//------------------------------// // Chapter 8: Fire From Sky // Story: Peace Through Power // by est-hal //------------------------------// Chapter 8: Fire From Sky Thunder brought up his shield, deflecting the wild swing of a Husk Hoof’s sword before countering with a stab of his spear, running the reanimated corpse through. He reared his head back and launched it forward, connecting a powerful headbutt to its jaw. The force of the blow decapitated the Husk Hoof, its rotted head snapping off with a sickening crack. He kicked off the headless body from his spear and sighted down his next opponent, a Husk Hoof running towards him with a sword gripped in its mouth. As he braced himself to meet the undead abomination in hoof-to-hoof combat, a javelin shot out and caught the Husk Hoof in its neck, causing it to topple to the ground in a heap. He saw Flash run up and retrieve his javelin from its body. His friend trampled down on the undead pony’s head, crushing its skull beneath his golden armored horseshoes, ensuring its redeath. “Hoy! That was mine!” Thunder complained in half-seriousness, earning a laugh from Flash. “Oh, come on. There’s plenty to go around.” he replied before switching out his javelin with his sword and moving to engage an approaching Husk Hoof. Thunder only snorted and turned to face another Husk Hoof that had taken notice of him. He trotted towards it, his spear reared back and ready to strike. “Kill-stealer…” ---- Low Flight sidestepped the downward swing of the Faceless’ giant battleaxe. Stabbing his spear into the ground, he grabbed the rear end of it and crouched down before springing up, vaulting himself to the monstrous humanoid’s muscular shoulders. Straddling its featureless, human-like head, he grabbed hold of one of its horns with one hoof and drew his short sword with the other, holding on tight as the Faceless thrashed around wildly, attempting to throw him off. Setting the sharpened tip of his sword against the base of its neck, he drove the blade through. The Faceless stopped thrashing, becoming stiff and rigid for a moment before falling over dead. He sheathed his sword and leapt off its shoulders before it hit the ground. Retrieving his spear, he adopted a defensive stance as a trio of Husk Hooves rushed towards him, waving their weapons in the air with murderous intent. As the first one came into range, he lunged forward and impaled it in its chest with his spear. He dropped his spear and stepped to the side, avoiding the thrust of the second one’s sword. Catching its sword foreleg in a lock, he violently yanked down on it, tearing it off. Kicking away the dismembered corpse, he looked around, having lost track of the third Husk Hoof. A sword swung down and hit him in his wing, making him shout in surprise and pain. The Husk Hoof had gone around to his exposed side and caught him by surprise as he dealt with its friends. Immediately, he resituated himself to face his assailant, bringing his shield up just in time to deflect another blow. He crouched down and grabbed the second one’s sword before springing up and swinging it, locking blades with the Husk Hoof. With all his strength, he forced its sword down towards the ground and stepped down on it with his hind leg, disarming his opponent. He took a step back and bashed the Husk Hoof with his shield in a powerful swinging motion, sending it flying back before throwing his sword at it, catching it in its heart. Satisfied with his handiwork, he retrieved his spear from the body of the first Husk Hoof and caught sight of his next fight, a Faceless wielding a long sword wreathed in flames. He whistled at it, catching its attention. It began sprinting towards him, its sword dragging on the ground, leaving trails of charred dirt. Low Flight only smirked as he readied his spear, pointing it slightly downwards towards the ground. “Show me your fury, demon…” ---- Lightning Strike threw another javelin, catching another winged lion in its chest in midflight, bringing it down. As he readied another javelin, a beastly roar drew his attention. Looking over, he saw a beast taken form of an abnormally large bear, its body covered in black fur caked with blood. In its mouth were three rib bones that were vibrating, producing a faint, melodious sound that seemed to stir the beast to even greater violence and savagery. It thrashed about the battlefield wildly, knocking away attacking Guards with great force, sending them flying and mauling others, pinning them down with a massive paw before setting upon them with its bloodied maw. Not too pleased at the sight of his Guards being worked over in such a manner, he drew his crossbow and loaded it with explosive bolts before taking after the bear. Coming into range, he brought up his crossbow and aimed at the ribs in its mouth, remembering them from ponytales of old as the cause of the beast’s frenzy. Taking