//------------------------------//
// Chapter 6 Invasion! 
// Story: Hole Hearted 
// by Akashic Brony 
//------------------------------//

	Across the Eastern Sea, a ship of metal defied gravity. Slicing through clouds, the craft left smoke and ashes in its wake. Emblazoned on its metal hull was the sigil of the Griffin Kingdoms: a golden hawk wreathed in a dark circle of feathers. The invention was the antithesis to the magical; it was a mechanical answer. Gears churned and hummed in metronome as great propellers on the craft’s side turned. The black blood-stones of the earth burned with hellish fire as they were fed into the engines. Inside, two figures walked through the corridors of the airship.  
Walking proudly was a Griffin with a white-feathered head and golden-brown body. He was handsome, the idealized archetype of his people. “The new advisor of his, she shakes her tail feathers,” he said to his companion, “and my father bows to her every whim like a slave.”
A female Zebra followed him. She was magnificent as well, with toned musculature hidden behind her monochrome coat. “Reagle, it is my fault.”
“No, Zaza, stop thinking like that,” said Reagle.
“Our marriage will bring your father no heirs, so he desires to sire another son,” said Zaza calmly.
Reagle stopped walking and pulled Zaza’s head to face him. His predatory eyes relaxed. “Your parents were none too happy about me, either. I care not now, for you are my chosen. Zaza, you are mine, and I am yours.”
The zebra blushed. “I thought you just liked me for the Zebra King’s armies.” 
Reagle kissed Zaza full on the mouth with his beak. “If power was what I was seeking, by your logic, shouldn’t I marry a dragon?”
Zaza chuckled. “A dragon? She’d have to fight me to get you.”
Reagle looked away from her and stared outside a porthole window. He saw his own reflection. “Anyhow, it is not our union that upsets my father—it is the Equestrians’ monopoly on magic. The black-feathered witch has promised him the mages in order to wage war. An egg is incidental. She awakens the worst in father: his ambition, and his lust for power.”
Zaza leaned against Reagle. “Where to now, my prince?” said Zaza, wiggling under his wings.
“I go to show my father we needn’t magic to conquer simple ponyfolk. Our technology is our people’s power. I will assemble my Hawkers and War Wing.”
“I’ll prepare our Zebra Zerkers for deployment," said Zaza confidently.
“Onwards we shall conquer Manehatten!” Reagle gestured grandly with his wings.
From the hatches of the great ship poured Griffins in numbers so great they blotted out the sun. In the cargo holds, hundreds of Zebras tapped their spears rhythmically against the metallic floor of the hull. On the horizon was a city upon the coast.





Den and Echo awoke to heavy pounding on the office door.
Blueberry finally broke through. She thought she saw a black horn. Echo reappeared from under the sheets in her disguised form. Blue blushed.
“I’m sorry!” said Blueberry, looking away.
“I thought I locked that door!” said Den angrily at Blueberry.
The blue-coated mare replied swiftly: “Den, emergency meeting. No one can miss this one.”






The Princesses sat in the main council room, a massive auditorium with a concentric circle of tables. Guards of various ranks sat on the level rings.  Den sat on the second row along with other Vice Captains.  
“The Griffins should have no reason to attack us,” said Shining Armor, scratching his chin with his hoof. “Not now, at least.”
A wounded Royal Guard Pegasus was there to testify. Part of his flank appeared scorched by fire. “It is true. I flew here after I saw that the battle was lost.”
“We should send another diplomatic envoy. Surely this is a misunderstanding,” said Celestia.
“No sister, we should send our full force. This insult cannot stand!” cried Luna in her booming voice.
“It could be a diversion,” said Twilight Sparkle. “It’s warfare 101. We should send only a third of our forces.”
Shining Armor nodded. “Twilight’s right. They can reach Canterlot with their new War Wing Balloons. We can’t leave the capital undefended.”
“A decade ago, we were all friends. How did it come to this?” asked Celestia, sadly.
“I’ll go and meet our enemy,” said Shining Armor.
“I’m coming with you,” said Cadance and Twilight simultaneously.
Shining Armor turned to Cadance. “No, you must shield the capital as I protect our troops,” he said.
Celestia addressed Twilight. “Twilight, we need you here to use the Elements of Harmony, if it comes to that.”
“Yes, Celestia,” said Twilight.
“Shining Armor, take with you as many guards as you need. Bring to the Griffin commander terms of a peaceful resolution if they withdraw. Go with my blessing.” Celestia then became disturbingly severe in her expression and tone. “If necessary, liberate Manehatten from Griffin claws by force.”  






