One day later…

"Guess he found us all worthy to go on the mission," Rainbow chuckled. "So when does the big guy say we move out?"

"Well… he told me to decide," I said. "He wants me to lead this mission."

The girls looked at me with surprised expressions. "Really?" Applejack questioned. "Ah thought he'd be the one keepin' us safe."

"He will be," I assured them. "I forgot he didn't tell you the plan. There's an old abandoned train system that was meant to connect the train to every city, but underground. They found it hard to do since they were ON a mountain, but now it's our ticket in."

They nodded in understanding, but Rarity gasped softly. "Twilight, the tunnel was sealed off. How are we going to get through several feet of cement?"

"Reku'un's going to be a distraction. Before he does, he's going to blow the hole open for our team, and then draw them away from us while we take out the generators." I took out a map from my saddlebag and pointed to the most eastern part of Canterlot. "Around here, there are supposed to be miniature buildings that have them. We take them out, fall back, and wait for Reku'un to pick us up near the train station."

"Won't we be followed by the hundreds of ships?" Fluttershy deadpanned.

I sighed and shrugged softly. "He told us not to worry about that," I told them. "He told me to trust in him and whoever it is we're rescuing."

"I hope they're worth it," Pinkie said. "We might get caught in a sticky situation."

"Let's just do our best," I said. The girls all nodded again, and I stuffed the map back into its bag. "There they are."

Luna led two other Lunar guards down the narrow tunnel towards us, Reku'un following beside her. I heard two stifled laughs, and I could only imagine it was because Reku'un stood about a stallion's-height taller than the lunar princess. They hurried over, and Reku'un nodded in greeting.

"Are we ready?" Luna asked.

I nodded, and we made our trot to the nearest hatch. Reku'un's armor lit the way for us this time, his helmet carrying the small flashlight that illuminated the tunnel. It wasn't long before we reached the hatch. We climbed up one by one while Reku'un helped us up, climbing out after the last of us. We kept low to the ground, the grass keeping us camouflaged. I was surprised that he could keep up with us, since he didn't look quite natural going on all fours. But we were able to keep out of sight of the fighters above.

The hatch we'd taken had left us near the northern part of the Everfree, which was near the train tracks leading up the mountain. The metal tracks were hidden with grass and whatever else grew, but made it easier for us to move and keep on track. Just as the rails tilted upwards, we veered off to the left, working our way to the base of the mountain once again. Like last time, we had to work around the debris and buildings that had survived the fall. We all did our best to scout out the side of the cliff, but the entrance eluded us.

"Anything?" I called to the others.

"I don't see anything," Applejack reported.

"Nothin' here," Rainbow groaned.

"Sorry," Fluttershy said.

"No luck here, either," Rarity sighed.

"What about up there?" Pinkie called, pointing towards a deep dimple in the rock.

"I'll check," Reku'un nodded. He leaped up higher than anything I've ever seen, clinging to the rock gracefully. Once he moved around a bit, he came back down. "We've got it."

"Okay, remember," I said, "stay close, be careful, and take care of those generators ASAP. Got it?"

"Right," my team answered.

I turned back to Reku'un. "Are you sure you'll be fine?" I asked.

His helmet receded just enough so we could see his expression. As I predicted, he was smirking. "I've a bone to pick with these mutts," he chuckled grimly, cracking his knuckles. "Just do your part, and we'll all get out of here alive."

It was as good a yes as any, and so we kept close as Luna's spell fired up. We pulled down our goggles, and waited for Reku'un to move.

"Stand clear," he warned. We separated to cover, then watched and waited.

Reku'un opened his palm and pulled his arm back, a sphere of cyan sparking to life in his grasp. He leaped up and let loose a deafening roar as he shot his arm forward, sending a blast directly into the side of the cliff. Chunks of stone were sent flying in every direction, a few being smacked away from Reku'un as he floated there. We heard the whine of fighters and ships, and Reku'un roared once again as he ascended to the city, shooting down a fighter just before he disappeared in the smoke.

"Go go go!" I exclaimed, bracing myself as a Lunar lifted me towards the opening.

We dodged the pieces of burning metal from the fighter, and managed to land safely inside the opening. Reku'un's shot had broken apart the cement filling, and we had a clear shot through. We started our gallop inside, following the tunnel as fast as we could. Rarity, Luna, and I lit our horns to make it brighter, but I had Luna cease that so she could maintain our cloak longer. The standard cobblestone walls were replaced with tiled ones. Which meant we were almost to the end.

