Something evil's watching over you.

I remember being with Cadence, dancing all night an endless waltz. It was the New Year's Eve and we were celebrating in Canterlot. There was my sister, Twily, waiting for the countdown with her friends near the goods table. A few steps to the right and Fancy Pants has managed to get A.K. Yearling to come too, she seemed like having a great time too.

There were also the Regal Sisters, saluting a talking to everyone as equals. All of us, just having a good time in the last celebration of the year. Ready for a fresh start, making plans and promises to fulfill as soon as possible, right after midnight. We were happy. We were at peace.

***

Ponies and Robots
WARS
Chapter One: First strike, the last night of Equestria.

***

Comin' from the sky above,
and there's nothing you can do.

"Eight! Seven!" Celestia and Luna are ready to give each other the traditional 'New Year's Hug'.

The first thing that happened was that all the lights went out, everything electric inside the city was dead. Then, just like an earthquake, the earth started to shake but there was something off. I was in the balcony, with my friends and the Princesses. We all saw how down in the streets there was a total chaos of ponies running and screaming. All of them possessed by fear.

Then, between all the confusion, a thunderous sound, like a roar, eclipsed all the noises. Everypony was silent, some even fainted from the impression. I saw Princess Celestia gazing at north, from where the roar came. I followed her gaze and just then I realized that there was a fire in there. Flames and smoke towering over the largest buildings.

My friends and I didn't know what was happening, not even a clue, and just could see in horror how a whole neighborhood of Canterlot was burning.

Even Pinkie was silent. I felt a rush of wind at my back and saw how Princess Luna went airborne, racing towards the fire. I remember how Princess Celestia shouted at her, telling her that it could be dangerous, but Luna didn't listen to her. Why she didn't listen?

There was another roar, this time it felt louder, as if the thing that made it was getting closer. I asked Shiny to keep Spike safe before we all ran for the Elements' chamber. Only halfway I remembered that they weren't there. After Discord's reformation, they were secured in my house, back in Ponyville. I never felt so dumb and so useless in my entire life.

We went down to the streets, if we couldn't use the Element we could at least help to guide the crowds to the safety of the Palace. Then I heard another roar, closer this time.

The gargantuan wall of dust and smoke that devoured half of the city was advancing at us. Pinkie pointed at the rain of objects falling in our direction. It was thanks to her that I managed to deploy a shield quick enough to protect us and close ponies from the falling debris.

When Pinkie assured me that it was safe, I lifted the spell, only to see two ponies lying in the ground, not too far from us. The others must have seen them too, because we all she raced to attend them. Fluttershy was at the head, but for some reason she froze right before them. I didn't know what made her do that till I saw it myself. The image still assaults me in my nightmares.

Before us, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were barely standing, covered in cuts and bruises. Luna even had a dislocated wing. We were about to take them out of there when another roar shook the ground beneath us. The smoke in front of us flinched, as if something was moving behind it, then it dissipated. I managed to outline a figure bigger than any building I've ever seen, bigger than the castle itself.

Prepare to strike,
there'll be no place to run.
When you’re caught within the grip, of the evil Unicron.

I was in Cloudsdale when the attack began. Although New Year meant a free night in the Wonderbolt's base, that year was my turn to 'stay on guard' and by 'stand on guard' it means 'no alcohol'. I used to damn those moments, standing alone while literally everyone else was having fun at the party outside. All of them except Li'l-thing Dust, always doing all the dirty jobs.

I was on the main post when I heard it. It was like the sound of a pony about to break the sound barrier, but the only pony capable of it that wasn't in Cloudsdale already was Rainbow Dash. At first I fantasized that she was finally not angry at me anymore and was visiting. But then I remembered that she was invited at Canterlot, so it couldn't be her. I looked in the direction of where the sound was coming with the night vision goggles.

