Book 2: Operation Black Abyss

by efug25g

Rating: teen
Tags: Science Fiction, Adventure, Twilight Sparkle, Violence, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe, Human, Original Character, Luster Dawn
Length: 14217

Luster Dawn is sent up to the northern sector of the galaxy to intercept the evil aliens that threaten to bring all of Equestria to its knees with a doomsday weapon.

Years later after the Sectaniums have established peace with the UFF and Equestria, another new enemy has risen from the abyss at the northern fringes of the galaxy. Hearing that they will stop at nothing to enslave and destroy everything in their path, Queen Twilight Sparkle sends in her best protege student Luster Dawn to intercept their diabolical plan for domination.

As she ventures into the depths of space to defend Equestria and the other innocent alien races from falling prey to the invaders, Luster Dawn comes face to face against fearsome space pirates, highly paid psychic assassins and bounty hunters, and a traitorous alien faction known as the Fallen Sectanium Confederacy, mercenaries consisting of warriors and soldiers that betrayed their ruler to pursue their own dark path.

Later on, Luster uncovers a plot that the evil Confederacy is planning to unleash a doomsday weapon that even Queen Twilight will not be able to resist against. Can Luster and her alien friends destroy the weapon to save billions of innocent lives or will they all bear witness to its horrendous capabilities?

Published 2022-05-01 00:20:01 UTC
Last updated 2023-09-11 15:28:28 UTC

Prologue: The Assassination on Sacreus

Author's Note

At the start of this story's prologue, after Prisoner and Savior part 2, I'll explain further detail about everything that the previous antagonist went through before she was reformed as well as how she was assassinated in her own palace by her own people. After that, I'll go over Luster Dawn's adventures with the UFF and the SRA in the next chapters.

Prologue: The Assassination on Sacreus

Five Years Earlier before Luster Dawn was sent by Queen Twilight Sparkle to aid the UFF and the SRA..........

On Sacreus, Empress Vanista and Lord Hampt are both sleeping at the moment before starting another day of peace with Equestria and the other alien races. Inside their Royal chambers from within their citadel, Vanista gets out of bed first before getting her bearings. For Hampt, he is still catching some Zs while the rest of him is behind the bed covers. All around her, Vanista sees that the entire room is painted with red and blue walls filled with purple tapestries hanging above her from the ceiling.

On her right, Vanista sees a master bathroom were she uses every morning to take a bath to cleanse herself of all the sweat she felt in her sleep. Eager to start a new day, she went into the bathroom to take a nice hot bath as she took off her nightwear before entering the master bathtub filled with water. While feeling the water soak down on her bare body and on her lovely long hair while bathing, Vanista relaxed for a moment before going over all of the sins that she had committed over the past several years on the day she self-proclaimed herself Empress.

Queen Twilight of Equestria may have accepted Vanista's forgiveness at last, but it doesn't change the fact that the other alien races are still not going to take Vanista's repentance kindly. Ever since Vanista was denied of initiating anymore peaceful trades to the other alien planets, she didn't know how to go about it. In fact, she didn't even know who to blame during that time. When she stumbled into her hope for salvation deep inside the palace's secret underground caverns, Vanista didn't even think twice about the consequences in inheriting such dark powers. Even though its been years since that day, Vanista still remembered it like it was yesterday.

Vanista could still hear the dark voices in her mind. It was telling her that there is still more planets to conquer out there. Her mind is spiraling into chaos from the fact that Vanista is still seeing all of those jeering, sneering alien races scorning and ridiculing her with nasty threats left and right. She can't stand hearing all of those negative thoughts inside her head; personally, she wanted to make all of this stop. So, Vanista kept carrying out her personal vendetta endlessly as she took over like 2/3 of the entire galaxy, hurting every creature for making her miserable. Even then, it's still not enough as the dark voice kept tempting her to do more and more.

Ultimately, Vanista was thankful that she met Queen Twilight. If she hadn't, Vanista will never understand that there is more ways to resolve such suffering and humiliation. She never found it in her heart to do so until Vanista finally met her match against the young alicorn ruler of Equestria. Also, she still remembered the words that Twilight told her when using her own personalized translator.

"I didn't really wanted to snap at your people like that but let's face it, Vanista. You and your people brought all of this vile horsecrap upon yourselves and for what?! Some plague?!"

Ever since Vanista faced a major defeat by the hands of a strange pony with supernatural powers rivaling to that of hers, Twilight already pointed out several things to her that she was actually right about.

"You are lost!! No pony likes to listen to a tyrant!!

Vanista still remembered what happened after she went back to her homeland Sacreus. She couldn't really surrender to the forces of Equestria and the UFF yet since she still has the other territories that are under her grip. She still felt like a stubborn fool to think that she and her men will still fight Equestria after losing her chance to raze Canterlot for over the past 5 years of war. However, because of her foolishness, the Sectanium Empire has lost control of more than 12 planets when Twilight's former mentors and Equestria's heroes aided the UFF in achieving their freedom throughout that time. Their powers slowly pushed back against her Warriors of their mind-controlling abilities after every battle won in their wake.

As soon as Equestria and the UFF have reached out to Sacreus, Mage Meadowbrook sneaked into the outskirts beyond the borders of Krenthal City to conduct her work in finding the source of the Red Virus. After one month of searching for data, Meadowbrook discovered Vanista's hope for salvation on a granite mountain in the southeastern areas outside of Krenthal City known as Mount Baalurus. There, she found a patch of floral plants filled with red-orange colors known as the Vermillion Lotus which is used to counteract the effects of the Red Virus. After mixing the Vermillion Lotus with the Black Granite Rocks, Mage send in a several large crates of the serum to Krenthal via teleportation straight to the entrance of the city gates. Once the Red Virus has been taken care of, Mage pointed out that the source behind this disease came from the gaseous caves in west of Krenthal. So, Vanista ordered her construction workers to seal off those caves permanently to ensure that the Red Virus will no longer be let loose on her home planet ever again.