and holding a breath to steady his aim, he let loose a hail of bolts. They hit their mark, blowing apart the ribs in the beast’s mouth. Their destruction seemed to induce a stunned state in the monstrous bear, it coming to a standstill, swaying slightly from side to side. A number of Guards took advantage of the beast’s daze to encircle it and spear its neck and stomach, tearing into them. It released a pained moan as it fell over, its ragged breathing eventually coming to a halt. Before he could congratulate himself, the clanking of rusted armor behind him caught his attention. He suddenly spun around, just blocking the blade of a Husk Hoof with his crossbow as it came down on him. Holding it back, he kicked at its torso and sent it staggering back. He walked up to it and grabbed hold of its sword by the flat of its blade and ripped it from its grasp and tossed it away. In a swift motion, he swung the stock of his crossbow up, clipping the Husk Hoof in its jaw, flooring it. Not quite finished with it just yet, he stood over it and reared his crossbow back before butting it in the head with the stock, concaving its skull inward. A smug expression formed on Lightning Strike’s face as he looked down at the corpse he made dead once more. “I outrank you.” ---- With a swing of his spear, Thunder threw another defeated Husk Hoof aside. He fell back behind his line for a quick reprieve before heading back out. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he trotted back out into the melee. He saw Flash busy with a pair of Husk Hooves as a third one came up behind him. He sprinted towards it and rammed it with his shield, sending it flying back. Flash spun around at the noise behind him and saw his friend bring his spear down on the Husk Hoof that had attempted to sneak up on him. “Whew… Hey, thanks.” Flash said. “Just pay me the twenty bits you owe me and we’ll call it even.” Thunder replied, a smirk forming on his features. Flash’s shoulders drooped at that, “Oh, c’mon! You’re still on about that?” “You bet your flank I am! That’s twenty solid-“ A deafening roar interrupted Thunder. The sheer power of the sound shook them to their very bones, the pace of their hearts quickening as their anxiety rocketed. They looked out towards the direction of the roar near the forest’s edge and were met with a terrifying sight. An absolutely massive beast, easily twice the size of an Ursa Minor, rose up from the forest and began approaching the eastern line, the tread of its huge feet causing tremors with every step. Standing on four legs, its appearance was monstrous and extraordinarily fearsome. Its body was protected by a thick metallic hide, dark grey in color. It had a long tail, swinging it around with each step. Its head was draconic in appearance, possessing evil eyes and a long snout. Lining its jaws were sharp teeth made of iron, big ones, while lining its snout and adorning the crown of its head were ten large ivory horns, the most notable of which was the one at the forefront of its snout. It was very unique, being the largest and possessing the eyes and mouth of a human. The eyes casted a hateful glare at pony and human alike, its gaze boring into them. The mouth, meanwhile, shouted obscenities and taunts in a multitude of voices in ancient tongues, making all who heard it cringe in severe discomfort at the guttural quality of its voice. Thunder and Flash could only gawk at the towering beast as it slowly made its way over to the eastern line. Their expressions became slightly downcast as their hopes for a victorious outcome for the battle started to wane. “Think the humans’ ‘firepower’ can overcome that thing?” Flash asked. “I sure hope so, because I think we’re bucked, otherwise.” Thunder replied. “Well, just in case it doesn’t, it’s been good serving with you.” Flash said as he held out a hoof, inviting his friend into a hoofshake. Thunder accepted it, shaking Flash’s hoof, “You too, my brother.” A solemn silence briefly overcame them. After a moment, Thunder broke the silence, “We should report this to the lieutenant.” Flash nodded in agreement, “Yeah, let’s go.” They both took off back to the trenches, not at all intending to use the very off-chance of their lieutenant not noticing the giant nightmare beast that was causing tremors with each step it took as an excuse to get a head start in fleeing from it as fast as their wings could take them. After all, Thunder and Flash were the epitome of a Royal Guard’s bravery. ---- “(That big one is going to be a problem, I think.)” Alexander nodded in agreement with Hiss’ assessment, observing the massive iron beast as it trudged towards the eastern line. He set the newly deployed squadron of Apache gunships with the Hinds to begin strafing the building-sized monster and restricted all eastern line elements from engaging it. “Hopefully that’ll keep it distracted long enough