"Push them back! We can't let them take the border!" A crystal unicorn mare bellowed from where she stood, holding her rifle high. "Fight them back!"
"There's too many of them!"
"Then we'll die fighting then!"
War... war never changes.
The Crystal Empire was the site of a very large conflict, the city of crystal and snow that was once a peaceful city of love... now a city being attacked by a race of slavers, a horrible species known as the Caribou had threatened Equestria and its allies for decades now with war unless they were given what they wanted. The caribou had finally had enough of the ponies and their friendship and equal rights for mares, and grew sick of Celestia and Luna being leaders when they should have been used by their rightful male leaders.
So they attacked, a massive force of two million caribou attacking the Crystal Empire from the deep north. The Empire was unprepared for such a force, having so little forces to actually fight back with. It was terrifying for many to witness, seeing and hearing the roars of the vile beasts outside their city trying to get inside to rape and pillage like pirates. Many of the guards were doing their best with holding back the creatures, utilizing old Crystal Powered Guns to fight back with, and they were doing a fair job.
But for every bullet they fired, and for every caribou they killed, there was another five caribou to replace em.
And this was chaotic for a Wonderbolt Captain, who had been sent in to assist the war effort and keep the caribou back while Equestria mobilizes its own forces.
"Soarin! Up high!" Spitfire yelled, causing the stallion to soar straight up into the air as he threw a grenade into the crowd of Caribou, which exploded upon impact as Spitfire fired her rifle. An energy based weapon that fired pure solar energy, sleek and powerful with a magically enhanced scope. She fired beam after beam, searing armor and blasting a few into nothing but ash that flew away. Spitfire was a very adept shot with her rifle, managing to get many kill shots as she and Soarin were covered by Lieutenant Fleetfoot, who was half a mile away on a building top armed with a very powerful sniper rifle.
A couple of caribou flying back after being hit by a bright blue beam of light made her thank Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer for their hard work with creating weaponry to combat the caribou. But it only did so much when they kept coming, and worse... their own runic magic brought their dead back to life like it was nothing!
Eyeballing one of the rune masters, she fired a few solar beams into him, making him cry out in pain as his head exploded. Damn necromancy! She cursed, firing another volley of solar beams into the crowd and scoring some hits as she dodged a few bullets. The caribou had crude weaponry, things that they didn't create. That much she knew, because the armor was something they did make. The firearms however were old, if the ones that managed to scavenge from assassins sent to Canterlot told them anything. They had found these weapons somewhere, but Equestrian intelligence had no idea where though.
When Spitfire landed on one of the towers outside of the Empire, she eyed the ever growing horde of Caribou with a grimace. There were far too many of them for the Wonderbolts to handle alone, they needed back up and they needed it now!
Landing next to her, Soarin was breathing heavily as he dropped his rifle and said, "This is hopeless!" He coughed, blood dribbling down his chin. "There's too many of them!"
"We have to hold them off!" Spitfire barked at her second in command, turning to glare at the stallion. "We can't give up, if we don't try then Equestria will fall!" Spitfire did not want that to happen, Equestria was her home and the very thought of seeing it fall to these damned beasts was one she didn't want to see come to fruition. "So get your ass back out there and fight!" She didn't want to be so hard on him, but right now...
They needed everyone they could get.
Spitfire turned to watch the fight.. gripping her rifle before loading in a new power crystal.
We need everyone...
As the Wonderbolts dealt with that, far to the east there was another fight going on.
A mare of gold dashed through the woods, bullets flying overhead as she outran a few caribou nearby. In the skies there were caribou airships trying to find her, arrows flying from above and nicking at her hills as the forest around her grew more dense by the second. But she tore through the woods, she had a purpose for being out so deep in the far eastern territories beyond the badlands. Daring was sent by Celestia herself to get aid from the Zebras over the border, she was fast after all and while Dash was faster, she was currently leading another defense.
So that left Daring Do.
The mare tore through the bushes as the caribou chased after her, she would be flying but she ended up getting shot in the wing and it screwed her over. As it always did when her wing was thrashed by something, bullets, magical trap, arrow, etc. In her hand she held a machete to cut through what was in her way, which was mostly bushes and leaves and such. The caribou behind her just burned their way through, and they were closing in on her with each roar she heard.
I have to get to the border, find the zebras! She told herself, they would have sent more flyers but Canterlot and Manehattan was under siege by Caribou who had come in from the sea on ships, managing to get past their defenses. So that left Daring to get to the zebras, as they lacked the magical dragonfire message system that Celestia had going on with her students.
She kept running, running as fast as her legs could take her...
That is until Daring's foot snagged on an overgrown root and she fell down a steep incline. "Fuck!" She screamed out, tucking and rolling the best she could as she rolled and tumbled down the hill. Rocks and roots tore into her clothing before she smashed into the ground, hard. "Gah!" She groaned, her body aching as she heard the caribou nearby.
"Find her!" She heard, and she panicked. Looking up, she found an entrance to a cave in front of her and got up, before bolting inside. "I saw her go into a cave! Get her!"
She ran into the cave, using her keen eyesight to try and see in the dark as she ran inside, sheathing her machete and pulling out her revolver as she made her way deeper into the cave. She wasn't sure where this led, but she could hope it led out to the other side and it could help her lose the caribou behind her.
Damn those things. Daring cursed as her stomach ached from where she had been punched during her fight to escape Canterlot and get help. She had managed to kill a decent amount of the caribou before leaving of course, slaughtering her way out of the city and making it out to head east. She was a mare sure, and a lot of asshole stallions may have figured she wasn't a strong female. but they were wrong, and not one of her books were embellished in the slightest, all of the fights, moves and techniques she's learned she's used to take down villains the world over.
These Caribou would test those lessons she's learned.
They will not win. She told herself, stumbling down the cave as her fatigue set in. They will never win, Equestria will not fall. Daring continued to tell herself, as her body grew more and more tired by the second. She found her hand reaching for an amulet around her neck, one that was given to her by her late father. It was an heirloom of sorts that she had held onto for years, and had always given her luck. We have to win...
Her thoughts ceased as her boot hit something metal, which clanged across the cave floor as she looked down. Panic setting in again, she pulled out a light crystal and shook it causing it to light up the cave in a bright green glow. When she looked down, Daring found a piece of metal that looked like it was part of a metal sign that was put up. She couldn't read what was on it however, the rust on it making it hard to read. She shook her head as she continued down the cave, finding the rocky flooring she was on suddenly smooth out and turn a gray color.
Ahead of Daring her eyes caught sight of what appeared to be a large looking door inset within a wall of solid concrete, the door was made of some sort of black steel and no way to open it. At least nothing she could make out that is, her eyes scanned it as fast as she could touching it and trying to find a way through.
"No no no." She could feel the panic coursing through her body as she tried to find a way through. Damn it!
Suddenly, she heard a whirring noise. Daring back away in shock as a black ball like object on the ceiling above the door turned to look at her with a small camera like lens
Before she could even question what was going on, she heard, "Scanning... scanning..." Came a mare's voice through some source Daring could not see. "Species, Equis Inteliges detected... threats detected outside of ATLAS, please enter safe zone, General Snow."
Daring blinked at the odd name as the door suddenly opened, rust and rusty gears grinding as it lifted up off of the ground, one part of the door pushing inward to fit behind the other part of the door and Daring was allowed inside. She didn't know what was inside, but it was better then being gang raped outside in the dark of the cave. Clutching her crystal she ran inside, hitting a smooth floor made of some shiny black material as she ventured deeper inside.
Lights began to turn on above her on the walls, dark lights that offer enough light to see but not damage the eyes. The entire hallway seemed... old, incredibly old and yet, far more advanced then anything she's ever seen. The lights flickered, a couple of them burst nearby as she slowed to a hasty walk, her eyes taking in the ruined halls that slowly became more and more ruined as she went deeper inside. The smell of old was one she was used to after being in nigh countable temples across the world, but this... had a scent inside of it that made shivers go down her spine.
