//------------------------------//
// Counter 
// Story: Godzilla in Equestria 
// by Algernon97 
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EQUESTRIAN MILITARY ENCAMPMENT, THIRTEENTH ROYAL AIR CORPS SQUADRON TENT
4 DAYS UNTIL DEADLINE
1730 HOURS

Ironclad was sitting on one of the twelve cots inside the small tent. The other members of the squadron were playing a card game behind him. For what felt like the millionth time, he went over the plan in his head. Along with three other squadrons, his group would lie in wait atop the clouds in the valley to the east. When Godzilla entered the area, they would dive and attack, hopefully blinding it with their spears. After that, they would try to cover a ground-based effort to topple the beast. Of course, a plan never went right. So, Ironclad had spent some time going over the many ways this plan could go belly-up. It hadn't been a pleasant way to spend the time, but he had abysmal luck when it came to poker. So, not having much else to do, he had gone over to his cot, and thought about the plan.
His mind was coming up with the three-hundredth possible way for the plan to fail when somepony trotted next to his cot and said,
"You're a terrible poker player, you know that?"
Ironclad turned his head to the right to see a yellow pegasus sitting down on the cot next to his own. The yellow pony continued,
"I mean, I thought I was bad at poker, but you, you take the cake, sir. I don't think I've ever seen anypony bust out less than a minute after the start of a game. Name's Lucky, by the way. Sergeant Lucky Strike." Lucky lifted a hoof, holding it in front of Ironclad. Ironclad hesitantly brought his own hoof up to meet it, and shook hooves with Lucky. Ironclad, smirking, said,
"Your name's 'Lucky', but you're a bad poker player?" 
Lucky grinned, and said, "My mother was one of those ponies who go out of their way to avoid black cats and ladders, sir. Thought naming her son Lucky'd give him some sort of protection. Long story short, it ain't come close to doing that."
"Fair enough. What's on your mind, sergeant?"
"Well, sir, it's this mission. It.." -Lucky's grin vanished, replaced by a fearful look- "I've got this really bad feeling about it. Like...like it's going to be the last time I fly, sir." Lucky said. Ironclad hesitated before saying,
"Well...What makes you say that?" 
"Can't rightly say, cap. It's just this...feeling in my bones, or something. Don't really know what to do about it. I was kind of wondering if you had any advice." 
"Well, sergeant, I can guarantee you that I will do everything in my power to keep everypony in this squadron alive. Maybe you should try thinking about something else in the meantime...you have a family?"
"Yes sir. Got a wife and two foals."
"Well, try thinking of them instead of that, uh, 'feeling'. Will that be all, sergeant?"
"Yeah, I think so sir. Thank you, sir." And with that, Lucky Strike got up and left the tent. Ironclad looked back over at the ten ponies playing poker in groups. It'd be difficult to keep that promise, he thought. On a patrol boat, he could make that kind of promise and keep it, thanks to the relatively low-risk jobs facing patrol boats. But now, he'd be leading these ponies straight towards a giant monster that had leveled Manehattan. A very high risk job, for sure.
"Uh, cap?"
Ironclad turned his head back to see Lucky coming back into the tent. He had a pair of mailbags draped across his back.
"Yes, sergeant?"
"Well, before I go deliver the mail for the squad,can I ask a favor?" Ironclads eyes slightly narrowed in confusion. He said,
"Sure..."
"You got any family, cap?"
"Yes, why?"
Lucky trotted back into the tent, sitting on the cot next to Ironclad's. Lucky said,
"Well, here's what I'd like for you to do. If this feeling of mine turns out to be true, would you...would you tell my wife what happened?" -Lucky took a small piece of metal hanging off a wire tied around his neck, and hoofed it over to Ironclad- "I know it probably won't happen, but, y'know, just in case..." The small, metal tag would tell who somepony was, where they were from, and their service number. The sole reason for their existence was to help identify bodies, and locate the pony's next of kin. Ironclad hesitated for a moment, then reached up and took the tag, saying,
"Sure." 