for us to drop some shells on it.” he muttered. “(You think that’ll be enough?)” “I certainly hope so, because if not, well… Now I’m curious about our top breakdown speed.” he said with a sigh, this latest battlefield development severely complicating matters and giving resurgence to his previous migraine. “(It might not come to that.)” “I certainly hope so. We just got here, and I need a drink before setting out on the road again.” “(Alcohol? For shame, ‘confessor,’ for shame…)” “So I’m not the most pious follower of Nod.” he retorted to Hiss’ mock accusation. “(I truly hope you don’t wonder why you were tossed from the Black Hand.)” Alexander released a muffled groan at Hiss’ barb at his less-than honorable discharge from the Brotherhood’s elite sect, “Always back to that, huh?” “(Oh, I kid, love.)” “Ugh…” He groaned at the pet name. It was moments like this that made him wonder what his mother would think of him being more or less wedded to a snake that may or may not be a supernatural entity of some kind. ‘At least I’m not bothered with pain-in-the-ass kids of my own.’ he thought. ---- In the expansive greenery of New York City’s famed Central Park, Mrs. Andric sat upon a bench, relaxing under the shade of a tree while feeding the pigeons with a bag of popcorn. Wearing a dull green overcoat over a blouse and poodle skirt, she was the iconic image of a kindly old biddy. She looked up at the sky, her mind wandering to her middle child, ‘At least I’m not bothered with some pain-in-the-ass grandkids.’ ---- “So he’s got a giant pet snake? That sounds pretty cool.” Spike said. “I wouldn’t say ‘cool,’ Spike.” Twilight replied, shuddering at the memory of the giant cobra molesting her. “I have to agree. Why somepony of his stature would keep such an unseemly thing around as a pet is simply beyond me.” Rarity commented, not bothering to hide her disappointed astonishment. Pinkie did not share her friends’ trepidation about Hiss. “Oh, come on, Twilight! Hiss just wanted to give you a friendly hug!” she said, hugging her. “Yeah, a friendly hug is all…” Rainbow added, snickering at Twilight’s renewed discomfort. “Constriction’s more like it…” Twilight muttered, unappreciative of the two’s purported notion. “Maybe snakes are a part of their belief system? Like a revered holy animal or something?” Spike suggested. “Could be.” Applejack said. Twilight closed her eyes for a moment, taking her mind off her encounter with the lustful reptile, “Well, in any case, I think-“ A roar of immense volume interrupted her, shaking the windows of the library and eliciting frightened gasps and yelps from the refugees downstairs. Fluttershy shrunk at the sound, letting out a fearful mewl. “What, was THAT?” Spike asked, half-wishing nopony would answer him. “No idea… Let’s go see!” Rainbow said, getting up and walking over to the balcony. “Um, let’s not and say we did?” Fluttershy suggested, earning an annoyed look from Rainbow. After some coaxing, Fluttershy and the others went out into the balcony to see how the battle was progressing. They immediately noticed the enormous horned beast stomping towards the eastern line and Ponyville with likely less than friendly intentions. “Oohh my… Ah’ think that one might be a problem fer’ our boys.” Applejack said, unconsciously straightening her hat out of nervous reflex. Rarity reluctantly nodded her head at Applejack’s observation, “I don’t want to think that, but I have to agree.” “So… should we start packing now?” Spike asked in half-jest. Twilight rolled her eyes at her assistant’s gallows humor, “Very funny, Spike.” “It may come to that if they can’t overcome that monster.” Rarity said. “Then here’s to hoping they can.” Rainbow said, not very thrilled at the idea of having to rebuild her house a second time. As they continued to watch the battle, the sound of propellers chopping through the air drew their attention. Looking towards the north, they saw three helicopter gunships painted a dark grey take to the air and towards the battlefield. They were slightly smaller than the Hinds and shaped differently, the forward sections vaguely resembling the head of a snake. “How many of those flyin’ contraptions do they have?” Applejack asked nonplussed, wondering just what magical void the humans were conjuring their hardware from. “Who’s complaining?” Rainbow retorted. She looked to where the Apaches came from and took note of the base established to the north of the town. “Hey, when that get there?” she asked, pointing a hoof at the unfamiliar structures. Fluttershy observed the barracks, noting its highly unusual architecture, “Oh my. That building shaped like a claw is rather frightening…” “What IS their fascination with black and red?” Rarity asked, objecting heavily to the base structures’ dominant color scheme. “Alex wears black and red.” Pinkie pointed out. Rarity only shook her head, “It works the way