My Little Annihilation

by Word Wizard

Chapter Five: Preparing for War

“ETA is T - 10 minutes!” Chem Tech’s voice boomed over the safe room. The project Red Bird safe room had livened up since the construction bot first fired up. Scientist ponies in white lab coats walked around, checking on progress, observing, checking instruments.

“Alright Twilight,” Princess Cadence said to Twilight, starting to walk out of the room, “It’s time we got your friends down here.”

“Agreed,” Twilight said, nodding in agreement as she too left the room. The pair walked in silence for several minutes, the only sound passing between them being metallic hoofsteps. Despite being quite, the duo displayed excitement in their dispositions.

“Ok,” Cadence broke the silence as she and Twilight walked into the lift, starting their rapid ascent. “Twilight,” Cadence said, turning to the unicorn, “I want you to pilot the prototype.”

“Really?!” Twilight exclaimed, recoiling from the princess in surprise, “That’s quite an honor, thank you...” She trailed off, thinking of what it would be like to pilot that machine. The sheer power boggled her mind, being at the helm of THAT? Amazing.

“Consider it a thank you gift for saving this kingdom on several occasions,” Cadence said, nodding her head. The lift clanked into position, causing the occupants a little shock at the sudden decelleration. The rusty metal mesh doors slid apart, revealing the main room of the Crystal Palace.

“Your friends are staying on the upper floors,” Cadence said, starting to walk toward the shining stairs. Everything in the palace reflected the light, providing the illusion of walking through a giant mirror.

“Alright,” Twilight said while staring at the six reflections of herself walking up the stairs too. “I’m still wary of waging an outright war, princess,” Twilight said, a worried expression appearing on her face, “I think it’s needed, don’t get me wrong, but how are we supposed to beat these two sides when we’re only one? They have armies of thousands while we have six?”

“I understand, Twilight,” Cadence said, pausing on the staircase to turn to her sister in law, “But you won’t be commanding an army of merely six....you will be commanding thousands as well.”

“What?” Twilight asked, curiousity shrouding the look of surprise on her face, “Do tell...”

“Well, the commanders on each side, as far as I can figure out, control everything that side owns....and your mechs will be commanders, per say.”

“Woah,” Twilight said, whistling a little, “So that means we’ll be building bases and creating and commanding armies like the others?”

Cadence nodded. “Yes,” She said, “You will be one side, with the potency of six.”

“Now that both takes my breath away and makes me happy at the same time!” Twilight said, giggling a little. Cadence joined in and laughed a little at the little joke her sister had cracked.

“Now, let’s go get the others,” Cadence said, returning to her royal demeanor. The two started up the stairs, reaching the top almost instantly as there weren’t many left. They broke into a gallop upon reaching the hallway.

“Here we go,” Cadence said, stopping in front of an oaken door with the number ‘112’ etched into a brass plate on it’s front. “This is where they’re staying.”

Twilight skidded to a stop behind the princess, rubbing her now windswept mane back to normal with a hoof, she knocked on the door.

“Coming!” Rarity’s velvet voice called, muffled from the wall which separated her and the ponies at the door. Hoofsteps promptly started walking toward the door, swinging it open upon reaching it.

“PRINCESS!” Rarity exclaimed after opening the door, “Oh dear, here, I’ll clean a few things up! This is an awful mess-” Rarity began running around the room, her horn glowing as she ran, fastidiously tidying many things at once.

“Ignore her,” Twilight whispered, nudging the surprised Cadence, “Just let the storm pass.” The two walked into the room, allowing Rarity to shoot around and above them, cleaning as she went.

“Excuse the delay, princess!” Rarity said, skidding to a stop and bowing at the same time. “Oh, hello Twilight, when did you get here?” Rarity asked her friend while offering tea to the princess. Twilight rolled her eyes and took a seat on the sofa that Cadence was being seated at.

“That really wasn’t nessescary, though appreciated, Rarity,” Cadence said, smiling as she reluctantly accepted a cup of tea.

“Anytime princess,” Rarity smiled, flying a tray of buns right passed Twilight and offering them to the princess.

“But could you get the others?” princess Cadence asked, nibbling at a bun. She slipped an extra one to Twilight, as she noticed Rarity’s failure to notice her friend’s appetite.

“Of course, princess!” Rarity shouted, demonstrating the dopler effect as she rushed past the sofa into the next room. Using the moment as a breather, Cadence turned to Twilight.

