PART I
----------Caught in the Crossfire----------
"Twilight, what do you mean: 'We're DOOMED'?" Spike asked Twilight as she ran headlong out of the library.
"No time to explain, we have to get everypony in a safe place," Twilight said, galloping into the town square with Spike on her back.
"Alright... why don't you ever explain ANYTHING to me?" Spike asked, awkwardly trying to keep his grip on the galloping pony. He had been picked up in a hurry and dumped on to her flank, and the last thing he wanted was to take a fall at this speed.
"I'll explain later," Twilight said, running up the steps to the town hall. She knocked and was soon answered by Ivory Scroll, the mayor of Ponyville. "Ivory, we have to get everypony somewhere safe, somwhere shielded... we have to get everypony to the Crystal Empire."
"What?" Ivory Scroll peered over her glasses at Twilight in alarm, "May I ask why?"
"No time to explain," Twilight and Spike said together in two completly different tones of voice, one urgent and one sarcastic... you can guess which was which.
"Alright Twilight, I trust you but I still wish-" Ivory coulden't finish her sentance, for Applejack burst in on the room.
"Holy haybales, Ivory there's a great big honkin robot just landed in Appleosa country," She said between pants, "Got everypony out, but the towns totaled and its started builden great big green flashy things!"
"Green... Flashy... ‘Things’?" Twilight said, looking at Applejack a little disbeilvingly.
"Yeah, sure as apples thats what they were! And the robot was sprinkling green confettie on it or something," Applejack said.
"Oh! I LOVE confettie!" Pinkie Pie jumped out of the rafters, "I wonder if they do different colors than green, and I wonder if that's a green cake your talking about! Yeah, great big party robots!" She started to bounce around the room.
"NO! These are not confettie party robots!" Twilight said after recovering from the shock of being bounced on by Pinkie, "From what I can figure out, their blood-thirsty cold blooded killers, determined to wage an epic war that's been going on for four hundred centuries!"
"Aw," Pinkie flattened her ears, "But they still have confettie right?" she said a little more hopefully, smiling a wide smile at Twilight.
"NO!" Twilight shouted.
"Oh, why didn't you just say that in the first place, silly!" Pinkie hopped about the room, grinning wildly, "We could have saved a lot of trouble you know."
Deciding to ignore Pinkie, Twilight turned to Ivory Scroll. "You see, Applejack saw it. These 'streaks' as pony astronomers called them have been flying to planet after planet, laying waste to anything in their way."
"Oh, oh dear," Ivory Scroll said, cringing a little at the thought.
"Some theores are that they are waging a war with EACH OTHER, merely using planets as battlegrounds and inadvertantly destroying any inhabitents," Twilight continued, "I'm not sure how we're going to get through this, but I am sure we need to get everypony somewhere safe where we can plot our next move."
"Yes, I agree, I will commence the evacuation at once," Ivory Scroll said, walking out the door.
"LADIES AND GENTLECOLTS!" She shouted upon reaching the podium, "THIS IS YOUR MAYOR SPEAKING, WE ARE CURRENTLY FACING EXTREME DANGER AND THEREFORE MUST LEAVE PONYVILLE." This statement sparked a large scale evacuation of houses, not towns as everypony ran out into the street.
"Do not be alarmed, everything will be alright, but please, bring as few possesions as possible and come to the train station. That is all."
After the initial bickering, everypony realized that their mayor was speaking the truth and grudgingly gathered their most prized possesions and walking toward the train station. At the station, the Ponyville detachment of the Royal Guard which lived and stayed in Ponyville directed everyone to their seats and kept things under control.
"Well, that's done," Ivory said, starting to walk towards the train station herself, "Now Twilight, tell me, what do you know about these, these, THINGS?"
"Well," Twilight began, "Almost nothing, but according to scientific study they're deadly and, frankely, thats enough for me."
"Yes, but when you say 'destroy planets', what do you think they'll do to Equestria?" Ivory looked at Twilight with concern flooding her face.
"Well, using certain magical properties of elements we are able to figure out what planets are composed of, and, after the 'streaks' leave them, they seem to be depleated of all ores of anykind, and all the forests are ripped down. Aside from that, I can't think of anything we can tell with science, but I expect they will produce craters and other misshapened elements to the land," Twilight explained, watching Ivory Scroll's face change for the worse as she spoke, "But don't worry, we'll make it out of it."
"Yes, yes, yes we will, of course," Ivory said as she and Twilight walked into the train station.
The train station was a busy place, ponies taking up almost all of it waiting to be boarded by the guards, buzzing with worried conversation, crying fillies and a number of other sights which made Twilight's stomach turn.
"Do you ever think we'll see home again, mama?" A small filly asked her worried mother.
"Don't you worry darling," Her mother said, reaching down to embrace her child, "We'll be alright, I'm sure of it." While her voice seemed strong and certain, her face begged to differ, tears streamed from her eyes as she sobbed into her childs coat.
This display of affection made Twilight's hatred for the machines even greater. Every moment as she looked around the station at similar displays of remorse, hope and anger all mixed into one, her hatred grew, fueling on the fates of the ones she loved, being torn from their possesions, from their home town. She vowed that whatever it took, she would destroy these machines ONCE AND FOR ALL!
Meanwhile in Canterlot:
"Sister, it is time we made a move," Luna said to her sister. The royal duo were out on the balcony at Canterlot. Celestia stood with downturned eyes on the brink of tears.
"That's just it, Luna," She said, "We can't make a move, we're trapped."
"Now now," Luna walked over to comfort her sister, "Don't worry, Celestia, we will exit this situation, somehow."
"But how!" Celestia cried, her composure weakening, "How are we supposed to get out of here? My magic has banished monsters and magical evils... not seven story tall robots!"
"Never lose hope, my sister. Fate works in our favor, I'm sure of it. Do not be scared," Luna patted Celestia on the back before turning away. "Now, catch some rest, I can keep
watch through the night."
"Yes Luna, I'll try," Celestia says, walking off the balcony.
Luna stays, keeping an eagle eye on the robot and everything it does. Since that morning, it has built many more structures, their height massive. Towering mining buildings drilling through the earth, giant factorys create more bots of many shapes and sizes, none with any good intentions. A base was sprouting in front of Canterlot castle, a base whom has the sole purpous of destruction, ever mineral, every resource poured into making war machines.
"It is sad," Luna muttered to herself, "It is sad that they cannot do anything better with this power..."
Suddenly, an aircraft shot overhead, Luna turned her head skyward, seeing a triangular shaped tan flying machine flying over the base. The commander begins building a threatening looking missile tower. As soon as the last piece of nanolaythe reached it, the tower turned skyward, firing three missiles with pin-point accuracy. The missiles curved, tracking their target. Upon reaching it, a large explosion filled the sky and the scout plane crashed to the ground, lighting the forest in which it landed on fire.
All the robots drew back from the flames, as if scared of it.
"Hmmm, you may be fearless war machines, but your scared of fire... interesting..." Luna thought to herself, " That means you must have a weakness, a weakness that could be exploited, not just by brute force like you did to that plane... but a more subtle method. Something even a mere pony could do..."