//------------------------------// // Full Force Forward // Story: Technicalities // by BionicBrony //------------------------------//         Lieutenant Quicksilver was a simple Stallion. At least, he liked to think so. For as long as he could remember, he planned on having a more or less quiet life. Yet the odd patch of excitement was definitely a welcome bonus. That was the main reason he decided to join the Royal Guard. It paid well, there were relatively few major incidents, and whenever there was one, Princess Celestia or somepony else would usually be the ones to deal with it. It struck a nice balance.         And then the Liandri appeared. Truth be told, Lieutenant Quicksilver wasn't even sure they existed until just a few weeks ago. Before the Gala, rumors of tall, two legged metal creatures, self propelled carts, and flying machines remained just that: rumors. Ponyville wasn't very far off from Canterlot, sure, but the Royal Guard barely had a reason to come down to begin with. Most of the stories came from ponies who came up from the small town and who decided to feel chatty. Of course, most of them sounded much too fanciful.         As a result, a lot of ponies brushed them off. Especially the nobles. Some of the guards were curious enough to look into them, and returned with confirmation of their existence, but with so little apparent activity from them, the fabled Liandri eventually fell under the radar again and slipped back into a state of myth. Princess Celestia apparently knew about them, but nopony seemed to get it in their head to ask her. In hindsight, Lieutenant Quicksilver couldn't imagine how such a disconnect was possible between Ponyville and Canterlot, especially considering how each was clearly in view of the other.         The night of the Gala was when the first real shock occurred. Not only did the Liandri and their creators make an overt appearance in Canterlot, they did so in as unsubtle a manner as possible. If the nobles had any doubts about their existence before, they were immediately dispelled then and there.         The wedding was the second reality check, and the one that served as the biggest wakeup call. At that point, the Royal Guard knew beyond any doubt that bipedal machines existed in Ponyville, but it wasn't until their human creator briefed the guards that they realized just how dangerous they actually were. He claimed it was to familiarize the guards with the Liandri, so that nopony would get hurt in case something happened during the wedding. Like most of the guards, however, Lieutenant Quicksilver knew what it was really all about, and what was happening right now only confirmed his suspicions.         It was a display of power: a threat hidden behind a smile. Alexander's constant clashing with the Captain only served to prove that they had no intention of co-operating with the law, and there was no telling what sort of maliciousness was hidden deep beneath their hooves. In a way, it's thanks to the changelings that their true intentions were exposed, although it may have just accelerated whatever they were planning in the first place. All the guards could feel it. There was no need for words. Something really bad was coming, no matter what that fake mare standing over there told them.         So much for having a quiet life...         After what felt like the passing of an entire lifetime, the front door to the garage opened up again, and the Captain trotted out with his sister by his side. The armored human followed behind, but he appeared to be in less of a hurry.         Cantering ahead of his sister and the human, Shining Armor moved to stand before the assembled guards with all his usual pomp. "The Liandri have the changeling situation under control,” he started. “I need you all to alert your divisions and have them focus on the locals. They need to keep everypony calm, and if possible, in their homes. At least until this all blows over. Once you're done, rendezvous by the southern perimeter. That’s where the front will be. Understood?"         The guards saluted, giving a resolute "Sir, yes, sir!" before galloping or flying to their respective subordinates.         Lieutenant Quicksilver, however, remained behind. He knew his Captain well enough to sense the hidden unease behind his tenor. He walked up to Shining Armor and dropped his voice to a murmur. "Sir, is everything alright? What did you see in there?"         Shining Armor shot a quick look behind himself at the nearby Liandri. For all he knew, they could be trying to listen in, but—to him anyway—it didn't look like it. Dropping his voice even lower than the Lieutenant's, he leaned in and whispered: "They have an entire army down there."         A chill shot down Quicksilver's spine, the cold shock jerking his head up to stare Shining Armor directly in the eye. He hoped to see any form of exaggeration on his face. Unfortunately, the captain remained more stone cold than he had ever seen him before, and the slight crease in his brow only revealed the truth of the matter.         He was being serious...         As the thought sunk in, the garage's main door, the one meant for vehicles, opened on its own, signaled by a loud whirring of a motor and clunking of panels on guiding rails. A deep rumble signaled the presence of the machine behind it, and before the door had even fully raised itself up, a train of almost a dozen identical vehicles rolled out. A pair of wheels larger than a pony were mounted on the front, while treads supported the back end, which itself carried a thin, yet long cannon-looking device.         What wasn't familiar to the guards was at least in part familiar to Twilight. It was the same model of vehicle that Alex had built for Pinkie on Hearth's Warming Eve. Although these were painted brown and beige, as opposed to the hot pink on Pinkie's, and sported something that  clearly wasn’t a giant party cannon.         Quicksilver gawked at the vehicles for a lot longer than he should have, only snapping out of his daze when Shining Armor eventually bumped and reminded him that he had been given an order. With a quick nod of acknowledgement, the unicorn lieutenant galloped off with as much determination to not look behind himself as possible.         Shining Armor trotted up to Alex and pointed a hoof at the train of vehicles. "Whoa, hey, just what is all this?"         "They're Hellfires, Shining," was Alex's answer, who was currently admiring them with his hands on his metal hips as they passed. "Self Propelled Mobile Artillery vehicles. They're going to deploy in open areas around town and provide a nice bit of help during the second phase of the defense."         “Second phase?” Shining Armor repeated, adding his own emphasis. “What do you mean second phase?”         “I mean second phase,” said Alex as he looked down at him. “There’s going to be a big fucking fight no matter what, and you can sure as hell bet that we will be the ones controlling it. We will let nothing go to chance. That means we’re going to be doing things step by step.”         As the last Hellfire left the garage, a parade of Liandri followed it, headed by the Skulldozer—the very same one that Shining Armor recognized from inside The Pits. The red eyes were what gave it away; assuming it was unique that way. It somehow seemed less threatening now that it was in broad daylight; or maybe it was the fact that it wasn’t looming directly over him like it was before. Either way, his instinct still demanded he keep his distance from the skull-faced hulk. Its armor appeared just as invincible as it did before, though the light helped reveal some of the smaller details, such as the angular ridges that dotted its bulky frame, similar to the ones on its head. A pair of commandos flanked the Skulldozer, who were then trailed by a seemingly endless train of Novas marching in rows of three. Alex beckoned Shining Armor over as he took up a spot in front of the Skulldozer and assumed leadership of the group. “Well let’s get a move on. They’re not gonna wait for us.”         Twilight moved to follow him, but Shining almost immediately stuck out a hoof to block her. “Whoa, hey, you’re not coming with us.”         She blinked at her brother as the Liandri continued to march without them. “What? Why not?”         He stepped in front of his sister. “You know exactly why not. I’m not going to let you throw yourself in harm’s way.”         Twilight narrowed her eyes. “Hey, I can take care of myself, you know.”         “Shining Armor is right, Twilight,” said Rose, trotting up next to her. “We’re already making a major exception by allowing him and some of his guards on the front. Even if we know you can handle yourself, you’re not needed there. But you are needed at the library with Spike.” She placed a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “He needs you to be there for him right now. Go. We’ll take care of things.”         