During the first war of the system the Blood Ravens were defeated and lost three full companies at the hands of the Orks and the T'ua weaponry on their moon base. Now they come to redeem them selves much like the Sisters of the Sacred Rose. Now a battle barge sits in orbit along side two ships from the Imperial Navy waiting for the right moment to deploy to the planet below.
*Location*
*Equestira Canterlot*
"Thank you kindly Princess Cadance for coming as soon as possible." Luna says from her new throne to her guest from the Crystal Empire. Cadance nods in return. "I understand the times are dark and i know what you want to request and i'm already mobilizing the Crystal army. They will be in Ponyville by the end of tomorrow." She says with a smile and Luna sighs in relief. "Thank you Cadance this is splendid news to hear and the new guards and soldiers are being trained as we speak."
She nods and sighs. "At times i wish i questioned auntie's choices." She looks out the grand windows at the distant shapes of the human war machine slowly readying it self. "I wished i did something too... but arguing with her would make me look bad to the public and lose trust that I've tried very hard to get." She lets a tear fall down her cheek and wipes it away. "Now we must try to fix this before it is to late, otherwise we will be wiped out and from the observatory a third war ship the largest so far with a dark red coat has entered orbit with the other two ships."
Cadance frowns. "Do we know what this new ship carries?" Luna nods. "It belongs to what is call the Blood Raven Chapter... Space Marines. From many newfoals they are the elite of the elite and if any info is right about them they may be immune to the potion. And they are waiting for the perfect moment to attack but how they will i do not know." She stated with a worried look.
"Well the crystal guards and soldiers have a advantage we learned by a mistake. Your sister managed to capture a weapon from the humans and i had a crystal pony working with the others she assigned to study it and it was set off by mistake and it hit the crystal skin and was deflected off. The main weapons of the humans can't hurt my soldiers." She says with a big smile seeing they stand a chance now. "This will greatly help us in the battle field Cadance this info will be used well."
They both chatted about battle plans to try to wear down the human forces and try to cause as much damage as possible. In another part of the capital. The officer quarters of the royal guard were a mess.
The generals were tasked with a last defense of the country and they lack many weapons to fight them but they had an idea to use the tech the griffons used with black powder to make muskets and other guns to counter the humans. And a mass draft has been put into affect to get a army the size of the humans and hopefully meet them on a fair playing field.
Winter was right in the middle of this with his new helper named Fire Bird the once sister of battle who tried to kill him. "Sir if we plan to fight the Imperial forces we need to match them on tech level... but that's not going to happen so we have to out number them and hope for the best." She says to him and he sighs. "If what you told me... we have to try and out number a army from a few billion worlds. We stand no chance... and we can't really wave the white flag cause they would shoot it with us."
The door to the planning room is pushed open and a messenger runs in getting all the officers in the room to look. he runs to Captain armor who sighs knowing it can't be good. The messenger stops right in front of him with a frown. "They have begun to make their push... they're pushing for ." The room is quiet and then they all make last minute plans and then rush out to get ready for the hell ahead.
*Location*
*East coast Equestria*
A line of Leman russ tanks were rolling from the beachhead the Imperial guard were using as a staging area on the nearest city north of them and if the any info gained by psykers is good the city is called Vanhoover. The plan was simple roll for the city attack if it proves to be to tough some how dig in for a siege and shell it to dust then mop up and repeat with the next city. At the head was the Baneblade, the Stromlord, and a new arrival a Land Raider Crusader from the Blood ravens to help act as a relay to send orders for them to deploy in the Steel rain tactic.
The formation was lumbering along the shore line north to the city and behind the line of tanks are the Hydras, and the sisters of battle's Rhinos and Chimeras full of troops ready to help the tanks if needed help but it wasn't likely. Finally in the rear of the formation were the large numbers of supply carriers, and the artillery made up by Basilisks and Medusas that will shell the cities to rubble.
In the formation of APCs Matt, Johnathan, Dove and Skyler were cramped in the back of a Chimera with another squad and some of the men were trying to hit on the two girls in their ride but Matt and Johnathan were defending them. They were interrupted by a sound of a explosion. The door opens and they all rush out and look around to see a Leman russ burning and ponies flying over head. The Hydras in the convoy were filling the sky with flak and tracers and many ponies were falling from the sky but they were dropping bombs and potions on the men and women below. Sister and guardsmen alike when hit by the potion bombs were changed.
Matt and Johnathan both carrying parts of their bolter grab one of the girls and pull them to the side behind a Hydra and a friendly face looks down from it. "Glad you two aren't dead and when did you get dates?" Kepler from the hatch says down on them. They glare up but quickly get to work setting up the gun and start to lay fire into the ponies above. After a short time of them dodging about and dropping what pay load they carried they flew north to the city with over half the force it had lost but the fight wasn't over as any pony that was a guardsman or even sister of battle now was fighting and a large number were changed.