Den, Echo and Blue walked with Shining Armor through the Canterlot gardens.  
“Just like the academy, huh, Captain?” asked Den.
“Den, this isn’t at all like the academy,” said Shining Armor grimly.
“Yeah. We always trained in case of an attack, but I never thought it would be happening for real," said Den rubbing his hooves nervously.
“I want you and your troops to be in our reserve guard,” said Shining Armor.
“Reserves?” Blue protested. “We’re going to be bench warmers? I know we’re the newest division, but...”
Shining Armor stopped walking. “I’m going into the thick of things. It’s quite a risk, to be sure. I need backup just in case things go sour.”
Echo raised a hoof. “Captain, shouldn’t you send more scouting parties first? You don’t fully know the strength of your enemy. It’d be foolish to launch an attack.”
“Who is this?” asked Shining Armor kindly.
“She’s Echo, my marefriend, and lieutenant,” said Den.
Blueberry coughed loudly.
“Second lieutenant,” Den corrected at Blue’s behest.
“That’s me,” said Echo.
“Echo, you’re completely right,” said Shining Armor. “However, time spent scouting is time they have to dig in. It’s a trade-off.  If the Griffins get a claw-hold it’ll be harder than ever to oust them. Mobilize! We move out immediately!”






The Royal Guards gathered. Other soldiers crowded into cramped passenger carriages and even cattle cars; Den, Echo, and Blue sat in the officer’s carriage of the troop train.
“The officer’s carriages are nice,” remarked Echo, feeling the fine red cloth upholstery with her hooves.
“These here luxury cars... we sort of... borrowed dem,” Blue said with a grin.
“I still can’t believe we’re going to… war,” said Den thoughtfully.
“Shucks, those Griffins might even go peaceful-like when they see our forces,” said Blue.
“That is surely not going to happen,” said Echo somberly.
“Then we’ll drive those feather-brains back to the sea!” cried Blue.
“Have you ever been to war?” asked Echo.
The train jerked forward as it began rolling.
“I fought off five of dem damn Changelings in the Canterlot invasion!” said Blue proudly. She hushed her voice. “Before I was captured.”
“I wasn’t stationed at Canterlot; we were out in patrol in Everfree,” said Den.
“Canterlot does not count,” said Echo coldly, “There was no real battle. You were taken out before you could even send a Pegasus off a runaway.”
Den flexed his wings. “I understand that this time we can expect a fight. Our foes know we’ll be coming and we know they’ll be expecting us. We need to get some sleep so we’ll be ready in the morning.”






The train stopped at dawn, just as the silhouette of the city came into view. The train engine steamed to a halt. The Royal Guard force disembarked from the troop trains. The Royal Guards assembled into line formations, their golden armor and steel-tipped lances gleamed in the morning sun.






Shining Armor, Den, Echo, and Blue stood on a hilltop observing the city in the distance. A vast field separated the city and the hill.
“Thank you, Twily,” Shining Armor said appreciatively to himself. A large telescope was put in place with some help from a couple of other guards.
Each took turns looking through the telescope. On the outskirts, a group of Griffins were uprooting metal beams.
“They’re destroying the rail lines,” said Den.
“They’re smart. They know our railways are our main means of troop transport. Manehatten is the central rail hub,” explained Shining. “No sign of their new War Wing balloons. I wonder if they sent them to attack elsewhere.”
Den stared at pony-shaped forms in the distance. They had a striped coloration. “I don’t believe it. They have Zebra Zerkers.”
Echo looked at squads of Griffins patrolling above in a circle. “Griffin Hawkers?”
Blueberry’s face scrunched up in thought. “Zebra Zerkers? Hawkers? Never heard of dem.”
“Zerkers are Zebra soldiers who drink brews that numb their pain in battle,” said Echo.
“The Hawkers are Griffins infamous for dive bombing,” said Den.
“Arghh, how come you guys are always in the know?” huffed Blue, shaking her head.
“Combined arms tactics: the Zebra serve as ground infantry, and the Griffins as air support,” Shining Armor explained.
“It’s a lethal combo,” Echo added.
Shining Armor boasted confidently: “They’re missing a card.” He sent a spark of magic through his horn.






