The Conversion Bureau: The Palladium Wings

The Conversion Bureau: The Palladium Wings

Chapter 2: Foul Winds

The Pegasus Corridor, the name struck fear into the hearts of fliers everywhere.  The eternal storm that rages above the skies of both worlds that it connected making the travel between two worlds easier if one dared to do so, braving it is a achievement possible for a few thus earning the respect of both sides. Winds howled with a ghostly fashion as thunder boomed every second or so, as if the Devil himself gave a mocking laugh, taunting many to cross to the other realm. Wrecks of airships dotted several sectors of the Corridor, forever trapped to wander with no hopes of exit.

The large flagship’s engines were silenced by the winds as they moved in a spiral pattern, the currents moving at various speeds. Some moved slower than others, others moved faster. The crew of the ship saw a derelict vessel as they passed by them. They all felt something cold pass by them, they began to shiver, an unnatural cold…as if the dead could travel across them.

“We’ll be reaching Earth in 2 minutes.” Shining Armor said as he sat down on his post.

Celestia thanked him.

As they reached the edge of the Corridor, the ship began exit the swirling cloud.  From up above, a rocket fighter flying for the American Federation’s Air Scout Division began to fly around the entrance of the storm.  A large battleship slowly began to slip away from the entrance. The co-pilot pulled out a camera and took photos of the ship. Telling his friend to get closer to it, the pilot pulled on the control sticks, allowing one more minute of photo shooting.

“Princess! We detected an American Federation scout ship!” The Earth Pony spotter howled.

“Shoot it down!” Shining ordered.

“No.” Celestia countered. “Let it fulfill its mission.”

“But Princess…”

“As of right now, I am Captain of this ship, you will address me as Captain.” Celestia stared at Shining.

“But Captain, if the scout reports to its HQ we will be in serious-.”

Celestia interrupted. “If it reports to its HQ, it will be of no importance, we are here solely to capture the Chimera and her crew.”  She looked to the Helmspony. “Set course for the Republic of Yucatan, we will dock for a few days before resuming our hunt.”

“Aye-aye!” The helmspony responded. “Setting course for the Republic of Yucatan and keeping steady as she goes.”

“Engineering is to divert all power to the main engines.” Celestia added.

Inside the center of the ship, a thumping sound was heard making rhythmic patterns. This was the Star Swirl Generator. Named at the sage himself, the Generator was the masterpiece of Equestrian science and technology. The Generators created an anti-gravity field which allowed the ship to fly and also provides thrust, hence the ship’s engines were attached to it. The Generator uses a form of exotic matter only found in Equestria dubbed Lunastium, a crystal that exhibits the exoticness of anti-gravity. The Generator houses many of these rocks, which are then pressurized and converted into the Generator’s source of power. The power was piped through the engines of the ship.

Equestrian Colony Town, Somewhere in Central Asia

“HELP!” The Earth Pony mare pleaded to the uniformed woman.

The Cossack woman looked down at the mare. She saw nothing but a robber of lands, the AIMS-74 was raised to her head. The mare began to sob, a stream of tears exited her eyes, trying to plea to have her fillies from a burning house. The assault rifle roared for 3 seconds followed by the whistling of an old Russian folk song.

Across the town, fillies and colts were taken away. Sacks were loaded with valuables if they refused, they were killed on sight followed by the looting of the corpses. Guardsponies fell to the bullets, their armors no match for the projectiles. If they were unicorns, a sword made them shiver.

A privateer pulled a unicorn guard by the mane and sliced the horn off. The unicorn turned pale, as if the life force was leaving the body. Picking the unicorn horn, the man smiled as he examined and pocketed it.

A stallion began to buck away any privateer that dared get too close to his family. Several chains snared him, and then pulled to the ground. Looking up, several men and women brandished out their shashkas and with screams of anger sliced and stabbed the blades on his body. He groaned in pain as his life was slowly robbed. Their attacks got brutal and angrier, they started to stomp and kick as they moved their swords. Everything went black and red for the stallion.

