FiMTech - The War of Annihilation (BattleTech Crossover)

Everything hurt. It felt like her insides were being torn apart and sewn back together, like a thousand razorblades were swimming around inside her skull. She screamed and thrashed as violently as her aching body could, desperately wishing for the agony to end.

"You're going to be okay, Twilight! Hold on for just a little while longer, you're going to be fine!" a muffled voice said. "Can't you give her more sedative?"

"That voice... it sounds familiar..." Twilight though as she continued to writhe in pain, unable to open her eyes. "Who is it?"

"No, we've used it all."

"Well, don't you have painkillers or something?!"

"I don't think aspirin will help her! You're the one with fancy magic, you do something about it!"

"It's taking all I've got just to keep her alive! Where are your friends, they should have been here by now!"

A brief silence.

"They're just down the road. Help me lift her!"

Twilight's screams grew more desperate as she was lifted from the ground, and tears seeped through her closed eyelids. "If there is a God out there, please... make it stop..."

"There they are! Put her in the back!"

Being placed down was even worse than being picked up. Twilight wanted to bash her skull into the ground to knock herself out.

The air around Twilight was suddenly full of voices she couldn't recognize. Hooves and pointy things poked at her, and she tried to twist away from them.

"Hold her steady!"

"Somepony strap her legs down!"

"Where's the sedatives?"

Twilight felt her limbs being restrained by a stiff material, and something rubbery was pressed over her muzzle. When she could no longer move, something poked sharply into the side of her neck. It was a drop in the ocean.

"What happened?"

"She got stabbed in the side, and I think a lung collapsed. She also has a really bad skull fracture. I've been doing what I can, but I don't know if it was enough."

"You kept her alive, that's all we need. You can stop the spell now."

Most of the pain immediately dropped from Twilight's body. The change was so drastic she nearly went unconscious on the spot. That combined with whatever had been injected into her neck were making it increasingly hard to remain awake, and the outside world rapidly drifted out of reach. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she descended into darkness. All she could hear was the familiar voice, repeating itself over and over.

"It's okay Twilight, they're going to take care of you now. You'll be okay. You'll be okay. You have to..."

✸ ✸ ✸

Twilight cracked her eyes open. Something had shaken her awake; what it was, she had no clue. In fact, she wasn't even sure where she was anymore. The small space she was in was mostly dark, save for a few dim rays of light streaming in through a crack or hole in the ceiling. Definitely not Shadow's castle.

Twilight gritted her teeth at the pain in her body and tried to force herself into a sitting position. Each breath felt like a lightning bolt shooting through her chest, and the smallest movement made her head pound. "Urgh... Where am I? I have to get out of here," she thought, trying to make sense of her situation. Everything after Shadow's appearance was a little blurry. She faintly remembered being flung to the ground, but everything after that was black.

"Hey, take it easy. Just lie still," a voice said. Twilight felt a hoof push her gently back down, and she looked up to see the faint outline of two ponies in the dark. A faint memory flashed through her mind, and she recognized it as the familiar voice from earlier.

"W-who are you? What's going on?" Twilight asked, trying to keep her panic from entering her voice. She used her magic to illuminate the tiny room, and saw a middle-aged unicorn and a stocky older pegasus standing next to her. The pegasus was pale yellow with pink eyes and a short sky blue mane that was graying at the roots, and he wore a black worker's jumpsuit. It was a little frayed at the edges and had a number of stains that looked like they'd been there for years.

The unicorn was a little more unusual. She had a sapphire coat and silver eyes that poked out from beneath a long, stringy white mane. The only thing she wore was a tattered jacket that was so dirty it was impossible to tell its original color. She was also the one who had spoke, as she had a worried expression and still had her hoof on Twilight's chest.

"Hey- turn that off! Are you trying to get us captured?" the pegasus whispered, frantically trying to cover Twilight's horn with his wings. She reluctantly let the light fade, and the small space returned to darkness.

"I'm... a friend," the unicorn said evasively. "You were badly injured. We're taking you somewhere safe so you can get properly looked at, to another planet. Until then, please just try to rest. Don't move too suddenly."

"Another planet?" The floor rumbled ominously, and Twilight bit her lip as the throbbing in her chest flared up. Where had she just been..? That's right, Shadow's palace. From her quick glance at these two, she didn't think they worked there. "What were you two doing in Shadow's castle?"

