For years, the CORE and the ARM have fought, ripping trees from their roots, burning entire planets... not once had the indiginous species posed a threat to the warring armies. Not once had a third side come in to play. Not once had they been defeated by a mutual enemy. But that fate, that record was about to be changed.
After two days of preparation, construction and gathering resources, the armies were on the move, endless strategic calculations had run through the minds of both sides... and none took into account what was to happen next.
~~~~~~~
In the bottom of a canyon too small to be noticed next to the ARM base, a railroad track stretched far and wide, the barren landscape around it yielding to the metal road. That morning, the usual activity was buzzing about the canyon, scorpions sat on rocks, sunning themselves, little muskrats ran to and fro, gathering and chirping to one another.
Suddenly, this tranquil scene was disrupted... vibrations of an incoming train shook the tracks, warning the wildlife of the oncoming machine. Several squeaks and scurries were heard as the animals dispursed, leaving the lonesome tracks steeped in stillness once more, until the train came along.
The train was bound for the Crystal Empire, loaded to the hilt with ponies, some clinging onto the top, some the sides, and others out the back. Carrying the entire population of Ponyville and Appleosa to the Crystal Empire was a trick; a risky trick. But, in interests of saving the lives of everypony in these towns, Ivory Scroll ordered the evacuation to continue.
All the pegasi from Cloudsdale shot along above the train, keeping a close eye on it for any ponies that might fall from their percarious perches. Progressing as fast as the rails could carry them, this convoy made it's way across Equestria, right underneath the noses of the ARM.
"Alright everypony, we're almost there!" Twilight Sparkle shouted to the car full of ponies in which she and her friends were riding. A cheer erupted from the crowed, nopony wanting to spend any more time than nessacary in this compression of ponies. The loudest cheer came from right next to Twilight, Rarity was standing next to her.
"Well, it will be nice to stretch my legs, don't you think?" Rarity asked no one imparticular.
"Oh yes, your radience," Spike said, drooling a little. He had, much to his delight and Twilight's disgust, gotten to get fitted into a hole between Rarity and Rainbow. Although an unoptimal placement, space was limited and so there he was, wedged between the two mares.
"Oh Spike, you're simply DARLING. Remind me to make you another bowtie when we get back to Ponyville. Rarity rubbed the little dragons head.
"Crystal Empire coming right up!" A shout from the locomotive ruptured the love scene. Twilight sighed in reliefe.
"Alright everypony, gather what belongings you have and get ready to move out!" Twilight shouted. In response the car began to bustle with activity as everypony found their items and got ready to leave. Applejack was in on this rush too, trying to help Granny Smith find her walker.
"How could you lose a WALKER?" Rainbow asked, rifling through her saddlebags for a certain item.
"That's what I was just askin her!" Applejack threw over her shoulder before turning back to her grandmother. "Now, where did you last see it?"
"Well, I thought I was on it-" Granny started.
"Here it is!" Pinkie cried, "Silly me, it just wandered over and I HAD to give it comfort, you know!" After looking at Pinkie strangly, Applejack turned back her grandma.
"Here you go, granny," She said, passing the walker towards her.
"Thank you honey!" Granny said, putting her front hooves on the walker, "Why, I feel like a young mare again when I have this thing!" Applejack rolled her eyes but didn't pop her ancestor’s bubble.
"Arrived at the Crystal Empire, everypony can get off!" the engineer shouted. A large chorus of screams filled the air, happy screams.
------
"Twilight!" Cadence called to her longtime friend, "Twilight, over here!" Through the sea of refugees, Twilight could barely see her old foalsitter standing outside the train station. Cadence's horn was glowing, a spire of energy ran from it into every part of the shield, sizzling the air as it flew.
"Cadence!" Twilight shouted, making a path through the sea of ponies in which she resided. The rest of her friends followed too, walking single file in Twilight's determined wake.
"Mighty pleased to see ya again, princess," Applejack said, bowing before Cadence, "This here is my granny, Granny Smith, that's Applebloom, my sister, and that's my brother, Big Mac."
"Eeeyup," Big Mac said as she gestured to him.
"Pleased to meet you all," Cadence said warmly, a pleased smile appearing on her face, "Applejack has been a real lifesaver every time she's been here, I can't thank you enough."
Applejack blushed at the complimant, her cheeks turning a shade of pink.
"Aw shucks princess, I-" Applejack started, getting cut off by the introductions of her other friends.
"Oh princess!" Rarity called, shoving Sweetie Belle in front her as she edged toward the royalty, "This is Sweetie Belle, you remember me, don't you?"
"Why yes, how could I forget the pony that made all those beautiful dresses for my wedding! Oh, and it's a pleasure to meet your daughter too," Cadence said. Rarity was too stunned by the compliment to correct the princesses mistake, so Sweetie Belle took that honor.
"I'm her sister, not her daughter, princess," Sweetie Belle said, "Anyway, it's nice to meet you."
"Oh, I'm sorry! It's a pleasure to meet you too," Cadence said, rubbing Sweetie Belle on the head. Rarity, still too stunned to move, just stood there.
"Oh... my... goodness!" she muttered, over and over again. Sweetie Belle managed to direct her out of the way of the others.
"I believe I know the rest of you, so lets get straight to the point," Cadence said, her face growing more serious, "Please, follow me to the castle, I have a few matters that need to be discussed."
"Where will we be staying?" Rarity asked, recovering herself enough to trot along side the princess.
