//------------------------------//
// Chapter 23 - Railer One 
// Story: Twilight Daylight: Psera, The Legend of Legends 
// by thedarktome 
//------------------------------//

All was quiet. All was silent. The darkened halls of the Castle of the Gods were empty. The only ones occupying its floors were the many Elite Guards silently doing rounds. Shining flashlights along its walls and keeping an eye out for anything out of place. The lights danced on the third floor, the second, the first, the stairwells, Molten's floor, all over the place.

But the castle's peaceful occupants paid them no mind. Ponies like Princess Cadance just rolled over with Flurry trapped in her hooves and continued on with the dreams Princess Luna provided for them. Snoring with the wind and the darkness.

Until a blood curdling scream reached her ears and echoed through the castle's halls. Her eyes slowly opened before they shot wide the rest of the way. Then she bolted up in her bed and listened to the reverberation slowly die away.

"What was that?" She looked down to Flurry glancing nervously in her hooves. She heard it too. Cadance didn't imagine that. That was real. That was extremely real. The bed creaked when Shining rose up from behind them and marched across wooden floor towards the door. He softly pulled the handle down and opened it at the same time Luna did directly across.

She looked around and asked Shining, "Did you hear something?"

He looked both ways down the empty halls and answered, "It was a scream. Somepony around here screamed." But who?


~✶~


When Fresh Dawn screamed, Arcadia and Madun's eyes snapped open. Then they were up and out of bed so fast one could have sworn they teleported. When they went into the hallway, the front door burst open and the ponies in black swarmed in with dancing flashlights. "Living room clear!"

"Kitchen clear! What happened?!"

Arcadia rushed into Dawn's bedroom and flicked on the light for the heartbreaking sight. Dawn was curled up in her book bed in the most tightest ball her pajamas would allow holding Sky Blue tightly to her chest. Crying her eyes out.

Arcadia rushed over and asked hectically, "Dawn! Dawn baby, what's wrong?!"

Fresh Dawn let Blue Sky go and untangled herself from that ball. Then allowed herself to be picked up by her mother so she could cry in her shoulder. Madun and Arcadia shared a look. Then Madun turned to the Guards in the doorway awaiting instructions with his hoof up to hold.

Arcadia asked, "Was it a bad dream, sweetie?"

Dawn sniffled her tears away and answered, "I-I-I w-was flying over the ocean, and Merōl, and the sea was black. And it was rushing towards Merōl. Then these very ugly and nasty ponies with black and r-red eyes were jumping out of the black water grabbing my leg, and this big dragon thing with sharp teeth tried to eat me!"

Arcadia held her tighter and looked over her shoulder to Madun. He was already moving. All foals have nightmares. But because of Fresh Dawn's possible special talent that allows her to interact with dreams, hers were way more vivid, scary, and real. Sometimes, they even get physical. But this one was different. This was a nightmare about Maheera Dark on her way to Psera.

Sometimes Dawn's dreams were actually in real time too instead of the future. A good example would be a dream where Dawn had somehow gotten into the kitchen and was eating food late at night. Then woke up the next morning with an ice cream cone over her horn. Arcadia knew her special talent went beyond dreams at this point, but she had no explanation since most of them happened at night. She was sleeping when they usually occurred.

Madun walked behind Fresh Dawn and asked, "Where did the big scary dragon hurt you, sweetie?"

Fresh Dawn raised her wings and said, "Un-un-underneath my wings!"

"Okay, hold still." Madun lifted up her shirt and looked under her wings out of Arcadia's sight. Then looked back up at the guards and ordered, "Tell the Captain to raise the PDSSC to a code yellow. She has a mark." Whenever a mark appeared on Fresh Dawn's coat, it was considered a harmless bruise.

In the dream world, she was attacked and it would hurt there. But when she woke up, she wouldn't feel it. They would know she was attacked by something out there if a mark was present, but as long as they didn't hurt her here in the waking world it was okay. They were usually harmless.

But in this case, Maheera had scared and laid a claw on their daughter, and was more than likely out there in the ocean headed their way. It was just a possibility. But Madun wasn't taking any chances.

While the guards rushed out of the home, he rose back up and nuzzled Fresh Dawn's cheek. "Don't worry, sweetie. Mommy and Daddy are going to take care of the big monster, okay?" Dawn just went back to snoring in her mother's hooves. She didn't hear anything.

Sighing, Queen Arcadia and Madun quickly filed out of the room in front of the guards. They knew the drill during a code yellow, the safest location was not in this suite. It was in the Code Base. They would plan in there.

