//------------------------------// // Chapter 11 // Story: Titanfall: New Horizons // by Necrogen Lord //------------------------------// As the Element Bearers watched the gargantuan piece of metal float down towards their planet, they were struck in awe of the magnitude at which it was built. The frame cast a shadow that dwarfed not only their small town, but even the massive fields that surrounded Ponyville. They watched as it slowly crept its way down towards the space between them and Canterlot Mountain. "So how long do you think it's gonna take to fix, sir?" They heard a voice ask. The six mares turned around to see that the three soldiers from the Library were talking to Joshua as Celestia moved alongside him. "Ramirez said that without any more fuel to power the emergency engines, we might as well be hitting the Warp Drive with sticks." Joshua answered. "Which is why as of now, our main priority is working on Diplomatic Relations with the Equestrians." "No offense, sir," Smith started, "but why do we need to work out anything with them when we should be calling for help?" "Because if we did call for help, there's no guarantee that any channel we use won't be tapped by IMC listeners, and if we did manage to get a message through, then there's no telling how the locals will react to an alien fleet appearing above their world. We need to let the Princesses' citizens know that they're safe while we're here. That and long-range comms are down until we can get the main engine online. So we're going to work on relations between the two of us so we can look for some kind of fuel." The group of Humans and Celestia stopped when they reached the six Ponies that were listening on their last few words. "Oh, hello Twilight." Celestia said as she came closer to her student. "Princess, what's with that big metal thing out there?" She asked, pointing a hoof to the construct. "That's the Horizon. Our ship." Joshua answered. "We're running low on fuel and we need to find something to power it before we end up stranded here." The mares all gasped at the fact. Some returned their views to the ship while the rest gazed upon the foreign warriors. "What are you going to do?" Twilight asked. "Well," Celestia started, "I asked Captain Joshua why they were ready with an army, and I found that the Militia is more than trustworthy." Her smile dropped as she paused for a few seconds. "Also, as you can see from here, the Griffons truly mean harm to us. This was one of their many strikes as a declaration of war against Equestria." Once more, the six mares all gasped. "B-but, we can take 'em, right Princess?" Rainbow Dash asked. Celestia shook her head slowly. "I'm afraid not. Their weapons have improved since the last time we've seen combat with them, and our soldiers are far too inexperienced, not to mention that their cannons can now be moved without magic, and can be fired from even their airships. And since the other nations of Equis are refusing to be involved, we don't stand a chance." "But you don't need to." Joshua interrupted before anyone could state their worry. The Elements all looked at him as he strode towards them. "I talked with Princess Celestia for a while before we came to a decision that I think both parties can agree to. We've got over 8,000 men and women armed and experienced on board that ship, and I'll be damned if I refuse help to those who need it." Joshua reached for a glowing button on his wrist and pushed it, thunder roaring from the ground near them as a green mass approached from an alley way. \\\\\\////// As the Atlas strode out of its hiding place, the expected reaction came from the Equestrians, as all of the guards began to back away in panic. The mighty green machine made its way in front of Joshua before coming to a complete stop in front of the group of Ponies. Celestia looked up at the machine with caution, unaware of the purpose or reason for the massive beast's presence. She looked towards Joshua with a mixed expression. "What is that?" She asked. Joshua walked towards the mechanical monster as it lowered a palm onto the ground. He stepped onto it and turned around to face Celestia. "One of our best weapons. This is an Atlas Titan." The Pilot crossed his arms as the Cockpit opened up at the center of the mech. The Titan then raised the Pilot into the opening with a single swift motion, and once again, Man merged with Machine. Joshua opened his eyes and felt through the Atlas as he spoke to the Princess before him. "This is what I use to show that I mean business. And now that the Griffons have declared War on you, they've declared War on the Militia." He hefted the massive Chaingun into a single hand as he extended his left arm towards Celestia. "Care to make an announcement?" Joshua asked. Celestia smiled and leaped the air with a flap of her wings, perching herself atop the green arm of the Titan. Joshua raised the Princess higher and turned her towards the startled Guards. "Guards! Stand down!" She called out to them. "This... Titan, is in the use of our new allies. We have nothing to fear from them, and only wish to help us!" "That's right, men." Joshua spoke from the Titan. "We're gonna help these Ponies fight for what's theirs, and make a name for the Militia on this world!" The troops all shouted out with their weapons held high as the Pilot and Princess spoke to the lot of them. The Solar Guards were confused by the sight and slowly backed away from the Humans. Celestia watched as her military continued eying the Human soldiers while Joshua continued to speak. "The Horizon may be out of the fight for now, but that doesn't mean that we are! We're gonna show those birds what the Human Spirit can do when you mess with our friends!" "HOO-RAH!" The soldiers shouted like a chorus. "Alright then. First off, all comms officers call in for Crow evacs, and hand-off the civilians to the Equestrian Guards. After that, I'm going to discuss terms of this War with Princess Celestia, along with all high-ranking officers from the Horizon. We'll start with recording First Contact, then onto War-Prep. Get to it, troopers!" "YES-SIR!" The mass of soldiers responded. The Grunt officers with large black back-packs began to sift through their storage before talking into their helmets. Joshua turned the Atlas around towards the Horizon and speaks to the Pony currently standing atop the Titan's left arm. "So, how would you like to see the ship? I need to get this Atlas back for maintenance." Celestia shook her head slowly. "I can't. I need to go back to Canterlot and calm down all of the, most likely, panicking citizens. I trust that you'll come to our aid if we ask?" "You can count on it." With that, the Sun Princess vanished in a flash. Joshua grabbed the Chaingun with the free hand and stared out towards the ship. Before he could get into any thought, there was a light tapping on the exterior. He looked down and saw a familiar group of Ponies as well as three Grunts. "Captain, sir!" The three Grunts saluted. "At ease." The three then relaxed their arms as Smith began to talk. "Sir, what do we do now?" "We're going to go back to the Horizon and let the Equestrian Military secure the area. I need to tell the rest of the crew what's going on now." The Atlas back up before turning towards the ship in the distance. "I'll meet you three back on the ship." "Hey, wait, what about these six?" Smith asked, waving his arms towards the Ponies before him. Joshua looked between the group and the Horizon before smirking under his helmet. "If they want to, let them on. And if they come, you three are assigned as their escort." Smith pumped a fist into the air. "Yes!" Joshua shook his head slowly as he launched the Atlas forward and began a Titan march back to the ship.