//------------------------------// // The Invasion // Story: Mass Effect 4 // by Shadeslayer //------------------------------// Mass Effect 4 Chapter 2: The Invasion Once Twilight had gotten all of her equipment squared away, she immediately began looking at the beacon once more, claiming that she needed to learn all she could about Reapers and their strategies. She’d turned part of the lab into her own room and organized everything almost obsessively. Aside from that, she’d been quiet, almost anti-social even. The only thing on Twilight’s mind seemed to be this mission, so everypony ended up staying away from her for the majority of the trip to colony Roverkan. The group had almost arrived at this point, so Applejack had Twilight, Caramel, and Rainbow Dash down in the conference room fully suited up. “Alright, it’s ‘bout time to we reached the colony. Everypony got what they need?” Everypony checked their equipment. Rainbow Dash was wearing a suit of dark blue light armor to maintain her speed. She’d gotten an assault rifle, the R-11 Flasher, which was the average weapon of choice for the Equestrian Guard. It came with the ability to fire magic imbued shards of metal that could penetrate kinetic barriers much easier than without, like all pony weapons. Caramel was wearing a suit of heavy armor, complete with helmet, which was primarily a steel gray. He’d decided to bring along a couple of stun grenades, a T-1 Order sniper rifle, and the same rifle as Rainbow. Both Rainbow and Caramel had their weapons attached to a battle saddle, an item wrapped around their backs that allows them to use weapons without the use of fingers or their mouths. They were activated by pressing a trigger on either side of their mouths for the respective gun. It might also be nice to note that the standard for all weaponry was to use a cooling system where firing too much at once would lead to the weapon overheating.( For those reading, this is contrast to the clip system implemented in Mass Effect 2). Meanwhile, Twilight still had only her white body suit, which she had assured to Applejack, was reinforced by magical wards and had kinetic barriers as the cherry on top. The commander had grudgingly accepted the explanation, partly because she wasn’t completely sure how magical wards worked, as she hadn’t worked with many unicorns, but mostly due to Twilight refusing to put on ‘one of those cumbersome, abortive suits’. The commander was wearing her burgundy, medium class armor. She was outfitted with a SG-40 Pyragon, a shotgun, and the P-1 Magnum, a pistol. Applejack’s shotgun was attached to her right side while the pistol remained in a holster with its mouth grip open to the world. “We’re good,” Caramel confirmed. ”Commander, we’ve arrived! I’m docking the Revelation now,” Pinkie said over the intercom. At about that moment, the ship began to rumble a bit, the sign of the docking procedure beginning. “Okay, Pinkie. Y’all’re gonna drop us off and then await further orders.” ”Okie dokie lokie! You got it, commander!” The intercom turned off and AJ readdressed her ground team. “Rainbow, Caramel, y’all two will split up. Ah’m gonna stay near the workers. Rainbow, I want ya in the air and watching the perimeter.” Rainbow grinned and flapped her wings. AJ turned to her other soldier,” Caramel, you’ll be takin’ point from the best location ya can find and watch with that there sniper of yours.” He nodded and the rumbling stopped. “Alright, ah’m hopin’ we won’t be needed, but be prepared for everythin’. Ready, move out!” At that both Rainbow and Caramel saluted, while Twilight just looked between them. Once Applejack started, everypony followed. The mission had begun. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Roverkan was located on a planet pretty far from its sun, so the highest temperature anyone could expect was around 0 degrees Fahrenheit. It’d been chosen by the Diamond Dogs due to the vast stores of minerals hidden underneath its surface. Topside, there was merely a docking station placed near a very large, circular door. It stood out like a sore thumb due to its color being white, and it being surrounded by lights of varying colors, in contrast to the dark navy blue of the rest of the planet. Applejack stepped out, her ground team, and Twilight Sparkle, in tow. The first thing she noticed was the spires of rock completely surrounding them. They towered no less than 200 hooves above them. Those are equivalent to feet, by the way. It was as if the entrance to Roverkan had been placed in a depression. “Well, this is a bit dismal,” Caramel commented once he got a good look around. “Yeah,” Rainbow agreed, “I grew up in the colonies and I’ve never seen anything this depressing.” Applejack remained silent. She was just glad to be some solid earth again, even it felt incredibly chilled. Rainbow sneezed and Caramel shivered. Even though their armor had their own insulation, it didn’t help as much as the ponies would have liked. “Trust me, this is nothing.” Twilight said while she trotted past the group of soldiers to a key pad. “The world of Mordor was a complete and utter wasteland. It was unbearably hot and there was a constant shadow no matter where my team and I travelled.” She snorted as she put in a password. A green light sounded and the doors began to open. “It makes Roverkan seem like a vacation spot.” Applejack just walked through the doors after Twilight. Caramel and Rainbow glanced at each other briefly before following suit. The group had to walk down a long hallway that had been carved out of the rock. It was angled down, so the colony was much further underground than any of the soldiers had expected. What started as a sort of jagged more natural appearing cave eventually smoothed out into the customary halls of diamond dogs. Just beyond the exit of the hall was the majority of the colony. Most of the buildings and homes had been created by the surrounding