“Well, I must say she knows how to treat royalty,” Cadence whispered to Twilight. A few shouts reached the ears of the guests and Rarity shot into view, all of her friends dragged behind her.

“Rarity, what’s the big idea?” Rainbow asked, getting to her hooves.

“The PRINCESS wants to see you!” Rarity beamed, pointing a hoof at the pink alicorn on the couch.

“Oh, howdy princess!” Applejack said after the collection had bowed.

“Hello everypony,” Cadence smiled warmly, “I have something I’m sure you’ll be interested in.” Everyone in the room leaned closer, wishing to hear what the princess had to say. Cadence laughed, “No, it’s not that kind of something!” The others drew back, a little embarresed their eagerness had been noticed.

“What kind of something is it?” Pinkie Pie asked, her demeanor unaffected by the embarresment the other’s showed, “Oh, I love guessing games!” Cadence looked a little confused but maintained her kind face.

“Well I-” she began but was soon cut off by the unheeding Pinkie Pie.

“Lets see, is it a big something? No, uh, a little something? No? A medium sized something? No? Hmmm, how about a sort of largeishmediumishsmallish something? No? Uh-” Pinkie bounced around the room ratteling off words faster than anyone could comprehend. She got cut off by an angry Twilight.

“PINKIE!” Twilight screamed, unable to contain her frustration, “I mean, Pinkie, could you just take a seat and listen to the princess?”

“Okie doki loki!,” Pinkie said, her mood unaffected by the sudden interuption. She took a seat and looked at Cadence expectantly.

“Ok,” Cadence began after all attention had properly settled on her, “In a weeks time, you will all be fighting in a war.” Apropriatly enough, the statement hit the room like a bombshell. A silence ensued as the statement richoched around the minds of the occupents.

“...Cool?” Rainbow finally spoke up, breaking the sheen of silence that had settled on the room. “Are we gonna use those huge robot things you were talking about earlier?” Cadence sighed.

“Yes, you will be,” She responded, returning to her planned speech.

“COOL!” Rainbow shot up in the air in her excitement, slamming into the ceiling in the process. She fell back to the ground dazed, but still excited. Cadence swallowed. This was the weirdest speech she’d given in a very long time.

“Right now, we only have on prototype, and I want Twilight to pilot it as a test.”

“Aw,” Rainbow said, getting back to her hooves. Before she could continue further, Fluttershy spoke up.

“Uh,” she started, pawing at the ground with her hoof as she spoke, “I hope you don’t mind and all...but do we really have to do this?”

“Yes,” Cadence said, firmness lacking in her voice, “I mean, maybe....but most likely yes. Don’t worry, you know, i mean yes I mean-” Cadence faltered. The yellow pegasus’s comment had hit the nail on the head of her worries, so to speak, and her composure was weakening.

“Nevermind then...” Fluttershy said to the flustered princess, “But if you don’t mind me saying, I don’t much care for fighting.”

“Fluttershy, don’t worry,” Twilight said, moving over to her friend, “You don’t have to fight, you can run the economy in the base.”

“Oh, ok,” Fluttershy said, turning away from Twilight. Twilight returned to the couch next to the still faltering Cadence.

“What the princess means is, we all need to go down to the laboratory and show you project Red Bird,” Twilight said, rescuing the princess’s speech.

“OH!” Everypony exclaimed.

“Why didn’t you just tell us that, silly! You could have saved an awful lot of trouble you know,” Pinkie Pie said, bouncing to the door. The others rolled their eyes as they headed down the stairs.

-----

“Prepared for boarding, opening hatch,” Chem Tech’s ever calm, ever present voice came over the loudspeakers. Twilight and her friends were standing in the observation room, all were awed when they had entered a around ten minutes ago.

In the safe room, along with the relatively small construction bot, a giant mech stood. Almost five stories in height, the purple humanoid mecha towered above the rest of the room, it’s vacant eyes staring ahead, unlit. Two arms jutted out of the triangular chestplate, one a nanolatheing machine and the other a weapon.

On the observation deck, Twilight was getting into a large puffy black suit.

“Ok, what does this do again?” Twilight asked from inside the plush suit. A scientist next to her smiled and pushed a button, the suit sucked in with a sound similar to that of breaking wind as the air raipidly left the interior. Eventually, the suit adhered to Twilight’s body like shrinkwrap, with a little give in it. The metalic black fabric accounted for Twilight’s natural features, covering everything except her head.