Daring went deeper into the hall, finding it leading down some metal stairs that were rusting and what looked like an open closet with two sliding doors on either side half open, and some buttons on the side. She rose an eyebrow as she approached it before looking inside the closet, only seeing it was no closet... but some sort of lift that she climbed inside, making it shake slightly.
"G-greeeeeeeetings ge*bzt*General Snow." Said the voice again, as the doors struggled to close before Daring was dropped onto the floor as the lift started falling rapidly. "P-pbzzzt-crackle* ATLAS Control, up and running." Daring spotted some numbers counting down above her, barely lighting up the darkened lift, which continued to jostle and screech as metal scrapped against metal.
"Uh... excuse me? But who are you?" Daring asked as the lift stabilized, continuing its descent into the depths.
The AI either didn't listen or didn't care, as it went offline and the lift stopped. She almost fell, barely stopping herself as the doors screeched open, a few sparks flying as she saw a dark room ahead of her, only when her boot touched the floor did some lights come on, only to shatter off as several TV monitors buzzed to life, one sparking, another broken and showing readouts of something prepping itself. She saw several old chairs sitting around, and to her utter shock... skeletons still sitting in the chairs, with holes in their skulls as odd looking headsets in front of their eyes flickered to life with words and numbers that she couldn't understand the meaning.
They were not pony either... which confused and frightened her, what were these odd creatures sitting in the chairs. Their hands glued to keyboards, bodies lax in their seats as their headsets beeped and booped, bright blue glows lighting up their empty skulls as her eyes took in them all. They had all died in their seats, doing whatever it was that they were doing...
but what?
Whirring could be heard as incredibly old machinery turned on and came to life, monitors buzzed to life as keyboards lit up. The screens blue as a logo of a triangle with ATLAS on it appeared, before fading away and countless lines of numbers and words flew by. A distant rumble could be heard, but Daring thought nothing of it as she witnessed something incredible happening in front of her. She found herself drawn to a large control console looking device, where she found a large screen coming to life with words on it that she did understand.
Systems Online
Defense Systems - Online
Operations - Online
Communications Satellite -
ERROR
Communications Satellite - Offline
Mobilizing Sector-4 Terran Forces...
ERROR
Combat Forces Depleted...
0% Combat Units Remaining
Barracks Depleted
Checking Sector ATLAS 7 Mobile Combat Mecha...
150,675 Units Remaining
Mobilizing Mechanized Combat Units
Checking Hangers 1 - 10
ERROR
Pilot Error - Switching to Automatic Pilot Systems
Checking Total Aircraft...
12,469 Units Remaining
Mobilizing Aircraft Units
Accessing Combat Satellite...
Satellite Accessed
Loading Battlefield Map
Please Standby
Daring Do found herself confused at what she was reading as the screen below the readout in front of her changed to one of... to her shock, the war in the Crystal Empire where the bulk of the Caribou forces were at. She witnessed the caribou slowly pushing the Equestrian forces back with each attack they threw at her kind. Even though it was a sky eye view of the empire and the battle, she could see it was clearly the Crystal Empire, and Equestria was slowly being pushed back.
"No... damn it, I need to get out of this place and find the Zebras!" She told herself, making to turn around, only to stop when she heard a beeping behind her. Looking down at the console below her, she saw another readout.
All Combat Systems Online
All Targets Locked...
Allies Locked...
Systems Ready
Launch?
Daring didn't know what that meant, but a look at the screen and she saw the Caribou were all marked in red, with the Equestrian forces in blue. She wasn't sure what any of this meant... but she found herself curious as she obviously knew what the words combat meant. Could... could whatever this is help? But what is this? What does it mean? She had no idea, who created these machines? What would happen if she launched whatever was waiting for her command?
Against her better judgement...
Daring reached down and hit the button.
Launching Combat UAV, Assessing Potential Combat Situation
What Daring Do, the Caribou currently trying to break into the facility, and pretty much every other soul on the planet didn't know. Was that Daring Do, famous explorer and archaeologist of Equestria had stumbled upon an incredibly old facility that was once used by humanity. A race long thought to have been wiped out eons and eons ago during their great war with each other, a race so powerful that their machines to this day...
*Whiiiiiiirr*
Still work.
Deep in the badlands west of the Crystal Empire, buried under tons of rock and dirt was another such facility like the one Daring was in right now. however it was in far worse shape, if the rust and decay inside of the facility was any indication. The bones of long dead soldiers and staff members rattled as the facility came to life, lights sparked and fluttered on as long dead systems burst to life finally for one more battle. Eagerly the machines inside began scanning the hanger bays, the barracks, the mecha storage bay and so on as loud drawn out metallic groans sounded. The building shook underground, alerting many underground dwellers that this land was about to experience war the likes of which hadn't been seen in several millennia.
Within the hanger bay of the facility, dubbed ATLAS 7 if the markings were any indications. Inside there were hundreds of aircraft lined up, waiting for centuries to be used on the battlefront, some having already seen plenty of action but were still flight capable, engines old and control systems rusted but still able to fly until they were blown out of the skies. One such aircraft was being prepped, a large UAV drone was taken from where it was stored by mechanical lifts and arms before being placed on a runway, the hanger bay doors struggling to open up as readouts nearby spoke of errors and problems, but continued to do as they were programmed to do.
The UAV was a rusty black color, with the name ATLAS on the side and a camera on the bottom of it, and armed with six missiles on either side. While used for scoping out enemy territory, it was also made good use as a combat aircraft, at least in terms of quick bombing runs and such. The wingspan was easily 68 feet long and the craft itself nearly 40 feet in length with a sleek build to allow for speeds that topped most previous UAVs in the past.
Once the doors to the facility were opened, which were once blocked off by rocks and dirt, but once the doors opened it all fell away as the UAV rolled out on its own volition. Its jets in the rear powered up, sputtering as fumes and smoke backfired out of it a few times before finally firing up and sending it rolling out over the rubble. The intense heat and back blast sending the rubble flying away before riding down a runway that had various rocks and rubble on it.
The UAV was smart though, and avoided the majority of it before blasting off down the eon old runway and into the skies above. Its camera turned and maneuvered around, rusty flakes falling off as the cracked glass was sending a video feed back to the bunker where Daring was at. The UAV was fast, its bullet riddled rust covered body blasting through the open skies once more. It wobbled in the air slightly, but managed to stay afloat as it flew towards its destination.
Daring was confused at what she was seeing, the screen showing her a birds eye view from whatever was launched. Combat UAV? What is that? She knew Combat well, but UAV was a word she didn't know anything about, however it sounded more like an abbreviation then a word.
Her sights fell on the sights of the Crystal Empire closing in from the UAV's perspective.
The UAV was flying high in the sky near the empire, and a few pegasi who were not fighting could hear its distant engine and briefly wondered what it was.
The UAV locked onto the mass group of caribou, their targeting markers a bright red as opposed to the Equestrians which were once more, blue.
Situation - Moderate
Launching Titan...
ERROR...
Malfunction - Titan MIA.
Manually Launching Combat Mecha...
Back at the facility where the UAV had come from... was Changeling territory, and a few curious changeling scouts had found the entrance and grown wary when the UAV had launched.
"What do you think this is?" One Changeling scout named Bumble asked her cohort, Buzz.
"No idea... maybe some Equestrian sneak attack?" Buzz replied, cautiously walking up and peeking inside. Her bright yellow eyes caught sight of the machines inside working, and once she heard some loud thumping she saw something inside that made her reel back in fear.
Currently thumping its way out of the hanger bay was a large machine that likes of which Bumble and Buzz had never seen before. It caused them both to scream in terror as they ran away and vaulting over a hillside to sneakily watch the machine as fear filled their minds and bodies. It was a bulky piece of machinery with two huge arms, legs and a body with no head. It was covered in rust, with a dull silver color underneath as it struggled to move right out of the hanger bay. It had obviously suffered damage from combat, as Bumble could see a gaping hole where one might fit themselves inside for whatever reason. However, the cockpit of this... Titan wasn't unoccupied, inside Bumble and Buzz could clearly see the remains of a body, bones wrapped in some kind of battle suit and a broken helmet.