Feeling relieved that her people are finally free of the Red Virus at last, Vanista has given up dominating every planet including Equestria for she can no longer stay competitive with Twilight's reigning power, nor can she deny the Queen of Friendship of the way she is. Shortly, a few months later after signing in the peace treaty, Vanista was able to receive ways to help her people with the aid of Commander Xuliana, Lord Hampt, and her newly appointed Royal Advisor Duke Ayantis Poland.

While continuing to bathe, Vanista still remembers her last visit in Equestria to go over her peaceful trade with Queen Twilight three months ago. At the same time, Vanista starts to doze off and slowly closes her eyes as she lets herself disappear into the water, completely submerged with bubbles appearing and popping up at the watery surface.

While Empress Vanista and Queen Twilight are having lunch together inside the palace of Canterlot, she felt a hefty sweet tooth when tasting the sandwiches filled with fresh, diced fruit and salad. They are both sitting across each other alone as their guards are all waiting outside of the dinning hall for them to finish up. After their lunch, Vanista became the first to ask about Twilight's actions after their 5-year war between both of their races.

"I still don't understand why would you be helping me even after our fight here. Why are you being so nice even though we were enemies back then?"

"Why does it matter? I'm doing all this for you and Xul." Twilight said, hearing Vanista questioning over her generous acts. "Equestria is usually about the Land of Harmony and Friendship. There will always be ways to rebuild your friendship with Xul and Pam. In fact, you're not the only creature here that made such mistakes like that. So, its not too late to start over again. I already told you that, didn't I?!"

"Well then, I don't know how to repay you after your doctors were able to save my planet from the Red Virus." Vanista said hesitantly. "I also want to apologize for doubting your generous offers."

"Oh, its fine. Other than that, you don't owe me anything, Vanista." Twilight smiled.

"It may not be any of my business, I can't help but wonder, were you even afraid of the neighbors residing near your country? Did they even threatened or humiliated you and your ponies back then?"

"Yes, but only for awhile. When it comes to resolving issues with the other races, things like that just take time. I wasn't born yesterday." Twilight said as she took a sip of Apple cider from her glass, lifting it up with her magic. "First of all, Spike and Rarity were able to make amends with the dragons and the changelings. Pinkie was able to understand the Yaks before they almost declared war on us ponies. Rainbow was able to rebuild her friendship with Gilda and the other griffons before they migrated in Ponyville. Applejack was able to help resolve a dispute between her fellow earth ponies and the buffalos in Appleloosa, as well as helping the Kirin regain their self-confidence in their normal speech. We only fought a few of them because they just get too carried away or that they misunderstood us."

"What about your reign in Equestria? Why do you think they would let you do this??"

"Look Vanista, I may not be born of royal blood like you are. I may not come from any royal ancestry. But since every pony and creature in this country knows me really well, none of that really matters to them no more. In fact, my family background does not matter to my pony friends or Celestia anymore because I was able to accept how my friends are able to find ways to placate the other creatures hence why I was able to get along with most of the other nations residing in Equestria in the end. Celestia and Luna would've wanted that. When I put them all together, it was like this: They all appreciated of how I was able to display the charity, compassion, integrity, devotion, optimism, and the leadership of what a true ruler would inherit, not just by gaining power. Did you ever learn any of that from your parents?"

"I don't think I did. My father was always diligent, fearsome, and assertive. And my mother was very busy with maintaining all of those interstellar trades with the other planets bridging them with Sacreus. Because they were both under a great deal of stress every day in Sacreus, they never supported me when I was still under the mercy of those living on Earth when I went to school there. They even took their frustration out on me during my lectures when I got called back to the palace in Sacreus. My childhood life was hell and Xul wasn't strong enough to protect me from those bullies back then."

"It's all in past, Vanista. You might as well stop living in that zone since your not a child anymore. Aren't you grateful that I helped saved your country from suffering?" Twilight said, not wanting to hear any negative details from Vanista no more.

"Why, yes I am." Vanista said, nervously.

"Then, you can still learn from me if you want since I already have the best advisors living with me in Canterlot now. And I always consult with them first before taking matters in my own hooves. I'm sure your son Prince Hulian would be honored to understand friendship too, since he is in Ponyville socializing with the locales there while on vacation right?!"

"Why certainly. Also, I do want to see how is our trade route going between this planet and ours." Vanista replied with a smile on her face, finally changing to a better subject.

"Most of my ponies appreciated the granite jewelry that you sent to them after we traded it in with some of our crates filled with spare diamonds." Twilight grinned with delight, before laughing to herself. "You should see what Rarity did to the granite jewelry brought into her fashion boutiques."

"Now that you mentioned it, why don't we go see how your friends and Hulian are doing in Ponyville, shall we?!" Vanista asked, feeling delighted that her trades with Equestria is booming with a positive result.

As Vanista and Twilight stood up from their seats, they both left the dinning room together as they make their way out of the palace while being escorted to a nearby Royal Airship before heading down to Ponyville.

While still submerged, Vanista's chest was slowly burning up a bit yet she is still taking it easy while underwater. However, her relaxation while bathing abruptly came to an end when Vanista heard terrified shouts coming right outside her bathroom.

*CRASH!!! BOOOM!!!*

"HEY!! Who are you?! What do you think you're doing?? STOOOOP!!!"

*FLASH!!*
*BLAM!!*
*BLAM!!*
*SHINK!!!*
*GURGLE!!*
*THUD!!*

What the hell was that??!!

Alarmed by a sudden scary noise, Vanista's eyes opened wide as she emerged from underneath the bathwater, gasping for air as she quickly grabbed a nearby white towel hanging onto her right before wrapping it around her body, with the cloth held underneath by both her armpits. At the same time, Vanista grabbed her gun from the sink in front of her before bursting into her bedroom, totally soaked underneath her towel with a few water drips on her bare skin and hair.