he wears it. Not with the rest of them.” “What now? Did they build that?” Applejack asked, scratching the back of her head in confusion. “I guess so. You think we would’ve heard something.” Twilight muttered, astonished at the idea of such rapid and stealthy construction. Spike eyed his bed inside, “Huh. It’s fine, I guess, as long as they keep it quiet.” ---- Lightning Strike stared at the giant iron beast that had entered the field and was now on an approach towards the eastern line. For a brief moment he was completely entranced by its sheer size, how it towered over everything else on the battlefield. The sound of galloping towards him broke him out of his reverie. Looking over, he saw Thunder and Flash approaching him. “Uh, sir? There’s a-“ Thunder started. Lightning Strike cut him off, “I see it, Thunder, thank you.” “What should we do, sir?” Flash asked. “Hold tight for now. I’m going to see if our friends have a fix for this.” he said as he tapped the right side of his helmet, producing a beeping sound. As Thunder and Flash watched him with piqued curiosity, just noticing the mouthpiece and antenna jutting out from his helmet, Lightning Strike waited for the confessor to respond, his hoof tapping in impatience. ---- Alexander’s headset emitted a tone, signifying a transmission from Lightning Strike. He tapped the right earpiece, connecting him with the lieutenant. “We’ve got a problem.” came Lightning Strike’s voice. “Let me guess. Five stories high, causes tremors with every step, and shouting a multitude of likely very rude things in a legion of voices and tongues at us?” he asked. “That’s a good summary of it. If you’ve got something up your sleeve, now’s really the time for it.” Lightning Strike replied. “I do, but I’m going to need your help on this, lieutenant. I’ve posted all helicopters on that thing to try and keep it distracted away from our lines. We need to keep it still long enough for our long-range weapons to zero in on it.” Alexander explained. There was a pause before Lightning Strike responded, “Alright, we can do that. I can take some pegasi and help your helicopters keep that thing busy.” “Grand. Now, when you see a smoking red flare fall from the sky to where that monster’s standing, you and all of your Guards, and I mean ALL of them, must make for the trenches as fast as you can and keep your heads down. Truly, duck and cover. I’m serious.” he said, his tone conveying his seriousness about the matter of taking cover. “I got you. Fall back and heads down at the sight of red smoke.” Lightning Strike affirmed. “Outstanding. Be careful out there.” “Of course.” Terminating the connection, Alexander returned his attention to his laptop’s screen, now displaying the helicopters circling around the massive beast, peppering it with missiles and large caliber bullets, the unicorns aboard the Hinds throwing in their weight with the concentration of firepower. It seemed to work in diverting the beast’s attention away from the eastern line, it now attempting to swat the helicopters with its tail while projectile vomiting molten metal at them. Alexander suddenly felt the need to increase the artillery battery to twelve guns… ---- Lightning Strike terminated the headset’s connection to the confessor’s. He looked at Thunder and Flash, who were watching him perplexed as he carried on a seemingly one-sided conversation. “Where’s your sergeant?” he asked them. The stallion in question announced his presence to his commander, “Right here, sir.” Turning around, Lightning Strike saw Low Flight standing at attention behind him, his armor slightly bloodied. “You alright, sergeant?” he asked, eyeing the wound on Low Flight’s wing. “Just fine, sir.” the sergeant replied, trying to suppress a grimace. “Your injury disagrees. You still fit for a fight?” Low Flight smirked, “We both know the answer to that, sir.” “Just checking. Anyway, I need you to disseminate these orders to the troops. They are to fall back to the trenches and duck down at the sight of red smoke falling from the sky. Emphasis on ducking down.” Lightning Strike ordered. The directive raised the sergeant’s eyebrow, “Fall back and duck down at red smoke? Got something up your sleeve, sir?” Lightning Strike nodded, “You could say that. After you get the word out, I want you to manage things down here. I’ll be taking some pegasi to keep that monster distracted long enough for our ‘surprise.’ Sorry to leave you out, sergeant. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.” “I’ll hold you to that, sir.” Low Flight said with a grin before saluting and running off to the melee lines. Lightning Strike turned his attention to Thunder and Flash, who had been watching him with undisguised anxiety. “So boys…” he began. “Do we even get a choice in being glorified bait, sir?” Flash asked. “No, not really. I was just going to frame it in a more upbeat way. Positive mental attitude and all that.” Lightning Strike said nonchalantly. The two heaved a sigh. “Right behind you, LT.” Thunder said. Lightning Strike grinned at their slight despondency, “That’s the spirit. Now, let’s go round up some more ‘volunteers.’ Come on.” The three took off back towards the town, seeking out their fellow Guard pegasi to join them in their diversion mission. ---- Low Flight kicked away another defeated Husk Hoof from his spear. With the help of his fellow noncommissioned officers and their powerful lungs, all Guards on the ground were informed of the order to fall back to the trenches at the sight and call of red smoke. While initially nonplussed at the directive, the Guards acknowledged it regardless. With the matter taken care of, he could now only wait and pass the time… By cutting down every demon he saw. A roar directed at him caught his attention. Looking in its direction, he saw a winged lion sprinting towards him, an aura of murderous, bestial frenzy apparent in its bloodshot eyes. The sergeant braced himself, ready for the beast’s attack. The lion closed in and lunged itself at him, its forward claws extended and ready to tear into the armored pony like a tin can. He fell on his back at the last second, covering his face with his shield while bringing up his hind legs. The lion fell on top of his prone form, flailing wildly in confusion at the unexpected move. With his hind legs on the beast’s belly, he kicked it off him and onto its back, leaving it vulnerable. Getting to his hooves, Low Flight cautiously approached the thrashing beast and delivered the finishing blow, a downward stab of his spear to the throat, just as before. As he pulled his bloodied spear out from the lion’s throat, another peculiar noise caught his ear. It sounded of a multitude of blades slicing against each other, greatly menacing all who heard it, including Low Flight, which was quite the accomplishment in itself. It wasn’t easy to induce fear in the battle-hardened stallion… Looking over at the sound, he was confirmed of his fears. Rings had taken to the battlefield, rolling towards the Guard lines and trenches to make mincemeat of the pony and human defenders. Their basic structure resembled that of a gyroscope, a multitude of blood-rust rings spinning at different angles and directions. Jagged and uneven metal barbs lined each ring, comprising the demonic construct’s primary threat. The movement of the rings served to greatly disrupt the melee lines, breaking them apart as Guards moved out of the way to avoid getting sliced into pieces. Figuring they at least needed to throw the rings back somehow to keep them from reaching the trenches, Low Flight concocted a plan to hold back the gyroscopes from hell. Spotting some Guards break from their line to avoid the approach of the rings, he called out to them, requiring their help, “You there! Get over here!” The Guards ran towards him, their golden armor clanking with each step. “Sir!” spoke a corporal among them. “Come on. We’ve got to stop those rings from screwing with our lines.” Low Flight said, earning perplexed and anxious looks from the Guards. “But how, sir? We can’t get near them without getting turned into mincemeat!” protested one of them. Low Flight eyed him, “Think your spears, Guard. We’ve got to throw those things back from the trenches.” “Uh, yes sir!” the Guard simply said, fearing the sergeant’s steely gaze more than the rings themselves. Nodding, he motioned for them to follow him. Galloping towards a set of rings that had gotten rather close to a foxhole, he set his plan into motion. “Encircle it!” he shouted. At once, the Guards had surrounded the bladed gyroscope, their spears at the ready. The encirclement of the Guards seemed to confuse it, the rings no longer moving towards anything and remaining stationary, as if unable to decide which target to move towards. “STICK IT!” Low Flight bellowed. Together, he and the Guards thrust their spears in between the spinning rings, jamming them. They all held tightly to their spears, using all their strength to fight back against the protesting movements of the rings as they tried to resume their natural motions. “LIFT IT UP!” came the next order. The Guards hefted their spears towards the sky, lifting up the immobilized rings. Just as he was about to shout the order to toss the rings away, a pair of infantrymen clambered out from the foxhole, hefting long metal tubes on their shoulders. “Hey! Toss that thing into the air and we can blast it!” one of them shouted. Unsure of what they were planning, Low Flight complied nonetheless, “If you say so… Guards! Toss it on three!” The infantrymen knelt down and aimed their weapons at the rings, their fingers resting on the weapons’ triggerguards. “ONE!” “TWO!” “THREE!” As one, they tossed the caught rings into the air with all their might, sending it high above