Spike opened his eyes. His head felt heavy and painful as he tried to take stock of his situation.

It was dark. Night had fallen. It had been afternoon before...

How had he gotten here?

He began to remember; the battle. The orders from Lieutenant Azurite. The heat rays and machine gun fire. The collapse of fighting machines and mechs alike. A flying machine, speeding overhead like a burning comet. His machine's own fall.

He groaned, feeling the back of his head. It was going to be sore for a while.

He pulled levers, trying to make the mech move. There was some vibration and the clear indication of movement from outside, but nothing he tried could set the thing back upright.

He hit the button that opened the cockpit. The canopy moved upward, allowing Spike out of the machine prison he'd been confined to for the past few hours.

The Amari were gone; none of their machines were left anywhere he could see them. The moon shone brightly on a purgatory of dead machines... and people.

He began walking around. The mechs he walked by were stationary; some were still hot, mostly those that had blown up during the fight. None of them showed any signs of being inhabited by living soldiers.

At first he didn't recognize any of the pilots. Then he saw Green Grass, in her mech, her face forever frozen in a look of horror. A heat ray had cut her in half within her own machine; her death would have been quick, at least.

He registered other pilots as he walked. Antennae, a female changeling who had joined M.A.R.S. in it's fifth year of development, a kind though quiet soldier. Goldbrick, a male earth pony from a rich Manehattan family who had been disinherited when he left the family business to join M.A.R.S.; a decent, if lazy, guy. Cloudbank, a female pegasus who had surprisingly joined M.A.R.S. instead of the Aerial Corps. She had once helped him learn how to fix his first Mk. I mech when it initially broke down. High Chair, a male unicorn from the nobility who had had to learn that meritocracy, not family connections or noble status, was the way of the army. He'd been shaping up to be a great pilot, outgrowing his aristocratic background. Ardent Dreams, a male kirin who had desired to be one of his people's greatest artists and had often sold paintings he'd made during his spare time.

All dead.

It went on like that for some time. He felt dead himself, on the inside if not the outside. The entire squadron's death didn't leave him sad or angry. It felt like all emotion had been crunched out of him, and there was nothing left to do. He sat down on a rock. Somehow, it felt like everything that could have ever possibly happened had done so, and yet his mind didn't even bother registering it.

The sound of someone pushing or pulling something came from the left, somewhere in the midst of the field. The response was a loud groan of pain.

A flicker of emotion - a mix of joy tinged with sorrow - finally made its way through the numbness. "Who's there?" he called.

"Spike?" came a familiar voice.

"Smolder!" He ran towards where she had shouted his name.

Out from behind a ruined mech he found her. Smolder was tending to Lieutenant Azurite. The blue dragon who led 1st Squadron was badly injured. Blackened, burned pieces of his uniform had fused with his scales. The right side of his head was black, too; he must have been hit by a heat ray, but survived. A few dragons had survived the aliens' most well-known weapon, although never without wounds. The bandage over the Lieutenant's eye indicated that he'd probably lost it.

Sovereign Rights was on guard. The pistol he was armed with would do no good against the Amari if they came back, but it might scare off looters and scavengers. He relaxed as he saw Spike. Nickel was also there, going over wrecked machines, occasionally lifting out and setting down unbroken pieces of mechs.

"Spike, you're alive!" Nickel said, looking pleased.

"Feel like I'm not, though. How did you guys survive?"

"I got out of my mech when it was first damaged," Nickel replied. "Good thing, too. I nearly had my tail burned off when the boiler exploded. The Amari went around after the battle blasting mechs showing any signs of being even slightly functional."

"I managed to eject sideways when they melted the leg off mine," Sovereign said. "I was already in hiding when they came around."

"My mech got cut in two," Smolder answered, still trying to keep Azurite's right arm straight. "I had to flee it. Fortunately, none of us were there when the battle went sideways. Curse those flying machines," she continued, her voice rising in anger. "If they hadn't come, all this-" she held out a claw to encompass the wreckage around them - "might have been worth something. We're just fortunate they didn't use this win to advance on Equestria proper. Or anywhere else."

"Where did they go?" Spike asked, sitting down among them.

"Northwest," The she-dragon said, putting a thumb in that direction for a moment. "Probably got a base there, though I wouldn't know exactly where."

"What happened to the commander?"

"He got a direct hit just after ordering us to fight to the death. Nearly took his face off and the shrapnel from his own machine coming apart made mincemeat of his arm. He's lucky to be alive, Creator bless."

"Are we... all that's left?"

"I think so," Smolder said, sighing. "I saw Green. She was still alive after the battle, I think. An Amari machine used its heat ray to slice her in two, poor thing. I don't think anyone else survived. We're all that's left of First Squadron."

