Chapter 15 - Breather
Equestrian Airspace
Approaching Canterlot, Equstria
September 24th, AD 3070/1023 RC
I've fought a lot of creatures and beings in my day, general Stonewall thought, as he rode a sky chariot pulled by two unarmored pegasus ponies. Hydra, timberwolves, Diamond Dogs, even Changelings; but through all of that I never thought anything could truly hurt Canterlot.
Even from a distance he could see the columns of smoke rising above the city. Thankfully, they were thin and few, though the setting sun cast their long shadows over the city and the mountain whose side it perched on. The same long shadows also let him make out the various shapes of armored pegasus guards flying through the air in loose patrol patterns, and Stonewall could only press his lips together as even at this distance he could see the exhaustion in their movements.
Slowly his chariot approached the city, and soon enough the extent of the damage became clear. “Sweet heavens,” one of the pegasi pulling his chariot muttered. “What the hay happened here?”
The other pegasus gave his comrade a hard look, but it was Stonewall who spoke next. “Something that wouldn't have happened if it weren't for this damned war,” the red pony said, his tone grave. “Now hurry and get us to the palace, I have a feelin' we ain't done yet.”
The two pegasi heeded his words and put on more speed and turned to head for the palace. A flight of four guards approached them as they crossed over the city walls, but upon seeing the general the armored ponies only saluted and then went back to their patrol. Looks like the princess let them know I was returning, Stonewall thought, as he tried to keep his mind from mulling over the covered shapes being gathered just outside one of the city's main gates. Good of her, since she's the one who ordered me back.
To say he had been perturbed would have been an understatement, yet Stonewall found his attitude changing as the chariot tilted and headed down for the landing field next to the Royal Palace. The magnificent building had seen rough treatment in the form of broken windows and an occasional red stain, and the pony general could only bite his lip as he realized that the regal domicile had been a prime target of the griffin horde that he had seen leaving Manehattan. Dear heavens, what if... he dared not finish the thought, and Stonewall felt his urge to land and race towards the throne room doubled.
Such urges were soon suppressed, however, as the chariot team brought themselves and their charge to a landing at the fields the guards used for such matters, though it was not the landing that stilled the general's thoughts, but the odd shape of what he could only identify as a human-made machine. Long spars spread out from its top, and the front of it sported a weapon Stonewall recognized from his unfortunate experience in skirmishing against the Desperadoes. So, the reports are true, the red pony thought, as he turned to climb out of the chariot. Some of them actually want to help? Well, we'll see 'bout that. He snorted at the thought, and then walked around to face the chariot team. “Go ahead and unhitch yourselves,” he ordered. “And then head to the barracks and find out where y'all can help.”
“Yes sir,” both pegasi replied, while giving a salute with their right forelegs. They then turned and started to trot off towards one of the outbuildings that served as storage for chariots, though they made a wide detour around the human craft and the contingent of severe-looking guardsponies who stood watch over it. Stonewall himself gave the guards a long look, and he felt mixed emotions upon seeing the battered state of their armor, and various dressed wounds. They fought, and fought well, the red pony thought as he turned and walked for the entrance to the palace. Though it looks like it cost them, from all the bandages they wear.
“General,” a voice said behind him, and the red earth pony turned to see another battered guardspony, this one a pegasus. “I'm corporal Trade Wind, sir. Princess Luna sent me to escort you to the throne room.”
“Then let's get goin',” Stonewall replied, with a nod of his head. Trade Wind returned the gesture, and then turned to lead the elder pony off. As he turned, however, he revealed the bloodied, bandaged stump where a wing one sprouted, and the general couldn't help himself. “Dear heavens, doesn't that hurt?” He asked, incredulous.
Trade froze at that, and an expression of pain temporarily replaced the practiced, stoic mien of the royal guards. “More than you know, sir,” he said, reflexively unfolding his remaining left wing for a moment.
Stonewall winced at the suffering in the pegasus pony's voice, and he took a few steps forward to gently rest a forehoof on the corporal's shoulder. “I'm sorry, son,” he said, sotto voce. “That was terrible of me, I know.”
“It's alright, sir,” Trade Wind replied, as he turned his head towards the general and forced a wan smile onto his muzzle. “At least I can still walk and run,” he said, and then let the smile drop. “A lot of ponies can't say the same right now.”
A brief silence met those words as Stonewall grimly contemplated the full meaning behind them. Finally, he sighed, and then nodded. “Alright, let's not keep the princess waiting.”
* * * *
The damage to the palace was worse on the inside, Stonewall noted, as his guide took him through several passages scored by weapons and stained with blood and other bodily fluids. His time in the guards had steeled his nerves against such sights, but the fact that they were here in the figurative and literal heart of Equestria shook the general to his core. How could this have happened? Stonewall asked himself as he followed the wounded corporal. The Griffons haven't attacked us en mass for centuries, thanks to Celestia's watch. And now with Luna, they dared strike at our capitol? He didn't know which implication was worse: that the griffons were working so closely with the invaders that they were willing to mount the assault, or the fact that even with the minimal help provided the tribal warriors had nearly succeeded. And Luna is strong enough that Celestia couldn't stop her coup attempt a thousand years ago without using the Elements of Harmony. Are we really so soft that we need two immensely powerful alicorns just to keep from being turned into griffon food?
Stonewall turned from his darkening thoughts as Trade Wind finally brought him to the main entrance to the throne room. Two tired-looking unicorn guards were standing at attention on either side, though for a change neither were actually wounded. Still, their eyes were hard and bore down on the two ponies who approached them, despite knowing who they were. The general nodded to them as Trade Wind opened the door, and then stepped inside, prompting the red earth pony to follow.
“General,” a familiar voice said, and Stonewall automatically bowed towards the speaker.
“Princess Luna,” he said, and then stood back up when she gestured so with a hoof. “I came as ordered.”
“Good,” Luna replied, and then gestured with a wing towards the large table set up in the middle of the throne room. Upon it were maps and an odd device whose function was not immediately known to the general, though the presence of two humans around the table confirmed it had to be one of their machines. “We hath much to discuss and time grows short,” the night princess added, as Stonewall moved to take a spot at her side; the only empty space of any reasonable size along the table, as ponies and humans stood close in to its sides. “Some quick introductions first, however,” Luna added, and then nodded towards a human near the far end of the table, whose arm was bandaged and hung in a sling from his neck. “First off, commander James McKenna, of the Dark Horse mercenaries who have chosen to assist us in our fight against the invaders.” The human nodded, despite the slight wince the movement caused him. “Commander, this is general Stonewall, our most experienced military officer.”
“General,” the human uttered.
“Commander,” Stonewall replied, and then looked to his diarch. “You'll forgive me if I am blunt, your highness, but are you sure we can trust them?” He asked, his tone hard.
Several of the other ponies around the table blanched at that, while the two humans retained neutral expressions, save for McKenna, who briefly rolled his eyes. Princess Luna, however, simply regarded the red earth pony with a cool stare. “General, the griffons attempted to assassinate both myself and my sister earlier today,” she said, using an even tone. “If it weren't for the actions of captain Shining Armor and commander McKenna, they may very well hath succeeded.”
Stonewall blinked hard at the revelation, and then seemed to sway for a moment before he regained his self-control. “I see,” he said quietly, and then turned to nod at the human leader. “My apologies, sir, but until now the only time I have seen humans was on the other side of a battle.”
“Fair enough,” McKenna replied, slightly gruff but otherwise even in tone. “In any case, as her highness said, we are fast running out of time and I think planning our next moves should take precedence now.”
“Indeed,” Stonewall said, after a moment to consider the alien in a new light.
“I shall have captain Starbuck bring you up to speed,” Luna said, and then turned to give an even look to the pegasus.
Starbuck nodded to the princess, and then began to speak. “From what we've ascertained from the griffons' attack pattern and interrogation of prisoners, the strike was intended to soften up Canterlot for the approaching enemy ground forces,” the steel-blue stallion began, and then turned his head to look at a slim human. “Hermes, could you bring up the map for us, please?”
