Celestial Lance

Chapters

2 - Buckle Up, It's Time for Some Travelling!
3 - I Will Be Dependable, Even to the Very End of the World
4 - I Am in the Lightning, Present in the Thunder!
5 - Is There Shame in Such a Thing as an Eyepatch?
1 - Butter Up for the Beginning!

2 - Buckle Up, It's Time for Some Travelling!

Several weeks had passed, and they bore no signs of Invader activity. An uneasy peace settled on the ponies of Under-Canterlot.

The techponies, however, busied themselves with launch preparations. Rarity’s carrier CLOP had been finished, and sent through the underground tunnels. It now resided in the massive hangar, and techponies buzzed around it, ensuring that the Forge had built it properly.

Pinkie and Dash had watched from a distance, marveling at the gigantic carrier.

“The only thing bigger than that is my ego,” Dash boasted. “I mean seriously. That thing could fit all the Lances in this hangar and still have room for more. Rarity really outdid herself this time.”

“She did! I can’t wait to throw a ‘Grand Launch’ party! Or something like that.” Pinkie sighed. “Actually, I haven’t really been feeling the whole party thing. Ever since we left Ponyville…”

“I know whatcha mean. It’s been weird, living in this place. No open air, all you got for a sky is a dirty metal ceiling…” Dash thumped Pinkie on the back. “But it still could be worse. Remember, always think on the bright side. If you don’t, who will?” She looked back at the carrier. “Still, I am looking forward to getting on that thing and going through the Rift. To see the sky again, feel the air between my wings. Bask in the sun and moonlight… It’ll be great fun.”

Pinkie nodded, staring at the massive CLOP that dominated the hangar. A sinking feeling ate at her chest every time she came down to look at it. It was like a warning from her Pinkie Sense times a thousand. Maybe it was wrong, maybe they’d succeed in their mission.

Then again, maybe it was a fool’s errand. She hoped it wasn’t so, with all of her soul.

***

Twilight’s gaze swept across the 3D rendition of the Rift. It was an uneven thing, angular and like a puzzle piece. In its centre was a cylindrical opening that seemed to be their best option for entry. She frowned, and zoomed in on the Rift. Lightning crackled between the “walls” of the central cylinder.

Jotting this down, Twilight wondered briefly if the lightning would affect the hull of the Harmony any. She doubted it, since CLOP metal plating was more than lightning proof. Whatever the Rift dealt out, she had no worries about damage being dealt to the Harmony.

“Oh, Twili-i-i-ght, I was wondering something…”

Twilight looked up to see Rarity leaning on the other side of the holotable with a smirk on her face.

“I caught you when you were… how do the foals put it these days? ‘Zoned out’.”

“What do you want, Rarity? I’m very busy here. We have to launch the Harmony tomorrow. I have to do calculations on the Rift speeds and structural integrity. Can it wait?”

“No, it cannot. I just got word that you’re not taking me, the designer. What kind of silly things are going through your head?”

Twilight blinked. “That’s wrong. I never said that. In fact I specifically told them to tell you to pack your bags.”

“They had recordings of you saying that I was not fit to be aboard and even worse, that I was a diva of the worst extremes.” Rarity’s voice was ice cold, and the look she was giving Twilight was just as frigid.

She sighed. “Look, Rarity, I’ve been under a lot of stress lately. Ever since Celestia and Luna gave to reins to us technocrats, I’ve been the leader here, and a good one. Sometimes I say things I don’t mean. I want you aboard the Harmony, heck, I need you aboard it. You’re… eh, you’re a surprisingly good engineer. I’m extending my hoof here – come on and join the crew.”

“Very well, I accept.” Rarity spun to leave, but Twilight’s voice cut the silence again.

“Do you forgive me for the things I said in that recording?”

Rarity turned to look back at Twilight. “No… not yet.”

She sauntered out of the CIC, leaving Twilight behind. Twilight blinked a few times, feeling the hot sting of tears in her eyes. She sighed, and turned away, facing the wall of monitors. It wouldn’t do to let emotion get the better of her. Launch was in twelve hours.

***

“Spinning, spinning, spinning, spinniiiiiiiiiiiing!”

Rainbow Dash felt sick just looking at Pinkie spinning down the hallway in an appropriated office chair. It bounced from wall to wall, sending the chair spinning even faster with every bounce. Dash flew ahead of it, ensuring that it wouldn’t bounce into a pony and cause harm.

“Would you just get off that thing and follow me?” Dash asked. “The launch is in half-an-hour! We’re already late, the other pilots have already boarded.”

The chair crashed to the floor, and Pinkie rolled out of it, landing neatly on her hooves. “Don’t you mean CLOPerators? I thought we decided to call them that from now on.”

“Yeah, exactly. CLOPerators.” Dash tried to stop it, but she couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “Let’s hurry, Pinkie!”

She flew down the hallway at breakneck speed, barely more than a blur. Pinkie bounced after her, leaving the chair behind. She couldn’t hope to match the sheer speed of Rainbow Dash, but she made up for it with aplomb. Her bounds ate up ground quickly, letting her almost catch up to the quick pegasus.

Within only a few minutes, they had navigated the maze of Under-Canterlot’s corridors and entered the long line to get into the massive carrier, dubbed the Harmony by the government. Neither pony particularly liked that name, and they had lobbied numerous times to change it. Their pleas had fallen on silent ears, however, and the name stayed.

“Oh, geez,” Dash muttered.

There was a long line of ponies waiting to embark on the Harmony, extending from one end of the hangar to their side.

“Screw this!” Dash looked down at Pinkie. “Grab on, we’re not waiting. We’re gonna bust through this crowd. Pilots like us don’t need to wait around!”

Pinkie hopped up and Dash grabbed hold of her hooves. Flapping her wings at a quick beat, Dash slowly started flying over the crowd. The extra weight of Pinkie was making her sink, so she was constantly adjusting her height to compensate.

Ponies below them began to notice the pair. Grumbles and jeers were heard, and a few ponies threw some random items at them.

“Where do they keep this stuff?” Dash asked, dodging an egg. “Half of them don’t even have luggage.” An apple core found its way home, striking Dash in the head. “Ow! Watch it, jerk.”

Despite Pinkie’s weight, it didn’t take long for Dash to reach the other side of the hangar where the entry to the Harmony was. Dropping Pinkie in front of a passenger, Dash floated down, arms crossed.

“Sorry about cutting, partner, but we’re in a hurry. Two CLOP pilots, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie are the names!”

“Yeah, I see,” said the stallion in charge, unamused at the cut. “You do realise you were supposed to be here an hour ago, right?”

“You can’t rush greatness, y’know.” Dash scoffed. “Look, just sign us in and let us board.”

With an exaggerated sigh, the stallion marked something on his clipboard and waved them aboard.

“See what a bit of passion and initiative will do?” Dash asked. “Remember that, Pinks. When you see the opportunity, take initiative! Seize it! Carpe diem, as the ponies of Roam would say!”

Pinkie nodded. Dash had taken to random bouts of speechifying recently. It was always an interesting speech, but sometimes Pinkie found them tiresome. Dash had also tried to get Pinkie in on the speech action, but she was reticent for once. She felt it was Dash’s thing, to do a speech. It was Pinkie’s thing to throw parties and fight.

“Let’s get to a good seat and watch this baby take off,” Dash said.

Pinkie nodded again. Sounded like a plan to her.

***

“Launch in T-minus five minutes,” Spike reported.

Twilight turned to see Rarity and Time Turner huddled together, discussing something.

“Are we about ready for launch?” Twilight asked.

“I believe so,” Rarity said.

“Atomic drive at maximum speed,” Time Turner added. “Within a few minutes the engines will be hot enough to fire.”

“Good.” Twilight nodded, and faced the wall of monitors. Tapping a button on the console in front of it, she began to speak. “Attention, crew of the Harmony. We will be launching in –” Glance over at Spike; four fingers held up – “four minutes. Please make appropriate adjustments.”

Tapping a button, she switched a monitor to the view of the Rift. It hung in the sky, a glowing testament to the Invaders’ power. The rotating cylinder in the centre would soon be their target.

“T-minus three minutes.” Spike’s voice snapped Twilight out of her reverie.

“I hope this works,” Rarity muttered.

“Oh don’t worry your pretty little head,” Time Turner replied. “All the tests I’ve run have shown that not only will we survive the blast off, but there’s a good chance we won’t explode upon entry to the Rift!”

Rarity’s eyes widened and she slowly turned her head to face the stallion.

“I’m joking, dear,” he said with a wink. “Nothing bad will happen. At least, I don’t think it will.”

“I hope so. If we die, my ghost will make sure your ghost is haunted for the rest of his life!”

“How horrifying.”

“T-minus ninety seconds.”

Twilight gripped the rail with her front hooves and closed her eyes.

I’m not wrong, am I? This will work! We’ll blast off into the sky, through the Rift… and to another world.

“T-minus sixty seconds.”

She took in a deep breath, and let it out again after holding it a bit. We will persevere. We will win this war. Everything I’ve sacrificed won’t have be in vain. Everything Celestiasacrificed won’t be in vain.

“T-minus thirty seconds.”

Twilight gripped harder. She let out a shuddering breath. This will work.

“T-minus ten… nine… eight…”

Rarity sighed. “It’s time.”

“Six…”

“Don’t worry, honey, I’ll catch you if you fall.”

“Four…”

“Oh, Luna preserve me.”

