Chapter 2
Full metal rumble.
The dragon let out a challenging roar that echoed across the valley. Small licks of flame shot from its throat and nostrils, its claws flexed and dug at the frozen ground as it got ready to counter charge the approaching Sol Invictus. With a mighty, wing assisted leap it shot forward, tearing up the ground as it made a mad dash towards the charging machine. Its over sized front claws shot forward, ready to tear the offending machine to ribbons. AJ and Dash saw it coming however and at the last second jinked to the left, the dragons claws missing their armored form by less than three feet. They hit the ground and created a long trench several yards deep.
“Critter's a fast one.” Applejack said as they brought Sol Invictus around.
“But we're faster.” Rainbow Dash replied.
The dragon tore its claws free of the frozen ground and turned to meet them.
“Git ready to buck.” Applejack growled as the dragon came round full circle.
Sol Invictus spun round. Servo engines whining under the strain of the fast maneuver. Its fore hooves slammed into the ground, cracking the earth as it brought its rear legs in.
“Now!” AJ yelled and she kicked out with all her strength. Dash following almost instantly. Their long hours of practice paying off.
Sol Invictus brought its hind quarters up and then kicked out. Engines howling at full power. The machines mighty steel hooves connected full force with the dragons skull. The boom of the impact so loud it rattled every window on this side of the city.
On the view screen of the command center, Twilight and her command crew followed the action.
“Direct hit!” Ruby Gem shouted. The rest of the command crew letting loose whoops and cheers of their own as the dragon slammed into the ground, dazed.
'Don't cheer too soon' twilight thought. Fighting to keep her expression neutral. She had to stay calm and collected, even as a spark of hope began to grow in her heart. A commander needed to be cool and analytical. Every book she had read on the subject stated so.
On the screen Sol Invictus began pounding the dazed dragon with its hooves. Raining down a quick combination of blows.
“Hay yeah we got this.” Dash yelled as she struck out with her fore leg, Making their war machine bash the dragon in the face for a third time.
“Lets not get cocky Rainbow. This varmint is down but not out yet.” AJ retorted as she matched Dash her movements.
They made ready to deliver another blow, but just as it was about to connect the dragon reared up its head, maw opening wide. And then it bit down like a bear trap snapping shut. Trapping their foreleg in its jaws. Armor plates buckled under the pressure. Servos ground to a halt, sparks flying as they overloaded due to the sudden stop and clouds of coolant blasted forth from emergency vents.
Inside the cockpit alarms started to howl. Followed suit by a cry of pain from Orchid Dew as the overload from the damaged systems caused a feedback reaction over the mind link that translated as a sharp jolt of pain. A mere moment later Applejack and Rainbow Dash cried out in pain as well as the feedback surge reached them too.
“AAAUGH! LET GO YOU BUCKER!” Rainbow Dash screamed. Yanking back the injured leg. It felt like her own leg was being stabbed with shards of glass.
Applejack was trying to strike out with her other hoof, but with the both of them making different movements Sol Invictus response was sluggish and the blows were not having much effect on the dragon at all.
“It hurts, it hurts.” Orchid was whimpering behind them. Her horn flickering as the pain made it hard to keep her concentration.
“Girls! Try to calm down.” Twilights voice suddenly burst over the radio. “Your synchronization with the Sleipnir is dropping.”
“It HURTS Twilight!” Rainbow shouted back. “Nobody said anything about it hurting this much.”
“We knew sensory feedback was a possible risk of the mind link spell. But if you let the pain overwhelm you, you won't be able to fight back. Work through the pain and concentrate on your actions.”
“Easy for you to say.” Dash ground out. Gnashing her teeth as she fought down the phantom agony in her leg.
The dragon was scrabbling back to its feet. Claws digging at the earth as it tried to gain leverage and push Sol Invictus back. But the girls and their machine stood their ground even as the dragon gnawed on the damaged leg. Once more the girls moved in sync, punching out with their free foreleg to try and dislodge the dragon.
“This bucker won't let go.” Dash growled through grit teeth.
“Ah'm open ta suggestions.” AJ growled back.