Back downstairs one level, the atmosphere was slightly disturbed. But not by much. The scream was so out of place that it made even Rainbow Dash wake up, which in turn woke up Scootaloo. Rarity's bedroom door opened next and she poked her head out with a face full of that green stuff and cucumbers over her eyes. She looked around and asked, "My goodness, what in Psera was that?"

Celestia answered, "I have no clue. But it certainly woke me up. And...where in this castle did you get facial cream?"

Pinkie popped out over Rarity's head with a grin and answered for her. "I gave it to her! In case of 'Rarity needs facial cream' emergencies."

Luna stepped out yawning. "Of course you did. Let's go back to sleep. I have a full round of nightmares to—" A piercing sound hit their ears for a second that ceased that conversation, and woke up the rest of the inhabitants.

Madam Singe cracked her eyes open and focused on the open window before it went off again for a second. "PDSSC...Code Yellow," a female voice repeated. The ringing happened again three more times before that same voice.

Amira and Haakim opened their doors before the others and noticed the group already out here. Even Rarity took her cucumbers off. The beeping was loud. And based off the lighting outside, the Central Obelisk was flashing. Rainbow Dash took this time to ask the question on everyone's minds. "So any idea on what's happening?"

"PDSSC Code Yellow," the alarm went. "Stay inside and close your doors. PDSSC Code Yellow."

"Everyone stay in your rooms!!" Celestia jumped and looked down the hall where a few guards were coming from. They approached with their flashlights blasting the foreigners in their faces. "Let's go, stay inside! This is not a drill! Stay in your rooms!"

All over the country, the Obelisks were blaring loud and proud, warning of a possible imminent threat believed to be either on Psera or coming to Psera. Just as ordered, all windows were shut, lights were cut off, and the Pserateps were letting the Guard handle it.

King Madun, Queen Arcadia, and Princess Fresh Dawn were the first ones to arrive in the brightly lit Code Base. The deep underground bunker that provided security to the Royal Family. Already, the room was secured with their security detail. Unlike last time, the bunker was fitted with a new room this time. The Command room overlooking the first floor on the bottom where the King and or Queen could assess the situation from safely within without being caught in the crossfire. That was the first place Madun went to when they arrived. Leaving Arcadia to look after and stroke Fresh Dawn's mane on the bottom floor. There was no telling when she was going to have another nightmare.

He walked towards the staircase and ordered, "Give me a status!"

At the very top of the bunker was the command room. Currently occupied with a few lieutenants and soldiers managing controls in front of darkened LiVAMs. One of them in the middle of the room was looking at the screen when he stepped onto the floor and saluted.

"The PDS Obelisks aren't picking anything up yet," they reported. "But the fleet off the east coast of Merōl were already prepared. They're on the move for the Obelisk defense line."

"Good. Keep an eye out on those waves. I want the Aerial Guard on the move now with a good visual. Where are the others?"

"They're on their way, Your Highness."

"Keep me informed of any changes."

"Yes, Your Highness."

At that, Madun made his way back down the stairs at the same time a cranky Merry walked in with her two snoring fillies on her and Blazing's backs.

"Okay, someone wanna tell me why I was just rudely awoken with a Code Yellow blaring in my ears?!" She yelled. It seems those fillies inherited her mother's sleeping ability. They could sleep through anything.

From a couch nearby, Arcadia looked up to Merry with her filly balled up in her hooves and whispered, "Shush, Merry. Dawn had a Dream Attack. By Maheera."

That Made Merry stop and route to Arcadia. Sure enough, Dawn was shivering in her sleep. Arcadia was doing what she could by humming a song, but it would only pass in time. That must've been a very bad dream. She's seen Dawn in her nightmares before. But it was never this bad. Arcadia lifted Dawn's shirt and motioned to the dark mark under her wing. "She was attacked by Maheera and said she was moving towards Psera. So we raised a Code Yellow."

Merry gently sat down next to her and lifted the shirt a bit more. It was big enough to go from right at her wing joint to the other side of her body. "It looks like a ring," she assumed. "A claw."

"It was. She was grabbed. What's the update, sweetie?"

Madun sat down next to her and answered, "Nothing on the Radars yet, but the fleet at sea are already on the move for the Obelisk line. As well as a brigade of Aerial Guard."

A guard from the top level announced, "Sir! We got a feed from one of the Aerial Guards!"

"Put it on the LiVAMs!" He, Arcadia, Merry and Blazing all focused their sights on the giant LiVAM hanging low over them, currently displaying the crest of the Fire Family. Shortly a live feed of the Aerial Guard reaching the water replaced it. Using her magic, Arcadia dimmed the lights on the side so they could see better. That was also the same time Molten Ice was brought in.

She eagerly abandoned her escort team so they could close the doors and follow her family's eyes.