earth. This was something the diamond dogs had always done; despite their ample supply of materials, most of them preferred to stay traditional and mold their houses with their own paws. As such, all of the buildings looked different, but completely functional. Applejack noticed a few white buildings in the mix of the rocks and figured they must have been the residences of the ponies. “Twilight, it’s so great to finally see you again!” Applejack snapped her attention from the buildings to the speaker, a light aquamarine unicorn mare wearing a white lab coat. Her mane was a light grayish cyan, complete with white highlights. Her eyes were a bright orange as she gazed at the violet mare. “Lyra Heartstrings, it’s been ages!” Twilight said as the two trotted toward and embraced each other. Once the two finished, they held hooves while continuing to catch up. “How are you? You didn’t give up playing the lyre, did you?” Lyra shook her head in the negative. “No, no, I was just asked to come in since I also got a doctorate in humanity in my spare time. Never thought that would pay off like this! But, um…” Lyra looked over to the three soldiers standing behind her old friend, “Who are they?” “Hmm?” Twilight glanced at what Lyra was gazing at briefly, “Oh, I totally forgot! Lyra, This is Commander Applejack, Ensign Rainbow Dash, and Lieutenant Caramel. They’ll be providing a guard against anyone or anything that tries to hinder our progress.” Applejack stepped forward and raised a hoof for a shake. “Nice to meet ya, Ms. Heartstrings.” “Likewise, Commander,” Lyra said while shaking the outstretched hoof. She turned back to Twilight afterward, “So, want to get started? From the message I received, I’m led to believe we’re on a tight time schedule.” “You’re right. Let’s go.” Both of them turned to walk toward one of the white buildings. From just a glance, Applejack could tell that it was the largest in the area. “Commander, you’re free to protect this place how you see fit now. I only ask that you not hamper anything.” “Understood, Twilight. Now y’all get over there and start on them weapons. We’ll keep ya safe.” Twilight nodded and left with Lyra. Applejack looked around the colony before turning back to Rainbow and Caramel. “Well, y’all know the plan. Let’s get to it before somethin’ happens!” “Right, on it!” Rainbow took to the air, a streak of rainbow left in her wake. Caramel simply nodded and walked toward one of the taller buildings that were more in the center. It looked like he’d also been scoping out the colony during Twilight’s little talk. Applejack sighed and trotted near the facility where their only hope for defeating the Reapers would be created. --- That day, nothing eventful transpired. Twilight had enlightened Applejack as to what had been completed; the ponies and diamond dogs within decided just how many resources would be necessary and a general timetable for the completion of one. They estimated two weeks. With a time now available to her, AJ was currently communicating with the Revelation to let them know approximately how long they’d be staying. Twilight had opted to remain All three of them were in the tower Caramel had chosen as his lookout, which left Caramel and Rainbow by themselves for the moment. “Hey, Rainbow,” Caramel started, “You might find this a bit random, but why exactly did you come to Ponyville?” Rainbow looked up from where she was laying. “You’re right, that is random. What made you think about that?” Caramel shrugged, “Just curious, I guess. You always said that you grew up on the colonies, but never explained why you came to Equestria.” He laid his head back down. Never explained why you went to live with AJ first, either. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, just wanted to make small talk before AJ gets. “Nah, it’s cool,” the cyan mare said as she turned over and looked at the ceiling, letting her head rest on her forelegs. “I don’t really tell anypony because it’s a pretty boring story.” She paused and began bobbing a hind leg. “Are you going to finish?” Rainbow started suddenly, “Uh, yeah! Let’s see… My parents caught a break around the time I was six. Got this awesome job offer in Canterlot, but there were like no houses available. So, we went to Ponyville.” She turned her head away from him. “See. Told you it was boring.” Caramel remained silent, but he had noticed what she’d been doing while telling the story. Rainbow’s eyes were shifting from side to side, her wings were fidgeting, and she kept fiddling with her hooves. She was telling a serious lie. And even if she didn’t do that, it doesn’t explain why she lived with AJ and I’ve never seen her parents… Applejack trotted in at that moment. “Okay, everypony in the Revelation will be on standby until the mission’s done. Rainbow, Ah’mma need ya to take mah position tomorrow while Ah see about gettin’ them some supplies. And tonight, we need to set up a watch. Everypony will watch the facility for three hours before switchin’ shifts. Questions?” Once the two of them had accepted the orders, the commander picked up Caramel’s sniper and set it up in the window facing the facility. “Ah’ll. Y’all get some rest. Caramel, you’re up next.” --- Two weeks passed, once again without anything eventful happening. The weapon, dubbed the ‘Godslayer’, was nearly complete, though not without a few all-nighters. The sleek cannon required just a few finishing touches, so Applejack had been called in to talk about the details concerning it. This is where she was now. “So, ya finished yet?” “Not entirely,” Twilight replied. The two of them were looking at the nearly finished Godslayer. “It requires a few more plates to be installed, but the weapon is fully capable of firing. And if you look over here,” she pointed to a wall that was about 300 hooves away from the end of the cannon, “you’ll see that the tests have proven to indisputably work just as designed.” “Well