Fallout Equestria: Duty

Fallout Equestria: Duty

Chapter 41

Rivalry

“Hush now, Quiet now, it's time to lay your sleepy head...”

~O~Frostmane~O~

The day had arrived. The timer on my Pipbuck was counting down the last hour of peace Gear Turn had granted me, and the Lunas Revenge was ready for battle. Until this morning Ponies had been running back and forth to finish the preparations. I had logged our command hologram into the Ministry of Awesome surveillance network, and the readouts had confirmed my suspicions. The odds were bad, but not as bad as they could have been. Gear Turn had pulled two Thunderheads, four Raptors and about twenty thousand soldiers to the area. They still outnumbered us by a great deal, but it was at least something.

Right at that moment, the Lunas Revenge was holding it's position ten miles away from the potential battlefield to avoid detection. I doubted that these Ponies had access to the network. If they had, they could have attacked us before we had launched from Trottingham. Sadly, Jerakal had informed me that we couldn't replace some of the levitation talismans with Stealthbucks. They were needed to keep the ship aloft.

My mane and tail were flowing behind me, due to the wind that was coming in through the open hatch of the flight deck. Two hundred Pegasi stood at the ready behind me, ready to dive into the battle of their life. I was pretty sure that precious few would survive this day, and they knew it too. Hope was standing by my side, looking up at me with a slight frown.

The little one did not like the Pipbuck I had forced on her, but it was one of my conditions for her to be here. Every one on board was wearing one, because I wanted to be able to track them. But that wasn't all. Before launch, I had given out a Will module to each and every one of them. Once the battle started, they would start recording their experiences like a memory orb, and I could download that data after the battle so that the dead would be remembered. It was a military only module, used so the relatives of fallen soldiers got the opportunity to have something to remember their loved ones by.

Hope struggled a little next to me, once again trying to shrug off the armor I had shrunk so it fit her tiny frame. The Power-Armor looked rather cute on her to be honest. It was only a safety measure, in case the ship got boarded. There were no weapons attached to its battle-saddle, but it would protect her against any stray weapons fire, as long as she didn't get herself into a shower of shots.

I turned around, extending one of my wings and brushing it over the young ones back. She caught my eye and trotted next to me as I made my way onto the little stage Jerakal had erected here. She was a real miracle worker when it counted, but during this operation her place was not in the engine room. Instead, she would take command of the LR, and keep the Enclaves airships off our backs if that became necessary.

At first, I would land alone, hoping that Gear Turn had at least a shred of honor left in her. If she did, then there was no need to sacrifice these Ponies or to slaughter many of the Enclave troops. It would be over quickly, and I could return to the ship with Firestorm. That was, however, only the best case scenario. If things went south, the Lunas Revenge would rush to my aid, and my troops would swoop down onto the Enclave like a swarm of grasshoppers. I wasn't foolish enough to believe that we could surprise them, but I hoped that we could at least act faster then they expected.

Stepping onto the stage, I put on a stern face before I turned to the gathered Pegasi. It frightened Hope a bit, but me winking at her seemed to put her at ease a bit. The Ponies here were awaiting my pre-battle pep-talk and I was not going to disappoint them. Some of them had heard them before, while others would hear me hold a speech for the first, and probably last, time.

        “This is maybe Equestrias darkest hour since the end of the war, and now look at you... Look at what I have to work with to stop this new threat to our beloved country! I have never seen a more....” I began in my best drill instructor tone of voice, and I could see that most of the Ponies here were becoming more and more agitated. It was the reaction I had been aiming for. My face relaxed, and I put on a smile as I continued to speak. My little speech was being broadcasted all over the ship after all....

        “... perfect bunch of Ponies. I couldn't have asked for better assistance on this mission. Each and every one of you knows the stakes, and what we are up against, and you still decided to come and fight for what is right.” I went on, stepping down from the stage and trotting through the rows of Ponies. My wings brushed some of them in a comforting manner, and I could see smiles emerge on their faces. Not pained or happy ones either. They were confident.

        “We Moon Skulls have always fought honorable. We have always spared innocents when we could, and tried to keep them out of harms way. We warned civilians in a potential operation area before we attacked, and even though we have resorted to torture at times, we never made our enemies suffer needlessly.”

I turned around as I reached the end of the row of Ponies. They turned as well to be able to see me.

        “After this day however, you will no longer be Moon Skulls. After today, our platoon will hopefully never be needed again. Therefore, we will be disbanded tomorrow. No matter what happens though, I want all of you to return to this ship after the battle. For the first time ever, I will throw you guys a party if we win, and I will cook. It will be a party to shame all parties that came before it. A party that would even have made Pinkie Pie gape in awe.”

