Shadowman

7:05 AM SCT, Throne Room, Canterlot Palace

The Princesses had just received word of the loss of Ponyville and Shining's retreat.

"Truth be known, I was expecting this," said Celestia.

"We cannot win, sister! We've already lost! Why fight and lose more lives than necessary and just step aside. If we join the Empire, we'll be safe!" said Luna loudly.

"Lulu, I'm afraid that it's not that easy. I'm assuming the Empire came here for our resources, and my guess is that they think the ponies are nuisance they can crush, and they won't care about us. And they're right, they can crush us. But they weren't very concerned about strength in numbers. They will use their superior technology to win this war. Survivors from the battle at Ponyville reported an Imperial Star Destroyer was not too far away. Star Destroyers have immense firepower, or so I've been told... so it seems that using the Star Destroyer's firepower to attack the city would be the optimum strategy.”

Celestia paused and looked down at the city, and then continued, “They could punch a hole that can't be fixed and flood in through the hole. Of course. Luna, I know what I need to do. I'm surprised that I haven't thought of it before. I'm going to put a barrier around the city, a defensive bubble, laser-proof. It will be impenetrable, and nothing will go through it, the Stormtroopers won't be able to. If they do, they'll be vaporized. However, this also means we can't leave the city. We'll be trapped. Safe, but trapped. Don't worry, there is no way they can get in. If we keep them waiting for long enough, they'll eventually be called somewhere else."

"And if they don't leave...?" said Luna.

"Then we are stuck... until we run out of supplies," Celestia said, looking back to Luna. "In order for the enchantment to work, I must be kept alive at all costs. I wish it could be another way, but this is how it has to be."

"I... understand, sis," said Luna.

"Now, Luna, I need some time to put up the shield. Please tell the others I need to be alone for two hours," said Celestia.

"Of course. In the meantime, what should I do?" said Luna.

"You could check on the troops. Tell the Generals to organize their troops, if they haven't already," said Celestia.

Luna nodded and exited the throne room.

Celestia took a deep breath and began casting the shield spell.

7:30 AM SCT, Ponyville, Grand Market

Veers looked at the assembled troops with pride and confidence. Reinforcements had arrived, and now 18,000 Stormtroopers were under his command, as well as 30 74-Zs (this time mounted by Scout Troopers), and 15 AT-ATs.

"There's no way they'll be able to withstand our forces. We outnumber their combined ground force, if new probe data is correct..." said Veers. "And once the Avenger unleashes its guns on the city, nothing will stop us! I think it's time for Phase 2." He turned to a nearby officer and said, "Tell the men to load equipment and vehicles onto the Avenger. We're going to Canterlot….. to the Capital."

8:00 AM, SCT

All troops had been loaded onto the Avenger, and it pulled away from Ponyville, now an explosion-riddled, blaster scorched ghost town. It quickly arrived at Canterlot, and, on the bridge, Veers had a straight face. The Avenger was faced broadside to the city. "All port batteries, prepare to fire," said Veers.

9:31 AM SCT, Canterlot Palace Gardens, Canterlot Palace

Despite being exhausted, Celestia had dragged herself out when a guard had said a Star Destroyer had stopped parallel to the city. She smiled happily: the Empire had fallen for her trick. The shield was invisible to the naked eye, but it was there. And the Imperials didn't know that. She chuckled, and waited to see if they fired. All of a sudden, a hailstorm of green lasers bombarded the barrier. Many ponies were concerned, but their concern turned to relief when they noticed the lasers had no effect. After several minutes, the Star Destroyer stopped its barrage.

9:35 AM SCT, Star Destroyer *Avenger*

"The barrage had no effect. Why?" said Veers. "How could they have known about my plan?"

"Scans indicate that a large energy shield of unknown composition is protecting the city, sir. It absorbs any kind of solid matter and any high intensity light or plasma particles. Nothing can penetrate it. Proton bombs and torpedoes are out of the question as well, sir," said an officer.

"Can any organic beings pass through?" asked Veers.

"No, any attempt would result in instant vaporization," said the officer.

"Hmm... this is concerning, they seem to have an impregnable defense. Scan for potential weak spots. The rest of you, as you were," said Veers. "I'm going to investigate a hunch. I'll still be on the bridge if anyone needs me."

The officer nodded and began scanning.

Back in Canterlot...

Celestia was pleased. So far, nothing had gone wrong. The Star Destroyer could only sit, sulk, and wait. Just what she had wanted. Still, there was a nagging doubt in her mind that their might be something the Imperial troops could exploit. However, it was only a minor thought, and more important things lied in store for her. Suddenly, Luna rushed up to her.

"Sis! It worked! You were right! I'm so glad! But you should probably get inside, get some rest. You look tired," said Luna.

"Yes, putting up the dome took a lot out of me. Maybe I'll rest after a light meal," said Celestia in a weary tone, walking back into the palace with a troubled face.

Luna also showed concern. She knew something was up with Celestia, but Luna also didn't want to disturb her. "She must be under a lot of pressure right now, best to just leave her be," thought Luna.