Spike finally felt the weight that had been hanging over him fall upon him. Rather, than let himself cry in front of everyone, he simply pulled his legs towards his head and let it fall between them.

"So, what do we do now?" he heard Sovereign ask.

"W... we... we need..." Azurite said, stammering with a weak, raspy voice.

"Commander, please," Smolder said, still trying to bandage him.

"We need... to get back... to headquarters. Warn them... of our failure... and the Amari..."

"We can do that, but we'll need transport. There's no way we'll get anywhere quickly without some."

"Which is why I'm scavenging parts," Nickel added. "If I can find enough working parts to make a full mech - preferably two - we might be able to leave and alert Colonel Javelin."

"Are there any villages out here?" Smolder asked.

"Not many," Sovereign replied. "Most of those who moved to the Undiscovered West did so to escape authority. There might be the occasional homestead, or settlements so small they wouldn't even count as villages, but nothing with the transport or communications that we need. Some folks out here probably never even heard of the Amari; that's how detached they'd be from the rest of society."

"Great. So we're stuck."

A shadow flew overhead. They all tensed up; Sovereign undrew his pistol.

"Do not fear," a strong voice said. A large stallion with bat-like wings emerged from behind a mech, along with six others of his tribe. "Lieutenant Night Glider, Princess Luna's 7th Thestral Guards. Colonel Javelin sent us here to bring him news about the battle."

"Do you have transport?"

"Not of the chariot or wagon type, no. But we can carry you on our backs until we reach the Colonel."

Colonel Javelin watched as the last of the upper portions of the bridge struts that had damaged the tanks fell into the water. It wasn't legal for him to destroy private property like that, but the bridge had screwed the tanks over big time, so he couldn't have cared less. The bridge owner could fine him - and get fined by the government for not expanding his bridge to the necessary standards - after the war. He needed his tanks across now.

Finally, the tanks were able to cross. Sadly, the few hours it had taken to correct the issue with the bridge had left little time to fix the damages to each individual tank. Some still had parts missing or damaged. A good portion of the Fifth Armored Brigade would be riding into battle on injured steeds.

A few hours later, the train finally reached the place to disembark.

Colonel Javelin was overseeing the unloading - dark as it was - when a thestral appeared as if out of nowhere. "Colonel," the midnight blue stallion began, without waiting to be addressed, "the survivors of the First Squadron are on their way back here."

The colonel's eyes narrowed slightly. "How many?"

"Five. Two ponies and three dragons. The rest of the squadron was wiped out."

"What about the Amari?"

"The survivors said they retreated after murdering as many of the downed soldiers as they could find. Somewhere to the northwest. We saw none on their way there, and I've seen none on my way back."

Javelin sighed. "That's good news. But an entire squadron of fifty wiped out? How did that happen?"

"Just as the surviving mechs were about to crush the Amari, four flying machines caught them off guard. In total, only three of the twelve Amari survived, and I saw one flying machine that had crashed."

Javelin took off his hat, sat down, and stared at the ground.

"Sir, they hurt the enemy badly, and we expected our earliest machines to perform less well than those of the enemy."

"That might be true," the Colonel replied. "But I chose to send them into combat alone and unsupported. Instead of waiting until we had all of our forces fighting together, I had them push on into that disaster. I didn't think the enemy would have reinforcements." He sighed again. "I need to tell high command of these foul-ups."

As telegraph machines and radio operators worked, Princess Luna and Prince Shining Armor awaited reports of the ongoing battles. It had been a busy day, but the most important fronts on the continent were in the Undiscovered West and in Yakyakistan. By now it was clear that the Yak 3rd Army had engaged the enemy, though details were long in coming.

Most of the enemy who had landed the previous day had awakened by now, and for the most part unharmed by defending forces. Flying machines were roaming free in the Bone Dry Desert, cutting the railroad to Klugetown, and obliterating lonely homesteads and small villages. Klugetown itself had been raided by flying machines, though the attackers hadn't pressed their advantage. A couple of flying machines had gone down, for the cost of three gun positions destroyed and others losing crew members to Smoke attacks. Several civilian airships had been burned out of the sky; anyone without wings died after a long fall, and the Amari machines killed most of those who could fly, with only a small number managing to escape. To the northeast, the enemy had destroyed the railroads around Rainbow Falls, before destroying the town itself. There, they had chosen to halt after a short engagement with a division of regulars that had been hastily moved north.

"Telegram from Yakyakistan," a stallion called, waving a translated paper.

Luna took it in her magical grasp and read it. "Force of four Amari machines engaged. Yaks destroyed two, aerial forces wiped out others. Three-fourths of Yak 3rd Army killed. Two aircraft lost. Reconnaissance shows enemy building fortress further north. Unlikely we will be able to engage it before enemy build defenses."

