited, and Shields up, the forces under Spark's commanded started to charge northwards with haste, where an unknown enemy lay in wait, no doubt slaying countless innocents in its wake. That would end tonight.
Twilight levitated several barrels full of water to where they were needed, lightly bobbing up and down as they floated to her left and right. Spike was ahead of here, leading her through the massive crowd. They were halfway there when they heard somepony start screaming. Followed by another, and then another. Twilight was uncertain what exactly was eliciting such a reaction, then they heard it. Like a triumphant symphony of death, gunfire erupted from the camp, its loud echo deafening the screams and cries for aid over the distinct ear-crippling sound.
Ponies everywhere began to scatter in droves, scrambling over each other in the chaos that ensued, screaming, yelling, and outright crying as they sought to escape the approaching threat. Twilight ceased her levitation spell and soon found herself ensnared by the vast charging mob that followed, with her unintentionally being pushed away from where she once stood. In turn, she was separated form Spike, who being much smaller than the average pony was lost to the crowd.
"SPIKE!" She cried out. "SPIIIIIIIIIIIIIKE!"
Alas, the overlapping sounds of the crowd and the volumes of gunfire made any call from her adoptive brother next to impossible to hear. Fearing for his safety, she spread her wings and took flight, backtracking to where he had previously been. Her plan however immediately fell apart, as bullets began flying towards her direction. Twilight formed a magical barrier around herself, shielding her from the oncoming rounds. Looking downwards and to the direction they were being spewed from, she found herself stunned by what she saw. The humans had found the camp, and had proceeded to assault it. She looked everywhere for a sign of Luna or Celestia, alas she saw neither. Twilight wondered if they had managed to escape her mentor which soon turned to the fear that Andrew and company had killed them both. If that were the case why come here? To her knowledge, the portal opened in the Everfree. Perhaps it could be opened elsewhere she thought.
She witnessed it all first hand, as a mere twelve human beings utterly destroyed any semblance of order and sent hundreds of ponies fleeing in terror. They pressed they're attack at a lightning pace, steering themselves into the direction of the Apple's barn. Guards who engaged them were immediately shot up in a matter of seconds by overlapping fields of fire. Within less than a span of a minute, the guards that had accompanied their princesses had been effectively knocked out of commission, with most either dead or on the verge of dying. A similar fate had befallen upon those ponies who attempted to stand up to them. Off to the left, Twilight saw a unicorn stallion fire a beam of magic at the invaders in act of courage. It painfully missed its target however, and when the humans saw where it came from, one of them fired off a round that penetrated the poor unicorn's leg, crippling him.
From her elevated position, she could see the bloody and destructive path they carved for themselves and where they were heading. She quickly caught onto what she had thought would be their plan. Given the range capabilities of their weapons and the fact that the lack of armor no doubt was a trade off for mobility in their tactics, Twilight theorized that they relied heavily on structures for cover. No doubt the reserves were on their way, and with any luck, Celestia and Luna. Perhaps if she could delay their entry, that buy Commander Spark enough time to catch up and surround them.
Bullets still battered against her shield, leaving small chips and cracks. Ignoring this however, Twilight was determined and ready to put her plan into action. If she was the last line of defense, she'd uphold her duty too her last breath. However, the time she spent looking over for both Spike and the scene had cost her time. As ponies generally fled from the scene, the area quickly became more open, leaving Twilight as the only remaining threat nearby. She soon found out that she had stayed in one spot for too long. With every gun now trained on her, any attempt at a hasty retreat would undoubtedly lead to her death, she knew this, and they knew this. Her shield was beginning to falter from the concentrated fire. Twilight poured every bit of magic she could muster into maintaining her barrier, the sheer strain of it forcing her to land. She placed herself directly in front of the barn and expanded her shield to cover the entrance. Andrew and his team were quick to realize what she was planning.
"Guess she was smart enough to figure it out!" Viktor shouted.
"Yeah, well from what we've seen that shield isn't gonna hold forever!" Andrew replied, who then proceeded to deliver another command. "OSAKA! WOLFPACK! Concentrate on target! Bring that thing down!"
Each step they took closer seemed only to drive them further. Twilight could see them getting closer and begin surrounding her, each step forward seeming to only drive them further as they stood less than a ten yard's distance away. Her strength weakened, her resolve now being tested to its limits.
