Equestria's last hope

"ETA, 30 seconds!" Announced the pilot.

Pepper woke up, looked around then realized where he was. They were approaching Canterlot castle.

"Here we are." Captain Buck announced looking at Pepper who then turned to face Argyle. Argyle was cut in several places all over, his coat was matted with a mixture of sweat and blood and he didn't smell good either. Argyle looked back at him and threw him a weak smile. they landed quite hard with a loud THUMP!

"Let's go, the princess will be waiting inside for us." Buck announced as he jumped off the dropship taking Zecora with him.

They walked through a giant set of metal doors guarded by two unicorn guards armed with what looked like power lances. they were silvery in colour with what looked like a spring that coiled around the main body of it. It also had a sharp blade on one end and the whole glowed with a ghoulishly green light.

"I've never seen anything like that that, must some magical weapon of some sort." he thought to himself.

They arrived in a large room. it had a walkway that went straight down the middle of the room which led to another smaller set of double doors. there was large pillars placed at regular intervals along both sides of the room and in between them were beautiful stained glass windows showing the history of Equestria so far. The next room was a lot smaller and only had one plain window with metal bars across it. There was a table in the middle of the room where princess Celestia was stood. They all bowed before her.

"Thank you my loyal subjects." she turned to Zecora. "It's nice to see you again."

"It's nice to see you too, how may i be of service to you?" Zecora replied in her usual rhyming manner.

"I had you picked up for your own safety, as you saw on your way here we aren't the only ones who are interested in your company." Celestia explained.

"Yes i saw, but i knew you were coming before." she continued to rhyme.

"however, you are aware of our situation with the zebras, so you can imagine why we brought you in." Celestia continued.

Zecora looked at everypony, then down at the floor. Everypony looked at her in confusion. She began to chant words that made no sense quietly to herself.

"Zecora, are you ok?" Celestia asked and within moments Zecora was gone.

"what the..." captain Buck turned to the princess.

"she's used a teleportation spell. Find her!" she ordered as guards began rushing around.

Argyle tried opening the door they had came in through.

"It's locked" he said.

"stand back!" announced the princess. her horn began to glow and she fired a beam at the door. however it just reflected back at her, missing her neck by millimetres.

"I have an idea" Argyle commented.

"Go on..." Buck encouraged. Argyle went over to the window and placed a rectangular object on the floor.

"Excuse me princess, could you cover use with a safety shield or something please?" he asked.

"Um... Okay." she replied unsure of what he planned to do. He detonated the explosive destroying the wall. They made there way over to the hole in the wall, but were halted by the fact that there was a big drop to the floor. A really big drop.

"Okay, me and the princess could fly you both down to the floor." Argyle suggested. but as he did so, a zebra dropship appeared with its cannons pointed at them. The cannons spun up and began to fire. As they did princess Celestia managed to raise her force field just in time. The rounds bounced off. but this was a zebra dropship and spells were standard. these were no normal rounds, they had been casted with extra strength and power. the field began to crack.

"I can't hold it much longer." Celestia announced, her face was straining, going red as she struggled to hold the field. Buck pushed the three of them out of the way as it was about to break. A long burst of rounds punctured his armour, piercing his body. Blood sprayed everywhere. the shooting stopped and he dropped to the floor.

"no!" Pepper rushed over to his body. the ship had turned around and began to move to find its next victims. Celestia got her balance, her horn began to glow. the dropship stopped in mid-air then started moving back towards them, surrounded by her magic. She dragged it close enough for Pepper and Argyle to jump on board and kill every zebra. they threw the bodies out the side and gained control of the ship. Celestia got on board then slid the side door closed.

"What now?" Argyle asked.

"We take the princess to her bunker, but any zebra we kill on the way are a bonus." Pepper replied looking at the princess for conformation. her only reply was a nodd.

"Do you know how to fly one one of these though?" Argyle Asked. Pepper looked at him, giving him a sinister smile.

There's a first time for everything." Pepper said. Argyle looked very worried at this point. Pepper pressed some buttons an moved the joystick. the dropship shot forward. A zebra ship flew past in the opposite direction. Pepper swung the ship around and gave chase. He looked for the trigger for the cannon, but instead found the button that fired plasma rockets. A missile from each side of the ship flew past the coppit and punctured the rear of the zebra dropship. Nothing had happened. Pepper was confused. there was a sudden bright green flash as the missiles exploded without a sound. the ship and its occupants were engulfed by green goo, melting everything inside and it dropped to the floor like a rock.