“Two…

“One…

“Ignition.”

With very little sound, the engines kicked in. The Harmony began to drift upwards, slowly at first. As the engines revved and gained more power, its ascent hastened. Within under a minute, it cleared the hangar and entered the open air of Equestria.

It blazed towards the gaping Rift, ready to pierce the heavens. As the bow began to pass through the Rift, arcs of lightning began to travel down the hull. The shielding managed to deflect them, sending them crackling harmlessly away.

More and more lightning struck the ship as it entered the Rift. The shielding around the Harmony was now visible with the naked eye, a green glow that clung tightly to the ship like plastic wrap. Then, with a sudden jerk, the back half of the ship was pulled into the Rift.

The ship shuddered as the Rift devoured it. Twilight pitched forward, almost flying over the railing and into the holotable.

Then everything stopped.

“Status report!” she snapped.

“We’ve made it through… Instruments are unclear,” Spike reported. “We’re in some kind of tundra and… and there are multiple hostiles!”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “It can’t be… They were waiting for us.”

***

“Multiple hostiles detected!” Spike’s voice echoed through the ship. “All pilots report to their ships.”

Dash shot up out of her chair, almost tumbling over herself. “Let’s hit the road, Pinks! Time to show these guys what ponies are made of!”

She went off like a bullet out of the observation room, leaving Pinkie to stumble after her.

Luckily, signs to the hangar were clear, and the two soon made their way there.

“Looks like you two are the first to arrive,” said the cigar-chomping mechanic. “No time to suit up! Get in those CLOPs and protect the Harmony.”

The two pilots nodded, and scampered off to their respective machines.

“Good luck,” he muttered. “You’ll need it.

***

“Shields are weak from the passage,” Time Turner shouted. “It won’t take long for them to break through!”

Twilight hung her head, eyes wide. “How could I have been so wrong?” Blinking, she snapped her head up. “Spike! How many pilots have we scrambled?”

“So far just two. Pinkie and Rainbow Dash.”

“That’s it?” Twilight was shrieking at the top of her lungs, a regular banshee. “We need more! Two ponies against an entire fleet?”

“No sweat, Twi. Leave the easy stuff to us, okay?” Rainbow Dash’s voice was oddly soothing, calming Twilight down a little. “There’s no way I’ll let them do so much as scratch this baby.”

“I hope so,” she said. “We can’t build another, not without…”

***

A pink and a blue CLOP shot out of the hangar, facing the onslaught of enemy machines.

“There’s so many,” Pinkie said. Her heart was beating fast. She gulped, eyes flying over the massive amount of platforms that faced them.

“Don’t worry about it! We’re Pinks and Dashie! We’ve brushed our teeth with bozos like these. It’s time to show them what ponies are made of!”

Enemy mechs began to swarm towards them. Unlike the ones that had plagued the surface of Equestria for months, these seemed to be mass produced models – each had the same four limbed, single trunk structure as the basic CLOP. They were more angular than an Equestrian mech, like boxes stacked on top of each other.

Dash pulled out her blaster pistol, and began to shoot wildly into the crowd of enemies. Explosions began to dot the horizon.

“Come on, Pinkie! Don’t hold back!”

Pinkie nodded, and pulled up her lance. “I’ll throw them a party they won’t forget!”

The lance began to shoot out streams of energy, striking the still faraway mechas. The detonations of atomic cores began to blossom, sometimes even taking out nearby machines. These chain reactions were Pinkie’s favourite thing about using her lance. Two for the price of one.

The enemy mechs weren’t getting any closer – those that tried to were soon blown away by either Dash or Pinkie.

Finally, a voice cut through the confused chatter. “What the hell are you morons doing? There’s just two furbags! How hard is it to kill two grotting furbags?!”

“Get a load of this guy,” Dash said. “What’s wrong, pallie? Upset that we broke your mans?”

A mech, much larger than the mass produced models Dash and Pinkie had been destroying made its way to the frontlines. “I am Perplex the Indestructible, third of the Eight Champions! I came here on orders from the Four Generals to destroy you! But it seems you’re quite the clever furbags.”

Perplex’s mech resembled a praying mantis combined with the standard enemy CLOP design – stock trunk, but mantis-like arms, bug legs, and mantis head. It shot towards them. “Fear my mandibles of death! Many like you have tried to break free, but all have failed!”

“Good, now I know what to avoid,” Dash quipped, juking out of the way of Perplex. The mantis-mech almost crashed into the Harmony, braking at the last second. Spinning on its bug-like legs, the angry Invader let out a yell of rage and rocketed towards her again.

Dash fired her pistol, but Perplex brought up his left arm. The bolt struck, and instead of causing damage, it simply melted into the metal, causing it to glow.

“What? My blast did nothing!”

“Such is the power of the Mantis’ Prayer! Energy bolts are simply absorbed into its power source, allowing me to do this!” He swiped the air with the arm, and a red whip snapped into existence, wrapping itself around Dash’s pistol arm.

***

“Energy weapons are useless against the Mantis’ Prayer…” Time Turner trailed off, tapping a hoof to his chin. “The only thing that would affect it is projectile weapons, of which the Harmony lacks except for missiles.”

“We can’t launch missiles, though,” Rarity pointed out. “He’s drawing Rainbow Dash ever closer by the moment. We risk the chance of hitting her.”

“The only thing I can figure is some sort of high-power rifle…”

Rarity’s eyes widened at that, mind flashing to her room. “I know just the thing! But there’s one problem – it’s too small for a CLOP to use, and there’s nopony that I know of capable of using it with their bare hooves or even in a magic field.”

“I don’t think that’ll be a problem fer me,” came a voice from behind Rarity.

She turned and let out a gasp. “I didn’t realise you had… You signed up for this fool’s errand too.”

“We c’n have a reunion later, Rarity. Right now I just need that gun.”

Rarity nodded, and rushed out of the CIC.

***

“Soon you will be in the range of my mandibles and your life force will be drained!” Perplex let out a laugh.

Pinkie hovered nearby, frozen in indecision. If what Perplex said was true, and there was no way to damage him with energy weapons, her lance was useless. And since it was her only melee weapon aside from her fists – and against a target like that, what good would those do? – she was effectively out of the fight.

“Don’t worry your poofy little head,” Dash gasped. “I’ll be outta this mess faster than you can say my name three times fast! Maybe not you but… Gah!”

The whip closed tighter around Dash’s CLOP. “No talking, furbag! Once I’m done with her, you’re next, pink one!”

Pinkie’s hand squeezed the lance tightly. There was nothing she could do. Nothing she could do at all.

The door opened, and the earth pony stepped out into the flight deck. Duster blowing in the wind, the pony rushed to set up the giant anti-material rifle Rarity had built.

In the skies above, Dash was struggling in vain to break free of the whip. Red energy crackled with every motion she made, scorching the blue paintjob.

The setup complete, the pony laid down to scope in on the target. Aiming for where the energy whip coiled around Dash’s body, the pony laid a hoof on the trigger.

“Rainbow Dash… quit movin’, will ya? Some things just need to be done, ya hear?”

“Wh- hey, I thought you were dead–”

“Funny thing ’bout bein’ dead. It gets awful borin’ around the third hour. Now jus’ hush up and let me finish my job.”

The pony squeezed the trigger.

The energy whip detonated, fizzing out of existence. Dash’s CLOP spun away from the Mantis’ Prayer like a top, finally stopping about a mile away from the other mech.

“What? Nothing can break my whip!” Perplex examined his now-sparking arm.

Whipping the gun to aim at the distracted mech, the pony squeezed off several more rounds, ejecting the large casings with each squeeze of the trigger. Tiny detonations blossomed on the Mantis’ Prayer, all in the same place – the joint of the left arm. As the final shot struck home, the joint collapsed, the arm falling uselessly to the ground far below.

“Impossible! That arm was made of teranium! Nothing should be able to damage it!”

“Look out, pal, I’m about to damage it more!”

Rainbow Dash flew in, armblades extended. With a quick swipe, she severed the other arm. With both arms useless, sparking stubs, Perplex began to retreat, slowly drifting back towards the mass of Invaders.

“Retreat!” he called out. “We vastly underestimated you ponies. But next time you won’t be so lucky!”

“Yeah, that’s what they all say when we whup their butts,” Dash said. The satisfaction was practically dripping from her voice.

“Now then,” she continued. “I think I’ve got somepony down there to talk to…”

***

Rainbow Dash slid out of the cockpit, wings flapping to keep her airborne as she sought her target: a pony clad in a duster and matching cowboy hat. Flying over, she crossed her arms.

“So, it is you.” She landed in front of the pony, immediately following up with a punch that sent the pony sprawling.

Hatless, Applejack stood up and spat some blood onto the grating below. “Well… I do think I deserved that.”

“So, Perplex the Invincible wasn’t so invincible after all,” said Mundus slowly. “He failed to destroy the enemy carrier, and when defeated withdrew entirely.”

Kyrie batted a stuffed animal as she lounged in her couch. “What a shame. We almost had them. Such a pity we’ll have to get rid of him. I always thought he was a cute little thing.”

Fletch sighed. “Then there will only be seven Champions, one of whom has already lost to the ponies. How will we justify such a thing to the populace?”

Terinth let out a squawk, hopping down from Fletch’s shoulders, and hopped over to Kyrie’s couch. “It’s quite simple,” he said, speaking in the royal tongue for once. “While Senric only failed us by not killing two ponies, Perplex failed entirely in his mission, running the face of danger. Such a thing is unforgivable and can only be solved in one way. A certain ritual that will rid us of him.”