“That!” The scientist who hit the button said smugly. Twilight rolled her eyes.

“So why do I have to wear it, once more?” Twilight asked, looking at the fabric that now covered her body.

“It protects you from radiation,” the scientist said, unhooking a helmet from the wall nearby, “The mech runs on a radioscopic thermal generator... It’s sealed, but if it leaks we don’t want you dropping dead.”

“Gee, thanks for the positive answer,” Twilight said, rolling her eyes.

“You’re welcome,” the scientist said, fitting the helmet on Twilight, “There, can you hear me?” A fizz and a pop later, the suit was airtight and Twilight was breathing filtered air through a small port.

“Yes,” Twilight’s voice came over the radio, “Yes I can hear you.”

“Excellent!” the scientist walked out of the room, gesturing for Twilight to follow her.

“Alrighty Twilight, hope it goes well!” Applejack said, trotting alongside her friend.

“Thanks,” Twilight’s scratchy voice came over the radio. The world from behind the glass and metal helm looked almost the same, only bright green numbers flashed in the left hoof side, displaying outside atmopheric status and status of the nearby mech.

“Ugh,” Rarity exclaimed, “Do they have to make these in BLACK?” Twilight and Applejack turned to stare at her. “Uh, I mean, well, I mean, good luck!”

“Thanks,” Twilight said to her friend.

“Yeah, have a good time!” Rainbow said, hovering behind Rarity.

“Hope it goes well....” Fluttershy said.

“It’s gonna be a superduperfantasticwonderful time!” Pinkie said, bouncing behind the rest of them.

“Thanks girls,” Twilight’s voice came over the radio in her suit, “I hope it goes as well as you think it will.”

“We’ll be watching Twilight!” Applejack called as the metal doors closed behind Twilight. Chem Tech’s voice came over Twilight’s internal radio.

“Ok, soldier Twilight Sparkle,” Chem Tech said, “Do we have contact?”

“Affermitive,” Twilight said, “And just Twilight would be fine.”

“Twilight, opening bay locks in three..two...one..ENGAGE,” Chem Tech said, her voice slightly scratchy in Twilight’s helmet.

The doors slid open, showing the safe room, the imposing mecha being the centerpiece as ponies the size of ants buzzed about it in yellow golf carts and just walking. A cart pulled up in front of Twilight.

“Hop on in, ma’am,” the stallion said, gesturing to the back seat. Twilight hopped in, thanking the stallion. After a short drive, she was deposited by a door in the foot of mecha.

“Opening hatch,” Chem Tech’s voice came through the radio. With a hissing of escaping air, the door slid open, revealing a compartment inside. “Step inside.” Twilight entered, the door slid shut behind her, leaving her with only the flashlights on her helm for light.

“Activating transporter,” Chem Tech said seriously over the radio. With a flash Twilight disappeared, re matterializing in the control room of the mecha.

“Have a seat, general Sparkle, the built in artificial intelligence will guide you through the controls,” Chem Tech said, “Ask me anytime you need to, but the computer will answer you most of the time.”

“Understood,” Twilight said, taking a seat at the helm of the mech. There she sat in the darkness surrounded by controls in a half circle around her.

“Activating...NOW!” Chem Tech said. With that final word, the mech flickered to life. Screens came on, surrounding the upper section of the controls, buttons and lights flickered to life. The largest of the screens displayed the forward ‘eye’ cameras. Another showed a top down map of Equestria, the view movable by a joystick next to it. Other screens showed the status of damage, shields, resources for building, selection screens and a number of other things.

“Welcome to mech ALPHA, commander,” a soft synthasized voice said in Twilight’s ear, “I am the Onboard Intelligance And Assistance System, or OIAAS, for short.”

“Okay,” Twilight said, scanning the screens around her.

“I will now execute the tutorial protocol, if you wish, commander,” OIAAS said, awaiting confermation.

“Proceed,” Twilight confermed.

-------

“I wonder how Twi’s getting on in there,” Applejack said. Twilight’s friends and princess Cadence were watching from the observation deck. Princess Cadence paced nervously up and down the room, Rainbow hovered above the rest. Applejack was sitting with her hat in her hooves, nervously watching the machine.

“I’m sure she’s doing just fine,” Rarity spoke up, “After all, Twilight is very good at this sort of thing, isn’t she?”