“Of course,” the human said, and then leaned down to tap at an odd control on the plotting table. A bare second passed before the larger human device hummed, and then a large, glowing, ethereal map popped into existence over the table's surface. Stonewall started a bit in surprise, but kept his peace as images popped up and were overlaid on the map: red lines for highways and roads, gray for railroads, and several squares of blue and red arrayed like one of the old campaign maps the general had studied when he was in the academy.
“The information from our repositioned scouts has given us a fair view of the Desperadoes' approach and intention,” Starbuck continued once the map was in place. “They have concentrated their mechanized forces and are making a direct route through the forest belts between Canterlot and Manehattan.” As he spoke, several large red squares marked with an “M” moved on the map and slowly started pushing through the dotted green representation of woodland. “The attack on Canterlot had a two-fold goal: eliminate the princesses, and disrupt our own forces long enough for the enemy to make their march on the capitol without harassment.
“Fortunately, timely assistance from McKenna's troops allowed us to break the attack up, though not without cost,” Starbuck added, and then paused to take a brief, calming breath. “Guard units in Canterlot sustained a forty-six percent casualty rate, two-fifths of which were mortalities.”
Stonewall winced at that, and he felt a hollow pit form in his stomach. “After losing so many on the first day...” he muttered, and then slowly shook his head.
“There is good news, general,” Starbuck said, and then waited for the red pony to return his attention back to the briefing. “The griffon attack was not entirely successful, and thanks to that we still have order in the city and most of our command structure intact. Our troops are being reinforced as we speak by trains coming in from Baltimare, Fillydelphia, Los Pegasus, Las Neighgas, and Appleloosa.
“In addition, those same trains are carrying evacuees to the outlying cities and towns along the rail network,” Starbuck added. “If the enemy reaches Canterlot, we will stand a better chance at holding the city and keeping civilian losses low.”
“'If' the enemy reaches Canterlot?” Stonewall asked, as he raised an eyebrow skeptically. “Son, I'm not one ta give up easily, but I ain't seen much that can stop them invaders when they set their minds to it.”
“That's where we come in,” McKenna spoke up, and then waited until he had everyone's attention before he turned to the lanky man at his side. “Hermes, bring up Plan Buford.”
“Yes sir,” Schneider replied, a faint smirk briefly playing over his lips. He tapped the controls a bit, and the glowing map changed again, this time showing several blue boxes marked with “M” move out, along with several arrays of blue dots.
“As you can see, there's a ridge of hills that stretch away from the feature your people call 'Foal Mountain' that the enemy will have to move across,” McKenna continued, as the various blue markers moved and interposed themselves between the red icons and Canterlot. “We plan to get there first, and then use the hills as a brief engagement zone to hold the enemy as long as we can, and then fall back to the...” The human squinted his eyes, and them grimaced as he read the lettering on the map. “'Glitterfalls River',” he said, with a sense of distaste about him. “We'll use that as another engagement zone, and then conduct a series of hit-and-run raids throughout the forest belt leading up to Canterlot. Hopefully, we'll do enough damage in those engagements and raids that we'll be able to whittle O'Connell's forces down to the point where he won't have enough to stage an assault against your capitol.”
Stonewall contemplated the plan for a few silent moments. “What do these icons mean?” He asked, waylaying his opinion as he sought more information.
“The larger squares marked with an 'M' stand for BattleMech companies,” Hermes replied. “The smaller ones denote lances. The dots represent infantry forces.”
The red earth pony shot a look at the lanky human, and then turned a hard eye to McKenna. “I take it you're gonna want some of our troops then?” He cautiously asked.
James bit his lip for a moment, and then nodded. “Yes,” he stated flatly. “Frankly, I really wouldn't want to, given how terrible standard infantry suffers on a modern battlefield. But no mechanized force is impervious or omnipotent. Infantry are always needed to do what machines cannot, and eleven hundred years of industrialized warfare hasn't changed that.
“The real problem is that for the large part, your soldiers haven't been fully trained in modern tactics, nor have the kind of equipment needed to give them a real edge in combat,” McKenna added. “We've started working on both of those issues, but unfortunately we just don't have the time for them to bear all the fruit they could.”
Stonewall raised an eyebrow at that. “But you do have something, right?” he asked.
“Something,” McKenna echoed, with a nod. “We've been giving some additional training to some of captain Starbuck's troops, and they've taken the lessons to heart. We've learned a few things about y'all as well, and I think we've got some force-multipliers that can help keep your boys alive and effective.”
“There's not a lot of my soldiers who've been trained by the Dark Horse,” Starbuck interjected. “Not enough to form a real unit, but we're bringing them here along with the rest of McKenna's forces to distribute them to other units. Hopefully, they'll be able to pass along enough knowledge to increase our effectiveness.”
“And we plan to give them enough time to do that,” McKenna added. “Hence the delaying tactics in our battle plan.”
A silence fell over the room as Stonewall again considered the plan. He sighed after a few moments of this, and then nodded. “Well, it ain't the worse plan I've seen,” he grumbled. “And I ain't got any better ideas.”
“Any plan, even a half-assed one, is better than no one at all,” the human named Hermes spoke up. “Neither us nor the Desperadoes came here prepared for a campaign drop, and we're doing the best we can with what we have.”
“And we're playing catch-up to thousands of years of technological advances and military thought,” Starbuck chimed in. Then, somewhat surprisingly to the general, he grinned. “Still, I feel better about it now that we're starting to pull things together.”
“Like what?” Stonewall evenly asked.
As if summoned, a rumble was heard in the distance, and McKenna just smiled. “Like that. C'mon,” he said, and then turned to walk away from the table. “I want y'all to meet my wife.”
* * * *
The rumbling grew louder as the group of ponies and humans worked their way through the palace corridors and subsequently left the grand building through the main entrance. There, the ponies stopped and stared in wonder and awe as a massive metal sphere riding on top of a pillar of blindingly-white flame slowly crawled across the sky, moving to the east even as it descended to the sound of a furious roar.
“'Tis a loud device,” Luna observed, raising her voice to near Royal Canterlot Voice levels to be heard.
“It's powered by a miniature star,” Hermes shouted back. “They tend to make a lot of noise.”
“What?” general Stonewall asked, with a shout. Either the human didn't hear him, or declined to answer, but either way the party stood still and watched the the sphere finally drop below the palace's walls, and then heard and even felt it as the spacecraft came to rest on the ground just outside the city. The noise abruptly cut off then, and every being present took a moment to let their ears recover.
Finally, though, Stonewall pressed for an answer to his question. “Did you say that runs on a small star?” he reiterated.
“Well, sort of,” Hermes replied, with a sheepish grin. “It's more poetic license, really, to call a fusion reactor a miniature star. But it does operate on the same principles the sun and stars do.”
“The sun isn't the same as a star,” Stonewall countered. “Anypony can see that just by looking up.”
The two men seemed put off by that, and they shared a brief, incredulous look before McKenna cleared his throat. “Hermes is right, general; the sun is a star, it's just the closest one to this planet. In fact, the world we're on revolves around the sun in a path we call an 'orbit'.”
“That's backwards,” a lieutenant, one of captain Armor's ponies, observed. “Princess Celestia raises and sets the sun by moving it around the world, and princess Luna does the same for the moon.”
Again, the humans seemed dumbfounded, though soon enough they both turned their gaze to the aforementioned dark alicorn. For her part, Luna was blushing, though the rest of her features were impassive and set as stone. “I believe there are more pressing questions facing Equestria at the moment than those of cosmology,” she flatly stated. “For now, let us go forth and see the forces thou hast promised to use in our defense.” With that, she started to walk off without even a glance to see if anyone followed.
Everyone did, of course, albeit in a staggered formation as every being reacted with different speed. It didn't take them long to resume their previous positions around the princess as she purposefully led them towards the main gate. “So...” captain Starbuck began, somewhat unsure of tone. “What is a 'fusion reactor' anyways?”
