The covered control room was dimly lit except for a pool of light at the far end where Queen Chrysalis sat in an elaborate control chair, looking out at the Badlands. King Sombra, standing with a group of other Changelings, cautiously approached the queen. After several tense moments, Chrysalis rotated her chair to face Sombra. Her hooves rested on the sides of the chair, her piercing eyes locked on him. "You wanted to see me, your highness?" Sombra asked.
"Yes," the queen replied. "I want you to send the fleet to the far side of the Badlands. There it will stay until called for."
"What of the reports of the Rebel fleet massing near Canterlot?"
"It is of no concern. Soon the Rebellion will be crushed and young Thunder will become one of us. Then, I will become empress of the Lunar Republic. Your work here is finished, my friend. Go out to the command ship and await my instructions."
"Yes, your highness." Sombra bowed, then turned and exited the room.
---------------------
There was a great deal of Republic traffic in the area as construction proceeded on the Death Star. Transports, droid star fighters, and a few Providence destroyers moved about. Rainbow looked back at the group as Applejack flipped a few switches. The Death Star, and the massive Lucrehulk battleship were directly visible from the cockpit window. Rainbow twisted nervously in her seat. "If they don't go for this, we're gonna have to get out of here pretty quick, guys," Rainbow said. The group nodded in agreement.
“We have you on our screen now,” a droid voice announced over the intercom. “Please identify.”
“Shuttle Trident requesting deactivation of the deflector shield,” Rainbow announced into the transmitter.
“Shuttle Trident, transmit the clearance code for shield passage,” the voice replied.
“Transmission commencing.” Everyone stood, tense, as the high speed transmission beeped its way across the communicator.
"Sombra is on that ship," Charming Thunder said, pressing his hoof against the glass.
"Now don't get jittery, Charming Thunder," Applejack replied. "There are a lot of command ships. Keep your distance though, Rainbow, but don't look like you're trying to keep your distance."
"And how am I supposed to do that?" Rainbow asked.
"Oh I don't know. How about flying casual."
"I think I'm endangering the mission. I shouldn't have come," Charming Thunder said firmly.
"Its your imagination," Twilight replied, putting a hoof around Charming Thunder's shoulder.
“Let's keep a little optimism here," Applejack said.
King Sombra, his back turned, staring out the window to the Death Star. He turned, urged by an odd vibration in his chest. After a moment of stillness, he marched down the row of controllers to the young Changeling admiral, who had been leaning over a controller where the droid sat. He snapped to attention at Sombra's approach. "Where is that shuttle going?" he asked.
“Shuttle Trident, what is your cargo and destination?” the admiral spoke into the transmitter.
“Parts and technical crew for the swamp," Rainbow's voice responded. The admiral turned to Sombra.
“Do they have the code clearence?” he asked.
“It's an older code, your highness, but it checks out. I was about to clear them.” Sombra looked upward as the familiar feeling pulled at his chest again. “Shall I hold them?” the admiral asked.
“No. Leave them to me,” Sombra replied. "I will deal with them myself.”
“As you wish, your highness." he replied. "Carry on," he said in the communicator."
The group waited tensely as they listened for a response. "I don't think they're going for it, Applejack," Rainbow said nervously. Suddenly, the voice came back over the transmitter.
“Shuttle Trident, deactivation of the shield will commence immediately. Follow your present course.” Everypony breathed a sigh of relief, except for Charming Thunder who remained worried.
“Okay!” Rainbow said enthusiastically. “I told you it was gonna work. No problem.” The stolen shuttle moved off toward the swamp in the distance.
---------------------
The shuttle rested in a clearing of the dark, primeval forest, dwarfed by trees and lakes. On an adjacent hill, the helmeted Applejack contingent made its way up a steep trail. Rainbow and the others trotted slightly ahead of the soldiers. The soldiers wore green armor with helmets that looked different from the original armor they usually wear. Not far below, a pair of droid scouts wandered through the bushes in the valley, their speeder bikes parked nearby. "Should we try to go around?" Cadence asked.
"That'll take time," Shining Armor said.
"This whole party will be for nothing if those clankers see us," Rainbow said. Charming Thunder motioned for the troops to stay where they are.
Charming Thunder took out his sniper as he asked, "Should I take them out?"
"No. I'll handle this you monitor the others if they try to escape."
"Do it quietly," Twilight whispered. "There might be more of them out there." Rainbow then began to creep towards the scouts. She snuck up behind them and tapped it on the shoulder.
The droid turned around and shouted, "Hey." Rainbow then grabbed its head and twisted it. The other droid saw whats going on and ran to its speeder. Charming Thunder saw the droid trying to escape so he aimed at the droid and shot it on the head.
"Lets go," Charming Thunder said as he an the group rushed to help Rainbow. As the group ran down the hill, Twilight noticed two droid scouts and pointed to them.
"Over there!" She shouted. "Two more of them."
"Everypony stay here. Twilight you're with me." Twilight and Charming Thunder got on to the STAP and started the engines. "Jam their comlink, Twilight."
"Hey, wait for me!" Rainbow shouted as she flew as fast as she could to them. The fleeing scouts had a good lead on the two ponies that were chasing them as they zipped over the lake and into the trees. Rainbow flew beside Twilight and Charming Thunder as they got closer to the droids. "Get alongside that one. I'll take it." They both then pulled up beside the speeder, their bikes scraping on both sides. While it was distracted, Rainbow grabbed on the handle of the droid's STAP and pushed the droid off of it. The droid impacted on the tree. The group then followed the other droid as they passed another of droids on their speeders. They fired at Charming Thunder's speeder and it started to smoke as it took a glancing hit.
"Twilight, take that one," Charming Thunder yelled. "Rainbow head back to the others. I'll take those two." Rainbow turned her speeder around as Charming Thunder slammed on the brakes and the two pursuing scouts zipped ahead of him. He then kicked the STAP back into gear and started firing at the scouts who were now in front. The STAP he shot spun out of control and crashed into a tree trunk. The other glanced back nervously before speeding up as the red unicorn was hot on its tail. Twilight was far ahead as she chased the first droid at high speed. Her STAP hit a sloped section of ground and shot into the air, out of sight. The droid looked around, confused, until Twilight's speeder shot at the disoriented scout. It quickly pulled out its handgun and shot a few bolts at her. When the bolt struck her STAP, it careened out of control and Twilight dove off as the bike slammed into a tree and exploded, her body tumbling and bouncing across the forest floor. The scout looked back, proud of his shot, before it slammed into a tree.
Charming Thunder and the last droid scout continued their weaving chase through the trees. The scout slammed the side of his bike against his trying to knock him off. They suddenly then locked, their handles having been smashed together, and they began to weave through the trees as one. A huge tree loomed ahead, and Charming Thunder, thinking quickly, leapt from the STAP and into the nearby brush. His speeder slammed into a tree, breaking off from the scout's, who banked and turned around to find him. He rose from the bush and ignited his lightsaber as the droid's speeder fired at him. He deflected the shots from the incoming speeder. At the last second, he jumped over the vehicle and sliced the driver's head off. The STAP lost control and crashed into a tree trunk as he walked back to Rainbow and the rest of the strike team.
