Midnight Rising

"I believe in unity. The unity of our species. A single collective, vying for a single goal, to the benefit of us all, and for the advancement of the Equestrian people."

Seeing Her Reign on fire and in rubble like this was bizarre, alien, unreal. There was no sign of any Starborn yet, which was a mixed blessing. They could've already seen me and were just studying me(they were as studious as they were dangerous), or maybe they had absolutely no idea I was here.

Either way, I knew I had time.

Getting off the open street I entered one of the buildings on this road, coming into a still trader's shop, the wares still displayed on the shelves. The building was two-story, set up in a way that the first floor was the shop, and the second floor was the owner's home. There was a doorway behind the counter that lead into a den, a fire still crackling in the hearth. This place almost looked like life abandoned, rather than life interrupted. It was so still, so normal, that one could forget an invasion had even taken place recently.

Wait, my little pony stated. What are the Starborn still doing here, anyway? Assuming the invasion took place two days ago, when communications went down(which was a safe timeline), the Starborn should've been long gone. It wouldn't have taken them two days to destroy the colony, even if they did face resistance from the soldiers stationed here.

The fact that the Starborn were still here was quite alarming. It meant they must be looking for something, but I couldn't guess what. I couldn't even conjecture, that's how far outside the norm this behavior of the Starborn was. The invasion, their force, their lingering presence, these were all very disturbing behaviors. But, if they were looking for something, I had to make sure they couldn't get it.

Which meant I had to get to where their ship was, and fast. I didn't know if I still had plenty of time to eliminate the threat. They could've already found whatever they were looking for and be taking it to their ship right now.

It was time to get moving.

I was a block away from being underneath the enemy ship when I caught my first glimpse of the Starborn that had arrived. I was taken aback, startled by the changes they had undertaken since they were last seen by ponykind. The Starborn had started as robots in the most visceral sense of the word; their vital circuitry had been covered by simple plates, but their various servos and bits had always been exposed.

The Starborn looked nothing like that any more.

The Starborn here had plating that covered their entire bodies, the steel looking like it had been forged especially for their bodies. What struck me was how smooth the plate was. It all blended together seamlessly, like they had been born with it. If that was surprising, then what followed was disturbing. The Starborn were all painted, various designs adorning their steel bodies in various places, likely denoting rank. But what was most disturbing was that the designs were not obviously copying any known insignia; no, the Starborn had come up with these designs themselves, implying that their sense of individuality had evolved since they fled from Equus two decades ago. There was something else, too. Something that chilled me to the core, and would greatly complicate this mission.

The Starborn had originally been built to mimic earth ponies. They had never been designed as being able to fly like Pegasi, or use magic like Unicorns. Something about the designers not being able to get such abilities to work with the frames.

These Starborn were comprised of all three types; Earth, Unicorn, and Pegasus. Further proof their knowledge was expanding, and that they were even possible evolving(a notion that I rejected immediately, knowing robots couldn't possibly do such a thing). I edged back into the doorway of the house I was standing in, inspecting the three Starborn trotting across the street. I ignored the earth Star, and instead focused on the other two.

The Unicorn Star sported a purple paint scheme, the deep color arcing across its body in intricate swirls and spirals. Its artificial horn was actually three horns, connected by some kind of ring. The midday sun reflected off the ring in a brief flash as the Starborn turned its head, and I realized the ring had a glass center. A focusing lens. The Unicorn Star seemed to be leading the patrol.

The Pegasus Star had artificial wings, made out of the same kind of steel that the rest of its body was plated in. The wings did not lie flat against its body, which struck me as odd. The Unicorn Star said something to the Pegasus, and it unfolded its wings. To my shock, I saw that the reason its wings didn't lie flat was because there were rocket boosters under them. The Pegasus Star ignited the boosters, rising above the rooftops. It then turned its wings forward(which, I noted, would make them catch more air and thus make the Pegasus Star slower), and the boosters propelled it forward, out of sight.

Well, that's not good.

Slinking back into the house I decided to find another way to the Starborn ship, which seemed to be floating above the town square. I investigated the house, finding a door that lead into a back alleyway. The way the streets were set up here meant that every house was built side-to-side, back-to-back, with alleyways behind each row of houses/shops. I was certain I could find a house to pass through that would take me out into the town square.