"AWESOME!" Pepper shouted, overjoyed by his new toy.

"We need to create weapons to counter these zebra weapons and we need to get everypony into the stables before we loose a lot of innocent ponies." Princess Celestia announced.

"But we need to get you to safety first." Argyle stated. Pepper hadn't even noticed they were talking. He was too amazed by this weaponry and was ready to kill more zebras with it.

Their journey to the bunker saw no more zebras. They headed to a giant metal door hidden in the side of a cliff that the princess had pointed out.

"Royal bunker, this is Pepper Comet. We are approaching with the princess, open the door."

There was no reply. He repeated himself. Still no reply. Then a hail of gunfire came from one of the bunkers air defence turrets that had appeared out from the side of the cliff.

"They've taken the bunker." Argyle spoke in disbelief. Pepper swung the ship around but the rear was shredded by the gun and broke apart from the dropship and it began to fall out of the sky.

"Not again!" Pepper shouted in anger. Princess Celestia wrapped him with her telekinesis and flew out the side of the ship, followed by Argyle. They stretched their wings and glided softly to the ground.he felt sick to his stomach.

"Warn me next time you plan to do that." Pepper commented. She looked at him and giggled.

"Where are we now princess?" questioned Argyle.

"We're not far from a place called Sweet Apple Acres, i know the pony that owns the farm personally. Im sure she can help us out." she commented.

"okay, lead the way princess." Pepper said still feeling uneasy.

They followed the princess for awhile but they soon saw fields after fields of apple trees, in the centre of it all was a beautifully painted red and white barn and a small house next to it. when they got to the barn, Celestia called out.

"A.J!"

"Just a moment" replied a voice from the barn. A few moments later a orange pony with a yellow mane and three apples for a cutie mark appeared from behind the door. She instantly bowed for the princess.

"Thank you, we are in some trouble, zebras are taking over, our transport has be shot down and my body guards here.." she said as she looked at Pepper and Argyle with a smile "...have lost their weapons in the crash. We were wondering if you could help us?"

"Sure thing princess, i can help Y'all.  Just follow me." the orange pony replied. they followed her back into the barn and down into the basement. there was along corridor that ended with a metal door with a hoof pad. The orange pony out her hoof on it and the door opened. they walked onto a balcony which over looked a large room. The room was well lit and was full of machines, ponybots, conveyor belts, working ponies, work benches and a lot of weapons. Pepper rubbed his eyes.

"Whoa this place is awesome!" He commented

"Thanks." the orange pony replied. "Get me an assault rifle and a sniper rifle with a battle saddle." within minutes she had been given what she had asked for. She gave the assault rifle to Pepper which he held with the magic from his horn and fitted Argyle with the battle saddle and fitted the sniper rifle.

"im sorry princess, but i don't have any transportation for y'all, but your free to stay the night."

"That's okay, thank you and i'm afraid we must go on."

"Thats ok, now if y'all will excuse me, i have prototypes to build." the orange pony replied and trotted off. They turned around and left the way they had came in.

They had been traveling for a while, when they met up with a platoon of soldiers from the Luna guard. When they saw the princess they all bowed.

"Thank you, we need your help." she said to the closest pony.

"you're going to have to speak to major Pip your majesty." the soldier pony replied pointing a hoof to a tent.

"Thank you." she addressed him. "You two best wait out here." she told Pepper and Argyle as she went into the tent. Pepper turned to Argyle.

"Who was that orange pony at that barn? And what was with the weapons factory she had?" Pepper asked, keeping his voice down.

"I'm not sure, maybe you should ask the princess." Argyle suggested.

"Good idea."

As he spoke the princess came out with a depressed look on her face.

"What's wrong princess?" Argyle asked. she looked at him.

"We are loosing the war. We are loosing thousands. Princess Cadance and her husband Shining Armour are dead. We are loosing Equestria."

They looked at each other shocked. They then turned to face the princess.

"No we're not!" called a voice from behind. They turned around, stood there was major Pip with his soldiers behind him. "Its not lost until we are gone, and we're still here ready to fight!" he continued. princess Celestia looked up at him and nodded.

"Okay, we need to get everypony into the stables, radio whoever's left and allocate them a town to get ponies into the nearest stables." she announced. One pony began talking with lots of other ponies over the radio who began working immediately.

"We move in a minute, we have a stable in Ponyville to fill." she looked over to the radio pony. "Let Apple Jack know that she needs to get to the Ponyville stable." the princess added and the radio pony nodded in acknowledgment.

Their journey to Ponyville didn't take long and they started getting ponies into the stables as soon as they got there. Pepper look at the princess.

