//------------------------------//
// Chapter 14 
// Story: Resistance: Remain Human 
// by Hurgusburgus 
//------------------------------//

I sighed, trying to calm myself. This was the day. Jen had finally finished building the power core and had gone into town asking for Twilight to charge it up. She’d informed Celestia in turn. So it was here, at the Sweet Apple Acres, that the Apple family, Twilight and her friends, Celestia and her sister Luna would watch as the Kingfisher received a new heart, so to speak. Still, none of us had any idea how it’d go down. I sort of expected the damn thing to blow up in Jen’s face.

Jen set the clunky piece of Chimera technology down on a small table in front of Twilight.
“Well, do your magic thing, Twilight. I’m eager to see if it works.” Twilight nodded, closing her eyes and concentrated on filling the power core with energy. Not the magical sort, mind you, just energy at its most basic form. Jen had explained to her that the power core would be self-sustaining – it only needed a spark strong enough to start the self-replenishing reaction.

James’s POV

I hunkered down behind Dead Bits, peering over the edge, watching as Twilight pumped energy into the chunky piece of technology. Celestia was nearby, observing curiously. Luna, ever the mistrustful one, was still eyeing me. Others’ attention was riveted to the power core, however. Jen was tweaking it now and then, her eyes never leaving the dimly-glowing piece of tech. Over the time, though, it started to glow brighter and brighter. Twilight was becoming more and more exhausted, sweat gathering on her brow. Soon, however, Jen cried out in triumph.
“That’s it! It’s working! Excellent work, Twilight!”
Sighing explosively, Twilight cut the stream of magic and sat down to have a rest. Her friends were cheering. The princesses were cheering. Ted was screaming. Snag was latched onto Ted’s face. Tag was howling. Granny Smith woke up. And so on and so forth until the Sweet Apple Acres had descended into utter chaos. I started banging my face against Dead Bits, hoping I’d go unconscious at some point.

Eventually, Luna sorted it all out. With Royal Canterlot Voice. Maybe a tad overkill, but it worked nonetheless. We all congratulated Twilight, but now it was time for the big finale – installing the now-complete power core in the Kingfisher. She’d already gutted the wings of the damn thing, building necessary wiring and motors from scratch. Celestia had provided her with the necessary materials – magnets, copper wire and suchlike for the electric motors that replaced the internal combustion engines. A lot of rewiring had to be done.

As the saying went, it was make or break now.

Jen carefully slotted the cluster of cables into place as she finished installing the power core. A silent, yet noticeable thrum emanated from the Kingfisher as she slammed the cover shut and leapt down, grinning widely.
“Job’s done! Now, then… Let’s see if it really works. Who wants to go for a test flight?” I was already inside the cockpit, waiting as the ones wanting to have a flight boarded the VTOL. Once they had boarded, I started the Kingfisher up, skipping the switches that would be needed if this thing still had its original engines. Quickly, the props started to spin. The power core was far more powerful than the VTOL’s previous powerplants and we were airborne in moments. Rainbow Dash, being a pegasus, was the only one not stumbling drunkenly around like the others. Even though the Kingfisher was loaded chock-full, it still remained remarkably agile. That’d be useful later. After several trials of mobility and suchlike, Jennifer was satisfied with her work and we landed once more near the workshop, where the rest of ponies/humans/Chimera waited. Jen had built a carrying frame for Dead Bits that we could hook to the Kingfisher so we could get to wherever we were headed faster. Together with Twilight, she’d managed to thin the extremely-volatile avgas down to a level it wouldn’t blow Dead Bits’ gaskets as soon as the engine was started. As a result, we had quite a few drums of tank fuel and I made a mental note to take three drums with us to Griffon Empire. 
Earlier on, Jen’d voiced concerns about how we’d bring Fred with us – he was a Titan, after all. Thankfully, that particular problem had been solved by Celestia – she arranged for an airship to take him to the rogue general’s fortress. With a bit of help from the pegasi weather team, they’d already sent the affable Chimera on his merry way yesterday. The rest of us – I, Ted, Jen, Jack, Will, Bill, Alice, Snag, and Tag – would get there with the Kingfisher. With a bit of luck, we’d arrive there at the same time.

Celestia quietly observed as the humans quietly worked. They were field stripping their weapons – Bill explained to her – to ensure that they wouldn’t jam or break down at an inopportune. Personally, she was intrigued in the craftsmanship of their weapons – even though they were machine-made, the firearms didn’t cease to surprise her with their quality. Like griffon cannons, but far more compact and accurate. She had been shocked to see the L23 Fareye in action – that apple had been two kilometres away, yet Will had hit it dead centre. Her wonder only grew when she experienced the neural link herself – it had been as if time itself had slowed down. As far as she was concerned, the human technology was easily on par with pony magic and she came to reflect on how ponies all took magic for granted – it was always there for them, a tool to be used, a weapon to be wielded, or a shield to be carried. But what would happen if it disappeared one day? Equestria would become a tempting target for their foes. Shaking such morbid thoughts from her mind, she smiled and thanked Will for his demonstration.
“Naw, ‘s nothing, ma’am.” He slung the sizeable rifle on his shoulder and picked up the bullet casings from the ground. Those could be reused, he said. She nodded. She understood – they were nervous. It had been a long time since their last fight and they were both anxious and eager to get to the defector’s fortress.

