“So that armor lets you fly?”
Fluttershy nods outright; Applejack contemplates for a couple seconds. “If I knew how, yes,” she eventually answers. They’re standing on the balcony; the ramp has retracted, but nopony has headed in. Meals had been provided out here.
“Or so they say,” Twilight answers; they’ve spent the last couple hours enjoying the fresh air- they’re on the move again- while they shared stories and discoveries. “I can’t seem to move my wings fast enough right now.”
Again, Fluttershy nods. Sergeant Stone answers verbally. “It does seem to take more work, yes,” he states. “Though that’s relative- just faster strokes. In terms of energy spent, it takes practically none; this armor is willing to flap as hard and fast as I can move my wings, with no regard for wind resistance.”
“Or Centaur resistance,” Applejack inserts.
At this, Twilight raises an eyebrow. “Centaur resistance?”
Fluttershy squeaks lightly.
“Oh yes,” Applejack chuckles. “You should have seen her when she found me. I was surrounded by the things- and she fell out of the sky. I wish I knew how high some of ‘em flew.”
Sergeant Stone chuckles. “That was entertaining, yes- also telling. If this armor will let Fluttershy send Centaurs a hundred meters up with the flick of a wing, I daresay it does impart a not insignificant amount of stren… Uh oh.”
All around them, the sky goes dark. A cold breeze whips suddenly across their faces- and their conveyance changes course, accelerating somewhat as it charges through the woods. A ripple is seen across the metal before it fades out, becoming invisible. The door stands wide open behind them.
All five ponies stare at the sky for two seconds, before Princess Luna turns towards Fluttershy. “That armor lets you fly?”
Nod.
“It lets you fly fast?”
Nod.
“Is there some for me?”
Shrug.
“It was in the cabinets inside,” Twilight states- and Princess Luna turns to follow Sergeant Stone’s gallop inside.
She overtakes him- but not until after his direction has indicated to her which cabinets. She starts down the line, tugging momentarily at immobile doors and continuing on to the next one. “Aren’t any unlocked?” she asks.
“Maybe?” Sergeant Stone says, galloping up behind the Princess- speed enhancement is one of the functions of her magic armor. “I had to shed my Royal Guard Armor when I put it on, though.”
Luna winces, running down the line- and finally, a door flies open.
A full set. She snatches the first piece- so happens to be the chestplate- and pulls it out for quick examination. On one side, it looks like her Royal Armor- and on the other side…
On the other side, she realizes, it looks like it’s made to go overtop her Royal Armor. She flips it around- thankful for the strength spells in her armor- and touches it to her chestplate. There’s an audible click as she does so- and, as she draws her hooves away, she feels her armor take the weight. Next piece- identified by Sergeant Stone, while Applejack gallops in to help her suit up.
She glances towards Applejack as she works. Foreleg on- she hardly notices when it starts taking its own weight, reducing the weight her Royal Armor places on her body. “I’m going to Canterlot,” she announces, accepting and attaching the next piece just as swiftly as the last. “I will leave the Element of Loyalty here with you for safekeeping, until it can be returned.” She attaches the backplate- unlike the others, hers is going on like stickers, pulling itself into place as soon as she places it against her existing armor. She slots her right wing through the gap in that side piece- and it locks itself in place just as swiftly… Right overtop her blade, she realizes. Whatever- at least she has it, and if her new armor comes with anything remotely similar to what Sergeant Stone used, she shouldn’t be needing it. Left side piece comes next.
Applejack nods silently, glancing to the side, where Princess Luna had dropped her friend’s Element on a chair. “How bad is it?” she asks.
“The Sun has gone out. My sister is compromised- and the wards around Canterlot will not function. The enemy will be attacking within minutes, in such force it will be overrun in less than an hour, no matter how valiantly our soldiers fight.”
Applejack’s eyes go wide as Luna attaches one of the hind leg pieces. “How’d they get that many?” she asks.