Knowing that her shield would give way at any moment, Twilight desperately searched for aid in any form. But there was none in sight. As the first portion of her shield burst into tiny fragments, the formulaic and ingenuitive mind of Twilight Sparkle came to realize that this may very well be the end.
After everything she had experienced in her life, after every challenge she and her friends had faced together on multiple occasions, her end would come from the end of a gun, a weapon forged from another world. But why? Why had all this happened. Twilight still had no idea what was driving these humans. From an outside perspective, your average pony would deduce their actions as an incessant need to commit evil. But calling back on all she had learned from the experiences of Timothy Berfield, humans were reasonable creatures, despite their violent tendencies. Their story story of success and power that had gone too far taught Twilight that humanity is saw, spoke, and acted in shades of gray, rather than the typical black and white conflicts her world had become accustomed to. The Conflict had forced humanity to work together in their new desolate existence. By doing so, they gave up petty grievances and ideological differences for the sole purpose of helping one another get through the lowest point in their history. Humanity was molded into its survivor mentality, collectively crafted from experience and hardship, strife and danger, ingenuity and wisdom, and of course, war and the lessons one obtains from it. Through all those things they found ways of connecting with one another, and formed a society that prided itself on rebuilding a future for themselves. What purpose would instigating hostilities serve in the goal?
Alas, it would no doubt be a question which she would never get the answer to, as more and more portions of her shield began to shatter and fade. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for death's cold grasp. But suddenly and out of nowhere, a beam of powerful gold magic scorched the ground in front of her and rapidly moved upwards towards Andrew and company, halting their attack on Twilight. In the nick of time as well, for Twilight's shield had collapsed the second it happened.
Twilight's eyes shot back open, and looking forward, her sight was immediately greeted with Princess Celestia forcefully impacting the ground in front of her, Horn brimming with magical energy, maintaining a defensive stance that shielded her pupil. Celestia rained burst after burst of magic onto Andrew and his team. Andrew team responded by returning fire. Within seconds, pegasus and bat-pony guards in the dozens descended from the sky and began surrounding the area and in turn cutting off any escape for the transgressors. Andrew's team began to regroup, taking aim but holding fire. They soon spotted the massive amounts of reinforcements closing in on their location. Wide open spaces in every direction and cut off from the barn that they had hoped to use for cover. They were exposed, and about to be surrounded. While Jelani's plan had worked, the unforeseen fact that another one of the natives with wings and a horn would cost them the time they needed. They all stood in close proximity, back-to-back with rifles raised.
"Any bright ideas anyone?" Ahab remarked.
"We could just shoot each other and save them the pleasure." Lamond suggested.
"How about I shoot you both!" Sarah snapped.
"Everyone shut up!" Andrew barked. "Vik, get Gateway on the horn and tell them to get that fucking portal open NOW!"
"I just did." Viktor replied, hand leaving his HUD-set. "ETA Three minutes."
It might as well of been three years, given the vicinity of the approaching reserves, they'd be surrounded by the time Gateway managed to get it open again. Viktor let out a deep sigh of defeat. Unless gateway opened the portal within the next ten seconds or so, any hope of returning home without leading an army back with them would be dashed. Looking at his old friend, he saw that he still had his rifle raised, ready to keep fighting.
"Looks like we're not going home, Andrew." Vik said solemnly.
"That ain't gonna stop me. If I'm gonna go out, I'll do it the way I came in. Kicking and screaming. Fighting to the death." Andrew snapped back.
The sheer resolve of his old friend did little to increase his optimism of the situation, but it did serve as a heavy reminder of his duty. Surrender sure wasn't on option here, and everyone present knew it. No way they would risk giving these creatures any information that concerned humanity. No, this would be the last fight they'd ever partake in. Everyone took a combat stance, rifles at the ready, waiting for the last set of orders from their Commander.
"I suppose it's fitting for the both us." Vik said with a slight smile. "We started our lives living by the sword, and now it seems like we'll going out by the sword."
"I'm not worried about me right now Vik."
"I know. Jess and Jake?"
"Yeah. I should've fucking stayed back. Now it's because of me that Jake's gonna grow up without his father. Jess'll take it hard, but she's strong. She'll raise him right."
"Would it be premature to tell you 'I told you so'?"
Andrew shook his head and smiled.
"I'll take that as no." Viktor said. "Well, I suppose its time for formal goodbyes. Hale, Nate, Lewis, Asami, and Jelani. It's been honor leading you."