There, in the distance and coming really fast was coming some kind of object. It hadn't wings but it still advanced toward us, hovering like some vast, predatory bird. It wasn't till I took the goggles off that I noticed two things. First, it was big, dragon-like big. The second thing was that it wasn't alone. Dozens of identical-looking objects were following in 'V' formation.

I sounded the alarm, or at least I remember trying to reach it. The moment my hoof touched the button there was an explosion at the base of the watchtower and the whole building started to shake. I jumped out of the window and saw how it crumbled. I was too distracted to notice how the metallic thing was now behind me until I turned around and saw a giant claw coming for me.

I would've been crushed right there and then if it wasn't for Captain Spitfire taking me in her hooves and dragging me away from that. When we were out of danger, I saw how a squadron of Wonderbolts flew at whatever was attacking us. In that moment, I could finally see it.

The closer thing I can think of is a blue dragon made out of metal, flapping its wings and waving its claws at the pegasi around it. Captain Spitfire snapped me out of my trance, I don’t remember the exact words, only that she wanted us to go to the city and alert the civilians.

Then, the dragon-thing shot something like a light ray from the horn on its head. Instead of passing through the clouds, it dissipated them by just a mere touch. One single burst and the rainbow factory was seized to nothing but machinery falling apart.

That’s when I saw a little filly flying really slowly, too young to go any faster. I saw how she struggled to even stay above the clouds. The dragon lowed its head, as if looking at the filly, and I could see how it smiled before his horn started to shine again.

I don’t know how I did it. To be honest I only thought of getting the filly out of danger, could I do less?

Somehow I managed to get at the filly before the ray of light and to a safe distance. I think I overdid it, because the next thing I remember is awakening two days later in the Ponyville’s medic center.

Strong enough to break the bravest heart.

“Manehattan, the city that never sleeps, now is facing its darkest hour. Around thirty minutes ago, the city’s electric system had a critical failure, resulting in a massive blackout. Minutes after that, a 4.7 degree earthquake on the Richter scale happened.”

“What started as an unusual, but still mundane natural phenomenon turned into a real nightmare.”

“Coming from the skies above, three giant creatures landed in the Ponx, Trots Square and in the coast near to Harmony Island. The three gargantuan monsters started to ravage everything on their reach.”

“The one in the Ponx, named Skull by our reporters, is a bipedal creature made out of metal. It has two sharp blades that it used to both as melee and as throwing weapons, to cut clean entire buildings with minimal effort.”

“Meanwhile, in Trots Square, the monster attacking was identified as two-heads, due to the dual snake-like heads it has. With the same size of Skull, and apparently made of the same metal, Two-Heads has sighted firing some kind of destructive laser that has already destroyed half of the area.”

“But none of them was as terrifying as the one in Harmony Island. At first it only stood still, staring at the Statue of Liberty. But then it drawn some kind of gun and shot the Statue’s head. After that, it spoke.”

“It identified itself as Cyclonus, air commander of ‘The Unicron Empire’, and announced that the attack was only the beginning of a planetary scale conquest. It then called for the mayor of the city to surrender in exchange of stopping the attack.”

“What could have been Manehattan’s capitulation was interrupted by a purple light that shone over the city as a new sun. Immediately, both the mechanical beasts in the city and the one called Cyclonus were driven away from the city’s limit as a dome made of light covered the islands.”

“At the moment of this transmission, the dome of light is still surrounding our city. We don’t have any news on what is happening in other cities nor we know what saved us either. We only have the rumor that similar events have been happening around Equestria and, maybe, the world.”

So we have to pull together,
we can't stay worlds apart.

The crystal ponies were having their first New Year's Even in centuries. The Department of Culture was having the day of their lives by preparing and adapting the costumes they hadn't used since King Sombra took over.

They were celebrating a new year, a new chance. They were having a good time, crystal natives and newcomers, all of them having fun at the party. They were happy.

Being a thousand years old city that still had a long path to follow before adapting to modern time, the first sign of problems wasn't easy to spot. The very few electrical devices died, all at the same time, but the ponies demised it as a failure of a too new device.