Shining sighed in relief. "At least those monsters were stopped."

"At the cost of the equivalent of several divisions of yak warriors slain, and the rest requiring rest and refit. I doubt the survivors will be eager to engage enemy forces again for a long time."

"I know."

"I'm aware you were worried about Cadence and your daughter, Shining Armor, but we must focus on saving as many as we can from the invasion, not just our loved ones. And at great cost, the alliance has won its first battle as opposed to a skirmish. We can beat them this time around. Keep your mind focused on the fronts we're fighting on."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Luna allowed herself to laugh. "I'm technically your equal, Shining. No need for that level of formalities."

Before Shining could respond, one of the radio operators shouted, "Fifth Armored Brigade, asking for the Field Marshal."

"I'm here," the white unicorn answered, walking over. "Who is this?" he demanded, speaking into the radio.

"Colonel Javelin, currently commanding officer of the Fifth Armored Brigade." The Colonel's voice was full of regret. "I must report the destruction of the 1st M.A.R.S. Squadron in battle with the enemy, along with the loss of over half the 10th Aerial Squadron."

Luna allowed herself a silent gasp. Shining forced himself to sound calm; "What happened?"

"The Tenth attacked four enemy machines. One was destroyed, two were damaged, but eight other fighting machines reinforced them, killing most of the squadron. The 1st M.A.R.S. attacked afterward, killing eight of the enemy, but flying machines caught them by surprise, destroying all the mechs that survived up until then. The Amari then killed any living pilots they could find before withdrawing to the northwest."

"Why didn't you attack with the Fifth Armored?"

"Because some worthless idiot failed to make a bridge wide enough for the tanks to be transported across. We were going full speed, many tanks were damaged. I didn't know the enemy had flying machines as reinforcements. I wanted to hit the enemy before they were ready, and if we waited, not only would they be ready, but they might have moved on, and we'd waste more time repositioning, which might have let them advance into Equestria proper." Javelin loudly sighed. "I must ask that I be removed from command. If I had waited, we could have won with fewer losses."

"I'm not removing you from command. You're not responsible for that bridge. And you were trying to protect Equestria. Even in defeat you succeeded, because the enemy withdrew afterwards." Shining sighed. "Any survivors?"

"A few. Private Spike, Private Smolder, Private Nickel, Private Sovereign Rights, and Lieutenant Azurite, the 1st's commander."

It was now Luna's turn to sigh in relief, albeit subdued in the knowledge that so many soldiers were gone.

"Anyone else?"

"No. The rest are dead, sir." Javelin waited a moment, as if he was waiting for a response. When he gone none, he asked, "Orders, Field Marshal?"

"Hold your position. We'll send reinforcements from the regulars and from 2nd M.A.R.S. When you do, try to advance on known enemy positions before they get reinforced."

"That'll be a long, slow process, sir. We have no railroads, no infrastructure, out in the Undiscovered West, just some trails made by money-grubbing tax evaders in places you can't even call villages."

"Even so, advance as far as possible. We'll keep you supplied by airships. Build as many airstrips as you can; I intend to reinforce the Tenth Aerial back up to optimal strength and throw in more aerial units."

"Understood. We'll go as far as we can. Please send AA guns, though; the 1st M.A.R.S. was destroyed when the enemy sent their flying machines in."

"I'll do that. Out."

"It could have been worse, I suppose," Luna murmured.

"I had hoped the mechs could do better," Shining admitted, "but I guess I overestimated how overpowered the Amari machines are. The only real good news, other than the hoofful of survivors, is the fact the enemy withdrew afterwards."

"And we should call that a victory, Shining? Our mechs were utterly destroyed."

"Yes, but compared to what the yaks lost... Princess, do you know how many soldiers comprise a division?"

"Some 10-12,000, right?"

"Yes. The yaks lost maybe 8-9,000 warriors per division to take down just four fighting machines that had no support; they'll be a long time replacing those losses, and the enemy still has considerable strength in that region. Even with unexpected enemy reinforcements, 1st M.A.R.S. killed nine out of twelve fighting machines and one of the four flying machines. The Amari there likely suffered losses that will hurt their campaign plans down there for the rest of the war. Even with more reinforcements and supplies from Amari itself incoming, that's a significant improvement; I'm much more worried about the Yak front than the Undiscovered West. We'll need to reinforce our allies in the north much more than our own forces in the west."

Luna raised an eyebrow slightly. "Are you that certain?"

"Yes. We have more mechs coming off the assembly line, as well as newer ones. I think we need to send some to back up the yaks, but we can send some to the western front and take back ground there."