the ground. The two infantrymen fired their weapons, the backblast of their rocket launchers catching the ponies off guard and causing them to shield their faces from the smoke. A pair of rocket-propelled grenades soared at the airborne rings, leaving twisting contrails as evidence of their flight. Impacting them, the grenades blew apart the rings in a deafening explosion, sending shrapnel flying in all directions. Looking up, they all saw that the rings were no more. “Huh, that worked.” a Guard commented. A series of explosions drew Low Flight’s attention. He looked out at the trenches to see Guards using their spears to toss rings into the air and human infantrymen armed with rocket launchers blasting them shortly afterwards, apparently taking inspiration from his improvised tactic. He snorted, ’Nice to know they’re paying attention out there…’ ---- Two dozen pegasi were all that Lightning Strike could muster to help distract the iron beast, as most were tied up in holding the line. They had gathered in the town’s square, standing in a column formation, ready to take off. They armed themselves with crossbows loaded with explosive bolts and javelins with explosive tips, they only weapons they had that could even hope to warrant the beast’s attention. Lightning Strike surveyed the column of armored pegasi, checking one last time that all were accounted for. Satisfied, he stood in front of them and began the briefing, “Guards! We are to divert that giant beast’s attention away from the eastern line long enough for our human friends’ weapons to prepare. We fall back to the trenches at the sight of red smoke falling from the sky. Six groups of four, scattered flight formation.” “I doubt that thing would register us as anything but a bunch of annoying flies, sir.” a Guard commented. “However you want to put it. And go for the eyes. Acknowledged?” Lightning Strike asked. “Sir, yes sir!” shouted all Guards present. Nodding, he turned around and spread his wings, “To the air!” He leapt into the air with a powerful gust, his Guards taking after him. As they flew towards the battlefield, they sighted their target, the iron beast. Readying their weapons, they set themselves to annoy the complete hell out of it. ---- Alexander could not help but release a relieved sigh. The artillery battery was finally ready. He panned the view on his laptop’s screen over to the iron beast’s location and saw his pony counterpart leading several of his own in concert with the gunships in harassing the beast. They had led it a healthy distance away from the eastern line, though the barrage would still be danger-close, so they would have to be careful. “(Took long enough…)” He sighed, “What we get for operating under a strained power grid and budget, I’m afraid.” “(In any case, it’s time for a light show, don’t you think?)” “Indeed.” Alexander concurred as he raised Lightning Strike to warn him of the imminent artillery barrage. It was about to get loud over there… ---- Guard pegasi continually buzzed the giant iron beast, purposely vying each other for its lethal attention. Flash hurled another javelin, striking the left eye of the beast. Thunder in the meanwhile released a hail of explosive bolts from his crossbow upon the faced horn, eliciting a stream of colorful language from it. “That thing’s got a pretty mouth!” Flash shouted to his friend. “And I thought we were salty!” Thunder yelled back. The two’s banter was interrupted by a stream of molten metal flying just above their heads. “WOAH, THAT’S HOT!” they both yelped as they flew away from the deadly stream. Thunder fired another volley of bolts at the beast’s eye, causing it to cease its attack as it reeled its head in pain. “We can’t keep this up! Something’s got to give or we’re toast!” Flash exclaimed. A distance away, Lightning Strike had heard him and silently agreed with their assessment of the situation. They had been at it for ten minutes and only had an increasing number of close calls to show for it. They needed to end this fight before somepony got hurt… ”Lieutenant? Lieutenant! Can you hear me?” came Alexander’s voice over his headset, interrupting his train of thought. Lightning Strike put a hoof to his headset, establishing his end of the connection. “What!? Is it time!?” he asked as he flew back to keep out of the beast’s reach. ”Yes! Flare’s coming down in a second! Get yourself and your Guards to the trenches and keep down! It’s going to be danger-close!” “Right! GUARDS! FALL BACK TO THE TRENCHES! NOW!” he bellowed. The pegasi with him adjusted their flight paths towards the eastern line. The helicopters in the meanwhile had flown a good distance away from the beast, as if expecting whatever was about to happen to have a large radius of effect. “So what’s your brilliant plan, again!?” Lightning Strike yelled as he and his Guards made a beeline for the trenches. ”Fire from