Inside the mecha, or Titan the machine was obeying its combat protocols sent from the bunker Daring was in. The two Changelings outside could clearly hear a voice from inside, distorted and deep as it spoke. "Captain John Myr, Pilot Status - Deceased... Systems Status - 89% Functional... Weapons Status - Online... Defense Systems - Online..." Its voice droned out as it stopped in the middle of the runway before its right arm reached behind itself, and produced a large looking weapon of sorts that looked like an over sized energy beam rifle that the Wonderbolts had, albeit more dangerous looking as the ends crackled with energy despite being so old. "Activating Thrusters." The back of the mechanical beast lit up, some kind of jet back on the back of it sending it flying into the sky before it sputtered out, only to fire back up again before it blasted off towards battle.
Bumble and Buzz watched as several more of these Titans appeared, pulling off strange weapons and in varying states of disrepair and damage, some showing the entire cockpit and dead bodies inside that were nothing more then skeletons, while others were empty. The majority of these machines blasted off into the skies, with only a few having problems like malfunctioning jet packs or thruster systems and resorting to sprinting across the badlands to their destination.
"Holy shit..." Bumble muttered.
"W-what do we do?! Those weren't Equestrian! What are they?" Buzz asked, being the younger of the two, she was understandably terrified of such machines.
Bumble just said, "I have no idea Buzzy..."
Back at the Crystal Empire, Spitfire was very very pissed.
The yellow mare was reloading where she was hiding with Fleetfoot, the two having met up to try and cut off some Caribou from getting into the city. However they failed and were paying the price as they tried fighting them, and Spitfire was running low on ammo, with Fleetfoot resorting to using a backup pistol that fired freeze rounds. The two were in a hard situation, five hours into the battle and already many of their forces were injured or killed...
Only one had defected, and Spitfire was still reeling in barely contained rage from it.
"Fucking bastard." Spitfire growled as she wiped blood from her muzzle again, her nose still bleeding from where Soarin had smashed his rifle butt into her and flew off. He was the defector, and with him knowing a lot about Equestrian defense, he would no doubt screw them over after this. And even if they did win, Spitfire was going to hurt him badly. "We need help."
"Aren't we supposed to be getting help from the Stripes?" Fleetfoot questioned, heaving a sigh as the two made their way down an alleyway as the fight raged on around them.
"At some point, Celestia sent Agent Daring to go find them." Spitfire told her lieutenant as they continued down the alleyway, and once they burst out into the open street both mares were caught unprepared as they were attacked by caribou who stormed in from all sides.
"Give yourselves up wench!" One yelled.
"There's no escape!"
Spitfire and Fleetfoot went back to back as they stared at the caribou all around them, the armored beasts outnumbering them 20 to 1. Even if they had the ammo, they'd be gunned down before they could do any hefty damage against the forces surrounding them. And out of the crowd came several captured Wonderbolts, beaten and injured, a few of the mares with the tops of their uniforms almost ripped apart and exposing their breasts. And Soarin...
Soarin was standing with the Caribou.
Spitfire gripped her rifle in one hand, the other clenched tightly. "Celestia damned traitor!" She spat.
"Spitfire, its over!" Soarin told her, regret and sadness in his eyes. "The Caribou have won! We just... need to quit fighting."
"I can't believe you!" Fleetfoot cried, betrayal in her eyes. "We went to Flight School together!"
"I'm sorry." Was all he said.
Damn it... is this is?
*Krack*
It would not be, as she might have thought, her end.
Up high in the skies, Spitfire, Fleetfoot, Soarin, the other Wonderbolts and the caribou all looked into the skies above. Above they saw the strange aircraft that had been launched a few hours ago flying overhead, its camera locked on them down below and zooming in on the hostage situation down below.
Back in the bunker, Daring saw Spitfire and them. "Spitfire? No..." She muttered. "Shit!"
"Hostage Situation Detected"
Daring heard from the voice. She looked up at the speakers, and said, "Can you help them?"
"Assessing situation... hostages... 12, enemy forces... 57... acceptable, initiating Counter-Terrorism operations."
Daring watched the screen with rapt attention. Please save them...
Back with Spitfire and the gang, they grew wary and suspicious at the aircraft... wondering what it was. Spitfire assumed it was some odd Caribou aircraft... however her keen eyesight could see it was something... old. old and ancient. She couldn't tell who it belonged it, and that worried her. Zebra tech maybe?
Massive thuds nearby, followed by panicked shouts were enough to draw her attention away from the skies.
Looking up near one of the rooftops, one of the Mecha had landed on the crystal structure, startling several caribou and ponies alike as the machine sparked and groaned. It was like some undead machine monster of sorts, complete with a skeleton poking out of the cockpit with glowing blue eyes that sent shivers down everyone's spine. The thing aimed its massive energy rifle at them all, the energy rifle charging up a shot. "By order of the ATLAS Corporation, cease all hostage and terrorist operations at once, or face extermination."
The lead caribou glared at the machine uneasily, turning to face the Equestrian Wonderbolt, Spitfire. "What is that thing?!"
"I-I don't know..." Spitfire murmured, shivering in slight fear. She wasn't one to show her fear to anyone, but this machine... this giant mech... sent primal fear down her spine.
"You have 10 seconds to r*bzzzzt*" Went the voice of the machine as sparks flew out of one side of it, the machine shaking a bit before steadying itself. "8 seconds."
"Bugger off you tin can!" One caribou yelled, throwing a rock at the machine which bounced harmlessly off of its hardened body.
"5 seconds." The machine counted off.
"Fire on that thing! NOW!" The lead caribou yelled, before they all aimed and fired their weaponry at the mecha. He smirked as he saw the bullets hit the body inside and the lights, making the machine stumble back slightly. Ha! Nothing can stop our firearms! He was so sure of himself, even with Equestria's magical and energy based firearms, they were no match for their ballistics.
...
This machine though, proved him wrong.
The bullets bounced off of the armor, making loud ricochet noises as the body inside was torn to shreds. After a few seconds of gunfire, it stopped and the mecha seemed to glare at them with its six blue lights...
Oh, did I say blue?
I meant bright red you're fucked lights.
The caribou gawked, looking at their guns as if they were mere toys and wondering why they failed to fell this beast as they had so many others. "Failure to comply, initiating extermination protocols." The machine droned. "Activating defensive shields." And if the caribou thought they were fucked, they were certainly fucked now. The giant Titan of a machine suddenly fired its energy weapon, the bright cyan blue beam arching down the two prongs of the rifle and exploding out towards the group of caribou on the far left.
They didn't even know how to react next.
The beam that was fired was akin to an incredibly high level force blast spell, with what it did once it connected with the group of caribou on the ground. The beam impacted the ground with such force it caused many of the ponies and caribou nearby to stumble back, the bright light almost too much for their eyes. Spitfire fell back with a startled noise, covering her head with her arms as she managed to watch what happened...
The beam had completely destroyed the caribou, turning some of them into mere ash while the others were burned badly and killed, while the others. Well they were unlucky and set on fire, running around and screaming in absolute agonizing pain...
Pain that Spitfire took advantage of.
"It's on our side! Let's take em now!" Spitfire cried, she had no idea if the monster was on their side, but she was willing to take that risk. She aimed her rifle and quickly fired at a few of the caribou as Fleetfoot did the same with her pistol, the other wonderbolts grabbed the dropped guns of their antler'd foes and got back onto the offensive as their robotic ally fired another energy blast into a crowd of caribou, effectively setting them on fire or causing them to be blasted into little more then atomic matter to blow away in the wind as it aided Spitfire and the Bolts.
Soarin took this time to fly away fast, but not before Spitfire fired her gun at him full blast.