From a Guard's helmet was a good visual of the Obelisk line. Already fortified with Aquata after Aquata, armed to the teeth with weaponry trained on the ocean currently being scanned by their lights. The Guard with the camera feed landed on the first ship front and center and ran to the helm so the Royals could see better. Nothing at the moment.

"We got movement on the radar!" Someone on the other side of the camera announced. "Closing fast!"

"Weapons up!!"

Madun yelled to the command floor, "What's on their radars?"

A guard up top replied, "A giant bogey, sir, still waiting for clarification."

Arcadia and Madun shared a look down to Fresh Dawn then back up to the LiVAM. Then gasped at their find. The sea was turning black. Around their ships behind the Obelisk Line. Arcadia shook her head and whispered, "No, no, no, they're not supposed to get past the Obelisk Line. Where are the Generals?"

"They're up in Lavender, ma'am."

"Tell them to open fire on the waves. There's about to be an army closing in. Change Code Yellow to a Code Red."

"Yes, ma'am."

When the darkness started to crawl over their ships, they didn't need to be told twice. Magic after magic was fired from the deck and cannons into the black of the infected ponies somehow swimming with the waves and eventually onto the decks. Below the Deck of a few of the ships, the commanders were watching the chaos above and laying tartarus onto the infected attempting to get past. A giant explosion rocked the camera, fuzzing out the feed before it was directed towards the sound. Then two more.

One of the Aquatas just blew. Spewing flames and more into the sky when their bogey finally made itself known. A Giant Dragon attacked. Ember's father, Torch. He just swiped a claw straight through that ship.

"Buck," Arcadia mumbled. She sighed and looked down to her daughter. There was only one thing to do to a dragon that size that just took out that many soldiers. "Switch to Code Black. Send the command to ready Railer One but await authorization. That is one big dragon, it's not going down with a simple shot."

"Yes, ma'am."


~✶~


When Secretary Manny was awoken from her sleep with the news that they were being attacked at the Obelisk line, she flew through the eleven PM darkness in a snap to get to the Office of Defense building in Lavender. Sure enough, activity was happening everywhere. She dropped down onto the concrete outside of the doors and ran inside.

Ignoring the saluting, she yelled, "What's going on?! Someone better talk to me!!"

General Bold Shoulder and a few more were at her side with an explanation ready while they moved through the busy halls. Bold Shoulder answered, "The PDS Obelisk Line is currently being crossed by multiple bogies from the East. We just lost Aquata Forty-Eight and many more are currently taking damage by what is believed to be a huge Dragon. We've been given a go to prepare Railer One."

An attack this late at night? Manny growled, "I was going to use it anyway."

They turned a right into a darkened room littered with desks, LiVAMs, feeds, and Pserateps all talking at once into their Communication units. At the very end were three LiVAMs on the walls big enough for everyone to see with live Radar feeds, action feeds, and still photographs.

The Generals and commanders followed Secretary Manny up to the top of the room via a steel staircase. With her eyes on the still image of the blown Aquata, she ordered, "Get me in contact with the Code Base now! Status on Railer One!" Buck, that dragon is attacking another Aquata while the other was sinking into the water below. They had to act fast.

One of the many ponies down there looked over their shoulder and answered, "Ready to go, ma'am! On the Queen's command!"

Back at the Code Base, Arcadia was watching the event happen live on the LiVAMs with the rest. Holding Fresh Dawn protectively in her arms, a small tear escaped her eye. She ordered to the Guards upstairs, "Get those Aquatas backed up three thousand."

"All Aquatas, back up! Ready shot one!" A mare yelled. All at once, the Aquata's rotated their engines and began backing up. But the infected were still coming, and they were still firing. Getting past the Obelisk line. After a few minutes of pain and suffering at sea, Arcadia heard the go ahead from the command center. "Ready when you are, ma'am."

The rulers of Psera all shifted their eyes down to Queen Arcadia. This was one of the many tests of her willingness to sacrifice for Psera. One of many more to come. She gently closed her eyes with her baby in her hooves and ordered, "Fire away."


~✶~


The Dock in Lavender was busy at one moment. The many flood lights shining on the ships were trained on the soldiers running around one large space with a few entrances leading underground into one of the many large spaces hiding with the gold under their hooves. The entire space was littered with steel walkways, busy with military personnel.

But in the center of it all was one small golden torpedo sitting on a railing angled upwards. Painted purple and decorated with Queen Arcadia's cutie mark, the many flood lights shined upon it's hull, the spinning rudders behind it, and the ponies quickly leaving.

The signal was the sound of the loud alarm ringing through the facility. Far behind the torpedo was a small glass window holding authorized commanders and military personnel. One of them was the same blue coated mare Queen Arcadia was speaking to earlier that day.