“It's a kind of engine,” Hermes replied. “It uses powerful magnetic fields to excite hydrogen atoms and then compress them so that they fuse to create heavier elements, and in the process release tremendous amounts of energy that we use to power our various vehicles and other devices.”
The steel blue pegasus simply stared at the human for a moment before he spoke again. “I don't think I understood half the words you used,” he said.
Hermes sighed and rolled his eyes. “Where's Twilight Sparkle when you need her?”
“My thoughts exactly,” Starbuck grunted back.
“Hush you two,” McKenna shot back at them as the party crossed the wooden drawbridge. “As her highness said, we've got... more pressing...” He let his voice trail off, as the group reached the city square on the other side of the moat, and then paused as they felt a familiar thumping in the distance. McKenna groaned, and then rubbed the hand of his uninjured arm across his face. “Oh God she didn't, did she?” he half-asked the air in front of him.
“What is that noise?” Luna asked, with a frown.
“It's one of their machines,” Stonewall replied, his tone low. “Sounds like it's coming this way and moving fast.” He looked up and gave McKenna a harsh look. “Any particular reason why?”
“Because my wife has a temper quicker than lightning and hotter than a supernova,” James McKenna replied, as the ground started to shake. “Just... stay here and let me handle this,” he said, and then walked towards the middle of the city square, which was fortunately emptying as the citizenry of Canterlot realized that the approaching noise was nothing to trifle with.
Their foresight was appropriate, as a few tense moments later a massive war machine with a barrel chest and cylinders for arms rounded a corner and tromped forward at a startling pace towards where McKenna had stopped. The ponies in the entourage around Luna all blanched in shock, and even the dark alicorn herself widened her eyes at seeing the building-sized machine stride forward with purpose. They call it science, Luna thought, but it appears as magic to me.
Her thoughts ceased as the vehicle came ever closer to the human commander, and even Luna cringed a bit at how the war machine seemed to be slowing too little, too late. Yet McKenna remained still, and his trust was rewarded as the vehicle came to a stop just in front of him, the last step of its legs slamming down less than a pony length away from the wounded human.
A moment of silence fell over the tableau as no one, human or pony, wanted to be the first to comment on the strangeness lest it turn on them. Finally, however, McKenna shook his head and looked up a the 'Mech's cockpit. “Honestly, dear—“
“Don't you 'dear' me, Jim!” sounded a feminine voice from the machine. “I let you out of my sight for a few hours, and what happens? You get caught in another gunfight and get sliced up by a mutant bird!”
“Does it really count as a gunfight if we were the only ones with firearms?” James mused.
“Don't split hairs with me!” Rebecca McKenna countered. “Every other planet we land on you manage to get involved in some ridiculous brouhaha and nearly get yourself killed!”
“Now you know you're exaggerating,” James retorted, as he shot the woman in the cockpit an angry look. “Besides, what was I supposed to do? Sit back and let the griffons eat the princess?”
“You were supposed to not get hurt!” Some of the anger in her voice bled out at this, and was replaced with a bit of worry. “Do you think I want to run this pack of insane asylum rejects by myself?”
Another moment of brief silence passed, and then James sighed. “Honey, could you please come down from there?” he asked, calmly.
There was no immediate reply, just silence for a few moments. Soon enough, however, the war machine shifted its stance to a more steady one, and then its limbs stiffened. A moment later, a clunk was heard, just before a rope ladder abruptly fell into view behind and between the 'mech's legs, jumping a bit as the momentum of its fall wore off. Then it started to jerk a bit more, and the cause was revealed to be another human descending down its length.
James waited patiently as his wife reached the pavement, and then walked forward to meet her as she came towards him. “Thank you—“
He was interrupted as she slapped his face just hard enough to sting. Before James could think of something to say, however, Rebecca grabbed his head with both hands, turned it back forward again, and then pulled him into an enthusiastic kiss; one he returned immediately with the same verve.
The embrace lasted only a for a few short moments before they pulled away from each other. “Would you stop trying to get yourself killed?” Rebecca asked, the anger gone from her voice and a look of concern on her face.
James could only offer her a lopsided grin. “Comes with the job, babe,” he softly replied.
Rebecca sighed at that, and then rolled her eyes as she took a half-step back. “Then next time, could you at least wait until you climb into your 'mech before you go running off to get shot at?” she asked, an air of long suffering in her tone.
“I'll do my best,” James promised, and then sighed. “By the way,” he added, raising his voice back to normal levels. “Care to meet our boss?” James asked, and then stepped to the side and waved with his good arm towards the ponies standing by the drawbridge.
Rebecca blinked at that, and then blushed. “Ah, screw me,” she muttered. “I don't suppose I've got enough time to run back and get some proper clothes on?” she asked, as she glanced down at her skimpy outfit.
“Now now, my dear,” James replied, as he reached out and gently took hold of his wife's shoulder. “Remember, these ponies like to go naked most of the time,” he added, as he started to walk forward and pulled his blushing wife with him. Then James smirked and gave her an evil look. “Besides, this is perfect revenge for the uniform argument.”
“I'm going to hit you so hard,” Rebecca muttered under her voice, and then put on a smile as they drew close to the group of ponies and one human.
“Princess Luna,” James said, as they stopped in front of the group. “My wife, Rebecca McKenna,” he added, with a gesture from his good arm.
For her part, Luna cast a scholar's eye over the human female. Barely enough clothing to cover her feet, genitalia, and mammaries, the princess thought, as she recalled some details Twilight Sparkle had passed on in her reports. Those reports also mentioned how scandalous it is for humans to go about in such reduced dress, she remembered. Perhaps that bit about how their machines heat up has something to do with it?
These thoughts only took a moment to pass through her head, and so Luna quickly managed to pleasantly smile and nod to the human female. “A pleasure to meet you, missus McKenna,” she said, friendlily.
“Likewise, your highness,” Rebecca replied, and then curtsied briefly. “My apologies for appearing in such reduced dress, but I felt it necessary to ensure that my husband was... reassured of the unit's ability to respond quickly.”
Luna raised an eyebrow at that, and a faint smirk crossed her muzzle. “Indeed,” she simply said. “I appreciate your dedication, then,” she added, and then turned serious. “But I sincerely hope this is not all you have brought.”
Rebecca chuckled briefly at that. “Not by a long shot,” she said, as more thumping sounded in the distance. The looks of surprise she got only brought a grin to the human's face. “I had the unit deploy right after me, told them to guard the palace,” she explained, with a glance to James. “I figured it would be good for the ponies here to see they're not alone.”
James raised an eyebrow of his own at his wife. “Maybe you should have asked, first,” he suggested. “There's been a lot of chaos here and—”
“It is fine,” Luna interrupted, even as the thuds grew into ground-shaking vibrations. All heads turned to her, and she smiled faintly. “I admit that I am most interested in keeping my sister safe from further griffon attacks until we have a chance to reinforce the palace guards from units coming in from around Equestria. Methinks your machines will be quite the deterrent.”
“With all due respect your highness, are you sure?” general Stonewall asked. “The royal palace hasn't been guarded by anything but ponies in millennia. If the populace sees foreigners guarding it now—”
“Then they will know that they are trustworthy,” Luna interrupted, as she gave the general another cool look. “As they most certainly are.”
Stonewall bit his lip at that, and remained quiet. Then he saw movement from the same road that Rebecca's machine had taken, and he and everyone else turned to watch the first 'mechs march into the square.
* * * *
“So, no one's seen 'em since the attack?” April Lewis asked, as she followed the two royal guardsponies through the palace.
“Nope,” the gray stallion on the left replied. “Kinda odd, that; Steelshod is usually pretty dedicated.”
“They're probably both dead,” the unicorn mare on the right observed, curtly. “Damned Griffons.”
“Now now, no need to be so dire, Starchaser,” the earth pony countered, his tone good-natured. “The griffons didn't go near the armory at all.”
“Then why weren't they there?” the mottled brown-and-white pony countered, with a quick glare to the stallion on her left. “And why did the whole place look like a tornado swept through it?”