"Not that it was officially 'ours' in the first place, but I see the potential. Eliminating the Undiscovered West as a front will free up our armies for other fronts. Creator above knows we'll need them; the Amari are massing in the Pine Needle Woods, Slug Troll Swamp, and Bone Dry Desert."

Shining nodded grimly. "It's a good thing the enemy don't have naval technology. The former realm of the Storm King saw a bunch of cylinders fall there. From what little news we have, mostly from the hippogriffs, the situation is dire."

"I expect that large island - or small continent - to fall easily," Luna agreed with the utmost reluctance. "The best we can do is offer shelter to those who manage to escape. That place will likely be one of the last locations we retake from the Amari."

She walked over to a map of the Equestrian continent. "I am most worried that the aliens will march through the Farthest Reaches and Arimaspi Territory and strike there instead of bashing their considerable brains against our Macintosh Hills defenses. The pass is easily defended, and the enemy must know that at least as well as we do."

"We should be able to keep them from coming out of Changeling territory and hitting Dodge city at least. Our defenses there are strong too. But the enemy are going to try flanking them from the Hayseed Swamps, or drive right on to Baltimare, Fillydelphia, and Manehattan. If we lose those cities..."

"A disaster we'll do our best to prevent," the Lunar Princess replied. "We already have rings of defensive trenches dug, with heavy guns already installed, around those cities. What we need to worry about - everywhere - are free-roving groups of fighting machines; if they can create terror behind our lines and destroy our infrastructure, our chances of a successful defense will be dim. Not to mention all the towns and villages that will be demanding protection and that will curse us to high heaven if and when we say no."

"We have aerial units and pegasi in harnesses to counter them," Shining answered. "But we'll need to keep our attention on the enemy, and where they'll continue to land in the next several days."

"Indeed. Do you think they'll continue landing in locations where they've already landed, or will they land behind our lines somewhere?"

It was a good question. Shining continued to look at the map as Luna waited.

"I can't say for certain. I can only guess."

"Then please guess."

"I think most of them will continue to land in locations they've more or less secured, or in locations they believed they would have secured by now. But I don't think we can completely discount the idea that, in the last couple days of the ten-day landings, that they might land in areas that have been depleted of defenders."

"Should we keep most of our armies in reserve then?"

"For the most part, yes. Just until we know for sure. But we can deploy some of them where we know the enemy are at their most menacing."

"What about the desert?"

"I think it's a lost cause. Other than Klugetown and some nomadic peoples down there, there's not much to defend. The enemy has landed there en masse, and I don't think we'll be able to defend the Farthest Reaches from an enemy attack. Better to evacuate it while we can."

"And Klugetown?"

Shining let out something between a sigh and a huff. "Personally, I don't believe they'll be able to hold out indefinitely. They might be able to inflict some losses - they already have, in fact - but they'll collapse. Their leaders are money-grubbers, to use Colonel Javelin's phrase, and they'll be the first to leave the city. I think some might have already done so; they're interested in money, not people, and don't care about the inhabitants, only their own wealth and power. I doubt morale will be high for their defenders, either. Once the Amari break their defenses in one place or another, they'll most likely run for whatever places of sanctuary they can find. The aliens will probably suffer heavy losses, but with the current leadership it won't last long. Even if what I said about leadership and morale wasn't true, they'll be surrounded and the railroad from there cut off. The Amari will regret the losses it will take to conquer the city, but they will conquer it."

"Can't it be resupplied by airship or by teleporting supplies there?"

"No. The airships will be shot down by heat rays before they can get in or out once the city is surrounded, and teleporting that many supplies is difficult. Teleporting the same amount of stuff gets harder the amount of distance one has to 'travel.' Teleporting things a mile away is doable. Teleporting them a couple hundred to a couple thousand miles... no, Princess, no, its just not possible to keep the city supplied."

"A pity. A great loss to those living there, and, as much as I hate profiting, even incidentally, off the backs of others, they would distract a great number of Amari from attacking us."

"They'll be able to do so for a while. I didn't say they'd immediately collapse. If I had to guess again, they might hold out for two months, maybe four if we're fortunate, though I won't be counting on it. But Klugetown's immense size and population is a big drawback in a siege; it relies on imports of food, and without those they'll be starving before long. That'll hurt them worse than a direct attack over time, though I don't think the Amari will wait long enough for them to all die of hunger."

"Can we send supplies immediately?"

"I think we can, but we need to be careful not to cut our own logistics to the bone to do so."

"Then I'll discuss the issue with my sister, and if she agrees - and she will - I'll give the order to send what food, weapons, and munitions that we can afford."

"As you wish, Princess."

Luna watched as ponies shifted models on the map to match known allied and enemy positions.

"I just hope none of this is in vain."

Author's Note

Come on comments, don't be shy! I know you're out there!