After meeting Rose’s eyes for a few brief moments, Twilight averted her gaze. She was right. If anypony was panicking about the changelings right now, it was Spike. He needed her comfort—or at the very least, her presence—right now more than ever. Twilight closed her eyes and gently nodded. Turning her head back up once more, she met Rose’s gaze and simply said, “Good luck,” before her horn glowed with magic and she disappeared in a flash of lavender light.         Shining Armor blinked at the spot where his sister was just standing before he looked over at Rose. “Alright, credit where credit is due. You’re pretty good at that.”         “Being able to think quickly relative to those around you helps quite a bit,” Rose replied before she waved a hoof in his general direction. “You might want to hurry. Alex didn’t bother waiting for you.”         “Oh right!” Shining Armor turned to gallop after Alex, but paused and looked back to Rose. “Hey, I just wanted to say, uh… thank you.”         Rose cocked a brow. “For what?”         “For keeping a level head,” Shining explained. “I haven’t been doing the best job of that lately. I’m just glad somepony is.”         Rose smirked at him. “It’s my job.” At that, she briskly left to return to the facility, Novas in tow, and quickly added: “Part of it, anyway.” Meanwhile, the nearby Commando fell into step with all the other Liandri headed towards the perimeter.         At the head of the parade of machinery, the Hellfires split off from their original train towards their individual deployment zones, leaving Alex to head the Liandri. The Skulldozer behind him thundered along obediently, though with little grace. While the following Commandos and Novas stood tall and fell into lockstep, the Skulldozer did anything but give the impression of pure discipline.         Clanking metal against cobblestone announced to everyone nearby whenever the hulking giant took a step. Its arms bobbed up and down with its movements, and its fingers remained partially curled, as if ready to grab at something at a moment's notice. While the Skulldozer was technically taller than the Commandos behind it, it appeared to be the same height with the way it subtly hunched its back. Rumbling growls and waves of hot air escaped its toothy maw in time with the heaves of its simulated breathing, and its head swiveled this way and that at nearby ponies, lingering a few seconds on each before turning to the next.         Almost every passing pony who had the misfortune of locking eyes with the Skulldozer immediately turned tail and fled—for anywhere that wasn't there. Even those few who didn't fall into that category had a few choice words to express.         "What the hay is that thing?!"         "It's some kind of monster!"         "But it's with the Liandri! There's the logo right there!"         "Who cares?! I don't want to be anywhere near that thing!"         "Everypony please, just remain calm and return to your homes. Everything is under control."         "Hey, mom, look! It's a boss!"         "Button, we need to go home right now."         Finally catching up to Alex, Shining Armor fell into a canter beside him. "You know, that thing of yours is making keeping everypony calm a lot harder," said Shining, who then turned his head back to eye the subject in question. To his complete dismay, the Skulldozer's tiny red eyes were already locked firmly on him. His heart involuntarily skipped a beat and he snapped his head forward again. Shining decided to make it a point to keep looking forward and just ignore it.         "Once it's on the front, the guards won't have to worry about a damn thing," Alex returned. "And who knows? That Liandri may very well save your goddamn life today."         It looks like it would sooner try to crush me than save me... Shining thought. He almost turned his head back to confirm the idea, but just as quickly realized that he didn't need to. He really didn't need to. The increasingly long line of Liandri traveling through town split off, dividing squads of Novas and their Commandos until their positions had been taken up along the perimeter of the soon-to-be shield. When everything was said and done, they all formed a giant ring of armed bots around the entirety of Ponyville. By the southern entrance of town was the front, and where Shining Armor, Alex, and the lone Skulldozer waited. The changelings were approaching from the south-west, but with a good section of the Everfree covering the west side of the valley, Rose predicted the changeling mass would reorient themselves to come in from the south. Lo and behold, recon confirmed her prediction. This, of course, only made the Liandri's job easier. South of Ponyville was nothing but hills and grassland. The hills provided natural cover against plasma-fire on the ground, but they did little to protect any would-be changeling invaders from above. It was just a matter of forcing them to the ground so they could be pounded from the sky. As Alex and Shining Armor arrived at the southern end of the perimeter, Shining couldn't help but eye one of the power relays that had been installed over the past twenty four hours. The large metallic post had been built into the ground, or rather, into a wide metal track that had itself been built into the ground. The appearance of both was mesmerizing, as streaks of eye-catching purple pulsed and raced along their lengths. The track itself was the perimeter of the shield, and through some mechanism Shining couldn't understand, it would supposedly help keep their shield stable. Or maybe the relays did. He couldn't remember. Whatever it was, it was more complicated than his spell. That he was at least sure of. Some distance from the perimeter, the Novas took up their positions, forming a wall of red-trimmed metal. Commandos dotted the line here and there, though they appeared few and far between. Excluding the front, where two Commandos stood side by side and gazed towards the south. The Skulldozer, however, shocked Shining Armor by doing the unthinkable: sitting down. Much to the captain's surprise, the Skulldozer walked about halfway between the perimeter and the wall of Novas before it carefully set itself down and crossed its legs. The metal hulk then planted its hands on its knees while keeping its elbows raised, since its arms were simply too massive to allow otherwise. It then gave out a final, rumbling huff before its body sagged, its eyes faded into darkness, and silence finally reigned. Shining Armor cautiously approached the bot and snuck a closer look. "Is... is it sleeping?" "Skulldozers are fighting bots," Alex answered as he approached the two and placed his hands on his hips. "They're either moving or fighting. If they're not doing one or the other, they go into standby. So yeah, he's sleeping. Don’t worry, he'll wake up when he needs to." He turned towards the captain with a grin hidden behind his helmet. "Although if you really wanted to wake him up now, you could try hitting him with rock." Shining Armor shot Alex a leery look before backing away from the dormant dozer. "I'll pass, thanks." "Heh, of course you will." Turning away from Shining Armor, Alex approached a pair of waiting Commandos. "Hey, I want you two to deploy mine layers on the forward facing hill. Space them out, mark their locations, double check their tags. We need to make sure everything is cleaned up by the end of the day." "Yes, Commander," the two super-heavies replied with a nod. A piece of heavy machinery then materialized from their respective quantum storage units with a bright, soft white light. They reached behind themselves in unison with their right hands to bring the large, gun-like device to bear, and with their left, grabbed an odd looking box that clung to their back. After slapping the box into their devices and locking them in place, the Commandos marched past the Novas, who automatically moved aside to grant them passage, and took aim. Small, flat triangular devices flew from the ends of their guns, spinning like a thrown discus before landing with about as much show as a regular old frisbee hitting the lawn and blending in with the grassy hillside. Of course, they still stood out, but only to those who knew what to look for. In less than sixty seconds, their job was done. Over the next few minutes Shining Armor's dispatched officers trickled down to the front, as he had ordered them before. When they had all arrived, there were twelve guards in total, including Shining Armor. Among them were four pegasi, four unicorns, and four earth-ponies, each split into two stallions and two mares. As Alex finally paid attention to them for the first time that day, he couldn't help but wonder if some sort of affirmative action was somehow involved. Behind Alex, a dark cloud of bugs loomed in the distance. "Alright!" Alex barked towards the guards. "I'm gonna give you the rundown. El bado motherfuckers are going to be coming from over there." He pointed behind himself with a thumb. "They are going to be trying to get in there." He