"You'll pay for this! SOARIN!" Spitfire bellowed as she fired blast after blast at the stallion, who got hit a few times and went down nearby, whether he died or not would have to wait.
She had a war to win.
Outside of the Crystal Empire, the entire flock of mecha battlebots had flown overhead, some dropping down and creating intense shockwaves that crushed many caribou underfoot while others were sent flying away with screams. The many mecha were all armed differently, as most soldiers were. Some carried massive shotguns that fired something akin to depleted uranium shells in great abundance, and when fired tore apart the caribou and their war beasts. Others carried automatic guns, energy based and massive ballistic rounds that was tearing into the enemy like they were nothing. Some carried high powered rifles that could snipe the cock off a caribou from two, maybe three miles away using a very powerful scope and a high powered armor piercing round.
*Krack boom!*
"GAAAH! MY COCK!"
Example above.
On the southern, and western sides the mecha marched, the incredibly cold snow weather bombarding their frames and even freezing a few of their joints. But they still marched even as some of the pilot controls inside their suits froze over and cracked, their joints froze and they were bombarded with both rune spells, arrows and bullets from caribou airships above. Great blimps made of iron and floating thanks due to in part the assistance of a very opportunistic unicorn stallion who was sympathetic to the caribou's cause. Dozens of their airships were flying towards to the mecha, intent on stopping their advance so they could take over the empire, because they needed the crystal heart to effectively control the minds of all stallions and ensure total domination of the female species.
The combat UAV picked up on the airships approach, and quickly switched over from recon mode to attack mode before its jet engine blasted it off towards one of the airships, past still flying pegasi who were thrown away by the sheer force it was flying. The wind gusts it created as it zipped on by was incredible, before the pegasi, Daring and others witnessed it fire a missile from one of its wings, followed by three other missiles that blasted towards the first airship it locked onto. One missile buggered up, its propulsion system cutting out for a few moments before kicking back up and zipping back up with its own brethren.
The airship could do little more then watch as the 'spears' as they dubbed them flew towards their airship. All on board figured that were just high powered spears or something of Equestrian origin, nothing to fear as their airships were incredibly well defended.
Once the missiles impacted the sides, the airship's bridge, and one of its engines...
They found they were utterly wrong.
The airship quickly caught flames as the missiles exploded upon impact, setting fire to the bridge and tearing off a great portion of it that was sent falling down to the ground below. Any caribou that survived the blast were either injured by the blast, or were on fire, either way they were sucked out and went falling down hard and fast with screams of terror. The engine on the airship caught flames as well, exploding and sending shrapnel into the ship and tearing whoever was inside apart. The gases that kept it afloat and the magically powered engines exploded violently, creating a giant airshow in the sky of fire and explosions as the airship tilted forward.
And as headed right for one of the groups of caribou on the outside of the empire, all of them screaming in terror as flaming death itself was coming right for them in the form of one of their previously thought invincible airships. It crashed into the ground, crushing dozens of the antler'd beasts under its immense weight before exploding, debris flying and killing even more of them as the necromantic rune masters tried to revive the fallen. Only to either get killed by debris and explosions, or ran away in fright from the machines of war.
The ponies could only watch as these great machines of war stampeded into the empire, avoided ponies and going right for the caribou. Blasting them with their guns or using their sheer size to crush them under foot, some of the titans even grabbed the caribou and crushed them in their fists and threw them a great distance. And some more sleeker models of these bots pulled out great blades, huge swords either gleaming brightly, or covered in rust and jagged before slashing into their foes. Some of the blades seemed to power up, archs of energy gliding up and down their shining surface before they sent waves of pure energy flying into the caribou forces, their foot soldiers, their war beasts.
It was terrifying for the opposition to witness.
"We can't push forward! Their machines are too powerful!" One caribou cried as he fired his gun at the nearest titan, only for it to take the bullets like it was getting pelted with lego pieces before it surged forward and threw its fist into the caribou's warbeast, crushing its skull in one hit and killing it as the caribou cried out in alarm. Only for it to cease as it was gripped in the titan's grasp and crushed, bones snapping and his cries of anguish sounding out all over the place.
Spitfire landed nearby, firing the last of her energy rifle into a caribou lieutenant and killing him as the titans moved through the city, every loud blast from their guns, every crushing sound of their massive metal legs killing enemies underfoot, and the explosions of the airships above as they were destroyed one by one by a single drone was filling her with determination. She wasn't sure where these had come from, who had sent them.
But by Celestia... she was glad.
"Keep moving forward! We got them on the run!" Spitfire bellowed, holding her rifle high as the combined forces of the Equestrian and Crystal Empire army got together and reformed their lines, pushing back the caribou with the help of these massive titans that tore into the caribou like they were nothing.
The necromancers tried to revive their fallen, even managing to do so... only they were just making them go through yet another horrible fate. Being burned alive, blasted into pieces, crushed and stomped, thrown away like trash, filled with holes. It was pure agonizing torture, this was not how the war was supposed to go, this was not how things were supposed to be. Diann had promised them all harems of loyal whores and riches beyond their imagination, luxury living spaces and the very capital of Canterlot under their control, among whatever else their darkened hearts could desire.
What Diann couldn't have expected...
Was for humanity to still have their toys lying around...
Just waiting for another war to willingly fight.
Daring could only watch in both stunned amazement and slight fear, as these massive machines... no doubt eons old still working so perfectly and decimating the caribou with little more then their sheer size. Looking around her, she saw the still dead bodies of a long dead race she knew not the name of, but now... now she wondered what they were, who they were to have left such amazing technology behind. She felt saddened that they were all like this, and made a mental note that once this was all over... that these souls were laid to rest.
The war isn't over, not even close... but its thanks to whoever they were, that maybe, just maybe...
They can win.
*Beep Beep*
A look back to the screen, and Daring saw something else was ready.
ATLAS Leviathan... Online...
All systems... Green.
Targets Locked...
And Daring saw it was locked on Manehattan... a city currently under siege by even more caribou coming in from ships...
All Systems Ready
Launch?
Daring didn't even hesitate...
She hit the button, launching whatever terrible demon awaited the caribou.
What the caribou in Manehattan didn't know...
The oceans around Manehattan rippled, the ground shook as both forces turned to the sea.
Along with the ponies... zebras and so on...
Down below in the ocean, deep down outside of Manehattan... a beast of metal was long buried, lights came to life, sparking to life under the water as long dead systems came to life. The crew of this massive underwater beast were dead, skeletons locked in their turret systems seats, hands still gripping the controls as other bodies rattled when the machine came to life.
Its engines started up, fish and other aquatic wildlife fleeing for their lives as this huge metal beast rose up from the ocean. Parting the waters above and making it rain down on the sea below and whatever caribou ships were nearby, causing the mall to stop... and stare at this great piece of machinery humanity had left behind in its eternal exodus. A long drawn out groan could be heard from the machine, this terrified anyone who was looking at this thing as it rose out of the water and into the sky. Inside, everything hummed to life, combat systems, its own internal mecha and aircraft hanger bays, everything as it prepared for a battle it had been waiting for for eons. The beast was long, easily a kilometer long and half of that wide, and shaped like a massive whale shark with dozens of turrets buzzing to life. It had suffered centuries of damage, gaping holes and missing guns, lights that refused to come on, rust and seaweed covering its length along with scallops and so on.
Was that a single mare...
Had unleashed a monster upon the caribou...
Author's Note
EDIT:
Sources of Inspiration
CGI 3D Animated Shorts HD: "LAST DAY OF WAR" - by Dima Fedotov
CGI Animated Shorts HD: "Fortress/Крепость" - by Dima Fedotof
These are fantastic pieces of work! go and check em out! 
Hello all, thanks for reading and I do hope you enjoyed! legit, I had a lot of fun writing this and I did want to make it longer, but alas I decided to be content with the length it is now.
This is also gonna be the start of a new group I'm making, that you're all invited to join!
Remnants of Humanity
Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! 
