Twilight steadied herself as the shaking ceased, the rescued ponies behind her quieting down to a sob as they were taken away from the once magnificent city of Canterlot. The Princess of Friendship couldn't believe what she just saw. Yes, she knew that it would be destroyed, but the way it happened nearly traumatized her. She tried to move herself from her spot, but her shock prevented her from even lifting a hoof.
It wasn't until the human that had checked the countdown timer walked over to her, crouching down to her before speaking.
"Are you alright?"
Twilight jerked her head to him, eyes wide before realizing what the officer was asking. Forcing a breath, Twilight replied. "I... I think so, yeah."
The human shared her look of sorrow as he spoke once more. "I'm sorry we couldn't save it, but... the good news is we got everyone out in time."
Twilight seemed to smile faintly as a fragment of her hope returned. "...Yes, at least we did that."
Hearing another voice, the human officer stood up before ending the conversation. "If you'll excuse me." Twilight nodded as he returned to the back of the transport, her six friends standing up and trotting over to her as Rarity spoke up.
"Sweet Celestia... They did it, those MONSTERS actually did it!" The fashionista said with tear-filled eyes, wrapping her forehooves around Fluttershy as she began sobbing.
"It was... it was so quick, too." Applejack said mournfully, taking her hat off as she looked down at the floor as she took in what happened.
Pinkie Pie started to tear up as well, finding difficulty in trying to speak. "And... a-and where are we gonna have the galas at? *sniff* I... I c-could use one right now!" The party pony held onto Applejack, crying as a few tears fell from the farmpony's eyes.
Rainbow Dash didn't say anything, merely looking down at the floor as she tried to keep herself together.
Twilight turned towards the window, trotting over to it as she tried to take one last look at her former home and birthplace. The city was completely enveloped in the fire, not a single sign of architecture remained within the burning ruins of what was once Equestria's most beloved city.
Twilight remembered all the moments and places she had witnessed, her time at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, her time in the royal palace, the wedding of Cadence and Shining Armor... Everything flew around her mind as she watched the city burn.
Then she looked away, sobbing as she realized she would never be able to visit the city again, as it would soon become nothing but a giant, literal stain on the mountain it once rested on.
As she mourned for Canterlot, the same human officer jogged two the cockpit, slipping in through the opening that led to where the pilot was at. Curious of what was going on in there, Twilight wiped her eyes before trotting over to the cockpit, the officer and the pilot talking to each other as she stood within the doorway.
"What's the status of the other transports?" The officer asked the pilot as he replied.
"From what their reports say, they got almost everyone out of some of the cities." The pilot then tapped a spot on the visible map on a section of the control panel, Twilight taking a peek at it as she listened. "Unfortunately, one transport from a city one of the passengers calls Manehattan reports some of the civilians taking flight. A few of them apparently weren't fast enough to flee from the firestorms."
The officer looked down at the floor as he took in the news, then raising his gaze at the pilot before asking, "Anything else to report?"
The pilot nodded as he answered him. "Yes, Our scouts just finished their patrol of the southern sector of the Equestrian continent, and it looks like they've found some sort of Harvester convoy." He pointed to a section of the map, his finger briefly hovering over the bottom of the continent before continuing. "A few hours ago, they saw several creatures fall through the clouds and into the ocean near the mountains before seeing one of the Harvester ships lowering down to them. Shortly after reaching the shore, the vessel landed and it's crew took the creatures aboard after a brief firefight."
Celestia trotted over to Twilight, both of them being noticed as the two Resistance members turned to them. "Ah, do you need anything, your Highnesses?"
Twilight trotted closer to the controls, examining the map as she took in these new details. Then, looking to the pilot, "You said they took them hostage?"
The pilot nodded as the officer added, "Abduction, they probably want to study them in order to know more about the planet's inhabitants."
Twilight's eyes went wide as she became worried again. "Have there been more reports like this?"
The human pilot turned to the console again as he answered the purple alicorn. "I believe so, shortly after our scouts left the clouds, they could see some of the Harvester transports leaving the storm. If it's true, then I'd say they're looking for more creatures across the land."
"And that's not all," The pilot said as he tapped the screen to show the various reports sent from the other transports. "Before we left Canterlot, we had gotten a call from a place called Mount Aris. According to their queen, they said that a scouting party had been sent into the mountains before the aliens arrived... And they haven't heard back from them since."