As she entered her bedroom while aiming her gun towards her sights, Vanista sees a horrifying twist of events all around her. She spots that her husband and royal consort Lord Hampt is seen lying in a pool of blood with a dagger plunged into his neck. To her left, the stained glass windows have been shattered with small pieces scattered all over the floor into front of it.

The next thing she knew, the lights in her bedroom turned on only for Vanista to see three dark figures standing in front of a dead Lord Hampt, dressed in shadowy cloaks and armed with plasma daggers and hand-held blasters. One of them unveils his cloak only to reveal himself to be someone that Vanista is familiar with through her point of view.

"Commander Kilo??" Vanista gasped as she aimed her gun at the figure standing in front of her. "What is the meaning of this???"

"Sorry Empress Vanista, but I'm not your commander anymore!!" The unveiled figure replied in a sinister voice. "Since you have made several decisions that I didn't agree with, you no longer have any place amongst us Sectaniums, nor does the rest of your children do. So, it's time to reshape Sacreus' regime my way!!! Once we're done with you, we'll go after your son and heir next."

Upon hearing this, Vanista realized that her son is also in danger too. Impulsively, Vanista had only one thing to do to keep him from hurting her son.

"NO!! I WON'T LET YOU DO THIS!!!" Vanista shouted as she fired her gun at the dark figure.

*BLAM!!! BLAM!! BLAM!!*

Despite her efforts to bring her attacker down, the figure reacted by raising his hand towards Vanista the moment she fired her gun. In a surprise, the figure used some sort of strange gauntlet on his hand, emitting a round psychic, purple glowing barrier shield that blocked all of the bullets heading towards his face.

*PING!! PING!! PING!!*

*VVVVHHHHMMMMMM!!!*

*PSSSHINK!!!*

In a fast act of aggression, the figure charged at a very fast pace and drew out his plasma dagger straight before thrusting it's blade towards Vanista's heart, piercing it as she bleed profusely before collapsing onto her bedroom floors in front of her bathroom.

*THUD!!!*
*CLACK!! CLACK!!*

When a dying Vanista fell onto her stomach while bleeding from her chest, she looses her grip on her gun before muttering her last words as blood came spilling from her mouth.

"T-T-T-Twilight! X-Xuliana!!! H-H-H-Hulian!! I-I-I'm sorry........"

Just like that, Vanista slowly closed her eyes, this time for good while tears came down from her face.

Upon seeing the Empress fall before their might, letting her bleed on the floors inside her bedroom, Vanista's killer takes out his comm to report his success elsewhere.

"This is Kilo. We have taken down the main targets. Over?!"

"Good work!! Now have your team head down to the rendezvous asap!!"

"Yes sir!!" Kilo's voice acknowledged as he ordered his men to escape the room through the shattered windows.

As soon as Kilo and his men disappeared out the windows, the silence resumes as two dead bodies are lying on the floor across each other, with their hands touching one another before the lights in the room went out again. Now, the Empress and the Royal Consort are both sent straight to the afterlife, no longer aware of their surroundings.

Meanwhile 30 minutes later in the Grand Hall inside the Sacreus Palace, most of alien rulers and government officials including Queen Twilight, Prince Hulian, and King Pilorni are getting restless when they notice that Empress Vanista and Lord Hampt still haven't shown up yet. Just when the nervous murmurings are getting intense, Commander Xuliana steps in from behind Hulian.

"Everyone, I think I'll go see what is taking those two long." Xul announced before she immediately left the room.

Down the corridors, Xul still remembers walking through this area during her first days while serving Vanista as one of her guards. It's just like old times, isn't it. When Vanista finally came to her senses, she apologized to Xul and Pam for not listening to her from the start. Xul did remembered that Vanista would always get up at 6am, wash up, and get dressed before starting a new day of peace in Sacreus, since she signed in Twilight's Peace Treaty. At first, Xul thought that Vanista is still feeling worried about seeing all of the faces that she tormented years back. However, it was thanks to Twilight that Vanista finally warmed up to her and to Xul.

So, why didn't Vanista show up today?? Xul thought. Did something bad happened to her?!

Xul shook her head, not wanting to think about any grim outcomes, as she proceeded further into the corridors leading to Vanista's and Hampt's bedroom chambers. The moment Xul stopped in front of the door, she tried knocking on it lightly to see if they're both up. The next thing she knew is that, blood started coming out from underneath the door as it seeped into Xul's boots, much to her confused fright.

BLOOD??? It can't be......

Realizing something bad just happened inside their room, Xul took out her handgun as she readies it before bursting in.

*BAM!!*

With just one thrust kick, Xul shoved the door open and aimed her gun towards the room in front. At first, all she sees is a dark room unable to get a full glimpse over its surroundings. However, just as Xul turned on the room's lights, her eyes widened with fear.

The moment she sees a motionless Vanista and Lord Hampt lying in a pool of their own blood, Xul shrieked as she alerted her own guards to the scene.

After her good memories with Vanista, starting all the way back to her childhood while eating ice cream and biking around earth with Pamela to serving as part of Vanista's army in Sacreus, Xul's friendship with Vanista came to an end once again. This time, Empress is now dead at Xul's feet for there is no more hope for her childhood friend. Twilight may have brought Vanista back to Xul, but this time she can't. It's all over for the reformed Empress of the Sectanium Race.

When Xul's men came behind her, they all gasped in horror before one of them raises the alarm all over the Sacreus Palace. At the same time, Xul came running down the corridors at a very fast pace before heading back to the Grand Hall.

Startled by a blaring noise, the alien rulers and government officials felt confused over what is happening. Before any creature could say anything, Xul burst into the room only to bear bad news.

"EVERYONE!!! EMPRESS VANISTA RANTU IS DEAD!!!" Xul shouted out loud in pure terror.

"WHAT?? NO!!! MOTHER!!!" Prince Hulian shrieked as he stormed out of the grand hall.

As for Queen Twilight and the other alien rulers, they all gasped in horror as they are lead out of the palace by their own personal guards. When Twilight turned her head around before heading out, she sees Xul and Hulian disappear to the other side.

