Author's Note

A short but breathtaking chapter.
To start it off, a little intro:

A climatic showdown!

A climatic showdown!

"DIEGO!" Luna shouts, snapping me out of my shock.

~~Run.~~

"What?" Luna asks.

~~Run. Run as far away from here as possible, take EVERYONE with and don't look back!~~ I say, more serious than I've ever been.

"Diego, what's going-" I interrupt Luna by blasting a hole into the roof with my tail.

"Diego, what are you doing?!" Celestia yells, blocking falling dust with her arm.

"DiD'nT yOu HeAr Me? I sAiD RUN!" I speak, everyone hearing a glitchy but audible voice. I fly through the hole in the roof, Bayard in hand.

(On the ship)
(3rd POV)

"Captain! We have detected the unknown energy signature. It IS on the planet." A helmsman says.

"Good. Where is it now?" The sinister mechanical voice of the captain asks.

"Scanning indicates it is… coming towards us!" The helmsman shouts.

"On screen!" The captain orders. The viewscreen of the bridge changes to show Diego flying straight towards the ship.

"What is that?" A lieutenant asks.

"It appears to be some sort of small mechanoid, sir." Another helmsman answers.

"A mechanoid? That's the source?" The captain asks.

"Yes captain. The energy is radiating directly from it." The first helmsman answers.

"Continue weaponry bombing, focus fire on the mechanoid. Let's see how much it can take."

"Vrepit sa!" The crew shouts.

(Diego POV)

If these guys think they can just invade this planet all willy nilly, they've got another thing coming! I think as I fly towards the Galra cruiser. Multiple spots on the front of the cruiser begin glowing purple, an energy barrage incoming.
No you don't!
I deploy my energy shield as the cannons on the ship begin firing, the blasts of energy bouncing off my shield like spitballs.

(Ship)

"Captain, the mechanoid appears to have an energy shield, it is blocking our point defense cannons!" A gunner calls out.

"Deploy the sirenic turrets!" The captain orders.

"Vrepit sa!" The gunner answers.

(Diego)

From the top of the ship, multiple guns deploy, their barrels pointing upwards.
What are those? I wonder.
The turrets fire, their purple energy beams screaming through the sky. The beams then change course, now flying straight to me. I hold my shield forward and charge but the beams spiral around my shield, striking me in the sides and back.
Smart lasers? I do not remember those.
More shots scream towards me. I deploy my sniper rifle and shoot through them, charging back at the ship.

(Ship)

"The sirens have been intercepted, captain. Target has taken minimal damage." The gunner reports. The captain presses a button on the console in front of him.

"Fighter squadrons one through ten, scramble immediately!" The captain's voice is heard throughout the entire ship. "Crew, change from alert level four to alert level two, arm battle stations!" The captain turns off the intercom. "Battle formation. Let us see if that thing can survive this."

(Diego)

The ship begins turning, I am now facing towards its side instead of its head. From both sides, a wave of smaller ships mobilize.
Looks like they're sending fighters. Not gonna let them.
I merge my Bayard with my wings, forming my sonic disruptor. I fire a signal hijack wave, causing dozens of the fighters to crash into each other.
Wait, those aren't manned fighters, their sentinel flown. If I can hijack their programming, they'll do my job for me! I realize.
I send another hijack signal, this time targeting the fighter pilots. As I suspected, the pilots are all sentinels. The fighters immediately turn around and start friendly firing at each other.

(Ship)

"What is happening?!" The captain shouts.

"The target has some sort of signal weapon, it's reprogramming our fighters against us!" The lieutenant reports. The captain activates the intercom again.

"Withdraw all remaining fighters and cancel fighter deployment. Change to alert level one. All weapons operators to their stations." The captain turns off the intercom and faces the viewscreen. "We'll take it down with our weapons."

(Diego)

Dozens of different weapons deploy from all sides of the ship, raining a hailstorm of different lasers down on me. I deploy my chainsword.
I was going for the compensator but this works just as well!
With a flick of my wrist, I bisect five retreating fighters.
Oh wow! This thing is sharp!
Chainsword in hand, I continue flying towards the ship, now almost within reach.

(Ship)

"Prime the ion cannon! We'll blast that thing into space dust!" The captain orders.

"Captain, if we miss, the planet will suffer serious damage. I believe we should reconsider-" The captain grabs the lieutenant by the throat.

"I don't care about that blasted planet! It can be destroyed. I want that machine in pieces!" The captain orders as he lets go of the lieutenant.

"Vrepit sa!" The bridge acknowledges.

(Diego)

The ship turns back to facing me again, a large weapon on the bow aiming directly at me.
Oh no, that's an ion cannon! If that thing shoots me, I could be done for! But if I dodge it, Arcadia will get hit! What do I do?!
The cannon fires.
Rah! I shout in my mind as I form my shield.
The cannon blast strikes the shield, nearly knocking me back into orbit.
Dear me, that hurt!
The cannon fires again.
No!
I block the shot, getting pushed back again.

(Ship)

"Switch to continuous firing mode!" The captain orders.

(Diego)

The cannon fires again, this time not letting up. I look down at the planet I am protecting.
Such a beautiful place…
I won't let it be destroyed! Thrusters to one hundred percent!
Both the jets on my legs and in my wings flare to full. I am now pushing against the beam, rising back to the ship.

(Ship)

"WHAT IS HAPPENING?!" The captain demands.

"The target is blocking the ion cannon and is pushing against the beam. At the current speed, target will be with close range in nine and a half doboshes." A gunner reports.

"Increase firepower to maximum! Vaporise that machine and the planet along with it!"

(Diego)

The beam doubles in size, now pushing me back again.
No! I. Will. Not. Let. You. WIN!
Engage!
Diego takes his Bayard in a perpendicular grip, deforming the shield and letting the ion beam strike his back. Diego plunges the Bayard into the port on his chest, turning it like a key. Diego's whole body glows white like a brand new star as he changes. His size grows, the port and Bayard in his chest become a full chest plate and his tail recedes as he reaches his true size. He now stands taller than Fantasia. In comparison, the ship in front of him is just a long building. Everyone on the bridge of the ship is in shock. Diego brings his hands together as the insignia on his chest glows, a one-sided sword forming in his right hand. Diego flips the sword into a reverse grip as he flies past the ship, tearing through the hull like a hand through a waterfall. Explosions wrack the ship as Diego flies above it, holding the sword upright in front of himself as his chest glows again. The sword glows white, becoming longer, wider and sharper as the tip curves into a scimitar. Diego flies down, cutting the ship straight in two. The two pieces explode, becoming nothing but space dust. Diego's body glows white as he falls back down to Arcadia, returning to his regular size as my Bayard disappears in a white flash.