//------------------------------//
// Introductions 
// Story: Warfare is Magic 
// by Kingsly 
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	What is war? What is the point? The sacrifice of thousands of lives, just to have the next generation fall behind them. To some it’s an act of heroism, to give your life fighting for a cause you believe in. To others, it is suicide. And can there truly be peace, after all of the bloodshed, all of the loss? I once knew a pony, who knew that answer. Or at least, he was the closest to find it...
Trippy Hooves gazed out the paned window of the secure fortress he had called home for the last month. Mortar shells rang out, and dragons roared overhead as the battle folded out beneath him. The Solar empire, marching ceaselessly towards him, and the New Lunar Republic, clad in black, falling like dominoes beneath their onslaught. He sighed, almost fearful. 
“Princess, the order has been given to retreat to a defensive position.”
Trippy to turned to see the messenger delivering the news turn away. Princess Luna glanced at him back.
“Trippy, I have trusted you as one of my finest generals for the longest time, from nearly the beginning of this war. What do you think?” She asked curiously, trying to mask the fear in her voice.
Trippy shook his head gravely, “I... I don’t think theres any chance. We need to evacuate now.” Luna nodded gravely at his statement. 
The double doors to the command center burst open as the black clad soldier ran in, swinging his saddlebag off his back and tossing it aside.
“Allright, Whose flank do I have to kiss around here to get an explanation!? Really!? What the FUCK are you people doing up here that is so much more important than winning this war!? We were supposed to have our reinforcements 3 hours ago!” The soldier demanded.
“Calm down Kingsly, we have some problems.” Trippy addressed this new comer with little care. 
“As Trippy said, problems have come up. Reinforcements were supposed to arrive from the Manehatten outpost, but had been held up with their own attack. It’s just us.” Luna said gravely.
Kingsly slammed down the heavy helmet he had been carrying down on the floor. He sighed as he pushed his black hair out of his eyes, the gray stripe now out of his vision.
“All Right,” He pointed at a mare sitting at one of the many computers lining the walls, “Set the base into full evacuation. All data to removable data cards and get all high level personnel out of here.”
“You can’t do that! There’s still a chance to win thi-”
“No Trippy, He’s right. There’s no use in letting them have our data and lives. It’s just a recon base. The only reason we're here is the chance for information, and that chance has passed. We already intercepted important plans from the Solar Empire, no need returning them with our dead bodys.” Luna said sadly.
“Good, now if we can-”
Kingsly was suddenly cut off as a large portion of the wall suddenly imploded inwards toward them, raining glass and concrete as several pony’s were thrown off their hooves, into the air. Kingsly’s ears rang, and his head ached, as he pushed a dismembered corpse of a unicorn off of himself. He coughed slightly as he sat up. Several ponies were yelling out directions, muffled by the explosion still ringing in his ears. He shook his head as Trippy’s voice began to come in.
“... Have breached the wall! They’ve got freakin tanks backing them up! Our defenses are down! All troops evacuate now!” Trippy hollered into a handheld radio, his wings stuck up in anger.
Kingsly shuffled across the floor, pinning his back to the side of the gaping hole now in the wall overlooking the losing fight. Trippys orders were still being hopelessly being sent out, as Kingsly examined anyways out. 
“We need immediate evac by any Republic troops with precious cargo at-”
The battlefield spread out before him, nothing else matters. He counted 15 high power tanks, 6 of which, had breached the inner walls, their final line of security, their machine gunners ripping through their last infantrymen. Dragons soared through the sky, engulfing any escaping pegasi in crimson flames. He looked up in sudden thought, and an idea formed.
“Hay! Doesn't his place have one of those new high tech helicopters?” Kingsly asked suddenly.
Trippy turned away from his radio with a confused look on his face. “You mean the DH-96 we got last week? Yeah, but I don't see what that has to do-”
“Use it to fly out of here! It’s got that ultimate cloaking ability, or what not built in doesn't it? Invisible to thermal and x-ray and crap like that? Load up the princess and the other ponies and get out of here!” Kingsly exclaimed. 
Trippy’s face lit up and looked up to the now exposed roof of the building. “You are a genius sometimes.”
He waved a few officials over, when sudden gunfire rang out. Luna pushed his exposed head down, narrowly avoiding a hail of small arms fire. A pegasus right behind him caught the bullets like a magnet, his body shook as the bullets traveled through him and hit the computers behind him. Kingsly sidled along the wall and grabbed his discarded saddle bag. Reaching inside and pulling out the small box inside. 
“Well, we can't go out this way, and they're making their way here. Any other bright ideas?” Trippy asked, looking at Kingsly.
Kingsly held up the newly assembled sniper rifle proudly. He smirked at the face Trippy gave him. 
“When I say go, get up there, and go.” Kingsly said simply.
“Oh no, you are coming with us.”
The double door behind them suddenly rattled with the force of several ponies trying to burst in.
“There’s no time to argue! We need to leave!” Luna begged. 
“Good point. Go!” 
Kingsly leapt out of the gaping hole, and landed on a lower roof, rolling as he landed. Raising his rifle, he let off several rounds towards the tanks below. Aiming carefully, taking out the gunners on the nearest tanks. He held his breath and lined up his sights on the next unicorn. The heavy rifle bullet slicing through the air, carving through the unicorn gunners skull,shrapnel from the hollow point splattering the nearby infantry men with their chunks of their fallen comrades skull and brains. Trippy lifted up the final pony to the rooftop, as the bullet fire was finally diverted away from them. The helicopter was filled with the final survivors, and Trippy crouched on the roof, avoiding the silently spinning blades.
“Come on! Were leaving! You can make it.” Trippy hollered urgently.
Kingsly shook his head, “My story ends here my friend! Now go make yours!” He shouted gleefully. 
One of the computer workers dragged the struggling Trippy to the chopper, lifting off the ground. The gaping hole, began to pour out Empire troops, as they fought off the gun fire from Kingsly, still hiding the chopper from their attention. Rising above the base, and shielding itself from view the Helicopter quickly traveled away. Trippy stared back out, watching the dark figure of Kingsly fighting off the soldiers now invading the roof top. His last view of his friend, was of him falling, riddled with bullets, towards the ground...