My Ponies groaned and mumbled when I told them about my plans for our platoon, but cheered loudly when I told them about the party I had planned. It was true. I had prepared a party in the Trottingham military academy for all who came back. I had never lied to these Ponies, so I felt very bad for doing it this time. In fact, all the food for that party had been prepared in advance, in case I did not survive the fight.

        “Now to your orders. Usually I'd command you from the bridge, as you all know. Today, I will join you on the battlefield. You have only two orders, and I will personally hold anypony responsible who fails to obey them.” I said, turning serious once more. My wings flared out, and I puffed out my chest as I went from loving friend back to grim Vice-General.

        “Order number one: Kill everypony. No mercy. I know it's usually not our style, but today we can't play it nice. If we do, then Gear Turn wins.”

Many of my soldiers looked very uncomfortable with this, but nodded solemnly. They knew as well as I did that we couldn't pull any punches in this battle. Even their support crews had to be taken out. Medics rushing to the battlefield could mean enemy soldiers shooting us in the back once they were well enough to fire their weapons again. I hated to give this order, but it had to be done. We Moon Skulls had always done what had to be done, if we liked it or not. I wasn't going to break with that tradition now.

        “And secondly... come back alive.” I finished. I expected some of them to start chuckling, or shake their heads, but they surprised me. All of them, even the ones who were under my command for the first time, clicked their hooves together and saluted me.

        “The dark moon rises!” they began to chant, and I couldn't have been prouder at that moment.

        “See you on the other side!” I replied in our traditional fashion.

OooOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Ten minutes left, and I was only a few feet away from the flat mountaintop. There was a giant gear shaped door in the middle of it, and I assumed that this was the entrance to Stable 6. According to the data I had been able to find, it was build vertically since it's intended inhabitants could fly. Almost the entire mountain had been hollowed out to make room for it.

Not far away from the entrance, stood Gear Turn with two other Pegasi in Power-Armor. There was no sign of Firestorm anywhere, which made me quite nervous. Even my EFS wasn't able to pick up her signal, but that didn't really surprise me. All it showed me, was one solid wall of red.

        “I knew you'd come, Vice-General. Never leaving anypony behind, are you?” Gear Turn sneered as I landed a few feet away from them.

        “You know I don't leave anyone behind, and you also knew that I wouldn't take the attack on my home laying down. So, where's Storm? I just hope for your sake that she's still alive.” I snarled back. The time for niceties had passed when she had attacked me back in Trottingham.

        “Oh, your little fuck toy is still alive. Don't worry. I've even done you a little favor.” My blood ran cold as my former subordinate said those words, smiling wickedly. What came next made me feel hot, cold and numb at the same time. The two escorts Gear Turn had brought along trotted back to the Stable door, and got something from inside. Something or better said.... someone...

Firestorm, her armor still activated minus the helmet, trotted along with them obediently as they led her towards me. Her one eye looked back and forth between the two in fear, which was an emotion I wasn't used to see on her face. But... what really got to me was, that her mane was completely gone, and there were scars all over her head. Also, all intelligence seemed to be gone from her eye.

As soon as she spotted me, she tried to run to me, but the leash around her neck prevented her from escaping. Gear Turn nodded towards her soldiers, and they released my marefriend... or what was left of her. Firestorm stumbled towards me, falling flat on her face after a few steps. The sudden release of her leash had thrown her off balance, and it seemed that she was unable to regain it.

I rushed over to the fallen mare, cradling her in my hooves as she trembled. Gear Turn began to laugh haughtily, but I ignored her. It was all I could do not to order a full bombardment of the area right then and there. My blood was cold. I was angry, but I was a long way from loosing control.

        “Fwostman.” Firestorm slurred like a foal that was just learning how to speak. “Fwostman...” she said again, tears running down her cheek as she tried to lift a hoof and failed.

        “What have you done to her?” I asked levelly, keeping my rage inside.

        “Oh, nothing really. Tried to convert her to my cause, but your little pet sure had a strong will. The music didn't work on her, so I had a little fun with her. A little brain surgery, a few high yield memory spells. Believe me, she'll be much more obedient now. I've done you a favor, really. Too bad the Unicorns these Ponies keep around for enchantments aren't that good at memory spells. Due to that, she still has a few left I'm afraid.” the green mare said in a mocking tone of voice.