Twilight stared at the map as she thought through the information she had been given, not only were the invaders destroying their homes and cities, but they were kidnapping creatures all across the planet. The mare almost cringed as she began to imagine hundreds of ponies being examined and dissected in the alien laboratories...
Then, she thought of an idea. Looking to the pilot, Twilight asked, "Okay, I know this is going to sound crazy, and very risky... but can we divert course and head for that destroyer?"
The two humans both raised an eyebrow as they heard her words, Celestia quickly sharing their expression as the pilot took a moment to think. After a few seconds, he seemed to light up. "...Yeah, let me see." Tapping a button on the controls, he spoke as he began to contact Command. "Noah 7 to Command, you got a few extra transports to spare?"
"Affirmative, Noah 7. What's the issue?" A male voice on the other end replied before the pilot continued.
"One of the inhabitants here wishes to attempt a rescue mission on the destroyer located near the southern end of the continent. Are we permitted to do so?"
Depends, what do the city leaders think of this?" Command asked before Twilight and the two humans looked to Celestia, taking a second to think about what they were planning to do.
After taking a glance at her eavesdropping sister, who gave an approving nod to her, Celestia gave her word. "We'll do it."
"Then request is granted, we'll load the transports up and send them to your position. Expect rendezvous in approximately two hours."
"Understood, Command, we'll contact Legacy Squadron to see if they can lend a hand." The pilot said as Command finished the discussion.
"Good luck down there, Command out." With that, Twilight trotted back out to the passenger lounge, her friends looking at her worriedly as Rarity spoke to her.
"A rescue mission? With all these passengers?" The mare said as she waved a hoof to the group of ponies near them.
"Yeah, we're with ya all the way Twi, but how are we gonna protect them if we're flying right into danger?" Rainbow asked as the Resistance officer answered the girls.
"Well put up a small shield in front of them, that way the blasts can't get to them when you all head out." The mares smiled in approval as the human jogged to the other end of the ship, Twilight trotting over to the pilot once more as she asked him one more question.
"How long until we reach the ship?" Twilight said as the pilot looked to the console once more before turning to her.
"We should be in visible range in about three hours." The Princess of Friendship nodded as she turned back to her friends, all of them looking to her in return as Applejack spoke.
"Well, I guess we should gear up, then." The farmpony said as Rainbow Dash hovered behind her.
"Yeah, like we're gonna need some weapons, right?" The rainbow-maned pegasus said before one of the Resistance officers walked over to her, carrying something in his hands before tossing it to her.
"Speaking of that, you'll need this." The human said as Rainbow caught the device, getting a good look at her new weapon. It was a strange looking rifle that had a cylindrical section in the middle, as well as a trigger that could be pulled with one of her wing feathers.
Rainbow grinned at the shiny weapon, oohing at it before commenting, "Oh, I'm already liking this bad boy."
"Wait until you see that thing in action." The soldier said with a smirk as the pilot watched them for a moment, sharing the smirk before turning back to focus on flying the ship out to the desert far ahead...
-Southern Equestria-
2:50 PM
Twilight took a deep breath as she relished in the small window of sunlight, warming her fur as she relaxed in her seat. It took over an hour to get away from the city destroyer, but when they did, the passengers seemed to be calmed by the bright sun outside. Twilight looked to her friends, all of them looking to the window as well to enjoy the sun above.
Several Resistance fighters under the name Legacy Squadron had joined Noah 7 shortly after everyone finished getting ready, and almost an hour ago about eight other transports joined the squadron as well. Now that their pieces were set, they just had to find the Harvester destroyer to start their little game.
As an alarm sounded throughout the ship, Twilight realized that they were coming closer to the destroyer. Standing from her seat, Twilight trotted over to the cockpit, getting a good look at the large vessel within the clouds. From the looks of it, it seemed to be departing the clouds, heading towards the nearby settlement Noah 7 had passed.
"Everyone locked and loaded?" The voice of Captain Hiller said through the radio.
"Noah 7 here, shields at the ready." The pilot said as he watched the fighters of the Resistance form up in front of the transports.
"Legacy 2 on standby."