sky.” Leaving the vague and ominous statement floating in the air, the confessor terminated the connection. ---- “Now what are those, I truly wonder? What will they do to add to our defenders’ thunder?” Zecora wondered aloud, watching the howitzers move into position at the edge of the humans’ base. “They kinda’ look like their ‘tanks,’ ‘cept with a bigger weapon. Ah’ bet they pack twice the punch!” Applebloom conjectured. “Sounds good to me!” Scootaloo agreed. “Oh boy! Those demons are in for it now!” Sweetie added. “Mhmm!” her friends agreed. The twelve pieces of self-propelled artillery formed two even rows, six per, and resituated themselves to face the battlefield southeast of them. Once in position, they raised their barrels into the air, primed to deliver their ordinance. Zecora raised an eyebrow at the synchronized motions of the howitzers, “What is this, now?” One of the guns suddenly shot a red flare into the sky, the flare leaving a trail of thick red smoke along its arced trajectory. The three fillies and zebra followed the path of the flare as it arced high above Ponyville, its bright light casting an eerie red glow over everything below. Ponies all around looked up at the source of the glow, mesmerized by the bright light. They tracked the flare as it landed right at the clawed feet of the giant iron beast. The beast itself seemed confused at the strange, smoke-emitting red light that had landed at its feet, ceasing its assault against the bothersome pegasi and helicopters buzzing around it like a swarm of heavily armed flies to look at the still smoking flare. It squinted, unsure of what to make of the harbinger of its demise. The howitzers suddenly boomed, firing the first of many barrages. Fire and puffs of smoke erupted from their elongated barrels. Sweetie squeaked in surprise at the deafening thunder of the guns. “Whoa! What was-“ Scootaloo was interrupted as the guns fired again without warning. They continued firing, sending volleys of high explosive shells towards the battlefield. The ground around the giant beast suddenly lit up with massive explosions, its terrible visage obscured behind bright flashes of light and clouds of smoke. The beast released a guttural howl of pain, disabusing the notion that it was invincible. More explosions soon drowned out its cries, engulfing its body completely. The beast began to stagger as the massive concussive force of the shells tore into its iron hide, shredding its more vulnerable innards. With a final moan, the giant iron beast fell, hitting the ground with great force and producing a tremor with its graceless collapse. “They got it! They got it!” Applebloom exclaimed with unrestrained glee. Sweetie and Scootaloo joined in her rejoicing, hopping up and down with joy. Zecora in the meanwhile gawked at the enormous carcass now left on the battlefield. “Wow…” she uttered, finishing her earlier couplet. ---- “RED SMOKE! RED SMOKE! BACK TO THE TRENCHES! NOW!” The call rang out over the chaos of the battlefield, testament to the unrivaled power of Low Flight’s and his fellow NCOs’ lungs. The Guard lines began an orderly retreat back to the trenches, the lines remaining cohesive and moving backwards as one. Reaching them, they jumped down into the trenches and ducked down, many using their shields to cover themselves and their comrades. Low Flight jumped down into a trench and looked out at the battlefield to ensure no one was still out there. Though he didn’t know what to expect at the fall of the red flare, he couldn’t help but think that being near it would be very detrimental to his health. As he surveyed the battlefield, a number of his pegasi comrades flew into the trenches and took cover, Lightning Strike, Thunder, and Flash among them. “Sir! You alright?” Low Flight asked. “Still breathing, so yeah, I’m good.” Lightning Strike replied. Low Flight looked at the two pegasi behind the lieutenant and laughed at what he saw. “Uh, Thunder? Flash? Your tails?” he pointed out. The two looked behind themselves to see their bluish-white tails alight with a small flicker of fire. Both yelping in surprise, they quickly put out the flames with a wag of their tails. The lieutenant and sergeant chortled at the two, enjoying a moment of levity at their expense. A rumbling thunder resounded from the north edge of town, the sudden and unfamiliar noise drawing their attention. Faint whistles from above caught their ears, turning their gaze up towards the sky. “FALL DOWN! INCOMING!” an infantryman bellowed. As if on cue, bursts of light and fire suddenly erupted around the giant iron beast, explosions engulfing it completely and eliciting actual sounds of pain from it. All in the trenches ducked down and shielded themselves as dirt and shrapnel flew over their heads. Lightning Strike released a snort as he remembered his earlier conversation with Alexander. ’Danger is close? No