It has been ten years since Equus was invaded by the Amari, from the planet of the same name, a world further out in the same solar system. Untold numbers perished, cities were destroyed, and civilization hung on a knife's edge. No resistance managed to stop the invaders, even though here and there a machine would be destroyed by native militaries.
Fortunately, the invaders failed to take in one thing; germs. They all died within twenty days of the first cylinder landing.
In the wake of the invasion, new military technology was developed, the fear of a second invasion spurring the new technological era. M.A.R.S. (Mechanized Armored Resistance Squadron), an international defense force utilizing legged machines that combined alien and native tech, was founded. Spike, having witnessed Ponyville's destruction and having lost many friends in the attack, volunteered to serve as the pilot of a Mk. I mech. In addition, native flying machines and steam tanks have been constructed to defend the planet. A new age, one of increased technological potential, is upon Equus.
Now, as Amari approaches Equus the closest it has in fifteen years, a storm is about to break...
A mix of several War of the Worlds adaptations, including but not limited to; Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds, The Anglo-Martian War of 1895 by Mike Brunton, and the Great Martian War book series by Scott Washburn.