Bonus: Manehattan and Canterlot
Manehattan
Lyra... Lyra was scared out of her mind right now. She wasn't sure what to think, what to do in this situation she was in right now. The minty green mare was on a visit to Manehattan to buy something for her friend, Bon Bon's birthday, when all of a sudden... the caribou had attacked, and they the coastal city attacked hard. Lyra had taken refuge at the docks, where she was chased off to and hid in a warehouse, one that was empty save for a few small wooden crates and such.
She didn't know much about the caribou, only that they were a dangerous race and their country was not exactly in the best of shapes. So they declared war on Equestria, claiming they were liberating the male species from their female aggressors and were going to instill the absolute law that females were nothing more then playthings and slaves to be used by their rightful male leaders and owners. To be used and bred as they saw fit. It terrified Lyra that she could possibly be subject to such a fate.
She didn't want that.
Oh please don't let them find me. Lyra hoped and prayed, hiding behind a few crates as the caribou were inside the warehouse. She trembled in fear when she heard the loud groaning noise from before, but she didn't know what it was or where it came from. Go away!
"I don't see her, she must have escaped!" One caribou said, growling as he knocked over a crate.
"There are no other exits, she must be in here!" The other declared, and Lyra's heart began pounding in her chest. "Find her now!"
*Droooooooooooooooooone*
There was the noise again. What is that?! She didn't know, but it still terrified her to no end. The soldiers from the royal guard were doing their best to fight back the hordes of caribou, who had stormed in from the seas in their battleships. They bombarded the city in some places, weakening it so they could land and slowly take over. She had heard from one pony that the caribou had somehow gotten into Canterlot, how they did without anyone noticing was anyone's guess.
The ground shook from an explosion, no doubt from caribou battleship fire as they continued to weaken the city's defenses and such. the gunfire outside kept growing louder and louder as more joined the fight, and oddly enough she heard something akin to energy blasts. Lyra wasn't sure what that was, and no matter how hard she tried to rack her brain for information, she came up empty handed.
Suddenly, a hand gripped onto her neck while she was in thought, and yanked her out from her hiding space before she was thrown out into the open. She hit the concrete floor hard and rolled before coming to a stop, groaning she looked up and saw the caribou all around her, at least three of them.
"Hahaha, thought you could hide from us? Pathetic." One chuckled.
"Ye should listen to yer rightful masters when they come callin' poppet~" Another grinned disgustingly.
Lyra shook with fear, with nowhere to run... she was no doubt be subject to whatever horrors they were about to inflict upon her. One of them was already starting to take off his armor, chuckling at her fearful expression as she backed away, crawling away from him before she was kicked violently by one that was standing behind her. "Ahh!" She cried out as his boot connected with her muzzle, almost fracturing it as she fell back clutching her bloody nose.
"Just be quiet and let it happen." The leader of them said as he glared down at her. "Its gonna happen whether now or later, when we've won."
"I'd much rather break her now instead of letting Diann get a hold of her." One muttered, before he was punched.
"Never... speak of Lord Diann without his title! Or I'll castrate you myself!" The leader growled as the one who took off his armor was closing in on Lyra. "And hurry up! I'd rather we not get caught with our pants down... literally."
"This won't be but a moment~" The caribou grabbed Lyra by her arms, pinning them above her head and was about to work on ripping off her pants.
Which, obviously would have been bad.
If, you know... the roof didn't explode.
The caribou yelled in surprise as something crashed in through the roof, slamming and crushing the leader into little more then caribou paste and jam as his buddy was sent flying away from the shockwave. The one on top of Lyra stumbled to the side, and she took that moment to slam into him and bolt away to the crates she was behind. Once she slid into cover, she peeked out and saw something standing in the middle of the warehouse that made her eyes go incredibly wide.
It was a massive machine, one made of some sort of black steel covered in small bits of rust and sleek looking armor. Its arms and legs were covered in armor plating that was rounded slightly along with its chest and head which resembled a knight's helmet on its very large body with six lights on the front, and two odd looking wings on the back that extended outwards behind itself into three large points. In one hand it held a large sword with spikes jutting along the blades length, and in its other was a large round shield of sorts. It stood tall, easily 12 feet high and it looked incredibly heavy to Lyra. This machine was vastly different from the others that were currently fighting in the Empire and the city of Manehattan, as it was a more advanced model.
"Situation assessed." The machine spoke in a posh sounding Trottingham accent that made Lyra raise an eyebrow. "Pilot Status - Deceased. AI Activated." Said the voice in a very monotone way, before the machine seemed to relax slightly. Rolling its shoulders, its head had one thin blue glowing line where the eyes would be in the helmet slit as its head turned to and fro. "Scanning..." Then its head turned towards Lyra, the blue scanning light that came from it hitting her and she froze. "Species... Equis Inteliges detected, female."
It sees me! She panicked, what was this thing!? Sure it crushed a caribou but...
The machine turned when the front door blasted open, and a bunch of caribou stormed in. "Damn it! Its another!" One of them cried before they scattered into the warehouse, one of them wielding an explosive looking weapon before they all fired on the mecha.
The advanced mecha raised its shield, causing a blue arch of energy to appear around the shield making it much large before swinging out its sword before two parts on its metal legs fell down behind it, raising it up a few inches before it shot forward suddenly, moving much faster then Lyra or the caribou would have thought the machine possible of doing. It raised its sword and slashed in a quick downward arc and not only did it kill two caribou, its sword split the ground and caused another to fall down into it as the building shook violently. And it wasn't done as it ripped its sword free, bullets bouncing off of its back before it spun around and zipped over to where more of the beasts were before destroying them with a single swipe of ts blade.
Lyra watched in both fascination and terror as the machine made quick work of the caribou, slashing at them or bashing them with its shield. Other times two small parts of its shoulder guards opened up and two barrels on either side popped out before firing at another group that had ran inside to try and deal with the mecha. But they were far too weak and inexperienced to deal with such a monster, their guns did little to no damage against it as they fired everything they had.
One caribou fired its explosive weapon, sending a rocket of sorts flying towards the mecha who just raised its shield, taking the rocket like it was nothing before firing another round of bullets at them. The caribou with his launcher reloaded his rocket launcher, ready to fire it again before he found a bullet suddenly taking the place of his left eye and he fell back.
But not before pulling the trigger and sending the rocket flying up towards the already weakened ceiling of the warehouse.
Lyra watched as the rocket impacted the ceiling, and the entire warehouse began to shake along with the ground as missiles outside had impacted a caribou position nearby. Coupled with that, and the wear and tear from years of disrepair inside the warehouse, caused it to fall apart. Lyra yelled in shock as she tried to get out, only to find her way out blocked by caribou. Looking back up she saw a large beam falling towards her, and ducked down with her arms over her head. "Ahhh no!" She screamed, waiting for it to crush her.
It didn't however, because several things happened.
Firstly, a caribou had his junk impaled by a sharpened pipe.
Secondly, the mecha had heard her cry and shot over to her as fast as it could as it sheathed its sword behind its back along with its shield.
Thirdly... it leapt over Lyra in a dive before reaching out and grabbing the mare, who yelped in surprise and slight fear before the mecha's chest opened up and Lyra was shoved inside before it crashed through the wall and landed in a roll outside in the back alley streets of Manehattan as its chest closed up tightly.
Lyra had covered herself as best as she could when she was thrust inside the machine, breathing heavily to herself as she heard little to nothing. Shaking, she opened her eyes and found herself strapped into an odd seating placement, and in front of her on either side were two odd controls that she could grip with her hands. The cockpit's panels in front of her suddenly buzzed to life, five of them that sparked and turned on, morphing in a way that showed her the outside of the machine, showing her the alleyway she was standing in, the sky above her and to both of her sides. She found herself confused as to why she was in this thing.
"H-hey! Let me out of this thing!" She yelled, trying to get out but the machine had strapped her in, her legs in two odd devices that, when she moved one leg forward, the machine moved with her own movement. "W-what the heck? What's going on?"