Lewis shifted uncomfortably in her battle armor at that. Stupid armor, can't wait to take it off—gotta find ol' Steeljaw first, she thought. If the old bugger's still alive. “Well, there was no blood there, either,” the human offered, even as she ducked through a doorway the ponies had no problems moving through. Even GDL Scout armor adds a good fourteen centimeters to my height, she mused. Normally I'd like being taller, but this is starting to get ridiculous.
“No blood, true,” Starchaser allowed, though she soon followed it with a snort. “Maybe Steelshod finally snapped and ran away?”
“Don't mind her,” the gray stallion said, as he looked over his shoulder to Lewis. “She's just upset she missed the fight.”
“Because of a stupid typo!” the mare snapped, as she brought the small group to a halt in front of a large pair of doors. She then rounded on the other pony. “It was supposed to be lieutenant Starlancer who got duty at the reservoir, but the shift leader got confused and told me to go up there instead! Do you know how hard it is to get up there without wings?”
The stallion let a silence hang in the air for a moment, and then subtly glanced back at his side. “I might have an inkling,” he observed, as he turned back to the mare and smiled.
“Oh, stick it up your backside, Irlo,” Starchaser grumbled, and then turned back to the doors and lit up her horn. “That post was made for pegasi and you know it,” she added, as the large doors lit up with a matching aura and then were pulled open.
Behind them was a staircase that went down, and Lewis bent forward a bit to get a better look. “So, uh, where are we going to check next?” she asked, confused as the steps reached a landing and then doubled back on themselves, preventing any view of their ultimate destination.
“Dungeon,” Irlo replied, as he casually started the group forward and downward. “It doesn't get much use these days, but it might be a place to take refuge in a fight.”
“If they even came this way,” Starchaser interjected. “I still say they're dead and hung up on a griffon's tanning rack somewhere.”
Lewis grimaced at that, and was instantly thankful that her helmet was still in place and covering her face. “You're pretty morbid, for a pony,” she observed.
“She is,” Irlo chimed in, and his voice quickly took on a teasing quality. “I think she's actually a minotaur, somehow turned into a pony and forced to work in the one job in Equestria that has even the slightest chance of the sort of fighting they like.”
Starchaser gave the gray stallion a burning look. “Bite me, Irlo,” she snarled.
Irlo returned the look with a smug one of his own. “Is that an invitation?” he asked, and then waggled his eyebrows.
“Perv,” Starchaser retorted, and then turned her head forward again as the group reached the last landing and started down the final staircase.
“You know you love it,” Irlo countered, with a grin on his muzzle. “It's only a matter of time before you fall to my inexorable wall of stallion-ness,” he added, as the group reached the bottom of the stairs and paused inside a large, sparse room. Aside from the stairwell, the only exits were two doors, opposite of each other in the left and right walls.
Starchaser took advantage of the pause to laugh. “You're a tiny little thing, Irlo,” the rather large mare replied. “I'd probably break you in half.”
“Care to place a wager on that?” Irlo asked, with a grin and raised eyebrow.
“I'd sooner try to give Philomena a tongue bath.”
“Ooh, kinky.”
“Shhh,” Lewis interjected, as she brought up a hand. The two ponies fell silent, and the group looked around the dungeon's foyer. “Do you hear that?” she asked, and soon enough the trio all turned their heads to the door on the left wall.
“Is that... singing?” Irlo asked, finally sounding confused.
“Oh, Lord,” Lewis added, with a sigh. “C'mon,” she added, and then made her way towards the entrance. The guards quickly followed, and April wasted no time in opening the door.
On the other side was a room almost identical in size and shape of the first one, though one wouldn't immediately recognize it as such as much of it had been filled with a variety of boxes, parts, and other items generally called “junk” by the technically disinclined. Several tables had been set up and a selection of half-formed metal pieces lay on them, while around their feet were several pieces that looked as if a sledgehammer had been taken to them in anger.
And sitting in the midst of this, with their backs against one table, were a man and a pony. Several bottles of different shapes and sizes were sitting on the floor around them, and the two of them were singing in off tones. “Oh flower o' Scotlaaannnd, when will we seeeeee, yer like agaaiiiinnn!” they sung, seemingly ignorant of the sudden intrusion.
Ah, Hell, Lewis thought, and then turned her eyes to the side of her helmet's HUD. Micro-lasers built into the suit tracked her eye movements to tell what she looked at—in this case, a virtual button that controlled her suit's external speakers—and then registered the rapid, coded blinks she used as commands. “McCoy!” Lewis shouted, as her speakers amplified her voice to more than double her usual volume.
Everyone else in the room winced at that, and the two armorers finally broke out of their revery to take note of the new arrivals. “Ach, what th' blazes is this?” McCoy slurred out the question. “Cannae I do me work without... with...” he trailed off then, as his mind seemed to loose track of his words.
Lewis lowered her volume to normal before she replied. “Chief, there was an attack,” she patiently explained. “Griffons, lots of them. We came by to make sure you two weren't toast.”
“Toasted is more like it,” Irlo quietly grumbled from behind the armored human.
Starchaser took a moment to kick him in the gut with a foreleg, and then stepped forward once the stallion was lying on the floor. “Steelshod, sir,” she began. “As miss Lewis here stated, there was an attack on the palace. Princess Luna has asked for a status report on your meeting with mister McCoy and wants you to provide plans on how to re-equip our forces.”
“Miss tight-buns wants a report?” Steelshod asked, his tone almost as slurred as McCoy's. “Tell her we're working on...” he trailed off, and then glanced to the human at his side. “What'd ya call this again?”
“Eh?” McCoy asked, and then glanced over at some of the material they'd been working on. “Ah, recall— recold...” he frowned, and then made a gesture with his hands. “Boomstick!” he shouted, and then began to laugh, which Steelshod soon joined in.
“Sir!” Starchaser shouted, her tone one of surprise. “You should refer to the princess with respect!”
“I am respecting her!” Steelshod countered, and then pointed a hoof towards the unicorn. “Have you seen her back end? It's glorious!”
“Steelshod!” Starchaser gasped in shock.
“Celestia's plot is better,” Irlo interjected, as he finally regained his breath and his hoofing.
“She's got a bigger one,” Steelshod countered, even as he swayed a bit and slowly shifted his foreleg back down to the floor. “Which is fine and dandy, if you like that sort of thing. But lemme tell ya, son, Luna's plot is so tight you could bounce a roll of coins off of it and hit the moon!”
Starchaser's eyes twitched in a flurry of ticks, and she took a moment to breathe before she turned and started to walk back to the door. Irlo cringed as she came close, but soon relaxed when she passed without comment or violence. He had just started to sigh in relief when Starchaser abruptly bucked his back end and sent him flying into a pile of junk just to the side of the two drunken armorers.
“Stallions,” Starchaser grunted, as she walked out, pointedly ignoring even Lewis.
For her part, April was glad the unicorn passed her by, as she had to mute her speakers and let out a large bout of laughter. Although it was confined to her suit, the fact that she had to bend over as much as the armor would allow in order to keep from falling over in mirth would tell anyone who watched that she was enjoying the scene. Finally, however, she calmed down, and then resumed her normal stance and triggered her speakers again. “So, why do you guys call it 'plot' anyway?” she asked of Steelshod, as curiosity had gotten the better of her.
The brown pony thought for a moment as his alcohol-addled mind processed the request. Soon enough, however, he grinned. “Because, when a mare with nice flanks sits down, she takes up huge... plots of land!” he explained, throwing his forelegs out when he said “huge”. McCoy apparently found that hilarious, as he fell backwards with laughter. Steelshod joined in, and soon the room was filled with the sound of mirth.
Lewis just shook her head and sighed at that. “Men,” she muttered, albeit with a faint smirk on her face. She then turned and headed for the dungeon entrance, eager to make her report and finally take off her armor.
Meanwhile, the two armorers let their laughter die, and they simply rested to catch their breaths. “Women,” McCoy grunted.
“Mares,” Steelshod added.
“Eeyup,” Irlo added, from where he was stuck in a pile of junk, his rear legs hanging in the air.