I connected my Pipbuck to my marefriends armor, checking her medical readouts. I wasn't a medic, but this did not look good. Her head was marked as crippled, and her internal organs were close to failing altogether. It was a miracle that she was still alive.

        “Fwost....” Firestorm slurred again. “Hurt...”

It was that one word that made the tears start welling up in my eyes. She was in pain. The mare I loved, and who had stood by my side for most of my military career was in pain, and I couldn't do anything about it. I waved a hoof behind me, and two of my Ponies appeared out of nowhere. Their deactivating Stealthbucks immediately put the Enclave Ponies on edge, but I couldn't have cared less.

Carefully, I placed my marefriend in their hooves, and instructed them to bring her back to the ship. I knew that there was nothing the medical facilities on the Lunas Revenge could do for her, but they might be able to ease her pain at least....

        “Aww... Are you actually crying, Vice-General?” Gear Turn laughed, apparently not surprised by the appearance of two cloaked Ponies, not ten feet away from her.

        “Jerakal. You know what to do.” I said into my microphone and, looking like an over stretched rubber band before it decelerated, the Lunas Revenge appeared between the Overcast and the Glorious Dawn. It's canons began to roar instantly, firing at the two other ships. They might not have been surprised that we had an airship, but it's sheer size seemed to even impress Gear Turn.

Deployment shells impacted all around us, as the mare in question and I began to circle one another. Her two subordinates had been taken out by precision shots by Moon Skull snipers, the moment the ship had appeared.

        “Don't let your hatred guide you.” I heard Lunas voice in the back of my head.

        “It's too late for that. She's gone too far. This will end today. One way or another!” I replied, as Gear Turn pounced at me... and the fight began in earnest.

~O~Jerakal~O~

        “Fire canons ten to twenty four. Pegasi groups four to eight, try and board those Raptors. If you can, take them over, if you can't, disable them!” I shouted into the mic as the ship shook violently. The crews of the Glorious Damn and Overcast had recovered quickly, and were returning fire with everything they had. Not thirty seconds after we had come here, bombing wagons had started to pepper the upper hull of our ship, effectively destroying most of our topside weaponry. The main canon was still functional, but I didn't dare to fire it. We would have been a floating target for at least five minutes after it fired, due to the sheer amount of energy it took to charge that monster up.

        “Unable to comply. The Glorious Dawn has concentrated its fire on our starboard turrets. We can't fire at them anymore.” A mare by the name of Lightning Grinder said. She was, as far as I knew, the daughter of Lemon Butter and Cherry Cream.

        “What about our turrets? Can we at least fire bullets their way, if we can't fire shells?”

Lightning Grinder checked the readouts on her console, shaking her head.

        “Sorry ma'am. The starboard turrets don't have energy. That last hit seems to have blown out a few power-couplings in that area.” she said, wiping a stray strand of her mane out of her face. I grit my teeth.

This fight hadn't even been going on for twenty minutes, and they had already figured out our weak spots. The hull of the Lunas Revenge was virtually impenetrable, but that was not true for her canons and turrets, much less the bulkheads or air-locks. They were made of steel, and build on top of the hull. The main problem now was, that the destroyed canons were the perfect entry point for the enemy fliers I could see coming towards us on the main command hologram.

        “Activate the internal security systems. Evacuate the outer areas of the ship. Flood the corridors there with fire suppression foam.” I ordered, checking the load on my battle-saddle. Both Anti-Machine-Rifles were fully loaded and ready to go, with five spare magazines per rifle. Seeing the sheer mass of Ponies heading our way however, I realized that sixty shots weren't going to make much of a difference. I just hoped that the hardening foam would hold them back for a while, while our Ponies prepared the defense.

Lightning Grinder nodded in accordance with my orders, and all the Ponies on the bridge began to arm themselves. All except...

        “Hope!” I shouted, as a support beam came down from above, separating me from the gray filly. She had been quivering in one corner of the bridge, ever since the fighting had started. Just as I jumped over the fallen beam, the intruder alert started up, announcing that unidentified Ponies had entered the ship on deck ten, section B.

        “Security Ponies to Deck eleven and twelve! Seal the accesses to deck ten!” I shouted into my microphone, as I saw two consoles explode. I saw the shrapnel flying towards Hope and me. Throwing myself between her and the sharp pieces of flying death, I protected the young mare. She was shaking in fear when my body jerked a few times as they punched through my armor and into my back, but I did my best to smile at her. Even through the medical warnings on my EFS, I tried to reassure her, but no words would come out of my mouth. All that came out, was blood as I collapsed in a coughing fit...