The scrape of a sword on marble alerted the generals to the Emperor’s awakening.

“This course of action is wise to take, but remember one thing. There is no immediate danger from the ponies. It will take them months to find and reach the capital. They will pass many bases. The seven remaining Champions are hereby free to take whatever action they desire against the ponies. If they fail, it is up to you four personally to destroy them.”

Kyrie cackled. “No worries, Emperor. If the Champions fail, we will not. Of this you have my word.”

“And your word I will hold you to,” the Emperor said, returning his sword to his lap, signaling the end of the conversation.

The fox smiled, though the look in her eyes revealed its falsehood. She hoped deep down it wouldn’t come to that. Certainly the ponies wouldn’t be able to defeat the other Champions as easily as they had Perplex.

They would fail, and she would be their downfall.

The smile came to her eyes, and she bared her fangs. Yes, her schemes alone would end the ponies.

3 - I Will Be Dependable, Even to the Very End of the World

Rainbow Dash slid out of the cockpit, mane brushing against the canopy. Her wings were blue blurs as she kept herself airborne to find her target. She found it – a duster-clad pony with a hat hiding her face. Flying down, Dash skidded to a stop just a few inches away from the pony, and using her momentum, she brought her hoof slamming into the other pony’s jaw.

She stumbled backwards, hat falling off to reveal a long, tied back blonde mane.

“So it is you,” Dash said as the other pony picked herself off the ground.

Applejack rubbed her jaw and spat to the side. “I suppose I deserved that,” she said.

“You’re darn right you do. You just up and vanished right when we needed you most. What kind of friend does that? Definitely not one who’s loyal to the end!”

The other mare shook her head. “It was right terrible of me to do that. But my family…”

“Family?” came a high-pitched, perky voice. “What’s that about family? Oh hey, Applejack.” Pinkie bounced in between the two, gaze oscillating between the two. “I haven’t seen you since we evacuated Ponyville.”

“Yeah, about that,” Applejack said. “I think you two deserve an explanation about what happened. Aw, shucks, not just the two’a ya, all’a y’all. Are the rest on this here contraption?”

“Twi and Rarity are, yeah. Fluttershy’s still in the capital. She teaches kindergarten now.” Rainbow Dash crossed her arms.

Applejack looked down, eyes not meeting either Dash’s or Pinkie’s. “Get Twi and Rarity down here, and I’ll tell y’all what happened.”

Once Twilight and Rarity had joined the three ponies – with many tears from Rarity – Applejack began her story.

It was durin’ the evacuation of Ponyville that it happened, I guess. As y’all probably remember, it was chaos. Ponies runnin’ every which way, the rescue ships landin’ and takin’ off, and them Invaders burnin’ the place down.

I was herdin’ ponies onto one of the rescue ships when I saw poor old Scootaloo lookin’ around like a lost puppy. The ship was full, so I thought why not, and ran over to see what was wrong.

“Scootaloo! Why the heck ain’t you on one’a them ships? It’s dangerous down here?”

She looked at me with a frown. “Applebloom said she’d meet me here, and she’s not here. I’m not gonna leave without her.” She stamped the ground as if to punctuate her words.

I froze, realisin’ that I hadn’t seen Applebloom or any’a my family at all today. Sweet Apple Acres was far enough away that I didn’t think the Invaders would hit it, but at the same time, there weren’t no reason for ’em to stay. If they weren’t here, then they’d have to still be at home.

With an uneasy look around, I made up my mind. I’d done enough around here, it was time to get my family outta this wreck.

“Get on that ship, Scootaloo. I’ll go fetch Applebloom and the rest’a my family.” I started off, but stopped a few feet away. “And don’t let me catch you hangin’ round here when I get back. I mean it!”

“Yes ma’am!” Scootaloo shouted, already on her way to the ship.

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, which as y’all know is pretty goldarn quick. The countryside was a blur. What little I saw of it was enough to haunt my dreams for a while. The Invaders had laid to waste to it – the cornfields, the little glens, even Daisy and Lily’s prayer garden.

Before I even knew it, I was at Sweet Apple Acres. My breath caught in my throat when I saw it. Our apples, my apples – they were all burnin’ away, an Invader hovering over the trees, head movin’ from side to side like some sorta metal lizard.

I slipped into the so-far untouched tree line and started headin’ for the house. The Invader seemed to be takin’ his time destroyin’ the apple trees. Maybe he thought he was invincible in that big ol’ shell’a his, I don’t rightly know.

Well, whatever his deal was, it didn’t take long for me to get through the tangle of trees and reach the house. The front door was open. I took a peek over at the Invader, who was still workin’ on the trees.

Takin’ in a deep breath, I bolted for the door. I slid into the house, losin’ my balance and tumblin’ head over hooves. I picked myself up and put my hat back on, takin a quick peek around. There was food – fried greens and taters with a helping of what else but apple pie.

It was abandoned like they had been in a hurry. They musta left when the Invader came, I figured.

“Applebloom? Macintosh?” I called out softly. Even then it still felt like I was shoutin’.

“Keep your voice down!” somebody replied. It didn’t sound like anypony in my family. “That thing out there has its sensors trained on this house.”

I craned my head, tryin’ to figure out just where this mystery voice was comin’ from. Tippin my hat up, I took a peek at the ceilin’. Sure enough, there was a pony layin’ across the rafters, a big ol’ rifle cradled in his hooves.

“Now what in tarnation are ya doin’ on my rafters?” I asked, curiosity overcoming any other feelin’s I may have had.

“Trying to get a bead on this blank flank’s cockpit, that’s what,” he snapped back. “I told you to shut up.”

“I will when ya answer one question: Where’s my family?”

With a sigh, the pegasus looked down at me, laying his rifle down. “Celestia’s rump, you don’t shut up. If you’re talking about the folks who lived here, we evacuated them when that thing showed up. We were gonna do it anyway – this was going to be our resistance hub in the area, but that machine out there cocked it up pretty bad.”

My ears flattened at his dirty mouth, but I let it slide. “So they’re safe? Where are they?”

“Look, if I knew I’d tell you. They certainly aren’t at my base, that’s for sure. Now seriously, hush! Any minute that thing out there is gonna –”

He never finished that sentence of his. A thudding sound echoed through the house, and almost like it was in slow motion, I saw part of the house start to disintegrate. The Invader had noticed us while we were talkin’ and had opened fire, I guess.

The rafters came down straight aways, as did that poor pegasus. I ducked down under the table, avoidin’ most of the debris. The sound stopped, leavin’ only the sounds of falling wood and my own breathin’.

I crawled out from the table, and took what used to be my house. Buried in the rubble was the soldier, his rifle stickin’ out, just beggin’ to be taken.

Shakin’ my head, I moved over to what used to be the window. The giant machine was hovering nearby, arm extended. Comin’ out of the arm was some kind of gun, still red from firing. In the sun, I could see the glint of the glass that separated the cockpit from the outside world.

I dove down out of sight, landing on a piece of rafter. Right there in front of my nose was the rifle tip. I grabbed it, and wrestled it out from under the rubble.

The only gun I’d fired before this was my paw’s shotgun, and that was only in the air to scare away some chicken hawks from our henhouse. I clumsily pulled the bolt back, releasing a bullet into the air. I said some rather uncouth things that I won’t dare repeat in front of such folks as you, and snapped the bolt to its original position.

Slingin’ it around my shoulders, I made my way outside. The big machine still stared at the house, gun at the ready. I was hopin’ every step of the way it wouldn’t notice me.

I ducked behind a fallen tree that was still burnin’. Takin’ a quick peek out, I could see that machine still hadn’t noticed me. Good.

I laid the barrel across the tree trunk like I had seen the soldier do. I’d never fired anythin’ with a scope before, so I was more than a mite bit nervous. Heart flutterin’ like a school filly seein’ her first crush and all.

I peeked down the scope with both eyes open, then with one. Just seemed to work better that way. I aimed at the head of the thing, my aim bobbin’ all over the place cause I wasn’t quite used to guns. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw what looked like glass built into the head. That’s it, I thought. That’s how I’m gonna stop this thing.

I took in a deep breath and put the dot in the middle straight on the glass. I squeezed the trigger.

There was a crack, and the gun jerked in my hooves, and I heard somethin’ shatter. Fumblin’, I aimed again and fired.

The machine shuddered and died, falling forwards straight into… Straight into my home. Dust kicked up as it landed, and I heard a great crash. When I opened my eyes, I saw nothin’ left of that old house, nothin’ at all.

My heart sank deep, and I felt like throwing up. Memories of all the good times – ah, well, bad times too – came bubblin’ back to me. Stuff like Applebloom’s first steps, my first applebuck season…

The sound of jets broke my thoughts, and I glanced up into the sky. Up there were two, no three, strange machines. Unlike the one I had just killed, they were like metallic umbrellas – y’know, the kind with the straight handle. Out of their bottoms came a sweepin’, green laser. Or at least, I think it was a laser. If’n you’d seen it you’d like as not to know what it was, Twi.

Nothing seemed to happen when the wide laser hit the ground, but I didn’t feel like findin’ out. Slingin’ the rifle around my shoulders, I burst into a run, and I’ve been runnin’ ever since. I ran with the bulls in Marecelona, with the refugees from Hollow Shades, with the gorilla guerrillas in the badlands.

