//------------------------------// // Chapter 12 - Brother Against... Brother? // Story: The Equestrian Odyssey - A Tale of Two Worlds // by Kamahido //------------------------------// Cadance and Shining Armor look to one another and join hooves with the Crystal Heart between them. Channeling their magic, they project a massive barrier around the entire city and surrounding countryside. Sunset raises an eyebrow. “Interesting. I did not think that you would be so bold as to deploy the Crystal Heart, Hero.” Arc shrugs. “Desperate times… that sort of thing.” “You do realize that this will only slow me down, right?” “Just worry about your own tactics, Diva.” Sunset chuckles. “Oh, I shall. Did you really think I didn’t have a backup plan?” Hammer appears hopeful. “Kinda.” Rose frowns. “We can but hope.” Sunset grins. “Observe.” Pressing a button, she changes the frequency and speaks into the radio again. “Deploy troops!” Meanwhile, Arc and company look on as the ships release innumerable soldiers. Flash Sentry frowns. “What the…?” Sunburst gasps. “It CAN’T be!” Arc squints as he looks to the forming enemy lines. “Someone want to tell me what we’re looking at here?” Moon Dancer calls out into her radio. “Sir! Those are Changelings!” Rose nods soberly. “Confirmed. My scanners show them to be anatomically identical to the members of the Changeling Hive.” Arc puts a hand to his chin. “Interesting. I read about them in a book a while back.” Sereb growls. “But the real question is how Princess Celestia was able to convince them to help her.” Stellar Flare frowns. “And why?” Hammer looks over her instruments. “Uh… might want to think more about the here and now! They’re moving to attack positions!” “Trixie was told that barrier will only keep out the ships and their firepower, sir! The infantry can pass under it readily with a little digging!” Flash Sentry turns to Arc. “And our enemies know it, sir.” “Well, let’s prepare a… warm welcome for them then.” Flash Sentry nods. “Yes sir. Stellar Flare… Hammer… deploy Artillery Mode.” Hammer and Stellar Flare reply in unison. “Aye, aye!” Pressing buttons on their consoles, several large pikes shoot out of the sides of the tanks and embed themselves in the ground. The cannon rotates to expose a much larger one below it that rises at a forty-five degree angle as exhaust ports open in the tank’s sides. Rose hops off the wall and moves to stand between them as she calls forth her R-Cannon and L-Blade. Stellar Flame looks over her gauges before calling out. “Deployed!” Hammer grins. “Let’s show these bugs the BOOT!” Rose nods soberly. “I shall fight to protect the innocent as well!” Meanwhile, Diva looks at the tanks in their new siege modes. Smiling, she speaks into the radio again. “All forces, advance! Start digging under that barrier and bring me their heads!” Shrieking loudly the Changelings do as they are told. Running toward it as fast as their hole-filled legs will allow, they line up at the base of the barrier. Several in front transform into large mole-like creatures and quickly begin digging. They vanish from sight as dirt and rocks pour out from their holes. Arc turns to the troops. “Safeties off everypony! Unicorns, prepare to cast!” Every horn glows as the tell-tale clicking of safeties disengaging rings out across the otherwise empty field. A few minutes later a dozen or so massive holes form as the moles burst through. Changing back, they line up as reinforcements charge down the tunnels to join them. Arc frowns. “Are we in range?” Hammer shakes her head. “Nope! No way we could shoot THAT far!” Trixie frowns. “Clever.” Rose looks out over their opponents. “They’re staying as far back as possible in order gather forces on this side of the dome to mount a more focused strike against us.” Wrangler grimaces. “Smart move.” Soarin calls out over the radio. “Sir. Your orders?” Arc grimaces as he puts away his spear and pulls out the gun he took from Hammer’s safehouse. “Stay back and support us with the cannons. Be careful with your aim though, Wrangler. I don’t want any