"I thought for sure that Vanista will be able to live a better life after I saved her country from the Red Virus. So why? Why did she die? Did some creature out there still have a grudge against Vanista despite her reformation? Or is it worse than just personal grudge??" Twilight thought as she disappeared out of the Sacreus palace. "Something is telling me that the danger out in space is still far from over!!!"

Chapter 1: Luster's first days in space

Author's Note

This story begins as Luster keeps track on her recent adventures with the UFF over the past several weeks she was onboard Willis' Battlecruiser.

Chapter 1: Luster's first days in space

In the present, 5 years after the assassination of Empress' Vanista and Lord Hampt.....

Inside the crew quarters onboard Willis' battlecruiser, Luster Dawn enters her room and drops off her gear onto the floor before she sits on her seat, leaning forward towards the desk in front of her while taking out a pen from her backpack. As she starts writing her journal entries on her diary, she explains in her own words over what she had been through with the UFF and the Equestrian Royal Guard accompanying her during the first few missions in space. The young unicorn makes several notes to herself to keep her mentor Queen Twilight informed of the current situation at hand.

Journal Entry-Day 12:

After spending 12 days outside of Equestria and into deep space with Willis and his crew, we along with the unicorn Guard Captain Blaze Stars and his Royal Guard detachment, have managed to overtake an enemy concentration camp owned by the FSC in a red-sandy planet known as Bloody Dune. It was a hot desert where most of the prisoners held there are being forced to work underneath the red mountains inside their concentration camp. Most of them were dehydrated and malnourished after me and my friends are able to neutralize all enemy resistance there. Thankfully, I was able to transfigure a large construction vehicle into a huge tank filled with water, attaching a small spigot to it. Most of the prisoners that we freed from their restraints immediately ran straight to the huge water tank as they took huge gulps from it. It was pretty chaotic to think that those guys were totally desperate in hydrating themselves after working in the mines for only Twilight knows how long.

About 25 prisoners were safely onboard our ship right now, feeling happy and at ease that they are heading back home to their home planet Liarush. Most of these prisoners happened to be boar-like alien humanoids that live in tribal villages in a jungle-like environment. They call themselves that Hoglians, primitive boar creatures that live a semi-intelligent society where they hunt and forage food from the jungle swamps in Liarush.

Day 15: When we arrived at Liarush, one of the Hoglians snorted in a squealing delight as if they are trying to congratulate us for rescuing them from captivity. It turns out that he introduced himself to me and my friends as Lord Rusk, the chieftain of the Hoglian tribe. I may not understand his grunting, squeals but thankfully, Captain Willis used the translator on him but in a private area where I was ordered to wait outside of.

Day 16: Willis informed me and the rest of our men and my friends that Lord Rusk has received reports of a group of alien pirates are stalking him for a few nights outside of his tribal village. He explained to me, relaying his conversation to Lord Rusk, that they are wearing crude armor plates made out of scrap metal they salvaged from their attacks upon unwary traveling vessels. In fact, they captured some of his tribesmen earlier only to sell them to the FSC for loads of money. Because of this their hostile presence, Rusk could not leave his village for any reason, nor can he let any of his people go out to do anymore hunting. So, me, Willis, and a team of UFF marines and Equine Royal Guard were scouring the southern swamp lands for the known last location of the pirates.

Day 17: We managed to neutralize the pirate threat looming near Rusk's doorstep. They were spotted near an abandoned Sectanium battleship that was half-sunken in the swamp. Afterwards, Sergeant Jetfire of the Pegasus guard division uncovered a wide, medium-sized crate contain some strange alien technological artifact that appears to be used for some sort of weapon. When I used my magic to do a analysis scan, it was muttering an ancient alien language that I couldn't decipher especially with the translator. All I could see through my subconscious mind is a set of runes glowing in bright orange-red for a few seconds before it disappeared. We decided to take our leave from Liarush, bidding farewell to Lord Rusk and his fellow tribesmen before we set a course to UFF HQ in the planet, Atlantais which lies in the western sections, 200 light-years east of Equestria.

Day 20: For the past three days during our voyage to Atlantais, I started to have nightmares of seeing some dark, shadowy entity appearing from the secured alien technology we found back at the shipwreck in Liarush. It was reaching it's long arms out to me as it grabbed me by the face with it's huge hands, reciting an black, frightening speech. I don't know what was that all about. However, I could feel my head swirling in darkness as the runes are appearing all over my body. Before I knew it, I was being possessed by something evil. Just as when it was getting worse, I finally woke up from my nightmare, breathing rapidly as if I was in a panic that something is happening to me. All at the same time, Willis appeared from outside of my room to see if everything is okay. I told him that I had the worst nightmare ever. He also had the same nightmare too about a dark entity coming out of the alien artifact we secured on our ship only to possess him. The Captain can only hope that we will uncover what the weaponized artifact is used for. For now, he ordered us not to go anywhere near it until we reached our destination.

After writing down her latest journal entry in space, Luster takes out a scroll to write down her findings revolving around the mysterious, alien weapon artifact that she found in Liarush. Once she used her magic to teleport her message scroll to Queen Twilight, Luster heard a distant rumble coming outside of her room.

*RUMBLE!*

As the Luster's room shook violently, she started hearing the alarm beep abruptly as the lights are turning from yellow to red while the horns started blaring all over the ship she is in.

"Attention all creatures and aliens. We're being ambushed in space. This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill. Report to your stations asap and await further orders!!!" The PA voice boomed from the speakers.

Leaving her diary on her desk, Luster gets out of her seat as she grabbed her combat gear from her bed. The moment she held her blaster rifle up to her left side with her magic, Luster sees Captain Willis appear from the corridors.

"Luster, we have a FSC cruiser getting ready to board us. We need you to help us out here!!!" The Captain ordered the unicorn.

"I'm on it!!!" Luster acknowledged as she held her gun with her magic, cocking it before getting ready to shoot some enemies.