now pointed forwards towards Ponyville. "Our goal is to make sure that not a single one of them crosses that line behind you. Not until Rose gets the shield up. It'll be tight, but more than possible. Just let the Liandri do the hard work. All you guys have to do is hang back and pick off any stragglers that somehow manage to get through. Once that's done we can all call it a day and go grab some fucking donuts, or shawarma, or something—I don’t know." Just as Alex finished providing his instructions, the Skulldozer let out a low growl as its eyes flared to life. The air around it warped and shimmered as heat poured out from the concealed vents across its entire body. Slowly, the brute leaned forward to place its clawed hands on the ground as support, before its lumbering figure raised itself to its full height. As it did, a louder, snarling growl escaped it, coupled with another wave of heat as it stared off towards the incoming swarm. Everypony's eyes had automatically focused on the source of noise and its display, including Alex's. When it was over, he turned back to the guards and said, "Any questions?" When none came, Alex continued. "Oh, and one last thing. You see that hill right over there? The one between us and them? Do not, under any circumstances go near that hill. Understood?" This time, one of the unicorn guards—a stallion—spoke up. "Hey listen, not that we don't appreciate what you're doing right now, but you can't give us orders." For a moment, Alex stared at the stallion in silence. With his helmet covering his head, nopony could really gauge just what exactly he was thinking in that moment. Eventually, he said, "Then allow me to give you a suggestion." He pointed towards the hill again. "I just had my Commandos deploy spider mine layers on this side of that hill. 'What is a spider mine?' I hear you ask? Well, it's a tiny little machine packed with explosives that chases down whatever gets too close, drills into them, and then blows up. Now it's important that I mention that they know how to tell the difference between a Liandri and a changeling. However, they cannot tell the difference between a pony and a changeling. So unless you want the pony standing next to you to end up picking your guts up off the grass by this afternoon, then I suggest you stay the fuck away from that hill." "Okay..." Shining Armor muttered as he slipped his own helmet over his head and looked to his subordinates. "So we stay away from the hill." "Good, glad we got that out of the way," said Alex as he turned away from them to face the approaching swarm. A transmitted thought warned that it was now picking up speed. Bright light appeared along Alex's lower back as his QSD summoned a scoped rifle. The weapon's frame was angular, yet sleek, and a simple arm beneath its body connected to its barrel, allowing it to lengthen and retract as necessary. Alex took the rifle's grip and swung it out in front of him, carefully placing its butt against his shoulder while his eye peered through the scope. His own thoughts transmitting to the weapon, the scope reconfigured itself for a longer range and zoomed further in, while the barrel automatically lengthened with it. Now the swarm became clear, and individual changelings could be made out. They were no longer circling each other, but coming straight on. Perfect. "Alright, Hyde, let's see what you can do..." Alex breathed as he raised his rifle up and let it rest over his shoulder. "All units! Widowmakers out!" As Alex barked his command, the Skulldozer let out a loud growl, and in a single, uniform motion, every Nova along the perimeter reached behind itself and equipped a rifle, just like the one Alex held. Shining Armor trotted up next to Alex. "So when exactly are your machines going to move forward and start fighting them? I don’t like the idea of having to fight that many changelings this close to town." Alex turned his head down to the captain and looked at him for a brief moment. Then without a word, he brought his rifle down and ejected its magazine into his free hand. After slinging the unloaded weapon over his shoulder, Alex removed the topmost round and held it up for Shining Armor to look at. To Alex, it looked like a normal bullet, save for its black color and purple streaks. To Shining Armor, it just looked weird. "See this?" said Alex. "This is a warp bullet. Brand new stuff, even for us. Tough to make, too. Uses an integrated Core Energy circuit to warp space around it. Gives it a bunch of neat little effects. For example: this thing will fly perfectly straight for—in theory—about three kilometers, regardless of wind or gravitational effects. After that, the circuit destabilizes and the entire thing just sort of disintegrates." He started placing the round back into the magazine. "Another neat little effect is that they travel at relativistic speeds, and even pack a bigger punch than normal rounds." With the bullet back in place, Alex brought the rifle back over and slipped the magazine back in with a satisfying click. "Normal bullets will put a hole in your head..." He turned his gaze directly to Shining Armor. "...These will take it clean off your fucking neck." Shining Armor blinked back him him, determined to keep his face neutral. "That's nice, but you didn't answer my question." "Didn't I?" Alex replied with a tilt of his head. His attention completely tore away from Shining Armor as he faced the encroaching swarm. "All units!" he barked. "Full force forward!" As one, the Novas planted their left feet forward, holding their sniper rifles against their chests. Likewise, the Commandos copied their movements, though equipped oversized Link Guns as the AVRiLs mounted behind their shoulders moved up to point ahead of them. The Skulldozer's simulated breathing became louder as it adopted a wide stance, letting out a rumbling growl on each exhale. As if in response to them, the changeling swarm expanded in size. What was once a condensed, airborne mass spread out, but despite their thinning, the sky still couldn’t be seen behind them, demonstrating just how numerous they were. "Sweet sun above there's way too many of them..." Alex heard one of the guards behind him mutter. Alex grinned. No such thing. "Ready!" With unnerving synchronization, the Novas brought their rifles up to shoulder height. The Skulldozer let out deep, rumbling bark as its maw opened and immediately snapped shut. Alex brought his own rifle up. "Aim!" Each Nova peered down their scope. Changelings within Alex's vision turned from their normal black to red as each Nova acquired a unique target. Letting his hands guide his movements, the crosshairs of his own rifle focused on an unclaimed, though now unlucky changeling. "Fire!" Like a clap of thunder, every Liandri along the southern front opened fire, creating a single, deafening explosion as countless sniper rifles sounded off at the exact same time. True to Alex's word, the warp bullets struck their targets in an instant, each one leaving a faint red trail that led back to the gun that fired it. The line of Liandri pulled the bolts back on their rifles like a loom’s reed sitting the yarn. Loading fresh rounds, the mechanical swarm took aim once more. "Keep shooting!" A second volley fired off, further decimating the invading force. Volley after volley sent bodies careening to the ground, until those lucky enough to have survived realized that staying airborne was a death sentence. Soon enough, the changelings performed the same trick they had used in Canterlot by magically crashing themselves into the ground, using the hills to protect them from the ground-bound Liandri. Alex brought his rifle up and laid it atop his shoulder. "Well shit, they learn quick, now don't they?" "Now what?" asked Shining. "There's still a lot of them left, and you can't exactly hit them from here." Alex slung his rifle behind his back, where his QSD automatically consumed it for later use. "Now we move on to phase two. We're playing these assholes like a fucking fiddle." Looking back towards the town, Alex called out, "Hellfires! Cicadas! You're up!" At his words, explosions sounded out simultaneously all over Ponyville, startling the captain and the other guards and forcing them to look back towards the town. Tiny black objects soared high into the sky, leaving a faint trail of white smoke behind them. The objects flew well over the southern grasslands before they suddenly... stopped. Had they been closer, they would have been able to see the sides of the shells fold out, exposing a quartet of low-grade Tarydium thrusters that kept the newly deployed cameras airborne. Each camera shell was linked to the Hellfire that shot it, giving the artillery vehicles a bird's eye view of their targets. Eventually, the camera shells would run out of fuel and crash to the ground, but they'll have served their purpose long before then. As this was going on, the aperture that formed the roof of the Liandri hangar eased open, and a string of aircraft