"Legacy 6, armed and ready, sir!" As each of the pilots gave their call sign, the transports closed in on the destroyer, the hangar doors opening as a green glow emitted from inside.
"They're doing exactly what we want them to do." Hiller said as his fighters led the transports closer to the destroyer.
"Here they come!" The voice of Legacy 2 said as Twilight saw several fighters heading towards Noah 7, the fighters of Legacy Squadron engaging them while the transports sped towards the destroyer.
As Noah 7 closed in on the hangar, a green bolt of energy shot out from inside, missing the targeted transport nearby as it flew alongside Noah 7. "They've activated their artillery cannons, watch out!"
As another turret shot another bolt at the transports, it struck one to the right of Noah 7, the shield flashing as the ship was nudged to it's right.
"These ships can take some of them, but they won't hold forever once we're in there." The pilot of Noah 7 said to Twilight as she turned to her friends, Noah 7's entry into the destroyer being imminent.
"Everyone ready?" The girls and royal sisters all nodded in agreement, Applejack holding onto her rigged, cylindrical gatling gun as Rarity spoke.
"I usually don't wield such... barbaric devices," The fashionista said as she looked at her rifle held in her magic. "but if it is to save the lives of others, so be it."
"You think these personal shields will work for us?" Rainbow Dash said as she pointed her forehoof to her back, a miniature shield generator mounted onto her.
"They'll save ya from a good few shots, but don't get cocky with them." The officer said as he readied his weapon, Twilight's horn lighting up as a pink shield formed around her and her friends.
As Noah 7 landed in the hangar, Twilight could see several fighters and other small craft sitting within, while the ceiling was completely covered with the former. Looking out to the floor of the hangar, she saw many Harvester soldiers nearby, all of them wielding some kind of blaster as they began shooting at the transports entering the ship.
Glancing to her friends, she saw them look to her for the signal as she turned back towards the hangar bay. "Now!" At that, Twilight and her group galloped out into the Harvester hangar, several soldiers shooting at them as her friends returned the favor. Applejack took aim at a group of Harvesters before blasting them with her side-mounted gun, blue bolts piercing the aliens as they fell to the ground. Rarity fired her rifle at two incoming alien soldiers, both of them falling to the ground as another came at them.
Looking around, Twilight spoke to her human advisor. "Where should we head?" The officer looked around the ship, trying to find the right path to where they needed to go. He had researched the specs and interior of the Harvester destroyers, and the brig would be somewhere on the other side of those doors.
As the two looked for the right way, Rainbow Dash had struck down two more warriors before targeting a third, larger one. Firing her blaster, the bolts hit the shields of the incoming alien. "Great, now they've got personal shields too!" Rainbow growled as she kept firing, the alien's shields taking a few more shots before they finally failed, the alien following suite not a second after.
After a moment of looking around, the advisor pointed to the left of the hangar. "There!"
"Hold on, everyone." Twilight said as her horn glowed, her group flashing away from their position before re-appearing right next to the door. No more than a second after did the door open, another Harvester entering the hangar. Not wasting a second, Rainbow shot the monster to the ground, the creature screeching as it fell.
The group then raced inside, the doors shutting behind them as they entered a rather tall hallway. As Twilight looked around, there were surprisingly no soldiers down this path, permitting a sigh of relief from everyone in the group.
As they began walking down the hall, Twilight organized their strategy. "Okay, Applejack, cover our forward side. Rarity, get the back. Everyone else," The Princess of Friendship stopped as she looked in between the two other pathways, seeing no soldiers on either side before finishing. "...Keep your guard up."
As everyone got into their positions, the advisor pointed forward. "The brig should be that way."
-3:20 PM-
Tempest's body ached as she began to wake up, slowly opening her eyes before squinting at the assaulting green light. Taking a breath to calm herself, the storm commander slowly adjusted her eyes to the light.
As she tried to move, she saw that her hooves were held to the table she was on, wire-like restraints holding her hooves tightly. Trying to examine the room, she began by looking to her left, only to see something that would haunt her for the rest of her days.
The mare let out a horrific scream as she saw the disembodied head of the Storm King, lifeless and unmoving inside it's rather large glass container. She stared at the disturbing sight for a good moment, burning its image into her mind before breaking away to see the other containers. They all contained various biological material, one had a strip of flesh from a creature she did not know of, another had a skull of another unknown creature.