"Slow down," I called. "We need to see what the other side is like."

Our gallop turned back into a trot, slowing our progress a bit. The tunnel rumbled every so often, the sound of explosions muffled through the meters of dirt and stone. An especially loud one caused us to stumble around.

"Guess he wasn't kidding," Rainbow nervously laughed.

"It sounds like a war zone up there," Fluttershy said, picking up her fallen dagger.

There was another violent rumble, followed by the sound of crashes. "He still has a limit," I reminded them. "We'd better hope he doesn't reach it before we get his friend out."

Up ahead, the tracks ended and to the right was a small platform. We climbed up, looking around for any signs of Arthanians. When I was sure it was clear, I motioned for everypony to form up on the wall near the stairs. Pinkie glanced around the corner, then nodded to me. Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rarity moved up, moving ahead of us to make sure we wouldn't have any surprises. They were out of our sight for a while, but I could hear them trotting up the steps.

"Uh, you guys…" Fluttershy called.

When we reached them at last, they were standing in front of a solid cement wall. "Damn… it must have been here when they blocked off the outside," I sighed.

"The only way we'll get past this is if we destroy it," Luna stated. "Shall we give it a try?"

"Isn't that gonna make a lot of noise?" Rainbow questioned.

"If we don't do this fast, then we'll fail this mission," I reminded them. "Alright… ready, Princess?"

"Whenever you are," she nodded.

Our horns ignited, our mana funneling into them as we charged our own beams. When we were sure we had enough to take down the wall, we shot our beams. When the dust cleared, two large holes were visible in the wall, going straight through. However, we didn't tear down the whole thing, and no pony could fit through the openings.

"Applejack," I said. She nodded to me, then moved up and turned with her flank to the wall.

She leaned forward and bucked the wall, breaking through some of the weakened cement. Cracks formed as she kept it up, and pieces of cement were being pushed out of place. With one last spring of her legs, the stone knocked out of place, bringing down some of the upper part as well.

We climbed over the rubble and found ourselves in a collapsed building. The sounds of battle were clearer than before, and we made our way out of the structure. Luna pulled me back as a trio of fighters zoomed overhead, their weapons firing in unison.

"GRAAAAAHHHHH!"

His roar echoed throughout the city, and he had to be on the northern side already. There weren't any soldiers in the streets, aside from a few bodies. Luna took point and led our sprint to the buildings just past the remains of the downtown of Canterlot. The grim and bloodstained remnants of shops and homes passed my vision as we kept on, each of looking in every other direction for the target building.

"I see them," Rainbow called to us from above. "They're right up the block."

"The eastern building, right?" One of Luna's stallions asked.

"Right," I nodded. "Okay. Luna, Applejack, take cover near the entrance. Pinkie and Fluttershy, you're with me. Everypony else wait for my go."

We formed up by the entrance, my horn charging gradually as everypony took their positions. Applejack smashed the console, and the door slid open slightly. Luna's magic tore it open while I jumped in with my small team. Only two soldiers to guard the door, and they were waiting with pointed spears, but they were confused to seeing nothing. Fluttershy slunk behind one while Pinkie went to its front, and my horn ignited freely. Pinkie tripped up the one to the right and Fluttershy sunk her daggers into its neck.

The other was still confused, even when my spell pierced his head. I took its spear and hit the wall twice, prompting the others to join us. We trotted inside, using Rarity's magic to light the way. Another explosion knocked us off balance, but we kept it together and hurried in. Instead of a level hall, it veered off to the right and started getting slanted upwards. When we reached the top of the slope, we found a large opening in the structure, and we were on a sort of level. It looked like there was one more floor, but what really mattered were the four generators below us. They were in a sort of protective barrier, and the barrier didn't look organic-friendly.

"So how do we get past that?" Pinkie huffed.

"Teleporting would save us a lot of trouble," Luna pointed out, her horn already glowing.

She vanished in a flash of blue, but a distorted yell pierced the room, and she reappeared near the field below.

"Luna!" We yelled.

Rarity and I used our magic to teleport our group down, and I rushed with the others to help her up. "Are you hurt?!"

"I'm fine," she grunted. "We should have looked this over better, wouldn't you agree?"