The mare and 3 fillies shivered as they approached with those sharp blades. “HAND ANYTHING OF VALUE OVER!” A man pulled out a sack. “BELONGINGS OR WE TAKE THEM!”

The mare went inside, minutes later, she placed the contents into the sack. With a smug smile, the man whipped his blade on the mare’s face.  The young ones screamed in fright. “LET THIS BE A LESSON TO YOU!” Another one said as his sword entered the sheath.

The town was set ablaze as they left. They watched them leave with their jewels, currency, and worst of all, their fillies and colts for ransom.

As the town was nothing but cinders and ashes, a single mare gave a wail of pain and agony. Nothing could make her stop her tears from shedding, the survivors looked at all the chaos. Whatever filly or colt that was left on the town, they sobbed as they saw friends and relatives down on the ground…  Bullet wounds, sword stabs and slashes, even being burned by those Dragon Guns that released a trail of fire.

Across Central Asia, airships fired on towns and cities, while men and women marched demanding objects of value or they’ll take the young ones away.

Sky Fleet vessels were purged of their crews as they were hijacked.

And the question that they all had: Where are you Celestia! Why have you forsaken us!?

Days went by…  but they could never get those images out of their heads. The violence. The arson. The destruction.  Many began to have mental breakdowns when they saw what they did or when the word pirate was mentioned.

Skies of the Caribbean

Local Time:  12:00 Hours

“Captain!” The spotter said. “We have detected an Equestrian battleship ahead of us. It’s raising a lavender flag with a sun, crescent moon, and several stars on it.”

“Lavender flag…” Nikolaos’ said silently. Giving a growl, he got up. “Get the pilots ready! Load up the guns!  All combat crews are to prepare for enemy infiltration! We’re fighting Princess Celestia!”

The bridge crew gasped.

The Maniot gave a sinister chuckle. “So you came for me eh Celestia? Let’s give her the proper Maniot vendetta declaration.”

Celestia gave a stern look as she saw the enemy ship up ahead. Clearing her throat, she began. “Our objective is to capture the Chimera intact. We will engage the enemy in close quarter combat. Pegasi Squadrons 1,2, and 3 will distract them from any form of defense. Squadrons 4,5,and 6 are going to lure the ship close to us so we may board it. Ahead at 2/3rds.”

“Ahead 2/3rds!” Shining Armor repeated.

The Equestrian ship began to advance to the enemy.

“We are going to engage Princess Celestia’s flagship!” The 1st Officer’s voice said on the PA. “All fighter pilots are to prepare for take off! All crews are to engage in combat protocols!”

“Celestia won’t retreat even if we damage her ship, we will have to endure it.” Nikolaos said.

Weapons and ammunition were being handed out to the crews. They all got into combat positions while others manned the machine guns on the deck. The gunners began to load shells into the cannon breeches. It was the combat that was granted to them.

The hangar elevator went up, carrying 6 fighters to the runway. The little jet fighters launched towards the enemy ship.

“6 metal birds have launched! They’re heading straight for us!”

“Change of plans! Squadrons 1, 2, and 3 are to defend the ship from their interceptors! I authorize extreme force against them!” Celestia ordered.

60 Pegasi launched.

The jet fighters fired their machine guns at the incoming attackers.

The Pegasi dodged the incoming bullets as they began to tail the fighters.

One of them steered upwards, slowed down and then began to head down. The dual machine guns fired out rapidly against the winged ponies. One of them screamed as a bullet impacted the spine, sending him down towards the sea below.

“I’m going in!” Fighter 4 said as he approached the flagship. The machine guns fired its shots against the ship. The holes in the hull plating were big, if the Equestrians didn’t develop a concept of armor, good for them.

“Captain! We’re entering the combat sector!” The 1st Officer said.

“Launch all the remaining fighters. Keep them away from us. Gunnery Chief, you may commence firing on the target once it is in our targeting range.”

The remaining fighters launched. Several jets along with pusher configuration fighter craft launched.