Her gazing was put to a halt as she heard a noise from the chair, which began slowly descending downwards as Tempest looked to her restraints. She tried to use her horn to free herself from the wires, but the effort was futile as she couldn't see any sparks coming from it. As the table came to a stop, Tempest's breathing escalated as she saw her captors, they looked similar to the ones she saw from the transport, but they had real eyes. Real, pupil-less eyes that were looking right at her. They also seemed smaller than the one that attacked her.
Tempest screamed again, trying hopelessly to alert anyone of her location as the aliens began messing with a section of the table underneath her.
Near the lab, Twilight and the others heard the screams, stopping as they heard a mare's voice cry out. "SOMEPONY HELP ME!!!"
After looking around for a moment, Twilight's advisor pointed to a door on the right side of the hallway. "In there!"
Tempest screamed and thrashed frantically, giving all her effort to get away from the aliens as a mechanical arm lifted into the air right above her, a sharp needle boasting off of the circular section of the arm. One of the aliens held the mare's head as she grunted, two smaller sections on the mechanical arm folding out before her right eye was forced open by an anomalous force.
As the needle slowly descended towards Tempest's open eye, the door to the hallway exploded, the aliens halting their work as they tried to see what caused the blast. The creatures were too slow in their thinking, however, as a flurry of blue bolts of energy came into the room, taking out the two aliens above her as a taller one reminiscent of her attacker tried to reach a nearby control panel. Just as it tried to tap a button on it, another blue bolt shot into the room and hit the console, which exploded in a fiery mess. As the alien turned towards the attackers, another two shots came at it, striking it down in seconds.
As Tempest moved her head up to see her saviors, Twilight and her friends trotted into the room, the human advisor tapping a button on the table's controls before the restraints loosened, the mare rubbing her hooves as they were relieved of the pressure.
As she stood herself onto the floor, Tempest said through heavy breathing, "Thank you."
"Are you alright?" Twilight asked the almost dissected pony, removing the small device on her horn with harmless ease.
"I... I think so." Tempest looked up to the ceiling once more, seeing all of the strange biological material above her before introducing herself. "My name is Tempest Shadow, my crew and I were taken prisoner by... those things." The mare said shakily as she looked to the creature near the console, raising an eyebrow as she saw it move slightly.
"That bastard's still alive!" The advisor said with wide eyes as Tempest, fueled by anger over the death of her leader, trotted over to the creature.
As the creature looked up to her, she growled, "Now you're gonna tell me where my crewmates are, or your day is going to get even uglier." Her horn began to spark with magic at that last word.
"Tempest, I don't think that's a good idea!" The advisor said, Rainbow Dash looking to the mare in question as she interrogated the monster.
"Tell me!" Tempest demanded as the monster moaned, Tempest gasping as her mind was assaulted with images of Grubber and the other storm guards.
As Tempest began to scream from the mental onslaught, Rainbow lifted her rifle. "Screw this!" Taking aim, she shot the alien in the head, ending it's pathetic life and relieving Tempest of the mental attack.
As Tempest tried to breathe, Twilight helped her stabilize her footing. "Are you okay?" Fluttershy asked the shaken up mare.
Tempest was silent for a moment, looking at the door before she finally spoke. "...We need to go. Now."
"But what about the prisoners?" Pinkie Pie asked the mare.
"I know where they are, follow me." Without waiting, Tempest made for the door.
"Wait! Take this." Twilight said before removing her personal shield device and placing it onto Tempest's back, tapping a button as it activated.
"What is it?" Tempest asked the princess.
"It's a shield, it'll protect you from the Harvester's weapons." Twilight responded, Tempest slightly raising an eyebrow as she now knew the name of the alien threat.
"Thanks, but what about you?" The former storm warrior asked her new ally.
"I already got my own." As she said that, Twilight's horn glowed before a pink bubble formed briefly around her, Tempest nodding in acknowledgement as the group retained formation before exiting the laboratory.
-Destroyer Brig-
3:32 PM
Grubber sat in boredom as he awaited whatever fate awaited him inside the ship, hoping that his friend Tempest was okay. He and the other surviving storm guards were sitting in silence, having nothing to do but listen to the nearby hippogriff captives that were debating their fate.