~O~Lemon Butter~O~

        “There're too many! We can't break through! Breaking off attack.” the voice of a young stallion sounded in my helmet. I knew the voice, for he had been placed under my command.

        “Negative Moonshine! We're covering you, so break through! Just one last push and you're in their hangar and can wreak havoc there!” I shouted, shooting down two Enclave Pegasi that were pursuing the young stallion and his group. I had to admit that these youngsters were good shots, but they lacked some serious flight time. Almost none of them had any aerial combat experience.

My own flight was made up from veterans only, and we were taking care of most of the aerial fighting. The plan was to get the young ones on board those Raptors, so they could use their ground bound fighting skills there. The only problem with this was, that they were too afraid to push through.

        “Push through or I'll make sure the Enclave doesn't have to waste a shot on you, Greenhorn!” Thunderclap, a mare in my flight and an original Moon Skull member, shouted. She was old enough to be my grandmother by now, but so far I wouldn't have known that from her fighting alone. Shortly after we had launched from the Lunas Revenge, she had taken out a ten Pony flight of Enclave fighters in close combat without breaking a sweat. Seventy-two or not, this mare had some serious fight left in her.

        “R...R...Roger.... Mom....” the young buck replied, and I was flabbergasted as I looked over to the elderly mare. She just shrugged, as if she wanted to say that her son just needed a little bit of an incentive to do as he was told, when a rocket hit her straight in the face. The little moment she had taken to shrug at me, had been enough for an Enclave flier to get a hit in on her. She began to plummet, her face smoking where the missile had detonated. I could see that it had, most likely, not hit her, but had detonated a foot or so away from her face. Still, the damage was devastating.

She was still alive as she fell, and I tried to dive after her, but two Enclave fliers, who wore uniforms similar to the ones of the Wonderbolts, blocked my way. The remainders of my flight engaged them at once, but these were much better than the ones we had encountered so far.

All I could do, was watch this flying fortress of a mare, whom I had known for many years even before I joined the Moon Skulls, fall to her death as I zigzagged around to avoid getting shot. The only silver lining was, that I saw her sons flight land in the target Raptors hangar, guns blazing....

~O~Hope~O~

The Zony mare whom had become a dear friend in the course of the last week, was laying in front of me, bleeding from her muzzle. Her eyes had already broken, but none of the other Ponies on the bridge seemed to care for it. How could they be so heartless? Instead they screamed things about sabotage and overloading power-couplings as more and more consoles began to explode around me.

Fire raged around me, and I couldn't help but scream. Fear gripped me, and took control of my body. I ran as fast as I could, past dead and charred bodies. Past Ponies fighting each other with beam weapons. I ran to the only place where I hoped to find some measure of peace... the engine room...

OooOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The engines Jerakal had put so much work into were screaming with the strain of keeping the ship aloft as I reached the engine room. Ponies were running about, trying to keep the generators from blowing up by adjusting dials and settings on wall mounted terminals, but it didn't seem to work. The usual gentle hum of the generators was now a deep irregular rumbling.

I trotted up to one of the terminals, my hooves shaking like mad as I tried to work the keys. Tears were still streaming down my face, but I didn't like that sound. This place was supposed to be peaceful, not so...so... unorganized.

I found the malfunction relatively quick. The spell talismans in two of the six generators had been knocked out of synch somehow, creating a feedback loop that was affecting the other four generators. None of the other engineers seemed to have noticed this however. They were still trying to find it.

I tried to stop one or two of them to ask if I was allowed to repair it, but they just brushed my hoof off, telling me to get lost or to leave them alone. Jerakal had made it quite clear that I was not allowed to change anything without permission. I mustn't change any settings without approval... I was a good girl after all...

My hooves began typing rapidly, and the shaking became less and less as I began to readjust the talismans. If I didn't change this, the generators would blow up, and then what? If they wanted to be mad at me, they could do so afterwards.

Soon, all six generators were humming softly again, the sound like music to my ears. One of the maintenance mares came towards me, and I cringed back as she extended her hoof. Instead of striking me however, the Earthpony smiled and ruffled my mane a bit with her hoof.

        “I have no idea what you did, but thank Celestia you did it.” she said, and I began to feel sleepy again. Seeing Jerakal die right in front of me, running down here as fast as I could, getting shot at least two times while trying to avoid getting in the way... It just was too much. I fell asleep right then and there, the gentle hum of my favorite generators singing me to sleep...