friendly fire to hit either us or the dome.” “Aye, sir.” Flash Sentry looks through his binoculars. “Equinox, fire as soon as you’re in position. We need to disrupt their lines and force them to either advance or retreat.” Thunderlane grins. “Give us fifteen seconds, lieutenant.” Wrangler puts her hooves on the controls. “Keep it steady though. These shots need to be perfect.” A few moments later Moon Dancer calls out. “In range!” Soarin yells. “FIRE!” Wrangler does so. Magical salvos burst forth from the cannons, obliterating the forces in a wide swath. Chuckling, Sunset speaks into her radio again. “All forces, CHARGE!!!” Shrieking angrily, the Changelings begin running toward the city wall. Flash Sentry calls out as they do. “Chargers… fire artillery!” The cannons of the tanks let loose with ear-piercing roars as they fire their payloads. Hitting their targets along with The Equinox, they take out a sizable chunk of the enemy forces. However more pour through the holes dug under the barrier. Diva rolls her eyes as she calls out to her forces. “Spread out, you idiots!” They disperse to avoid the artillery blast’s area of effect. Flash Sentry calls out to Trixie. “Get ready, lieutenant!” “All forces, prepare to fire!” “Wait for it…” Trixie readies her horn. “Take aim!” Seconds tick by as the enemy gets closer and closer. Sweat beads form on Trixie’s brow as she holds her hoof up. Flash Sentry calls out. “Now!” Trixie grimaces as she brings down her hoof. “FIRE!!!” A barrage of bullets and magical blasts flies across the no-man’s land. Scores of enemies fall to it as more come forth to take their place. Flash Sentry grits his teeth as he calls out. “Keep firing!” Trixie cries out. “FIRE AT WILL!!!” The troops along with The Equinox, Chargers, and Rose continue their barrage. However their enemy’s numbers appear to be without limit. Sunburst turns to his mother in the cockpit. “We aren’t making a dent!” “But we have to hold them here!” Arc calls out over his earring as he fires his magic gun. “Everyone in the castle is counting on us! We can’t let them down!” Flash Sentry gasps. “Sir, there’s movement outside the barrier!” “Elaborate!” “The Changeling ships are beginning to move again!” “Moon Dancer! Trajectory!” “They’re heading straight for the barrier, sir!” Wrangler chuckles. “Kind of a waste… for them.” Thunderlane grits hit teeth. “I get the feeling they’re not just doing this to sacrifice themselves!” Rose nods. “Correct. That would not be logical.” Lemon Hearts sounds surprised. “Incoming transmission, sir!” Arc frowns. “Now?!” Soarin turns to her. “What’s the message?” “It’s just one word. ‘Die’.” Arc groans. “Great…” Diva’s voice again rings out over the radio. “Are you done playing around with my bullet catchers yet, Hero?” Arc frowns. “Playing?!” Rose scoffs. “We have the upper hand here!” Diva smiles. “Really? Let’s see just how true that is. Unless of course you want to surrender.” Arc frowns. “Not a chance.” Diva shrugs. “Have it your way.” Changing frequencies, she barks orders into the microphone. The smaller Changeling ships, which have deployed all their forces, accelerate greatly as they close the gap between them and the barrier. Arc calls out. “Moon Dancer! Can our shield take this hit?!” “Not a chance, sir!” Rose grits her teeth. “Agreed! Zero percent chance!” Arc turns to his forces. “EVERYONE GET DOWN!!!” Flash Sentry calls out. “SUNBURST! AURIEL! BARRIERS!” Dropping down on his hands and knees behind the ramparts, Arc and his troops take cover as the pair below cast Barrier Spells over their respective tanks. Rose runs and dives behind Auriel and Hammer’s Charger. A few moments later the ships crash into the barrier simultaneously, utterly obliterating it. Jagged pieces of magical material shower down over the vanguard. As they do so, Shining Armor and Cadance are knocked roughly away as the Crystal Heart shatters. Cadance screams. “NO!” She runs forward with Shining Armor to look over the pieces. “Let’s gather these up!” Cadance nods. “Right! Even destroyed we can’t let the enemy