Not a moment too soon, Willis drew out his blaster pistol from his sheath before he and Luster went down the corridors to meet the FSC soldiers head on.

Chapter 2: The first ambush of the FSC

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 3: Another Victory against the FSC

At the starboard gun battery, the UFF personal are struggling to keep the FSC soldiers from the gun crews as they are entering the area from hangar in droves. The FSC soldiers are hurling EMP grenades that went off in small, electrical explosions. The gunners that got caught in the blast felt a painful shock that made them scream in burning agony before they fell off their seats before they even had a chance to fire upon the FSC cruiser, while others are getting shot at in the lower side of their abdomens.

For the UFF engineers and the UFF marines, they struggled desperately to defend the gunners with their blasters and shotguns in driving the FSC soldiers away from the gun battery. Unfortunately, they are slowly losing their ground as more shuttles filled with FSC soldiers are breaching through the gun ports before they disembarked, overwhelming the gun crews and the gunners.

Of course, Willis' started to hurl blind grenades at the disembarking FSC soldiers as they blew up in their face, rendering them unable to see what was happening before the UFF captain shoots them down. However, it wasn't long before one FSC soldier shoots Willis' hand when he raised another grenade up above his head.

"ARGH!!!" Willis screamed in pain as his hand burned up from getting blasted by an FSC soldier's blaster rifle, forcing himself to drop the grenade.

As soon as the grenade hit the floor, it blew up right in front of Willis, forcing him to cover up his eyes before turning his back away from the encroaching FSC soldiers. Just before the FSC soldiers are able to shoot him down, Luster appeared right in front of them.

The moment Luster comes face to face with the FSC soldiers, her horn lit up to the fullest before the unicorn unleashed another one of her powerful spells at them. Before they could see what was coming, Luster fired an electrical beam of lighting at the closest FSC soldier hitting him squarely in the chest.

As soon as he got struck by Luster's spell, he screamed in pain as electrical currents started to enrapture him, burning his skin from the inside. Just when it couldn't get any worse, the FSC soldiers who were too close to him also got struck by multiple tendrils of electricity. Even though they didn't scream in pain, the enemy soldiers all fell on their backs totally burnt and reduced into charred husks.

Seeing this as another opportunity, the rest of the surviving UFF marines ran past Luster before they secured the remaining starboard gun batteries that haven't been damaged yet.

Luster came to check up on Captain Willis before doing anything else.

"Willis, are you okay?!"

"It's just a flesh wound, Luster. I'll be fine. Get on one of those guns. We need to take down that enemy cruiser!!!" Willis grunted as he wrapped his injured hand with a dress bandage that he took from his medkit.

"I'm on it, sir!!" Luster acknowledged as she climbed up to the seat attached to a gun battery behind her.

During the first days on her voyage with Captain Willis, Luster was also taught on how to operate a gun battery onboard his ship. She may not be a soldier or a royal guard, but Luster was still able to fit right in as part of Willis' crew members out on the battlefield. Since Luster is able to do almost anything with her magic, she had permission to help take part in defending Willis' ship by participating in target practice with the gun batteries everyday when they're not in battle yet. Despite everything that Queen Twilight taught her in the School of Magic, Luster still has yet to learn more about the UFF and the weapons they use to fend off Equestria's enemies.

In this case, Luster is reminded to only use one of the gun batteries if told to do so first. After all, she already kept in mind to do whatever Captain Willis or Admiral Zeck says, at the request of her mentor Queen Twilight Sparkle.

As soon as she gains control of one of the gun batteries, Luster keeps her eyes onto the interface while aiming the bombardment at the Cruiser's weak points. While learning on how to use the gun batteries onboard Willis' ship, Luster was also given a datapad to use in scanning data and information about the enemy ships that her friends will likely encounter. For the FSC cruiser, Luster used the datapad with her levitating magic to pinpoint their weakness. With her knowledge in reading, writing, and observation, Luster aimed the gun battery at the FSC cruiser's hangars, which is where the enemy transport shuttles are coming out from.

Using her hooves to steer the cannon at the hangar and using her magic to squeeze the gun trigger, Luster fired the bombard cannon at the shield generator protecting the hangar's interior, destroying it in the process. Once the shield generators are gone, the ship's crew was forced to shut the hangar closed with their blast doors, ensuring that the vacuum of space doesn't suck whoever is inside the enemy cruiser's exposed areas.

However, Luster isn't done yet as she aimed the bombard cannons to the far left, reaching for the Cruiser's engines. Smirking in triumph, Luster fires the cannon at one of the engines, destroying it in the process. Just like that, the FSC cruiser is slowing down to a halt, forcing the enemy crew to fall under sitting ducks.

"Captain, their engines are down!!!"

"Good work, Luster. Let's finish this!!!" Willis grinned with another opportunity as he took out his intercom to issue another command to the rest of the gun crews. "All gunners, the enemy ship is disabled. Shoot that cruiser down!!!!"

Upon hearing the UFF Captain, the remaining gunners all opened fire with their bombard cannons as their shots are constantly smashing down the FSC Cruiser's side hull facing them. In just several seconds of constant cannon fire, the Cruiser blew apart in two as the front half came falling downwards while the rear half leaned back as it made several explosions that erupted from the inside of the destroyed ship.

For the boarding FSC soldiers, they disengaged their fight with the UFF marines and Ironwings' Royal Guards as they used their teleporters to recall themselves back to their remaining ships in the FSC fleet.

After seeing their enemy defeated once again, the UFF have all cheered for another victory in their latest space battle. However, Willis suspects that they're still not out of the woods yet since there is still the FSC battleships to deal with from behind his ship. However, because half of the gun batteries are destroyed during the boarding party, Willis makes another order to withdraw from the battlefield.

"Don't celebrate yet, men. We still have our mission to take the alien artifact to our destination. Send word to the other UFF starship captains. Tell them to have one of the other battlecruisers cover our retreat." Willis said, announcing his next orders to his crew.