"Terribly sorry, you seemed to be in quite a tizzy and I simply had to assist you." Came the posh voice again, and Lyra looked up and around when she heard it reverberating from inside the mecha somewhere.
"Why am I in this thing? Let me out!" Lyra asked, panicking slightly as she tried to free her legs and only causing the machine to awkwardly stumble around.
"If you would calm down I could e-explain!" the posh voice yelled out before the machine and Lyra fell over with a thud. The mare yelped as her head hit the side of something metal and the AI voice just sighed. "Ma'am, please remain calm."
Lyra gulped, realizing she couldn't get out even if she wanted to. So she said, "Fine... talk, what's going on? What are you!?" She had no idea what this thing was, but she knew deep down in her heart... it wasn't Equestrian made.
"I am C-X-7735. But my previous pilot referred to me as Butler." The voice spoke as they laid on the ground, Lyra listening to his explanation. "As for what I am, I am an ATLAS Military Combat Mecha referred to by civilians as a Titan, I was built with the purpose of defending the land of Terra and her people from outside threats. I also act as a defense point-bot that provides backup for my pilot if he or she ejects and goes where I cannot due to my sheer size."
Lyra blinked as her hands gripped onto the odd handles she found, once her hands were in the grips she tried something. She moved around in an attempt to get up, and lo and behold her actions bore fruit as the machine followed her order and she managed to stand up. It felt so unreal to her that she was controlling this thing, and her curiosity got the better of her as she soon asked, "B-but... I'm not military, I don't even know what ATLAS or Terra are!" Her mind recalled something about Terra however, in an old book she had once read that belonged to her great grandfather.
"Ahh yes, I am sure you are wondering why, the long explanation would no doubt confuse you. So I will just sum it up to, I am in need of a new pilot and while it is usually against most regulations to allow one of your species to pilot such an advanced combat machine, you appear to be far more intelligent then last I saw of your kind. So I require your assistance in fighting these rogue creatures that have no doubt escaped from the Empire's own facilities and multiplied, ghastly things they are... how did they do it?" Butler pondered to himself as they stood in the alleyway.
If the mare was confused before, she was more so now. "M-my help? Empire? What?!" She asked, getting a green light to shine inside the machine's cockpit. "I don't know how to use this thing! What are you talking about?"
"You know how to move, fighting is but a simple task that I can teach you as we go." Butler informed her as something inside the cockpit came down in front of Lyra, it looked like a headset of sorts that could fit around her eyes. "Take this and put it over your eyes, your organic optics seem to be much larger then that of a humans, but this should work regardless."
At human, Lyra's ears perked up. "W-wait, human!?" Lyra asked, she didn't expect to hear that... not since she was a filly that studied them and was... viciously bullied for it. "What do you mean human?" Lyra put on the headset, it took some doing but she managed to strap it on.
"Hmm... you don't know? Odd..." Butler seemed a bit confused, but quickly cut off any other forms of conversation before a caribou war beast appeared down the alleyway, decked out in armor and spewing flames. "Enemy detected ahead."
A read out appeared on the eyepiece she was wearing, her body shaking as her nerves got the better of her as the war beast turned to her, spewing out flames and setting fire to the nearby warehouses. It wore a saddle, but its rider was missing, leaving it to do as it simply pleased. She had seen plenty of these heavy beasts attack Manehattan, setting fire to things and charging into barricades.
They were the steeds of the caribou.
"I would recommend going on the offensive, Madam." Butler told her, breaking her out of her stupor.
"B-but what do I do?! Why do you even need me to begin with?! Just get another human or something!" Lyra tried to tell Butler, shaking as she gripped the handles inside the mecha.
"I would prefer a more trained individual at the controls, yes, but for some reason ATLAS Command is informing me there are no pilots remaining. Meaning this situation is quite dreadful, so I am in need of a new pilot. Yes I am fully capable of fighting on my own, but having a pilot would make combating these creatures much more effective." Butler once more explained to her as the war beast roared.
"I-I can't do this! What if I mess up?" Lyra asked in a tiny voice, her shaking making the mecha shake as well. This was far too much, why would this machine pick her out out of every other pony to be his pilot?
A few seconds passed in silence, as the war for Manehattan raged outside. "I once had a pilot like you once, she was young, scared even at being inside of this armor. She was scared of failing not only her country, but her friends as well." Butler spoke softly, conveying emotion Lyra didn't know a machine was capable of making. "But she managed to get past that fear of hers, and she was able to fight... now you must do the same, because I am sure you have friends you do not want to see hurt."
Bonnie... Lyra thought about her best friend, an earth pony candy maker that lived in Ponyville. She was so far away from the city, but still the small town could get attacked if it wasn't already. She loved Bonnie greatly, and the thought of her being hurt by these caribou... turned into some willing whore made her blood boil. Used against her will by a race that was little more then barbarians.
Gripping the handles, Lyra stared down the beast ahead of both her and Butler.
"Okay... I'll... I'll try." She told Butler, and got another green light, which faded to a soft blue.
"Excellent."
Lyra took a steady breath as her hands gripped the controls inside, her fingers inside the small finger pieces that allowed her to move the mecha's own fingers. It felt so odd to do and see, when she moved her hand the mecha responded and did the same as her, if only a bit differently. She moved her closed fist into her open hand, the mecha doing the same as she cracked her knuckles, Butler doing the same with loud metal crunching noises. "Let's do this."
The war beast roared one more time in challenge before charging at Lyra, she wasn't prepared and took some damage, the force of the hit jostling her slightly as she brought her arms around to grip onto the beast and push it back as it pushed her. The two got locked into a stalemate halfway down the alleyway, with Lyra grunting in exertion when she buried her foot into the concrete behind her. Gritting her teeth she brought up her right hand and then slammed it down into the beast, a loud crunch and the sound of hydraulics sounding as the war beast roared in pain before covering her in fire.
"Whoah!" Lyra yelled as the flames licked at the mecha's hard outer shell, but she could still feel it even while inside the machine. The war beast got back down onto its hooves, shaking its head in pain before rearing up and head butting Lyra, who stumbled back with a yelp. She growled before backhanding it hard, causing it to crash into the fallen warehouse remains before she kicked it in the side, cracking several ribs in the process as it turned to face her for a tackle.
Lyra was ready though, picking up fast and compensating for the slight sluggishness of the mecha. A wild haymaker knocked it back, followed by left jab, right, left, right and left she threw punch after punch, cracking bones and giving it a healthy dose of brain damage. Not even done there, she pushed it up onto its hind legs and threw a hard haymaker into its head, snapping it to the side before throwing a hard left punch into its belly and kicking it away, sending it flying down the alleyway with a pitiful squeal noise.
It slammed into a carriage nearby, crushing it as she spotted several caribou watching Lyra, or rather the giant mecha that owned the war beast. Lyra didn't even notice them at first, instead feeling the adrenaline pumping through her veins fro the brief fight she had with a large fire spewing beast. Her arms shook, muscles burning and her heart throbbing deep in her chest. She had never fought anyone before, never even against her bullies in magic kindergarten, or when she was bullied in high school... college. She always just ran or avoided it entirely, but fighting just now...
It felt incredible.
"Ooooh wow." Lyra's trembling voice spoke quietly as she took in a shaky breath.
"More threats detected up ahead... oh, and one last thing." Butler started, shaking Lyra out of her stupor.
"Y-yeah?" She asked, looking up and spotting the caribou, which her headset locked and marked as enemies. It even showed their weapons and danger levels, which was incredibly helpful to her in this situation even if she didn't know it.
"May I have the name of my new pilot?"
New pilot... Lyra wasn't sure what to think about that, but for some reason it excited her. "I'm L-Lyra... Lyra Heartstrings." She finally said, wondering what Butler was gonna do with that information.
"A wonderful name, it is a pleasure to have you as my pilot, Lyra." Butler said with no small amount of a warm welcome in his voice.
Lyra cracked her knuckles again, grinning as the caribou started to back away. "Pleasure's all mine... now let's fight!"