"It's a long story," the unicorn said.

"I'm not going anywhere," Twilight prodded. The floor rumbled again, and she thought she heard the sputtering of some sort of engine through the noise. Were they on a 'Ship of some kind?

The unicorn was silent for a long moment. "This isn't the time or place. I'll explain everything to you soon, but not like this."

Twilight sighed and glanced around the dark space. She wished she could see, just a little bit. Then she could maybe figure out where she was, and what was going on. Her horn began to glow again, but the pegasus immediately smothered her horn.

"What did I say about that? Quit it!" he said.

Twilight sighed and dimmed her horn. She just wanted to know what was going on. "Who are you? Where am I?"

The unicorn opened and closed her mouth a couple times, confused. "You'll find out who I am later. We're heading somewhere you'll be safe. As far away from that planet as possible."

"Safe?" Twilight shook her head, and immediately regretted it as the dull ache turned into a sharp pain. "Why were you in Shadow's castle?"

The unicorn remained silent. Twilight lit up her horn again to try and see the pony, but something feathery wrapped around the upper half of her head. She tried to push it off, but it stubbornly remained in place.

"Stop!" the pegasus growled. "Her head is messed up. It's chasing itself in circles."

"I know. We need to get her to a doctor. Any idea on how far off we are?"

"Not sure. Lost track of time. Two days, maybe three?" the pegasus offered.

"I don't know if it's healthy for her to be awake that whole time. Should we use the spell again?" the unicorn asked.

"It's your magic. You make the call."

The unicorn sighed, and Twilight felt the pegasus remove his wings from her head. A dim yellow glow began to fill the room, and it took her a moment to realize it was coming from the unicorn.

"You're going to be okay, Twilight. Everything will be fine. Just rest for now."

Twilight flinched back as glowing tendrils reached toward her from the unicorn's horn. She tried to use her own magic to shield herself, but the unicorn's magic easily phased through her protection spell — a little too easily, she noted nervously. Either her current condition had weakened her magic considerably, or this unicorn was much more powerful than she let on.

"You'll be okay." The unicorn's voice reverberated in Twilight's head, harshly at first, but then it faded into something softer that soothed her headache and calmed her worried thoughts. "We will keep you safe." The aches in Twilight's body slowly melted away, and it felt like she'd been enveloped in a warm blanket. "But for now, sleep, and heal." Twilight's eyelids began to feel heavy, and as her mind crawled to a gentle stop and her eyes flitted shut, she thought she saw the unicorns' eyes shift from silver to light blue.

Granite sighed in annoyance and ended the simulation. One 'Mech Lance against a 'Mech Star was so difficult. Winning was possible, but even with his ally pilots' skill set to maximum, they still lost way more often than not, and the wins left only one 'Mech standing. Fighting Clan soldiers on their terms was nearly impossible. They were certainly leagues ahead of the run-of-the-mill bandits he was accustomed to fighting.

"What are you doing in here at this hour?" a voice called commandingly from the other end of the room. Granite jumped out of his seat and snapped to attention, fearing a reprimand, but relaxed when he recognized his friend, Botu.

"Oh, it's just you. Hey Botu," Granite said as he disconnected his neurohelmet and pulled it from his head. "Just getting a little extra practice in."

Botu raised an eyebrow. "'A little?' It's past midnight. You're the last pony in our battalion who needs that much practice."

"I just want to be sure I'm ready. Extra sim time never hurt anypony," Granite replied with a shrug.

"It will if it starts eating into your sleep schedule. We barely get enough rest as it is, and you'll start to seriously feel like garbage if you miss out."

Granite nodded reluctantly. "I know. You're right." He placed the neurohelmet on a rack to be disinfected later and walked past the simulator cockpits toward the exit. "And why are you still awake? Gravity sickness again?"

"Yeah, my stomach feels like shit, but at least they're keeping the 'Ship moving. Some gravity is better than nothing." Botu led the way down the gray halls of the Sugarcube: the Kyushu-class WarShip inhabited by the Pinkie Brigade's First Battalion. The halls were completely empty, as the only other awake ponies would be the tiny night crew.

