//------------------------------// // 04 // Story: T-55Equestria // by SilverCreep //------------------------------// You are Celestia And you didn't see that coming either... twice....twice these creatures and their golem have gotten the jump on you. Their...armament indeed was varying. Those...ballistic shells the first time striking your tower, now these fast moving flying things were another to add to the check-list of these golem’s weapon systems. It made you slightly concerned what OTHER surprises they had, but for the moment, you had to get your bearings. The fire washed over you, it was warm, if not unsettling for its power; it almost rivaled that of the sun as you could see the missiles explosion ebb over the importune shield you erected. You had flapped your wings before you, adding another layer as you felt the pressure of the explosion, and lost your flight, sending yourself to the ground in a heap, but relatively unhurt from the attack. The fires warming fury was welcoming as you flapped it away, shaking your head as your mane and coat were tainted with a dark soot as you let out a cute cough as you shake yourself clean. The glint you had seen no longer was there, and you tsked, trying to remember where the flash had come from. Certainly they had the higher ground this time, smart, very smart, you'd have to be more cautious than ever when dealing wi- Boom A round whizzes by, slamming into the ground just by your right as you jump away on reaction alone. They certainly did have the higher ground, but where? That mountain's upper tree-line wa- Another round strikes to your direct left, nearly clipping your left wing as you had them splayed to stabilize yourself from your last jump. They were getting closer, but....if they had such clear shots, why did they miss twice as you shake your head, getting the ringing from your ears as you look at the mountains. You cannot see the glint anymore...nor hear them.... You huff, back to square one as you flap your wings and take flight again, going up at a faster pace towards the mountains tree-line. "Round out!" your gunner said as the second shot impacted right beside Celestia. "Good, get us out of here comrade driver!" Your driver nods, putting the tank into reverse as you pull away from the bush you hid in, right down into the make-shift dirt-path you had carved into the ground with your tank. You didn't have the fording equipment, let alone woods-clearing mounts as you were fighting in a desert, but your weight and mass alone was enough to get through this wilderness. You start taking the path forward, having found it spiraling all the way around the mountain as your driver handles it flawlessly, keeping the tank nestled deep under the canopy, hidden from anything that may fly above, especially nosy alicorns. You're not sure if Celestia will be able to make it to this spot by the time you drive of, hopefully your second-phase plan will be able to work if you confused her long enough. Then there was the fact if she was going to fly here double quick, or take her time searching again. Whatever the case, you had to get OFF the moutain, and stat. The low ground is what you needed if she was going to the high ground, and with luck, you could get her in the back. "Dis is insaine..." your loader mutters as you kept checking all around with your infa-red scope "she sruvived direct hit v'ith AT-10? Dat makes NO SENSE, she should been blown apart!" "She did comrade, v'e can't change v'hat happened." you retort "she is magic, magic creatures are trickery." "Dah..." your gunner mutters "Im sure dat sheild she had v'ould have stopped shell to...dat v'hy you made me shoot sides of her?" You nod "Direct attack v'ould be silly, she can block dem, v'e have to flank and surprise here, but...dat is tricky in itself." You are Celestia And this certainly was puzzling. You had arrived at the spot you had seen the glint, but all you were able to find were a pair of tracks leading off into the woods. "They were here...before...but now they moved? How curious...such speed in which they go on the offensive to the defensive..." You rub your chin, looking closely at the tracks as you start to follow them into the brush. They went around the mountain, taking a rather long way of going from the top perch to wherever they went too, but you certainly weren't willing to follow these tracks right too them, for all you know it could be a trap. With a smirk, you look at the ground and cast your horn up, closing her eyes as her horn brilliance and within a second, the tracks began to light up like a bright light as you smirked. "Now then, shall we begin this game anew?" you ask as you take flight over the trees, eying the brilliant line of golden energy you had cast upon the trail this golem made. It should be easy to spot now as you follow the tracks almost completely around the mountain, seeing it pull out around the base. "Hrmmm now where did the-" You didn't have a chance to finish as another whoosing sound erupted from afar, and another one of those flying shells whisked towards you. You grinned this time, suddenly catching the missile mid-flight before you, eyeing it with curiosity. "Hrmmm..." you said, looking back down the way it came as you reverse its direction an send it on its way. "Now then... take me to your master little flying thing..." - You are Kaptian Anon And now your missile is flying right towards you. "Cyjot!" You exclaim as your whole crew is staring in disbelief "FULL REVERSE!" Your driver wastes no second putting the tank in reverse as the missile, now plotted of course, swivels and fish-lines towards you, slamming only a few feet ahead of you just as you pulled away from the blast. "She can do dat to missiles!?" Your gunner exclaims as you recoil from the shockwave of the near-hit to your hull. You knew full well that one of those AT missiles would be the end of you, your armour was