The army of Royal Guards had finally formed themselves in a fighting array. Earth Pony and Unicorn troops marched while Pegasus fliers secured the skies.  Muscled Earth Ponies wheeled forth massive wooden and metal contraptions from behind the infantry.  Den and his friends remained on the same hill. Griffin and Zebra battle lines were forming in opposition of the Royal Guards.
“Attention, soldiers of the Griffin Kingdoms and Zebra Confederation, this is Captain Shining Armor. We seek peaceful res—” Shining Armor was cut off by a horde of Griffins flying towards them.
All at once, the Griffins veered from the troop formations of Royal Guards, but not before releasing small black balls. The bombs exploded against a magical barrier made visible by the fire.
Earth Ponies wheeled forth the contraptions and aimed them upwards.
“What are those?” Echo inquired of Den.
“This is something I know!” said Blueberry, proud of her mechanical genius. “Those are ballistae. They’ll puncture holes in Griffin war balloons. Those chickens are roasted.”
Powerful Earth Ponies pulled cranks that drew the strings to the ballistae. Other Earth Ponies with miniature versions of the ballistae readied as well.
“Fire!” cried Shining Armor.






The majority of the Griffins flew upwards out of range of the arrows. The slower Griffins were pelted by the deadly barrage and dropped from the skies. The remaining arrows landed into the Zebra troop formations. The Zebras turned to their side, the arrows harmlessly impacting the shields on their flanks. However, the few arrows that did hit flesh did not cause the dying Zerkers to bray or scream. Stoicism was uniform amongst the ranks of monochrome Zebras. Even the wounded did not flinch at the arrows stuck to their flanks. The Zebras calmly brushed off the arrows stuck to their shields after the barrage was over.
The front line of Royal Guards gulped nervously at the undaunted Zebras.
A single Zebra in golden armor shouted to her compatriots: “That shield we cannot defeat. My warriors, retreat!”
A Griffin in golden armor and a red cape flew above the Zebra line. “Pull back, Hawkers!”
The enemy ranks seemed to disperse. The Royal Guards were now confident.
“They’re retreating. Advance!” cried Shining Armor, his horn glowing.
“I guess Shining Armor was right,” said Den. “Without magic, they can’t do much.” 
“No, I don’t think it’s that simple,” said Echo. “You see, I’m a girl. We like to play coy. And my dating instincts are telling me they should have put up more of a fight before running. The Zerkers are famous for standing their ground.”
“You think it’s a trap?” asked Den, alarmed.






Before the Royal Guards clashed with the enemy lines they stopped in confusion. A loud humming like the buzzing of hornets filled the battlefield. From the fog, behind a cluster of buildings, the massive metal ship emerged. The source of the sound came: huge propellers that carried the vessel forward. The ship cast its shadow across the rows of Royal Guards.
“Ballistae and mages, fire! Take down that war balloon!” cried Shining Armor.
The Earth Ponies fired their ballistae while Unicorns in the Royal Guards discharged elemental bolts of fire, lightning and ice.
Arrows and magic bolts bounced off the metal structure.
“Our intelligence was wrong. That is no balloon!”
From beneath the airship, doors opened, and tons of barrels were dropped from the craft. They exploded against the shield. After a few minutes of continuous heavy bombardment, the shields could no longer be sustained, and failed. Entire Royal Guard ranks were blown apart by the explosions.






Amidst the chaos, the Zebra and Griffin lines reformed. The Griffin Commander flew to the Zebra leader’s side. They gave each other an affectionate nuzzle.  
“Attack!” shrieked the Griffin.






“Okay, we’re humped!” said Blueberry panicking.
“No we’re not. We’re Shining Armor’s only hope now,” said Den.
Echo stared at the airship circling around. “We need a plan, quick. A second bombing run and the Guard is finished.”
Through the telescope, Den scanned the battlefield desperately. The battle was turning into a brutal melee. He saw there was a small opening in the lines as overzealous Zebra Zerkers charged into the weakened right flank of the Royal Guards. There was a clear shot to the Griffin and Zebra commanders.
“We will capture their commander. It’ll be a reckless run,” said Den.
“Don’t you mean suicide?” asked Echo.
“We don’t have another choice,” said Den, frantically swapping his attention between his friends and the view of the battle.
In a green flash Echo’s insect wings appeared. “You’re not leading alone.”
Blueberry examined Echo’s dragonfly-like wings. “Neat spell. Do me!” she said.
“Umm, too little time,” said Echo. “I’ll carry you.”
“Royal Guards, affix lances!” cried Den to the troops behind him.
The Royal Guards shuffled to comply, placing their lances in the loops of their war saddles.
“Flanking speed!” cried Blueberry as she was carried by Echo.
Den took flight. “Follow me!” he shouted as he beat his wings.