"Likewise, Alpha." Hale replied back.
"We make our last stand, men!" Andrew ordered. "Hostiles closing in, as soon a-"
Andrew found himself cut off when a golden dome shield formed around them all. The color was instantly recognizable, as they all turned their gaze at Celestia, who held them captive within the confines of her magic. With the reality that they were now trapped, Andrew rephrased what he was about to say.
"Or, we can.......try.............to.............................................................................................fuck." Andrew said in defeat.
"Sooooooooooo, what.................now?" Lamond asked.
"Hey, we still have our guns. There's that." Nate reminded everyone.
"Fantastic,. So when we shoot the barrier and the bullets ricochet off of it we can just kill ourselves instead of the enemy." Asami pointed out sarcastically.
"Y'know that may not be such a bad idea." Lewis earnestly said.
"Yeah, given how I really don't wanna be a prisoner to these things, suicide's actually sounding a bit tempting right now." Hale admitted.
"Seriously Hale?" Asami questioned.
"What?! I'm not giving these things the pleasure of taking me alive. Who knows what methods of torture these fuckers have cooked up, I don't wanna go through that shit."
"Me neither." Ahab said. "But I also really don't wanna kill myself either. I hear it lands you in hell."
"Since when are you the religious type?" Harris asked.
"Since I'm currently facing my own mortality! Alright! Cut me some slack!"
"It does not matter that they have confined me to a cell of unnatural sorcery." Jelani stated. "They will have to release us eventually. The minute that happens, they will feel my wrath!"
"Same here." Sarah said in agreement. "I ain't going down without a fight."
"SILENCE!" Celestia shouted.
The humans were astounded by the sheer volume of her voice, the irate nature of it made evidently clear. Twilight had collapsed, her forelegs serving as the only thing that stood firm. She panted, sweat and tears running down her face as she savored every breath. She had been spared death.
As guards flooded in all around them, Celestia began taking in the scene. She was more than relieved to have saved Twilight in time but more than outraged by what she saw. When she had heard the sound of gunfire while at Luna's side, she had feared the worst. Those that remained of both her and her sister's guard laid either dead or injured along with a handful of civilians injured. While it was not in the dozens or hundreds that she feared, her anger had reached the breaking point. While medics attended to the wounded, she approached her captives, a look of pure condemnation across her face. She had plans on outright exterminating these humans, but given the lack of civilian casualties despite having the opportunity to reap outright carnage on the ponies of Ponyville, they didn't. That alone saved them from a swift execution.
"You twelve have a lot to answer for." She accused. "And I will personally see to it that you pay for each and every one your crimes against Equestria. What do you have to say for yourselves!"
They were silent, with not one uttering a word. She figured as much, given how reluctant Tim had been with information it only made sense that they shared his tight-lipped nature. She then turned her gaze up to the human who had started it all. But despite Achmed being at her mercy, despite her promises of justice against him and his cohorts, his eyes spoke volumes to how much he desired to kill her right now. Were there no barrier, he very well could. By this time Twilight walked up beside her mentor. She looked upon these new humans with a sense of anger and fear, but also, disappointment. Everything they had done up to this point practically shattered the message Tim had ingrained into her mind, and it was at this point that she wanted, no, deserved answers.
"Why?" she asked.
Celestia, Andrew, Achmed and all the others looked at her.
"Why did you do all this?" she asked, the shattered nature of her resolve evident with every word.
"Twilight, now's not the time I'm afraid." Celestia said solemnly.
"Then when is the time?!" she cried out, tears beginning to swell in her eyes. "My home is in flames, Tim is dead, my friends are scared, I've lost Spike, and ponies all over town are injured or even dead! When do I get answers!?"
"Why don't you ask the murdering bitch?" Achmed seethed. "Or has she bled out already?!"
Celestia's horn flared with light and intensity.
"I SAID SILENT!" she roared, rearing back in rage.
Everyone else either flinched or took a small step back. But Achmed not only withstood her outburst, he matched it.
"FUCK YOU!!!!!!!!!" Achmed roared back, slamming his fist against her shield so hard the it left a small fracture in it's interior.
Twilight, and even Celestia to an extent reeled back. Those among Andrew's team stared in awe at Achmed as he stood his ground against this powerful deity. The fracture in the shield began to mend, and a small trickle of blood began to fall from his still clenched hand. However Achmed's rage was unbridled, and if he had felt pain from it, he sure didn't show it.