have this!” Arc and his troops look out over the wall as the dust settles. They spot the changelings walking toward them as they do their best to avoid the pieces of their airships, which lay on the ground all around them. Flash Sentry calls out. “RESUME FIRING, LIEUTENANT!” Trixie gives the order. “ALL FORCES, FIRE AT WILL!!!” The vanguard jumps to their feet and begin shooting/casting yet again as the entirety of the Changeling army approaches them undeterred. Arc looks over to the Chargers which lie on their sides in shambles. Looking to Sereb, he jumps into the saddle and points. “Get us down there!” Jumping off the wall, they land nimbly and hurry over to the first tank. Ripping open the top hatch, Arc reaches inside and pulls out Stellar Flare and Sunburst. Sereb looks them over. “Are you two alright?!” Stellar Flare calls out frantically. “I’m fine! But my baby is hurt!” “It’s just a bump, mom.” “We’ll get you to the doctor right away, dear!” “They probably have bigger things to worry about right now.” Arc nods. “Right! Both of you get ready to fly!” Casting a Telekinesis Spell, Arc throws the pair up to the relative safety of the wall. They land unceremoniously on it and get to their hooves. Hurrying over to a rack, Stellar Flare picks up a rifle and loads it. “Mom? What are you doing?” Stellar Flare grits her teeth as she disengages the safety. “Fighting!” She runs back to the wall and joins the stallions in shooting at the invaders. Sunburst hurries to join her. Lending his own magic to the cause, he glances over to her. “Wouldn’t it be easier to just use your magic, mom?” “This is more accurate, dear!” Arc and Sereb run over to the other tank. As they approach, Hammer kicks the hatch open and half-crawls half-falls out. “Are you alright, Hammer?!” Hammer shakes her head to clear it. “I think so. Just a bit rattled.” Rose hurries over to them. “Where is Auriel?!” Hammer gasps. “She’s still in there!” Turning back to the tank, Arc jumps onto it as Rose joins him and forces open the hatch. They look inside to see Auriel slumped over her controls. Reaching down under her armpits, Arc pulls the injured demon out. A steady stream of blood flows from a nasty wound in her belly. Several jagged pieces of metal stick out of her. Rose scans her. “I’m detecting internal damage.” Arc grits his teeth. “We need to get her some help!” Sereb nods. “Agreed!” Arc charges up his magic. “Get ready!” Focusing, Arc Blinks them all up onto the wall. Running over to a medical tent nearby he spies nearly every bed filled with injured stallions. Spotting an empty cot, he runs over and lays Auriel down. A doctor hurries over to them. Looking the demon over for a few moments, he frowns. “This isn’t the worst I’ve seen today.” Hammer grimaces. “Can you help her?!” “Yes, ma’am. I’ll get to work on her right away.” Arc turns to leave. “Good. I’ll head back to…!” He stops talking as small hand fills his. Looking down, Arc spies Auriel looking up at him sadly. “Arc?” “Yes, I’m here!” “I… I’m sorry.” “Sorry? What for?” “For failing you.” “Auriel?” Hammer raises an eyebrow. “What are you talking about?!” Rose smiles. “Agreed! You did great back there, father!” Sereb nods. “I too was most impressed.” Arc smiles at her. “Right. You did your best.” Auriel looks away. “And it wasn’t enough.” “We haven’t lost yet, and I don’t intend to let us.” Arc spots a nurse approaching with a surgical tray. “Auriel, you stay here and let the doctor patch you up.” “Yes, sir. I’ll be out just as soon as…” The doctor shakes his head. “No miss. You need to rest.” Hammer gives Auriel a thumbs up. “Right. We’ll take care of the rest.” Sereb bares his teeth. “Count on it.” “But…!” The doctor looks to her as he begins cutting her shirt open. “I need to get started.” Rose pats Auriel’s hand. “Just take it easy.” “Okay. Um… Arc?” “Yes?” “Come here.” Tugging on his arm, she motions for him to come closer. As he does so, Auriel reaches up and pulls his head down. Kissing him on the lips tenderly, she moans lightly as Arc squeezes her hand. Breaking off the