//------------------------------//
// Chapter 28: The Storm 
// Story: Logic and Friendship. Roger! Roger! 
// by Anaylze 
//------------------------------//

TF-1726 immediately turned around and began to speed-walk as fast as he could away from the castle, although it appeared to be little more than a slight hobble. 

There was a tremendous boom and the ground shook, as the charges above in the castle and on its supports detonated, and large chunks of crystals began to fall. 

Shiny and Cadance touched their horns together and combined their magic to hold the castle in place from falling. 
"Twily… Cadance... go!" Shining said, straining to keep the castle suspended in the air. 

"I can't leave you!" Cadance said, also straining to hold the Castle up 

"Flurry Heart needs her mother! Go! Get out of here!" He shouted, as the Guard’s ponies began to retreat from under the crumbling castle. 

"No! I love you and I won't leave you!" She protested 

"Go!" Shining yelled to Cadance, pushing her away 

Cadance began to cry and did as she was told, being followed by the Elements of Harmony. 

"I can't leave my big brother in there!" Twilight said, as the castle began to crumble more rapidly, before Shining's magic gave out, causing the remains of the castle to fall, burying him under a pile of rubble. There was no possible way he survived. 

Twilight and Cadance began to cry, mourning the loss of Shining Armor. 

The two embraced each other in a hug as they hung their heads over their shoulders. 

"I'm so sorry…" Cadance said, just before she spotted the Tactical Droid TF-1726 out of the corner of her eye, her sadness quickly turning to pure rage. She enveloped him in a magic hold and pulled him towards her. 

"That was my husband, you sick droid!" she shouted, proceeding to smack him across the face several times with her forehoof. 

"Victory… so close…" he said, his head twitching as a spark flew from his neck. 

She smacked him once more, and his head severed from his body, bouncing across the Crystal Road. 
His decapitated body began to twitch as Cadance stood up, breathing heavily. 

"I'm not programmed to feel hatred, but... I feel it anyway." the droid said, as its severed head came to a halt in front of Twilight. 

She levitated the head to her face, its eyes flickering, still clearly active to some degree. 
"No-not you again" he stuttered, his speech glitching. 

"That was my big brother!" She shouted 

"I can he-e-ear you-u. Cease shoutiiiinngg…" he droned on his monotone voice, as more sparks flew from his head. 
There was a crack of thunder, and they all looked to the sky to see a massive blizzard approaching. 

"We need to get out of here, there's nothing we can do for the Crystal Empire now that the heart is destroyed and buried under the rubble. If we don't get out of here soon, we'll be buried under the ice and snow!" 

There was a loud rumble as the various C-9799 Landing Craft lifted off and took flight, retreating to some other location the Droids had captured for safety. 

"It seems that even in your victory… that I still win." TF-1726's head said slowly. 

"ENOUGH!" Twilight said, handing TF-1726's severed, yet still active head to Spike "we'll take him back for investigation, someone grab his body." 

"I calculate that you will not be able to evacuate the entire city in time. Victory… loss does not compute…" 

"Shut up!" Spike shouted 

"I told you I am programmed to re-re-resist intimidation." 

Applejack finished folding the Tactical Droids decapitated body up, tying it and its severed arm over her back. 
Cadance turned to the remaining Guards ponies 

"Ensure that all the ponies in the empire are evacuated safely, no one gets left behind." 

"Yes, your majesty!" 

Twilight began walking towards the Train station 

"Come on every pony, we need to get out of here before it's too late." 

Back in the Throne Room at Canter lot, which had since been turned almost into a strategy and briefing room, Celestia and Luna stood over a map of Equestria. 

Suddenly there was a loud poof sound and a flash of Magic. The two sisters turned to see Starlight Glimmer and Trixie on the ground behind them, looking exhausted and beaten on the floor. The two royal sisters rushed over to help their subjects up 

"OW! Put me down!" Starlight cried, as Luna placed her back on the floor with her magic. 