~O~Frostmane~O~

I jumped back, avoiding another one of Gear Turns strikes, while my soldiers had already begun to storm the Stable. The battle that was going on above us was horrifying. The Lunas Revenge was burning, and it's remaining canons fired only sporadically. Hundreds of Pegasi were converging on the hull breaches, and I could only imagine how my Ponies were fighting and dying to keep them from taking over the ship.

        “So, how do you control them? Is it that Siren music again?” I asked, dodging one of my opponents chainsaws, grabbing hold of the cybernetic appendage and smashing it with one of my rear hooves. Looking back, most of the training Jerakal had put me through wouldn't have been necessary at all. Gear Turn had not aged well at all. The simulation I had trained with, was her in her prime. In comparison to that, the mare I was fighting now was a slowpoke.

        “It was pretty easy. When you chased me out of Manehatten, I ran into an Enclave patrol. Just shoot at them and you'll have their full attention. As soon as I had then under my control, gaining access to their council was rather easy. Disappointing really.” Gear Turn explained, while we exchanged blow after blow. She got very close to taking my head of a few times, but she wasn't as fast as she used to be.

The other thing I had noticed, was that she may have been immune to direct magical influence, but indirect effects still worked. That was why , when she rolled to the side to evade Razor Roses hammer, I blew a hole into the ground with my magic in her path. Gear Turn yelped in surprise as she tried to get back to her hooves and lost her balance almost instantly.

Landing on her back, her last chainsaw trapped under her, I swooped in for the kill with Razor Roses hammer raised high above my head. Just when I wanted to bring it down, something very heavy and bulky hit me from the left. My magical focus shattered, as did two of my ribs and wing on that side. I tumbled for a few feet before coming to a stop, coughing up blood. One of my ribs had punctured my lungs.

Looking back at where Gear Turn lay, I saw what had hit me. It was a veritable mountain of metal, with brown and gray fur sticking out from beneath the armor plates. Two anti dragon canons hang on his battle saddle, and they were aiming directly at me.

        “Ya know Vice-General... Ah think Ah like Gear Turns offer better. She pays more.” Thunder Hoof rumbled, while his canons loaded a shell each. Before I could get over my shock at his betrayal, he fired and it was as if I had hit SATS. The shells were flying towards me as if in slow motion and I knew that I would not survive it if they hit home...

~O~Fleece Feather~O~

        “Hold the line! Reinforcements are on their way, we just have to hold out a little longer!” I shouted to the three Ponies holding the line with me. All three of them were youngsters, and I could see the fear in their eyes. The bridge had promised reinforcements ten minutes ago, but I hadn't heard a word from them since then. There was the distinct possibility that we were the last ones fighting.

At least fifty enemy combatants were peppering the hallway we had barricaded ourselves in with bullets and magical energy beams, and I knew we couldn't hold the line much longer.

I jumped up for a second, gave off two shots with my grenade launcher, and ducked down once again. According to my EFS, I had taken out at least ten of them. The problem was, that I didn't have any more grenades left.

Suddenly, there were screams in the hallway behind me, and I dared to look up once more. Miniguns were roaring, tearing through Ponies like a knife through butter, as their insides were splattered against the walls of the corridor. The machines I saw, were almost too big to fit into the hallway at all. They were bipedal, and had giant miniguns instead of arms. If I had been asked to guess, I'd have said that they had at least 40mm ammunition.

Our attackers were wiped out in a matter of seconds, and one of these machines came towards me. The glass cockpit opened, and I saw one of the new mares piloting the thing. Lightning.... something was her name. As far as I knew however, the young Pegasus was part of the bridge crew. So what was she doing down here?

        “Everything OK in there? I wouldn't want to shoot these babies in there.” she asked, chuckling slightly.

        “Yeah, we have been able to keep them out of the engine room. I reckon it's the only reason we're still flying and not plummeting by now. And... why aren't you on the bridge?” I replied. The young cobalt blue Pegasus mare sighed, looking back over her shoulder at the other two walkers.

        “We're the only survivors from the bridge. The Enclave has taken it over, but it won't do them much good. I've programmed the tactical computer to fire at will at every Enclave signal and destroyed the terminal afterwards. The navigational controls have been rerouted to these things, and I've blown up the stirring controls as well. As long as we keep on the move, they don't get a chance to take over the walkers and therefor no chance to get navigational control. Only sad thing is that I couldn't get to the internal security system before we had to run for it. Blew up the sub-computer though, so they at least can't use it against us.” she said, looking around as if checking her EFS.