floated out before zooming over the town in a V formation. The guards on the southern front could only watch as the alien flying machines soared over them. The front end of each craft was bulky, and had nothing that could even remotely resemble wings, leaving how they could remain airborne a mystery. A pair of rotors were present on the back, but their positioning was so odd and so far off from the aircraft’s center of gravity that their real purpose could only be guessed at. Regardless, they did something, as their swishing could be heard from below, coupled with a strange clunking that the ponies were sure probably wasn't supposed to be happening. Of course, Alex would have told them that that clunking was entirely expected, and even welcomed, since that was the sound of the aircrafts’ rocket pods being loaded. No such thing as overkill. "Alright, let's see what we got." Alex faced the battlefield once more, clapping his metallic hands together before extending them out in front of himself. His hands and fingers moved through the air, seemingly without purpose. To the guards, Alex appeared to be hallucinating, but to him, he was manipulating a window connected to a hole in the sky. Countless jet black figures dotted the landscape—some in tight clumps, others more dispersed. All viable targets. "Okay, Hyde, show us what you can do," Alex muttered, a grin splitting his lips. To his side, the Skulldozer released a drawn out growl. In the window in front of him, thin, orange arcs appeared, pointing to various spots on the changeling infested field, and ending in large orange circles that sat directly in the path of galloping bugs. Puffs of smoke and fire bloomed into the skies all over town. Then, a heartbeat later, the streets of Ponyville echoed with cannon fire as the Hellfires began living up to their name. Shells whistled through the air, traveling even faster than their observational counterparts. Arcing high in the air above the camera drones, the shells split apart, each fracturing into a dozen smaller explosives. Shining watched in curiosity as these clusters then continued their arc and vanished over the top of the hillside. A fraction of a second later, they all exploded, carpeting the grassland in a conconfany of fire and noise. Even from here, Shining could see shards of metal and dirt thrown into the sky and churn the earth. Beyond his sight, changelings far outside the blasts were rendered into chunks of meat, as shards of the bombs’ casings tore through them. The dead from the first salvo hadn't even finished falling to the dirt before a second barrage echoed behind him. More changelings fell to the death machines showering the impact zones with fire and metal. With each successive impact, more explosives went off, signaling another volley of artillery shells. While his personal curiosity mandated that he see just what sort of effect the Hellfires were having on the other side of that hill, Shining Armor’s better judgement protested the idea. Whatever the battlefield looked like couldn’t have been pretty, and Shining held back the urge to vomit as he imagined what sort of mangled mess the victims of the bombardment must have now looked like. Shining glanced up at the maestro of the carnage, hoping to see some form of reaction to the invisible horror show, though nothing could be determined from outside the human’s cold, metal shell. Underneath his helmet, Alex couldn't help but grin at the sound of all those explosives going off at once, reminding him of the finale of firework displays on Earth where the pyrotechnic crews fired off every last explosive they had left for one last, grand display. The nostalgia was short lived, however, when Rose spoke abruptly into his ear. "Alex, there's something you're going to want to see." Without so much as waiting for even a vague response from him, Rose changed Alex's view window to display another section of the field. As soon as she did, Alex's eyes grew wide and he physically leaned into the virtual image to get a better look. "What the fuck is that thing?!" Apparently, Alex had projected his voice outward, since Shining Armor subsequently asked: "What? What's going on?" Alex didn't respond, and instead continued to gawk at the image before him. Dwarfing all the changelings around it was an absolutely massive creature, armed with titanic tusks that curved upwards from its toothy jaw. It's clawed legs almost appeared to be too short for its huge body, but that didn't stop it from outrunning all the smaller horse-like creatures around it. That's what they were swarming around! Alex's mind clicked into place. Those fucks knew we would be watching, so they swarmed around it to keep that thing hidden until the last second! "Hey!" Shining Armor shouted, shoving a hoof into Alex's side to get his attention. "What's going on?!" Successfully snapped out of his stupor, Alex glanced at him for a brief moment before returning to the window. "Bit of a complication. Nothing to worry about." In the virtual window, Rose had taken the liberty of giving the giant creature the title of 'Behemoth.' Very appropriate, Rose... "Alright, I want three Cicadas to break off from phase two and engage the Behemoth," Alex ordered. "Focus fire on that son of a bitch." Off to the side, the Skulldozer began pacing back and forth, shaking the ground with every step. Its gaze was locked firmly on the hill while it's jaws hung open, waves of heat accompanying its increasingly loud rumbling. Shining Armor observed the Liandri out of the corner of his eye, and couldn't help but get the feeling that it was getting... Anxious? Impatient? Could it even be those? Something was bothering it, of that he was sure. From the guards' point of view, the Cicadas flew out over the fields, splitting off in several directions. From the pods mounted on their sides, firework-like explosives came roaring out of their bellies, leaving angry trails of smoke in their wake and further adding to the chaos created by the Hellfires. Bolts of green magic shot up at the bombers from below, though were uselessly absorbed by the shimmering light that appeared around them. Changelings that took it upon themselves to take to the air in order to physically attack at the offending aircraft soon found themselves short of a healthy body, as the ever-vigilant Novas, still scanning the field with their rifles, quickly picked off any would-be heroes. Flyers that weren't dealt with by the Novas were instead taken care of by the Cicadas themselves, or rather, the swiveling plasma cannons mounted to their undersides. As the fighting continued, Alex kept a close eye on the changeling Behemoth. A trio of Cicadas circled around the monstrosity, pelting it relentlessly with a continuous stream of rockets and bolts of plasma, though the beast showed no signs of slowing down as it quickly worked its way to the front of the changeling army. Fuck, how much punishment can this thing take?! Alex bit his lip. "Okay, fuck this! Focus all the Cicadas on the Behemoth! I want that thing dead now! Drown that fucking thing in fire!" "Hey, what's going on out there?!" Shining demanded, stepping in front of him and through the virtual screen. As if to answer the captain's question, a loud, guttural roar boomed from over the hill. Without looking, anypony would have assumed it belonged to a dragon: a really big one. The sound reverberated throughout Shining's armor, sending a chill crawling up his spine. In response, the Skulldozer brought up an armored foot and slammed it down, shaking the very ground beneath it. Vents all over its body flared up, flooding the air around it with waves of unbridled heat. Its inner and outer jaws almost completely unhinged as it parted its toothy maw. Flames emerged from the recesses of its throat and licked at the air as the Skulldozer released a deafening, blood curdling roar of it's own; a roar so powerful it throttled everypony nearby to their very core, and even sent everypony else in town immediately ducking for cover. "We've got this shit under control!" Alex shouted back as he dispelled the view window. He then looked up and waved frantically at the wall of Novas. "All units! Link Guns out! Let's show these motherfuckers how they got their name!" As ordered, Link Guns materialized along their backs, which the Novas quickly exchanged for their rifles. Each unit crouched down to one knee and held their weapon up at shoulder height, forming the largest firing squad since the time muskets were still useful. Completely invisible from the outside, the insides of the weapons burst to life. In the presence of their peers, the plasma weapons linked together, creating a wireless power-grid that ultimately boosted their individual output. The Skulldozer continued to pace back and forth, carelessly growling and snarling as its arms moved around without any sort of pattern. Had it not been a giant, two-legged, metal monstrosity, anypony would have compared it to an impatient foal that refused