"Excuse me, princess?" he asked.

"yes Pepper." she replied.

"Who was that orange pony and what was with that weapons factory under her barn?"

"Well, her name is Apple Jack and she is in charge of the weapons development department which works alongside the department of science, and yes that was her weapons factory where the best most advanced weapons are made, the the one you have now."

"Ah, i see." he replied.

Hours had passed. The radio pony approached the princess.

"Reports back say that all the stables have now been filled and ours only has a few ponies left to go in."

"Good" she replied. Argyle approached them.

"Where have you been?" Pepper asked him. Argyle looked at the princess.

"I've just been with major Pip and he says that the zebras plan to attack us." Argyle explained. Princess Celestia ordered the stable door to be shut. She looked to Pepper.

"we must hold them back." she said.

"Of course." Pepper replied. She turned to major Pip who had just came over.

"Start setting up defences and get in touch with Apple Jack, she should be here by now." Celestia ordered.

"We've tried but had no reply."

"Well keep trying." she demanded, getting quite stressed with the whole situation. soldier ponies began rushing around setting up the defences.

"Don't worry, we'll take Equestria back and win the war." Pepper reassured her.

"I hope you're right."

Hours had once again passed. silence. nothing but silence as they waited for the attack. The atmosphere felt eerie. But they soon got what they were waiting for. BANG! there was a loud explosion close to Pepper. He dropped to cover.

"That was close!" he shouted.

BANG! Another explosion, a little closer this time. Then silence again.

"What is that?" Pepper looked into the distance. he looked to his left, and right, then forward again.he saw a flash from the distance then, BANG! The explosion destroyed the front of a house. He looked again.

"Incoming, five zebra hover tanks and a lot of zebras on hoof. Take cover!" Pepper shouted. BANG! Explosions were going off everywhere. Pepper was the first to return fire.

"Take out those tanks!" Argyle ordered. Two unicorn soldiers picked up a rocket launcher with the magic from their horns. They went to the second floor of a house and looking out the window, they fired a missile hitting the lead tank. BOOM! It went up in a ball of colourful flames.

"What have they got in them tanks?" Pepper asked to himself. the second tank stopped, aimed the turret at the two unicorns with the rocket launcher and fired. The building was destroyed taking the two unicorns with it. Princess Celestia was firing magic beams from her horn, taking out a few zebras, when she was stuck by a zebra sniper and she fell to the floor. Argyle was flying above and saw the sniper. Using his rifle he shot him through the head then saw the princess.

"The princess is down."

The four hover tanks and hundreds of zebra soldiers were closing in. The Luna guards were being taken out one by one.

"Looks like it's the end pal." Pepper looked down as Argyle landed next to him and the princess.

"Theres still hope." princess Celestia muttered. there was a roar from behind. a large drop ship flew over and then explosions started going off left, right and centre. Three or the Four remaining tanks were destroyed and they lost a lot of zebra soldiers. The drop ship landed in front of Peppers position.

"It looked like y'all needed a hoof!" came a familiar voice. They saw it was Apple Jack as she jumped out of the ship.

"We're so glad to see you!" Argyle was relieved, they had a chance again. Around fifty ponies poured out the back of the ship firing lasers, bullets, rockets, fire, everything they had. they destroyed the last tank and the majority of the remaining zebra soldiers. What was left seemed to give up and surrender. They were captured and everypony grouped up ready for a second wave. A second drop ship landed. A beautiful figure jumped out and galloped over.

"Princess Luna!" Pepper shouted.

"Where is my sister?" she asked. Pepper blushed. he had always had a huge crush on her.

"She's over there." he lead he to Celestia. Princess Luna was carrying a black box. Her and Celestia had a quiet word. They opened the box and pressed a button each. They didn't look happy. there was a loud rumbling sound and the ground shook.

"That can't be good." Pepper looked around for the source.

"There." Argyle pointed a hoof to the sky. There were loads of balls of light heading towards the sky.

"Princess, whats happening?" Pepper asked.

Celestia looked at Luna who then replied.

"We have confirmed that a large number of nuclear spell missiles have and are estimated to strike the whole of Equestria."

Pepper looked up, then back down. Hearing a similar rumbling noise, he looked up and watched as many differently coloured balls of light fell to the surface. there was a bright light that forced him to look away for a moment, looking back he saw a cloud appear. It was very high and resembled the shape of a mushroom. He watched as a wall of dust and debris crept closer and closer. he closed his eyes as hit hit him and everything around him.