As the skies rumbled with thunder, Nightingale rumbled with worry. Ever since the news had spread throughout Steel Shard Academy that the Griffons had launched an invasion, the whole campus had been placed on lockdown. Now, as Nightingale and his dorm mates watched the rain start to pour, the five students gave a sigh as one.

"Geez, first the invasion, now this." Borderline said. A unicorn colt of noble birth, his Canterlot lineage was the exact opposite of his temperament. He was in the school boxing club, and he often used his skills on various rulebreakers.

"Well, we can't exactly change the weather when we're at war." Riverbank replied. A unicorn filly from Manehattan, she was a bright student, albeit a bit shy.

"Point there." Soft Shell added. A Fillydelphia born pegasus, she, despite her name, was no pushover. Her most recent achievement of strength was bench-pressing a twenty-five pound weight.

Feather Down just sighed. An earth pony and the loner of the informal group, he only spoke when spoken to, but when he did, he had his opinions. He was the debate team captain, and he rarely misspoke, if ever.

Nightingale, the last of the group, placed his head in his hooves. A unicorn, he was known as a bright student, though a bit troublesome. His most recent spout of trouble involved a storage crate, a few springs, and the dorm supervisor. That particular stunt ended with him cleaning three dorm bunks without magic for a week. As the storm progressed, Nightingale's eyes were caught by a blue wave in the plaza. Before he could see what it was, it disappeared. As he turned away. Then, he heard a loud noise. Turning back to the window, he gasped. Around thirty strange beings now occupied the plaza. They were metallic grey and orange, and they came in various sizes. Then, a massive shockwave threw everyone to the floor. A voice then began to speak..an evil, devious voice.

"Students of Steel Shard academy...tonight...your lives are forfeit. The Prometheans...have arrived. This day will be your LAST!"

Then, blasts of orange energy began to rain down from the sky, shattering buildings and throwing partially vaporized debris into the air.

"RUN!" Nightingale yelled to his bunk mates as a blast of energy tore through the dorm wall, giving the five of them a complete view of the carnage below them. As the survivors from the blasts emerged, they were cut down by the Prometheans with brutal efficiency. Some survivors attempted to fire back with sidearms, but against Promethean armor, they were useless.

"You five!"

Nightingale and his friends turned to see Bulkhead, their dorm Supervisor, motioning to them.

"MOVE!" he yelled. As they scampered after him, he growled.

"What's going on?" Borderline yelled.

"An attack! That's what's going on!" Bulkhead replied. "We've received orders to get any survivors to the second Plaza."

"That's past those….things!" Nightingale protested. "Can't we send a distress signal? You know, CALL FOR HELP?"

"We don't have the magic power needed to activate the beacon." Bulkhead replied. "They're too far away, anyway. The transmitter's at the First Gate."

Bulkhead paused and ushered them into a small room in the dorm lobby.

"Stay here!" he yelled. As he drew his sidearm and headed out into the open, he was promptly attacked by a Crawler. As he got to his feet and killed the Promethean, he then saw the three Soldier units approaching. A bevy of Suppressor fire occurred, and Bulkhead fell, dead before he hit the ground. Nightingale's scream was muffled by Riverbank, who was on the verge of throwing up. As the Soldiers passed, Nightingale and his friends rushed out. Nightingale grabbed Bulkhead's holster and sidearm and brought his group behind a tree.

"We're heading to the first Plaza." he said. "We're sending a distress beacon."

"Okay. Lead the way, man." Borderline replied.

Nightingale nodded resolutely and led his team into the storm.

=============================

After thirty torturous minutes of dodging Promethean squads and witnessing survivors massacred, the five students arrived at the Magic Area Transmitter. As Nightingale and Riverbank plugged into the beacon, it lit up, signalling they were transmitting.

"Mayday, mayday, this is Cadet Nightingale, broadcasting. Steel Shard Academy has been attacked, I repeat, there has been an attack on Steel Shard Academy. Unknown forces massacring survivors. Excessive casualties, I repeat, excessive casualties! HELP US!" Nightingale yelled into the mic, just as their connection faded.

"It's dead." Nightingale swore, kicking the transmitter.

"Damn it!" Soft Shell yelled.

"Get down!" Feather Down yelled, and as they did, A Knight approached. As the Knight surveyed the area, Nightingale was frozen with fear. Then, the knight barked, and two Soldier units appeared. The Knight barked, and the Soldiers nodded. The two of them headed towards the student's position. As Nightingale and his friends slowly and silently headed behind the transmitter, the Soldiers took each side.

"They're going to find us!" Feather Down whispered, starting to cry.

"Quiet!" Nightingale said just as two Suppressors were pointed at them. The Soldiers laughed, preparing to kill them. As the five closed their eyes, waiting for death, Nightingale started to cry. Then, a colossal CRASH! forced his eyes open. Two massive figures were brawling with the Soldiers. One took a knife and planted it in the head of one, while the other one shot the second full of holes with a Magnum. Then, four flashlights appeared, illuminating the figures of Chris and Noble Six.

"We got your message. Let's go, we don't have much time." Chris said.

Author's Note

Update!

In my mind, Steel Shard Academy has three sections. The First Plaza is the plaza in the first section, and suchlike. The next chapter will have it from the Spartan's point of view.