* * * *
Night descended over the land as the sun set, leaving behind it a fading twilight that contrasted sharply with the harsh glare of lamps in the city below. The artificial lights were bright and harsh, turned up as much as they could to dispel the darkness as ponies crawled through the wreckage in search of survivors, belongings, and the dead.
Rainbow Dash looked down upon the mountainside city from one of the royal palace's parapets, her mood matching the growing gloom. So many dead, she morbidly thought, as her keen eyes found a group carrying another bagged body from the city. Whether pony or griffon, civilian or military, she did not know. They all end up at the same place in the end, don't they? the cyan pegasus wondered, as she watched the procession move towards one of the city's outer gates.
She sighed at that, and then hung her head as she sat down on her haunches. The stone was still warm from the day just past, and it comforted her briefly before a chill breeze blew through her rainbow-colored mane. Dash shivered a bit at that, even though she half-expected it. Autumn's almost here now. The Running of the Leaves will be soon. She blinked at that, and then shook her head. No, it won't; no pony will want to do something like that when an army of machines can come through any minute, without warning.
The pegasus shivered again, this time without any wind to spur her. Why? she asked, with a glance up to the sky above. Stars were starting to show against the vault of the heavens, and Rainbow bit her lip. Why did this happen? Why did war have to come here?
Silence met her unspoken pleas, and Rainbow looked down at the city again, though she saw little of Canterlot as memories of the day past ran through her head. She saw every detail in her mind's eye as clear as day; every tensed sinew of pony and griffon alike, every splatter of blood, every scream of pain, even her own. The patched wound on her flank itched at that, but Dash ignored it as her memories came to the scene in Celestia's suite, the head of a griffon landing in her outstretched forelegs, ponies cut down by claws and sword and spear alike. Why did so many have to die? Why did I... she gulped then, as she remembered staring into the eyes of the human pilot.
Something pattered on the parapet, and Dash looked down to see faint dark splotches upon the stone. She blinked in surprise as more of them appeared, only to widen her eyes as she realized they were tears. Cautiously, Rainbow brought up a foreleg and swiped the fetlock across her eyes only to have it come away wet.
But... I don't feel anything, Dash thought, as she incomprehensibly stared at her wetted limb. I... I don't feel anything it all... Worry started to flow into her mind, and the pegasus just continued to stare as more tears leaked from her eyes. What's wrong with me? Did... did killing that guy—
“Rainbow?” The familiar voice intruded upon her thoughts, and Dash snapped her head around to see a tall, lithe figure approaching her with a bipedal gait.
“Melissa,” Rainbow said, in little more than a croak. she was brought up short by that, and felt confusion over how terrible her voice sounded. “W–what are you doing here?” Dash managed to ask as the human came close.
“I hitched a ride on the Steel,” Melissa explained, as she stopped next Dash and looked down to her. “Someone had to come get the Ferret and take it back to our humble little airfield.”
“Oh,” Dash replied, and then looked away when she noticed how intently the human was gazing at her. “I guess that makes sense,” she offered, half-heartedly.
A few moments of silence passed, leaving the gloom around Dash to feel more oppressive with every passing second. Then to her surprise, Melissa moved and then sat down next the the pegasus, facing the same direction. “I also wanted to come and see how you're doing,” Melissa added, in a lower tone of voice as she glanced over to Dash.
Rainbow blinked a bit as she returned the glance, and then automatically puffed out her chest. “I'm doing fine,” she said, in an attempt to put on her usual braggadocio. “Why wouldn't I be?”
The hard, skeptical look she got in return deflated Dash in an instant, and Melissa shook her head. “I know that's not true,” the human said. “My dad was there, you know, told me all about it. And I was there in the air too, remember?” she asked, a ghost of a grin briefly playing over her face. “You did something completely amazing, you know that?”
Dash's face scrunched up in confusion at that, and she could only shake her head. “I... I don't know how you can call it that,” she admitted, her voice cracking slightly. “What I did... I...” she let her voice trail off, and then glanced away from the human at her side.
Another silence fell over the pair, though it was brief as Melissa took in a fairly deep breath. “Rainbow—”
“I don't feel anything,” Dash interrupted, without looking back to Melissa. “I... I know I should be feeling something, but I can't,” she added, her voice almost down to a whisper. Then she turned back to the human, tears forming in her eyes again. “What's wrong with me?”
Melissa felt a pain stab deep into her chest as she saw Rainbow's rose-colored eyes begging her for an explanation, and the human bit her lip for a brief moment as she gathered her thoughts. “Oh, Rainbow,” she said, and then reached out to place a hand on the pony's withers. “There's nothing wrong with you,” she said, carefully.
“That's not true!” Dash exclaimed, suddenly. “I should feel bad! I need to feel bad! I... I want...” her speech slowed as heaving sobs started to break up her words. Water poured from her eyes, and she turned her head away in shame. “I don't want to be this way,” she added, her voice quiet.
The pause after her words was brief, and Dash sniffed as she felt Melissa shift her hand up to the back of her head, and then slowly and gently rubbed it down her mane. “You won't be,” Melissa said, as she continued to pet the distraught pegasus. “What you're going through is normal, Dash. You're just in shock at what's happened, and the emotional part of your mind can't process it yet.”
Rainbow sniffed again before she replied. “How can you know that?” she asked, her voice calmer thanks to the strangely soothing contact of a hand repeatedly running down her neck. Then she turned her head back to Melissa again. “How can you possibly know what this feels like?”
Melissa's face darkened a bit, and she stopped petting Dash so she could turn and lean forward to rest her forearms on the tops of her tented knees. A silence fell over the pair, deep and dark as the night around them, and for a moment Dash felt genuine fear that she had offended the human.
Her fear was soon laid to rest, however, as Melissa began to speak again, albeit in a lower register. “I still remember the first person I killed,” she began, softly. “It was only three years ago, back when I was finishing my training as a pilot.
“My parents sent me to the Academy on Columbia, in the Outworlds Alliance,” Melissa continued, as she continued to stare out over Canterlot. “I was only twenty years old, old enough to be called a woman instead of a girl. I thought I had earned that right,” she added with a scoff. “I was out with some classmates to celebrate our upcoming graduation, and we hit the bars. Being the Outworlds, the only stuff they had that was cheap was the local rotgut, and you had to guzzle that pretty fast if you didn't want it coming back up a few seconds later.
“So we got pretty smashed that night. Not too bad; we could still walk, still figure out which way back to the dorms, though not much else,” Melissa explained, as a faint smirk crossed her visage. It faded soon enough, however, as the human continued to speak. “We were halfway back to the academy grounds when we got jumped. Just a bunch of dumb muggers, but they had knives, and one had a gun.
“Normally, you're supposed to just hand over your cash and let the guys get away.” Melissa paused at that, and then shook her head. “We were too drunk for that. Zulara threw the first punch, knocked a knife right out of a guy's hand. Then she took one to the kidneys.” She paused again, and then sighed. “It got nasty, the gun went off... when everything was done, most everyone had been stabbed or shot... except me.”
Rainbow stared at the human, mesmerized by her story. “How?” she asked.
“Because I wasn't just trying to fight them off,” Melissa replied, and then shook her head. “I was mad, pissed off that the bastards wanted our money, had wanted to hurt us. I just fell back on all the training I got from the guys in my parents' merc company, self-defense stuff mainly, but also some Krav Maga,” she added, and then briefly bit her lip. “I went right for the windpipe and broke it. He died, but slowly, from suffocation.
“The fight didn't last long after that, especially when I broke another mugger's leg right at the knee,” Melissa continued, as she leaned back from her forward hunch. Her arms went behind her and supported her torso even as she spoke. “The cops came by only a few minutes later, and the ambulances right after that. Still wasn't fast enough to keep that mugger and Zulara from dying, though.” She paused again, and then closed her eyes. “I saw two people die in front of me, one of them from my own hands, and you know what?” she asked, as she opened her eyes again and looked straight into Dash's. “I didn't feel a damn thing.”