embrace, the doctor turns with a syringe. “Forgive me, but all I have are localized anesthetics right now, miss.” Auriel nods. “Do what you have to, doctor.” Rose points to the mouth of the tent. “Arc, we must go.” “R-right.” Auriel smiles up at him as their eyes meet. “I love you, Arc.” Arc pats her face. “And I love you too, Auriel.” Hammer groans. “Yeah, yeah! Save the mushy stuff for when we don’t have an army on our doorstep you two!” Heading for the door, Auriel watches them leave as the doctor begins pulling the shrapnel from her belly. Meanwhile, Hammer turns to him and grins as they head back to the wall. “When I get hurt, are you going to do the same for me?” Arc frowns. “When?!” Hammer nods. “It’d totally be worth it!” “Don’t say things like that, Hammer.” Rose nods soberly. “Indeed. I believe that is known as tempting fate.” Sereb grimaces. “We need everyone whom can hold the line fighting.” Returning to Trixie’s side, they look out over the wall. The soldiers have their guns pointed down, firing as the Changelings climb the wall as easily as if it were the ground. Trixie gasps. “What in Celestia’s name…?!” Flash Sentry calls out. “They’re insects!” Arc groans. “Of course they are. Must’ve missed that part.” Hammer frowns. “You didn’t know?! I thought you read up on them!” “Didn’t have time to finish the book.” Trixie grunts as she fires at the invaders. “I think we need a new plan, sir!” Arc nods. “Agreed!” Rose looks to Arc as she fires her R-Cannon downward. “We can’t keep doing this forever!” Arc groans as he draws his gun. “I’m open to suggestions!” Flash Sentry calls out. “Sir! If we could topple their command ship they would be disorganized!” “Trixie thinks it’s our only hope right now!” Sereb growls. “Indeed. We cannot hold against these numbers.” Arc turns to his friend. “Rose, can we Blink inside that ship?” “Sadly, no. My scanners show it to be made of an anti-magic material.” Hammer smacks her fists together. “What if we hit it REALLY hard with one?!” Rose shakes her head. “Any spell or magical based weapon levied against it would fail. Of this I am certain.” Arc sighs. “So it would need to be some kind of physical force.” Sereb raises an eyebrow. “Do we have such a weapon?” Trixie grunts. “Sadly, no.” Flash Sentry gasps. “What if we hit it from the inside?” Rose nods. “That may be our only option right now.” Hammer groans. “But we can’t Blink in there.” Arc grits his teeth. “Then we Blink onto the deck and force our way inside. Like I did to Lord Adalbert’s ship.” Sereb smiles toothily. “It may be our only chance. Shall we try?” Flash Sentry looks over the scene before him with the binoculars. “Whatever we do, it needs to happen quickly. Mana and bullets won’t keep the enemy out as it stands.” Rose turns to him. “Your orders, Arc?” “All of you hold the line. I’ll take care of Diva and our little airship problem.” Sereb frowns. “You should not go alone.” Hammer nods nervously. “Right. Your track record against Diva isn’t the greatest.” Arc grits his teeth. “Trust me, I’ll go with some help. Stay here.” Charging up his magic, Arc Blinks. Trixie turns to Hammer. “Trixie found that surprising.” “So did Hammer. I mean me! I mean… I don’t know.” Sereb sighs. “We must buy Arc time to implement his plan. Let us take defensive positions.” A short time later Arc appears on the deck of the invading ship with Cadance and Shining Armor. Beating down the door with Shining Armor’s help the three make their way to the Bridge. It is empty save for a single young woman looking out the main window at the battle below. She smiles wickedly and turns around as Arc pulls his spear. “So we meet at last, Princess Cadance.” Cadance appears surprised. “Do I know you?” Diva shakes her head. “Not really. You came after I left Celestia’s side years ago.” Shining Armor steps forward. “Sunset Shimmer. You have committed numerous war crimes against the Crystal Empire. Come quietly and you’ll be spared. Resist and we’ll have no choice but to…” Diva laughs as Cadance furrows her brow. “What is so amusing?” “You really think