The next one though, gave them the right indication that there was something wrong.

*Vrooooooom*

The loud noise of machinery assaulted the air around them. Nopony could figure out what could be making such noise, but it grew by the second. Whatever it was, it was getting closer.

The ponies close enough to hear her over the noise followed her hoof and got shocked of what they saw. Seeing them, other ponies followed their gaze, the same reaction expanding like a wave in the water till everypony on the Crystal City was silent, gazing at the night sky and unable to react.

Hovering over them, there was a flying machine. It was a shell made of metal, with two triangular wings and two chimney-like tubes coming from its backside. A smaller section, shaped like a reptilian head and connected to the main body gave and its gigantic size gave it the appearance of a dragon.

"This is Count Brocken speaking. Surrender now!" said a voice coming from the aerial fortress. "From now on, this city is under the Unicron Empire's control." It sounded as if the talker was enjoying sating that. "Surrender now and your lives may be spared.”

As the self-named Count said that, the ponies could see how multiple objects were falling from the flying machine. Over a hundred of creatures, strapped to white parachutes, descended over the city. They were like minotaurs, bipedal and two hands, only than thinner and without horns. Instead of fur, they were all covered by the same gray blue uniforms with bronze helmets.

“We are the Iron Cross Corps,” all of them said on unison. “You’re under siege now. Go back to your houses and don’t come out.”

“The heck we will!” A pegasus roared and air-charged at one of the Iron Crosses. It didn't even flinch, reacting quick, as a machine would do, and kicking the poor pegasus in the ribs, sending him to the ground. Three more Iron Crosses were already surrounding the fallen pony as the first one pointed his gun at him.

"You think you have an option." Pointing the sub-machine gun at his head. "We will have to teach you a short, sharp lesson in discipline," he said as pressing the trigger.

But the bullets never hit their target. Instead, the rain of bullets was stopped in midair by a blue light.

From the city’s center, the Crystal Heart started to pulsate, as reacting to the ponies’ time of need. Understanding what was happening, all the inhabitants of the Crystal Empire focused, activating the Heart’s magic and raising a magic shield that drove the invaders away and covered the Empire from any damage.

"Resistance huh? You can't resist me, I'm Count Brocken I cannot and will not be stopped.". One round after another, the Air Fortress Gool unleashed enough fire to reduce anything under it. But the barrier resisted.

The Count was ready to release something far worse. But before he could do so, a retreat order came through the communicator. Count Brocken wasn't going to yield, but an order is and order. Reluctantly, Brocken turned his machine around, not before swearing to come back and reduce the Empire to ashes the next time.

To stand divided we will surely fall.
Until our darkest hour,
when the light will save us all.

"Faust helps us," said Twilight as facing the imposing figure of the metallic giant. It was a bipedal creature, purple and silver. His head was adorned whit something that looked like a three spiked crown. It's was firm, and it looked down at the ponies with an expression that only showed contempt.

"So, this is the best this planet has to offer?" the giant said in mockery. "Two horses who can't take ONE hit from me, Galvatron." His eyes glowed even more as he said his own name. Twilight's friends could only watch, still shocked by seeing the Princesses, two of the most powerful beings they knew, defeated. Dread invaded their thoughts

But the purple alicorn had another idea. For a moment, Twilight was only seeing red.

"You shall now bow to me, to Galvatron, your conqueror and new ruler." Galvatron chuckled. "Or you can die screaming." He smirked as charging a barrage of the cannon on his arm.

Twilight Sparkle, the student turned ruler. The pony that never thought of herself of the violent type, now confronting something she had never seen before. The same pony that studied friendship and learned about its power over anything as the force that bounds an entire world.

She was now ready to make a stand. Ready to fight back. Ready to defend her friends and family, to defend her home, with everything she has. Ready to give even the last drop, to sacrifice everything, for those who she loved.

Galvatron barely managed to step back and cover his face with a hand to shield his optics from the blinding light coming from the small creatures at his feet. The purple one, was now floating high, near his face' level, as her eyes glowed in white.