“Nothing?” Rainbow asked, her voice cracking.
“Nope,” Melissa replied, with a shake of her head as she sat more upright again. “At least, not until I got to see one of the academy's pshrinks—psychologists, I mean,” she explained quickly. “I talked to him for ten minutes, and then I started bawling like a girl who lost her favorite stuffed toy.
“Turns out, Dash, that killing people isn't hardwired into our brains anymore than building a gun is,” Melissa added. “And when we do it, our brain just can't handle it all, not entirely. But what our brains are hardwired for is survival, and when your life is in danger you can't afford to be distracted by emotions, so we just kind of shut it all down until we know that we're safe again.”
Dash sobbed again, even as Melissa reached out with a hand to place it on her withers a second time. “You're so much like us, Dash, you really are,” the human continued. “All of you ponies are. Right now your mind is still in shock, still trying to figure out how the Hell everything happened, and it's trying to decide if you're safe yet or not.
“So don't worry, Rainbow, you're going to be fine,” Melissa added, and then smiled a bit even as small tears began to drip out of her eyes. “If you didn't feel this way, then I'd be worried. But you're a good person, a good pony, and you're going to be okay. You'll get through this, because you weren't born a loser. You're going to recover, and become whole again.”
Small rivulets had carved channels through the fur on Rainbow's face by now, and she could feel her eyes filling with tears. “But I... what I did...”
“Was the right thing,” Melissa replied. “You saved lives, and made everyone safe. You made yourself safe,” she added, as she started to lightly pet the pegasus again. “You'll be fine.”
You'll be fine, the words echoed in Dash's head. You'll be fine. You'll be fine... You'll... be... A dam broke somewhere inside her, and Rainbow could only close her eyes and started bawling right there. Slowly, she lowered herself to lie on the parapet, and then covered her head with her forelegs as she let herself go.
Melissa felt herself cry at the scene, and she shifted her position so she could lean her upper body along Dash's side and withers. One hand went to the stone to support her, and the other continued to lightly stroke the pegasus' mane as she bawled her heart out.
How long they stayed like that neither could tell. The sky was pitch black and filled with stars by the time Rainbow's caterwauling had finally wound down into soft sobs, and the stone below them had started to grow cold. Yet they stayed as they were, and for once the cyan pegasus was content to remain still. “That... feels good,” she muttered softly, as Melissa stroked her mane again.
“Hmm,” Melissa hummed. “How are you feeling?” she asked, after a moment.
“Like I was stomped by an ursa major, and then used as a manticore's chew toy,” Rainbow replied. She then shifted a bit, and put her forelegs on the parapet so she could lift her head up and turn it towards the human. “I do feel a little better, but... not all the way.”
Melissa smiled at Dash. “That's normal,” she said, her smile slowly fading as she shifted to sit normally again. “You got through a lot of raw emotion just now, but you're still going to have to come to terms with what happened, and with what you did.”
“Yeah,” Dash mumbled in agreement, and then looked out over Canterlot. The pair sat in silence for a long minute, before Rainbow sighed and then turned back to the human. “How do you do it?” she asked. “How do you live with the guilt, knowing that you k—killed someone?”
Melissa sighed at that, and then reached out again to lay a hand on the back of Dash's head. This time, though, she dug her fingers through the mane and started to scritch the back of the pony's ears. “It's different for everyone, I think,” she said, even as Rainbow closed her eyes and leaned into the human's hand. “Some people use chemicals as a crutch, others turn to hedonism, and still more to despair and depression,” Melissa explained, as she looked out over the city to keep the pegasus' adorable visage from distracting her. “Some go numb to it all, and a few even go crazy and start reveling in it.”
“Like O'Connell?” Dash asked, as she opened her eyes again to look at Melissa.
“No,” the human replied, with a shake of her head. “O'Connell is something different; a sociopath.”
“What's that?” Rainbow asked, now confused.
“A sociopath is a person who doesn't quite grasp that the people around him are actually people,” Melissa explained. “They consider themselves to be the most important thing in the universe, bar none, and to them the only reason the rest of us exist is to be their servants, tools, and stepping stones. They have no compunction about mistreating others, or even killing them, so long as it gets them what they want, and the only reason most of them obey the law is because they know how much it'll hurt them if they don't.”
Rainbow glanced to the side and shuddered a bit as memories flashed in her mind's eye. “Yeah, that sounds like him,” she agreed. Then she met Melissa's eyes again. “But, how is that any different from what you guys do?” she asked, and then slowly looked down to the stone parapet. “How is that any different from what I did?”
“Because what we do, and what you did was different,” Melissa evenly replied, as she removed her hand from Dash's head. She paused for a moment to gather her thoughts, and then sighed. “My dad explains it better than me, but what we do, we do out of duty.”
“Duty?” Dash echoed. “But, I thought you guys fought for money?”
Melissa shook her head slightly. “Have you seen us get paid yet?” she asked, with a raised eyebrow. “And Pinkie's little bag of coins doesn't count.”
“Because it's not even close to what you guys normally get, right?” Rainbow asked, and then smirked faintly as she saw a brief look of surprise wash over Melissa's face. “I asked someone about that, and she told me how much you guys make,” the pegasus explained.
“Ah,” Melissa replied, with a brief smile. “Well then, you know that we're not exactly doing this for profit then.”
Rainbow nodded. “Yeah,” she said, and then tilted her head. “But you're not from Equestria, either, it's not your job to fight for us. So why do you do it?”
Melissa took a moment to think, and she glanced out over the city as the silence dragged on. Finally, she spoke. “Let me ask you a question, Dash,” she said, while still looking over the battered capitol. “Why'd you do what you did today?” Melissa turned to the pegasus at that and spitted her with a piercing look. “Why did you risk your life to go up and take out one of the enemy?”
Rainbow Dash bristled at that, and she felt her wings twitch just a bit. “What do you mean, 'why'?” she asked, a note of irritation in her voice. “They were attacking Canterlot and killing ponies! Somepony had to do something, and I was the only one who could do it!”
“But was it really your duty to do so?” Melissa asked, with a raised eyebrow. “You're not in the army or guards, Dash—you're no soldier. The responsibility to risk their lives and protect others lies on their shoulders, not yours.”
“That doesn't matter!” Dash hotly replied, her wings flaring slightly. “I couldn't just stand there and watch if I could do something about it, to stop... it...” Rainbow blinked at that, as realization started to work its way through her mind. A moment of silence fell across the pair as the pegasus contemplated the new thoughts. Soon enough, however, she blinked and then looked into Melissa's face. “You couldn't stand back either, could you?” Dash asked.
“No,” Melissa replied, with a shake of her head. “There are mercs who can do that; sit back and watch bad things happen and not lift a finger without being paid. But not everyone is like that,” the human explained, as she reached out to pat Rainbow's withers again. “The best merc units, in fact, make it a point to behave decently and honorably, including protecting civilians whenever possible.
“As for us in the Dark Horse, we all share a few common beliefs,” Melissa continued. “Amongst them that there is such a thing as right and wrong, good and evil, and that as soldiers, as people with power, we have a responsibility to use that power to help others.” The pilot paused at that to shake her head. “We couldn't just sit back and let O'Connell do whatever he wanted, because as a sociopath, he doesn't have any consideration for right or wrong. As far as he's concerned, the only 'right' thing to do is whatever he can get away with, and you've seen what that means.”
Dash nodded at that. “Yeah, I do,” she said, and then quietly thought for a few moments. “But...” she began, but then seemed to think better of it and turned her head away.
“'But' what?” Melissa asked.
“Nothing,” Rainbow replied, with a shake of her head as she looked out over Canterlot.
“Bull,” Melissa said, and she leaned forward to get into the pegasus' peripheral vision. “What is it, Dash? Something else still bugging you?”
Rainbow chewed on her lower lip in silence as she ruminated. Finally, she sighed, and then looked Melissa in the eye. “How do you keep from turning out like him?” she asked, carefully.