The terrified screams of the caribou sounded shortly after of course.
As Lyra took advantage of the fact she had herself a new toy, with which to smash caribou with. The Leviathan hovering over the seas of Manehattan's port was terrifying many ponies and caribou alike, this giant kilometer long airship was beyond anything anyone had ever seen before. No one could even think properly about where it could have come from, or who's side it was on... because it already chose its side when it launched several missiles out of its hull from on top, long rusted missiles that blasted out of the beast and headed towards several caribou airships. Their tough iron armor was no match for these high explosive weapons, once they exploded upon impact all on board were killed as their flaming ships were sent crashing down into the ocean below with a few of them smashing into battleships.
"Open fire on that thing!" The caribou captains on board the ships had all yelled, turning their cannons skywards toward the massive black colored airship that hovered over them all like a monster. Their cannons were 16"/50 caliber Mark 7 guns, similar to incredibly old human battleship cannons, and they fired HC Mark 13 shells that weighed in at about 1,900 pounds, so they were some heavy duty shells that were good enough to level several buildings and kill a whole mess load of people nearby.
They did fuck all against this airship, the shells impacting and bouncing off or deflecting elsewhere, the armor on it was too much for their shells to penetrate. Though a few shells did manage to impact through a few openings, doing little damage against a few turrets that were firing on the airships above the Leviathan. The leviathan was old, an incredibly old piece of machinery that could very well be the last of its kind to sail the open skies in battle, but it was gonna do its job. Which was combat the caribou until it finally fell apart. Missiles launched by the dozens into airships above and battleships down below, some of the turrets on the bottom of the Leviathan fired huge shells towards the battleships and cargo transports in the harbor, causing them to explode violently and kill all on board. The caribou had no chance against this massive machine of war as it tore apart their navy like it was nothing, for every shell they fired, they lost two to four ships from every missile or turret gunfire that came from above.
Caribou were desperate as they jumped into the water, only to get killed anyway from the sharks that swam up to feast on the carnage, killing survivors amidst the flaming wreckage of their once great steel battleships. Other ships sunk slowly, exploding as their shell storage bays imploded inside one by one, causing huge gaping holes to open up in the sides as their cannons were torn to pieces from the shells exploding before being fired. Their gunners were killed in the fire, or drowned because of the ship's bulkheads locking down and trapping them inside, sinking down to the depths to a slow and terrifying death at the bottom of the harbor with no chance of escape.
Inside the leviathan skeleton crew jostled and rattled as their consoles were blaring with alarms and flashing lights, but the AI system merely took over to quell everything inside and fight back. "Leviathan AI - Online." A deep droning male voice spoke, and it seemed to echo throughout the ship. "Location - Unknown. Systems - Green. Crew Status - Deceased. Hostile Numbers - Unknown. Situation - Critical." It droned on as two panels on the side of the ship opened up, some struggling to open but eventually doing so, sparks flying and rocks falling from them. One of the panels fell off completely and crashed into the ocean, as the caribou down below wondered what was going on. "Initiating Counter-Terrorism Operations."
Several old mecha, some rusted and others actually still preserved activated, buzzing to life, some sparking and others smoothly making their way to the launching bays before boarding large boxy looking airships that were launched out of the side. The smaller airships were slightly bigger then any other airship the caribou or ponies had, and had a cockpit with a dead pilot inside of it that jostled around slightly as the airship flew out of the side of the Leviathan and towards Manehattan. The airship came under fire quickly, shells nearly missing it from caribou heavy machine guns, the rounds impacting the cockpit and smashing through to tear apart the long dead pilot. Not that it did much to impede the ship's movement as it and its friends flew over Manehattan's densely populated areas before stopping to hover.
Several dozen ponies that were trapped in Central Park noticed them as they were blocked on all sides by caribou forces, and watched as the airships dropped several large black mecha onto the ground. Each one causing a small quake in the ground as they drew their large guns and advanced on the antler'd beasts, who in turn grabbed ponies to use as shields. Other mecha landed nearby, big blue and black ones that drew large looking weapons that resembled rocket launchers before activating their jetpacks and flying up towards the rooftops.
"Back up! We'll kill them!" One caribou yelled, a gun pressed to a foal's head who cried in terror as her mother screamed and tried to egt to them, only to be slapped back. "We'll do it! Back off you tin can!"
"Hostage detected. Release the hostage, or suffer the punishment." The bigger mecha carrying what appeared to be a large eight barreled machine gun that required it to use both of its arms to hold it up. "You have ten seconds."
"Get away now!" The caribou yelled, hand shaking as his pistol was held up against the filly's head.
"H-help!" She sobbed, trying to get out of the caribou's hold.
"Situation change... death is now imminent." The mecha said, as a panel on its shoulder opened up and out popped a barrel.
Before the caribou could even think of pulling the trigger, a bullet had taken off his head and freed the filly who quickly dashed over into the safety of her mother as the other caribou were fired upon by small arms fire so as to not inflict civilian casualties. When the bodies fell, the ponies looked up at the mecha as they marched away from the park, with only two staying behind and guarding them. "T-thank you." One mare finally said, the mother who held her filly tightly.
The mecha paused, before saying, "Stay safe citizen." And then stomped off to fight the caribou.
Which proved to be a slaughter fest of epic proportions.
Royal guards all over the city alongside police officers were being pushed back by many caribou, the ever growing horde proving to be too much for them. They fired everything they had, throwing magical Pyro grenades and casting spell after spell towards them all as they took some heavy losses. But it wouldn't last long, as a large black mecha crashed into the horde of caribou, wielding a large sword and shield. The officers and guard watched as the mecha tore a swath through the caribou with its massive sword that buzzed to life like a giant chainsaw of death. The mecha swung its sword with such force, the caribou's armor was little more then butter compared to the blade's sharpness and ripping capabilities. Its shield taking the full brunt of their weapons fire as it spun around on its wheeled legs.
A loud buzz noise could be heard as it pierced a war beast through the skull, its sword going all the way through it and exiting out of its rear end. The rider could do little to nothing as the blade shot up suddenly, splitting the war beast in half and himself as the sword was held high in the air, blood dripping down from it as the caribou did something that was actually considered smart in the distant future...
They ran for their fucking lives.
The mecha spun around, flicking its sword to the side and splattering a generous amount of blood onto the caribou bodies nearby as it faced the police officers and royal guard. They all grew nervous at the sight of it, and the blood covering its aged rusty frame before three panels opened up on its chest, two to the side and one sliding up and revealing...
A minty green mare with a near manic grin on her face.
She was breathing heavily before she pulled her arms out of the mecha's control systems and her legs were freed. The mecha sheathed its shield and sword and knelt down, allowing her to exit where she nearly fell down had the mecha not caught her. The officers and guard were understandably confused, jealous and one was slightly aroused by the sight.
"What in the sweet fucks is going on here?!" One officer yelled, an older mare with a blood red coloration as she stomped over. "Who are you!?"
"I'm L-Lyra." Lyra told her as she stood up, shakily and added, "Look, these big robot dudes are on our side." She told them as more of the airships flew overhead, firing on caribou and killing them before they could launch any anti air weaponry against them. "I k-know they're scary looking, but they're here to help."
"How do you know? Are you the one who brought them here?!" The mare officer questioned as a distant explosion went off, and they all turned to see several mecha flying through the air towards a caribou airship.
"I don't know who brought them here, but they're here to help us!" Lyra told them again, turning back to Butler and adding, "We gotta join them and fight back against these assholes."
The red mare seemed a bit iffy, but when she turned to look at the losses they've gained, she grumbled. "Better then nothing, all right fillies! Get your guns and arm up, we're going to war!" She bellowed as Lyra jumped back into her mecha.
She quickly got into the controls, two hours of using it and she had a slight grasp on how to use Butler properly. "Alright buddy, let's free Equestria."
"Roger that Lyra."
Lyra wasn't sure where Butler and the rest of these things had come from...
But goddamn if she didn't enjoy this...