"Yes sir!!!" One of the UFF crewmembers saluted as he went to relay Willis' orders.

"Helmsman, take us out of here!!!" Willis' said, using his communicator to give out orders to the command bridge.

As he sees the UFF marines take the wounded to the infirmary, Willis walks up to Luster who had just got off the seat attached to the bombard cannon.

"Well done, Luster!! Now, go help the others treat the wounded of their injuries." Willis said, congratulating the young unicorn as he patted the top of her soft head and mane.

"Sure thing, Willis!" Luster smiled as she went towards a UFF medic who is already treating a UFF marine of his leg injury.

As Willis' ship flew forward away from the battlefield, two more UFF battlecruisers came towards its rear as they helped "Deliverance" flee the area while readying their guns at the FSC Battleships.

Just as the UFF ships fired their weapons at the FSC ships, Willis' ship immediately went into hyperspace, disappearing at once as Willis, Luster, and their friends survive another battle to fight another day.

Chapter 4: Back at Canterlot; Twilight's War Stories

Meanwhile, back in Equestria.......

It's been over 12 days since Queen Twilight last saw her prized student Luster Dawn. When she paced back and forth at the throne room at Canterlot, Twilight felt a bit nervous to hear about Luster's latest report. Ever since she was asked to leave Sacreus despite receiving the invite from the reformed Empress Vanista, she felt troubled to think that the same murderous creatures will be come after her too.

Even though she was thankful that Celestia and Luna aren't here to bear witness to such a tragedy, Twilight still is worried about the lives of the remaining leaders from the other nations living nearby Equestria, as well as her friends from space. When she relayed the assassination on Vanista's life to King Thorax, Queen Novo, Princess Cadence, and Prince Rutherford, they had to stay in their own respective countries just to avoid getting killed by the agents of the FSC. As a matter of fact, they all doubled down their security at their palaces in Yakyakistan, the Changeling Kingdom, the Crystal Empire, and at Mount Eris to ensure that no assassin from space will get to them. However, Twilight couldn't help but feel concerned to think that they would do much more worse than what her former ponynappers did several decades ago.

She may have double-down her guards all over Canterlot, but there is no guarantee that they will be a match for them since Twilight also learned that the creatures that assassinated Empress Vanista and Lord Hampt were former council members and former elite guards of theirs.

"I hope Luster is safe out there!!" Twilight muttered in concern as she went up to the balcony of the Canterlot Palace. "There's no telling what those FSC assassins are up to at this moment."

After looking out towards the horizon beyond Canterlot, Twilight took a deep breath before using her magic to hold up the scroll that describes the report from General Ironwings and Captain Blaze, along with the second message scroll that she received from Luster.

In skimming through the scrolls, Twilight felt a bit relieved that Luster is still hanging in there all with her friends in Willis' Battlecruiser. However, Ironwings has lost 120 of his men during their recent fight with the FSC fleet as they tried to flee while carrying an alien artifact to the UFF HQ. At the same time, about 80 UFF marines and crewmembers are badly wounded, with 25 of them dead.

Reading this, Twilight may need to relay this message scroll to her fellow ponies before giving a proper funeral to all of the guard ponies and explorers that just fell in battle. For Luster Dawn, Twilight takes out another message scroll as she lifted it up with her telekinesis before using her quill to write down her message reply to her prized pupil.

Dear Luster Dawn,

I have received your message about the alien artifact you and your friends have recovered from one of the planets who all have explored at. Please notify me if you and Willis have finally stopped at a safe place away from the warzone. When you do, send in the coordinates so that I can open up a portal to that place where I can carry out the order to bring our fallen comrades home for their funeral. Also, make sure that the alien artifact is secured at your next destination so that I can come by and analyze its properties. Do stay safe out there, Luster, okay?!

Your mentor, Queen Twilight Sparkle

After finishing her message, Twilight wrapped the scroll up in a red sash before she fired a beam at it, teleporting her message back to Luster Dawn.

Once Twilight's message scroll disappears, she goes to her desk in the main office to check up on the current Royal Guard roster to make sure it's up to date. By using the scroll that her general sent her, Twilight uses it compare with the Guard roster in order to cross out the guard cadets that have been killed in battle. When the Fallen Sectanium Confederacy has risen, Twilight had no choice but to sent her best soldiers and heroes to go to war with them to keep their presence away from her sight and away from her beloved ponies. In fact, when Twilight brought in Luster Dawn to study under her tutelage, she told her about Twilight's encounters with the Sectaniums and why was she forced to fight them.

It is a hassle to replace all of those guards that fell before the might of the hostile alien empire back then. For that, Twilight still is hesitant to send most of her recently recruited guard ponies. Over the past five years of interstellar warfare against the Sectanium Empire, Twilight made several hard decisions in improving her military funds via taxes and the recruitment in order to compensate every guard pony that died bravely on the battlefield.

It was a dismay to most of the noble and lower class families living in Canterlot and in Ponyville, especially to Lord Fancy Pants and Photo Finish. Of course, Twilight isn't proud of making such rash decisions like that but she vowed to herself that she will do whatever it takes to protect her country by all means from the evil aliens that nearly did her in years ago.

As Twilight went over her paperwork once again in her office, she pulls out another file that describes the details of one of the reformed Empress' killers. It was a few days later after Twilight went back to Canterlot that the Sacreus Republic mailed her the file which contained the wanted poster of Kilo and a top secret envelop that explains his past to recent background.