Melissa blinked at that, and then offered Dash a small smile. “Simple,” she replied, as she petted the pegasus' mane again. “What separates us from men like O'Connell is the fact that we adhere to a moral code, an understanding of right and wrong that doesn't change when it's convenient. So long as we stick to that, remember and honor it, then our actions will always be guided towards righteousness.”
Dash frowned as she thought over the human's words. “That sounds kinda hard, if you're going out and killing people,” she observed.
Melissa sighed. “It ain't easy, that's for sure,” she admitted, quietly. “But my parents have been doing it since before I was born, and I've been doing it all my life. Frankly, I don't think I could do anything else.”
Again, Rainbow took a moment to ponder over her friend's words, and soon offered a smile. “I think I get it,” she said. “It's not easy, but you do it because that's who you are, right?”
“Right,” Melissa replied, a broader smile crossing her face. “So you see then, why we can't just stand back? Why we're willing to fight, and if necessary, to die for you?” she asked, her expression becoming intent.
“Yeah,” Rainbow replied, her smile growing a bit. “I do,” she added, and then paused as a new thought ran through her head. “It's like loyalty, isn't it?” she asked, her smile fading away even as a spark seemed to ignite in her chest. “But like, to your code stuff.”
Melissa nodded. “What we call 'duty' is just a form of loyalty, after all,” she replied. “Loyalty to an idea, to something greater than yourself, something you're willing to sacrifice for. Even your own life, if it's important enough.”
“Wow,” Dash said, as she absorbed the answer. “That's like... loyalty squared, or something.”
A chuckle was Melissa's initial reply. “Or something,” she agreed, with a smile, and then petted Rainbow's mane again. “So, are you feeling better now?”
Dash tilted her head a bit as she thought about the answer, and then nodded. “Yeah. Not all the way, but... I feel like I'm going to be f–fine now,” she said, and then closed her eyes. “Especially if you keep doing what you're doing.”
Melissa chuckled again. “Enjoying it, huh?” she asked, somewhat teasingly.
“I hate to admit it, but yeah,” Dash replied. Then her eyes snapped open, and she gave the human a hard look. “But if you tell anypony about this, I'll buck your teeth out,” she warned.
“My lips are sealed,” Melissa replied, as she used her free hand to mime zipping her mouth shut.
“Good,” Rainbow grunted, and then yawned. “Oh, man,” she muttered, and then closed her eyes for a moment. “Suddenly I feel so wiped out.”
“After a day like today, and then the chat we had?” Melissa asked, and then once again scritched the pegasus' ears. “I'm surprised you're still awake. Heck, I'm surprised I'm still awake, after everything that happened,” she added, and then withdrew her hand and started to stand up. “Come on, let's get off this cold wall and head over to the Steel. I've got a warm bed waiting for me, and I'm sure someone on patrol won't mind it if you take their bunk for the night.”
“Thanks,” Dash said, as she slowly stood up. Her legs wobbled for a moment, but soon enough her discipline kicked in and they steadied. “I don't think I could sleep anywhere else tonight,” she added, her voice dropping slightly as she followed the human pilot.
“I don't blame you,” Melissa replied, with a gentile smile she shot over her shoulder. “After today, I doubt you're the only one who wants to sleep surrounded by an armored hull bristling with weaponry.”
“Heh,” Dash chuckled. “Yeah, that sounds good right about now. Yanno, so long as you lock the doors,” she added, and then fell silent a moment to think. “You guys are gonna lock the doors, right?”
“Definitely,” Melissa answered, this time without mirth in her voice. “This little war's starting to heat up, and we're right in the middle of it; you bet we're going to be careful.”
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So yeah. Decided I really, really, REALLY hated to leave this story without a finish.
So here's more for you.
I wanted to get this out, mainly as a pad between battle chapters, and as well as to have several character interactions I've wanted to do for a while now. As such there might be a bit of mood whiplash, but then again, I'm also trying to not drown everyone in depression, either. Hopefully it's not too bad on that front.
I've gone over this chapter a few times, but I wouldn't be offended to have constructive criticism over story flow and word choice and the mechanics of writing. If you're just going to complain about the direction I'm taking the story, or events that happen within simply because you have a personal dislike for them, then bugger off.
I'll check back later, and throw this up on FFnet tomorrow or something; I'm exhausted and up waaaayy too late.
Thank you so much for continuing.
YES!!!! FUCK YES!!!!
You have no idea how great you just made my day!
Ok, show of hands, who all squee'd like a fangirl after seeing this updated?
...
just me? Screw all y'all.
Squeee!
Thank you for continuing this story.
Now reading time, as sleep is for the weak.
As soon as I saw this I immediatly liked and faved. this story is truly amazing. I would like to offer my services as a pre-reader if you would accept them. This story has grabbed my attention in a way that few do. I salute you and you're creative mind and wish to see you become even more amazing in the things you write.
1395894 - I squeed too. I admit. Honestly, a good chapter. I love the character interactions, even if they don't feed my overwhelming desire for action, combat, and to see ponies with Battletech era weaponry. I want to see Twilight pick up and chuck an assault mech!
1395894 I did this story is just that awsome
EEEEEEEEEE! (Imagine the squee done in basso profundo.)
Arg! Hath is a third-person singular verb. There is no "we hath" or "they hath", but "He/she/you hath" (Because current English uses you for both second and third person)
I've gone over this chapter a few times, but I wouldn't be offended to have constructive criticism over story flow and word choice and the mechanics of writing. - sorry, can't help here. I LOVED it! If I were to nitipck, then maybe the drunken Steelshod scene was a tiny bit worse than the rest - it just did not 'click' with me. No, it was not bad, just the other ones were better :].
I wanted to get this out, mainly as a pad between battle chapters - I am sorry, but I would humbly disagree with you. It's relatively easy to write a sensible battle scene and just concentrate on that but I think this story is (and more importantly, should be) more than that. This chapter for me was actually as interesting as the battles (especially the Dash talk - good job on this one!) and I think it's much more than a mere 'pad'.
Now a bit on a more personal note - I am glad you've decided to stick with us and I would like to thank you for that.
To conclude:
MOAR!!!
So long as there's more bacon in Dash's future, take it where you want.
i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa225/keia_l/bacon.jpg
1395854 well so far its good to my eyes i'm just hoping that they can pull off destroying O'connels mecks once that is accomplished then they basically win and the teem gets a new ship to keep along with spare parts and materials. also O'Connels got a bit of dissention amongst his ranks along with the fact that he's loosing more money than he's gaining or will possibly gain from the equestrians.
cheers
As for an update to a great story, I say:
Plus, it was a great chapter. Worth the wait.
YES! YES!
This made me laugh so hard!
Drunk ponies are best ponies!
As usual, excellent work man. The pacing felt good for the most part, and the humorous moments really helped with the story after such an eventful last chapter. All in all, another damn fine job.
Alright, alright, you got me. I squee'd like you wouldn't believe to see another chapter go up on this.
Anyways, I can't say it's what I expected it to be, but I am in no way, shape, or form disappointed. I tried, I really tried, honest! But I just can't seem to find anything wrong with this chapter! Don't get me wrong, I'm no grammar Nazi, but I couldn't find anything that I would have done differently anywhere. After going back over things in previous chapters I found maybe one or two instances of of a single line that didn't flow perfectly, but there aren't any here. I can elaborate on those later, but now I just wanna say how awesome this story is. I just can't believe how well you wrapped up the battle. Everything was just so perfect from every character I was either dawww-ing or bustin my sides laughing the entire chapter. Here's a little break-down.
Side-busting hilarious:
-The two engineers ignoring the most intense written battle scene I've ever read by getting drunk off their stumps.
- James having an arguement with an X-number-of-stories-tall battlemech and getting bitch-slapped by his wife. The subsequent shenanigans also have my seal of approval. I swear, the relationship you've created between those two is absolutely perfect. Not the gut-wrenching Mary-sue kind of perfect, but the 'This-was-a-match-made-in-heaven-and-forged-in-hell' kind of perfect. The characters of James and Rebecca just could not be written better. A mustache for you.
D'awww:
-Rainbow's shell shock.