All eyes were on her and the console they were standing in front of. When her Comm Block went off, she raised it up to her mouth but didn't let her eyes leave the torpedo. "General Neon Lightning," she first said.

"Fire away, General."

"Ten-four." She lowered her hoof down to the keypad on the black but colorful console and pressed in four numbers. Then the giant red button at the very top lit up. She eyed it for a moment with the thought of what would happen next. This has only been tested once and the technology was just enrolled into combat this year. Too bad.

She jammed it down. "Five..."

Queen Arcadia watched as the numbers on the screen in the bottom corner counted down. "Four..." Princess Celestia and the rest of the rulers were staring outside of their windows, watching the sky brighten and flash repeatedly with the Code Black alarm. It was beginning to become a little annoying.

That would be the least of their problems.

"Three...Two...One...and she's off."

Rarity was the first to witness a bright star brighten her window as if it were the sun quickly rising into the sky. That was no sun. Railer One rose out of the waters and flew up into the air, roaring away with a trail of smoke behind it, showing its origin.

Princess Cadance whispered from her own window, "Lavender." Shining Armor could only nod and watch as it soared higher and higher. Then suddenly explode into twenty more of those colored purple and circle each other. Angling away from lavender and out past Merōl into the night sky, soon leaving sight.

"Attention, please." A deep voice in the air tore their sights away from the smoke trail and into the air. "Firstly, the Department of Defense want to thank all inhabitants for following all instructions and listening to the Guard. As of this moment, The Department of Defense has just launched Railer One. We need all inhabitants to close all windows and cover eyes, as the night turns to day."

Rainbow threw out her hooves and replied, "I just want to know what the buck is going on!" But when the air around them suddenly pulsed and knocked out her hearing and room power for a second, she relented and quickly corrected, "Scootaloo, under the covers, let's go."

Fluttershy didn't need to be told twice. When the first alarm rang out, she had grabbed Angel bunny and pulled him under with her. She hadn't moved ever since. The Princesses, rulers of Foreign lands, and citizens of Psera except their King and Queen all followed along in fear shortly after. The Foreigners had no idea what a Railer One was, but it didn't sound good.

The last pony under was Celestia before her vision gradually turned from black to orange to white. Then the wind picked up knocking things over. Celestia heard Flurry whisper next door, "I'm scared, mom."

"Shhh, shhh, everything's okay."

"Eyes closed, keep your eyes closed!!" A guard in the halls yelled.

Arcadia could only imagine what was happening out there in that ocean. Railer One wasn't a bomb. But it used light particles and heat waves to burn past molecules without fire within a five mile radius and make everything... Disappear. Arcadia could only watch as the LiVAM feed turned white for a full two seconds. Then "Connection Lost."

All eyes in the Bunker, the Office of Defense, and the ponies outside could only watch the screen and listen to the wind howl in silence. They knew what had happened. There were probably thousands of infected ponies swimming towards the coast of Psera and had managed to take down one of their ships. Somehow. Including Ember's father. They would never be rescued. They were no more.

Psera's Aquatas were already far enough away when they fired Railer One. They and their soldiers were okay, except the Aquata that went down. All of those lives were lost with the sole exception of any survivor.

Arcadia sighed and closed her eyes. That was the first time she had to make a move that big. She lit her horn and turned off the LiVAM. They saw what they needed to see.


~✶~


When the light and wind finally died down, the ponies all over the nation lowered their hooves from their eyes and looked around. The alarm was no longer blaring, the sky was once again dark. But the path of Railer One still stuck out like a sore hoof. Celestia and the rest of the rulers could only stare at the sky in silence.

After a few minutes, Luna sighed and whispered, "We should probably be going to bed now. Whatever that was...It looks like it's over."

"We were attacked." They looked over their shoulder at Odega. They hadn't seen her all day. But instead of her orange mane and tail, with red eyes. Her body was an entirely cooled blue. She trotted towards the window and stared at the sky. The trail of Railer One. "Maheera Dark made a surprise move and somehow managed to get around the Obelisk Line. Fresh Dawn saw it first. Then she screamed, told her parents, and they raised Code Yellow, which was then raised to a code Red when around a thousand of Maheera's infected ponies started attacking the Aquatas out there. Queen Arcadia made a bold move just now. She gave the authorization to launch Railer One."

Luna asked the main question, "What is Railer One? An explosive?"

"No." Luna and Celestia sighed in relief. "It's a disintegrator." Their hearts immediately stopped. Then they slowly looked back up and eyed the sky. "As much as it pained her, she had to make the sacrifice. Thousands of those ponies... Are no more. One of them was a giant dragon. Have a good night." And just like that, Odega whisked away like someone blew out a candle.