//------------------------------//
// Beginning of the End 
// Story: My Son, My Soldier, My Hero 
// by That_Random_Pony 
//------------------------------//

Who could say they were ready to face an army infinitely greater than their own? Certainly not Equestria, nor the Griffons, the Diamond Dogs, the Minotaurs, the dragons, or even the yaks. Silence loomed over the planet, a horrific calm before what could be an apocalyptic storm. Armor clanged as regimes of species moved to their assigned positions. Magic and energy whirred and chimed as they were turned into enormous barriers around numerous cities. If one were to look at the planet from orbit, it would look like a dome world. Outside these barriers were cannons, and around those were armies that put any individual nation to shame. Floating above each major city were dreadnoughts, accompanied by squadrons of fighters. 

Signa, Bestial and regular alike were split up among the cities, but everyone could feel the pure energy drifting in the city of Canterlot. The heavy, stupefying amounts of energy brought the morale of anything that could sense the imbalance up to greater heights. If that wasn't enough, the biggest chunk of the Loki'irian fleet, or what remained of it, hung overhead, nearly blotting out the sun's rays. On the ground was nearly half the Loki'irian army, each donning their most advanced armors and weapons. Nera'ak lumbered around on the ground while flyers rested and waited on the massive cruisers and dreadnoughts. 

None of this came anywhere close to what lay atop the mountain. With a dreadnought and an army of its own guarding it, the Vegdor cannon rested with its barrel aimed to the sky. Few Loki'irians knew of its power, and even fewer knew the struggles of that had been fought to even consider the weapon's creation. Some called it insane. Others believed it was a heretical form of defying Minira herself. Worse still, they called it a disgrace to existence itself. Playing God, as some would say. 

The Vegdor took anything it hit out of existence. 

A soldier, a ship, a dreadnought... planets, even. The Loki'irians learned of the godlike weapon's potential generations ago when a gunner missed his shot on an Arthanian ship. The cost was in the millions, as the planet had released so much energy the entire battle had been consumed in hellfire. The 750th Makti demanded every dreadnought be brought to port for disarmament. After the "Sample of Oblivion" incident, every Vegdor cannon was removed and dismantled from each dreadnought, except for five. Four had been lost in the fall of Loki'ir, but the last one rested atop the mountain Canterlot resided under. They literally sat beneath a weapon of untold power. A sleeping giant. And the giant would soon wake.

Figanti rushed through the lines of the warriors, shouting to get them in order. Other Protiiglo, the highest ranking Loki'irian officers, yelled and hollered to get the other species in check, making sure every line was fully supplied with ammo, medical solvents and extra weapons. The inner lines were flanked by automated mechs, which responded directly to Portok's orders. Further in, mounted cannons and turrets protected entrenched lines. Streets had become blocked wall after wall of barricades and warriors. Nothing looked the same. The city looked ready for war.

Twilight went to scratch an itch on her nose, but her suit, named Liika, did it for her. "Oh! Hm... they must really not want to let themselves be bothered when they fight," she mused, smiling beneath the helmet to her friends.

"Well, wouldn't want an itchy nose gettin' ya... y'know..." Applejack drew a line over her armored neck and made a slicing sound. The girls gave mixed reactions, but it all quieted down soon enough. "Girls... ah know ah can be stubborn... and plain awful, sometimes."

"Sometimes?" Rainbow scoffed, chuckling when Applejack nudged her with her mace. 

"What ah wanna tell ya'll... is that ah love each and every one of you," she said, keeping her voice level. "Ya'll are like family... and ah wanna have a full family reunion when this is all said an' done. No empty seats, ya hear?"

Rarity sniffled beneath her helmet and nodded. "Oh, I hope I'm not the only one crying," she giggled, thanking her armor as it cleaned her face and drained any tears from her eyes. "As soon as this is over, we're all getting treatments at the spa. And dresses. One for each of you."

"And a party!" Pinkie chimed. "We can have it in the Castle! It'll be like another Gala!"

"We'd better start the cards after we kick some flank," Rainbow laughed. She adjusted the spear resting against her shoulder and looked out to the greenish sky, thanks to the field around the capital. "And we need a performance to make it more epic than my sonic rainboom."

"Maybe Fluttershy's bird choir," Twilight suggested, turning to their silent friend. 'Would they be okay with singing for a big party?"

Fluttershy lifted her head suddenly, then quickly shook her head. "Oh, I don't think so. B-But, maybe I should ask them. They get really nervous when they have to sing without practice," she said, her voice amplified by her suit. "Oh, am I talking too loud?"

"It's just the suit," Rainbow laughed, patting Fluttershy's shoulder. "Don't worry. We won't need these too long."

They were quiet once more as a drum rang out, slowly reverberating through the land.  "Girls..." Twilight's armor moved away from her face as she turned to them. "...I'm so glad Celestia kicked me out of Canterlot. And I'm so glad I met all of you." 