Twilight charged all her magic in one spell. Her enemy was powerful, maybe even more than the previous ones if it managed to defeat the Regal Sisters- She would need everything, maybe even more for what she was about to do.

"Aaaaahhhhh!!!!!" She roared in pain and exhaustion, for using all the magic she had and forcing her body to every limit. She had one shot, and she was going to make it count.

With one final scream from the Princess of Friendship, the light finally expanded, covering everything in the city block they were. Galvatron was thrown away by the sheer amount of energy, landing heavily on a building, smashing it to bits. As the light disappeared, only a thick wall of dust was covering everything, blocking any sight.

The leader of the Decepticons, the very spawn of Unicron, didn't know what was happening or what to do. Galvatron did what he usually did in these cases; aim and shot.

"You'll suffer for that!" He screamed, pointing his fusion cannon at where he supposed were the small creatures. "A whole world of pain!"

The barrage of energy was so powerful that it dissipated the dust on its path, revealing a small sphere made of light, floating several meters over the ground that deflected the deadly blast of energy. Galvatron shot again; one, two, three...

"DIE!" Galvatron shrieked in rage. His cannon was about to overload itself, but the sphere didn't flinch. He changed to alternate form, concentrating all of his energy reserves into the weapon. He concentrated every drop of energon available on his system in one single shot. The blast left his cannon in a hurricane of destruction.

The blast never hit its target. Instead, the sphere of light started to expand. Galvatron could finally see how the eight creatures were floating inside it, five of them wearing something in their necks as the purple one had something in its head.

It's judgement day and now we've made our stand
And now the powers of darkness
Have been driven from our land

A purple alicorn awoke in a hospital bed. After calming herself, she noticed all kind of beeps around her indicating the machines monitoring her heartbeat and other vital signs.

Twilight Sparkle looked around, noticing that only her right eye was open. She tried to feel her left one with a hoof, but when she raised it the pain stopped her.

Moving her head, she realized that her right fore hoof was all bandaged from her bicep to the tip of the hoof. She tried with her left hoof and could also feel bandages around her head and covering her left eye.

“Twilight!” A pink voice called from the door. Pinkie Pie entered the room, stared at Twilight in silence and stormed out.

Her answer came in the form of nine ponies and a dragon entering in her room, all at the same time, to surround her.

“Twilight?!” Spike shouted at seeing her. “Oh, thank Faust, you’re awake, you’re alright.” He said as hugging her as strong as he could.

“Spike, let her breath dude.” Shining Armor joked as coming closer to the bed. “It’s good to see you awake and fine, Twilight.”

“As if the whole city of Canterlot decided to use me as their stomping ground.” Twilight commented, still a little disoriented. Then realization struck her.

“Wait!” Twilight said as raising the eyebrow that wasn’t covered in bandages. “You mean my crazy plan worked?!”

“All we know is that the Elements were transported from Ponyville to Canterlot by a pony who doesn’t know when to quit.” Princess Luna answered. “A sharp mind and an unbreakable will, now I see what my sister saw in you, Princess Twilight.”

“So, it’s over? Did we win?” Twilight asked, hoping whatever that struck them, was now away from them.

To her surprise, nopony answered. Instead, all of them looked away, too afraid to give her the uncomfortable answer that was the reality now. All of them except from her mentor.

Princess Celestia walked next to her faithful student. Celestia was showing only determination.

“Yes and no," she said in a neutral tone. “Yes, we won. Countless lives were saved and are now safe thanks to you but.” She cut herself.

“But what?” Twilight asked, growing impatient. “What’s wrong, Princess?”

“That should have been the end.” The Sun Princess was looking out the window. "But I'm afraid it's just the beginning."

The battle's over but the war has just begun,
and this way it will remain till the day when all are one.

Ponies and Robots Wars

by Magenta Cat

Chapter 1: First Strike, the last night of Equestria.