I heard the feigned playfulness in her voice, but she looked fine. "Yeah. I think we can start now," I sighed.

"So we can't teleport in," Rainbow recited. "I don't think touching this thing's the best idea, either."

"So we have to take the field down," Fluttershy said. "Maybe there's a power source for it."

"I think those generators might be a part of that," Rarity sighed. "Let's have a look around."

We split up and rushed around the lower level, looking for any sort of power source. All we found were empty prisoner cells… but some had dead occupants. Moving on to the second level - where we were before - we found a few utility rooms… a room with chains on the ground… a miniature armory, and a few rooms filled with ovens. I remembered what Tulip Petal told us… and I shuddered at the thought of that happening here.

"Up here, guys," Rainbow shouted from the third level. We rushed up and found a few rooms with unconscious stallions and a few mares. "Help me with them."

We unchained and dragged the ponies out of their rooms. Luna used her spell to keep them invisible as well, and I had Pinkie and the two Lunar guards stay with them.

"What now?" A Lunar questioned.

I thought about it long and hard… thinking over what we could possibly do. It was a protective field, sort of a like a barrier spell. It had a power source, but we couldn't find it, or it could have been one of the generators. If it wasn't going to run out soon… maybe we could make it run out somehow. Unicorns usually only last as long as their mana does, but attacking their barrier forces them to use up more to keep it active. Maybe we could overload it or cause a small break in it.

"Rainbow, Fluttershy," I called, "grab the rifles in the armory and bring them to me."

They glanced at each other, but flew into the rooms and did as they were ordered. I held up my hoof when we had thirty of the weapons.

"Rarity, Luna, take ten and spread them around the rails," I told them, using my magic to take ten as well.

They were confused as well, but started to move the guns along the rails until they were about equal lengths away from each other.

"Plan on fillin' us in?" Applejack huffed.

I adjusted a few of the rifles, making sure they were pointed at the barrier. "Unicorns use magic with every second when they're casting a barrier," I began. "When it's hit, we use up more to make sure it survives the attack and keep active. If we keep hitting this thing, maybe we'll cause it to lose power, overload, or even let up for a couple seconds."

"Twilight," Luna said sternly. "This will definitely draw attention, and even if they can't see us, they'll swarm this place and eventually find us. Are you completely sure this is the best option?"

I sighed to myself and thought over anything else we could attempt.

"This could be our only option," I murmured, making sure they knew I was out of ideas. "Ready?"

"Ready," Rarity nodded.

"Fire and I'll follow," Luna said.

I focused my grips on the triggers, then pulled them as hard as I could. Thirty blasters started firing away, forcing us to cover our ears as their shots echoed off the walls. I glanced at the field, watching as the rounds dissipated against the barrier. We didn't let up, and soon I saw sparks come off of its surface. I heard growling and roaring below, and a group of scouts started barking and yapping as they tried to find the gunners. I knew our scents were already returning, since our bodies weren't as wet as before.

"Look!" Luna shouted over the rifles.

I could see the sparks getting more violent, a small trail of smoke beginning to billow from one of the generators inside. "Keep it up!" I yelled.

The scouts started sprinting throughout the levels, yapping at the freed prisoners near us. The Lunar guards started to attack them, along with Pinkie. They did their best to take them out in single shots, which started drawing their attention.

"Rainbow! Applejack! Help them out!" I shouted.

They galloped over, and I looked over as the field started to blink and dissipate briefly. "We're almost through!"

I gasped silently when an Alpha leaped up, growling loudly as it looked around for us. The scouts backed off, and the Alpha shot the rifles one by one. Ten of them exploded, while eight others fell to the level below. Most of them had been Rarity's, and she was clutching her head from the pain of having her spell interrupted.

"Rarity! Shoot as many bolts as you can at the field!" I screamed, my mind straining as I tried to keep my mana alive.

Luna looked a bit uneasy herself, especially since the rifles had dwindled to five, which were mine. "Keep moving and don't stop!" Luna yelled, her horn lighting up to start sending a barrage.

The Alpha roared and tried swiping the last rifles down, but I started moving them so it couldn't. The beast growled angrily, then slammed its fist into the platform. Everypony yelled as the floor beneath us fell, sending most of us into a tumble besides Rainbow, Fluttershy and Luna. The Lunars were still fending off scouts while the Alpha tried to knock away the guns.