Sometimes I’d rest, and talk. Other times I just fought. Everywhere I went, there were those goldarn metal umbrellas, always sweepin’ the battlefield with those wide lasers of theirs. Then they’d pack up and leave, headin’ north.

I don’t remember where, but one of the soldiers I met along the way told me about this big ol’ ship, and I decided that it was time to come home. And that’s about it, that’s my story.

“That’s it, huh?” Rainbow Dash asked. She didn’t sound too convinced.

“That’s it, Rainbow.”

Pinkie Pie said nothing, though she sorely wanted to. It was pretty obvious to her that Dash and Applejack had some issues to smooth out, and she didn’t want to interrupt.

“Well,” said Rarity, taking a step forward and breaking through the two other mares’ icy locked eyes, “I for one fully understand. Family is certainly important, and I wouldn’t blame you. At all,” she added after a moment, shooting Dash a dirty look.

Twilight nodded. “It’s good to have another hoof on deck. Though I suppose you don’t know how to operate a CLOP…”

“Twilight,” chimed in Pinkie. “We decided to refer to it as CLOPerate, remember?”

“Yes… CLOPerate. Regardless, I am glad to have you aboard and back with us. It’ll be nice. We’re almost all back together.”

Applejack smiled. “I hear ya. It’s good to be back. And this time, I will be dependable to the very end. Even if it’s the end of the world.”

***

“I hope you had a nice reunion,” Time Turner said as Twilight stepped through the doorway.

The CIC was, as always, bustling with activity. Time Turner stood in Twilight’s usual place, leaning over the guard rail. Twilight walked over to the opposite end of the holomap and looked up at him.

“I did, as a matter of fact. It’s good to have a friendly face aboard. Is something wrong?”

Time Turner shrugged. “We need to send out some probes. One above the cloud cover to get a star chart, and one below the cloud cover to map the surrounding regions. If we don’t have either, it’ll be impossible to find the enemy’s capital.”

“I sense a but coming,” Twilight said with a sigh.

“Mmhmm. In order to link the probes, we need to send up a steady energy burst. A column of power, piercing the heavens, so to speak. The problem is, it’ll broadcast our location to the enemy. We’ll be unable to defend the Harmony with its cannons or shielding and will have to rely on a squadron of CLOPs.”

Twilight lowered her head, deep in thought. He was right – without a map of the area they’d be completely lost. For all they knew, the capital was the other way entirely. But a light show telling the Invaders just where they were? It was suicide.

It was also the only way.

She sighed again. “Alright. It’s our only option. Do it.”

Time Turner smiled. “You got it, dear. I’ll get right to work on the probes. You just hand getting the defence force ready.”

Twilight sucked in a deep breath. This was going to be their hardest fight yet. She hoped the CLOPerators – no, the pilots, not CLOPerates, that was a stupid, stupid name – were up for the challenge.

If not… this whole venture was in vain. And Equestria was doomed.

4 - I Am in the Lightning, Present in the Thunder!

The mist hung in the air like a blanket, clinging tightly to the Harmony and its gauntlet of CLOPs. The sun was hidden behind a maelstrom of clouds, all of them circling the Harmony. A storm was on the horizon, one of the ponies’ own make.

A green column linked the Harmony’s upper reaches to the swirling clouds above: Time Turner’s link to the two probes. It was like a beacon shining in the dark, calling to the enemies around them.

That was the reason behind the scrambling of all the Harmony’s CLOPs. If the Invaders did decide to attack, they’d have a surprise waiting for them. CLOPs of all shapes and sizes hung in the air, blue glows where the antigravity drives worked hard to keep them afloat.

“This is getting boring,” Rainbow Dash muttered, leaning back in her seat. “It’s been two hours and we haven’t seen a single bozo. Can’t we go back inside and at least be warm?” The temperature in the CLOP had lowered significantly in the time spent outside.

“Well, we gotta protect the Harmony,” Pinkie pointed out. “Without you, who’s gonna lead us through thick and thin? After all, you are Rainbow Dash.”

“True,” she said. “I guess you guys should be lucky I’m here.”

Still, Dash couldn’t help but sigh. It really was boring out here. Just mist and the threat of rain.

***

“Good news, everypony! We’re almost at 90% completion of the mapping,” Time Turner said. “We should be able to leave pretty so–”

A beeping cut into his train of thought, and he looked down. “Incoming enemy signal. Twelve of them.”

“Twelve against an army?” Rainbow Dash’s voice echoed in the chamber. “Foal’s play. I can take ’em all on myself.”

“I don’t think you can,” Twilight interrupted. “Two of them have the same power signature as Senric and Perplex’s platforms. They might be Champions.”

***

“I can still take ’em,” Dash said, pushing forward on the movement lever. “Let’s go!”

The CLOPs began to move as one entity, closing in on the mist-wrapped shades of the incoming enemy units. Long-range platforms raised their weapons and began to open fire, red and blue maser bolts streaming towards the silhouettes.

One of the larger enemies shot forward. “Fear the Aegis, Grawlix!” he bellowed, angling a shield to deflect the bolts.

Explosions blossomed in the sky as the maser bolts betrayed their owners and pierced their iron shells. The other larger enemy joined its companion, a great and terrible looking machine with large fangs and claws on its limbs.

“Calm down, Grawlix. You’re forgetting to make room for the claws of Alvina!”

Grawlix was a squashed, angular thing. His machine was practically a box with arms and legs, with a snarling face carved into the front. In both arms, he clutched a shield, one round and the other shaped like a reverse teardrop. The round one was reflective, which he had just used to great success. The kite shield on the other hand seemed to be just a chunk of steel, useful for little more than bludgeoning.

Alvina, however, was a sleek and deadly-looking CLOP. She resembled a leaping panther, claws extended and ready for battle. A whip-like tail snapped back and forth. Judging from the three-pronged tip, it was for more than just show.

Rainbow Dash fired a quick shot at Alvina, but Grawlix leapt in front of her and brought his left-hand shield up to reflect it back at the pegasus’ machine. Dash managed to duck below the blast, but not quick enough to avoid slight damage. The top of her cockpit bubbled and warped with the radioactive heat of the maser.

Extending an armblade, Dash swung at the pair. Grawlix raised his right-hand shield and parried the blow, knocking the other CLOP off-balance. With a swing of his left arm, he slammed Dash in the chest with the round shield. She flew backwards, tumbling head over heels. Firing her retrorockets, Dash managed to stop herself before she ran into the Harmony.

“Okay,” she said. “This is gonna take some actual planning.”

Grawlix dropped his guard for a moment to laugh. “I thought you were supposed to be tough, those who sent Perplex bawling home to his mommy. Instead, all I got were weaklings.”

“I think it’s less them being weak than it is you just being too powerful for them,” Alvina purred. “I think it’s admirable how well they fight despite overwhelming odds. It’s… cute.”

Rain began to fall, steaming as it landed on the hot steel bodies of the lance platforms. Flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder soon followed. The two enemy platforms hovered in the air, staring across an invisible line at the small force of CLOPs that had regrouped.

“The rain…” muttered Grawlix, his voice low and thoughtful. “It has been too long since I have seen it.”

Rainbow Dash clutched her right arm, sparks scattering in the rain from where the impact of the armblade against the shield had twisted it. She couldn’t remember a time her mech had been this badly damaged. It didn’t seem like much, but she knew from watching her pilot friends that water and open wounds, so to speak, did not go well together.

A bolt of lightning arced downwards, striking Grawlix’s reflective shield. Instead of bouncing off like the maser bolts, it instead wrapped itself around the machine’s arm, blackening the surface. With a strangled grunt, he swatted his arm, causing the shield to tilt slightly.

Dash’s eyes lit up as a spark of inspiration shot through her brain. She smiled and tapped a button on the console in front of her.

“Rainbow Dash, your shields are down. Is something wrong?” Spike’s voice drifted to her ears, muffled like it was coming through gauze.

“Nope. Nothin’ at all,” she replied, smile growing. “Heads up!”

With a crackle, her antigravity boosters kicked in, sending her flying towards the boxy mech in front of her.

“What are you doing?” Grawlix bellowed, frozen in sheer confusion.

His guard down, he was unable to react quickly enough to bat away Dash. She slammed into him, wrapping her arms around his thick torso.

“I’m a pegasus, loser. We know weather like the back of our wings. To put it another way – I am in the lightning, I am the thunder!”

Lightning flashed, and Dash drove her armblades into Grawlix’s mech. The bolt struck her mech, centre-mass. Arcing through her mech’s systems and down the armblades, the lightning entered Grawlix’s machine. Smoke began to filter through its vents, and small explosions began to go off inside. Releasing her grip, Dash fell backwards.

“Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie shouted, hardly more than a squeak. She pushed forward on the levers, shooting towards the falling CLOP.

“Grawlix!” Alvina cried, sheathing her claws and grabbing the blackened box-mech. “Are you alright?”

Pinkie Pie collided with Dash, grabbing the other mech in her arms. Her antigrav boosters sputtered at the extra weight. For a moment they hung in the air, embracing each other. Then, the weight of Dash’s CLOP took its toll, and the boosters went out with a literal bang. The two spiraled downwards, out of sight.

“You filthy ungulates,” Alvina growled as she released Grawlix, who joined the two ponies in a rapid descent to earth. “I’ll kill you all!”

Twilight snapped her head towards Lyra, who was seated in a chair across the room from the map. “Lyra! Are the forward cannons charged?”