that I’ll just give up?!” Arc narrows his eyes. “Stranger things have happened.” Diva scoffs. “Yes. Such as your continued survival whenever we meet.” Shining Armor grits his teeth as his horn glows. “He didn’t come alone!” “Indeed. The cowardly often times band together in order to survive.” Arc frowns. “Oh, you think I’M a coward?!” “If the shoe fits…” Shining Armor points an accusatory hoof. “You came here with a fleet, and an army!” “Yes. And you can see how well that’s faring. At this rate my forces will overwhelm yours in a matter of minutes.” Cadance steps forward. “In any case, I don’t believe you can take on a Princess of Equestria along with two of the most powerful magic users in the country.” “I suppose not. At least not on a level playing field.” Arc grits his teeth. “So you DO have more up your sleeve?!” “Oh, yes. Observe.” Diva turns and presses a button on the console. The ship immediately surges ahead. Shining Armor scoffs. “Running doesn’t help much if we’re aboard, you know.” Diva smirks. “That would be true. If I were running away, that is.” Flash Sentry’s voice rings out in Arc’s ear. “Sir! The enemy ship’s course has changed! It’s heading straight for the Crystal Castle!” Cadance gasps. “WHAT?!” Shining Armor grits his teeth. “But all the citizens are in there!” Cadance turns to Diva. “Stop this madness at once!” Diva laughs wickedly. “Not a chance! Good luck stopping this one!” With a wave of her hand, Diva opens a portal and vanishes through it. Arc and Shining Armor run over to the console and look it over. “How the heck do we stop this thing?!” Shining Armor sighs. “We can’t!” Cadance grimaces. “There has to be a way!” Shining Armor shakes his head. “The course is set and the console locked with the captain’s password!” Arc points to the door. “Let’s get to Engineering! Take out the engines!” Cadance grins. “Good idea! This way!” Running out the door, they hurry to the Lower Deck. Passing through the Cargo Hold, they reach the Engine Room. Shining Armor looks around. “So do we just start breaking things?!” Cadance shudders. “Not a good idea. We could destroy the ship while still inside it.” “Let me get Stellar Flare on the line.” Arc touches his earring. “You there, Trixie?!” “Yes sir.” “I need to talk to Stellar Flare right away!” “She’s kinda in the middle of shooting at the moment, sir. But I’ll try to get to her.” Hopping up and over several stallions, Trixie eventually gets to Stellar Flare. “Miss, the commander needs to talk to you!” They huddle down behind cover as Trixie gives Stellar Flare her radio. “This is Stellar Flare, sir.” “I’m aboard the enemy command ship which has been locked into a course that leads it to crash into the Crystal Castle.” “Locked? As in with the captain’s code?” “Yeah.” “That’s not good.” “Why’s that?” “Because there’s no way to override it other than by the Chief Engineer’s code!” Shining Armor appears hopeful. “Would you have one of those?” “For The Equinox, yes. But not that ship.” Arc grimaces. “What do we do?” “You need to cut the engines and crash the ship before it gets any closer to the castle!” Cadance grins. “How do we do that?!” “The fastest and easiest way would be to shut down the mana intake manifolds. That will starve the engines of needed fuel.” Arc nods. “Tell me how.” “Look for a large console marked ‘mana disbursement’.” They all look around. Shining Armor points a hoof. “There!” Arc calls out as they hurry over to it. “We found it, Stellar Flare!” “You should see half a dozen knobs there.” “Okay. What do we do with them?” “Turn every one of them clockwise as far as they’ll go. That will choke the engines and cause the ship to crash. Don’t stick around after that though.” “Will do. Arc out.” He severs the connection as Shining Armor follows the directions. Finishing, they trio run to the Upper Deck and the Main Hatch. The ship’s engines begin to die down as they lose power and the nose of the ship points down. Cadance trips and falls to the deck. Arc and Shining Armor turn and rush back to help her. She waves them away. “No! Get