Kilo Tiram Gureth: Commander of Vanista's Royal Guard. Born from one of the Sectanium Noble Families in Sacreus, Kilo lived in Krenthal for his entire life inside the palace since he was a child and studied heavily on political science and history at school before graduating and went to a military academy for officer training until age 20. After the death of her parents via lung cancer, Kilo was first nominated as Vanista's Gatekeeper and Dispatcher at the age of 28, the moment he graduated from the Krenthal military academy, and has been aiding her in the Empress' in maintaining the Empire's garrisons in their territories ever since. He did his part during the war of conquest as Kilo relayed information from his scouts to Empress Vanista on which planets to strike next before enslaving the surviving latter. At the same time, he helped Vanista establish various military forts all around the planets that have conquered. Just when they are about to put an end to the UFF in Equis, a bright miracle appeared before them. Out of the shadows, an strange but powerful alien force aided the UFF for they are known as the ponies from the Kingdom of Equestria. Because armies of the UFF and Equestria have crippled the main force of the Sectanium Empire, Kilo was reassigned from his gatekeeper and dispatcher position. In response to Vanista's major defeat in Equis, Kilo has been recalled to the Empress' side as the new commander in leading her forces against Equestria and the UFF, in order to succeed what the Empress failed.

After fighting against both forces for 5 years, right after the Empress finally established a peace treaty with Equestria and the UFF, Kilo and his loyal supporters have disappeared from Krenthal entirely and wasn't heard from again for a while. Rumor has it that he planned to show the Empress the error of her ways after giving up her fight against Princess Twilight and the armies of Equestria. Some also say that his family is infamous for hiring assassins to kill anyone who displays a weak example to the Sectanium race. Others claim that Kilo was trained by one of the top assassin organizations somewhere within the shadowy regions of Sacreus.

After reading the following two paragraphs of Kilo, Queen Twilight was feeling a bit nauseous as she felt a burnt scar embedded on her chests from underneath her royal crest. Feeling a bit of stiffness from her old scar, Twilight still remembered how she got it after her first encounter with the zealous Sectanium Commander when she led her finest guardponies in intercepting Kilo's incursion in Dodge Junction. Other than that, Kilo already did mention to her about himself a lot more than what they say about him in these documents.

Flashback: Three months after the UFF departed from Equestria, during the war with the Sectanium Empire, four years and seven months before the peace treaty was signed,......

In Dodge Junction, there were earth ponies and buffalos being chained up before leaving the town as they are being forced to proceed onto the slave shuttles belonging to the Sectanium soldiers, which are right outside of the town. They are stood in a single file line as the soldiers watch the ponies with jeer while Commander Kilo is seen watching them from his mobile command center, which happens to be a 50ft tall trailer and stretches out 23ft in length. For the midst of their incursion, most of the buildings in Dodge Junction are left heavily damaged by cannon fire caused by a Sectanium Cruiser looming overhead.

The worst part is, the Equestrian Royal Garrison was obliterated immediately before they even had a chance to react. However, they failed to notice that one of the fatally wounded Royal Guards crawled back into the guard barracks as he made his way into the entrance. With every drag, the unicorn guard pony suffering a several blood loss which is coming out of his lower chest after getting shot at.

T-T-This isn't over yet you vile monsters!!!- The wounded guardpony gasped as he pulled himself forward with his left front hoof, while clutching onto his bleeding wound with his right hoof, before he used his remaining magic to open up a small square compartment on the floor, revealing a red panic button used to call-in reinforcements from Canterlot.

With his last ounce of strength the unicorn guard slammed his left hoof onto the panic button before collapsing on the floor, succumbing to his wounds as he bled out.

Back outside of the Equine Guard Barracks in Dodge Junction, Kilo is seen wearing a green military uniform with several officer badges sewn on the upper left abdomen of his formal attire standing in front of chained up creatures being forced into the slave shuttles. With the morning sunlight showering all over the town, the Sectanium Royal Commander is shown to have dark-blue skin on his hands and face. He was bald with red blemishes covering most of his face.

From the account of one of his lower-ranked officers, they handed Kilo a clipboard of all of the ponies that he have detained much to his amusement.

"Good work boys. Now that Dodge Junction is in our grasp we'll setup a defensive perimeter all around the town square before we sent these creatures to Terram for slavery. It won't be long before we succeed in setting up another outpost further away from Canterlot. After that, we will establish a rift gate so that the Empress and her cohorts can easily come in without using their personal escort ships."

"How long do you think it will take for us to accomplish all that?" General Tyasion asked Kilo, who didn't notice his panicked voice underneath his breath.

While looking through the files on his clipboard, Kilo makes an overconfident response to Tyasion's question.

"With Dodge Junction secured and with all of its inhabitants detained for export to slavery, I'd say we will have our Rift Gate built in one month tops. Why?"

"Because I serious doubt we have one month to do it!!!" The General stammered as his eyes widened in horror.

"Wait? What???" Kilo replied in a confused reaction.

Just as Kilo turned his attention to General Tyasion, he sees that the Sectanium Officer is sweating buckets as he is pointing up to the sky directly in the opposite direction of where the Commander and Chancellor is standing at. In the next second, the other Sectanium soldiers are also able to see what the General is seeing as well, forcing themselves to stop what they're doing as they frantically armed themselves with their blaster rifles, aiming their weapons up towards the sky.

"There is something bad behind me, isn't there?!" Kilo exclaimed, still feeling confused on why his fellow soldiers are in a panic.

The moment he turned around, Kilo sees a huge massive horde of flying pegasi hovering in the air in front of a fleet of 25 Equestrian Royal Airships heading towards Dodge Junction. Upon seeing them moving in fast, the airships are seen to be fully armed with frontal harpoon cannons at the bow and main gun batteries at the port and starboard sides.

Onboard the leading airship bearing the banner of the Princess of Friendship, Princess Twilight appeared on deck along with Captain Fizzlepop and her Royal Advisor Spike walking besides her from both of the ruler's sides. For the unicorn and earthpony guards on deck, aside from the pegasi guards swooping in ahead of her army formation, they all stood up attention with their spears held up to their sides as they allow the Princess of Friendship to make her immediate announcement to the situation at hoof.

"Everypony, if I remember correctly from the account of Xul's intel, those shuttles of theirs are being poised to make off with any innocent creature that resided in their respective settlements after they get sacked by the evil aliens themselves. Once that's done, they capture the survivors and detain them before getting hauled into their custody as slaves. Well if that were to be true, then we can't let a single Sectanium Shuttle leave our planet with our captured friends in tow. We are to intercept them at will as well as retaking all of Dodge Junction!!"