alright!” AJ reared up and kicked into the air with her forelegs. “Then all that’s left is to ship this baby to the Citadel, start up the alliance, and start mass producin’ these babies.” She looked from the Godslayer to Twilight, who was looking more than a bit ragged. Her mane was disheveled and there were dark bags underneath her eyes. She yawned loudly and covered her mouth a hoof. “Sorry. You can see I haven’t gotten much sleep lately.” She straightened her limbs and everything visibly tightened as she stretched. “Aw, that’s fine. You should probably get some sleep. Ya been workin’ nonstop for two weeks! I think it’s ‘bout time-“ ”Commander,” Rainbow chimed in, ”I just found three ponies walking in from the front gate. You know anything about this?” Applejack thought for a moment before turning to Twilight, “Twi, you know anything ‘bout three ponies leavin’ the colony earlier?” She yawned again. “Yes, I’m fine. There were three ponies sent yesterday to prepare the frigate. I’m… not sure what they’d be doing back here though.” The commander narrowed her eyes. Something was off about the situation, but she couldn’t quite place it. She placed her hoof to her ear to activate the com link, “Rainbow, leave ‘em be. They went out to prepare the frigates. I want you to be ready though. Tell Caramel.” ”You got it, Applejack.” She cut communications and patted Twilight on her shoulder. “Get some sleep. We’ll come getcha whenever it’s time to ship out.” The violet mare wearily nodded and turned away from her, wobbling over to the exit. Applejack followed her out, but went down to the labs rather than outside. Down there was Lyra and a few other ponies she didn’t know the name of. She was looking up at a glowing blue object held in a clear, obviously reinforced container. “What’s that?” The lime mare turned toward Applejack, surprise written on her features. “Oh, Commander Applejack! I didn’t expect to see you down here.” AJ nodded and Lyra turned back to the glowing object. “We aren’t sure. All we know is that it’s consistent with the properties of what the Godslayer fires. Commander, this is some pretty advanced stuff.” She turned her head back to the orange mare. “I wasn’t told what this weapon was being used for. Do you know?” Well, I suppose an overview wouldn’t be that bad. “It’s insurance against an enemy the Citadel Council believes will be on its way soon. They have some powerful defenses, so we gotta have somethin’ capable of tearin’ ‘em down.” In the midst of talking, neither the commander nor the doctor noticed two mares and a stallion walking in simultaneously. Lyra shrugged, “Well, I suppose that’s all you can tell me. Thanks for filling me in. I know some soldiers that wouldn’t even tell me that much!” The unicorn stallion was now behind them. “I’m sure that, whatever’s coming, you guys will keep us safe. Thanks-“ Lyra’s sentence was cut short as the back of her head exploded. Flashes of light were firing into her head, turning it into absolute mush. Screams sounded from all around her as flashes of bright green light suddenly flared around them. The three ponies that had walked in revealed themselves to be black insect-like creatures with chitin skin. On top of all of their heads were sharp horns that curved toward the ceiling with fangs for teeth. Green, transparent wings adorned their sides and their legs were riddled with holes. Applejack knew exactly what these things were. Changelings!Changelings were a race of these creatures that everypony was aware of. They lived in the galaxy closest to dark space, named Audubon. The reason that all ponies knew of, and in some cases held a great fear of them, was due to the Changeling Invasion nearly 150 years ago. To summarize, upon ponies entering the Citadel and becoming ascended, the Changelings, a race that feeds on love, realized the vast amount of love ponies held with each other in comparison to the other races. Thus their queen, Chrysalis, had taken it upon herself to lead an invasion force against the pony race in a war that lasted twenty years (see the Codex for more). Reflexes are something Applejack prided herself on. She immediately analyzed her own position, those of the three Changelings, and how quickly it would take her to duck for cover. The first was just within range of a trademark apple buck. The other two were occupied with blasting equipment and the other scientists. The orange mare bent down and delivered a quick buck to the Changeling’s head. Despite her lack of preparation, the commander’s strength coupled with her armor was enough to knock the Changeling off of its feet. She took the opportunity and pounced on it, delivering a bone crushing stomp on its jaw. The bones shattered as though they were mere twigs underneath her boot. Without missing a beat, AJ quickly kicked its assault rifle off of its battle saddle. Well, it’s a good thing them normal changelin’s can’t use magic or Ah’d be in trouble. One of the pony scientists made a bee line for the door behind Applejack, drawing a changeling’s attention in her direction. Applejack prepared to be peppered by plasma rounds, but they never came. Instead, the scientist was knocked off of her feet by a hailstorm of plasma that completely dissolved her. A puddle of green sludge fell to the ground where she stood just moments before. Applejack swore; she’d just put her own safety in front of one of the ponies that could actually save the galaxy in the long run. The changeling ignored her and turned about to continue its massacre along with its partner. Applejack slipped the plasma rifle into her battle saddle and took a deep breath. “Hey, ya cheese-legged varmints! Why don’t ya take on somepony that can actually fight back? Or are ya too chicken t’ face one o’ us after that flank wuppin’ ya got all them years ago?!” Applejack knew very well that the majority of Changeling soldiers had no concept of fear. This was something that every