Starship Ponyville: Homeward

by Vylet Pony

XV. The Armada

Satyrn rushed out onto the plateau after she had heard the explosion. Out in the distance, the fleet that had attacked them on the asteroid hovered dishearteningly beyond the snowy plains. Low oscillating sounds echoed across the expanse.

Vylet soon joined Satyrn on the plateau, “Is that Spectre?” he asked, shivering from the cold.

“Yeah, it is.” Satyrn replied. She tapped on the AMCD in her ear, “Sylver, where’s Twilight?” She waited for an answer to come. After a few moments of silence, he responded.

“We’re on the bridge right now. We’re going to have to make another waygate jump,” Sylver informed her.

“What?! Do we even have enough energy for that?”

“We will if we don’t get shot at too much. Gotta move quickly.”

Satyrn spotted smaller spacecraft break off from the mothership; they started speeding towards the landing site.

“Vylet, I need you to get back on those plasma cannons,” Satyrn instructed.

“I don’t want to hit you again… If I hit you—” Vylet objected.

“Aim at the sky. Keep any changelings from landing, and keep those fighters away from our ship. I know you can do that.”

Vylet hesitated and looked back at Satyrn nervously.

“I—”

“If we can’t trust Celestia, I’d like you to at least trust me.”

Rayna flitted out from Vylet’s mane, “I’ll try to assist him with the guidance system. We can make this work,” she encouraged. “Come on Vy, we can do it!” The grey colt looked back at Rayna who smiled optimistically back.. He turned to Satyrn and nodded before gliding back to the ship.

Satyrn contacted Sylver again, “Are you still there?”

“You’re loud and clear, kid.”

“Vylet’s going up to the plasma cannon. He and Rayna are going to keep those the smaller ships away from us. If any ground forces start coming, I’ll take care of them. Just let me know when we’re ready to take off and I’ll be there.”

“Quite the plan you’ve come up with.”

“Is Celestia there too?”

“Yes. She’s plotting a new course.”

“Already?”

“Apparently.”

“Alright. Well, no time to waste. Get us in the air soon.”

“Will do. Be safe,” Sylver clicked off of the line.

---

Vylet scrambled into the turret seat as Rayna hopped on top of the control panel. The plasma cannon was a broad peripheral component in the hull of the ship. It had a prolonged rotating barrel that could fire plasma rounds in quick succession, or as an amplified single shot. It had been designed to be used while in space, so using it while the starship was still docked only allowed for a 360 vertical swivel when aiming.

“Peripheral Generator.” Rayna said.

Vylet flipped a switch that activated the aforementioned generator. Monitors and buttons across the cockpit quickly illuminated, “Good to go.” he said.

“Targeting System.”

“Yep.”

“Munitions Check.”

“On it.” Vylet rummaged through a series of menus and arrays on the main screen. “We’re good.”

“Check your rotation now.”

Vylet took hold of the handle in front of his seat and pulled it to the right. The turret spun into a swift rotation.

“Latency is good, 89ms. Good acceleration. You’re clear to engage, Vy.” Rayna nodded at Vylet, who was taking a deep, nervous breath.

---

A deafening blast came from the hull of the starship. Satyrn glanced back to see the plasma cannon fire at an oncoming ship, which exploded into a cloud of debris.. She tapped into her AMCD, “Vy, was that you?”

“Heck yeah it was!” Vylet sounded like he was beaming.

“You’re a natural! Keep that up,” Satyrn looked up as more ships began their approach..

The Starship Ponyville was bombarded by attacks from the control vessels that were hovering out over the mountain ridges. Satyrn watched as Vylet took down another hostile spacecraft. Then another. Suddenly, changelings began to touch down at the outer rim of the landing site. Satyrn drew her weapon and leapt into the fray.

She dashed from one changeling to another, taking each one down as they rushed towards the starship. Up until this point, all of the changelings had been of the same variety: four legs, two wings, sharp fangs, black exoskeleton. However, from over the mountain shelf, a hostile transport dropped off a huge, dragon-like creature that still somehow resembled a changeling.

“Uh, what the hell is that?” Satyrn spoke to Vylet over the comms.

“I see it… Give me a minute,” Vylet said; rapid bursts started erupting from the turret as he fired erratically at the fleet.

---

“Charging the Operative Waygate, your highness,” Sylver said.