Prince Reagle and Zaza observed the battle.
“Prince Reagle, your father will be proud,” said Zaza. “This battle is yours.”
“Zaza, I did not expect so much bloodshed,” said Reagle, his beak lowered. “War is a terrible thing. We should leverage this victory for resource rights to the Crystal Mines. I do not want to push further if it means more of this.”
“We should offer them surrender before the second bombing.”
Their attention was distracted as Royal Guards crashed through their ranks and headed in their direction. Reagle and Zaza’s few bodyguards shot to attention.
Den speared a Griffin with his lance as he dove from the sky. Echo dropped Blueberry into several Zebra warriors, knocking them out. Other Royal Guards charged into the fray, surprising the enemy from behind.
Den faced the enemy Griffin commander.
“Clever tactic, flanking me. So, you are the infamous Shining Armor?” asked Reagle.
“Nope. Dented. Dented Armor!” Den charged at the Griffin.






Before she could help Den, Echo found herself face-to-face with the Zebra Commander.
“Kneel!” shouted Echo as she sent a bolt of magic towards the Zebra.
Zaza deftly sidestepped, avoiding the strike with spiked horseshoes that gave her extra traction. “Your magic won’t save you,” she said confidently. Zaza zig-zagged towards Echo, dodging deadly beams sent from Echo’s horn.






Prince Reagle reared up. He wore metal gauntlets on his claws, which he displayed defiantly.
“I am Reagle, son of Hawkmor. You stand no chance. Surrender!” Reagle got in close and punched Den in response to his attack.
“No way, I was going ask you the same,” said Den.
“Dented Armor, I shall etch ‘Broken’ on your tombstone!” Talons extended from Reagle’s gauntlets. He slashed at Den with startling speed.
Reagle grabbed Den’s lance and snapped it in half. Den jumped back, dropping his war saddle. He managed to kick Reagle’s helmet off, but not before sustaining a deep slash across his flank. Reagle reeled back slightly but managed to return another strike.
“Why are you attacking us?” asked Den.
“I don’t have a choice,” cried Reagle, swiping again.
Den picked up a Zebra spear to block Reagle’s strike. “Everyone has a choice.” He jumped back, narrowly avoiding Reagle’s swipe.
“I must show father that magic is not the way, or worse will come. You wouldn’t understand.”
“What—?” Den began as Reagle slashed at him again. He fell to the ground. His left feet did not listen as he tried in a futile effort to rise.
“I am sorry. It is over for you and your army,” said Reagle, positioning himself over Den to deliver the killing blow.
The battlefield was again shrouded by the shadow of the looming airship. Once more its bomb-bay doors opened.






Echo saw Den fall. “Get out of my way,” she cried to Zaza.
Zaza dodged Echo’s magical blasts. However, Echo managed to telekinetically lift a giant slab of earth from underneath Zaza’s hooves and fling it away along with the Zebra mare.
Echo ran toward her lover. “Den!”
“Echo?” said Den haltingly, in pain.
Echo’s eyes flashed hellish-green as her attention now focused on Reagle. “Stay away from my coltfriend!” Her horn pulsated with magic. The air became choking as the pressure increased, sending the grass swaying in a wave away from her.
Reagle stepped backwards apprehensively as Echo shot a beam towards him.
“Reagle!” Zaza jumped forward, shielding Reagle. The beam soon intensified and seared through her. Zaza jumped at Echo as the beam sliced a chunk of her flank off. Zaza punched Echo in the chin and the beam emanating from Echo’s horn was redirected upwards. Zaza fell swiftly after.
The shaft of light pierced the airship above. Throughout the battlefield, the fighting stopped as ponies, Griffins and zebras stared at the sky with awe. The beam dispersed the clouds and extended into the heavens. Explosions and screeches followed as the airship began to collapse in on itself in mid-air. Pouring from port holes and escape hatches, Griffins took flight.






There was a shower of fire as the airship sunk. As Den watched Echo fall, the battlefield became a blur. The light from her horn flickered, then died.
A tearful voice frantically cried: “Zaza, my love! Retreat! Retreat! The battle is lost!”  Reagle flew toward and picked up his fallen lover.
The sounds of clanging weapons faded as the enemy began withdrawing.
Despite his bleeding and numb left side, Den crawled his way to Echo. Dragging himself forward, Den felt like collapsing as his nerves screamed in agony.
Echo’s disguise disappeared in a puff of weak, green fire. Even the brilliance of Echo’s eyes seemed to dim.
Den managed to sit next to Echo, looking down at her in concern. “Echo, how did you—?”
Echo smiled weakly. “I guess I used all my magic. Death comes…”
“Wait, you stupid Changeling! I order you to live!”
“I was afraid to say, but now I know.”
“Shut up!” Den’s tears dripped onto her face.
His tears mixed with Echo’s. “Den, I love you,” Echo said, closing her green eyes.   
Den smiled, kissing Echo, as darkness swallowed them both.