"What hast happened? Art thou alright?" Luna asked concerned 

"The machines took Manehattan" Trixie said "we need to get Starlight medical attention immediately; her legs were injured in the battle." 

Celestia nodded and 2 guards set off for the palaces medical rooms carrying Starlighth on their backs. 

"What of the towns ponies in Manehattan? Were they able to escape?" Celestia asked 

"Some of them, we tried to hold them off as long as we could" Trixie said "I'm sorry…" 

"It is alright, you tried your hardest and that is what matters. Get some rest my subject" Celestia said, turning to Luna. "It's become apparent that we must enlist help from others in Equestria to win this conflict. I will have to contact Discord and the Changelings; only together can we defeat them." 

"Indeed sister" 

Suddenly there was a magic flash and Discord appeared. 

"Hello Tia, did you say my name?" He spoke 

"Indeed, she did" Luna said "art thou aware of the conflict that hast occurred between Equestria and the Confederacy?" 
"Oh! Yes!" He said, summoning 3D classes and popcorn "it's wonderfully chaotic, interesting to watch, I just wish there wasn't so much death… it's a little cliché for war, and excessive." 

The 2 sisters glared at him 

"I'm sorry is my enjoyment in poor taste?" He asked 

"Yes!" They both said sternly 

"Our subjects are fighting against them, and you're sitting around watching it as if it's some Manehattan Broadway performance!" Celestia said, clearly agitated by Discord. 

"Oh, well excuse me for enjoying chaos!" Discord said, "it's only my middle name!" 

"I thought your middle name was P?" 

"It is my dear I'm just messing with you." 

"I need you to listen!" 

"I'm all ears!" he said, literally turning into a giant ear. 

Celestia sighed and took a deep breath 

"We need you to help us defeat the machines! I know you enjoy chaos, but we have actual work to do Discord." She spoke. 
"Okay…" 

"You are free to use your magic against them to your full abilities." 

Discord grinned widely 

"So… I can enact total chaos on them?" 

Celestia sighed 

"Yes, but only them! No chaos on Equestria or any ponies, understand?" 

"Yes Tia!" Discord said "I hear you. I will aid Equestria and cause chaos on the machines from the sky." He said in a mocking tone. 

"Thank you Discord." 

"Although to be honest I probably would've gotten involved sooner or later, because if they hurt Flutter shy-" 

"I believe they did, Discord, when she was here last with the rest of the Elements, she had her wing bandaged."
 
"Oh…" he said, his eyes narrowing "then its personal" he continued, his eyes flashing red, before he disappeared in a white flash. 

Luna smiled 

"There may be hope for us yet sister." 

Kraken sat in his chair running calculations. Manehattan, the Crystal Empire and the settlement of Appleloosa had all fallen according to plan. By his calculations the probability of the planetary invasion being a success was 84.8%. He also calculated that at the current speed, the planet would fall within the week. 

"Sir! Incoming transmission from Admiral TF-1726!" A B1 shouted 

"Play it" he replied in his deep monotone. 

The screen in front of him instead of protraying a picture, instead prorated a mere line, which waved as the transmission played. 

"This is TF-1726. If you are receiving this prerecorded message, then I have failed to defend the Crystal Empire and have been captured by the Equines." Came his voice in its slow monotone. 

Kraken didn't say anything. He wasn't sure if he should attempt a rescue operation or not. TF-1726 was one of his capable commanders, and he needed one to help lead the invasion forces. However, this could always wait. There was also the risk of information being retrieved from him, but Kraken was not particularly worried about that. Even though the T-Series Tactical Droids were inferior to Super Tactical Droids like him, they were still very hard to interrogate. If the memory core was accessed without permission, then the whole data storage system would corrupt, essentially rendering the droid useless. 

"This is unfortunate." he finally said, standing up and walking forwards to gaze out the front window. "He is one of my capable commanders." 

The Crystal Empire may have been recaptured by the Equines, but there appeared to be a massive number of storms forming around it. 

There was a white flash and a poof sound behind Kraken…