She wiped her muzzle, and they wrapped each other in a group hug. "We've gotta be the luckiest ponies," Rainbow sniffled.

"You said it," Applejack laughed.

Celestia smiled from afar, then turned to her sister as the drums grew louder. She nodded firmly, and Celestia started up her horn. In a flash, they were taken to the top of Canterlot Castle. Derekosh, Jaqeluu and Agner were near the satellite, the first messing with the control panel while the other two waited. They all turned when they heard the sound of magic.

"Is it ready?" Celestia asked. 

Derekosh typed in another command, then looked up to the princesses. "It is... are the armies ready?"

"They are... but there is one thing that needs to be done," Luna said. Derekosh grinned, but he nodded and nudged Jaqeluu.

"If anyone should do this, it should be you," he told his brother. 

Jaqeluu shook his head. "No... I know who must do this."

Down below in the city, Figanti was arming a turret with shells when his armor alerted him. "Yes?" He listened carefully, then sighed before taking off to the castle. He landed gently beside them, examining the device. "You're certain it's fully functional?"

"Yes, uncle," Agner chuckled, pushing a small microphone into his hand. "Go... they need to hear this."

He thought back to Konaskol... the man who would have been in this very position. But now it was him, and now he had the honor of leading their sacred gathering of the best Signa, and the honor of acting in his friend's place. He tuned it to the frequencies of each suit on the planet, then cleared his throat.

"The satellite is ready." He waited for some minutes, noticing the lack of movement down below. "We will be launching it shortly, but there is one thing left to do."

He inhaled slowly, then shakily let his breath go.

"Today... today we will be fighting one of the most evil forces known to the stars," he said, sitting down at the edge of the spire. "They have taken untold amounts from my people... and I want every nation to know they will take something from you this day. But... they have also done what will be their undoing. They've brought us together. They've united your split land and put you on the same side."

"Though I am glad to unite a world, I will admit that even then... it may not be enough." He paused again, grinning somberly. "Sons will be lost... fathers... daughters... mothers... and so many more will fall with them. But when they arrive... when they barrel towards you and kill those beside you... do not be afraid. Be angry. Be vengeful. Remember what you're fighting for. Remember who you love, and let that same love drive you to fight to your dying breath!"

"These monsters will not stop until they meet a force that can defeat them. By Minira's grace, we will be that force. We will be the ones, years from now, to say we stopped them! We will have the privilege of saying we fought this fight, and that we were victorious! We will tell the children of our lands that they may reach to the stars and beyond, because those hordes will not lurk in the darkest reaches of space."

"Fight today. Fight for yourselves. Your families. You friends. Fight and don't stop until you win. Fight with us... fight for good... FIGHT FOR YOUR TOMORROW!" 

Boisterous roars and cheering erupted throughout the world, soldiers of all nations shouting for war. Figanti glanced to the mountains, praying silently and quickly before turning back to Derekosh. His nephew typed in a command on the panel, then stood back as the satellite whirred and began to float. Thrusters popped out from its sides, then fired away and sent it into the atmosphere. 

Moon bumped heads with each of his pack members and sat back. "He knows how to work a crowd." His pack and the occupants of the dropship laughed.

"He's had decades to work on his speaking skills," Niraka shrugged. "And he's a League member."

Orgos adjusted his armor and loaded a clip into his rifle. "I hope you're all ready," Hutono laughed uneasily. "This... this is it." He rubbed his shaking hands together and bounced his knee anxiously.

Niraka put her hand on his, easing him slightly. "I've done my best to train you all," Inagro said, looking outside the dropship. "...now... we see how good of a teacher I am." He rose his blade up, examining the markings near its edge. "I want you all to know... I'm proud to know that you are part of my pack."

Niraka tried nuzzling him, but her armor only allowed her to rest her head against his. "We're going to make it... we have to," Moon firmly said. The others nodded as well, and they gripped their weapons firmly.

Ember laid with Dawn, who was still sleeping. Ember ran her claw along her scales and hugged her close. She was to wait inside the civilian bunker built into the mountain, where most of Equestria's noncombatants were waiting. Closer to the entrance were healers and medical personnel, who would treat the wounded that were brought in. The sound of the satellite launching barely reached her, but when it did, she closed her eyes and lowered her head.

"You can do this, Draco... you can do this."













The Iikro growled as it heard a beeping sound come from the panel beside it. The Alpha with it tuned the comms array to a channel that cleared up the audio. As the message played, the Iikro's snarl got deeper and deeper. It smashed the panel and let loose a roar into the Arthanian comm lines.

"SET A COURSE FOR THOSE DREK TRARG!

Fleet after fleet began to fire up their portals, the very fabric of space and time distorting across the galaxy. They poured out from these warped transmissions, slowly approaching the pale blue planet. The Iikro flared its energy to its maximum, glaring at the domed cities below.

"Come out to play, Reku'un. And watch this world burn like the rest.