On the bridge, the Princesses were dashing around the consoles preparing to get the starship airborne. Bright flashes of light and smoke filled the sky, obscuring most of their outside visibility. The ship shook heavily with every incursion that the deflector shields took.

“Every shot we sustain prolongs our stay here! Get the Stingers in the air,” Celestia barked orders.

“No! If we do that, we’ll have to leave without them,” Sylver warned.

“Then we will only send a few.”

“That’s suicide.”

“What alternative would you like to share with us, captain? Have you any clue the predicament we’re in?”

“We just need to get in the air as quickly as possible. The engines still have to initiate, but it won’t be long now.”

“I will make the call on my own accord, then,” Celestia’s voice held back a potent indignancy. She dialed the Naval dispatch, “Get ten Stingers up in the air and keep those hostiles out of our sector. We will hold our ground.”

Sylver stepped away from the console to confront Celestia, “Are you mad? We won’t be able to dock them in—” He was interrupted as Celestia struck him across the face, sending the staggering unicorn to the floor.

“Silence! A sacrifice has to be made today.” Celestia’s voice strained as her eyes became fierce.

Twilight watched helplessly from her station in dismay. She looked to Celestia who stared back in a threatening display. The Princess simply turned back to the console and continued preparing the ship for launch.

---

Satyrn heard rockets blasting back from the starship. She turned and saw Stingers pouring out from the main hangar, watching as they darted past the plateau and towards the oncoming armada. Her ears rang from the din caused by the continual blasts erupting across the area. She had been fighting off the smaller changelings when they retreated after the beast was set down onto the plateau.

The massive dragon hovered imminently near Satyrn. It towered over with 4 massive legs, 2 sets of wings, and a broad neck. Embers sputtered from its mouth and fizzled down onto the fresh snow; puffs of steam billowed as they melted into the ground. The air around its mouth quivered and distorted as it emitted a heavy growl, subsequently followed by a series of aberrant drones and screeches.

Satyrn converted her weapon into its rifle arrangement, “I don’t think my shots shots are going to put a dent in that thing.”

Vylet spoke over the comms, “I have an idea, but it’s a trope I’ve seen in just about every sci-fi/action film I’ve watched on this expedition.”

“What did you have in mind?”

“That thing isn’t an immediate threat. The incoming ships are. I need you to keep it busy while I clear the skies. Lead it towards the ledge in front of the ship, I can get a clear shot of its head from right there.”

“How long will this take?”

“The air forces are thinning, but I’m not sure.”

“Alright. I’ll see what I can do,” Satyrn leapt into the air and started firing at the beast. The dragon started into a trample and surged upward, becoming airborne. Its massive wings beat ferociously, causing an extraordinary gale to surround the creature. As Satyrn expected, her weapon had no significant effect, though it marginally chipped away at the exoskeleton.

Satyrn swooped around, avoiding the harsh gusts coming from the dragon’s wings. She saw the dragon beginning to open its mouth; although she was keeping her distance, she could feel a searing heat come about against the snow as the creature’s mouth began to smolder profusely. In the moment, Satyrn fired a shot directly into its now exposed cavity. An explosion was heard, which she mistook as a successful attack. However, the creature had successfully sustained the projectile, and it began to expel plumes of fire. The snow and ice that the dragon hovered above evaporated on contact with the conflagration.

“Damn,” Satyrn had narrowly avoided the flames.

“Everything alright?” Vylet asked over the comms.

“Are you almost done? I could use your help.”

“But, my plan!”

“This siege isn’t your personal fantasy to live out and I don’t really feel like being burned alive!” Satyrn flew around the dragon. The creature’s attention was fixated on her. “I’ve got it as still as it’s going to get.”

---

“Just shoot it!” Rayna was commanding Vylet, “Your shot is just 14.1 degrees off. Pivot left and bring the barrel up by 7 degrees. You don’t want to hit its armour.” She was staring intently into the fray, but no shot occured. Rayna whirled around back towards Vylet, “Are you going to do anything?”

Vylet sat with a fatigued expression on his face. He was shaking his head ambiguously.

“No?” Rayna asked condescendingly.

“I can’t, I might hit her.”

“No you won’t, just do what I’m asking,” Rayna hovered around the targeting monitor and pointed to the crosshair, “You’re telling me that you can hit a spacecraft that’s going nearly Mach 1, but you can’t hit a giant fucking dragon that’s right in front of you?”

“It’s too risky..”