to sit still. Although Shining Armor was smarter than that. He could see the flying machines circling around whatever it was over the side of that hill, shooting explosives at it. He could hear the roar it let out, and even if Alex didn't want to admit it, Shining could sense the worry it gave him. Like animals and an impending storm, the Skulldozer clearly knew what was coming. And it wanted a piece of it. How the fuck is that thing not dead yet?! If that thing gets through... "Rose, where the fuck is that shield?!" Alex muttered through grit teeth, taking out his own Link Gun. The ground was already starting to tremble as the circle of Cicadas quickly drew closer to the hill, and not because of the Skulldozer. "Funny you should ask that," she replied, as collected as ever. "Calibration complete. Deploying the shield now." Alex spun at her words, and his eyes grew wide. Shining Armor noticed his movement, and followed his eyes as well. Taking the cue from their captain, the other guards took notice of the event unfolding behind them, and subsequently gawked. "Whoa..." breathed Lieutenant Quicksilver. "Twilight, look!" Spike exclaimed, tugging on Twilight's mane and tearing her away from the telescope she was using to spy on the front. "Ow, hey! What are you..." Twilight's words immediately died in her throat as she followed Spike's claw, pointing towards the center of town. Rainbow Dash had been trying to calm a panicked pony when both she, and the mare she was trying to calm down, saw it. A spike of terror ran through her when she heard the roars coming from the south side of town, but that was a fear she had no difficulty dealing with. Others, not so much. Unfortunately, not very many ponies could appreciate the trouble it took to get a terrified and babbling pony to calm down when they hear a scary noise. At least she knew what to do, thanks to Fluttershy. But when the mare pointed behind her, towards the center of town, the sight before them was enough to shut both of them up. "Whoa! Look out there!" In Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie pulled out every trick in her book to help keep morale up. The constant explosions kept everypony on edge, but when the roars sounded, everypony understandably panicked. Still, that wasn't a problem that auntie Pinkie couldn't solve! When a foal shouted out that something was going on outside, naturally, more than a few brave ponies grew curious enough to look. After expressing their awe and wonderment, it wasn't long before everypony else in the room was looking with them, including Pinkie. It was not what she was expecting. In the market, ponies were doing what they could to keep at least some semblance of a normal day, and Applejack was no exception to this. Although when one of the Hellfires decided to make itself comfortable among the stands, the whole attempt at normalcy flew right out of the window, especially when the vehicle deployed its stabilizers, pointed its cannon skywards, and began firing. The constant noise was unbearable, and it chased virtually everypony away, which is why she was thankful when it finally stopped. Although she wasn’t quite sure why it had stopped stopped in the first place. At least, not until a few seconds later when a bedazzling sight reached up over the buildings near the center of town. But in the very next second, a thought wormed its way into her mind, reminding her of a fact that she should have remembered long before this moment. Her family was still on the farm. "Oh my goodness, Fluttershy, look! You need to see this!" Rarity shouted from the window of her boutique. Fluttershy, who had been graciously offered hospice by Rarity until the whole changeling scenario blew over (as her cottage was unfortunately well outside the Liandri perimeter), remained comfortably lodged under a table and vigorously shook her head while the rest of her body shook with it. Angel Bunny sat next to her and snuggled into her mane, able to do little more than act as company for the distressed pegasus. Garry, who had been calmly sitting on top of the table, hopped off and glided over to land on Rarity's back, whereby the two of them looked out at the sight together. "Isn't it beautiful?" she asked. In the dead center of town, circular machine the size of a truck had been built into the ground. Much like EMCs, this device sported a multitude of black metal protrusions, colored with streaks of purple light along their surface and interiors, and all of them pointed upwards. The Liandri that had been busy working on it over the past day finally backed away as the projector hummed to life. What looked like a large, out of place statue swiveled into motion as the sharp protrusions jutting out from the top rotated about its center. The mechanism spun slowly at first, but soon was nothing but a blur. An alluring glow faded into existence from within the machine, until, without warning, at least half a dozen giant tendrils of violet magic burst out, reaching towards the sky as they swerved around and within each other in an impossible dance, acting as a beacon for miles around. The tendrils stretched up, until they reached some seemingly arbitrary height, where they  declared their final altitude by twisting around each other, forming a brilliant sphere of magical vines above Ponyville. The tendrils extended further out, this time horizontally in all directions, each one splitting apart like the branches of a rapidly growing tree. On the southern front, another roar drew Alex’s attention away from the hypnotic display and back towards the hill. He turned just in time to witness the changeling Behemoth first hand as it charged over the hilltop. Its jet black carapace was scarred, dirtied—even on fire in some places—but not broken, despite the brutal pounding of the Liandri air support. Screams of death poured forth from the beast’s dagger-like jaws as it launched itself forwards, racing towards them at a speed that shouldn’t have been possible for something of that size. “What the hay is that!?” Shining Armor screamed as the monster came into view. The remnants of the changeling army flooded in after it, doing their best to keep pace with the speeding gargantuan, though the spider mines were quick to act, hunting down the ones unfortunate enough to stray too close to the mine layers. Several tiny machines lept at the Behemoth, though most weren’t able to latch on. Even the ones that could were unable to pierce its hide, and exploded with as much effect on it as a fire cracker. Adrenaline spiked through Alex’s body, and his exocortex fueled it into calculations, and then into a coherent thought. Shit! That thing’s going to get through before the shield finishes deploying! “Kill that fucking thing now!” he shouted, raising his own Link Gun and opening fire on the Behemoth. As a single action, the Liandri firing line opened up, and a sea of white hot plasma swept over the field. The Commandos liberally fired off each of their AVRiLs, slamming anti-vehicle rockets into creature’s impenetrable hide. Not wanting to act as little more than decoration, the present unicorns shot bolts of magic as their own contribution to help stop the beast’s charge. Despite all the punishment from above and in front of it, the Behemoth still wasn’t slowing down, ignoring the assault and making a beeline straight for Alex and the guards. Just as a worrying twitch pulled at Alex’s neck, the Skulldozer bellowed with fury and fire that shook the ground as it bolted forward, leapt over the Novas, and bursted into its rage-fueled charge. Alex took his finger off the trigger and reached for the giant Liandri with his other hand, as if he could have been able to hold it back. “Whoa! Hey! What the fuck are you doing?!” In the end, the super-heavy had heard him, but the question went ignored. Alex could only watch along with Shining Armor and the other guards with bated breath as the berserking Skulldozer recklessly threw itself forward, quickly closing the gap between one brute and the other. Time almost slowed the instant the giants came upon each other. The Behemoth pushed its body up mid-charge, angling its head down and opening its maw in preparation for a devastating bite. The Skulldozer roared from its own gaping jaw as it swung both of its arms forward, ready to meet its foe head-on. And then they collided. Armored claws clashed with serrated fangs as the Skulldozer latched onto the Behemoth’s muzzle, eliciting a thunderclap as they connected. Conservation of momentum won out, and the Skulldozer, despite its own weight, found itself being pushed back by the more massive creature. The Liandri’s feet burrowed into the ground, gouging an ever deepening trench as the metallic hulk asserted its strength in an effort to stop its foe dead in its tracks. The very earth seemed on the Liandri’s side, and the soil that pushed up behind it became a bulwark that braced the Skulldozer. The Behemoth soon slowed to a complete stop, finding itself pushing