“Uh…” The mint green pony wiped sweat from her brow and leaned in. “They’re at quarter-cell capacity right now due to the link column, but we can still fire them.”

Twilight lowered her head, deep in thought. Quarter-cell was barely enough to dent the average enemy CLOP, much less a Champion CLOP. But still, it might give them the advantage needed to survive these crucial last minutes.

And then there was the case of Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, tumbling towards the surface. If they were to return during the bombardment, they might get hurt or worse. Dash’s fool maneuver put them all at risk.

Still, she had to admit it brought forth good results. The biggest threat on the battlefield had been taken out, and the other in-service CLOPs had destroyed the other small fish.

“Fire them,” she said, raising her head. “We can’t afford to lose at this crucial a moment. Fire all forward cannons!”

Lyra nodded, and began to punch buttons on her console. “Aye aye. Firing forward cannons on your mark.”

“Fire.”

Silently, the forward cannons began to fire, blue trails following the equally blue balls of plasma. Striking Alvina’s mech, they detonated, plasma licking at the grey paint. Some plasma shells exploded early, filling the air with blue clouds.

Alvina laughed. “Firing low power plasma shells? You must be hurting for ideas. Time to show you the wrath of Alvina the terrible!”

Claws out, the leopard shot forward, swiping at the nearest pony CLOP. The claws sliced it into three parts, each part hanging in the air a moment before detonating. It was almost comical, had it not been for the loss of life.

Snarling, she turned towards the remaining platforms. They scattered, each squeezing off a shot. Alvina dodged most of them, her mech a blur. A few struck home, sending her slightly off-balance. The final blast sent her spinning. Retros firing, she broke out of the spin, only to be hit by another shell from the Harmony. It knocked her upside down, antigravity booster making a keening wail of complaint.

She looked down. Despite its weakness, the shell had impacted where her armour was weak from a maser bolt, tearing open a large hole in her side. White liquid dripped from the wound, staining the surrounding metal.

Another shell exploded nearby, and Alvina raised an arm to shield herself. “Blasted horses! I will remember this day… I will remember your faces. The Arctic Circle will return to repay vengeance tenfold!”

Alvina spun around and sped off, leaving behind a trail of white fluid and the blue afterimage of her engines.

“Alright, team,” crackled Spitfire’s voice over the radio. “Looks like we’re done here. Who wants to volunteer to go check on Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie?” Dead silence. “Okay, looks like it’s up to me then. Get back to the ship and rest up, guys. I’ll take care of the heavy lifting.”

“Rainbow Dash?” Pinkie asked, staring at the charred mech cradled in her arms. “Are you alright?”

For the longest time there was no response. Then a hiss of static and a voice came from the speaker. “I don’t think so. Smells like bacon in here, and I can’t figure out what it – Ohhhh, it’s me. I’m the bacon.”

“Can you move?”

“Kinda. One leg is. Oh, wait, you meant on my own. Nope. Did I mention how I smell like bacon?”

“Hold on, I’m sure they’re coming for us.”

“Of course they are, babe. Ship can’t run without us. We’re the unstoppable team. Dashie and Pinks, alien fighters extra… extra… Uhhh, that one word Rarity always uses to describe her shop.”

“Extraordinaire?”

“That’s the one!” Dash coughed. “Gettin’ dark in here, Pinkie. Still smells like bacon.” Her voice was slurred and slow, making Pinkie’s heart stop for a moment.

“Hold on, Dash! They’re almost here!” She looked up, seeing Spitfire’s fiery mech descending.

“Yeah, I’m holdin’, I’m holdin’…”

The hiss of static replaced Dash’s voice.

“Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash!”

Silence.

***

“Did we collect good data?” Twilight asked. She felt exhausted, though she wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t like she did anything but sit around and bark orders during the fight. And yet she felt like she had been there on the frontlines.

“Oh, very, very good data,” Time Turner said with a titter. “We got both a starchart and a rudimentary map of the area. There were low clouds in a few places that cover the map, but we can fix that!” He sighed. “I’m still processing the starchart, but according to the map, there’s a base of some kind nearby. It’s close to a canyon of some sort. We might be able to raid it and access its computers to find out where the enemy capital is.”

“That sounds pretty risky.” Twilight walked over to where he stood, and looked over his shoulder at the glowing green map of the area. “Is it that thing right there?”

He nodded. “That would be the base. From what I can tell, it’s small and relatively undefended,” he said, blowing up the image so Twilight could see better. It was a small structure, built into the ground and covered in snow. “We should be able to attack with little problem. It’s the response that worries me.”

Now it was Twilight’s turn to nod. “If they take up a reprisal, we won’t be able to defend ourselves if we’re busy with the base.”

A beep interrupted the two, and Time Turner tapped button. The map dissolved into a map of the stars. Text scrolled over the stars, but Twilight couldn’t decipher it. Her eyesight wasn’t the greatest anymore and she desperately needed to dig her glasses out of storage.

Time Turner’s brow furrowed and he started to mutter to himself. “This can’t be right. I was sure of the portal… No, it is right. I can’t believe it!”

“What is it?” Twilight said, exasperated at his mutterings.

“This starchart… is of our own constellations. It matches the stars of the Crystal Empire, give or take a few dozen degrees of latitude.”

“That’s not possible. We both checked the portal. The energy readings were big enough that it could only lead to another world. It can’t lead back to our own!”

“But it does.” Time Turner laughed. “What a twist this is. Not even Cob Serling could come up with a better ending.”

***

“Another day, another failure in the realm of the Champions,” growled Mundus as Alvina limped out of the Emperor’s chambers. “If they are so incompetent, why do we continue to entertain them?”

“We entertain because they are entertaining,” Kyrie said, draped on her couch. The vulpine diamond dog twitched her nose, giggling. “Do you remember when Chester spilt milk all over Senric and the two had a blood feud for weeks? It was all I could do to not laugh.”

“I believe I was a general by that time, while you were yet to be uplifted by our gracious Emperor, so no I do not.”

“I remember.” Kyrie pouted, crossing her arms. “I remember, and it was funny.”

“If they were scanning the area like I predicted, they must have found Alkali Lake by now,” Terinth chirped. “General Mundus, I request permission to take a Champion and my jiarch Obsidian to the base there and ambush them when they arrive.”

Mundus opened his mouth, ready to agree, when the scraping of the ceremonial blade on the floor cut him off.

“You may ambush them after they arrive,” the Emperor said.

“After?” parroted Terinth. “After? You must be joking, Lord Emperor. If I arrive after, they might finish before we can get there. And then our Capital will be laid bare, like a bride on her honeymoon! I must arrive before, so I can crush them in your name.”

“You may ambush them. After they arrive.”

Terinth hopped up and down on Fletch’s head, shaking with indignant rage. “After? After! After! Before! Before, before or nothing!”

“After, or your shoulders will sorely miss their head.” The Emperor’s voice held no hint of falsehood.

Terinth froze, eyes wide as he stared at the unmoving Emperor. “V-very well,” he managed after a long while. “I will take Senric Seablade and ambush them as they leave, your eminence.”

“You need not worry if they reach the capital or not, my Generals,” the Emperor rumbled. “All that you need worry about is your own survival. I have foreseen the coming of these days, since we made the pact with the Dark King Sombra against the Nightmares. Have no fear, for I know the future of our races.”

With that, his blade returned to his lap, and his head lowered.

Kyrie tsked at Terinth. “What an unseemly show. Perhaps you should calm down next time and show the Emperor some respect.”

Terinth said a rather rude word, and hopped off Fletch’s head, flying away to his chambers.

“You may be the youngest and newest of the Generals,” Fletch said slowly, as was his custom. “But he is the most impetuous.”

Kyrie smiled and stretched. “Why, thank you. I didn’t expect to hear my own thoughts confirmed like that.”

“Fletch, you know of all our bases. What about Alkali Lake has Terinth’s feathers in such a flurry?” Mundus eyed the caribou cautiously. Fletch was notorious for being reticent when it came to such things.

Fletch sighed and shook his head. “Alkali Lake has our greatest technological treasure. The Polar Ansible. With it, our Capital will be revealed to them, and our innermost plans.”

Mundus nodded sagely, mind wandering. If such a thing was true, then he hoped that Terinth and Senric Seablade could defend Alkali Lake as they would the capital. It wouldn’t do to let such a prize fall into the wrong hands. Or, in this case, hooves.

5 - Is There Shame in Such a Thing as an Eyepatch?

Digging. And more digging. That was the crux of the life of a diamond dog. Always digging, digging, be it up or down, sideways or longways. They were a hardy creature, bred for digging and not much else.

Sweet J.D. was one such diamond dog, a mutt of no particular family. J.D. was a digger supreme. You could ask him to dig straight to the core, and his response would be “How quick?”

In appearance, J.D. was a musty brown, and a single snaggle-toothed fang stuck out from the left side of his mouth. His ears where pockmarked from the constant brawling a diamond dog was prone to. His tail was little more than a stub, wagging back and forth when he was happy, stock still when he was angry.

Right now, Sweet J.D. was digging his way upwards, safety goggles on and claws out to protect himself from falling. He’d been digging for… oh, how long had it been now? Almost a day? He had plenty of water in his digger uniform and enough jerky to last him another day at least. J.D. could feel a payday above him, otherwise he would’ve quit long ago.