The Chimera valued its fighter crews and played this ploy:  All jet fighters were to engage the enemy ship along with its Pegasi force at all costs. The pusher planes were to fly around the ship, plucking down any enemy that might get to close to the ship. If they managed to infiltrate, the crews will take care of them.

“Captain!” Shining announced. “The enemy vessel is within our range.”

Loud blasts were heard.

“ENEMY VESSEL IS FIRING ON US!”

“Brace for impact!” Shining ordered.

The flagship began to shake violently. The ponies began to grab hold of anything nearby to prevent them from losing their hold on the ship.

A Pegasus landed on a jet fighter. The pilot growled as he pulled off several maneuvers to shake it off but refused to budge. Seeing the engine hissing, its rear legs gave it a strong buck. The engine began to cough smoke. The pilot pulled on the control stick desperately, but it was of no use. The Pegasus continued to buck the engine, seeing that it was about to detach, he pulled out a remote and knocked on the glass.

The Pegasus looked at the human and then the strange box.

He pressed a button.

What is going on?

All the Pegasus felt was a fire that consumed her every being.

“Fighter 10  self-destructed and took down a Pegasus.”

“Order Anti-Aircraft to assist any fighters.” Nikolaos said calmly.

The deck mounted machine guns began to open fire at any Pegasus that flew close by. One pink Pegasus took a few shots to the abdomen. With one last breath, she pleaded for forgiveness for her failure. Closing her eyes, she accepted her fate as she plunged to her death.

The cannons continued to fire.

“Damage report!” Shining Armor ordered.

“Port engine piping is damaged, we lost engine output by 30%!” A unicorn engineer said via ship phone.

A fighter fired its last bullets into the Equestrian ship.

Around the ship, AA fire continued to spread, discouraging any Pegasi to land on the deck.

A pusher plane pilot ordered the gunner to take aim at the Pegasi ahead. The gunner cocked the PKM machine gun and set the winged menace on his sights. Conforming the lock on, the muzzle flashed several times as the orange projectiles flew towards it. The Pegasus rolled to the right, avoiding the shots. “Damn it! She’s dodging! Follow her!” The gunner said.

An orange with blue mane Pegasus increased its speed. Seeing the attacking plane, she gave a grin as the target was in sight. Ramming against the plane, the two men screamed as they were being dragged down. The plane began to tear, the two were sent plunging down along with the scrap metal of the plane.

“PUSHER NUMBER 7 IS DESTROYED!” The PA blurted out.

“AA GUN NUMBER 3 IS DESTROYED!”

The Pegasus bucked the door leading to the insides of the ship.

“ENEMY INFILTRATION IN MAIN HALLWAY!” A voice yelled on the PA.

The Pegasus looked around the hallway, looking for any humans.

The chef along with the janitors were hiding behind the corner. Their Mauser rifles were loaded, slapping the bolt close, they took a deep breath. Popping out of cover, loud gunshots were heard. The Pegasus dropped from the bullets. Spent bullet cases dropped as the weapons were cycled.

A Pegasus landed on the lower deck. Seeing the locked door, she gave it a buck. The force was enough to break it.

Entering, she began to search for her objective: The hangar deck, if she could damage what they called the gas tanks, their metal birds would not refuel as told. Climbing up the stairs, all she noticed was silence.

A loud click was heard. Her eyes followed the strange small pineapple-like object that rolled towards her.  “What’s this?” She asked out loud.

The sound of a blast echoed through the lower deck. As the smoke cleared, the only thing that remained was a few feathers that landed on the charred floor.

A fighter fired its machine guns on the Equestrian ship.

Hatches opened around the flagship. Unicorns began to release blasts of magic towards the skies, trying to pluck out any fighters getting to close.

A fighter shaked from a magic blast, the panel began to wail as several red lights began blink rapidly. The pilot smirked as he steered his plane towards the attacking vessel. “BOSS! GIVE THE PRINCESS HELL!”  As the ship got close, he gave a insane scream as he crashed against the sides.

Celestia could feel the ship shake from the explosion.

“One of the humans did a suicide run on us! The starboard side has a damage of 25%!” An Earth Pony engineer announced.