11:30 AM SCT, Star Destroyer *Avenger*

Veers was looking at live video footage from a probe droid he'd ordered to investigate the city's edge for weaknesses. Suddenly, something caught his eye. He ordered the droid to go back, and, upon inspection, he saw a large pipe, large enough for a person to crawl through comfortably, that emptied into the nearby river. Veers then ordered the probe through the pipe and when the droid popped out of a sewer manhole inside the city... Veers soon had an idea. After looking through the very small library of data files on Canterlot gathered from a previous probe dispatched from orbit when they first arrived, he found what he was looking for: a map of all mainline piping in Canterlot. Now, it was becoming very clear what he needed to do. Veers had found what he had been looking for;

A weakness.

Veers recalled the probe and began finalizing the plan in his head Soon, Veers had it figured out. "Raven Squad, please come to my quarters immediately," said Veers through the ship's intercom.

"On our way, sir," was the response that came from Veer's com-link.

Several minutes later, in Veer's quarters...

"Commandos, you have been specifically chosen for a very important mission. It is of the utmost priority, and requires your experience and expertise," Veers. He pressed a button and a holographic map of the Canterlot sewer suddenly appeared, slowly revolving and flickering. "This is a map of the Canterlot sewers. You'll be dropped off via shuttle 15 minutes after sunset to a large drainage pipe spilling into the river here," he said, pointing to the deployment zone. "Once you get inside the city, infiltrate the Royal Palace and find the source of the shield. Scans indicate that a small amount of energy, similar to the shield protecting the city, is residing there. Your mission will be to destroy the source of the shield and escape. Alive, preferably."

"Yes, General. We'll have the shield down before tomorrow," said Storm Commando.

"Excellent," said Veers.

Meanwhile...

Luna was concerned. With Celestia confined to the palace, she was the only one that could be in the field and lead. She was also worried about numbers. Though they had 15,675 ponies, Luna feared that the Empire might have more. She also knew that though the ponies put up a brave stand at Ponyville, they had been quickly overrun and forced to retreat. Their tech was low and they had barely any heavy weaponry. One of the few Clone Walkers they'd found abandoned had been destroyed, and they only had for left. Not much else  could be used, the designs were suited better for human hands. But, Luna had reports of 'ghosts from the past'. She'd heard rumors that not all clones were gone, and that some hadn't left to join the Empire. But she doubted that. There were no signs, and all investigations led to the same results: nothing. Suddenly, Luna had an idea. A long time ago, she'd been given a Republic comlink, a gift from a clone commander. Luna rushed back to her room, where she'd kept the comlink ever since, and hurriedly turned it on. Overwhelming static sounds issued from the comlink; it had clearly worn out as the years had gone by.

However, lost in the blizzard of static, like a faint dicks distant cry of a lone and lost person, words began to form: "H... llo...? D...  y... re... d ...me?" Luna adjusted the frequency, and the words became clearer as the veil of static began parting dicks clearing, "Hello? D... you... rea... me....?"

"Yes, I read you! Can you hear me?" Vocalized Luna.

There was pause, and then the curtain of static was finally lifted. A familiarly accented masculine voice responded,"We read you. How did you reach us? This frequency hasn't been used in years."

"I have an old comlink, given to me by an old friend, one which I know not of his whereabouts," said Luna.

"Wait... no, it can't be... are you one of those Princesses? In the mountainside city, Cantertrot I mean Canterlot?" responded the voice.

"Yes, it is Princess Luna," said Luna.

"Oh... this must be serious, We already know about the fall of Ponyville, there's so few of us left... I'm sorry, but we can't get involved, we can't help you!" replied the voice strongly, but also with an undertone of sadness and... pity.

"Can you at least tell me who you are?" said Luna.

"I thought you'd figure it out, but... (Deep sigh)... CT-51559," replied the voice.

Luna gasped and the comlink fell to the ground. She pushed aside her shock and exclaimed, "You... you're a clone! But... I thought you were all gone!"

"Not all of us," replied the clone. "But there are few of us left. I'm sorry but we can't help, Captain Beskar has ordered us to stay hidden, we can't afford to be found by the Empire," said the clone.

"Please, you might be our only chance of victory! How many of you are left?" said Luna.

"Not enough, your Majesty, not enough..." replied the clone in broken-heart tone.

"But... you..." mumbled Luna.

"I'm sorry, but we'd be compromising ourselves. And we can't do that. I'm sorry," said the clone. Suddenly, the comlink turned to silence.

Luna stood heartbroken. The only chance that they might've had, was gone. "Now it is certain... we are doomed."

"Is there something wrong, M'lady?" asked a guard.

"OH! No, everything is fine," said Luna.

"Very well," said the guard.

6:15 PM SCT, Star Destroyer *Avenger*

The day had gone by slowly for Raven Squad, but now the time had come. They were geared up and ready, and they silently approached the jet black Lambda-class T-4a Shuttle known simply as the Illusion. The boarding ramp below the cockpit lowered with a quiet and mechanized hiss.

"Keep sharp tonight. This is a high priority mission, and there can be no mistakes. Veers is relying solely on our skill and abilities to accomplish this delicate operation," said the leader of Raven Squad.

