The Danfiant had been in pieces when the Chimaera had tractored it in. Now, launched at the moon's surface, the pieces of the modified Miranda-class were spinning and breaking up further. But, they made the perfect barrier between the Golden Oakes' security system's barrage of cannon fire and the stormtroopers, who were now diving towards the moon.
Barro and the TIE Fighters launched behind them. Whatever air support the ground team received would be from them; the Star Destroyer was too large a target to remain in range of the ion cannon for too long.
"DAAAAAAAAAN!"
"Hold onto me, Nicky!"
"AAAAAAAAHHH!!"
"If you're going to scream into my ear, you can find someone else to hold onto!" Cap said. But that might not have been the best idea, as they were all hiding behind his shield, clinging to the larger man for dear life. Cap held his shield in front of him, the patriotic star of America reflecting the light from the laser blasts, bullets, mortars and missiles that the library lobbed their way.
There wasn't a single weapon from the Pone Depot Deluxe Home Defense Mail-Order Catalogue that Dan had not equipped the Golden Oakes Library with. By buying multiple packages during a promotional weekend and opting for a brand new membership at the time, he saved fifteen percent on his overall purchase and even obtained free shipping and home delivery. He opted for self-installation, which saved on additional costs and allowed him to further customize the layout.
Now, that firepower was used against him.
"This is insanity!! This is absolute squeeing insanity!!" Chris yelled. A burst of green and purple light appeared just above and to the right of them as they flew, the closest one yet. They were past it just as soon as they had spotted it. The blast, a modified firework, blasted a group of stormtroopers, knocking them off their trajectory and sending them spinning into space.
Phoenix spared a glance behind him. Several other explosive shots had blown apart the stormtroopers. He was able to spot free-floating pieces of white armor.
"Nothing we can do for them now, Nick!" Chris shouted.
"I know, I know!"
Jake and Dollars, the only two with real experience jumping out of a spaceship, were doing their best to coordinate the stormtroopers. They were able to communicate with the other space soldiers, and the soldiers were good at following orders, but they were still getting torn apart.
The Danfiant continued breaking apart. The Magic Gears had been able to restore some of the ship's structural integrity fields, but the withering fire from the treehouse was battering it too much.
Directly in front of them, Dan, Cap, Phoenix and Redfield watched as the ship continued to tumble. They had to jump out far from the moon's surface to protect the Chimaera from being hit; the Golden Oakes Library had an extensive range.
The targeting system was something Dan had never completely figured out, even to this day. Twilight had forgotten to arm the security system when she retrieved the books, believing it to be the last time she'd see her home. Because of this, Rice had just been able to pluck the tree out of the ground, which had been done before, and plant it on the moon. He hadn't even bothered with special settings; just knew Dan or others would be coming and he switched it on.
"The shots are getting closer!!" Phoenix yelled.
Dan looked around while keeping his head ducked. "We're almost there!"
The Danfiant was too large for its trajectory to be changed by the weapons fire but the ship was disintegrating. It hurtled towards its target, squads of stormtroopers still behind it while pieces came off leaves off a tree. Too many and too fast.
Another blast, this one orange, was close enough that Phoenix felt it through his shoes.
"Dan, we're not going to make it at this rate!"
"Uhhhh..." Dan didn't know what to say. "I was hoping the targeting system would recognize me if I was close enough!"
"We're not gonna get close enough!" Redfield yelled.
"Look!"
The TIE Fighters shrieked past them. Accelerating faster than Dan and the stormtroopers, the fighters, led by Barro, roared over them. The weapons on the Golden Oakes began targeting the fighters instead, independently firing at the nearest ones that came in range.
"Way to go, it's the Red Moron's Flying Circus!!" Dan exclaimed.
"Thank goodness..." Phoenix said.
Barro and the TIEs blitzed the library. While the first group of fighters buzzed the top of the Golden Oakes, the group behind it fired at it. Green laser blasts peppered the surface around the library, careful not to hit the actual tree itself. Moon dust was thrown up by the blasts, instantly vaporized, creating a cloud that obscured some of the weapons. The tiny scotsman on the mailbox coughed, tried to fire his explosive dart gun but ultimately couldn't see shite. The mechanical kilted figure threw down his gun and sat with his head in his hands.
Some of the troopers cheered at the sight of the flyboys engaging the library. Not all of the TIEs were lucky, though; some came too close and were shot down. Despite that they were Imperial, Barro led them well, coordinating their efforts to the best of his abilities. They were not using Imperial protocols or Rebel tactics, but a mixture of both. Combining their strengths was truly the most effective strategy of them all.
"Uhh, Dan?"
Unfortunately, the repulsor blasts from the TIEs' engines slowed down the bulk of the Danfiant's debris. But not Captain America. The supersoldier, with Dan, Chris and Phoenix still clinging to him for dear life, was still speeding like a bullet at the ground. Chrys would have salivated over the thought of muscular men clinging to each other, but she was currently not aware.
"EVERYBODY DUCK!!" Dan squeezed Captain America harder, and totally not in a bromantic way. He tucked his head into the man's iconic blue suit, pressing and trying to make himself as small as possible. Reluctantly, Phoenix did the same. Honestly, if you're a gay Captain America fan, this is probably exactly where you want to be. Probably exactly. Red Skull's probably not into it. Doesn't hail his HYDRA, so to speak. I'll stop now.
"Steve-"
"Shut up, Chris!"
"I'm sorry." Chris, under Captain America, squeezed himself tight to the other man's chest, placing his head right under Cap's neck. Teeth gritted, Steve Rogers was more uncomfortable than he'd ever been since coming to Equestria, feeling things that only the most intimate of men could possibly feel. He hoped Peggy NEVER learned about this.