"What are we going to do? What will happen to Hippogriffia?" One of the male hippogriff warriors asked his allies.
"I don't know, but if we get the chance, we'll take the fight to them." Sky Beak said to his squad as he stood next to them. "And even if we fail, surely our home will survive."
Their conversation was put to an immediate stop as the door to the hallway opened, several ponies and a single strange creature trotting inside as they gasped in joyous surprise.
"We're saved!" The third hippogriff cried out as the unknown creature began tapping on the control panel at the end of the room, opening all of the cells as he and his fellow warriors stepped out of their cell.
Grubber's face lit up as he saw his unicorn friend. "Tempest!" Without asking, he embraced her hooves, hugging the mare tightly as she permitted a smile at the little hedgehog.
"I'm fine, Grubber, but..." Looking to the other storm guards, Tempest looked at them mournfully as she gave the explanation. "The Storm King is dead, and since we have no one else to rely on, you take your orders from me and Twilight's group. Understood?" The large warriors saluted without hesitation, Grubber releasing his friend from the hug as the hippogriffs came towards Twilight.
"Thanks for the prison break, I'm Sky Beak, leader of this squad of-" He paused for a moment as he remembered one missing guard. "...formerly, four guards of Hippogriffia."
"I'm Princess Twilight Sparkle, my friends and I came after finding out about you all." The purple alicorn replied as they heard a gasp from Applejack, who fired her weapon at the incoming alien near the brig's entrance. As the creature fell to the ground, Twilight continued. "And as much as I'd like to do the pleasantries, Sky Beak, we're short on time here."
The hippogriff nodded in agreement. "Right, we should get out of this place."
"'Off' is more like it." Rainbow Dash said as the former prisoners raised an eyebrow, Tempest trotting over to them as she explained.
"We're on a ship run by a alien force called the Harvesters, they tried to dissect me before Twilight and the others arrived to save me." Grubber's eyes went wide with fear upon hearing her words.
"And we're being pursued at the moment!" Rarity warned her friends as she shot at another Harvester, which fell to the ground as Twilight spoke up.
"Everyone, gather up, we're getting out of here!" Twilight's friends did so as the princess deployed her magic shield, protecting her and the others inside as they began to exit the room...
-Destroyer Hangar-
3:50 PM
The large door to the hangar bay opened as Twilight and her group returned, taking a good look at the area as they checked for obstacles. The hangar had more warriors protecting it, most of them engaging Noah 7. Twilight also saw that one of the transports had been destroyed, flames bursting from the remains.
Unsure of what to do, Twilight spoke up. "There's so many of them."
Sky beak looked at the many alien fighters deployed at the floor of the hangar, some of them taking off into the air outside the ship. Switching his gaze, he saw several large turrets at the edge of the hangar, most of them focusing on whatever was attacking from the outside.
"We're gonna need a distraction." Rainbow said as she held her rifle in her wings.
"I'll help with that." Sky Beak said as the group looked to him in confusion. "I'll use one of the turrets to give those aliens something to shoot at, the rest of you can head to the transports."
"But we came to get you out!" Pinkie said, worried about the hippogriff warrior's safety.
"Well, we're not gonna get out without someone holding them off." Sky Beak defended, the group looking to him defeated as the hippogriff looked to Twilight. "Princess... tell my family, that I love them."
Twilight hesitated as she tried to deny what was about to happen, but sighed as she gave in. "I will, good luck."
As the group looked out to the hangar again, Tempest pointed towards a rather large group of Harvesters near Noah 7. "There, can you teleport me at that area?"
Twilight smirked as she had a better idea. Her horn glowing, the group blinked away from the door and teleported right behind the Harvester squad, catching them by surprise. Without wasting a second, Tempest's horn sparked before she shot out electrical magic, electrocuting the alien soldiers as they fell to the ground. As Twilight reignited her shield, the group ran towards Noah 7 as Rainbow looked to the nearby alien fighter, a plan hatching in her mind.
Looking to Applejack, Rainbow said, "Cover me!" before galloping towards the fighter, the others watching in shock.
"Rainbow!" Applejack cried out, but her warning was not heard as Rainbow raced toward the fighter, dodging many of the incoming shots before jumping and rolling near a Harvester pilot, who was about to hop into the ship.