Many a pony looked upwards, seeing the metal machine soar over Ponyville. Some of them knew whom it belonged to and waved at it. Most of them did not. It did not matter. They all looked at it, seeing the sunlight reflect of its windows. Then, they returned to whatever they were doing.

James’s POV

“Hey, James!” Jack spoke up from his seat.
“Yeah?” I answered as Ponyville disappeared from view.
“How long ‘til we get there?”
“If we stick to the route, two days.” It wasn’t the fuel problem – it was the lack of proper maps that would hamper us. Of course, Celestia had provided us with the best ones that she had, but those still were a far cry from modern ones. So, we would guide ourselves by important landmarks, both pony-made and natural. Once we crossed into the Griffon Empire, navigation would be much easier – we were told the newest convoy heading towards the besieged fortress would guide us to there. So all we had to do was reach the closest Griffon settlement and it’d all go smoothly from then on.

Of course, the nine of use cooped up in a single Kingfisher was a recipe for disaster. By the end of the first day, we needed to take a break, seeing as we were ready to start gnawing each other’s faces off. Not only would we get lost during night, we were dead bored, too. So we landed near a small trading outpost. Celestia’s Seal got us some free food – she had told me hours earlier she would grant those seals to courier ponies who had urgent news to deliver – they could requisition just about anything they needed to. Of course, we were a bit more humble – we only asked for some food. Luckily, we even got our hands on some meat – the outpost’s commander had a small stash in case any griffons came along. Once he saw the gilded medal of gold in my fingers, he bowed over twice, scurrying off to gather the foodstuffs we requested. He even offered us beds to pass the night in. I accepted. I had a sneaking suspicion it’d be a while until we’d see a bed again.

Jen’s POV

Others moved aside, rechecking their safety belts as the young griffon hen landed in the Kingfisher. She folded her wings, casting an appraising eye over us all.
“I’ll be honest - when I was told we’d get more support from Equestria, this is not what I expected!” Her voice, strong and clear, easily rose above the engines’ roar as I responded.
“Well, to be fair, we’re not exactly from Equestria, too!”
“I’ll have to ask about that later, then! But this is no time for idle talk! I am Songwyre. Captain Songwyre.” She extended a claw to shake and I obliged. As Ironbeak had explained to me at the Gala, there is much one can learn from a handshake. And, as I shook Songwyre’s claw, I learned her grip is strong and firm. Her eyes were a blazing yellow and her gaze – fierce and unblinking. Everything about her spoke loyalty and confidence. Even though I feel more at ease around any griffon, some of them stand above others. But I’ll stop before I start rambling. Suffice to say, we were nearing the siege site. We’d joined up with the convoy, early in the morning. We’d been surprised but glad to find out Fred’s airship was with them. Ever so often, a griffon would come close to us, curious of our VTOL. There were several griffon airships as well, but those were cumbersome things, armoured but slow. Still, we had to stick with them.

Songwyre was still sitting on Dead Bits – I have no idea why James had called it that way – when we arrived. Jack followed me as we rapelled down to the Sabertooth. I clambered inside the driver’s seat, while he manned the fifty-cal. James’s voice reached me over the radio.
“I’ll have to land you a bit further back - make your way uphill to staging area from there, okay? We’ll wait for you.”
“I hear that, James.” A minute later, Dead Bits was relatively carefully deposited on a clear patch of ground. I could hear the cables and chains clatter across the hull as the Kingfisher pulled clear. I started the engine and the tank surged forward.

James’s POV

Fred was waiting for us as I set the VTOL down nearby. The doors slid open and we pushed through the gaping crowd of griffins towards Songwyre.
“James! There you are!” I grinned, letting him slap me lightly on the shoulder. Songwyre fell silent as she saw Dead Bits approach.
“So, we are all here. I might just as well throw my plans out now, seeing as we’ve got you here. Any advice?”
“Well… proceed with your plans as you intended to, but take the tank and Fred with you – you’ll need the firepower to knock the gates down. I’ll take the Kingfisher with the rest of us and strafe them a couple of times so you can scale the walls safely. I’ll deploy six of us on the gateway to provide overwatch until that’s done.”
“Hmm…” She eyed both Dead Bits and Fred thoughtfully. The latter was fussing over his cannon, adjusting the power cells a bit.
“Very well. We shall do so, then.” Right then, a series of muffled explosions could be heard from the fortress. Cannon fire. Songwyre grinned savagely, donning her helmet and turned to face her awaiting troops.
“Well then, my fellow warriors! For the Empire!” Her words were answered with a bestial cheer and the griffons followed Dead Bits and Fred as they charged the gates. I and the rest of our merry band got back on the Kingfisher and we were airborne in moments.

The besieged fortress quickly grew bigger and bigger in our sights. Bill and Ted opened the side doors and manned the fifty-cals, ready to open fire at a moment’s notice.

This was it. There was no turning back now.