His drill bit hit something harder than packed soil or even rock. Stopping the drill, J.D. flipped his goggles up. He squinted at the blackness in front of him, and then stabbed the drill bit into the side of the tunnel. Taking a flashlight from his belt, Sweet J.D. switched it on and placed it in his mouth.

His obstacle was metal, the light reflecting off it into his eyes. He grunted, and spat the flashlight out, catching it in a paw before returning it to its place.

J.D. grabbed hold of the drill and ripped it from the tunnel wall, and began to fiddle with the bit. After a few minutes of swearing and panting, he got the bit removed, and he reached into another pocket to get a different one out.

With a little work, he snapped the new drill bit into place and began drilling again. Sparks flew as the diamond-tip tore through the metal above him. To his surprise, it only took a few minutes before he had opened a hole into a cavern above him.

J.D.’s head popped through the hole and into a dimly lit room. He made a grunt, and pulled himself through the small hole, which was not a mean feat, given his small frame.

Surrounding him were beeping machines that resembled what the ponies used. He wrinkled his nose at the thought. Ponies were stupid. They were smarter than he was, and that made them dumb. He hated dumb things.

Sweet J.D. smiled to himself. He was in a virtual treasure trove of stuff that looked neat and shiny. He wasn’t sure what he’d use half of it for, but he still wanted it. Of course, there were those grots back in the mine below. They’d want a share for sure, which meant he’d need to go back and rustle up a posse to clean this place out.

Pausing briefly in his search, J.D. pulled down a promising looking decoration from the wall. It was a jewel-encrusted shield of some kind, with a faint scrawled insignia at the bottom. The diamond dog hopped back into the hole, and released his safety claws, allowing him to slide down the tunnel like a shot. He left in such a hurry, he failed to notice a helpful map on the wall that would’ve told him all he needed to know about the strange place he had found.

At the top was a single line that read: “Alkali Lake Base”.

***

Sweet J.D. paced outside the thick metal door, thinking about what he would say once he got inside. He had to be quick on the draw and tough to get a good deal with Max. Otherwise the spindly little spider of a diamond dog would skin J.D. for all he was worth. And, if J.D. was lucky, he might skip the ceremonial pissing on the remains.

The door opened, and Bo poked his head out. Bo was rather slow-minded boxer who Max generally used to rough up customers. “You can come in, the boss sez.”

J.D. nodded, and stepped through the doorway once Bo had retreated. There was Max, seated behind a desk full of tchotchkes – gnawed-on rat bones, gems too small or imperfect to sell, dog-eared books, and the like. Max himself was a little terrier with beady eyes and a penchant for fur coats larger than himself. Perched crookedly on his head was a ratty old bowler hat.

“Sweet J.D., we meet again. I always like hearing your voice. And seeing you lose your money.”

“Max. I’ve got a treasure load for you.”

“Oh, really? See, way I hear it, you’ve been digging upwards not downwards. Digging up is a very poor choice, way I hear. Circles within circles above us. What’s below is what’s important.” Max scooped up a handful of bones, realised his mistake, and replaced them with jewels. “The type of stuff we can sell. If I wanted snow, I’d send Bo up and let him build a snowdog. Oh, sit, boy. Sit.”

On reflex, J.D. seated himself in the chair across the table from Max before cursing his own obedience. “Look, Max, I’ve got a big payout. This time it ain’t crap. It’s legit, ya dig?”

“I don’t dig. That’s what the masses are for. Sweet J.D., you haven’t brought me a good payout in years. In fact, I heard that even down in Equestria you never dug up anything worth a rat’s arse. And need I even remind you of that pony that put you out of business and sent you hopeless scruffy-looking gaffers cringing and scraping back to me.”

The irony of Max of all dogs to call J.D. and his gang scruffy-looking gaffers was not lost on him. He just smiled at the smaller dog and let Max continue.

“Now, please. Regale me with tales of whatever wealth you think you found.”

“Well, I think I found this.” Sweet J.D. pulled out the shield he had found with a flourish. “It looks nice, don’t it?”

Max was practically salivating over it. He leaned over the table, paws outstretched to seize it. J.D. yanked it away just in time with a big grin.

“Like what ya see? I bet there’s more where it came from. Dug my way into a Circle base. We pull this gig off straight they won’t know we were even there.”

Max slapped the table, snickering loudly. “Alright, you’ve piqued my interest. Let’s say two days from now you and Bo hit the place and come back full to the brim with stuff you two steal. I get seventy-five percent, you get fifteen and Bo here gets ten.”

J.D. pretended to mull it over. Circle stuff was worth a fortune on the black market, and it always seemed to find its way to the griffons. If he held back his share and sold it straight to the griffs he could make more money than he’d seen in his life. Then Fido, Rover, and Spot would regret ever kicking him off their dig-gang.

“Sounds like a deal, daddy-o. Two days.”

***

A hazy light greeted Rainbow Dash as she opened her eyes. Everything was unclear, and it seemed dark in places. Depth was also a problem. She could see a calendar on the far wall, but was unable to determine just how far away it was. Dash gritted her teeth at this. If she couldn’t figure that out, then she wouldn’t be able to fly any time soon.

“Oh boy oh boy you’re up!” Now there was something Dash could figure out easily – the voice of a good friend.

“Hey, Pinks. How’s it hangin’?” Dash croaked. Geez, I sound bad.

“Peachy! I thought you were gonna sleep forever,” Pinkie said. “It’s been like a week.”

“A week? Geez. I hope the ship didn’t fall apart without me.”

“Oh, my dear Rainbow Dash. You may be tough and sticky, but you’re hardly the glue that binds us together.” Rarity stepped into view, which confused Dash greatly. She seemed to come out of nowhere on Dash’s left side.

“Where did you come from?” Dash asked, squinting in confusion. Her left eyelid didn’t feel like it was matching the movements of its sibling on the right.

“Oh, dear. I was hoping the nurse would come in so she could tell you, but…” Rarity took in a deep breath, closing her eyes. “When you electrified yourself and Pinkie caught you, your head struck the console. Ah, you… You may or may not have lost vision in your left eye.”

Dash’s heart dropped and she buried her head in her hooves. As a pegasus, this was one of the worst things she could hear. Being able to perceive depth was crucial to flight. A downed pegasus was more worthless than a three-legged table, her grandpa would always say.

“Don’t fret, dear!” Rarity grabbed Dash’s head and tilted it up to face her. “It’s only temporary. Something to do with electricity and closeness to the control panel while falling or somesuch. I’m a fashion designer, dear, not a doctor. But I have something for you to cope with it. I rather hope you like it.”

Dash noticed Rarity had a saddlebag hanging from her side, and grimaced, wondering why she didn’t notice it sooner. The bag opened of its own accord, and Rarity withdrew a thick cord the same colour as the sky. She floated it over to Dash, who took it in her hooves.

“What is it?” Dash turned it over, frowning doubtfully.

“A special kind of eyepatch me I developed with Time Turner’s help. It relies on many tiny cameras that combine to create one large camera. Your range of vision will actually be improved by it. In fact, I’m sure you’ll miss it once your eyesight returns.”

Rainbow Dash slung the high-tech eyepatch around her injured eye, clipping it together in the back. “Like this? How does it, like, do stuff with my brain and crap to –” There was a quiet snikt sound and Dash let out a high-pitched squeal. “Oh. It does that.”

“Yes, it inserts microscopic nanites into your eye to attach to ocular nerves and transmit the data from the eyepatch to your brain and convert it to the proper signals. It’s rather interesting, I think.”

“Yeah. Does that weird prickly feeling ever go away or is that permanent?” Dash poked the eyepatch with a hoof. “Woah, freaky deeky. My hoof looks weird.”

“Oh, I don’t even know that,” Rarity tittered. “You’re our official pony test subject.”

“Oh, fun.” Dash sighed. “Man I’m gonna look weird in this. Don’t I look weird, Pinkie?”

She turned to face Pinkie. The mare shook her head slowly. “No way! Are you embarrassed of that thing? It looks super neat! Don’t feel weird. It’s just an eyepatch. Remember Hardhoof, our instructor? He had an eyepatch.”

Rarity nodded. “Yes, Rainbow Dash. Is there shame in wearing an eyepatch?” She clicked her tongue. “I say no!”

Dash got a small smile on her face. “Well if you two guys think so, I guess it’s alright. I kinda want to see how much of a badass I am in it. Get a mirror, would ya?”

***

Magical power resonates in all of us, my faithful student. From the clever machinations of unicorns to the brute force of earth ponies to the grace of pegasi, we all have magic within, and the potential to become great. Just because somepony says they are greater than you does not mean that. You can become great with your own mind.

It is all about harmony. Harmony allows for pure magic, our magic. The more you are in harmony with yourself and others, the more powerful your magic becomes. This is the simplest version of the Theory of Harmonics. Set your mind to something and it will be yours.

Chaos, too. It is dark magic, impure. It ruins what it touches and corrupts the rest. The less you are in harmony, the more chaotic your magic is. If there is a Theory of Harmonics, there must also be a Theory of Chaotics. They are laws of the universe, entangled and wrapped around each other. You must have Harmony and Chaos in a perfect balance.

I see a path for you, Twilight, a path no others could take. Remember what I have said about magic and harmony. You have the potential. We all do.

Twilight woke, blinking bleary eyes. That dream… She’d had it before, numerous times since the war started. A dark room, illuminated by a column of light in the centre. There was a great throne in the light, with a shadowed figure sitting on it. Celestia’s voice echoed throughout the chamber. It felt like she was speaking from a long ago memory.