“Yeah yeah,” Rainbow said, carelessly hovering above Rarity, “But just you wait till I get in mine!”

“Do you really think you could pilot something like that better than Twilight?” Rarity asked, looking up from her knitting.

“Do you think you could drive one better than me?” Rainbow said, hovering right in front of Rarity’s face and staring right into her friend’s eyes.

“Hmm,” Pinkie sat on the other side of the room, thinking, “This calls for a party!” Everyone turned to look at the ecstatic pink pony in the corner.

“Uh, what does?” Fluttershy asked, curious of what her friend was going to do.

“Rarity and Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie said, hopping over to where the two mares were arguing.

“Huh?” they both turned their heads to look at Pinkie, who now had them both in her grasp.

“Don’t you see?” Pinkie said, smiling widely, “You’re bickering like an old couple! Time for a wedding!”

“Pinkie Pie, you are so random!” Rainbow said lazily, breaking free from Pinkie’s grip.

“And I don’t want to marry Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said, contorting her face as though disgusted with the very concept.

“Uh, everypony?” Fluttershy said, through the sheen of distaste that now fell between the three ponies, “Why don’t we just watch what Twilight’s doing?” Everypony turned and stared at the machine, it’s glowing eyes lighting up the wall in front of it.

“When is she going to DO something?” Rainbow asked impatiently. As if in answer, the mech moved, twisting it’s torso from left to right.

“We’re good to go!” Twilight’s voice crackled over the radio.

“Excellent!” Cadence clapped her hooves together in joy, “Now, let’s get going with building the others!” The six ponies walked out of the room, their spirits high. Equestria was going to be freed from the tyrannical rule of those machines after all!

Meanwhile, in Canterlot....

“Go go go!” colonel Sanders’s voice rang through the stone wall of the castle. A legion of guards was running at top speed through the palace, their golden helmets glinting in the torchlight. Ahead, the light of an exit shown, the light punctuating through the metal grill.

“Almost there!” Sanders called. He and his men were out on an emergency scouting mission, running through the dank tunnels beneath Canterlot Castle. In front of the exit they were aiming for, the blue sheen of the shield dropped through the ceiling.

“Halt!” Sanders called, taking a moment to open the door in front of them. The guards charged toward the exit, a soft sucking sound was heard as they went through the shield. After they all had exited, the rippling blue sheen settled back to it’s original state, still and unmoving.

“Alright men!” Sanders called, turning back to his men after closing the gate behind them. “You know the mission,” he circled the expectant troops, “We’re aiming for reconnisence, not offense.” The white stallions nodded, their armor glinted in the sunlight as it moved.

“You are all unicorns,” Sanders said, pointing to his own horn, “Activate a low level communication spell, remain in contact at all times.” The body of soldiers nodded. “Travel in pairs,” Sanders said, looking at the approaching army in the distance. “Perkins, you’re with me. Everypony else, use your regular partner.”

The ponies nodded, seperating into pairs, a medium sized white stallion walked over and stood next to Sanders, his armor a slightly different color than the others, marking a higher rank.

“Move out!” Sanders called.

“Yes sir!” the soldiers departed, leaving Sanders and Perkins to go on their own routes. Sanders powered up his horn, tapping into the communication network the other soldiers had already established.

“Ok Perkins, lets go,” Sanders said the the young captain next to him, “We get sector A-2.”

“Yes sir!” Perkins said, following his superior up the rolling green hills. In the distance, massive war machines towered in the distance, their metallic bodies shining in the sunlight. Some were tanks, some were humaniod...but all had weapons.

“Perkins, take note of what’s in our sector,” Sanders said, reaching the top of the hill and looking at the valley below. Scientists had observed the machines, giving the different varietys names, or catagoration numbers more like.

“Lets see....” Sanders said, his eyes squinting as he surveyed the units sprawling out on the field before him. “We have......twenty T-16s, fifty K-1s, forty-five K-3s....” He kept on, listing all the vehicles of destruction in front of him. Behind him, Perkins jotted down the colonels observations on a clipboard that hovered in front of him.

“K-25,” Sanders said, looking at a newly produced machine in the distance.

“Excuse me, sir?” Perkins interupted, a confused look on his face, “K-25 isn’t a known unit.”

“Well,” Sanders said, turning to the captain, “then we have a new one our hooves.”

Perkins hopped up next to the colonel, eyeing the intimidating machine in the distance.