strong, but not THAT strong, and certainly not against your own missiles. "V'e have to get a'vay, she's smart, v'eal smart." you mutter as you look through the scope as your tank comes to a halt. Dust still covering your view. "V'ere...is she." Your question is answered as you suddenly see a pair of golden hoove tap onto the hull. The Princess violet eyes glancing through your scope. "Gotcha..." was all she said with a smirk as you blink. "Punch it!" you order as your driver scrambles for the controls. The driver did so, flooring the tank forward as Celestia quickly lifted off it, the tank rushing forwad back into the wilderness as ts engine drove it like a mad dog, over fallen trees and back to the road as the turret traversed, aiming at the spot where the Alicon stood. “Fire round!” You yell as your gunner does so, sending a round at close range into the brush as it erupted with a terrifying boom. “Hope she didn’t have time to react to dat one.” You begin, only to see a brilliance of light shimmer and then fire its way towards you. “MOVE!” you order, the tank turning slowly just in the nick of time as the beam of energy ripped across the turrets side, hitting the jutted armour slightly and singing along its side. For a moment, the heat from the beam simmered inside the tank, it felt like you were back in the desert as your driver turns the tank into reverse, hull pointed towards your foe as you drive backwards. “V’ell, seems gloves are off.” You mutter as you watch your view scope, your loader huffing as he loads another road into the chamber. “V’ere good!” he calls as you watch the smoldering trees you had fired into burn as you see from the smoke a white flicker of wings as the Alicorn flew into the open. “FIRE!” you bark, the gunner slamming down the trigger as the round expels from the barrel. You continue driving around the mountain, exchange of shells and energy bolts leap about the wilderness as neither can land a clear shot. Either the desire to defeat the other was not strong, or you both were just really off your game. Silence beckoned for a moment before your tank ripped through the foliage at the base of the mountain, coaxial MG unloading into the brush as your driver pulls you through into a clear path of grass. You pause, waiting as you look around your surroundings. You had left the mountain, and were coming into an open field, this would get very hot and very...interesting. “Target!” Your gunner calls as you spot Celestia fly upwards over the foliage and down towards your tank like an attack aircraft. “FIRE!” Another round explodes from the barrel, just as Celestia unleashed another beam attack as both collied, causing a massive explosion as you nudge your driver, who kicks the tank back into reverse as you’re now in open field, and with much more freedom of movement. You see Celestia fall, perhaps the blast being too close as she fwumps into the woods at the edge of the clearing. Though she is down, you are certain she is not out, not at the slightest. You grin “Wait for it...” you ease back, gripping the arm rests of your chair as you watch, waiting as you keep your eyes on the foliage just as you see a flash of white, and another brilliance of magic. Celestia herself ripped from the woods, her whole bod enveloped in magical energy as her horn struck out towards your tank. “NOW GO!” you bark, going into full reverse as you keep a bit ahead of her. You knew that horn could do damage, but your driver was no green-horn either. He turned the tank quickly to the left, seeing Celestia have to bank with her wings made it like a tank fighting a low flying fighter jet, only with matching speed. Gunner aims the barrel and fires, the round narrowly hits the Princess as she lets out another blast, then two, then three. Each one misses, the third clipping the top of the turret as the heat wave washed into the tank again. “I can see v’hy she is Princess of sun, dese shots have after-heat...v’e better make sure v’e do not get hit again or v’e may fry in here.” Your loader said, picking up another road and loading it. “Dat...or she discharges ammunition up with sheer heat.” “Den I tnk v’e make escape and hide again.” You mutter as you watch the tank do a full rotation, now with the woods to your back and Celestia before you. She lowers her horn, charging another attack. “SMOKE!” you command, pressing the discharge button as smoke canisters fly off your tank, peppering the area with white smoke as the energy shot arcs over your tank and away before you start reversing back into the woods. -- You hunker down some distance into the wilderness, having countined driving even after you cleared the field as you pulled your tank against a tree, looking forward to the opening you made. You had driven backwards, then taken a left, then right, then another left, hoping to at least make it hard for the Princess to spot your depression in the wilderness. The ground was firm, and aside from a few fell trees, you didn’t leave much of an imprint. Your crew were unsure, but you kept you composure. “Now v’e vait...” you mutter as you look out your scope. -- You are Celestia, and of course, for a third time, this golem has been trying your patience. Its ‘smoke’ trick was annoying, disrupting a perfect shot to disable the beast, yet it refused to go down easily. Part of you wished to end this quickly, but deep down, you had longed for this thrill, this, true test of skill against an opponent who may not hold much of the same capabilities of you, but posess such cunning and tactics that it almost makes you...excited. These creatures and their beast, their ‘golem’ were certainly putting you through your paces, and you were actually enjoying it. But...all good things must come to an end, and you have other duties to tend to, simply cannot keep this going, but...a deal is a deal, and this challenge shall be won by your hooves for your sister sake. As the