“Get me to the enemy ship! We’re going after their Generator!” A Pusher Gunner said.

“Are you crazy!? We’ll get gunned down if we get near it!”

“It’s the only chance to hit them where it hurts!”

The pilot steered the craft towards the battleship. Magic was fired out from all corners of the ship. Diving down, the pusher airplane performed a roll. The underside was full of piping. The gunner pulled out what seemed a flare gun, opening it, he inserted a strange night blue shell.  “Range to target!?”

“500!” The pilot said.

The PKM fired out against any Pegasi that flew by the airplane.

“400!”

“If we manage to overload the Generator, then the ship will be a sitting duck.”

“350!”

The gunner pulled out the flare gun.

“200!”

Glass shattered, a pegasus entered the bridge of the Chimera. The crew gasped as the pony entered but a gunshot took its life away. They all looked at their captain holstering his pistol calmly.

“100!”

Celestia saw explosions and red mists all over the skies. The Chimera was putting up a good fight against her.

“TARGET IN SIGHT!”

The gun fired.

The pusher pulled to the left.

The shell continued its path upwards. The fuse began to chime rapidly. A blue blast was released.

Engineers across the ship began to report that the Generator’s levels began to reach peak levels. Meters began to spin rapidly followed by the shattering of glass. Pipes began to release pressurized gasses across the whole engine sectors.

“This is Pusher 5; we have disabled the enemy Generator! She’s all yours Captain!”

Nikolaos smiled. “Bring the ship to our opponents, we’re boarding it. Order all AA guns to cease firing.”

“But Captain! That’ll expose us to the infiltrators!”

The Maniot left the bridge.

The AA guns ceased firing.

Pegasi took this as the chance to get into the enemy ship. As they planted their hooves on the deck, small arms fire greeted them. A pair of pegasi dropped as M1 Garand fire made short work of them.

The hangar was infiltrated by several pegasi.  They all had different tasks to do. A pair was bucking the planes that weren’t launched. Their hooves impacted their wings several times. The metal began to whine as the dents got bigger and bigger. One pegasus began to buck the fuel tanks, hoping to drain them soon enough.

A loud gunshot brought the tank-bucking pony down.

“THUNDER BALL! NO!”

A mechanic walked in. The remaining pegasi looked at the human. They all looked at her angrily. The woman pulled on the hammer of her revolver, aiming at the winged pony. The gun roared, the pegasus dropped.  The hammer was pulled again. “I suggest you leave my hangar before I kill you like your friends here.” The sights were aligned towards the pony’s head.  “Go on...get out of my sight.”

The pegasus launched to the mechanic. Pushing her to the floor, the crimson with black mane winged pony began to stomp his hooves on her. The mechanic rolled to the sides, avoiding each attack. Seeing her revolver on the floor, she struggled to get it. Her hand struggling to reach for it, panic was flowing across her nerves, her hand trying to reach for the weapon. Feeling the wood on her fingers, she pulled the trigger several times.

The pegasus saw the blood drip out of the wounds. Shaking in fear, she landed on her back. A yell of pain escaped her.  The mechanic looked down at her, a smug grin plastered on her face as she pulled on the hammer. “No! Please human! Have mercy!”

“Mercy?” The mechanic chuckled. “God has mercy. Humans don’t.”

“NO! PLEASE! I’LL DO ANYTHING! PLEASE DON’T KILL ME MISS!”

The gun thundered. Smoke hissed out of the barrel as the weapon was raised. The woman blew the smoke off, twirled her revolver and into the holster it went.

Despite all the gunfire in heard across the ship, the Greek whistled a tune as he prepared his M4 rifle for the raid.  The boarding crew was waiting for the moment of truth, and the end of this insanity. The black-clad crew prepared their weapons. Saluting, the man looked as they got closer to the ship. “Charge!”

The boarders gave a battle cry as they jumped over to the ship.

Hinges were blasted followed by a strong kick. The Unicorns began to attack with magic, one raider got pushed to the wall while others fired from cover.