“Vylet! The outcome will be so much more alarming if you sit here and let that creature trample all over this ship.”

“I can’t, I can’t..” he repeated over and over.

“14.1 degrees to the left, 7—”

“I can’t.”

Rayna pulled at her mane and darted up to Vylet’s face. She opened her mouth to shout, but her anger lessened when she saw his frightened expression. She tried to calm herself, “Vylet. Relax.”

Vylet squeezed his eyes closed.

“You’ve done so well. You’ve gotten this far. We can all get out of here soon. All you have to do is hit that thing. Everything will be okay,” Rayna assured him. She drifted over and sat on his shoulder, “Ready when you are.”

A few moments passed. Rayna watched as Satyrn struggled to maneuver around the beast. She looked back anxiously at Vylet, who was now staring intently at the targeting monitor.

“You won’t hit her,” Rayna affirmed. She floated back on top of the dashboard, “14.1 degrees to the left,” she began.

---

Satyrn broke out in a sweat as she endeavored to evade each blast from the creature’s mouth, “Vylet, are you there?” she said over the comms. No answer came. She continued to unleash a barrage of shots to maintain its focus, “Any time now!” Satyrn shouted, feeling her stamina declining.

A blast came from the starship. Satyrn whirled around and watched as the beam traveled swiftly, striking the dragon’s head. The creature slowly toppled over, falling over the mountain shelf, and a grotesque thud, then a crack followed.

Satyrn drifted to the ground to lay down in the snow; her body cooled against the ice as she gasped for air after having exhausted herself, “Good shot,” she remarked. The sky near the landing site had quieted, though explosions were continuing as the Stingers bombarded the control ships over the mountain clearing.

“Satyrn! Satyrn!” Sylver’s voice came through the comms channel.

“Yeah?” Satyrn replied.

“We’re taking off in 10 minutes. Head back now, you’ve overstayed your welcome out there.”

“You’re damn right about that.”

Satyrn had started towards the ship when she heard a sonic boom. A hostile fighter had zipped by, and a silhouette dropped in front of her from above.

Spectre stood up and shot a glare at Satyrn, “Time has run out,” he announced.

“You’re right. I don’t have time for you at all,” Satyrn replied.

In a moment’s notice, Spectre leapt with inconceivable speed and knocked the girl to the ground. He willed a blade of magic into his hooves and pressed it to her neck.

“Talk about wasting time if you’re not going to kill me at your leisure,” Satyrn quipped, though her voice was faltering.

“I did not come to parley and execute for my own musing. I simply came to bring you back with me,” Spectre was melodramatic.

“Likely story.” Satyrn kicked him back allowing herself space to leap into a glide towards the ship.

Spectre recovered, then propelled himself into the air. He traced Satyrn’s movements as powerful magic bolts formed in his hooves. Once the auras had quickly grown to their maximum, he thrusted them with excessive force. The bolts struck and immobilized Satyrn momentarily, just before she reached the ship. The hangar bay shields were opening for her just as a squadron of Equestrian marines began firing back at Spectre. The alicorn simply willed a forcefield around himself, rendering him invulnerable to their attacks. He drifted across the snow towards Satyrn as she struggled to recover from the blast.

“You can come with me willingly, you know,” Spectre taunted her. He watched her endeavor onto her hooves. “What will it b—” he was struck suddenly by a ray of magic, shattering his forcefield.

“You could surrender willingly too,” Princess Twilight countered. Her horn remained steaming from the aggressive spell as she rushed to Satyrn. In a hurry, she lifted the girl into the ship as the shields began to close.

“We have to go, now!” Princess Celestia shouted behind her.

“No! Wait for our ships.”

“The longer we stay—”

“They’re coming.” Twilight pointed out towards where the armada was steadily approaching. Some of the control ships began to rupture as the Stingers darted towards the Starship Ponyville.

Spectre rebounded again, standing back on his hind legs. As the fighters drew near to the ship, his horn glowed as he reached his hooves into the sky. One of the Stingers started to plummet towards the earth, making impact just below the mountain shelf. He attempted to bring down another, but was struck again by an attack from Twilight. He flew backwards, and willed another forcefield to materialize around him, breaking his fall as he hit the ground.

The hangar deflector shields activated fully as the rest of the Stingers rushed back into the ship. In an instant, the Starship Ponyville rocketed towards the plateau and blinked without a trace.

Author's Note:

Art by Amaryllis