Entering the alleyway I took in my surroundings. The alleyway was paved, and filled with the usual junk one would find in an alleyway. Trash cans behind every house, various foals' toys and tricycles, a few umbrellas, grills, even some lawn chairs. The alleyway had a slight dip in the center, running the length of the alleyway, allowing water from a recent rainfall to pool.

There was also a sole Starborn in the alley, picking away at...something.

I lowered myself, keeping my eyes(and thus my targeting reticle) firmly planted on the Starborn. I watched as it lowered its muzzle to the ground, hoof futilely digging away at the stone. It took a moment for me to see the puddle of water inches from the Starborn's muzzle, and I realized the robot was confused by its own reflection.

I shook my head, and blinked.

FZZPTHUUUU!!

Eldritch fire erupted from my combat saddle, the green energy arcing down the alley, illuminating it in brilliant light. The heat from the energy blast vaporized the water puddle, slagging the Starborn, sparking from the after-effects of my enchant filter. It 'died' pathetically, never having had a chance to even know I was there. I stepped over its still form, trying the various doors. Most were unlocked, but the houses beyond were either on fire or had collapsed rooms. I didn't feel like braving either.

A few Pegasus Stars passed over the alleyway, drawn by the single gunshot. I ducked into a door, the house beyond gone. I watched as a squad of Pegasus Stars descended into the alley, dropping next to their dead compatriot. They looked at it with unreadable expressions(considering that Starborn didn't have faces to speak of, just cameras with artificial irises(that were colored), a few leaning their muzzles down. They beeped and chittered, before unfeelingly stripping the dead Star for parts and taking off.

I turned back towards the destroyed house, noting how freakish the destruction was. From the alleyway, the house seemed fine, but the back wall was all that was standing. The entire house looked like had been the direct target of a bomb, the radius of destruction vaguely spherical. I slowly stepped into the 'house' proper, gravel crunching under my boots. I looked out into the town square carefully, seeing several squads of Starborn trotting about. The Star ship hovered directly overhead, its engines quietly humming. I was surprised by how few Starborn there actually were, deducing that the majority of them were out and about in the city looking for whatever they had come looking for.

A sharp whir overhead caught my attention, and I looked up, seeing a Starborn float by on rocket boosters built into the bottom of its hooves. I gasped when I saw the Starborn had both wings and a horn(though why it also had boosters in its hooves escaped my understanding). This Starborn was notably bigger than the others, and I deemed it likely that this one was their leader.

I dared to move forward, taking cover behind a bank of rubble, bumping up the magnification on my HUD. The directional microphone picked up the Alicorn Star chittering to a squad of Unicorn Stars, waving its hoof. I took note of this; the Starborn seemed to be more 'Equestrian' in the way they acted, their body language, but they were still robots. This one, however, seemed a bit more lifelike in the way it acted. I began to take video, intending to show it to Empress Twilight.

As I thought of Her name, the Alicorn Star turned to look straight in my direction, and I hunkered down to avoid being spotted. I peered out from a gap in the rubble, catching the Alicorn Star staring straight into my eyes. It didn't do anything, it just stared in my direction. There's no way this thing can see me my little pony chided.

Suddenly eldritch fire of blue erupted from the Alicorn Star's horn, turning the rubble in front of my muzzle to ash. I dashed to my hooves, taking aim on the Alicorn Star and opening fire. A brilliant shield flashed into existence in front of the Alicorn Star, the purple light absorbing my shots, oscillating with intensity. It dropped, a beam of arcane energy lancing out towards me. I dodged away, the beam striking the stone houses, turning the stone to magma. I galloped down the street, my head craned to fire on the Alicorn Star. Fire ignited under its hooves, it took to the sky, and followed me.

I dove behind a stone partition filled with soil, flowers planted in it. Green orbs flew overhead, striking houses and exploding with ground-shaking intensity. A brief respite allowed me to stand, taking aim. I unleashed Tartarus on the Alicorn Star, who threw up its shield instantly. I blinked rapidly, orbs of green fire striking the shield rapidly, but it never gave. In the corner of my gaze I saw several dozen Starborn rushing towards my position, and I realized that they would have me pinned good once I ducked down to let my gems recharge.