I had to admit that I was impressed. She had thought of almost everything. These Ponies could take over one section of the ship after another, but as long as we had the walkers on our side, they couldn't use the ships systems against us. So all it came down to was skill, and how big the boom your weapon made was. I kind of liked that...

~O~Moonshine~O~

We were pinned behind two sky-tanks, while the Enclave troops in the hangar tried to get to us. The Raptors generators were our main objective, but I just couldn't see a way to get to them. Not in our current situation at least.

Shot after shot rang out from my battle-saddle, as I sprinted for another sky-tank to take cover behind it. Most of my flight had been taken out upon landing, but five of us were still alive and fighting. As long as we kept them busy, they at least couldn't start any more sky-tanks or bombing wagons.

        “Moonshine to every surviving Moon Skull flier! We need backup! I repeat, we need backup!” I shouted into my mic, but only static answered my call. I tried to get out of my cover, but was met by two Enclave engineers, holding beam pistols in their muzzles. I took one of them out with my armors tail, before diving back behind cover.

There was, however, something interesting around that corner. A crate full of explosives stood at the far wall of the hangar, directly under a power-coupling. Swallowing, I gathered up all of my courage and jumped out of my cover, ordering all of my remaining comrades to flee immediately.

The Ponies defending the hangar immediately opened fire on me, and I could feel their shots bite through my armor and into my flesh, but I ran on anyway. The engineer that had survived my initial attempt to round the corner was simply run over by me. Out came my one and only high explosive grenade and, as soon as I was close enough, I pulled the pin with my tongue. I never made it to the crate, as two shots pierced through my forelegs and I fell flat on my face. The grenade however... rolled the rest of the way. I smiled, as the world around me turned into hell itself....

~O~Frostmane~O~

Thunder Hoof lay in a smoking heap where he had fallen, while I panted hard. He had forgotten one important thing, and that was that I was an Alicorn now, and that his shells were not immune to magic. In the last moment, I had turned them around with my magic and launched them back at the giant buffalo.

The resulting explosion had caused Gear Turn and me to tumble away a threw feet, before we got to our hooves again. The green mare was looking at her fellow traitor in shock, as I struggled to stay upright. I guessed that she had counted on the element of surprise, and that I would be too shocked to react. Too bad for her that she was fighting a mare who had once jumped down the maw of a fire breathing dragon, just to save her ship.

        “This.... ends... now...” I wheezed through the pain, as I stumbled towards her. My magic picked up the hammer that had fallen out of my grip earlier, and I held it in front of me horizontally. Gear Turn didn't make a witty comeback. She didn't say anything as she stepped towards me slowly as well, panting. We both knew that we were equally matched, and that this fight would have to be decided soon.

Razors hammer swung in a horizontal attack, only for Gear Turn to duck under it and jump towards me. I turned the ten feet long shaft of the weapon around, striking her in the face with the lower end of it. She fell back a few steps, shacking her head to clear it, before charging at me once more.

There was nothing more to say. There was only death to be had, and we both knew it. No matter who won this fight in the end, the other wouldn't live much longer. We exchanged blow after blow, me destroying her last chainsaw, but not before she had buried it's tip deep in my left side. My vision was already dimming around the edges, but I clung onto consciousness with all of my might.

We continued to hit each other, none of us even bothering to try and evade anymore. Her hooves hammered repeatedly onto the spot where she had cut me with her saw, while I had dropped the hammer and hit her face every chance I got. This was no simple fight anymore, nor was it a real battle. We didn't use any tactics, techniques or fancy tricks. All we both wanted was kill the other one before our own body gave out.

Then, another shock-wave of an explosion shoved the two of us apart. I looked up to see where it came from, unable to get back to my hooves. What I saw made my blood run cold once more. A Raptor had gone up in flames, and crashed into the LR instead of falling through the cloud-curtain. The lavender glow of the levitation talismans of the Lunas Revenge was flickering. One by one, they went out and this giant of a ship began to fall directly towards us.

~O~Hope~O~

Alarms were going off all around me, while I was trying as best as I could to keep the ship in the air, but the engines just weren't strong enough. The Ponies who had attacked us had severed something vital, and now the ship was tilting dangerously.

        “Come on now! We've gotta get out of here!” the mare who had ruffled my mane earlier shouted, as she bit down on my tail and pulled me into an escape pod. My hooves pressed against the small window of the hatch as the pod launched, and all I wanted was get back to that terminal. If I just had a little more time I knew I could have saved the ship....