A memory Twilight had no recollection of. She had a fantastic memory, and yet there she could not remember Celestia ever saying those words. They felt right, though. Like there was an intrinsic truth to what she said.

Twilight shivered. Ever since the technological revolution, Celestia and Luna had stepped quietly out of the limelight. They gave Equestria to the technocrats, and Twilight soon rose to the top of the technocracy. But here she was travelling with her friends – well, most of them – to save the world. Just like the old days.

Except there were no old days anymore, just blurry memories and nothing else. With a sigh, Twilight rolled out of bed and walked slowly to the bathroom. Running a brush through her mane, she wondered not for the first time if she should call Celestia and ask about the strange dream. Or better yet, ask the dreamcatcher herself.

She shook her head, and returned the brush to its place in the cabinet behind the mirror. Calling the princesses over a bad dream was pointless. It was just stress, that’s all. Twilight could swear she had read somewhere reoccurring dreams were linked to stress.

Her computer beeped. Twilight stepped out of the bathroom, and sat down in her chair.

“What do you want this early, Time Turner?” she asked nobody in particular. She hit the accept button, and a hologram of Time Turner appeared above the desk.

“Sorry to disturb your beauty sleep, Commander.”

“It’s fine, I just woke up anyway. What’s going on?”

Time Turner looked like he would be wringing his hands right now if he had any. “Uh, I’ve been examining the thaumic resonance for the CLOPs that are in for repair. I found something… odd.”

“How odd?” Twilight frowned. For Time Turner to claim something was odd meant it had to be extremely strange.

“Your friends, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. Their CLOPs have… well, their thaumic resonance is practically off the charts.”

“Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie?” she asked, jaw dropping. “How is that possible? They’re not even unicorns.”

“I can’t explain it, but over the past few weeks their resonance charts have spiked greatly. Especially in times of crisis. It’s almost as if they’re drawing on each other for more power every time they fight.”

They were in harmony with each other, Twilight realised. Like the voice in her dream told her. “This is bizarre,” she said finally. “Next time they’re in combat together, can you collect more data?”

Time Turner nodded. “I certainly can, but what are you going to do with this information?”

“I… I don’t know,” Twilight replied. “Not yet anyway.”

1 - Butter Up for the Beginning!

The quick clacking of hooves on the walkway joined the klaxons’ wail. Ponies wearing lab coats and grease-covered overalls leapt to the sides of the corridor as the pilots rushed past. A low rumble cut through the confusion and the ground began to quake.

“Gotta run faster, Pinkie,” Rainbow Dash said as she shot past a scientist, blowing his papers into the air. “If we don’t hurry up we’ll miss all the fun!”

Pinkie Pie followed behind, darting between bodies while Dash went above them. She didn’t have anything to say now. All that was on her mind was her job.

The two friends finally turned a corner into the hangar. CLOPs – shorthand for Celestial Lance Operating Platforms – milled about getting ready to go into action against the Invaders. They didn’t have a name; they were just called Invaders.

The platforms were sleek pony-operated machines designed to combat the Invaders. Pinkie, like most pilots had no idea how they were built, only that the mysterious construct known as the Forge produced them. All she knew was that she was good at piloting them – darn good.

She slipped into the cockpit of her party pink CLOP, smacking the button to close it behind her. After clipping her safety harness shut, Pinkie’s hooves lowered to the two levers that controlled the machine’s movement. She slowly pushed the levers forward, and with its customary smoothness, the CLOP began to move.

The holographic displays in front of her showed a panoramic view of the outside, thanks to what the eggheads called lens alloy. Right now, the displays featured the hangar, slowly moving past her. As Pinkie pushed the levers further away from her, the hangar turned into a blur, and she shot out of the hangar.

To the outside observer, CLOPs were little more than a blur as they escaped the confines of the underground hangar. Only with the aid of technological marvels could one make out the form of a Lance Platform at full speed.

There, in the glare of the setting sun, hung three machines. Much like the CLOPs, the machines were bipedal, with varying number of limbs. One of the Invaders had three arms; the others had two. The design of each differed greatly – one was star-like in shape, another was like a mushroom. Compared to the sleek beauty of the platforms, the Invader machines were a mess.

One of the Invaders shot forward, the star-shaped one. Grasped in its third arm was a long pole that ended in a half-circle. Electricity crackled between the half-circle’s prongs, arcing outwards towards an oncoming CLOP. The lightning bolt struck home, tearing through the mech like it was cloth.

“Raiden the thunder god strikes again!” The voice was emanating from speaker alloy on the Invader star-mech. “Do you furbags really think you can challenge me?”

Raiden twirled the lightning rod in one arm while making a “well, what is it” gesture with the other two. “Come on! Face me one-on-one!”

“Okay, you want a fight? Butter up, buttercup, cause Rainbow Dash is about to lay down the pain!” Dash’s mech – painted a tasteful blue with the emblem of a thundercloud stamped on the side – darted forward, armblades extended.

Pinkie had no time to watch the frenetic aerial duel between Raiden and Dash, as another Invader approached her. It held a sheathed katana in one hand, and was moving leisurely.

“So this is the infamous Pinkie, who shot down so many of my brethren. I suppose I should have expected as much. Quite the garish colour scheme.”

Okay that was it. Some robot starfish calling her a furbag was one thing, but insulting her platform’s colours? Pink ran in the blood of the Pie family and by gumball she wasn’t gonna let some weird alien dude insult that bloodline.

“It’s party time!” Pinkie shouted, jamming the levers forward forcibly. With an uncharacteristic jerk, the mecha shot towards the meanie face Invader.

Unlike the other Invaders, this one was the closest to a CLOP that Pinkie had seen so far. It had the same sleek look, culminating in a slick-looking shogun-like helm on its head.

She raised the lance that her machine always carried, and thrust it towards him. “Streamer attack!” she shouted as the lance head glowed pink. A spread of equally pink lasers emerged from the tip, streaming towards the Invader.

With an almost casual maneuver, the shogun Invader brought up his still sheathed sword and spun it. The lasers impacted the sheath, bouncing harmlessly off and dissipating in the air.

“Shouting your attacks is a poor idea,” he said, stopping the spinning of his sword. “A real warrior fights with presence of mind.”

The sword swept towards Pinkie and whacked her CLOP in the head where the cockpit lay. She staggered under the blow as the shogun Invader thrust the sword into her metal chest. The platform collapsed under the blow, and began spiraling towards the ground.

“I see tales of your skill were greatly exaggerated. Such a shame, I was hoping one of you ponies could challenge my arctic might.” Slowly, the Invader began to unsheathe his sword. “But now it’s time for Senric Seablade to finish this.”

“Not on my watch!” A blue blur slammed into Senric’s machine, knocking the sword out of his hands.

Pinkie righted herself, breaking out of her downward spiral just in time to see Dash pummeling Senric in the chest.

Tilting the levers, Pinkie flew higher to where the two mechas were fighting. Sparks flew everywhere as metal struck metal. Dash was doing a fantastic job of distracting Senric, but it was time for Pinkie to shine.

Right as Pinkie brought her lance around to attack, Senric’s left arm shot out and shoved it away while grabbing Dash’s sharp fists with his other hand.

“You made the mistake of confronting one of the Emperor’s Finest – one of the Eight Champions, second only to the Elite Four Generals. My fighting prowess is second to none. I am not called Senric Seablade for nothing!”

With one swift gesture, Senric brought the two CLOPs crashing together. AS they untangled themselves, he flew down and recovered his sword. He unsheathed in a quick motion, clipping the sheath to the side of his mech somehow.

“For once I’ve found the need to draw my blade. Such a thing rarely happens. You’re the lucky two to taste its billion-folded arctic steel!”

“You sure love to hear yourself talk!” Dash shouted. “Come on, Pinkie, let’s dust this bozo!”

“Got it, Dashie!”

“Combine blast!” Dash grabbed hold of Pinkie’s lance, and the tip began to glow, first blue, then pink, then a combination of the two. A burst of plasma energy erupted from the lance, streaking towards Senric.

Senric raised his blade, and the energy knocked it out of his hand, flowing around it and striking him in the face. His helm slipped from his head, revealing a glass cockpit. Inside sat a very surprised looking penguin with what looked to be orange eyebrows.

“How did you get past my impenetrable blade?” he cried out, flapping his wings angrily.

Senric aimed his machine downward and picked up his sword, resheathing it. “You haven’t seen the last of me, furbags. Senric, Seventh of the Nine Champions will see you again!”

The Seventh Champion rocketed into the sky, where the eerie green grid of the Rift lay. Within a few moments, he passed through it and vanished.

Dash watched him leave, arms crossed. “What a loser. First sign’a trouble and he chickened out. Come on Pinkie, let’s jet back to the– Pinkie?”

Pinkie was busy picking up the helm Senric had left behind. She examined it, bringing it close to her cockpit. Scorch marks blackened the helm where the energy burst had struck, but it was surprisingly in good condition. Pondering it for a brief moment, Pinkie came to a decision.

In one swift motion, she flipped the helmet around and set it on her head. There was a glow, and the helm fused to her cockpit. She stuck her hands on her hips and turned to Dash.

“That’s Shogun Pinkie Pie to you! Just you wait, Rainbow Dash. Your good old pal Pinkie Pie will drive off every last one of those Invaders.”

“That’s the Pinks I know and love,” Dash laughed. “Let’s go back and let the eggheads know about Senric.”