Matt was reloading the gun when he was tackled by a large pony and it was trying to stomp him. "Get off me you alien freak!" He is unable to push him off but gunshots from the side end the ponies life and Skyler is seen aiming at the pony with her autogun. He pushes the body off him and smiles at her. "You sure you don't got any feelings for me?" She glares and aims the gun at him and he crawls away behind Johnathan who laughs. "Smooth dude smooth." Matt rolls his eyes.
The gun fire around them was dying down as the last few ponies were killed and they can see commissars running about trying to get the convoy rolling again but just when some tanks were starting to roll the bottom fell out. The few white clouds over head got thick and rain fell so heavy it would hurt the skin if not covered. Everyone ran for cover in the APCs and then the gunning of engines are heard as the formation rolls forward.
OR tried to roll. After a few minutes the VOX started going off about tanks getting stuck and then the report of both the Baneblade and the Stromlord have been bogged in a ditch and can't move. "Oh great... these damn things not only walk on clouds but can control them. FUCK!" Matt says aloud getting glares from the girls. The VOX lights up once again but its not from any imperial guardsmen. "Get your forces unstuck the Blood Ravens will take the lead." It is cut off and the men in the APC look around. "Well i hate we don't get to see the action." Johnathan comments.
*Location*
*South of Vanhoover*
On a hill over looking the city the Land Raider sat over watching the lines of defenses on the outside of the city's out skirts of trenches and small bunkers make of stone and wood. From the top of the tank stood a tall crimson armored figure facing the city. "Have you recived the coordinates?" He asks aloud with a finger to the side of his helmet. "Very good sergeant i expect your arrival soon we will lead the attack."
In a cloud above the man a pair of ponies were watching and spying. "Who is it talking to?" One asks another who shrugs in return. "I don't know but it can't be good. And if their are anymore like him... he is about 10 feet tall... if a ship full of them has arrived... by the sisters." His partner says worried. They watch the armored human reenter the tank and watch it move even in the mud that stopped the others.Then it speeds at a rate they wouldn't expect from something that size but what worries them is that they are heading for the city.
At the pony lines around the city they watched in fear as the massive metal beast sped to them and they fired spells arrows and even some musket balls but all did nothing to the armor and it's weapons opened up once it was close and its rapid fire weapons tore into any pony not in cover and some of the weaker bunkers and pill boxes were completely cut apart by the heavy rounds it fired. It kept moving and rolled over the trenches and into the city.
But something worse caught everypony's attention. High above them they saw pillars of light hit the shield and cracked it open and objects falling at high speeds came down from space aimed for the city. The massive tank rolled into a large plaza in the city and it stopped and everypony in the area went to hide while guards and soldiers surrounded it but kept their distance but they were forced back not from the tank but the falling objects that slammed around the tank in a perfect circle.
The ponies stared at the tall red things that numbered about five in all in curiosity but then they opened and four more of these tall figures stepped out of each and the massive tank let out another ten. These tall armored humans stepped from the pods and scanned the area around them. Many ponies were frozen in fear when the green eyes fell on them. From the tank came one who had what looked like a skull on its helmet who walked to the front of the others it had an large metal mace then a gun like the others to where he stops to look around.
"Brothers! Today we are tasked with purging this xeno from this world where our brothers have fallen! They come to dishonor this world where they died for his blessings! Will we let this stand!" he yells to the others who in return shout their disagreements and aim their weapons at the ponies. The ponies slowly start to back away and the first shot is fired as a unicorn throws a spell at one of the humans.
The human allows it to hit him in the chest where it burns his armor. Then all hell broke loose as they started to fire at all in the area. Ponies were being cut down in large numbers and many unicorns put up shields that stopped their weapons and allowed them to counter attack with spells but only the most skilled and powerful were able to hurt any of them. One skilled one fired a bolt of lightning that struck one in the chest causing him to spasm before falling over twitching but all it did was anger the rest and they fought harder and the shields were worn down by the massive amount of punishment they were put under and crumbled.
The arrival of many more of these pods filled the city as more humans fell from the sky to join in the purging of the city.
*Location*
*Encampment*
*South of Vanhoover*
The 252nd was readying their forces to join the space marines who have been dropped into the city but they must first brake the front lines of the ponies and destroy them. The Stromlord was already rolling to the lines flanked by four Leman russes and followed by many Chimeras. The camp had twenty Basilisks that were already shelling the pony line.
In the back of the Stromlord sat the General and his new personal guard. Matt and Skyler were talking while Dove and Johnathan were off to the side while Johnathan cleaned the bolter Dove went over her new Hellgun and she felt it differently then the one she took from the dead. This one seem to fit her better even if it is the same type as the other. They have all gotten new armor and Hellguns but they refused to give away the bolter and the general allowed them to keep it.
The sounds of explosions were nearing as they lumbered along no-man's land and they already could hear the main weapons spinning up. Johnathan was in deep thought about the up coming fighting. They now fought the enemy defending their own existence and they have what the girls told them was magic. He smiles to him self looking over at the girls, they know about the abilities of the ponies and can help them make it through. If only they wont vomit up their lunch during the combat.