“Mother of Celestia!” He exclaimed. In the distance, a red mecha stood in the passage. Its shiny metal plates shining. A triangle shaped ‘head’ stood on the top, a blinking weapon on it’s ‘nose’ area. The arms were just giant plasma weapons, working in tandem with the rocket launcher in the back to produce a truly fearsome killing machine.

“What is it?” Perkins managed to stammer.

“A K-25, write it down!” Sanders snapped. Shifting his horn into a transmit position, he talked to the others.

“We have a new unit, K-25, I repeat, we have a new unit, K-25, large red mecha,” He said in a monotone comparable to trickling water.

“Roger that,” the soldiers responded.

“Alright,” Sanders said, “We’ve been out here quite long enough, meet at the staging area!”

“Yes sir!” the voice of several soldiers crowded over the comm spell. Just then, Sanders noticed something, the mecha was moving. Arming it’s weapons for a test fire. The arms raised so they were at an almost ninety degree angle from the body, pieces of metal jutting from the elbows that almost resembled wings. The head turned, looking at a nearby hill.

*BZZZZZZTT!

With a large noise, the energy weapon in the head discharged, sending a bolt of purple plasma into the targeted hill, kicking up a cloud of smoke and dust upon impact. When the sheen of rubble cleared, Sanders whistled at what he saw. Half the hill was gone.

“Uh, sir?” Perkins asked, “The others are already there, we better get going.” Sanders turned and looked Perkins, his eyes filled with fear, panic, and anger.

“Yes,” He said, his voice determined, “We have quite a war on our hands.” The two ran off, meeting with the others.

------

“Princess, the report!” colonel Sanders called, throwing open the the doors of the throne room. Celestia look up from the numerous plans she was reviewing.

“Yes?” Celestia said, carefully placing the pieces of parchment she was examening in a pile in the corner of the room. She stood up, looking expectantly at the colonel.

“We have a problem,” Sanders said, “An extremely powerful K-25 robot is going to be fighting in this next battle.”

“How do you know it’s powerful?” Celestia asked, her eyebrows raised.

“It destroyed a hill.”

Celestia’s mouth dropped open, but closed again upon her regaining her royal composure. “That is quite impressive,” she said, pacing around the room, “We have more of a problem than I thought.”

“Yes, princess, the K-25 has the capability to take out this entire castle in one shot,” Sanders said, looking at the white mare pacing around the room.

“We must hope, colonel, that it doesn’t attack us,” Celestia said, comforting both herself and the colonel.

“Yes, princess,” Sanders said, bowing.

“You are dismissed,” Celestia said while staring out the window. Her mind was preoccupied with worries and plans....none of which to her liking.

“We can do it, sister,” Luna said, appearing out of nowhere next to Celestia. “The clinic is complete, the physicians of Canterlot are settled in, nurses are being trained of willing ponies. We will make it, Tia, we will.”

Celestia smiled upon hearing her ever optimistic sister. “I suppose you’re right, Luna, but one can’t help but worry.”

“We all do, Tia,” Luna said, putting a hoof around her sister, “But what seperates the brave from the weak is the abillity to go on anyway.”

“Yes,” Celestia smiled. Luna’s wisdom always seemed to hit the nail on the head.

“And I think you are very brave, sister,” Luna said, smiling. Celestia blushed.

“Thank you,” She said, “You are too.”

“Thanks.”

“PRINCESS CELESTIA! LUNA!” Shining Armor’s voice rang through the castle, “The battle is begenning!”

Celestia sighed, and, keeping Luna’s words in the front of her mind, she turned to face her duties. Luna did the same, rushing up to the clinic.

“Here we go,” Celestia muttered.

Author's Note:

This is off the update schedual, I know. I got a lot of time on my hands and wrote it over the weekend. Edited it today and we're in business! Thanks for the understanding.
Cheerio
~gardian20

Comments

[The Warmaster]

Oh no.... oh Holy Throne of Terra no.... The Krogoth..... the only thing that can successfully kill one of those is either

A: a Commander
B: Seven Nuclear Missiles
C: an overload of units
D: Another Krogoth.
For those who wonder what a Krogoth looks like, not just from his description, here you go
d2v4zi8pl64nxt.cloudfront.net/1367273719_93ce2cfba3348619d0e0fe7b9556353e.jpg

tauniverse.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8796&stc=1&d=1093723228

When speaking in sup Com terms, this thing is about...... 20 Galactic Colossus units?