They walked in silence for a couple minutes. The Sugarcube's seemingly infinite levels were confusing to most ponies at first, and while it was borderline impractical, the reversible design of the halls and rooms allowed the 'Ship to have a small level of gravity by constantly accelerating or decelerating, switching each day before dinner to avoid the spontaneous emptying of every crew members' stomach as their world literally flipped upside-down. Granite found it hard to get used to, but not having to adapt to zero-gravity during transit and then back to gravity upon arrival was well worth it, especially for time-sensitive missions.

"So what do you think fighting Clanners is going to be like?" Botu asked after a long moment.

Granite shrugged. "I don't know. We've been given some data from recent border skirmishes, but that's only from four Clans, and they all have their own fighting styles and technology levels. Our info on the rest of them is over a century outdated, and there's no telling what kinds of things they've developed in that time. I've been running as many simulated battles as I can to try and get the best idea of what we can expect."

"Is that why your face is in a perpetual state of concern?" Botu said jokingly. "I'm assuming those simulations don't end well by your expression."

Granite's brow furrowed further. "It all depends on the fights we take. The individual skill of our opponents, how the numbers stack up, if it's a battle of brute force or attrition, everything. We stand a really good chance of winning the longer fights, but we lose nearly every battle of strength. Our chances improve if we're on the defensive, but the Clans aren't the ones invading."

"That bad, huh?"

"Most likely, but some of them are also weakened. I didn't account for that in any of the simulations. I want to be ready for the worst-case scenario, otherwise I'll never pull everypony through this war," Granite finished, coming to a stop next to a door.

Botu nudged Granite, perhaps a little to roughly. "How about you instead focus on pulling yourself through it. You won't be able to protect everypony. Just prepare us, lead your Lance, and let us handle the rest."

Granite nodded, again fighting the urge to tell Botu about his meeting with Time Strider. He wanted to. On multiple occasions he'd been tempted to tell Botu or Halo about what the sphinx had seen in his future. But how could he? How could he tell his best friend or his brother that he wasn't going to survive the war?

"Now come on, it's way too late already. We need to get some sleep," Botu said before sliding the door open.

Granite hesitated. "You go on ahead. I'll be a few minutes. I'm not quite ready to sleep yet."

Botu gave Granite a skeptical look. "Okay. Just remember what I said about getting enough sleep. 'Night." He walked into the dark room and slid the door shut silently behind him. Or, as silently as a yak could shut a door.

Granite sighed, staring after his friend. He wished he could tell Botu about his future. It would be such a huge weight off his chest. But this was a burden he had to carry alone. He began wandering the labyrinth of a WarShip, unsure of what else to do.

After a good five minutes of walking, lost in thought, Granite found himself at a dead end. He hadn't been paying a particularly large amount of attention to where he'd been walking, and his hooves had apparently carried him to one of the 'Ship's rec rooms of their own volition. With nothing better to do, he decided to go in.

The rec room was of decent size, with a bar, tables and chairs, a pool table, a small bowling lane, a television, and a few other things Granite had never bothered to try to learn the names of. He sat down at one of the tables near a corner of the dimly-lit room.

"Not much longer," Granite said to himself. They'd left nearly a month ago, and were now almost in Clan space. One more jump would put them right on the edge of enemy territory, and another would put them close enough to their first target to detach the DropShips. From that second on, every moment could be his last.

"How many more times will I see Botu? What will be the last thing I say to Halo? What's going to happen to them after I die? What's going to happen to me after I die?" Granite's breaths became ragged, and he rubbed his upper forelegs, cold creeping into his limbs despite the warm interior of the 'Ship.

"I don't... I don't want to die, he thought. He wrapped his forelegs tightly around himself. "Please, someone help me. Tell me what to do."

Anxiety and the desire to run away overtook Granite's mind, and he let it this time, shivers shaking his body. He'd fought these feelings enough to know resisting never made a difference. "I know it's for the greater good." He whimpered and rested his head on the table in front of him. Tears began rolling slowly down his face, one after another.

"But I'm still scared."

The Council Chamber was in utter chaos. Forty ponies seated around a large table all shouted ceaselessly at each other, while hundreds more in balconies muttered restlessly to each other. The new situation certainly had everypony on edge.

"Why should we do anything? We just finished one war, we can not afford another so soon!" one pony argued.

"To sit back and do nothing is cowardice!" a second yelled.

"If we do not retaliate, it will be taken as a sign of weakness. More planets will surely be raided," another countered.

"We must wait for the others before we make a decision. This will affect all Clans. We need every Khan to be present."