“C-charging horn canon.” Orchid Dew stuttered. Blinking tears of pain from her eyes.
With an electrical hum and buzz, capacitor coils began to spin up as the tip of Sol Invictus horn opened up. A bright blue glow emanating from within.
“Firing.” She said as the electrical noise reached its crescendo.
A powerful blue magical laser beam blasted forth from Sol Invictus horn. It struck the dragon in the face, cutting a diagonal furrow into its flesh, right down to the bone. It let out a roar of agony, finally opening its jaws and freeing the battered machine. The girls used the opportunity to back off to a relative safe distance.
“Good work sugarcube.” AJ said as she glanced over her shoulder back at Orchid.
“Tag out and take a breather girls.” Pinkie Pie's voice cut in. “Let us have a turn.”
They turned their Sleipnir to look back at Party Cascade. The heavy war machine was approaching at a leisure pace. Its twin canons tracking the dragon who was still clawing at its own face in agony. Their barrels already aglow with energy.
“He's all yours Pinkie.” Dash said into the radio.
Up in Party Cascade's cockpit a smirk crossed Pinkie Pie's face.
“Were on it like icing on a cake. Alright Vinyl you know the routine, get ready to drop the bass again.”
“Just say when.” The blue haired DJ grinned.
Just then the dragon looked up. Eyes aglow with hatred. It turned to face the pink machine, chest swelling up like a giant frog. A bright orange glow beginning to emit from inside it, the silhouette of its ribcage clearly visible. It threw its head back and then brought it snapping forward. Maw opening wide as an endless torrent of flame rolled forth from its cavernous throat. The girls panicked.
“Fire, FIRE!” Minuette cried out.
Vinyl responded out of reflex and fired the canons. Twin lances of crimson sonic energy blasting forth from the barrels before they had a target lock. As a result the beams went wide of their target, and then they were engulfed by the flames.
Back at the command center alarm bells began to ring on the monitor stations.
“Party Cascade hull temperature is rising drastically.” Rustle barked.
“Pilot heart rates are spiking.” Redplume reported.
“Magnetic capacitors are losing cohesion due to the extreme heat. Canons are offline.” Ruby Gem cut in.
“Hot.. its Burning! Skin... on fire!” the garbled, static laden cries of the girls came over the radio.
“How is that thing producing that much heat? Dragon fire should not burn that hot.” another pony on the command crew shouted.
“Internal temperature is rising. The coolant system can't handle it all.” Rustle said with worry.
“If this keeps up the canopy window will melt. They will be burned alive.” Ruby cried out.
“AJ get them out of there.” Twilight cried into the radio.
The ground below the stream of dragon fire ran molten. The stone spitting and hissing like magma. Clouds of steam rose up as the intense heat flash vaporized the snow nearby. And still the dragon kept exhaling fire. How it managed to do so without pausing to inhale fresh air they had no idea. Trying to work through the pain of slowly being cooked, the girls tried to steer Party Cascade out of the flames. But the dragon simply turned with them. Keeping them at the center of the inferno.
The machines movements were becoming sluggish as joints began to lock up due to the metal expanding under the intense heat. Several armor plates were beginning to run molten. Drops of red hot steel falling down in hissing rivulets. Several consoles in the cockpit blew out. Wires spitting fat sparks everywhere. The stink of melting circuit boards was everywhere, making them gag and gasp for breath.
A mighty battle cry pierced the air and then the flames suddenly stopped as Sol Invictus barreled into the dragon at full power. Its horn piercing the beasts neck just above the shoulder. Not a fatal wound, but more than enough to give the monster pause.
Both AJ and Dash were letting loose a stream of profanity as they lashed out as fast and hard as they could. Forelegs flashing in a blur as they struck out again and again. Sol Invictus engines whined and howled, barely able to keep up with its pilots commands. The impact of its hooves sent shock waves through the air.
The dragon wasn't about to roll over and die though. Even with blood spurting from the deep wound in its neck it struck back at them with its over sized claws. Battering and stripping chunks out of Sol Invictus armored hide. The two titans were pounding away at each other like a pair of blacksmiths trying to pummel an anvil into submission. The ground shook with every step and the boom of each impact could be heard for miles around.