"Applejack!" I screamed. "Buck it in the leg!"

She nervously obliged, galloping over and bucking with as much power as she could. The hit took it off guard, I assume, and a loud sickening crack reached my ears. It roared deafeningly and tried swiping her, barely missing her as she rolled to the side.

"Twilight!" Fluttershy called. "The barrier!"

I looked over and saw it start to fade away, some of the rounds hitting the generators.

"Luna! Get in there!" I yelled.

I directed the rifles at the Alpha for a moment, forcing it to shield itself with its arms and take hits to the body. Luna kept her beam strong as she threw herself in, the field resetting the moment she was in.

"Rarity! Take the others out of here!" She stopped her beams and stumbled for a moment, but got a grip and formed up with the Lunars and the others.

"We're not leaving you two behind!" Applejack shouted.

"We'll be right behind you, now go!" I yelled, feeling another rifle get destroyed.

The Lunars, Rainbow, Applejack and Pinkie Pie grabbed a prisoner and made a gallop for the exit, followed by Rarity and Fluttershy to keep them safe.

The last four rifles were pulled out of my hold, and the Alpha smashed them apart. It looked at me… directly at me. I pulled off my goggles and looked at my leg, but it was still transparent. Then I remembered what Reku'un had said about them.

They had the abilities of a Signa.

"GROOOOOAAAAAHHHHH!"

I barely rolled out of the way of its paw, galloping towards the armory. I had just made it to the threshold when it's foot pinned me down. It roared at the back of my head, sending a shiver of terror down my spine. I wriggled frantically and lit my horn, shooting the last of my mana into its face. It roared again, clawing at its face to get rid of the heat.

"Luna!" I screamed. "Take those generators out already!"

"I have!" Her magic blasted into the Alpha, piercing its chest as she flew into it and slammed it into the wall.

She bucked it in the head one last time to daze it, then grabbed me and pulled me up. "What—"

"We must get out of here!" She screamed.

I fumbled to my hooves as we galloped for the ramp, my legs burning as we rounded the turn and got back to the second level. Once we reached the exit ramp, I heard the Alpha roaring as it came after us. Luna turned and slid to a halt.

"Go!" She yelled.

"Luna—!"

"GO, TWILIGHT SPARKLE!"

I watched as the Alpha sprinted at her with a large sword in its grasp. I made my mind up right there, and galloped to Luna's side.

"I promised I wouldn't abandon a friend," I said.

She smirked softly, igniting her horn to a three-layered aura. "Then blast it with all your strength."

My horn fizzled, but I forced it to ignite, creating a similar three layers of purple aura. We yelled in unison as we let the beams go.

BANG!

The explosion knocked us all out of the building, sending me and Luna tumbling into a crashed fighter. The Alpha dug its claws into the ground, managing to save itself.

"We did it," I weakly laughed.

Canterlot Castle

The hum of the nullifiers quieted down to silence. The cooling towers crackled briefly, then went silent as well. An enormous eye slowly cracked open, the frost over her body crackling as she started to move. Her mouth lit up as flames started spewing from her maw, melting the ice keeping her down. Her strength returned to her, and she stood up slowly, the ice falling to the ground as she reached full height. The chain on her neck kept her from moving too far, and so she melted it away.

Nyla!

Re…Reku'un?

Nyla! Ngh! Come on! We have to move!

What… are you talking about? Why are you speaking this tongue?

I'll explain later, but you to collect yourself right now!

She shook her head quickly, trying her best to get out of her daze. Nyla slashed the chains holding her legs, then slipped her tail out of its brace. Her wings spread far, knocking into the walls and punching holes in them. Soldiers started flooding into the room, and she spewed more flames into their lines, charring them beyond recognition.

There's going to be a group of equines headed towards you! Get them to safety and I'll join you soon!

I sense them already. Make sure you're careful.

Nyla reared her head back and let loose another spiral of flames, punching a hole in the ceiling. Her wings tensed and she started to ascend, breaking apart the structure as she made her way out into the open air. Once she was out, she let loose her own roar, one of anger and promise.

Promise that they would pay.

Author's Note

Hey guys! That_Random_Pony here! It's been a while since I last uploaded, and I'm sorry for that But don't worry! I'll try to update as frequently as possible! So I'll leave you with this, and remember (if you haven't already), like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night! Peaces!