One of the ponies jumped from his seat and slammed his front hooves on the large table. "Then where are they? It has been hours, yet they are still absent." They gestured to the six empty seats. "If those Khans cared about the Clans, they would be here, yet they are not. We do not need to wait for them any longer! All of us have important duties to uphold, and we can not do them here. We must come to a decision now."

"We do, but we will still wait," another replied. "We will wait for a year if we must. They were just in battle. See beyond your own selfish mind for once. This is bigger than you or I."

The other pony growled. "I will not stand here and be ridiculed by the likes of you while I wait for Inner Sphere scum to attack my planets, steal my resources, and kill my ponies." He spun briskly and began to walk from the chamber. "We are done here. Clan Flash Bee will retaliate, with or without your help."

"No, you will not."

Forty heads swiveled to see Khan Howl sitting in her previously unoccupied seat. Next to her, saKhan Jackal's projection flickered to life, and a few dozen of Clan Wolf's more prominent warriors began appearing in the gallery behind them.

"You will wait for all Clans to be present, Khan Wasp," Howl said sternly.

"Clan Wolf finally graces us with their presence," Wasp sneered. "Why are you so late? Lost track of time? Could you not afford a pocket watch?"

"We are late because our WarShips were attacked, and our comms were jammed," Howl replied curtly. "We would have been here on time or sent a message were it not for that."

"Attacked again? So soon?" one of the Khans asked.

Howl nodded. "Our enemy seemed very intent on killing us, to follow us so far. Thankfully they did not have the numbers advantage in that fight. Few Clan lives were lost today."

"That is good news. If that battle is over, then where are the others? We are still missing the Ghost Bears and Bugbears."

"Here," Snow rumbled as he entered the virtual chamber. Khan Lance materialized a second later. "We do not all have Khan Howl's speed."

"Nor your strength," Howl replied. "I am sad to hear of the deaths of Khan Subzero, and saKhan Radiance. We could have used their wisdom and courage in the coming years."

"Indeed we could have, but now is not the time for that. We must discuss the Clans' new scourge. There shall be brief introductions, then we should form a plan." Snow nodded to the olive-colored pony seated next to him, who cleared their throat nervously.

"I am Sage Whisper, former Star Captain of the First Bear Guards. It is my honor to have earned the title of Clan Ghost Bear's saKhan, and to serve to the best of my abilities," he said.

The other Khans murmured greetings, then turned expectantly to the pony seated next to Khan Lance. He had a sky blue coat and a smooth black mane, which hung just above his rose eyes. He spoke with a clear voice that carried easily across the chamber.

"I am Star Dash, former Star Captain of the Sixth Striker Cluster. I will carry the burden of saKhan with honor, and will one day lead Clan Bugbear to higher glory."

"Thank you, saKhan Dash," Lance said before turning to the assembled ponies. "Now that introductions are out of the way, let us continue. First we must discover who this new enemy is, and how much of a threat they are. What are their true numbers? Are the associated with the Houses in any way, or is this the act of another power? What are their intentions? Only then should we decide whether war is the answer."

"I think I may be able to answer one of those questions in the coming days," Howl chimed in. "Using combat data collected during the battle of Ironhold, we will be able to deduce their affiliation based on their BattleMech choices and fighting techniques."

Lance nodded approvingly. "Good thinking. Should you need more data, I have much I can provide." He leaned forward on the table and stared through it, subconsciously tracing his hoof across its surface. "As for intentions, they are a little more confusing. They did not attack until after Lightning Bolt and Arc Flash had been confirmed dead. This leads me to believe either they have no love for Clan lives, or they wanted Clan Draconequus specifically to be destroyed. They would have needed Lightning Bolt's cooperation to stage their ambush, making matters more confusing.

"If they wanted the Draconequus Khans dead, they could have first helped defeat our forces, then killed the Khans themselves. Given their numbers I do not doubt they could have pulled it off. So why wait until their numbers advantage slipped?"

"Arrogance, perhaps?" one of the Khans suggested. He was a Zebra named Rungu, the Khan of Clan Widowmaker, and the new senior Khan following Subzero's death. "Hmm. Arrogance and betrayal... Khan Howl, you might start your search in the House of Honesty or the House of Generosity. They each fit one of those bills, judging from history."

"She may not have to," Snow said grimly, staring through their virtual chamber. "Have the rest of you also received a transmission?"