"You and your family will be staying in the castle while you are visiting," Cadence said over her shoulder. The party was now moving through the crowd at a considerable pace, considering that everypony got out of the way for Cadence, and the rest passed in her wake before they could jam back together again.
"Oh... my... gosh!" Rarity exclaimed, ecstatic that she and her sister would be staying in the royal castle.
"In fact," Cadence said as they arrived at the door, "Why doesn't Sweetie Belle go get settled into her room, this fellow will show you the way." Cadence gestured to a nice looking young stallion with blue hair dressed in armor standing behind the main desk. Sweetie Belle noticed Twilight had gone a funny shade of pink.
"Alright, but aren't you coming too, sis?" Sweetie Belle asked, looking up at Rarity.
"No, not now, but she'll be there soon, I promise. Flash, could you also take the rest of the Apple Family to their rooms? I have some business I need to discuss with the element bearers," Cadence said. The guard nodded and left with Rarity's and Applejack's family's to show them their rooms. Cadence returned to her worried expression.
"I'm sure you know about the... the robots that landed, don't you?" She asked. This seemed like a silly question but it's always nice to make sure you're on the same page as your audience.
"Yes," Twilight said, stepping forward, "That's why I ordered the evacuation. They're dangerous."
"That they are," Cadence said, stepping into the conference room and closing the door behind her when the rest went in, "We obtained a construction bot and have been studying it."
Everyone's eyes widened with shock. "You mean, a giant... construction bot?" Twilight asked, surprised.
"Yes," Cadence started.
"Woah woah woah!" Rainbow interuptted, "You mean you just found a giant crazy robot? What are you gonna do with it?"
"Well, we’re studying it. We plan to construct an army of our own bots... one to retaliate against these menaces."
"Coooool!" Rainbow said, her mouth opening wide, "I wanna drive a flying one!"
"We intend to assign ponies according to their natural talents, so yes, you will get to fly," Cadence said to the elated Rainbow Dash, "Anyway, these bots are not finished yet. We have merely made plans. We have been studying the nanolaything mechanisem in the bot. We have begun to reprogram to create our own army... soon."
"Nano whata whata?" Applejack asked, confused along with everyone else. Cadence sighed, moving over to a diagram.
"Nanolaything is a process in which particles of metal and energy are programmed and assigned to a specific parts of a structure. When released, these programmed elements will bind and fuse with others to create a given material and fabricate the structure. Is this clear?" Cadence asked, turning to her audience. Twilight was looking eagerly at the board, Rainbow was saying something about 'eggheads', Applejack was scratching her hat and Rarity was too agog about being in the royal castle to notice anything.
Cadence flattened her ears, "You understand Twilight, right?"
"Yes! Oh I just can't wait to write a report on it this evening!" Twilight grinned.
"That won't be nessescery," Cadence said, smiling at her friends eager disposition.
"Of course it is! Celestia will be wanting to here of it next time we see her, oh, this could change Equestria's history!"
Instead of protesting, Cadence acted as though she'd been hit with a brick and said, "Has anyone seen my husband?"
Meanwhile, in Canterlot....
"Has anyone seen my wife?" Shining Armor asked, a little worriedly to some incoming travelers as they entered the shield spell. He must have asked this question a thousand times, but every answer was no. It had been two days since he was due back in the Crystal Empire and he was worried that Cadence was doing alright.
"Not right now, hon sorry," a kindly old mare replied. Shining Armor sighed. At least he knew the Crystal Empire was alright. Using a viewing spell of Celestia's, which she summoned when he became a nervous wreck one evening, he could see that it really it was still there.
"I know you would rather be there, Shining Armor," Celestia had told him, "But duty calls here... and you'd never forgive yourself if you ran off and left us to die, you know that."
He sighed, running a hoof through his mane. Suddenly, a huge impact hit the shield. A stray plasma bolt. It slammed into the blue wall, creating a sizable explosion. Shining Armor fed more and more of his magic into the shield, maintaining it from the impact.
The blast brought the royal pony sisters out on their balcony to observe what was happening.
"A battle," Luna muttered, "A brutal battle by heartless machines."
"Brace yourself, Shining, incoming missiles!" Celestia shouted to the unicorn standing in the courtyard. Stray rockets that had been fired at a moving target were headed in their direction.
Shining Armor closed his eyes, concentrating on the shield, he felt the rocket coming and directed more power to that part of the shield. The opposing projectile bounced off, curving downward into a nearby hill where it exploded, causing a rain of rocks and other small shrapnel to come down on the shield. These, Shining deflected easily.
Celestia watched from the balcony, frowning at the sight of such destruction. The beautiful plane between Ponyville and Canterlot had become a battleground, littered with wreckage and craters.
"We will rise up, sister, somehow, sometime, but we will," Luna assured Celestia, as they both watched with downcast eyes at the sprawling display of destruction that lay before them, "I received word from the Crystal Empire... Cadence is planning an uprising."
"Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?" Celestia asked her younger sister, glaring at her.
"Well..." Before Luna could defend herself, a loud rumble was heard. Both sisters turned their heads, seeing a volly of misfired aritllery shells flying towards them.
"Shining!" Both shouted. Shining Armor was standing, eyes closed, concentrainting in the court yard.
"There's no way that shield will block it..." Celestia said, a glow begining to show itself around her horn. Rising up in the air, she shot a bolt of magic right at Shining Armor... right before the shells hit.
A loud explosion was heard, and then silence...