Celestia quickly regained her steadfast posture and took several steps closer to Achmed, till she was only inches away from the surface of the barrier. She locked with his rage-infused glare.
"Vent at me all you want, human. It makes little difference. But know I will make certain that you in particular, will never harm another pony again." Celestia swore.
"What's he talking about Princess?" Twilight asked.
"I will discuss it with you after I have properly dealt with them. Now I-"
*TtststtssssssssssszzzzzzzzztTTTTTTTTTTTzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZTttttttttttttZz!!!!!!!
The loud crackling sound was heard by all, furthermore, it seemed to be coming from behind Celestia. Within the confines of Applejack's barn, a large, blue, swirling vortex emerged, spewing occasional shocks of blue lightning and releasing a massive current of air onto those directly in front of its path. Turns out, no one saw Viktor reach up to his HUD-set from the time the shield was formed over them to now.
A Few Minutes Earlier.................
Francis lead the now-fully armed platoon through the hall leading to the portal room, 26 men locked and loaded for combat with an unknown enemy. Simple satchels and backpacks had been switched out for combat helmets and tactical vests. Francis touted his M60 over the shoulder, belt box hanging from the side, with a big grin across his face that said, "I'm ready to fuck up your day!" Nick, who stood beside him, paled a bit in comparison. He carried his K2 rifle gripping it a bit tighter than usual when ready to fight, wearing a helmet that was a tad bit too big for his head complete with a concerned look on his face. As the group got closer and closer to the portal Nick's breaths started to gradually get heavier. Francis was quick to notice, and even quicker to comment.
"C'mon Barkley, you look like you're about to shit a brick!" Francis derided.
That earned a few chuckles from the others, but they were somewhat lacking in sincerity. Francis could tell they were a bit more nervous than usual.
"Seriously? You guys too?" Francis said genuinely surprised. "What the hell's got you guys so jittery!?"
"Francis! We're about to take a walk through time and space to fight an unknown enemy in another world. How are you not nervous?" Nick asked.
"Simple, cause I ain't afraid of nothin'." He said confidently.
Everyone in company immediately shot him a rather annoyed look.
"Your resolve is the envy of us all, Vanhart." Delp remarked sarcastically.
"Oh for Christ's sake Delp, you too?" Francis stated. "You got a fucking RPG strapped to your back! With a backpack full of HEAT rockets to boot, you're ready to fuck someone's day with that!"
"Yeah, but it'll mean jack shit if I'm killed the minute I walk through the door!"
"Y'know, I kinda gotta throw my hat in with Francis on this one." Richards stated.
"Seriously?" Nazif said, honestly shocked.
"Well, Sawyer's team did say they were like 3-foot tall horse creatures, how much damage could they actually do?"
"Uh, quite a lot I imagine given how they can make shit float with their mind, I'd say there's pretty good chance they could wipe the floor with us!" Nick said in a worried tone
"Then how come the Commander and his team are still fighting them off?!" Locke argued.
"What if it's a trap?" Hakimi suggested. "They wait for us to open a portal home then they hit us with an ambush?"
"Then they'd be walking into a heavily armed complex." Sharif stated.
"Yeah, did everyone just forget that little fact?!" Francis added.
Soon the whole notion of marching headlong into unknown circumstances derailed into one big incoherent argument amongst each other.
"ENOUGH!!!!!!" one man shouted.
Turning around, they saw Lt. Bakowski approaching them, geared up himself with helmet, vest and an AK74M rifle in tow. The irritated glare on his face clearly summed up the displeasure he felt of seeing the evac team argue and bicker before deployment.
"Gentlemen, it doesn't matter what awaits us on the other side, only that we will be there to face it before we let it bring harm to our comrades on the other side! We will meet our adversary on the field of battle! We will face it in spite of whatever abilities are at their disposal. And we will face it with the level of discretion, discipline and seriousness," he clarified, glaring at Francis directly, "that I expect of soldiers like you. Now do I make myself clear!"
Everyone replied with a "yes, sir!"
"Good! Now fall in! Delta formation! I want riflemen to the front, grenadiers to the back with support covering from the sides! Delp! Up front with the RPG, I want it loaded and ready to fire on my command!"