***


VALLEY TWO MILES NORTHWEST OF HOLLOW SHADES
4 DAYS UNTIL DEADLINE
1750 HOURS

Ironclad, along with the thirteenth squadron, stood ready atop the clouds. The armored pegasi had one spear strapped to their sides, and a small sword holstered beneath their spear. It was utterly silent, anxiety spread throughout the entire squad. Ironclad looked side to side, making sure that the three other squadrons were in position. He moved to the edge of the cloud, where sergeant Lucky was lying, binoculars pressed up against his eyes. Ironclad lay down next to him, whispering,
"Any sign of it?"
"No, sir." Lucky didn't take the binoculars away from his eyes for a second.
"Be sure to let us know when you see it." Ironclad got back up, and moved back to where he had been standing.
Sergeant Lucky Strike slowly moved the binoculars from side to side, scanning the forest below and in front of them for any sign of Godzilla. At first, Lucky thought that something as big as the creature would be spotted instantly, no matter how far away it was. Now, though, with the sun nearly setting and painting everything in a golden shine, he found that little theory proven false. The fact that the monster had churned up a huge dust and debris cloud that obscured half the forest probably had something to do with it. He slowly moved his magnified gaze to the left, watching the dust cloud. Dust...dust...debris....dust...Wait...
He snapped his gaze back to the right, seeing the dust swirling around, being kicked up by something.
Something really, really big. A shape started to form. An impossibly tall, upright shape, moving towards the edge of the dust with thunderous booms accentuating each step. 
And then Lucky could actually see it. The titan, with pitch-black scales covering it, bone-like spines jutting out of the back, surging forwards. Lucky dropped the binoculars, slack-jawed at the sheer power the thing carried. That distressing feeling from earlier returned to him in full force. He turned his head back to the ponies behind him. He said,
"Captain. It's here."
Ironclad zoomed forward to the edge of the cloud, along with the ten other pegasi in the thirteenth. The leviathan lumbered out of the dust cloud, crushing massive clusters of trees with each step. 
Ironclad said, "H-hold. We can't attack until it's in the open..."
The beast moved agonizingly slowly, lumbering on, gradually getting closer, and closer to the edge of the forest. Ironclad tensed, preparing for the moment.
"Remember, we need to blind it. On my mark, dive in attack formation..."
In his peripheral vision , Ironclad could see the squadron at the ready, wings outstretched. Below, the beast was nearing the edge of the forest, nearly into the grass plains making up the valley. Just a little bit more and it'd be out of the forest...
"On my mark. Five..." It was approaching the edge, leaving the dust cloud behind.
"Four..." The creature flattened the line of trees making up the edge of the forest.
"Three..." The pegasi crouched, leaned forward.
"Two..." The monster moved out of the forest, stepping into the valley.
"One..." It surged forwards, thunder striking with each step.
"MARK!" The pegasi of the thirteenth shot downwards. Ironclad heard the wind scream as he dove, leading the eleven ponies towards the monster. Its head became larger as they approached, growing and growing till he had to violently turn right to avoid hitting the side of it. 
The pegasi separated, all four squadrons surrounding the head while the monster continued marching, trying to move its head out of the swarm it found itself in. Ironclad circled around the back, moving around the titanic spines jutting out. 
The beast twisted its head, roaring at the pegasi. Ironclad was now flying by the right side of the monster's head, keeping his distance as it lurched and twisted about. Ironclad moved back, pulling his spear from its position on his side. He'd have to time it just right. The creature's eyes were enormous, and he'd need to move quick in order to take one out.
Movement caught his eye, and when he looked to his right he saw the sixteenth, in a tight cluster, moving in fast towards the creature. When they were close to it, and the leader was about to throw his spear, the beast suddenly lunged its head at them, jaw snapping open and shut rapidly. The lead pony didn't move in time. He was gone in the time it took Ironclad to blink.
Ironclad shook his head, he needed to focus on the mission. Any moment now, when it looked away, he'd be able to move in.
Now!
He zoomed forward, racing toward the eye. The creature's eyes shifted over to Ironclad, and he had to roll to the right to avoid the beast's arm from swatting him away. He heard what happened to those that weren't as quick. He flew up, above the monster. Shifting the spear in his hooves, he looked down for a spot to land. The fifteenth and sixteenth were moving in a V-formation, attacking the front of the beast from two angles. 
That was when Ironclad saw that the spines on the creature's back were glowing a deep blue. 
Too late, he tried to scream a warning. The beast leaned forward, towards the two squadrons, and opened its maw.
A river of blue flame erupted from the creature's mouth. It turned its head side to side, arcing the river across the sky.  Most of the ponies in the two squads were vaporized instantly. The others, screaming as they burned, plummeted to the grass fields far below. 
Only the thirteenth and fourteenth were still in the fight. Ironclad flew up, hovering far above the monster. He held onto the spear as tight as he could, and then he dove down towards the beast. The wind blasted against him as he dove, forcing his ears to fold back. He made a final course adjustment, before he slammed down onto the creature's head. The spear barely broke the monster's skin, stopping far too short, causing Ironclad to jerk to a sudden stop.
The beast roared in anger, turning its head rapidly in an effort to dislodge Ironclad. Ironclad's grip on the spear faltered, and he was flung from the head, correcting his tumble into a hover, far from the monster. Drawing his sword, holding it in his mouth, he launched himself back to the fight, banking towards the creature. 
It swatted most of the fourteenth with its tail. They were flung almost a mile away, with no chance of rejoining anytime soon. Ironclad could only see five pegasi still flying around the creature's head. It snapped forward again, swinging its clawed arms as it did so, and now only two pegasi were left. 
Ironclad pushed himself to his limits, his wings burning as they propelled him. He saw sergeant Lucky trying to move in, spear ready. The beast twisted its head to the left, and lunged. 
Its jaws snapped shut on Lucky's right wing. 
Ironclad heard the screams as he closed the distance between himself and the monster.
He saw the blood staining Lucky's yellow fur a dark crimson.
The monster shook its head like a dog with a chew toy, and Lucky, still screaming, was thrown from the creature, his right wing tearing off.
The other pegasus raced forwards, caught Lucky, and, spotting Ironclad a short distance away, flew over to him. Lucky had already lost consciousness,  hanging limply from the pegasus' back. The three ponies were now hovering a good distance in front of the creature, which was getting closer by the second. Without some form of distraction, it wasn't likely that any of them would get away. Ironclad made a decision. He sheathed his sword, and said,
"Get the sergeant to the field hospital. And" -Ironclad tore a small wire, with two metal tags dangling on it, from his neck, hoofing them over to the pegasus- "make sure he gets these. He'll know what to do. Now get going!"
The pegasus flew off in the direction of the camp. Ironclad drew his sword again. He turned to face the monster, now closing in on him. Ironclad closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. He exhaled, opened his eyes.
And then, Ironclad charged.