recruit was drilled to remember in the academy, but AJ was willing to gamble that they had some sort of brain in there that would respond to insults. The gamble paid off when one of the creatures stopped its spree of destruction and turned toward her. While before, the room had been filled with technology, notes, and tired, but happy ponies, it was now filled with nothing but scraps, fire, and corpses. Applejack gritted her teeth and pressed down somewhat hard on the left side. The rifle began firing its ammunition at the Changeling that had turned to her, turning it to mush in mere seconds. She didn’t stop firing and turned slightly to pelt the other as well, ending its little stint of terror once and for all. With the threat ended, Applejack looked down to the corpse of Lyra. She stared for a few moments before turning away. There was no use in getting angry since her murderer was dead, but she needed to get to the bottom of their infiltration. Changelings were notoriously good at that act, considering it was what sustained their livelihood in the first place. Prior to the Invasion, they nearly exclusively comprised most stealth operations involving the Citadel. She raised her right hoof and tapped her ear. A bit of static later and she’d been connected to the Revelation. “Pinkie Pie.” ”Commander! We’ve got a problem!” Applejack’s brow furrowed. “Does it involve Changelin’s?” ”Yes! How’d you know?” “The scientists just had a… fatal run-in with ‘em. What’s the problem?” There was the sound of rushin ponies in the background. ”T-there’re two Changeling ships that just decloaked around us! They’re dropping off soldiers like crazy. I… I think they’re trying to-“ A loud rumbling sound accompanied the shaking of the building Applejack was currently in. “The door… They blew up the door! I gotta go, Pinkie.” Applejack went from 0 to 20 miles an hour in a second. While she was charging through the facility, aiming for the exit, she called in to Caramel, “Changelings are invading. Get ready to start pickin’ off anypony that comes down that entrance!” She exited the facility and immediately looked toward the colony entrance. So far, there was nothing, but she knew the Changeling’s were on their way. The worst part was that she had no idea as to how many would decide to show their ugly faces. “Rainbow,” Applejack continued after putting her hoof to her ear once more, “I want ya to git to the entrance. Stay above it and give ‘em a surprise they won’t be forgettin’ anytime soon.” She cut connections and looked around, seeing diamond dogs beginning to walk out. Shoot, I forgot about the locals! One dog, what appeared to be a male, walked toward Applejack. He was obviously angry; his large maw was set in a frown AJ could have sworn shouldn’t have been physically possible. “Pony,” he rasped, “What iz the meaning of thiz? Firzt, you break ze peace here with your abominable weapon, and now earthquakez? “ Applejack glanced past him to the tunnel. She could swear that there was a rumbling sound emanating from it. “No time to explain. Do y’all have any weapons?” The dog raised an eyebrow. “Of courze. There are zome lezz than amiable creatures in this planet’s depthz. We require zome protection.” “Then get everyone prepared, won’t ya? There’s somethin’ comin’, and Ah’m pretty doggone sure they’ll be takin’ out anything in their way.” He folded his arms in indignation. “And what would zat be?” A screech sounded from the entrance. The changelings had finally arrived. Both the mare and the diamond dog looked at it to see a large mass of black pouring out of the entrance. Before they got too far, a sniper shot sounded and two of them dropped dead. “That.” Any arguments the dog may have had died in his throat when he saw what could be the end of his friends and family. He rushed off to calm the panicking diamond dogs and get them to take up arms as well. I can’t wait for that. Those critters will tear everythin’ apart before the dogs can get together. Applejack ran toward the closest building that was in front of the small army. Caramel continued to systematically pick off insect after insect with his sniper. Rainbow wasn’t there yet. The commander set herself and prepared her shotgun, removing the safety and blasting around the corner almost simultaneously. Something yelled and hit the ground; looks like she hit one. Rounds began pinging off of her armor rapidly, forcing the commander to get back behind cover. If only Ah’d known. I could really use a rifle right about now! She peered over the corner to see five changelings approaching her position. To the right was another rock building. Behind them was apparently a plaza, so it would probably lack any good cover. A majority of the drones were walking through the plaza, blasting at anyone that happened to be out. Luckily, that diamond dog AJ spoke to earlier worked quickly; most dogs were behind her position, in their weapons stores. She clenched her teeth and ran into the open. The drones began their assault mere seconds after her leaving, but that was enough. Applejack unleashed one blast of metal into the chest of one drone first. Once the rounds started flying, she kicked another into one of its partners and followed up by leaping behind the next building. At this point, her shields were near dead, but AJ knew she needed to take them down quickly before reinforcements decided to come that way. She began taking deep, quick breaths as her blood began moving faster. Her heart rate increased, her muscles tensed and loosened repeatedly, and she entered a state of focus that was nearly unnatural. Adrenaline Rush, a byproduct of genetic augmentation, was normally used by Earth Ponies to combat those races with the use of magic or other special abilities. Due to their incredible innate physical abilities, earth ponies using it were usually to be avoided. Applejack was about to demonstrate exactly why. Once the enhanced mare had