against an immovable object that had become firmly rooted and refused to give in. “Holy fuck!” Alex exclaimed, letting both his gun and his jaw hang slack in disbelief, mimicking the looks of everypony who had just witnessed the exact same event. Behind them, a giant, violet umbrella grew over the town. Wisps of light from each relay along the perimeter reached out for it, becoming more solid as they connected with the magical surface. Acting as a single, elegant machine, the relays tugged down on the edges of the shield to force it into its intended dome shape, like an army of men pulling on the ropes of a tarp that threatened to fly away in a violent storm. As the shield came down and its edges finally made contact with the perimeter, the magical tendrils that covered its surface like blood vessels on a heart shook and vibrated. Starting from the ground up, the streams of violet light split up and merged together, organizing themselves in a distinct, hexagonal pattern that didn’t quite reach the top of the dome. On the battlefield, the Skulldozer continued to push itself against the jaws of the Behemoth. Forcing more strength into its actions, the Liandri slowly but surely pried open the monster’s mouth, exposing its fleshy, but more importantly vulnerable interior. The Skulldozer’s own jaw eased open as well, followed by its second second set of teeth. The orange glow, normally hidden behind the Liandri’s maw, quickly grew white hot. To far off observers, all they would have seen was a bright light appearing between the two titans. Those that were close enough would have identified it as an unmistakable stream of fire, roaring out from the Skulldozer’s throat like a rocket engine. Squeals of torment pierced the air as the Behemoth’s body shook in response to the searing pain in its mouth. Apparently someone was paying attention when Alex ordered the Behemoth to be drowned in fire. The Behemoth tolerated this for little more than a few seconds before it abruptly backed off. The Skulldozer, still gripped to the beast’s mouth, stumbled forwards as it allowed its flame thrower to flicker out. Now with more room to move, the Behemoth shoved hard against the ground with its front legs, rearing its head up against the ten ton weight holding it down. Bone gave way before the Skulldozer’s death grip did, and the Liandri lost its hold on the creature’s mouth as its teeth tore free. Now liberated, the Behemoth’s body became the victim of gravity, and the underside of its head smashed against the unbalanced machine, knocking the Skulldozer flat on its back. The Behemoth continued with its movements and reared up again, though this time, leapt forward as it did, bringing its massive, clawed foot down upon its metal opponent in a thunderous crash. “Oh fuck, no!” Alex exclaimed as the Liandri network immediately alerted him that the Skulldozer was no longer emitting a signal. The Behemoth, completely ignorant and even uncaring of this, pried its foot from the metal beneath it and launched back into its charge, this time with nothing to block its path. Alex’s legs started moving before his mouth. “Oh shit—Scatter!” Feet and hooves alike blurred into motion as Alex, Shining Armor, and his guards bolted out of the way of the monster plowing a path straight towards the shield. The Commandos leapt out of the way, landing flat on their stomachs so as to not damage the equipment on their backs. Most of the Novas managed to escape, though more than a few were unlucky enough to get bludgeoned by the Behemoth’s curved tusks as they swept across them. With a final roar, the Behemoth threw itself head first against the shield, using its two massive tusks as the biggest battering ram in the world. Thunder clapped as unbreakable bone crashed into the translucent purple wall. Time almost seemed to stand still as everyone, both inside and outside the shield, watched in dreaded anticipation as a large ripple traversed across the surface of the dome in giant arc. As the ripple passed the top of the dome, the magical tendrils glowed in reaction, and energy pulsed through them, expanding outwards in a wave that encompassed the entire shield, annihilating the ripple as it passed. In that instant, everyone’s hearts fluttered with hope. The shield held. “Yeah!” Alex cheered, throwing a fist into the air. Though he couldn’t see it, many ponies around town had the same reaction. “Suck on that shit, motherfucker!” The Behemoth stumbled back a step, swinging its head back and forth to shake its disorientation. It reared its head back, let out a pained howl just before bracing its legs against the ground and throwing its entire body forward once more. Its tusks rammed the shield again, though achieved even less of an effect than the first attempt. By this point, Rose had commandeered command of the Corps and diverted Liandri focus away from the Behemoth and towards the changeling drones. Clearly, something extra was needed to deal with it. Alex and the guards, however, continued to take pot shots at the monster, despite the inefficacy of their actions. Realizing the futility of its assault, the Behemoth turned away from the shield and towards the source of its annoyance. Bellowing out, the Behemoth launched itself towards Alex and the guards beside him, blindly swinging its entire head left and right in great, wide arcs. “Move!” Shining Armor yelled as he attracted the beast’s attention with a blast of magic, to which everyone was more than happy to oblige. However, as the giant’s tree sized tusks came swinging at him, Shining Armor found in that very split second that he hadn’t given himself enough time to get completely out of the way. Panic prickled his skin as his mind scrambled for an instant solution, but before he could act, his body jerked as he was pulled by the cuff of his armor, just barely out of the reach of the stampeding trainwreck that rushed passed him. Shining Armor landing on the ground in a disorganized heap, but at least he was still in one piece. Just as the pull on his armor disappeared, out of the corner of his eye, Shining noticed Alex rolling away from him before the human transferred his momentum into a movement that pushed him to his feet. “Don’t get yourself killed, hero,” Alex said as he reached behind himself and brought forward a weapon Shining wasn’t familiar with. It was painted yellow, and appeared to be separated into two parts, the frontmost of which sported a comically large barrel. Shining would even swear that whatever was inside the barrel had a smiley face painted on it. “Your sister would never forgive me if I let you get fucked up!” Alex stood up and began strafing around the Behemoth. As he did, a loud explosion rang out from the inside of his weapon, kicking it back with enough force to break a normal human’s arm while a dozen shards of molten shrapnel zoomed out, embedding themselves into the surface of the enraged Behemoth’s flank. The unicorns, who were the only ponies who had a hope of doing something against massive creature, poured every ounce of effort they could into magically restraining it. Though with its size and constant thrashing, the effort proved near impossible. Even the magical shields conjured by Shining Armor proved useless, as despite being slowed by them, the Behemoth’s momentum allowed it to easily smash through the barriers. “Rose! We need help over here right fucking now!” Alex yelled as he fired more volleys of molten flak. “As if I wasn’t already aware of that,” she snarked. “I’ve deployed a Goliath. You should be able to see it now, actually.” Within Ponyville, what few ponies were still in the streets scrambled out of the way as the frightening vehicle rolled through town, taking up almost the entirety of the road as it went. Shutters slammed closed as it passed by, and ponies locked their doors in an instant. A colt ran out into the middle of the street, chasing after a ball of his that had escaped him as he and his mother were hurrying home. Although it was only when he caught up to it did he realize that he was now directly in the path of the Goliath. To the absolute horror of the colt’s mother, she could only watch as the monstrous vehicle passed over her panicking son, blocking her view of him with a wall of metal and grinding treads. As the Goliath passed, the unharmed colt remained in the middle of the road, albeit shaking against the ground with his hooves covering his head. His mother cried tears of joy and immediately went to retrieve him, completely ignoring the ball, and simply thankful that his life had not been taken away from her. With a grin spreading across his face, Alex looked back towards the shield and the welcomed sight that lay beyond. The Goliath’s thick armor almost seemed to shine in the violet-tinted sunlight as it approached the border of the perimeter, but to Alex, what was more satisfying was seeing the glint at the end of the tank’s 140mm cannon. Alex turned towards the Behemoth that was currently bulldozing its