I don't know how, but you seem to have found the perfect way to write shell shock. Also, you have made Rainbow's character so out-of-character while keeping her in-character that, how you say... "My pancreas is shutting down" just from reading it. I don't think even the canon RD is as awesome as this. Also, petting Rainbow Dash has now become a top item on my bucket list. Along with brushing Seabreeze. And driving a battlemech. And explaining humanity to an alien race. I've lost count of how many bucket list items have come from this story. Another mustache for you.
You've done it again my friend. You have taken something incredibly awesome already and just squared its awesomeness. You have no reason to ever doubt yourself, your writing abilities, or the support you will get from all your fellow brony writers. All my compliments for previous chapters still stand, now stronger than ever, and I will anxiously await the next chapter in your epic tale.
[edit: saw your blog post requesting less outrageously coded comments. Sorry. I'll keep it on the DL from here on out.]
1395894
*raises hand*
I am so glad you decided to continue this, this Story deserves its ending and the number 2 Spot it has in my HiE Rankings Cause I love my Mechgenre.
Okay, my day just got weirder. I just started writing a story called 'Fallen Stars'. Next thing I know, this is in the featured box. Even though this is nothing like my story. Funny thing is, I was originally going to name it 'Falling Stars'. Good thing I changed it.
lol at comments. this story does not interest me at all
imgonna put it on my read later list on ly because it got featured
Am I imagining things or did this actually just update?
Glad to see this is back. Can't wait for more Mech on Mech action.
an update!?
oh hell fucking yes! 
Awesome! So glad to see this updated!!! Hee, I lol'ed at the discussion of the plots. X3
As much as I love all the action and the goofiness of the Dark Horses, my favorite parts have to be the stuff with Rainbow Dash (and Melissa) and her development throughout. It's just so darn compelling!
This is back? Oh HELL YES!
The entire scene with Rainbow and Melissa was the highlight of this chapter for me, and very well written. More of that level of quality must come!
It is however rather annoying that you are seemingly going with the "Celestia and Luna don't actually control the sun" route, considering that their in show personalities would clash with that kind of society affecting lie. That, and they have astronomy as a field of study(which could immediately prove if the sun was controlled or not), and on several occasions(Especially with Discord) they sun and moon were actively flung around.
That aside, I eagerly await the next chapter.
1397427
The second chapter of my story ASMD has my interpretation of the sun-moon issue.
Took a look, and I will say that while that explanation works within that story, as it is explained and has a back history set up to facilitate it, no such thing is implied to the readers here, in this battletech/mlp cross, or expected.
People will come in to this story expecting it to be canon Equestria with the point of divergence being when the jumpship arrives, and canon Equestria has a manually controlled Sun and Moon, and two Princess's that aren't lying to their subjects faces.
I guess the main thing is this. In one of your blog posts you said you hope to publish your own works eventually. Something I will say straight off: If there is something you do not want to do in a original published work, it is make references or comments in a story that in order to make sense refer to another story Not related to the current universe being written in!
Now, I am assuming that Falling Stars has no relation to ASMD as there has been no indications otherwise, but until you told me to look there I didn't know about that. Essentially, you did the equivalent of having me reading a...Harry Potter book, and upon reading a line that has monumental implications in the story, finding out that to make sense of it I need to go read Lord of the Rings.
Now if ASMD was somehow a prequel in some way to Falling Stars, it wouldn't be in any way as much of a problem as long as its prequel nature was mentioned from chapter 1.
I guess what I mean to say is that if you aim to publish original works, and also dabble in fanfiction, then treat your fanfiction like a publishable work in terms of the quality you would hold an original piece to.
Well I'll be, this is like an old friend I never expected to see again dropping in for coffee. Made my damn weekend.
o7 TO you sir.
1395894 I did too!
And I just absolutely love Steelshod and McCoy, that whole bit was the funniest thing i have ever read!
Keep up the good work! I just can't wait to read what's next!
Man, I just love this fanfic!
IT LIVES
It is great to see you are continuing with this, it is without a doubt one of the best stories on this site and it would be a shame to leave it hanging. I particularly liked the scene where Melissa helps Rainbow deal with her emotions in the aftermath of the fight. You did a great job with the emotions and I always like seeing authors dig into Rainbow's softer side because too many authors do not bother digging beneath the surface and she really is a sweetheart when she lets her guard down.
Also, on a totally unrelated note, there has been some discussion on hated Clans in the CBT forums which helped me think more about my feelings for the Wolves, and while I do not really hate them I do feel like they should have been allowed to die at this point because they were already absorbed which should have been the end then and there, and even moving past that they are weak enough that I feel like some other power should have gobbled them up.
1397640 There is really no conflict with canon here. We only know that the ponies believe the princesses raise the sun and moon, however even with that the fact that the moon kept working after Luna's exile would seem to present contradictory evidence because Celestia's cutie mark is very clearly linked to the sun and not the moon so it would stand to reason that she could only influence the sun. Furthermore, the amount of power implied by such abilities is far beyond anything ever seen in the show, and we see Celestia loose a critical fight with Chrysalis who is not supposed to have the same level of power even after being boosted by Shining Armor who is just a regular unicorn.
Also, I believe this chapter is the first time this has been brought up in this story and there was clearly not time to deal with it so we are almost certain to get an explanation later.
I will assume you just never payed attention to the couple of dozen on screen scenes that point to them controlling the sun and moon, and the other various parts that would make it beyond impossible for them to keep up the illusion. (Nevermind something like that being against the theme of the show, as I rather doubt the writers would intend such illuminati style idiocy)
Still, that is not my main point. My point is that if he plans on elaborating it later on in the story, then to do so in the story and not rely on an out of story(and universe) explanation.
Though that has its own problem in the sense that such a secret coming out would be a society changing one, and require its own story to appear as anything other than tossed under the rug.
1395894
*Raises hands*
1397640
I think you're misunderstanding what I meant.
The reference to ASMD wasn't because I expect people to read it to understand it, I'm just saying, if you want to know what I am planning BEFORE I talk about that in Falling Stars—because it's going to be a bit longer before I get to the sun/moon explanation—then you can read that story and understand where I'm coming from. I am not making it a requirement or anything to read it.
As for the show "canon", the fact that Celestia got her flank handed to her by Chrysalis and the sun didn't go out or down tells us that maaayybe Celestia is fudging a bit. Then again, at no time in the show has either Celestia or Luna said that they actually raise/lower the sun/moon. My interpretation is that the alicorn sisters are indeed very powerful, but not anywhere near godlike status. BUT, to lesser beings, they would appear Godlike. I refer you to Clarke's Third Law and ask you to consider how that can apply to FIM's magic, specifically the differing levels of it.
In any case, my mind is rather set on those conditions, so while I appreciate that you don't care for it, I would hope you do not continue to harp on it, because I am not going to change my mind.
1395894Who didn't?
1395894*raises hand*.....what?All of you can't help it dam it.
HUZZAH! AN UPDATE!
1400032
Actually, it's three barrels: http://www.sarna.net/wiki/images/0/0b/Infan26.png
Doesn't look that big? Because that lady is an Elemental; a two-meter high freak of Clan eugenics.
Oh man this story is epic
Thessalonica Legacy levels of epicness, but with MOAR mechs!
Woo it's alive!
1395894 I was pretty sad earlier when it looked like this wonderful story was going to be left unfinished. So yes, I HUZZAH'ed when I saw this new chapter posted.
I can't belive I haven't found this before just now, please continue this is just epic.
And:
Creating MechWarrior is... pretty smart.
Creating My Little Pony is... pretty fucking smart.
Creating a crossover of these tw- FFFUCKING... GEENIUUUS!
1400469
What the frack is that picture from?
Good to see the story back on.
1398918
Consider that being me without enough sleep, as I see your point on using the other work as a idea of whats to come.
As to the rest, agree to disagree and all that.
Weeeeeeee update
1404571
Tomahawks do not behave that way. 
I thought it looked retarded.
1405041
Dude, what'd I say about the images?