"And what is this something?" Pipp asked.
Clear Skies indicated to the projectionist, who brought up a new slide on the screen.
"That's a box," Hitch said.
"A metal box," Sunny added.
"We had those in Maretime Bay as traps," Hitch added in addition.
"I went inside two of them," Izzy added to the addition added by Hitch. "Not the most fun experience in the world. But it pails in comparison to what happened today."
"This," Clear Skies said, "is much more than a metal box. This is a little thing we've been cooking up for the last few years, and we think it will forever change the nature of warfare. I am aware that the Earth Ponies were the first to deploy an armoured fighting vehicle into combat, but based on what I've seen that was a rather jury rigged device. This, instead, is a purpose built fighting machine called a Landship, or as some call it a tank."
"What does it do?" Zipp asked. "Wouldn't it just get stuck all the time? Road wheels aren't hugely good at supporting that sort of weight on top of them."
The screen then changed to footage of one of these machines rolling over terrain and, remarkably, not getting stuck.
"That's the genius of it. Instead of wheels, we mount them on a pair of treads which wrap around the top of the tank's framework. The are in turn connected to drive components linked to a powerful engine. This allows the vehicle to pull itself along through and over the toughest of terrain known to ponykind. And it's no slouch when it comes to weapons too. Next slide, please."
The slide operator did as asked and switched to the next slide, showing one of the side mountings which had a long pointy thing attached to it.
"The vehicle has two sponsons, one on each side. Each sponson mounts a single weapon; a six pounder gun well suited to engaging armoured targets and destroying bunkers. Some also have an extra mount for machine guns."
"Have any of these things seen combat before?" Queen Haven asked.
"Unfortunately, no, Your Majesty," Clear Skies admitted. "They were still in the testing stages around the time that Reunification happened- we originally developed them in case war broke out- and as noted before the machine is yet to be tested in combat. But considering the global circumstances, I feel as though we don't have much of a choice."
The slide changed again to show a map. "We believe that a large scale counterattack supported by the Landships will be enough to stop the enemy in their tracks. If we can commit sufficient resources to the attack, the tripods will be stopped and forced to sue for peace. Then, in the resulting negotiations, we can either send them to another continent or have them forced to leave the planet completely. If this works, we'll all be home by Wishentide."
"Where have we heard that one before?" Sunny mused aloud. "I wouldn't underestimate our foe, Mr General. My own magic was unable to breach their shielding and armour. Is there something about conventional weaponry that can help with that?"
Goldie then stepped forward. "I can help with that, actually," she said. "It's time to explain where I've been all those years. As you probably know, I disappeared when you were very young, Sunny. The truth is... I was abducted."
"By the tripods?" Sunny asked.
"Yes," Goldie admitted. "They came for us one night. I think, for some reason, they wanted you, but I got in the way before one of those things grabbed me and took me away into the darkness. I was able to escape, but I was in this long network of underground tunnels which seem to be where these tripods lived. I was able to create an armour suit from cobbling together metal and other leftover scrap equipment, then reverse engineered one of the energy cannons from the larger models to fit to it."
"I eventually went down to try and find her myself," Argyle added. "I can only assume this was why everypony thought I'd died."
Sunny looked annoyed. "How could you?" she said. "Just abandon me without warning?"
"I'm sorry about doing that," Argyle admitted. "But I believe the information we found will be useful for turning the tide. Not just the weapons and machines the foe uses, but also fragments of their language- which I believe will be key to turning the tide and giving a voice to the invaders."
"I want the army fully mobilised," Queen Haven said, "and as soon as possible. Goldie, can you brief the generals on the information you have?"
"Yes ma'am," Goldie replied, as she made some adjustments to her gear. "I'll need a few moments to get set up, but otherwise I'm good to go."
A few minutes later, the Generals had all sat around a table, with Goldie at the head with a slide before her. "I'll keep this brief," she said, "but safe to say this is a threat that is unlike anything Equestria has ever faced in its history. So far, we have seen three major types of enemy units in the field, which I shall bring up on the screen now. Next slide."
The slide switched over to show a large machine which towered over the camera operator (or whomever had taken the photograph), certainly looking very intimidating in the process.
"This is a Heron. These appear to be the main fighting machines used by the aliens. Each stands about 300 feet and moves on three legs. Whilst initially appearing to be lightly armoured, the plating is unbreachable except by the heaviest of artillery guns, and each is surrounded by an energy shield that requires massive amounts of firepower to crack. Principal armament is a pair of energy cannons designed to destroy heavily armoured targets and flush infantry out of cover. Each also produces a toxic cloud; gas masks are a must when facing one of them." Goldie nodded. "Next slide."
The slide changed once again to show another type of alien machine. Much shorter, and similar in design, but also seemingly armed to the teeth regardless.
"These units are called Spiders," Goldie started. "These form the core of the alien army. Each stands about 18 feet and like Herons move on three legs. As far as I could tell they are lightly armoured, with no known shielding to speak of. As a result, Spiders rely on speed for protection; I did some analysis during my time underground and calculated one has a top speed of about 30 miles an hour."
"Outmaneuvring them might be difficult," said a General at the back. "That's about five times the speed of the current Landships."
Goldie then continued with her speech, moving attention to the weapons fitted. "Armament consists of a pair of energy guns, which compensate for their lower damage output with a high rate of fire, and a flail weapon mounted underneath, both of which have been marked for your convenience in the above photograph."
The Generals nodded, writing this information down on paper and boards so they could keep a track of it quite easily. Once she was certain they were done, Goldie asked for the slide to be changed.
The slide then moved to the last type of machine, the one which looked rather like a fish atop a set of mechanical legs.
"This unit," Goldie said," is called a Gordon. Very few Gorgons have been seen in combat. Standing about 200 feet tall, each has similar armour and shielding to Herons. That, however, is where the similarities end. The head unit is replaced with a central weapon mount featuring three Particle Cannons. These are designed to tear open heavy fortifications, and can be fired in either a dispersed or focused beam depending on the target." She paused. "The only examples seen thus far are in the army that attacked Maretime Bay, so are probably proceeding towards us from the southwest."
The Generals took to talking amongst themselves for a bit, whilst they attempted to put together a suitable plan. After a few minutes, it seemed that they had some ideas. "Based on this information," said one, "it appears that our best option is a massed infantry assault combined with very heavy artillery support for our troops. This will give our troops the best chance of breaking through the enemy line."
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and a soldier entered, saluting as she did so. "Sir!" she said. "I bring news from our allies!"
"Is it good?" one of the generals asked.
"It appears that although our fellow countries have fallen, their armies have not," the messenger replied. "A unicorn and earth pony arrived earlier today to deliver an important message from each race with their tactical plans upon them."
"Who is the signatory of the message?" another general asked. "If it is true, this is very promising news."
The soldier looked at the letter. "Sir, it's signed... by Field Marshal Sunset Shimmer."