Following the Lieutenant's direct orders, everyone took their positions. Nick once again found himself next to Francis. While the Lieutenant's speech help calm his nerves a little, he'd be lying by saying he still wasn't a tad bit fearful of awaited them. A hand landed on his shoulder. Looking to see it was Francis', said individual shot Nick a supportive look.
"Hey, ease up, Barkley." Francis said. "You're gonna be fine. I got you're six."
Despite the lack of care he'd expressed before, Francis' support was enough to shake Nick out of it and deliver a more confident outlook onto him. Lt. Bakowski turned to the main activation platform, where Bradford and a handful of other scientists were ready to activate the portal for them to proceed. The Lieutenant then turned to his platoon.
"Men, safeties off! Are you ready!?"
"HOOAH!" The team replied back.
"Councilor, we're standing by and waiting on you!"
Bradford nodded, instructing his scientists to activate it. After two seconds, the portal began to spark up, as a blue vortex emerged at its center, getting wider and wider with each passing second.
"Be advised Lieutenant!" Bradford shouted. "The Commander and his team are currently surrounded. But they're close, should be right in front of you. Furthermore they're currently trapped by a protective barrier of sorts, Hostiles everywhere, so be ready for a fight!"
Suddenly the portal stopped growing, leaving it just large enough for groups of two to walk through simultaneously. Nick could feel the portal's airflow tug at him, trying to pull him in, but alas the airflow had since been greatly reduced as to not have a repeat of what happened to Berfield. Everyone in the platoon raised their guns at the ready, waiting for the Lieutenant's go. Before they entered, Bakowski gave Delp the order to fire.
"Delp, fire away. CLEAR THE BACKBLAST!!!"
Everyone moved out from Behind Delp at a considerable distance. Delp raised his RPG-7, pulling the trigger shortly afterwards. The rocket flew forth at lightning speed, sending a plume of fire, smoke, and gas bursting out from the rear of the weapon. The order to advance came immediately after.
"Green light! GO! GO! GO!"
Everypony stood staring at the unannounced spectacle. The humans currently held captive heightened in alert as Viktor whispered for them to be ready. It took only five seconds for Celestia to realize what it was, but that proved to be too long.
Emerging forth from the portal at high velocity, steering ever so slightly to Celestia's left was a round from an RPG. It's flight pattern just narrowly missed Andrew and company, instead detonating fifteen yards to his left. It made impact with the ground where a plethora of guards were reduced to pieces. The resulting explosion sent out a shockwave that knocked other guards to the ground and sent shrapnel flying in all directions.
Suddenly, human solders poured out from the portal, immediately opening fire on anything that didn't look human. Guards retaliated by charging at them, but as more humans emerged, the more clear it was that they had more than enough firepower to contend with them. Bodies began to drop in the dozens as guard after guard was gunned down. Francis let loose with his M60 mowing down hostiles and laughing as he did it.
"HAHAHAHAHA! EAT LEAD FUUUCKEEEEEEEEEEEERS!" he yelled eagerly.
"FRANCIS!" Nick cried out. "GET BEHIND SOME COVER YOU GODDAMN LUNATIC!"
Celestia, in a rash bit of action, turned around to return fire with a spell, only realizing that she had cut the power to her shield mid charge. She turned back around, wondering if she could somehow undo her mistake and recapture the humans before they could escape. Her answer came in the form of Achmed's fist landing a knockout blow to her right cheek as the rest of Osaka and Wolfpack mopped up any nearby hostiles.
Celestia fell to the ground, reeling from the stinging pain that had been delivered to her. Andrew and his team rushed past her, more than eager to escape this world, but with so much gunfire and magic being traded across the battlefield, getting to the portal without getting hit was difficult. Achmed looked around, hoping to suppress a target, but instead found an opportunity of an easy escape in the form of this "Twilight", who had her head ducked and cowered on the ground.
Streams of gunfire and magic poured out all around the landscape, accompanied by another rocket. It soared over where Celestia lay, and landed somewhere behind her, delivering the same devastating effect that it had done previously. The firefight ensued for several more seconds before Andrew began to notice something off. Slowly but surely though, he, along with several other human soldiers, began to notice that their enemy had stopped firing at them. Given how odd it was, Andrew gave the order to cease fire.
"CEASE FIRE!" he called out. "CEASE FIRE!"