out while you can!” Arc grits his teeth. “Sure! Together!” Lunging between Cadance and Shining Armor, Arc sits and casts a Telekinesis Spell. They slide down the corridor toward the Main Hatch. As they careen out onto the deck, Arc Blinks them to the ground. Skidding to a stop some distance away, Arc and Shining Armor throw themselves over Cadance to shield her as the ship crashes to the ground in front of the castle, showering them and the surrounding arear with debris. As the din of the crash lessens Arc sits up with Shining Armor. They both look down to Cadance. “You okay?” “I am, thanks to you two. But why did you stop for me? I’m an alicorn, after all, and immortal.” Arc grins. “Because I don’t leave others behind.” Shining Armor nods. “Yeah. That and I would rather die than see any harm befall you, Cadance.” Arc gets to his feet and touches his earring. “Enemy command ship is down. What’s the status of the ground forces, Flash Sentry?” “Holding, but barely. You’d better get back to the wall and help our forces… wait… what the heck?!” “Talk to me, lieutenant! What’s going on?!” “Sir… this may be hard to accept, but… the enemy is being flanked!” Shining Armor gasps. “Reinforcements?!” Cadance smiles. “How?!” Arc nods. “By whom?!” “I… don’t really know how to say it, sir. You should probably just go see it for yourself.” As the trio hurries back to their positions on the wall, they run up the stairs and over to Trixie. They immediately notice a total lack of shooting and casting from the soldiers. She nervously salutes him. “H-hello again, sir. Your highness.” Cadance cries out. “What in the world…?” Looking out over the ramparts they see the remaining Changelings being chased and trampled by what appear to be heavily armored yaks. As they Blink down together a yak runs over to them with Ember on its back. He appears somewhat better dressed than the others. “Hello again, sir!” Arc raises an eyebrow. “Um… hi?” Shining Armor looks to Arc. “You know this individual, sir?” “Not really.” Ember frowns. “Yes, he does.” The Yak Commander nods happily. “Ya! You bring pretty birdie to Yakyakistan long time ago! Yak been waiting patiently for her to return to yak. And yak rewarded for yak’s dedication!” Arc turns to Ember. “I heard you left.” “To get help, mind you.” Shining Armor looks out at the thinning changeling army. “And you were very successful it seems.” Arc nods. “Yeah.” Cadance looks to the commander. “Sir, as princess of the Crystal Empire, I hereby thank you for your efforts to protect our land and way of life.” “Uh… yak not know what that mean.” Arc clears his throat. “She’s grateful that you and the others were willing to risk your lives to help out.” “Does that mean yaks won?!” Cadance appears confused. “Won the battle?” Ember sighs. “Yes, you won the game.” “Hooray! Yaks best at EVERYTHING! We hurry back to Yakyakistan to tell other yaks of this new game! See you later, pretty birdie!” Ember shudders as he bounds away. Arc turns to her. “Now I remember him. Wasn’t he the one whom gave you flowers?” Ember groans. “Shut up.” Shining Armor looks around. “Well, it appears the stragglers are on the run. Shall we pursue them, Arc?” “No. Right now they’re of little concern. We need to head to Light’s Hope and…” He is cut off as Lemon Hearts calls out to him. “Sir! We’ve just received an emergency communication from Canterlot!” Arc groans. “What now?” “An unidentified source withing the castle has passed on Lord Regent Decimus’ decree ordering all citizens to be put under house arrest!” Shining Armor gasps. “They’re prisoners in their own homes!” Lemon Hearts nods. “Yes! Nopony’s been hurt, but tensions against the monarchy and the crown are at the breaking point!” Cadance turns to him. “What will you do, Arc?” Arc clenches a fist angrily. “Head to Canterlot and take out Lord Regent Decimus… again!” He turns to the soldiers. “Good work everyone! All of my forces are to return to The Equinox! Eat, shower, and get some rest! You’ve earned it! And we’ll need everyone well rested in order to retake Canterlot!”