The Danfiant tumbled towards them.
"Oh boy. We're going in, guys!!" Cap yelled. The hull of the ship increased in size until it was all he could see. Just before his shield made contact with the vessel, Cap pinched his eyes shut.
They pierced through the hull like an arrow through paper. Through wrecked deck after wrecked deck, they penetrated their way through the ship. Finally, they burst through the other side and Cap breathed a sigh of relief.
"Haha... haaaa."
Dan, Phoenix and Chris looked up, bringing their totally-not-gay embrace of Steve to see they'd made it through. And then the Danfiant continued tumbling upward.
"Oh crap," Steve said. They resumed hugging him in ways that's still technically illegal in some places on Earth. Cap closed his eyes again as the other side of the ship flipped up towards them. They pierced through again, thankfully, and were right out the other side in a matter of seconds.
Again, they all breathed a sigh of relief. Gravity decided to be a bitch, though, so the ship ended up flipping six more times before it finally stopped.
"This is it!!!" Cap announced. "We're gonna be landing on the moon's dark side!"
"I've had enough dark side for one day!" Phoenix yelled.
"I'm gonna pretend you didn't say that!"
"Okay!" (Probably a good idea.)
The moon's surface gained more and more detail until, they finally landed on it. Cap's shield was the first thing to hit the ground and while it dug into the surface a bit, busting through the Danfiant that many times had actually slowed them down quite a bit. The shield skidded and Cap turned that skid into a flip. The lower gravity of the moon made it a high flip, but he landed on his feet. Immediately, and I mean IMMEDIATELY, everybody let go of him.
"Aahhh... we are gonna tell no one about that. Agreed?"
"Agreed," the other hetero men said. Sorry M/M fans; King Sombra and Flash Sentry is the only gay male ship in this story. Speaking of ships,
"OH SHIT!!"
The Danfiant's bow slammed into the surface meters away from them. Burning pieces of the vessel cascaded down around them. Mysteriously though, like Cap had done, the ship also flipped and tumbled, crashing on its dorsal side on the moon's surface.
"Ha... oohhh... hoooo," Dan panted. "That's probably going to need a new coat of paint."
"You're actually planning on fixing it? After ALL this?" Phoenix asked.
Dan shrugged. "It's a good ship. It got us here, didn't it? Until I get my car back, I'm not wasting any vehicle I like."
Stormtroopers began touching down around them. The two Halo ODSTs had done their job and the Imperials had followed directions. They all gracefully landed, some sinking into the surface but were helped out later, and all assembled quickly.
"Great job guys, great job," Dollars said. He then looked to Jake for approval. "The hell do you mean 'sloppy?' That was a beautiful drop. Didn't even need pods."
"Speaking of pods, what were those escape pods about, Dan?" Phoenix asked.
Dan smiled. "All part of my plan, Nicky. Now follow me. We're going to get our library back."
"Alpha through Delta Squads, form up and follow us! The rest of you, hang back and cover us!"
In groups, they emerged out from the dark side of the moon. The stormtroopers looked like ghosts against the gray surface. The Golden Oakes Library continued firing at the TIEs that were buzzing it, but Barro was keeping them from being predictable. Debris from the Danfiant was scattered about the surface but there was little cover. Rice had planted the treehouse where it had an optimum dome-shaped field of fire, unrestricted in every direction.
Fortunately, they were about to get some cover. The escape pods Dan had jettisoned early landed. And they landed all around the library.
"Everybody stop!!" Dan shouted. "Get down, get down!!" He suited actions to words and hugged the terrain. The others all followed suit.
"What's in those escape pods, Dan?" Cap asked.
"Armor?" Chris asked.
"No."
"Weapons?" Cap asked.
"No."
"Power tools and explosives- your two favorite things?" Phoenix asked.
"No, but I like that suggestion," Dan said. "It's-"
One of the escape pods burst open. Out spilled globs and globs of-
"Honey?" Phoenix asked. "Oh..."
"Honey," Dan said. The other pods exploded as well, spilling forth gallons of rich, sweet honey. And not just any honey- space honey. Quite possibly the most tantalizing of all space-related substances, but especially tantalizing too-
"NYARRRR-LRRRRRrrAAAAAAAAARGGG!!"
"URSAS!!!!!!" a stormtrooper yelled. A colony of translucent space bears, Ursa Minors, Ursa Middles and Ursa Majors all descended upon the moon's surface. Even as big and massive as they were, they greedily indulged in the honey. Some picked up the pods like they were honeypots and unscrewed the tops to drink the contents. The tangy substance was irresistible to them.
And most importantly, their massive bodies provided the perfect cover.
"Everybody, charge the library! Follow me!!" Dan yelled. "But QUIETLY!"
The assault force charged, and then tiptoed through the masses of space bear fur. The bears were so focused on their meal that they didn't even notice the occasional laser blast hitting them. In fact, the fireworks were and spaceships dancing about were quite thrilling- it was like dinner and a show. And they especially didn't notice the insect-sized creatures squeezing their way through and around them.
Finally, Dan made his way to the library's front door. Cap reached for the doorknob first.
"GLLARRRGh!" And was electrocuted.
"Stevie! Always KNOCK first," Dan said. And then proceeded to do the secret knock, the final key to unlocking the treehouse that only he knew, the most secretive and unpredictable-
"Shave and a haircut?"
"Shut up, Nicky."
"Two bits," the lawyer ended. And the door opened. They all quickly rushed inside.