smoke cleared, you could see the beast was gone, just like before, but this time, you knew how to track it. Magic enveloped your horn as you cast as spell upon the faint imprints the tank made in the ground as they lit up brightly with a yellow hue; all you had to do now was follow. --- You are Kaptian Anon And you’re suddenly noticing a bright light approaching your tank, your ‘tracks’ are now alight with a vibrant yellow glow as you look in sheer...surprise...at this new development. You rub your chin, clearly perplexed by this light, but it slowly dons on you. “Princess is tracking us...” you whisper as you look at the tracks glowing. Your driver is already at the wheel, ready to go as you look out the viewport, scouting the area. Your viewscope brings nothing ahead of you as you keep it focused on the path you came in, your glowing tracks clearly marking the Princess’s way, but you were ready, if she got into range, you’d pop her instantly, she didn’t know HOW deep you were into the woods, that gave you an edge... Or did it... You hear a soft thunk behind you as you blink. “Did you hear dat?” you ask as your gunner looks back. “Hear vat?” Another thunk...soft, but a thunk none the less as you slowly turn the scope around.... ...only to peer into the amethyst coloured eyes of the one Princess Celestia. She blinks, looking through it before asing away, smiling “I see you....” she mouths as you ease back slowly from the scope. “Driver....” you mutter “get us in reverse slowly....” The driver dosen’t hesitate as he suddenly pushes the transmission into Reverse as you watch Celestia tap the view scope. “NOW!” Your tank lurches backwards, sending Celestia a bit towards the view scope as she wasn’t expecting the sudden force backwards as the tank drove through the brush, breaking through trees and shrubs as the Princess lowers her body to the tanks hull, remaing tight against the metal beast. “Cyjot, she v’ont quit!” you mutter as you slowly begin to traverse the turret...trying to knock Celestia off just as you clear the wood, seeing nothing before you as the tank suddenly drops...over the edge of a canyon. The vertigo hit instantly as you felt the sheer weight of the tank plumetted donward. You looked up to see the cliff you just drove off of, seeing the princess hovering above were you fell. Her expression is of shock as she suddenly magicked her horn. Then everything stopped. For a moment it was silent, you felt you were falling, but for a moment everything had just went dead. It all returned in an instant as you felt the tank slam down, not too hard, onto the ground as you look out to see the Princess standing there. "I guess you could say I had bested you and saved you, does that count as a victory for me?" she asked, putting a hoof to her chest in triumph as she only smiled...and you looking quite...dumbfounded. You sigh, certainly surprised by the events that had unfolded. Not only did she learn how to adapt to your tactics, but she was even so able to change the direction of a guided missile right back to you. You couldn't argue with the fact she saved you either. In reality, had she not been there, you would have all been killed. Without really wanting to admit it, she had won, not only that, she had saved you when she could have let you fall. Perhaps it was some sort of irony or karma, but whatever the case, she had bested you as you sigh. "Guess she's v'ight." "Comrade Kaptian!" Your loader barks "You cannot be so willing to let her vin!" "She had rescued us, and if not, v'e would be DEAD, do not make guess, v'e already knew she v'as out of leauge." "I have to admit to Kaptian loder...she followed our trail perfectly round mountain, v'as stroke of luck she did it airborne to knock shot off, but fact she saw it, stopped it, and turned it v'as...impressive. "Her sheild too." your driver adds "Dat could stop missile, it coul stop shell too, doubt v'e could break through it v'ith anyting else." Your loader huffs in disbelief. "I cannot let you be taken comrade. I v'ill fight her hand to...er...hoof for you." You shook your head. "Neit comrade, v'e lost, she v'on, you knew risks, you fought v'ell, but magical creature superior to armour and tactics v'e could play...perhaps...next time v'e do better." Your loader grumbles, turning away as you slowly nbutton the hatch and ease out. Looking behind you, there indeed was a steep cliff that...was quite difficult to see as you turned to the Princess. "I guess that means we settle our deal?" she asked as you nodded, slowly easing out of the hatch as you climb down to the ground. It felt...good to be out, but you could only guess your men were disappointing in failing you. You wave them off as you turned to Celestia. "Dat be it...I am yours to take." "Celestia!" came a familiar cry as Luna touched down nearby, nearly stumbling as she quickly trotted to her sister, embracing her with glee. "Oh, we are glad thy is well!" she said as Celestia smiled, looking at her little sister. "It wasn't asy Luna, their golem certainly put me for a loop, but, I had bested them, and they have kept their word..." "Dah..." you said, fixing your tankers hat "v'e never break v'ord towards your sister, v'e took care of her to keep her out of harms v'ay..." Celestia blinks "oh, is that true?" Luna nods "They were indeed... hospitable, though hath been rather...uneasy at first." Celestia only smiled as she looked at you. "Well, I am glad I put my faith in you, you and your associates had done a valiant effort, but, a deal is a deal, and as such, you shall be ours." You nod, looking back at your tank as your entire crew dismount, rushing over to you. "Comrade!" they bark, but you raise a pal. "Neit, deal is deal..." you smirk "do not v'orry, dey may have v;on, but doubt dey v'ill keep me forever." "Comrade...you cannot be serious, den v'hat do v'e do?" You only grin, looking at your team as your language changed. "