Those under his commanded did as instructed, confused as to why all of a sudden the natives ceased their assault. It was then that Sarah's eyes spotted Achmed, and in doing so, she found the answer as to why the natives had stopped attacking.
"Sabbag!?" she cried out.
Everyone then looked to Achmed and were shocked by what they saw. In his right arm was Twilight, her arms and neck restrained within his grasp and with a handgun pressed up against her head. Twilight was once again within death's reach. Her magic had been depleted substantially trying to keep her shield up from before, which had made casting a spell to defend herself utterly impossible when Achmed had grabbed her during the fighting. He followed that action by pulling out his aforementioned handgun and shoving it directly in her line of sight. Now that she was at his mercy, he whispered into her ear.
"*Try anything and you're dead!*" Achmed threatened.
With that said, fear had effectively taken hold of her, to the point where she couldn't even say a word. Tears streamed from her eyes and she found herself as still as the grave when he began moving towards the portal, dragging her along with him.
It was around this time that Celestia had recovered from Achmed's decisive blow. Upon standing up, her eyes shot open to the sight of at least 40 humans, with Achmed holding her beloved student hostage. Her instincts told her to intervene, but Achmed had predicted that. As soon as Celestia raised a hoof forward, he shot at the ground in front of her, only to then forcefully press the barrel of his handgun into the back of Twilight's head. Everyone and everything was as quiet as the grave, which made what Achmed had to say come across as haunting.
"Not. One. Step. Closer. Or I blow her FUCKING brains out." Achmed yelled out to her.
This was a tense situation for both sides. At this point it was pretty clear that Achmed was suffering from some serious mental instability from the loss of his friend, and Andrew had plans to intervene.
"Sabbag. Let her go." Andrew said carefully.
"I will, sir." Achmed replied back. "After everyone's back safe on the other side. And assuming someone doesn't try and test me!"
Celestia's heart was about ready to stop, uncertain and frightful of what the outcome of this situation would be. Were any being of her own world to pull this maneuver, she'd without a doubt in her mind call it for the bluff it would be. But not here. This human was on edge, possibly unstable, and that made Celestia genuinely fear for Twilight's life, praying that this human wouldn't just kill her out of spite.
"Please, I beg you, don't." Celestia pleaded.
Achmed could tell by her voice that the native he held hostage was very dear to her. A part of him wanted to pull that trigger, watch her face as someone she cared about was taken from her just like how Tim was. But another part told him that if he did, he'd be dead the second it happened. Other than dying however, he wanted revenge, but judging by the fact that they weren't executed the minute they were captured, he had deduced that Tim's killer still lived. Killing her would be his mission, his final act if need be, and he had no intentions of dying before that could happen.
Achmed didn't say a single word to Celestia, unnerving her by the second as it signified an inability or outright refusal to reason. Instead, he simply turned to Andrew, who still stood just an arm's length away.
"Sir. Go."
Andrew would have undoubtedly tried to intervene right then and there were the situation any different. But given how Achmed had effectively bought them a safe exit with this hostage stunt, he really couldn't refuse the opportunity. Andrew gave the order to leave.
"MILITIA, FALL BACK! We're leaving!"
Some hesitated a little but ultimately followed their superior's orders. Every one of them filed back out into the portal. As the number of humans in Equestria gradually got smaller and smaller Achmed began back-stepping towards it, much to Twilight's distress.
"P..................................p...............................pl......pleas....................e." Twilight incoherently begged through her tears, "l..........................l..........let.....me........................................g.g................g-"
Achmed once again pressed the end of his handgun into her head.
"*I. Said. Quiet.*"
Twilight followed his statement with even more tears. The number of humans dwindled, until at last, it was just Achmed, who stood less than a foot away from the portal. He stared Celestia down one last time, the sheer anger and incessant need for vengeance that filled his soul never once faltering. He lowered his head down to Twilight's ear to deliver his final words to her.
"*We'll be back!*"
Achmed then swung the arm that had been holding her, launching her towards Celestia before walking into the portal to safety. The portal then quickly closed behind him, severing the link between his world and theirs. Celestia ran forward and caught Twilight mid-air in a cradle of her magic. She levitated Twilight closer to her, grabbing her in a hugging embrace. The two stayed like that for quite sometime, both unwilling to let go, as they both wept into a state of tears.
"It's okay, Twilight." Celestia said in a nurturing tone to her student. "It's over. It's over."