And so Lyra fought alongside the royal guard and officers, aiding in their efforts to repel the caribou from their city as the excitement and adrenline flooded through her body.
It was incredible.
On top of one building, clad in a black skin tight outfit was a mare, one with a cream colored face and a two tone blue and pink mane. Her blue eyes watching Lyra and her mech, Butler tear apart the caribou with brutal abandon. Even from here, the mare could barely make out Lyra's whoops and cries of excitement.
"Oh Lyra..." The mare shook her head. Even in this kinda of situation, she treats it like a video game. She stood up tall, her head turning to look at the distant mountains where Canterlot resided. I wonder how the princesses are faring?
Speaking of Canterlot.
The city of Canterlot, a beacon of nobility and perfection in the land of Equestria was also under fire from Caribou who had managed to get into the city via some secret underground tunnels and managing to steal two trains to get their forces inside to knock out any defenses while they got their airships to land.
It was horrible, but thankfully the ponies had aid, specifically a very ticked off lunar mare.
Princess Luna of the Night and Moon was pissed as she slammed into the ground, wings flared out as she conjured up her scythe, a long handled double bladed weapon with large blades on either end that she utilized effortlessly as she cut through the caribou she had seen trying to enter in through the castle through a southern entrance. She had the face of a foal who was asked to clean up her room, angry acceptance was one word one could use to name her expression.
"Is that all? I am but a mere mare to you all aren't I? Pathetic!" Luna taunted as she leapt onto a nearby wall, throwing out her hand and casting a spell that sent a barrage of ice shards raining down on the caribou, piercing their armor and skin and making them cry out in pain. "I have faced foes that make this battle pail in comparison!"
"SHUT YOUR MOUTH WHORE!" One caribou yelled, charging at Luna and throwing his sword at her before firing his gun.
Luna merely raised a shield and deflected the bullets before leaping off the wall and cutting through him with her scythe, splitting him in half as she landed in the most elegant of poses in front of another group of the rapist bastards. She rose her hand, palm up and make a come at me motion before several airships flew overhead.
She paused for a mere moment and looked up, spotting several machines being launched out of the sides, dropping down below and crushing several caribou with their immense size and weight. She also witnessed one land nearby, colored the same as her coat and wielding a very large energy bladed scythe much like her own. It was sleek looking, built for speed and quick attacks.
Luna grinned.
With Celestia, the Princess of the Sun stood in her throne room, the mare dressed in the finest clothing she had as she was prepared for the day's nobility. Only for her horrible day to turn into something potentially less boring as the caribou invaded, thankfully they hadn't killed anyone yet, only taking hostages as they moved in on the castle. She was prepared of course, her magic ready at a moment's notice in case she had to cook some idiots and prepare a four course meal using their meat and bones.
However, they all seemed to change as she heard more explosions, different ones then last time when they first came. The princess hurried over to one of the windows where she saw a beam of light come from nearby before cutting through an airship, ripping it to shreds. Celestia watched as the airship angled to the left towards the cliff and crashed into it, exploding before falling down off the city and down onto the ground several kilometers down below. The one who fired the beam eventually came into view, an odd looking mechanical beast with a large weapon in its hands that it used to fire at the other airships and bringing them down to a fiery end.
The doors crashed open, and in stormed Diann and two of his best guard. "Hahah! Celestia, at last we meet." He cooed, apparently not even noticing the carnage happening outside. "This will not be a pleasant end to your... female tyranny." He held up his battleaxe, something that crackled with red energy. "For too long you, as a female, have been in power. It is time that I show you you're rightful plac-" He was unable to finish as the windows nearby shattered, and in flew two large metal beasts.
You guessed it.
Big ass Titans.
They landed on either side of the throne with heavy thuds, startling the royal guard who had taken up a defensive ring around Celestia. Diann and his loyal guard stumbled back in surprise as the two massive 14 foot tall machines wielding nasty looking guns, that were aimed at Diann and his lackies. Celestia looked on at both of them in shock, wondering what they were as Diann growled.
"This a trick of yours Celestia? Well it won't fool me! Guards! Attack them!" Diann ordered as more of his stormguard ran inside, before firing their heavy machine guns at the mecha. These guns were far more advanced and actually did some damage against the machines, tearing through the armor before the mecha fired back.
Their larger guns packed a bigger wallop though, the massive rounds tearing into Diann's stormguard and sending a couple of them flying back, while others had their torsos ripped clean off. The loud Crack Crack Crack echoing throughout the throne room as heavy brass shells landed on the floor and rolled away. The stormguards were torn apart in seconds, their screams of agony sounding out loud as the royal guards formed a tight barrier in front of Celestia as they witnessed some of the most brutal carnage.
Diann was left standing amidst the gore that used to be his guards, blood covering his armor and axe as he stared wide eyed at the machines who aimed their guns right at him. He trembled slightly, and if one looked straight into his eyes they would have seen fear the likes of which he had never felt before. "W-what? Impossible!"
Celestia, garnering her courage broke the barrier around her, the guards slowly falling in step behind her as she stepped in between the titans. They didn't move, only standing still as their guns were aimed at Diann. She took a deep breath, and said, "This is no trick Diann... I know not where these machines came from... but I thank them, because they spared you a fate worse then death itself. Surrender yourself... and I'll see to it you are treated fairly..."
Diann panicked, this wasn't how anything was supposed to go! No! This is not how I fall! He reached into his armor's pocket before pulling out three large balls and throwing them down in front of him, causing them to explode and cover the area around him in smoke before he turned tail and sprinted out of the castle and outside. I will win this! He ran as fast as he could outside, witnessing his forces being torn apart by more of these large mecha and his airships being shot down. No! NO! He growled in rage, throwing his battle axe at a nearby royal guard and splitting them in half before grabbing the nearest rune master and growling, "Get me out of here now!"
"B-But my king-!"
"No buts! The battle is lost, we must retreat and I will not be some bitch's prisoner!" With that said, the rune master cast a spell and the two teleported away.
Whatever remaining caribou tried to flee from the battle the moment their leader fled in a haste, most getting shot in the back by firearms or blown apart by explosive missiles or grenades, some were even set on fire as enraged citizens and royal guard chased after them. One by one the fleeing caribou were killed viciously, their airships crashing down onto the city itself or off the side of the cliff side city and down onto the ground below as fires raged.
An hour or two passed until the fighting died down, and smoke bellowed into the skies above as Luna stepped out from where she was fighting, covered in the blood of caribou that she had slain as a mecha walked behind her. The large midnight blue mecha wielding its massive scythe was scanning the corpses as Luna banished her weapon, sighing as if she had just finished a nice stretch after waking up. Looking around, she saw the guards taking a breather and helping the injured as the others started a city wide search for any remaining caribou.
Luna watched them, turning to glance back at the mecha with its weapon in hand. Hmm... these metal beasts seem familiar. Luna wasn't sure why they seemed familiar though, and no matter how much she tried her mind couldn't place it.
Oh how little she knew...
Elsewhere in the world, the war in the Crystal Empire was eventually won, with the caribou pushed back and retreating back to the deep north as Manehattan was defended, with all of the enemy forces killed or otherwise retreating. Canterlot, while not suffering as much damage as the other cities and locations survived and was eventually cleansed.
But this wasn't the end... oh no...
"They will pay for this." Diann growled, clenching his fists in anger. "They will pay!"
This was only the beginning... of a very bloody conflict that would engulf the world.
Author's Note
And so, now we end this...
On an open note, leaving many things open to speculation. What happened to Soarin? Is this gonna be a bloody conflict? We'll never know... but alas, that is up to you... the readers to figure out and explore this realm of near endless possibilities. I have written this in hopes that it'll spur ideas for you guys to write stories in, this new universe I have created. Maybe it'll happen, maybe not.
Alas, welcome to the ATLAS-Verse... I do hope you enjoyed this bonus chapter I posted.
Till next time folks.
Also, apologies for any typos or errors, hehe... excitement got the better of me.