"Yes sir," replied the other squad members.

The Storm Commandos, each one confident and having sharp senses, boarded the Illusion. The Illusion silently the glided out of the hangar and stealthily flew down towards the city. it landed softly a few meters in front of the large pipe.

"What was that?" was the first thing Raven Squad heard as they entered the outskirts of the city.

"Guards! Lt. Rook, take care of them," said the leader of Raven Squadron, observing two gold clad ponies slowly walking towards their position.

Rook took aim and fired. Two well placed headshots silenced the guards before they could even react.

After hiding the guards' bodies, the commandos then began crawling through the pipe and infiltrating the city.

"Are we going through the sewers?" asked Rook.

Another commando nodded yes.

"Typical... " said Rook.

After approximately 15 minutes the commandos reached a manhole that opened up inside the palace.

They emerged noiselessly and slid the manhole back into place.

"They energy source seems to be deeper inside the palace," said Rook. He turned and saw an open window a story up. "We can use our ascension cables and enter through that open window."

"Good call, let's move," said the leader of Raven Squad.

After quickly scaling the the wall and entering through the window, the commandos began tracing the source of the energy.

"This way," said a commando.

The commandos crept silently down luxuriously furnished and decorated halls, walking passing guards like ghosts.

"5 meters and closing," said a commando.

The squad quickly jogged up the staircase and soon reached a large set of doors and a pair of guards.

"Rook, Bravo, deal with the guards. Be careful, the room is occupied, the occupants are currently engaging in conversation. Something about... troop locations. They'll be sure to hear us if we trip up." said the leader of Raven Squad. "I'll patch the conversation to the Avenger, I'm sure the General would pleased to hear this."

The two commandos crept up slowly and suddenly put their hands over the guards' mouths.

The guards cries of terror were muffled by the Storm Commando's gloves. They frantically struggled, kicking and squirming, but it had no effect on the commandos' iron grips,  and they soon blacked out, their unconscious bodies propped up in sleeping positions.

Meanwhile...

Luna and Celestia had been conferring about the placements of soldiers when Celestia suddenly stopped.

"Sister?" asked Luna.

"Quiet, there outside. Probably have been listening to us talking," said Celestia. She then turned to the door and said, "Come on out, then! You silly little sneaking doesn't go unnoticed by me!"

No response.

"Sister, are you sure?  If you're not feeling well, I could..." began Luna.

"Lulu, when I sense somepony is nearby, somepony is nearby, but they just don't want to show up," replied Celestia. "I can do this all night, you know, But if you don't show yourselves and explain your presence here, I'll call the guards and you'll be arrested for entering and trespassing on royal grounds. If you come out right now, I could even get you some tea. Wouldn't that be nice, Lulu? Having a nice cup of tea with out guests?"

"Y-yes... of... course," said Luna.

Still no response.

"Well, I guess I was wrong after..." but Celestia was interrupted by sound of the doors bursting open. From the door frame sprang five in unusual looking Stromtroopers.

"Imperial Commandos, no doubt," said Celestia. "How'd you work it? The sewer? Of course, how did in not see that! Unfortunately, this is where it ends."

"No ma'am, this is where you end," said a Stormtrooper.

PSHEW!

The sound of the blaster bolt rang through the air. Celestia gasped in pain, and fell to her side. A cauterized hole was in the center of her chest.

Luna lost it. In blind rage she charged, impaling a Stormtrooper clean in the chest and sending him into the wall.

"GAHHHK... HNNNNG..." the Stormtrooper grunted in pain.

"How did that feel? Painful? Does it hurt? Well, my pain is much more intolerable than yours," spat Luna darkly. She removed her horn, and the lifeless body of the Stormtrooper fell to the floor, now stained crimson. Luna then turned to face the other troopers, but they were gone. "Cowards," she mumbled. Luna let them run. She was glad that she wasn't heir next target. However, she heard Celestia weakly bid her to her side, she slowly walked over and laid down next to her dying sister.

"Luna... I'm afraid... you can't... save me. I....... w-want... you...... to... lead... I....... leave... everything... to... you," said Celestia in between shard and ragged breaths. "Know that... I loved you... and... tell Twilight...... I'll... miss... her......" Celestia then stopped breathing.

"No, not yet! You can't go, not now! I'm not ready, I..." said Luna. She she put her head up to Celestia's chest, and heard nothing.

Outside, the barrier began showing and disappearing. It was a light blueish color, and it slowly drew away from the ground, and all ponies in the city stopped whatever they were doing and rushed outside or to the nearest window to watch as their only means of non-violent defense slowly vanish into thin air. All were silent, and nopony dared breathe.

6:35 PM SCT, Star Destroyer *Avenger*

"The energy shield protecting the city has been dropped!" said an officer.

Veers rushed over and said, "Have the commandos left the city?"

"They've just arrived, sir," replied an officer.

"All broadside batteries, prepare to fire," said Veers, concealing his excitement.

"All port batteries standing by for your order, sir," said an officer.

Veers was silent for a moment, and then, he said it:

"Fire."