TAT-TAT-TAT-A-TAT-TAT!

“Reloading!” A boarder slapped a fresh magazine into his AK-47. Seeing a few unicorns come into the area, he cackled insanely as he loaded up the GP-25 launcher. “BOOM!” He pulled the trigger. The blast sent the unicorns flying across the area. “You are dead!”

“He’s coming…” Celestia said. “I can feel it.”

Shining Armor looked at her.

Nikolaos punched the elevator buttons. Pulling on the bolt, he saw a bullet in the chamber.  “This is for Anastasia, you monster.”

The elevator doors opened.

Nikolaos stepped out calmly. Seeing all the ponies in the bridge, he gave a animalistic smile as he fired the whole magazine on them. The screams were like music to his ears, the bullet cases bounced off the floor as they were ejected from the gun. Walking into the bridge, the assault rifle was reloaded. “I have waited a long time for this…” He turned to face Celestia. “And here we have the leader of the Pony Invader herself.”

He bowed. “You may know me as the Dragon of the Skies…  that’s my Nom De Guerre in the world. Call me Nikolaos Drakonakos of Mani. I have ended many families in my land like my ancestors killed the Ottoman occupiers. Now I get to follow my blood’s calling.” He aimed the gun at Celestia. “Before I pull the trigger and spray the magazine’s contents into you? Any last words before I send you the darkest pit of Hell?”

Shining Armor tackled the Greek, the assault rifle fired a few rounds to the side.

Nikolaos looked at the white stallion and gave a growl. “You must have death wish eh!?” He got back on his legs. Discarding the assault rifle, a long knife was pulled out of its sheath. “Very well, I will grant you a painful death.”

“Don’t let him get to close to you.” Celestia advised the unicorn stallion. “That blade will hurt if he manages to get a cut or a stab.”

“Silence.” The Greek commanded. “This is between us two.”

The stallion and the man looked at each other, moving in circles, trying to read their moves. The knife began to twirl in his fingers. “Because I am such a gentleman, I’ll allow the first attack.”

Shining Armor went for a tackle.

The Greek dodged the attack, these ponies are too predictable.

The unicorn’s horn began to glow. A blast of purple magic fired out.  Seeing the blast head for him, the man dropped to the floor. The blast destroyed a portion of the wall, debris landing all over him. Getting back up, he looked at the unicorn. “Come now, magic? Then I’ll have to even the odds.” His free hand whipped out the TT-33 from the left holster.   Pulling the trigger several times, the bullets flew towards the unicorn.

Shining summoned a shield. The bullets bounced like ping-pong balls.  “It’s going to take more than that to hurt me.”

“A shield eh?” Nikolaos reloaded his pistol. “Tell me pony, how long do you think that shield will last you?”  The pistol cracked seven times.

The bullets bounced off again.

The pistol fired again.

“Come on! Attack me while I’m reloading!” Nikolaos taunted.

Shining Armor began to dash towards the human. The shield went down as he got closer to him.

The knife was brought down.

Shining stopped as he felt something inside him pierce his flesh. He looked to the man’s face. He was smiling. Removing the knife, he pushed the stallion away. Picking up the assault rifle, the bolt was pulled back, the bullet being chambered. “This is how it ends.” Nikolaos said as he raised the rifle.

A purple aura wrapped the sky pirate.  “No…one…hurts the Princess!” Shining proclaimed as he slowly got up. Lifting the man, the unicorn threw him to the wall.

“Damn you!” Nikolaos groaned. Getting back up, his hand raised the assault rifle. “Stupid pony, you will die like the rest of your kind for stealing our lands.” Both sights were aligned towards the enemy’s head.

Celestia tackled the pirate.

Nikolaos dropped his rifle.

Celestia’s horn began to glow, pointing down at his chest.

“Go ahead!” Nikolaos goaded. “Kill me! If I die here, my crew will avenge my death, killing me will not stop the privateer attacks on your people. You have me where you wanted Princess, but then what? Will that make Equestria’s problems end?”

“No.” Celestia replied. “But it’ll take care of the problem, one at a time.”