way through most the Liandri that were both attempting to distract it and fight off the other changelings at the same time. “Hey, asshole! I hope you like fast food!” At the edge of the shield, two relays, taller and closer to each other than the others, flickered to life, casting lines of magnetic force onto the shield near it. The lines forming the pattern of hexagons between them shifted and warped, raising up as if they were a curtain, bringing the solid wall of magic with them and creating an open passage. The Goliath passed through the perimeter uninterrupted, and the wall of magic closed automatically behind it. As the tank drove out, an automated machine gun atop its turret immediately opened fire on the nearest changeling drones that were harassing the Liandri on foot. Alex grinned as the Goliath’s turret whirred clockwise to face the brute that had made the mistake of not paying attention to it. When the massive gun finally drew a bead on it’s prey, it loosed a deafening blast that rocked the whole machine backwards. At nearly five times the speed of sound, the massive depleted-uranium shot smashed into the Behemoth’s side, shattering its armor and goring an unseemly section of its left hip. “Boom!” Alex shouted, pumping a fist into the air. “How’s that for a fucking happy meal you prick!” The creature cried out in howling pain as its hind leg gave out from under it, and its body slammed into the ground. Its other legs immediately scrambled in an attempt to keep it moving, but its instincts demanded it move all four of its legs on impulse. This only caused the Behemoth more crippling pain, and resulted in it flopping against the ground as it attempted to move towards its attacker in a disorganized struggle. The automated tank cared little for the Behemoth’s suffering, and reloaded its main gun while driving around to the other side of the panicking monster. Maintaining a respectable distance, the Goliath fired again, this time rending the Behemoth’s right hind leg into useless gore. The monster bellowed as its writhing body crashed to the ground, destroying the grass and dirt beneath it. Its front legs clambered every whichway, wasting the giant’s energy in a mad panic. The two Commandos that had managed to avoid the Behemoth’s earlier charge rushed up to it and hugged the creature’s giant tusks, needing to do little more than hold it down with their combined weight. Despite its best efforts, the Behemoth couldn’t muster the strength to shake them off, and found its head pinned to the ground. As the Commandos had the beast posed for its death blow, everyone looked towards the Goliath, expecting to see it finish the monster off. Instead, it turned away, aimed its main cannon towards the changeling drones, and fired on the largest clusters it could see. “Whoa, hey, what’s going on?” Alex demanded, instantly torn from the excitement of the moment. Turning to face the Goliath, he yelled out. “Why aren’t you finishing it?” “Well this is unexpected…” came Rose’s voice. “It seems Hyde told it to stop…” “Wait, what…?” Alex breathed, and his head snapped in the direction of where the Skulldozer had been crushed. A chill ran down Alex’s spine as he discovered the broken Liandri was emitting a signal again. The Skulldozer’s torso pried itself from the ground as the machine slowly sat itself up from the impression its body made in the ground, specks of dirt and grass falling from its battered form. It then slowly turned its head over its right shoulder to glare at the wounded Behemoth out of the corner of its blood-lusted eye. From somewhere around Alex, he could hear a guard gasping through the chaos of the battle. “Holy horse apples, that thing’s not dead…!” His thoughts exactly... Not a single other thought came to Alex as his eyes remained perfectly transfixed on the sight. The Skulldozer leaned forward and slammed its right hand into the ground to act as support as it pushed itself to its feet. As it turned to face its query, the Skulldozer revealed the true extent of the damage it had suffered. Its left shoulder and part of its torso had been crushed, rendering its left arm largely useless and hanging limp, save for a few odd twitches caused by damaged connections and broken machinery. Multi-colored fluids leaked out through the broken armor, running down its arm and legs. The left side of its skull-like head had been torn open by one of the Behemoth’s claws that had impaled it through the eye, and its jaws had even come loose on that side as well. But despite the Skulldozer’s grotesque damage, the majority of it remained intact. The Skulldozer opened its lopsided maw to release another hair-raising roar, one that definitely got the Behemoth’s attention, stirring harder against its holders, and letting out quick, terrified grunts. The Commandos, however, didn’t give, forcing the monster to stay in place. As the Skulldozer roared, gas that had leaked from its damaged interior ignited, coating the left side of its head in flame while a small explosion popped beneath its totaled shoulder. The metal hulk barely even acknowledged it. Instead, the armor around its right forearm shifted around, and a large blade with a baby blue colored edge suddenly extended out of its wrist, emitting a fine, tonal vibration. Without any form of pretext, the Skulldozer brought its arm back, then swung it forward and around, driving the blade through its own left shoulder. It then jerked the blade back out and repeated the action at least half a dozen more times. Suddenly, the blade retracted back into its forearm. The Skulldozer then reached over, grabbed its misshapen bicep, and jerked once, twice, three times. On the third attempt, its entire left arm came off, spraying out bits of scrap pieces, jagged metal, and fluids that probably should have remained inside it. Dirty, uncontrolled flames burst from the Skulldozer’s torn shoulder as it tossed up its dismembered limb, grabbing it by the end of the forearm. Dragging the severed arm behind it, the Skulldozer began taking slow, lumbering steps towards the Behemoth whilst ignoring everything else going on around it. Malicious changeling drones flew into it and bounced off harmlessly, only to be soon pick off by another Liandri while the Skulldozer didn’t even bother to acknowledge their existence. The Behemoth was the only thing it cared about. The restrained monster began to scramble more fervently now, doing its best to thrust its front legs forward in an attempt to back away from the thing it thought it had killed, grunting and squealing as it did. But the Commandos’ weight held fast. With only a dozen paces left, the Skulldozer picked up speed, a drawn out roar becoming increasingly intense as it accelerated. In one giant, sweeping motion, the Skulldozer finalized its bellow as it swung its makeshift club high in the air and sent it speeding down, smashing it across the Behemoth’s head. The severed limb came down with enough force to crack the shell covering its skull. Without wasting so much as half a moment, the Skulldozer jerked its arm back up and slammed it down into the behemoth's head once more. Carrying its momentum, it swung again, and again, and again; bashing the giant changeling with its own severed arm as it snarled and roared, fueled by a rage only its blood and brains would satisfy. Sensing the behemoth's distress, more changeling's began to swarm towards it. The Liandri network picked up on the movement pattern, and the Skulldozer caught the information, showing only a brief moment of hesitation after following through with a blow. It growled in response, skipped back, and spun, spraying forth a colossal fountain of flame from its unhinged maw in a far, wide arc. Whatever changelings weren't incinerated scattered to the wind, thinking better than to attempt challenging the machine that could breathe fire and come back from the dead. After nearly a dozen seconds of getting its message across, it immediately raised its severed arm again and bashed the behemoth over the head once more with a savage roar. This was the last time, however, as it snapped the arm’s reinforced joint in the process, making it useless as a weapon. The Skulldozer didn’t seem to care, however, as it tossed its old limb aside without giving it so much as a second glance. Stunned but somehow not killed by the onslaught, the Behemoth only managed to let out a pathetic whimper. But the Liandri wasn’t done yet. Placing its hand across the Behemoth’s shattered forehead, the Skulldozer brought its left foot back, and then swiftly kicked it into the creature’s mouth, shattering and dislodging its fangs. With the newly added pain, the Behemoth shook and writhed some more, but now had the added weight of a third super-heavy keeping its head pinned to the ground. The Skulldozer then dropped down to its right knee and brought its intact arm back, before repeating the action of its foot by punching a hole through its remaining teeth clear into its mouth. With its clawed