kidding, Alex…’ ---- “Well, they’re at least keeping it from reaching town.” Spike said, commenting on the helicopters’ and Guard pegasi’s diversionary tactics. “I’m thankful for that, at least.” Twilight said with a sigh, glancing worriedly at the crowds of spectating ponies down on the streets. “Yes, but actually bringing that monster down is another matter entirely, dear.” Rarity said. They were still on the balcony, continuing to watch the raging battle from afar. The helicopters and Guard pegasi continued to harass the giant iron beast, drawing it away from the eastern line. “Think they can keep it up?” Rainbow asked. Applejack bit her lower lip as she watched the loose formations of helicopters and Guard pegasi barely dodge another stream of molten metal vomited by the beast, “Ah’ sure hope so, ‘cause- huh?” She stopped midsentence as everything became bathed in a red glow. They all looked up towards the sky to see the flare arcing high above them towards the battlefield. “What the hay?” Rainbow uttered as she tracked the flare with wide eyes and a gaped mouth. “What’s that?” Pinkie asked. Before anyone could say they didn’t know, a loud booming suddenly sounded. The abruptness and loudness of it elicited a sharp gasp from Fluttershy, who jumped in surprise and landed in Rainbow’s forelegs. They all looked to see the howitzers beginning their barrage, firing volley after volley at the giant beast. A cacophony of explosions around the iron beast brought their attention back to the battlefield. Flashes of light and fire erupted all around the beast, provoking pained cries from it. Additional explosions drowned out any further noise from it completely. Ponies on the streets below watched in wonderment the sustained artillery barrage, cooing in awe at the thunderous bursts of light, fire, and smoke. The target of the barrage did not share their wonderment, instead howling in rage and pain. Another couple volleys of shells finally overwhelmed the beast. As it fell, they could hear the pony and human defenders on the eastern line begin to cheer at the slain monster’s death. Soon, all of Ponyville began cheering with them, celebrating the salvation of the town. “I can’t believe it… They did it!” Spike said with undisguised surprise and disbelief. “Whoa… Now THAT was cool!” Rainbow exclaimed. Pinkie vigorously nodded her head in agreement, “You said it, Dashie!” “A spectacular finale for such a valiant and noble fight!” Rarity added. Applejack wiped away the nervous sweat that had collected on her forehead. “Whew… That was close.” she said with a sigh. “I’m just glad it’s over.” Fluttershy said, relief evident in her voice. “Me too, Fluttershy.” Twilight muttered, still in awe at the immense volume of concentrated firepower she had just witnessed. Pinkie and Spike embraced each other and began hopping in rejoice at the Royal Guards’ and humans’ victory. Rainbow in the meanwhile eyed the yellow pegasus mare still in her forelegs with an exasperated look. “Uh… Fluttershy?” she began. “Huh? Oh, right. Sorry…” ---- The humans on the eastern line whooped and cheered as the giant iron beast finally succumbed to the artillery barrage and released a final death moan before its legs buckled and sent the monster collapsing to the ground. The ponies, awestruck for a moment at the massive display of firepower, soon joined their human allies in celebrating their victory over the demons, shouts of triumph sounding from the trenches. Lightning Strike leaned against the wall of the trench and sighed deeply in relief. Low Flight merely smiled as Thunder and Flash joined in with their pony and human compatriots, whooping and holding up their spears in victory. “Okay, that was impressive.” Low Flight said, grinning as he watched the remaining demons panic at the fall of their champion and begin to retreat back into the forest. “Impressive is a word, sergeant.” Lightning Strike said as he took off his helmet and wiped the sweat off his brow. He looked out at the still smoldering corpse of the giant beast, a measure of satisfaction evident on his face. ’Firepower. I’m starting to love that word…’ ---- Alexander leaned back in his chair, a satisfied grin on his face. The giant iron beast had been felled, the demons were in a rout, and casualties on their side were minimal. He could here ponies cheering outside the tent. Victory was theirs. “(Hmm, not a bad way to finish up, love.)” He scoffed at Hiss’ tame congratulations, “Not bad? Try a glorious crescendo to an epic orchestral score.” “(Aren’t we boastful?)” “I just brought down Godzilla’s Hebrew cousin.” he retorted. “(That you did. I suppose that qualifies for bragging rights.)” “You’re damn right it does…” Alexander turned his attention back to the laptop’s screen, watching the joint force of his men and the lieutenant’s ponies mop up the stragglers. “Take that, you mealy-mouthed bastards.”