Nikolaos cackled as his hand reached for something.

“What’s so funny?” Celestia asked. “Why the laugh?”

“Oh Princess, you should never underestimate your opponent. Always make sure he’s out of ammunition before he uses it against you.” There was a gunshot.

“PRINCESS!” Shining Armor screamed.

Blood escaped from Celestia’s mouth. Her underside was bleeding from the shot. She couldn’t believe the error she just did. That sneaky move got her stomach shot.  She dropped, the man got up.

Shining Armor fired a blast of magic against the pirate.

The pirate dodged the blast. Turning to face Shining Armor, he pulled out a fragmentation grenade. “Fire in the hole!” He released it, letting it roll towards him.

Something inside Shining said to buck that thing away. Following his gut, his forelegs kicked the object away. The blast lifted dust and debris into the air. Seeing the elevator doors shut, he couldn’t help but giving an angry neigh at the pirate.

“We are getting out!” Nikolaos announced. “Tell the crews that we’re leaving!”

The Chimera left as all the surviving raiders climbed onboard.

Pegasi followed but AA fire along with escorts made it impossible. It was best if they let go… Next time, there will be another chance in taking the ship.

“Go get me a medic!” Shining ordered. Putting his forelegs on the wound, he pressed on it. The pressure made the wound stop bleeding. “Please Princess…hold on.”

Celestia was taking heavy breaths. “Send…signal…to…Yucatan…we…need…repairs.”

Hours later, an airship flying the naval jack of the Republic of Yucatan towed the damaged battleship towards a dock. The crew was given shore leave for a week until the engines and bridge were fixed, the rest of the repairs will be done in Equestria.

Gobi Desert

The Gobi Desert was a unique area in the world. Despite Northern China fell to the Equestrians, the humans managed to work out a deal with them: Gobi was to be treated as a Special Economic Zone, towns would be of mixed populace while others were exclusively for humans and ponies. Trade of all sorts took place, tourism was big due to the ponies wanting to experience the weather that the desert had to offer along with the wildlife that roamed it.

But of course, the Gobi was also known as a nest of spies and defectors. Information was valuable, if you had the cash, you could have a piece of the pie.

A bronze pegasus with blue eyes and a saber crossed with a quill flew across the skies of the Gobi.  His name was Saber Quill, a courier who worked in the Gobi delivering message tubes between the cities and if needed, to the outside world:  Human Enclaves or Equestria. Not many ponies know about the former Pegasi Courier Fleet flier, but most humans know he’s a Defector.

Saber Quill increased speed, the landscape passing by rapidly. Seeing the city ahead of him, a relief of sigh escaped his mouth. At last, the mission would be complete and he can finally get a drink or two before taking the next mission if there was one. Life as a defector had its ups and downs. For one up, he was welcomed in every enclave, no one would try to shoot him.  One downside was if discovered, he’d have a bounty on his head for joining the humans.

Landing on the pavement, he looked both sides before crossing the street. A right to this block here to a left to this block there and then keep going straight until reach your destination. Entering the dark alley, a large door with graffiti painted on it was there. Tapping the door several times with his hooves, the security camera swiveled towards the pegasus. The door opened up.

The pegasus went inside.

Despite all the men and women greeting him, he ignored them as he trotted to the red doors.  Knocking on them with a specific pattern, they opened up.

As always, the people would greet him. But he didn’t have the time for small talk.  “Saber, you look like hammered shit.” A Russian-accented voice said.

“No shit Grozny, you try to do all these deliveries for a week straight and not catch a break.” The pegasus shot. “Besides, I got a message for you.” The pegasus searched his messenger bag. Pulling out a message tube with a wax seal, it was placed on the table.

The Russian man opened it. Pulling out the scroll, he unrolled it and made a face. “Interesting…” He lowered it. “Tell me Saber, do you read the contents of the messages you deliver?”

“A courier doesn’t read the messages, its stains our honor.” Saber frowned.  “But why do you mention this?”

“A Princess wishes to defect.” Grozny smiled.