Suddenly the dragon pushed them back with a burst of strength, creating a small gap between them. It roared, wings flaring it pounced on them. All six limbs clawing away at them as it slammed its full weight down on Sol Invictus. The damaged leg decided it had enough as something inside exploded. Blowing out part of the armor. Flames and shrapnel rained down around it. The entire mechanism locked up, and with no way to correct its stance Sol Invictus toppled over beneath the dragons weight. Sensing victory the dragon opened its maw wide and bit down on Sol Invictus armored skull.
“External pressure is rising exponentially.” Ruby Gem shouted from her console seat back at base. “Its gonna crack open the cockpit like an egg.”
“Pinkie!” Twilight yelled into the radio. “They need you, now!”
Party Cascade was moving sluggishly. Swaying like a drunk mule.
“We need a minute to regain control twilight.” Minuette replied with a cough. “Some of the wiring melted.”
“The others don't have a minute.” Twilight cried, panic was gripping her. Threatening to overwhelm her. She had to stay calm. Think. She had to buy them time to save AJ Dash and Orchid.
“The superstructure is beginning to crack.” Redplume shouted. “All gages are in the red.”
“Get me lightning command!” Twilight bellowed, almost slipping into the royal Canterlot voice in her urgency.
The screen flickered to life, showing the face of Foggy Fleece.
“Commander?”
“Fire everything at the dragon, right now.”
“But commander, we'll hit our own..” Foggy Fleece began but twilight cut her off.
“I know that, it will hurt them but they can take it. Better they be in pain than dead. Now fire!”
Foggy fleece saluted. Her face grim. Seconds later every single lightning cannon opened fire on the dragon and Sol Invictus. As the lightning shells struck home, both forms vanished in the blinding white blue light of the electrical detonation. The sound of a hundred thunderclaps going off at once shook the city right down to the foundation.
Pain was all they could feel. Every fiber of their being was in agony. Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Orchid Dew screamed until their voices cracked. They were temporarily blind from the endless flashes of lightning, and temporarily deafened by the cacophony of thunderclaps, and the dragons piercing wail of absolute agony.
The beast had let go of their head and was thrashing about on the ground. Its scaly hide was seared and scorched in hundreds of places. Blisters formed and burst beneath the scales. Leaking clear fluids and boiled fat. One of its over sized claws was gone, blown clean off the wrist. Its left eye was a bloody ruin.
It rolled over, trying to get to its feet to resume its attack, but never made it. Twilights desperate gamble had bought the crew of Party Cascade just enough time to reroute the machine's command functions. It came barreling forth through the cloud of smoke and dirt that the explosions had thrown up. Slamming its full weight into the dragon like a charging bull, throwing the beast to the side. It impacted the frozen ground hard. One of its wings got caught beneath its own bulk and snapped with a sickening crunch of splintering bone.
All three mares were panting and sweating. Pinkie's mane had lost its trademark curls and was plastered to her forehead with sweat. Minuette's was hanging limply. Even Vinyls spiky mane was drooping in the heat that still permeated the cockpit.
“Lets finish this.” The normally good natured DJ said. Her voice cold as the winter snow.
Minuette and Pinkie gave a grave nod.
With cautious steps they steered Party Cascade closer. The dragon was lying in a broken heap. Its legs kicking out weakly, clawing at the ground to try and get up. Its remaining eye stared at them with blind hatred. If looks could kill they would have gone up in a nuclear explosion. Whatever sympathy they might have felt for the creature vanished as they looked into that baleful orb. It was all to clear that if the situation were reversed the beast would show them no mercy.
“Sorry buster, this party is over.” Pinkie said before she reared up. Minuette followed suit.
Party Cascade reared up, kicked its forelegs once, and then slammed down with all of its weight on the dragons neck. There was a bang and a crack, followed by a sickening squelch as the dragons spine snapped and its throat was crushed. It spasmed once, twice, its tail twitching wildly. And then its body fell limp. Life left its remaining eye as its crushed throat gave one final gurgle. The beast was dead.
They had won.