activated it completely she leaped from behind the building, soaring the entire 10 foot distance and landing on top of a changeling. There was a sickening crunch as she pounded her forelegs down and released another blast from her shotgun, making one more of the black creatures bite the dust. With only two left, the commander turned and end up being fired upon by the remaining two. Her shield flickered and died quickly, but the adrenaline she was feeling eliminated all pain for the moment. She just had to ensure there were no shots to the head, since she wasn’t wearing a helmet. Simple enough. Time seemed to have slowed down while the orange mare took aim and fired. It wasn’t enough to stop them, but the sudden spray of pellets stopped the changelings from firing. It took less than a second for her to close the distance and bowl one over. A swift kick to the changeling left standing and both of them were on the ground. One stomp and shot later, AJ was alone in the alley. “Where in tarnation is Rainbow Dash? These fellas should have been a bit more thin than this…” Not wanting to draw more attention to herself, Applejack picked up one of the assault rifles and trotted into an empty home. It was at that moment that two explosions coupled with the yells of changelings reached her ears. ”Hey, Applejack! Hope you didn’t bite the big one while I was gone,” Rainbow’s tomboyish voice sounded through her communicator. ”Thought it’d be nice to have some fireworks during the show!” “Nice to hear you weren’t snoozin’ on me. Ya mind tellin’ me just how many o’ these things are here?” There was a bit of silence prior to her quick response, ”After my little show, I can only see around 40. No more reinforcements though. They must’ve thought this’d be easy and brought a minimum.” Applejack applied some health gel, a medical gel that is able to magically repair wounds, and looked around the home. There was food on the table, still hot. Bags were scattered on the floor, a computer was still active. It looked like whoever lived here wasn’t at all prepared for the current events. “Alright, then stay high and pick ‘em off. I need to find Twilight, iffin she’s still alive.” She really wished she’d kept a tag on the violet mare. The commander gazed out of the window as she watched the Changelings run through the street corridors. A rainbow blur was above, occasionally raining bullets on the black creatures. There was also the steady boom of Caramel’s sniper rifle, always searching for new targets. She tapped a hoof to her ear, “Twilight Sparkle? Come in, Twilight. Don’t be dead on me…” There was nothing but silence on the other end of the line. A fear began to sprout in the commander’s heart; Twilight was the only remaining pony that really knew anything about the Reapers or had an idea on how they worked. As of right now, the other races were unknowns. If she died, there would be no one with expertise on them, and the current cycle would be just as much in the dark as its predecessor. Luckily, a voice began rasping on the line after a minute. ”C-commander?” she whispered silently. “Twilight, you’re alive! Thank Celestia, now where are ya?” ”I’m at the pony’s living facility across from the tallest tower. Applejack, there’s a lot of Changeling’s in here…” “Just hang tight, Twi. Ah’m on mah way,” AJ reassured her while she was already moving. The Changelins’ must have come down here t’ git rid o’ anypony that knew ‘bout the Godslayer. But… how’d they know ‘bout it? And why? She stopped the thought there; there was no point dwelling on the mystery now. The only important thing was to get to Twilight and keep her safe. --- Caramel swerved about the window, sniper in hoof, as he searched for more headshots he could make. Through his sights, he could see Rainbow in the distance; apparently their forces had thinned enough that they could actually remain hidden. Guess I’m done for the moment. He tapped his ear to start a line, “Pinkie. Hey, Pinkie, do you read?” After a few moments of silence, he placed his hoof on top if the window sill and activated his omnitool. Navigating to the list of connections, he found that the Revelation’s signal wasn’t available. Their signal is being jammed? Damn, guess I’m not getting any eyes on the outside. The sniper turned his rifle toward the entrance, to ensure there really weren’t any reinforcements on the way. Shouldn’t be too long until the dogs finally get themselves… Who is that? Caramel had peered into his scope and found that one Changeling wearing an elaborate set of amethyst armor that covered its entire body, save its wings and face. Aside from that, it looked like any other changeling. What really drew the earth pony’s attention is who was next to it. It was a sky blue unicorn. Her cutie mark was covered by her black armor, but her mane was clearly visible. It was striped with a very pale blue as the primary color with a slightly darker blue streaking down the middle. Her armor gleamed in the bright lights of the entrance to the colony, coloring it majorly a black with various grays and blues scattered along the leg pieces. There were no weapons to be found on her person, but there was one item that stood out: a black and red amulet with the shape of a pony at its tip. She was conversing with the Changeling and wore a look so smug it would put Rainbow Dash to shame. After the two had breached the tunnel’s exit, Changeling reinforcements began to storm out of the tunnel. Caramel sighed and raised the commander calmly, “Applejack, Changeling reinforcements on the way.” ”…Consarnit, this is just what we need! Why didn’t Pinkie say nothin’?” “I think the extra ship caught them off guard. I can’t connect with them.” Caramel gave her a moment to swear before tacking on what he wasn’t totally sure wasn’t bad news, “Commander, I also found what looked like a general and a blue unicorn walking with it.” ”Sounds like generals t’ me. Not so sure ‘bout the pony though.” There was a brief silence before she continued, “” Take ‘em both down. Ya take out the head and the rest’ll run scared!” “Got it,” he said while already preparing the first shot. The cross hairs aligned with the blue unicorn’s head. “One, two, Luna’s comin’ for you…” The trigger was squeezed lightly, “three, four, you’ll live… no… more.” The trigger was pressed down completely and the magically enhanced sniper roared as it let loose a single round toward the unicorn’s head. Caramel simply waited for the inevitable explosion. It never came. The bullet had been stopped inches from the unicorn’s face, caught in a completely red aura. The Changeling general leaped back in surprise at what was most certainly to be the end of one of the duo. The unicorn’s grin never left her face as she looked in the direction of where the shot had come from. It was though she was staring directly into his eyes. Caramel fumbled as he pulled his sniper around and threw it on his back. The moment he’d made it out of the room, the room exploded in red and debris. The blast threw the soldier into the wall adjacent to his now demolished room, causing him to blackout on the spot. --- Applejack cantered out of the nearly demolished room with Twilight Sparkle in tow. She’d had to fend off about ten Changelings just to get to the unicorn, but at least they both came out relatively unscathed. The Diamond dogs were rushing past her, weapons in tow, as they prepared to eliminate the little infestation problem they had. The Diamond Dog that had rallied them all was walking over to her. Before that, she had something she needed to tell Twilight. “Twilight,” AJ said while looking at the purple unicorn. She turned her head to face the commander, a weary frown on her face. Of course Applejack understood; being thrown into a situation where your life was on the line without proper preparation would be jarring to anyone. “Ah just thought ya should know… ‘bout your friends.” Twilight’s eye brow raised. “What do you mean? What happened to them?” There was no point in beating around the bush. Twilight seemed like a tough enough girl. After all, she was trained by Princess Celestia herself and she proved her will while working on the Godslayer. Yeah, this couldn’t be bad! “All of the scientists were killed, Twilight. They were the first hit by the Changelins.” The silence that followed was as awkward as possible. The purple scientist could only gape at the commander, her eyes wide and mouth hanging open. That was when Applejack realized that she was not talking to a fellow soldier, where death was to be taken with a grain of salt, but a scientist. She’d probably never lost anyone outside of old age! Consarnit, Applejack! What in the hay were ya thinkin’? The orange mare glanced away feverishly and spotted the Diamond Dog was nearly upon them. “Pony commander!” He waved one of his large paws to catch her attention. Saved by the dog! “Well howdy! Ya got ya friends ready? Reinforcements for the Changelin’s just arrived a few minutes ago.” The dog nodded his head. “Yez, pony. Dogz uzed to battling creaturez. Able to hold our own against Corznacz and Rimicorez. Huge, feral beaztz that alwayz try to take food storez.” He waved his hoof and turned away. “We will help you, pony. You have proven yourzelf against theze… monzterz. My name iz Rover, commander.” “And Ah’m Applejack. Pleasure t’ kill Changelin’s with ya,” she said as the two began to run toward the fray. Twilight recovered from her shock soon enough to not get totally left behind. Applejack thought she had escaped what was sure to be a cacophony of emotional rage, fear, and anguish all bundled into one little unicorn’s mouth. She was wrong. Once they had made it to frontlines where the dogs were currently blasting away at the Changelings, they ducked down as Rover let loose a primal scream, challenging any of the cheese-legged insects to take what was rightfully theirs. Prepared to help, Applejack prepped her shotgun and pilfered assault rifle moments before Twilight grabbed the nape of her neck, forcefully spinning her toward him. “Woah, nelly!” On Twilight’s face was an anger she’d only seen once, on Braeburn’s mother’s face when he was killed during a griffin skirmish ten years ago. She’d rather face a Reaper early than this. “Uh, what’s up, Twi?” “What’s up? WHAT’S UP?” Her nostrils flared as she prepared her attack. “My friends are DEAD! That’s what’s up!” She huffed and stomped on the ground, staring directly into the commander’s eyes. The dogs that were firing near them slowly edged away. “It was your mission to protect us! To protect them! And now you speak about them as though they were any other ponies!” She lifted her left hoof and jabbed her in the armor. Applejack could have sworn she was penetrating it once Twilight’s eyes began leaking tears. “They were your failure… At least own up to it!” Applejack’s jaw set and her brow furrowed. “Twilight, Ah understand you’re angry and that Ah did fail to protect ya friends…” Twilight snorted and looked away. “…but I didn’t fail mah mission. Twilight, you read the files ‘bout the Reapers. We’re at war and have been for centuries, even if we didn’t notice.” Twilight’s grimace didn’t disappear, but she did look back to the commander. AJ took that as a good sign. “Look, the point of this whole shindig was to show we could make that there Reaper killer in record time and with just two races. Ya friends did their job and, though they might be gone, they’ve given us the chance t’ make the alliance! “Them scientists may well have been the first step t’ savin’ this galaxy. Ah’ve lost friends before, but there’s two things ya can do.” She lifted hoof, turning it up to the sky. “On one hoof, ya can always wallow in the past and never move forward.” The hoof moved to the left. “And on the other, ya move on, remembering ya friends always, but doin’ everythin’ within ya power to