Saber gasped. “Who? Which Princess? Luna? Because if she does, it’ll be a cold day in Tartarus when that happens.”

“According to the message, her name’s Italian…does the name Mi Amore Cadenza mean anything?”

“Cadence?" Saber Quill bursted into laughter. “What does Mrs. I-Spread-Love-Around want with what Celestia calls the filthy apes?”

“Defection… and she’s giving us a huge deal of intelligence on the Sky Fleet and maps concerning the Corridor.”  Grozny smiled. “Why don’t you come back tomorrow, I have a mission for you. 10 stars.”

“Insanity!” Saber exclaimed. “No courier in both worlds has taken a 10 star mission.”

“Well you’re going to be the first one.” Grozny grinned as he tossed the pegasus a sack. “Your pay. Get refreshed, take a bath, catch up on your sleep, because I want you here at midday tomorrow.”

“Fine.” Saber put the sack into the bag. “Cya tomorrow.”

Grozny waved him goodbye.

Saber Quill flew to the nearest hotel. He could of flown back home, but that was a town ahead and he didn’t want to fly for hours just to rest.

Checking into a hotel, the pegasus smiled as he jumped into the bed and closed his eyes. At last some rest.

Somewhere in the Swiss Alps

Carved within the mountains of Switzerland, several airships flying the flags of nations were docked while fighters of all makes and sizes patrolled the area.

Representatives from the last human nations: The American Federation, Germany, Czech Republic, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Ukraine, Switzerland, the Republic of Mexico, Austria, the Western Russian Federation, the Trans-Caucasus Union, the Baltic Confederation,  Japan, the Australian Commonwealth, India,  West Romania, South China, Peru, Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, the United Korean Republic,  the Spanish Enclaves,  France, Magna Scandinavia, the United Kingdom, Ireland,  Thailand, Bhutan,  Pakistan, Bangladesh, Israel, Lebanon, the Canadian Remnants, Singapore, Iceland, and the Caribbean Islands.

The summit began. The men and women representing each nation began to discuss the plans for the world along with the problem of Equestria.  “I say we go out and attack them.” The Representative of Mexico said. “We can’t sit here and do nothing, they’re sending out migration capsules like crazy! Three of them landed in the Chihuahua Desert and they’ve started a colony there!”

“I have to agree.” The Representative of Argentina added. “Tierra del Fuego is now in process of being colonized. Same with the Falklands.”

The Representative of the United Kingdom turned pale, shaking.

“I am sorry to say,” The Representative of Argentina sighed. “According to your soldiers stationed there, 12 capsules landed there. They gave it their best, only to have an entire platoon ponified by them. A few were purified.”

“P-p-purified?”

“It’s a term they use, when they kill a human, they are purified.” The Representative of the American Federation said.   “But our Mexican college is right, they are starting to colonize at an alarming rate, we must take direct action against them. We don’t want to end up like Indonesia and Malaysia.”

Everyone’s minds began to rattle about the loss of Indonesia and Malaysia. When the migration capsules hit the islands and the ponies began to quickly colonize. The governments tried to fight but it was hopeless, many were ponified forcefully. Whatever was left fled to Papua New Guinea while others hid in the jungles or the dangerous islands, away from them and the rest of civilization.

“We still have to do something about the new colonists...” The Representative of France said. "I am going to agree with Mexico, we should attack them, send more privateers to the new colonies. They're so effective to lower their morale and hope."

Somewhere in Eastern California

“MARCO! WE’RE LOSING ALTITUDE!” A Pusher Gunner grabbed hold of the machine gun. “MARCO! PULL ON THAT CONTROL STICK! MARCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

The Pusher Airplane continued its rapid descent into the ground.

The gunner pulled on two handbrake-like levers.

The ailerons opened up, the plane spinned wildly across the air. As it did so, the gas tank moaned loudly as it gave in to the pressure that was bringing the craft down. Fuel escaped from the track, raining into whatever settlement below.

The gunner saw a desert.  It was getting closer and closer as he stared at it. Closing his eyes, he prepared for the eventual impact.