There was a brief silence as the rest of the Khans also broke from the meeting, then a low murmur when they found what Snow had mentioned. It was a video message from the Inner Sphere, and judging from the still image, it wasn't exactly a friendly greeting. Lance tapped a few times on an unseen object, and a trio of screens appeared in the center of the hall so all could clearly see. The video started a moment later.

"I am Prince Shadow Chaser, leader of The House of Generosity," the gray pony on screen began. Five other regal ponies stood behind him, their faces unreadable masks. "I will keep this short. We have important matters to attend to, as will you shortly."

Shadow cleared his throat. "The Inner Sphere hereby declares war on the twenty-three Clans. Do us all a favor; roll over and die quickly. Let's not make this more painful than it needs to be." He inclined his head as the video ended, his condescending glare left filling the now silent chamber.

Lance raised one eyebrow. "I guess that answers one question."

"War? On all of us? Why?" Howl asked skeptically.

"I do not know that the 'why' matters at this moment," Rungu said. "And they do have the numbers to fight us. Enough to win, though? Shadow seemed certain they would prevail, but I do not think we are as weakened as he believes."

Nereida growled. "Pompous swine. It will give me great pleasure to ram my BattleMech's fist down his throat."

"You may have that opportunity someday, but now we must prepare for a new war," Howl replied. "I believe it is in our best interests to elect an ilKhan."

Snow nodded. "That may be why they are so confident. The Inner Sphere sees us as separate bands of war-hungry savages. We could still win this war as separate Clans, but united under an ilKhan, we will show them what we truly are, and that we cannot be so easily broken."

"Indeed." Nereida leaned back in her seat and eyed the other Khans. "So which of us should it be?"

Snow, Howl, and Rungu immediately turned to look at Lance. Slowly other ponies began shifting their gaze toward him, one by one until every set of eyes in the room was staring straight at him. It seemed there was already a favorite choice.

"All who wish for Khan Sun Lance to become the ilKhan, raise your right hoof," Snow said. Forty-two of the forty-six Khans voted in favor, and the vast majority of the assembled warriors also voted for. Wasp and Nereida were among the few to vote against, their surly faces turned away.

Snow nodded to Rungu, who pulled himself from his seat and drew back his shoulders, standing tall and with strength despite his age. "Rise, Khan Lance," he said. Lance obeyed, meeting the zebra's gaze.

"Khan Sun Lance, do you swear upon the words of the great Rainbow Dash that you will guide us through this new trial, that you will lead us into battle to overcome this new enemy that rears its head before us?" Rungu asked in a clear voice.

Lance lifted his chin. "I swear."

"Then by the power of the Grand Council, I appoint you ilKhan of the Clans. May you lead us with confidence in these dark days."

"Seyla!" responded the other ponies in the chamber.

"Seyla," echoed Rungu before returning to his seat.

IlKhan Lance stood still for a moment, unsure of what to do, then too sat back down. "We must assemble our forces first," he said. "Clans who were involved in the battle of Ironhold should take three months to rest. Rebuild your Toumans before returning to the fight. The other Clans will hold the frontlines during that time."

"Three months?" Howl asked. "IlKhan, I do not wish to let other Clan Warriors die in our stead for so long, especially after what our enemy has done. Let us take thirty days to rebuild, and we will be in fighting condition again. I swear it."

"Clan Ghost Bear will also be ready in thirty days. We should not sit idle so long during a time like this," Snow rumbled.

Lance nodded thoughtfully and remained silent. After a few moments, he turned to Dash expectantly. "Khan Dash? What is your decision?"

Dash glanced up, startled. "Khan?"

"Yes. It is now my duty to lead all the Clans, leaving Clan Bugbear in your hooves. It is your responsibility," Lance replied. "Remember you must also choose a saKhan before going to battle."

Panic flashed across Dash's face, but he pushed it down quickly and squared his shoulders, speaking in a voice that carried no fear. "Clan Bugbear will be at full strength in thirty days. Not a second longer."

"Very well. If that is what you all wish, then I will abide." Lance rapped his hooves on the table. "For now, return to your Clans. We will hold another meeting tomorrow, during which we should respond. We will remind this new enemy of our strength, and teach them the error of their ways. We are not to be trifled with." He tapped a few buttons on an unseen console, after which the council chamber began to waver and disappear. "Erase the Inner Sphere from existence. I will not play these games any longer."