help those left alive.” Twilight’s grimace had slowly moved to a frown as understanding dawned within her. She’s right. Lyra, Comet Tail, Amethyst Star, and all the others… We all gave the galaxy its first weapon against the Reapers. We know it can be done now! And I… I have to… “You’re right, commander. Thank you.” The commander smiled widely as she spoke, “It was mah pleasure-“ A tower’s room exploded, raining debris on diamond dogs and Changelings alike. “What the hay was that? They bring some of them torpedo cannons?” Twilight shook her head. “That’s not right. Judging by the amount of destruction wrought by the blast, it’s unlikely to be anything less than a 70 mm antimachine rifle.” The tower began cracking around where it had been struck; it was threatening to collapse. “Um, correction. That would be a tank rifle.” AJ just stared at the tower though, scrutinizing it until she suddenly gaped in realization. “That’s the tower Caramel was stayin’ in!” As if on cue, a trail of rainbow flew into the opening that’s been blown into the tower. The tower began leaning a bit more, causing Twilight to turn away and Applejack to stare on in horror. It was about to come down and both of her crew members, or more importantly her friends, were still inside. There was only one thing she could do and it made her feel completely powerless; she had to put her faith in their abilities and chance. A blue and gray figure jumped out of the tower just as it decided to finish its little tumble, coalescing into a single rainbow that headed straight for the commander’s position. As she landed, she immediately placed Caramel and took a deep breath. “Jeez, he’s heavy! I’m gonna have to get him to lay off the hay fries.” The rainbow maned Pegasus glanced to her left to find both Twilight and Applejack trotting toward her. “Oh, Applejack and Twilight! If you guys are alright, I gotta say, I saw this weird blue unicorn out there with a Changeling in armor. She shot some blast at Caramel and took out the whole room!” Twilight stopped where she was while Applejack continued to trot. A unicorn destroying an entire room fortified with stone with just a magic missle? That’s… “Nice t’ see ya, Rainbow. That unicorn on her way here?” “From what I could see, yeah. She looks important enough to be controlling the Changelings, but I can’t be sure.” Rainbow began snickering, “Not like it would matter, ya know? That tower falling actually took out a bunch of the Changelings that were hiding!” “Right, well the Diamond Dogs should be ‘bout finished with the cleanup. We should get ready to move the cannon outta here.” “Ma’am… It would appear the mutts and ponies have eliminated our forces,” a voice that seemed to be a collection of varying sounds mashed together. It was more like a fusion than a unique voice. “Is that so? Well, The Great and Powerful Trixie will have no problem rectifying the situation-“ “The queen wishes us to withdraw… the mission has been fulfilled. “I swear that drama queen’s plans are the same as her legs; riddled with holes. If I could just remove whatever filth remains here, there would be no loose ends!” The blue unicorn Caramel had seen earlier walked around a corner near the barricade the ponies were staying behind. A moment later, the Changeling with armor also made his appearance. “Trixie, we must leave. Now.” “Oh, don’t go blowing a gasket, Cli’kat. Or whatever you insects have instead. I want to at least see the ponies who would dare rebel against The Great and Powerful Trixie!” The unicorn’s eyes were tinted with a light red glow as the amulet seemed to resonate with it. She gazed upon the barricade and amalgamation of races behind it as though they were but ants underneath her hoof. “Hmm, looks as though Changelings really require an upgrade, don’t you think?” Cli’kat grit his teeth, causing him to bare his fangs. He looked at her with a rage that burned as intensely as Celestia’s sun, but he did it out of her sight. He muttered something in his native language to himself. “Now, who do we have… Twilight Sparkle? Is that you?” Trixie was then wrapped in a light red aura as she flew into the air effortlessly. Rainbow could do nothing but gape, while Twilight looked on in horror. Applejack and the diamond dogs seemed to be the only people not surprised by a unicorn taking flight. Seems like something they’d be able to do. “Trixie…? What are you doing here?” The boastful mare snorted and flipped her mane, the smuggest smile possible present on her face. “What does it look like? I’m killing all of these so called experts that were working on your little project. Or rather, should I say killed?” She began cackling aloud, causing everyone listening to back up just a tad. “What was it called? The ‘Godslayer’?” Rainbow stepped up, “It’s called, ‘None-of-your-bee’s-wax!’ How about you just get the buck out here, Oh Lonely and Boastful Trixie.” Trixie worked her jaw as her eyes began to dangerously glow red. “Trixie is going to enjoy ripping your wings off inch… by… inch.” Rainbow’s wings spread wide as she prepared to take off. Applejack halted her before that could happen, though. “Rainbow, ya dun riled up a pony that can destroy an entire buildin’ floor an’ controls them Changelins. Now, I’mma need you to go up there and woop that prissy mare’s flank good. We’ll back ya up.” She grinned and took off toward Trixie in an explosion of color, reaching her just as horn began to flare up even more in preparation of a spell. AJ removed the assault rifle from her battle saddle and mounted it on top of the barricade along with a dozen diamond dogs. The moment the rainbow haired mare was near Trixie, she performed a hair-pin turn to the right to avoid another magic missile. A deep red in color while lighter on the inside, the blast headed straight for the barricade. I’ve… got to do this! Twilight’s horn flared as she prepared a variation of the barrier spell that would form a