“It’s their main force,” she states. “It’s been camping outside Canterlot for this very opportunity- while smaller armies scoured the land to cut off our support, to force our hoof.” Right wing section. She doesn’t even bother shuddering at the claustrophobic effect- it’ll let her fly, after all. Having her real wings trapped inside is nothing next to losing Canterlot- or her sister. Even as she attaches the other, her wing instinctively presses against it- which she ignores, until after it spreads effortlessly. Her left wing quickly follows suit, and she glances back only momentarily- that was unexpected. Whatever- her helmet is on and Sergeant is helping her pull the weapons out, sticking them to her armor and preparing them the way he’d been shown earlier.
Score- that includes another of the massive things he’d used earlier.
She makes sure to stick every last one onto her armor. Sergeant warns her they seem to have limited ammo, like a bow and arrow- just there’s a lot of arrows to go through before it does. Like any good archer, she wants to have as many arrows as possible.
It would seem she’s not the only one. Several spiders are skittering up to her as she finishes, carrying some more long things- more weapons? She’s not certain, but they do look interesting- like a pile of tubes and some kind of bracket. Javelins? She’s tempted to decline, but reminds herself the weapons she’s already wearing are a lot more useful than they look- even her sword is! So, she does as they seem to want, and spreads her wings.
First, they attach the brackets to her armor. One goes on her back, and one under each wing. Then, the little javelins. The biggest two go on her back, angled slightly outwards, while the rest- of three sizes, all much smaller than the two on her back- go under her wings. Of these sizes, she counts four of the biggest, six of the midsize, and twelve of the smallest. Once they’re all attached, she shifts on her hooves, testing the weight- and rolls her eyes to herself. Exactly as Applejack had said, the armor was taking the weight off of her. She can only hope they won’t slow her down too much.
One last spider runs up, something small and wedge shaped in its claws. It sticks it on her back, right between the two long things- and she gets the idea it’s not a weapon; it locks on like another piece of armor (or those brackets) had, not like the black sticks (or javelins) had. Then, with a final glance at the receding spiders and quick review of the ponies she’s leaving behind, she rushes out the door. She feels her weight disappear as she spreads her wings, already kicking off from the railing- and jumps almost instantly to Rainboom-rivalling velocity with only a single stroke. The next stroke propels her far beyond.
Canterlot, here I come.
I notice a fluctuation in the sunlight. Possibly a solar flare- though it’s inconsistent with that.
0.832 seconds later, however, it stops completely.
My enemy, presumably, has either extinguished or hidden the sun.
I change course for the nearest ocean, only 7.14 kilometers ahead, and accelerate slightly as I engage my maximum stealth capability. I should be completely invisible to even Concordiat sensors; even so, I will not take chances. Not when I may be these ponies only hope against it.
The ponies on my deck have taken alarm. General seems to know what is causing it- and I hear the word I suspect means ‘armor’ used in a question directed at Hellbore. Her answer is a nod. Her second question- also answered by a nod- I do not understand at all. Even before her third question is answered by the intended recipient, Sergeant takes off into the troop compartment. This simple act suggests, with 73.94% certainty, she is asking after her own armor; I am beginning to suspect the Enemy managed to cast their drain spell on her, but not to completion; she has not flown nor used magic since the battle, despite multiple occasions such would have been advantageous in.
I make an executive decision. Without my Commander present, and with no UCA recognized, I have no higher authority to turn to. I begin the manufacture of a new weapon system, to attach to her armor. Whatever this issue is, she seems to believe she can do something about it, with her armor. I wish to be certain that, no matter where this mission takes her, she has the firepower to eliminate any threat that gets in her path.
So, by the time she starts donning the weapons, I have spiders on their way to deliver a new missile system for her. Twelve dogfighters, six quarter-ton, and four half-ton under her wings. I also attach a small countergrav module and extra power cells to her back, between the heaviest weapons, to accelerate her journey. I do not know how far she is going; she may well leave my own range and, with this module, will likely significantly outpace my drones.
Once she takes off and corrects her course, I turn to follow. What the two hundred-ton weapons on her back can’t handle, my eight 290-cm main battery Hellbores probably can. I also load my two Hellrail turrets, designed for use against orbiting starships out of Hellbore range. They are also useful against lunar installations, if need be.