Taking my moment of control I backed away, bucking open a door behind me, and diving into the intact house beyond as Unicorn Stars began opening fire. The Stars began pouring fire on the house, what few windows that weren't melted shattering from the concussive forces. The doorway melted as a massive ball of purple energy floated into the center of the room, and I raced out the back door, an equally massive BOOM followed by an invisible wave lifting me off my hooves following me out. I rolled down the alleyway, relatively unscathed. The back wall of the house I was just in was still standing, but I suspect the inside had been turned to dust, just like the previous house.

I got to my hooves and began backing away as the wall of the destroyed house exploded into dust, the Alicorn Star having flown straight through it. Its horn crackled again, but I was faster. With its horn charging it couldn't activate its shield, and my shots struck it in its barrel. It let out a rather feminine grunt, and an "oof!" escaped its mouth as it hit the earth. Alarms went off in my head as I realized the Alicorn Star was actually a real pony. I rushed forward to secure her, a foalish mistake as her horn charged again, a massive ball of magical force exploding from her horn, throwing me back and bending the houses it touched away. I tumbled less gracefully this time, crashing into a bank of trash cans. From the litter of garbage I watched the Alicorn Star mare take to the skies again, throwing more eldritch fireballs my way. I scrambled to my hooves, diving into the house I had come through to enter the alleyway not ten minutes ago.

I heard the Alicorn Star mare fly overhead, and I knew I was trapped. She landed at the front door, blowing it clean off its hinges with a burst of magical energy, and charging in after it. I blinked, green energy setting the furniture ablaze as it traveled towards the Star mare. In a blinding flash of pure white she vanished, only to reappear behind me in another flash of white. I bucked instinctively, catching her in the face. I heard her shout in pain and shock as she went tumbling back; I turned to face her, seeing her helmet rolling away. She landed behind a couch and I readied my weapons. "STAY YOUR HOOVES," I commanded, my armor enhancing my voice, "AND FACE EMPRESS TWILIGHT'S JUSTICE."

The Star mare shot up from behind the couch, anger dominating her face. She was a light-pink, her eyes a brilliant Azure. Her mane was long gone, having been shaved off. "FUCK YOU!" she bellowed, her voice not augmented. "I'D SOONER DIE THAN SUBMIT MYSELF TO YOUR INJUSTICE!"

"Then allow me to grant your wish!" I declared, preparing to fire. The Star mare took to the air, her rocket boosters singing the couch she was behind. She raised her artificial wings, revealing a full suite of rocket launchers underneath each wing. My eyes widened, and I let off a few errant shots that distracted her long enough for me to turn tail and run.

OH SHIT!

I scrambled out of the house and had made it not twenty feet from it when it and the street in front of it erupted in inferno, stone chips and concrete chunks raining from the sky. The street buckled all the way up and down its length, a water main bursting beneath the cobblestone and shooting up through the cracks like a geyser, the cold water adding to the rain of shrapnel and debris. A great concussion wave reverberated down the street, shattering every window along its way and shaking my bones, but I kept my hoofing as I galloped away.

I ducked into a shop, taking a moment to recover, my mind reeling from the sheer overkill of the Star mare. I had no idea if she was an actual Alicorn, but she was definitely at least a Unicorn, given that brief glimpse under her helmet that I got. Still, I had never heard of a Unicorn with that much power, except for the Empress Herself(back when she was a Unicorn, anyway), and the Unicorn guards in Castle Twilight who got enhancements from their armor.

Another shock and boom echoed across the city and I ducked, thinking the Star mare had dropped another bomb on the house I was in. When the cobblestone didn't bury me alive I dared to rush out into the back alleyway, watching the Starborn ship rising into the sky, dozens of dropships slipping into open ports on the ship, which quickly closed behind them. The ship picked up speed as the last of the dropships docked with her, the massive vessel racing away from Equus Prime. I watched as it disappeared from view, and I went back into town square to see if I could find any survivors, and just maybe figure out what in the name of Tartarus was going on.