fingers firmly hooked, the giant stood back on its two feet. Even with only a single functioning arm, the Skulldozer was still able to exert its titanic strength, and began to play dentist by prying open the Behemoth’s jaws with the force of its entire body, hyperventilated flames spilling forth from its broken jaws in time with its repeated snarling. After pulling its jaws apart enough, the Skulldozer leaned its left leg in and kept the Behemoth’s mouth propped open with its knee. Kneeling once more, the Liandri repositioned itself and began heaving the creature’s jaw further upwards. Even with its considerable bite force, putting in every last ounce of effort it had left into keeping its mouth closed, the Behemoth still could not overcome the machine's raw strength. For its failure, the Skulldozer leaned its entire body inwards, and this time used its damaged, flaming shoulder to keep the mouth propped open. It then brought its free arm back and, like before, the armor around its forearm shifted, and the large blade held within shot out. When the blade was secured, the arm swung back into the Behemoth’s mouth, driving the blade cleanly through its palate. In that instant, the Behemoth entire body jerked still, and the Skulldozer let out a soft snarl. In one, swift motion, the Skulldozer slid both the blade and itself out of the Behemoth’s broken jaws and turned away. Meanwhile, the Behemoth’s mouth flopped closed, and the rest of its body slumped. Only then did the Commandos release its tusks. The Skulldozer looked out towards the battlefield with its one good eye. The Cicadas and Goliath continued to wreak havoc, and the Liandri on the ground advanced. Now, with the fall of their secret weapon, the changeling strategy switched from frontal assault to getting the hell out of dodge, and whatever insectoids that were still alive bolted back towards the south. The Skulldozer didn’t bother chasing after them. They weren’t worth the effort. Instead, the machine planted its feet in the ground and released a final, extended roar that irritated the freely burning flames covering its shoulder and face, making them flare out and create a growing column of black smoke that reached high into the sky. The roar echoed for miles around. It could be heard from deep inside the Everfree, and even all the way to Canterlot. It was a roar that not only asserted the owner’s dominance over its victim… ...but on all those who heard it. Alex could only watch the display of power in awestruck wonder, completely unable to move, or even think of doing that. Meanwhile, Shining Armor trotted up next to him, his eyes focused on the exact same thing. “Hey, Alex?” “Yeah…?” “I think that machine of yours just got the reputation you were looking for…” "Yeah..." He continued to stare straight ahead until he finally moved his head in a bobbing nod. "Yeah, it did..." Alex slowly turned away while storing his weapon and began to saunter back to town without even bothering to check what Shining Armor was doing, if anything. "Hey, Rose?" His voice was monotone and devoid of further mental effort. "What's the situation looking like now?" "Whatever changelings attacked Ponyville are either dead or running," she answered. "Now that the Behemoth is dead, it seems they now realize that they don't have much of a chance of success anymore. Twenty seven units have suffered critical damage due to the Behemoth, and thirty others have suffered minor damages, largely due to swarming. Nothing that compromises their effectiveness, though nothing that can't be easily fixed either. Between the two categories, there really is no in-between. Right now, units have managed to subdue and secure seventeen changelings and are attempting to capture more. As you asked, reconnaissance is keeping track of the ones we're letting escape." "What about Chrysalis? Did she show up anywhere?" "No sightings yet, I'm afraid. It seems she played it safe." Alex frowned, and his brain kicked into gear again. "That doesn't make any sense... In Canterlot, she just balls to the wall kidnapped and switched places with a fucking princess. Now when she's going full frontal, she decides to just hang back and play it safe? No… No, she's too cocky for that. Something's not making sense here." "It is a possibility that she already infiltrated Ponyville herself." "If that's the case, then we need to flush her out as soon as possible." "And if it's not the case?" Alex paused, looking down at the ground as he thought. "If it's not the case... then she might have been expecting her attack to go south in the first place, but that doesn't make any sense. Didn't she say that she wasn't afraid of the Liandri back in Canterlot? I mean, she definitely has a reason now, but…” Alex paused again before letting out a sigh. “Ah fuck it, we'll deal with this shit later. Let's just focus on cleanup." He turned back and looked at the Skulldozer, which stood tall as it observed the quieting battlefield, casually ignoring the fire and smoke liberally spewing from its body. "Oh, and bring the big guy in. I'd say he's more than ready for the alpha." While Alex busied himself with talking to Rose, Shining Armor cautiously approached the stilled Behemoth. Its chipped and cracked rock-like tusks dwarfed him, and its mouth was easily big enough to swallow a pony whole. Although its broken and bleeding jaws dispelled any notion that it would ever attempt such a feat now. If this creature had actually managed to charge its way into Ponyville before the shield came up, it would have easily leveled half the town—probably more. In hindsight, Shining was glad the Liandri convinced him to not erect his shield. There was no way he could have conjured something strong enough to keep a monster like this out. Eventually, Shining and his guards had been granted the “all clear” to safely traverse the battlefield, and as a simple matter of duty, he did. As Shining crested the hill, his face went slack. Breath left him, and refused to return as he took in the horror before him. He had seen the burning depths of Tartarus once; this was worse. Trees were uprooted and splintered. Everywhere the earth had been churned up. The Liandri warmachine had scoured the earth of grass and left mangled corpses scattered about charred dirt and pools of mud, though a few laid dead with no wound he could see. Some bodies laid caked in earth, having been covered by dirt blasted into the air. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew there had to be hundreds completely buried by the same means. They’d never completely clear this field of the bodies. Groups of Liandri marched forward, stepping over bodies without so much as a second thought, but pausing over some of the less damaged ones to give them a closer look. Probably to see if they were still alive. More often than not, they would pick up the more intact changelings and drape them over their shoulder before continuing to advance with the others. One changeling had somehow survived, and attempted to scramble away from the Liandri when they neared its hiding place among the fallen. Its efforts were met with a swift blow to the head from a metal fist, while one of the other Liandri subsequently attacked it with a sudden beam of violet light. The changeling let out a loud scream, which was quickly cut off by a strangled gurgling. The Liandri stood to the side and patiently waited as its body tensed in uncontrollable convulsions for several agonizing seconds, until the changeling finally went still and it was collected like the others. The Goliath thundered its way across the field, its treads grinding up dirt, plant matter, and changeling bits into a disgusting mulch. The tank paused every now and again to look around, as if expecting another challenge to suddenly appear over the horizon. Hellbenders suddenly drove in over the field from town, meeting up with the squads of Liandri, who then dumped their limp prizes into the back of the trucks. Shining’s legs carried him forward into the nightmare, in spite of his mind screaming for him to leave. Pacing the edge of one of the uncountable craters, he stopped at a sight his mind refused to accept. Just in front of him a foreleg jutted from a mound of earth, stretched out as if it wished to shake his hoof and wish him well. Backing away, Shining turned to see one tree had survived the assault, or at least it was still standing, though it had been stripped of its leaves. Something strange hanging from its branches drew his curiosity. Stepping forward, he tried to figure out what is was, only to find it was a pair of hind legs with no body. Shining forced his eyes shut and lowered his head. It was all too much; more than any one mind could handle. He couldn’t even muster the urge to vomit. He was numb, despite the horrid sights and the gut churning smell of charred earth and flesh. Numbness was all there was. Numbness and resignation. For the sake of Equestria, he could only hope his deepest fears were never realized.