***

Pinkie slipped out of the CLOP’s cockpit, turning to eyeball it. Like all platforms, it was sleek, more curves than anything else. The legs ended in a point for maximum kick damage. The hands were three fingered, and used mainly to hold weapons like the classic lance, or a rifle for those who preferred long-range battles. The head was tapered beneath the shogun helm, and two slits that looked like eyes smoldered in the dark recesses as the magic energy left them.

She patted the arm gingerly before trotting off. Noticing Dash almost sprinting down the hall, she quickened her pace to match with the pegasus.

“Hey, Rainbow Dash,” she said. “Fancy meeting you here!”

“Pinkie Pie, I’d love to hang, but I need to talk to Twilight about what we saw out there. This is the first time we’ve seen an Invader. They gotta know.”

Pinkie nodded sagely. “Yep. Y’know, I thought the Invaders would be less silly looking. Did you see those eyebrows of his?” She guffawed at the memory.

Dash paused in front of a door labeled “CIC”. “Hey, Pinkie, can you turn it down a notch? I get the feeling Twilight’s gonna be all business. Like usual.” This last phrase came out of her mouth with a disappointed sigh.

Pinkie frowned as Dash opened the door and stepped through. She followed soon after, head turning from side to side to catch a glimpse of Twilight.

The unicorn in question was wearing a white lab coat and standing on a platform overlooking a holographic map of what had once been Canterlot, the city above the underground base. Her tail swished from side to side as she adjusted her glasses to get a better view of the map.

Red dots marked where CLOPs had fallen during the short battle. There were only three others aside from Pinkie and Dash, and they had all been taken out by Raiden or the third Invader. White dots were moving towards the red ones – medic units about to free the pilots from the wreckage.

“Hey, Twilight!” Dash practically shouted. She stopped at the other side of the map. “Did you see the combat tapes yet? Did I do awesome or did I do awesome?”

Twilight frowned. “You did adequately, I guess. Performance isn’t really an issue, survival is, you know. Though it does help. And yes, I have reviewed the tapes. I’m interested in the pilot of that machine you both fought. He seemed to be a penguin, more specifically eudyptes sclateri. This fits with the frequent references to cold temperatures and the large temperature discrepancy around the air near the rift. Now all we have to figure out is where the Invaders are coming from, then Operation Snowfall can begin.”

“Operation whozit now?” Pinkie cocked her head, brow furrowing in confusion.

“Operation Snowfall! Where our carrier platform travels through the Rift to the Invader homeland and we take the fight to them. We need to mount a proper offensive, and soon. Once the carrier platform is finished, we’ll start loading volunteer CLOP units aboard it.”

“I volunteer!” Dash slammed a hoof down on the map table. “You’ll need a healthy dose of radical.”

Pinkie waved her hoof in the air. “Ooh, ooh, pick me too! I wanna go. If I don’t, who’s gonna plan the victory party?”

Twilight simply nodded. “Very well, I’ll add your names to the list. Be warned, we don’t know when the construction will be finished or how long it will take to reach the enemy’s capital, or even what we’ll be facing. Your life is your responsibility, not mine.”

Dash scoffed and shook her head. “I know, I know. You think I got where I am today by being careless?”

“Hmm,” was all Twilight had to say in response to that.

“So,” said Dash, leaning against the table, “who’s the geek in charge of that carrier project thingy?”

***

“Fashion design, weapons design, there’s no real difference between the two.” Rarity tossed her mane as Dash and Pinkie stared at the hologram of the carrier. It resembled a classic aircraft carrier, but the edges were more rounded and the bridge was set between two upswept wings. “Though there’s certainly less sequins and jewels involved in weapons unless you want a fabulous rifle.”

She skipped over to a nearby metal case, easily six feet high. “Speaking of rifles, I just finished the prototype for a new CLOP weapon. An anti-mecha weapon designed for long-range confrontations.” Rarity opened the case, and levitated a very long rifle out. It resembled the anti-material sniper rifles developed to combat the smaller Invader mechs. “It fires a high velocity, heavy round perfect for destroying the joints of enemy combatants. Against their regular armour, it still does quite a bit of damage, though not enough to cripple or destroy it outright.”

Pinkie’s eyes had glazed over during Rarity’s long spiel about designing weaponry that had preceded show-and-tell, and the white unicorn paused, obviously picking up on it. “But of course, I can tell you’re rather tired from your excursion. Have no fear, these rifles will soon be standard issue among Lances soon. Well, I mean as soon as we work a few little kinks out.”

With a grunt, Dash nodded and walked over to where Rarity was standing. “Look, that’s nice and all, but how do you even know this thing will fly? I dunno if we’ve ever made something as big as that.”

“Well, we haven’t.” Rarity shook her head. “I know you’re a hotshot jockey now, my dear, but there are things beyond the grasp of your intellect. You know a lot about flying and aerial maneuvers, yes, but engineering is something you have no concept of. Dressmaking is a lot like engineering, I’ve found. It’s nothing like flying.”

“I resent that. I know… I know… eh, you’re right, I don’t know anything about engineering.” She eyed the hologram, frowning deeply. “I hope you’re right and that thing will work. I’d hate to go back to being Rainbow Crash.”

Rarity giggled. “An invention of mine fail? Ah, it wouldn’t be the first time, but this design is fool proof.”

Dash only nodded. “Amazing. I’m kinda tired from doin’ all that cool stuff. Catch ya later, Rarity.” When she was half-way through the doorway she paused and turned back to Pinkie. “Yo, Pinks, you gonna head out too?”

Pinkie blinked. “Yeah, sure. Nice seein’ you, Rarity!”

Rarity smiled and nodded, waving the two away. “Very nice seeing you again. Please don’t hesitate to come back.”

The two friends trotted down the bare hallways. Living underground wasn’t ideal, but they had to make do since most of the above ground cities had been destroyed by the Invaders long ago. Rainbow Dash especially hated the underground city, since there was nowhere for her to fly aside from the hangar. She was prone to bouts of cabin fever.

Nopony but her and Pinkie knew that she’d sometimes slip outside to get some fresh air and stretch her wings. Sometimes she’d go up at night and look at the Rift, its eerie green glow illuminating the landscape like a sickly second sun.

“It’s nice in a weird way,” she said once. “Like, it’s there and you know what comes out of it… but at the same time it’s… eh, it’s pretty, I guess. I dunno how to describe it.”

Pinkie had no response to that. She found it hard to remain cheery and perky all the time these days. Rainbow Dash seemed to be doing that plenty for the both of them.

It didn’t take long for the two to reach their respective rooms – right across from each other.

“G’night, Pinkie. I hope we don’t get called out again tomorrow.”

“Night, Rainbow Dash!”

The two separated and entered their rooms.

Gummy perked up when he saw Pinkie enter her room. He waddled over and hopped onto her head, sucking in a valiant effort to remain attached to her head. Pinkie scooped him up and laughed.

“Come on, Gummy, it wasn’t that bad! Only a few hours.”

Gummy made a croaking sound and waggled his tail forcefully.

“You know what, Gummy? I have an idea. Why don’t you come with me next time we get called out to fight? It’ll be so much fun and you can get to see what mommy Pinkie Pie does for a change! What do you think?”

Gummy jumped up and latched onto her hair again, sucking on her mane.

“Sounds like you agree, Gummy.” Pinkie pried Gummy off again and set him down next to her bed. “It’s time for bed.”

She leaned over and pulled the chain to the lamp, plunging the room into darkness. Then, she slid into bed and fell asleep, holding Gummy tight to her chest.

***

Elsewhere, in a frozen land…

Senric marched his way into the great throne room. The Emperor sat on his throne in the centre of the room, ceremonial blade sitting across his lap.

The Four Generals stood in a half circle in front of the Emperor. There was Mundus the Wolverine, known for his sharp claws both inside and out of his jiarch. Then there was Kyrie the Fox, known for her guile and deceptions. Terinth the Tern sat on Fletch the Caribou’s shoulders, pecking at his feathers to clean them.

“Senric Seablade,” Mundus hissed. “Did you find what we seek?”

“Indeed, General. The source of magical energy is right there beneath the ruins of Canterlot. A massive fountain of power.”

“What luck,” purred Kyrie. “If it’s below Canterlot, then their leadership will be there. Two birds with one stone.”

Terinth’s head snapped up at that and he squawked angrily at Kyrie.

“Oh hush, darling. Simply a phrase.”

The bird hopped up and down, still chittering at her.

“Terinth, calm yourself,” Fletch muttered leisurely, chewing on something. “Perhaps we should make a few more feints at Canterlot before bearing down on it.”

“If I may speak frankly,” Senric began.

The Emperor moved, blade scraping the marble floor beneath his feet. The Generals and Senric all looked up to see what he would say.

“Do not destroy Canterlot without my express permission,” his voice rumbled through the room, echoing in Senric’s chest. “I have foreseen the end of our war.” With that, he returned the blade to his lap and closed his eyes.

“Well there you have it,” Mundus said with a smile. “We leave Canterlot as it is. A barren waste with ponies cowering beneath it. Dismissed, Senric Seablade.”

Senric lowered his head and left the circular chambers.

As he left, Kyrie made a yipping noise. “What an unexpected turn, oh Emperor,” She said turning to face him. “May I ask why you desire for Canterlot to remain unscathed?”

The Emperor raised his head to look at her. “Because of my vision. I have seen the end of ponies, and it is their own doing.”