Shooting the creature in the head, Rainbow looked to a nearby Resistance soldier before calling out. "CATCH!" The soldier she was looking at watched as she threw the rifle in the air, the soldier catching it as Rainbow flew into the fighter's cockpit.
Twilight and the others galloped into the transport, Sky Beak breaking off as he flew to one of the turrets. The driver of the turret had no time to react as he was picked up and flung out of the seat, Sky Beak sitting in it as he began to make use of the enemy's weapons.
Once inside, Twilight noticed Rainbow was still not with them. "Where's Rainbow Dash?!" The princess cried out as the mare in question looked at the controls, taking a wild guess before pressing one of the buttons on the console. Upon doing so, the ship began to hover, the cockpit window closing as Rainbow gripped the controls with her forehooves and wings. The mare gave a mischievous grin as she began to lift the fighter into the air, turning it around towards one of the turrets. Pressing the trigger, the fighter's cannons shot out green energy bolts before they struck the turret, blowing it to fiery pieces.
"What in Equestria is that mare doin'?!" Applejack said in surprise, Rarity agreeing with her.
"That mare's insane!" The fashionista said as she saw a few of the Resistance soldiers cheering, watching as Rainbow used the fighter to attack the ground Harvesters.
"Whatever she's doing, it's helping us out!" Luna said as she held a blue magic shield in front of the passengers, who looked on in shock as well as Twilight spoke to the pilot of Noah 7.
"Get us in the air!" The pilot nodded as he tapped a button for the radio.
"All ships, clear the area, we've got them! I repeat, we've got them!" The pilot then tapped another button as the side door of the ship closed up, the ship taking to the air as Rainbow saw them preparing to leave.
Rainbow let out an annoyed sigh as she flew her ship next to the transport, both of them exiting the hangar as Sky Beak blasted one of the nearby turrets.
The hippogriff let out a laugh as he continued attacking the aliens, only to be stopped by another fighter, which aimed it's guns straight at his turret.
"Aww, shoot." Was the last thing he said as the fighter fired, blowing the turret into a fiery pile of scrap.
As the Noah 7 and Rainbow's fighter began taking to the skies, Twilight trotted into the cockpit, listening to the pilot's conversation with Captain Hiller. "We've got the prisoners, and from the looks of it, the other transports are already packing up."
"Good, because we're about to blow this thing to hell!" As Hiller replied, Twilight trotted back into the lobby, watching the other transports fly away from the hangar before noticing a familiar green glow underneath the ship. Trotting back into the cockpit, she looked to the pilot as he spoke to her.
"They've just opened up their cannon, from what Hiller told me, they're trying to rush the countdown they missed out on."
"Probably because of that storm." Twilight said as the ship flew upward, heading up into space as Legacy Squadron finished their job.
As Hiller closed in on the cannon, he tapped a button on his controls as he spoke. "That missile's not gonna get through if we don't take out that shield!" Underneath his fighter, a section near the landing gear opened up, revealing a sharp cannon with a dark blue glow emitting from it. "Firing EMP pulse!"
As he tapped the button again, a blue beam shot out from Hiller's fighter, striking the cannon as a the shield flickered out. "Legacy 1, Fox 4!" Dylan said as a missile shot out from his ship, speeding towards the cannon as the human pilot watched intently. As the missile struck the cannon, it exploded, Dylan turning his ship as he fled away from the area.
"Target has been hit, break off, everyone. We're going home!" With that, Hiller and his fellow pilots formed up and took to the skies after the transports, fire spreading throughout the alien destroyer before the hangar burst into flames. As the last troop transport shot out of the hangar, the alien ship began to descend, it's crash imminent as the Resistance forces fled the battlefield.
On the ground, the town's citizens watched as the ship fell to them, many retreating into their homes as the ship impacted with the ground. As the dusty shockwave hit them, the townscreatures were flung off their feet and into the air, a few buildings also collapsed as the wind soon settled. As the creatures of the junk-filled town looked to the burning alien ship, some of them cheered as they saw new scrap to scavenge.
As Rainbow took one last look to the surface, she smiled at the sight of the town still standing before looking back forward, focusing on escorting the transports to the Resistance fleet.