type of slide like barrier. Fortunately, Trixie was at a suitable distance for this to actually work. A half-pipe formed sideways, reaching down toward the ground at an angle until it finally turned toward everyone’s right. The blast hit the ground and the resulting explosion threw everyone for a loop. Everything was released away from them, but the shockwave was so powerful the barricade of rocks and sand bags was completely blown away. Any buildings on the side of that street were either completely demolished or had been damaged in some way. Twilight collapsed from a combination of lack of sleep and actual magic exhaustion, as she had to put everything she had into that one spell just to keep it from breaking clear through. Applejack yelled for the dogs to provide cover fire for Rainbow as she strafed around Trixie. Her speed was keeping her out of the blue magician’s grasp, but all of her bullets were being caught in Trixie’s capture field and then reflected back at her with the force of the bullets that destroyed Caramel’s room. The colony’s roof was taking a beating thanks to the misses by the unicorn. No one noticed, but the roof was about to collapse. “What’s the matter hot stuff,” Rainbow jeered, “Too slow? So much for ripping me to pieces!” She delivered another spray from her assault rifle, all of which were caught in the motion field. The bullets turned in place and coalesced. “Writhe in agony, you little blue worm!” A red aura surrounded all of the bullets as they prepared to fire, taking away her motion field. A few of the bullets being fired from below hit her in her legs. Her concentration lost, the bullets fell to the ground normally. Before a counter attack could be mounted though, a voice began playing in her head. Fool, the queen grows tired of your impudence, Cli’kat stated, She also wishes to NOT lose another ship. Return now or we will both be stuck on this rock. Trixie growled as her wounds began healing extremely quickly. “Fine. Excuse Trixie, rainbow girl, but Trixie’s assistant and Trixie herself must be going. Your demise will have to wait for a later date.” Her horn began to glow its vivid red once again. Rainbow stopped in midair, raising an eyebrow as she contemplated what the unicorn just said. “So after all that big talk, you’re just gonna run?” “Running is the wrong term. A… tactical retreat, would be much better.” “Tactical retreat? What the hay are you retreating from?” Her wings began flapping hard as she backed away from the unicorn rapidly. “According to that dolt of an assistant Trixie has, it is by the Queen’s orders. Oh,” she looked to the ceiling, where large chunks of rock were beginning to fall, “This little cave is also going to collapse. Bye, bye, Rainbow Crash. Kill you later!” At that moment, Rainbow flew forward with such speed that a shockwave cone formed around her. Despite this, she wasn’t able to hit Trixie in time. Two red balls formed around both her and the armored Changeling before popping out of existence. Rainbow curved up and performed a loop to angle back to the ground team. Both Twilight and Caramel were now lying on the ground unconscious, a sight the Pegasus did not enjoy seeing. Applejack walked over and put them on a stretcher, which two diamond dogs began carrying away. “Hey, where are they going?” “We’re getting’ ‘em out of here, Rainbow. Rover came and said that Ruckus we were causin’ is gonna make the cave collapse. Civilians are on the way out. Y’all go with ‘em too.” “Wait, what about you? You’re saying that like you aren’t coming.” “That’s ‘cause Ah’m not,” the commander replied. She’d turned around and was now cantering to the entrance of the facility where the Godslayer and the mysterious objects were. “Some of the Diamond Dogs came down here t’ git the Reaper-killer. Figured if that was lost, then losin’ their home was for nothin’. I’m goin’ to help.” Rainbow flew in front AJ before she could take two steps. “With all due respect, commander, I’m going to have to disobey those orders. I don’t leave friends behind, especially in situations like this.” “You’ve been in a collapsin’ colony before?” “…Well, no, but you get the idea!” Applejack smiled, “That Ah do. Ah appreciate it, Rainbow. Now come on! Ah’d hate for the durn thing to cave in when we’re right at the exit.” --- Surprisingly, everyone had managed to escape safely. The Godslayer and other supposed Reaper artifacts had been removed a few minutes prior to the entire cave collapsing. There was a frigate parked outside that hadn’t been damaged by the Changeling attack, so the weapon had been placed there. Rover and the rest of the Diamond Dogs of Roverkan, which Applejack had just realized was probably named after him, left on the frigate for the Citadel. As of right now, they were all refugees, most likely the first of many. This led to the current situation. The Revelation had been caught by a tractor beam, had its radios jammed, and been boarded. In the surprise attack, about a fourth of the crew had been killed, which was really only about ten people. Thing is, in a ship like the Revelation, every pony was important. One stood out more than others. “Our medic is dead?” Applejack yelled within the center of the ship. It was relatively unscathed, actually. Pinkie rubbed her ear. “Yes, I just said that! The Changelings actually went for her first.” Applejack swore. She hadn’t even had a chance to meet the mare and now she was dead, when she had someone that seriously needed to be checked out. “And what else was damaged?” Pinkie sat down on her flank as she began to list off items, “Let’s see… stealth systems, normal FTL drive, the medical ward, a few beds in the living ward, a toilet, and… one of my cakes. Aw!” The commander wanted to ask how only one toilet got destroyed. She wanted it badly, but there were other matters at hoof. “Alright Pinkie, set our next destination for the Citadel. We got a lot of recuperatin’ t’ do.”