"YES, YOUR HIGHNESS!!!" The royal guards all bellowed in unison.

"With that said, In the name of Faust and all of Equestria, HOLD NOTHING BACK!!!" Twilight shouted in a Royal Canterlot voice as she aimed her halberd at the city of Dodge Junction. "HELP FREE OUR PEOPLE!!!"

The moment Twilight finished her announcement, the Royal Guards went to their stations at once as they drive their airships towards the overtaken town at full speed.

As soon as Twilight's Royal Airfleet approached Dodge Junction in 20 km, one of the airships opened fire with its bow harpoon cannons. In a speed of 30 miles per hour, the harpoon struck its target dead on, hitting it's sharp end into the nose of a sectanium shuttle that just ascended 10 feet off the ground. In just one second after getting struck by the harpoon, its sharp tip let out an EMP shockwave that encased the shuttle's exterior. Before they knew it, the shuttle's engines blew out a gasket as it fell into the nosedive before plunging head first into the soft ground. Once the shuttle crashed into the ground, inches away from a sacked building in front, the entire Sectanium battleforce stood there in astonishment and horror.

"Oh crap, their trying to take down our slave shuttles!!!" Kilo shrieked as he frantically gave out his next order to his fellow Sectanium soldiers. "PROTECT THE SHUTTLES!! QUICK!!!"

As most of the soldiers frantically ran towards their shuttles, heeding Kilo's orders, a huge formation of pegasi guards can swooping in ahead of the Equestrian Royal airfleet. The moment the Sectanium soldiers turned around, they were met with hurling spears, crossbow bolt fire, and divebombs heading directly into their ranks.

The Sectaniums returned fire with their weapons as they started shooting at the sky in all directions. For those that ran into the pegasi guards that slammed their hooves into the solid earth, the sectaniums were met with full scale charge by Equestria's airborne troops as they get slammed in by their hooves, trading all sorts of physical blows with the alien invaders.

In the midst of the battle, Applejack and Chief Thunderhoof came out from one of the airships flying alongside Twilight's leading airship before crashing landing in the middle of the town to secure the hot LZ for their friends to drop-in. The huge buffalo chief made a huge stomp that caused a small shockwave that caught the nearby Sectanium soldiers off-guard. Dazed, the aliens were met with a charging Thunderhoof that used his horns to sent the Sectanium soldiers flying in all over the place.

For Applejack, she hurled her lasso at one Sectanium soldier that attempted to aim his gun at her. In a split second, the lasso latched onto the gun's barrel and with just on tug, Applejack pulled the weapon away from the alien before she ran up to him and did a double rear hoof kick into his gut, sending him crashing into a window of the Dodge Junction bank. Just like that, the alien soldier went limp as his legs are stick out from the broken window.

As Thunderhoof and Applejack pressed on their fight against the Sectanium Soldiers, with the Equestrian Royal Guards by their side, Princess Twilight and Spike flew out of their personal airship and made several air-to-ground attacks upon the startled Sectanium soldiers. For the other airships, they flew towards the departing slave shuttles at full speed as they fired more of their EMP harpoons at their wingspans, preventing them from lifting off the ground.

Aside from Twilight's magic missiles and beams, Spike let loose a massive torrent of fire that showered most of the outskirts of Dodge Junction of the invaders. With the Sectaniums set on fire, they screamed in pain as the evil aliens ran blindly across the desert near the town before collapsing with fatality.

Captain Fizzlepop leaped out of Twilight's airship as she pounced on a nearby Sectanium soldier with her black hooves, making him collapse onto his stomach before she grabbed his shirt collar with her hoof before tossing him up into the air. No one was able to hear the evil alien soldier scream as he gets struck by Fizzy's chain-lighting spell in which drowned his horrified voice out, replacing it with a loud zap that fired several other lighting bolts that hit the other Sectanium soldiers all around him.

With the fight pressing on throughout Dodge Junction, Twilight's Royal Guards are able to free most of the town's inhabitants while keeping the enemy aliens distracted and occupied. However, after blasting away 10 more enemy alien soldiers with her battle spells, Twilight notices that a group of 20 Sectanium soldiers are still able to hold their ground as one slave shuttle is getting ready to take off. They are being led by the very same enemy general that almost took over Canterlot years ago. However, she did noticed another Sectainium officer fighting alongside the enemy general that she didn't recall seeing during the siege back then. It wasn't long before she noticed that the officer is using a powerful widespread form of magic to make most of pegasus guards collapse lifelessly on the ground.

Even though they aren't bleeding, her defeated guards aren't breathing or screaming in pain either much to Twilight's shock.

With every swoop of his hand, Kilo let loose arcs of waves that showered the oncoming pegasus guards with purple rays of light. In an instant, the pegasi that got to close to Kilo's arcs fell onto their side as their hearts stopped beating in an instant.
One unicorn attempt to lunge at Kilo with his spear only for Kilo to cut off the tip of the long-shafted weapon with his plasma blade before stabbing it into the unicorn's veins, with the blade jutting out from the back of his neck as he gurgled and bled out. Once Kilo pulled his blade out, he was met with a snarling Twilight Sparkle as she flew towards his position in moderate velocity.

The moment Twilight charged up her horn with her magic, it grew longer and more sharper as she is getting ready to impale the Sectanium officer up close and person. Before long, the alicorn princess fired another rainbow beam at the Sectanium Commander in hopes of obliterating the alien in a blink of an eye.

Seeing this, the alien commander raised his left hand to raise his plasma shield as it blocked Twilight's charged magic aiming straight at him. Once his shields are raised, they formed a 50ft tall, barrier that let Twilight's Rainbow Beam stop as it made a showering splash of magic that didn't hit scat.

In return fire, the Sectanium Commander raised his right hand which is covered with a black steel, technological gauntlet with an embedded energy cannon on its palm. The moment he aimed his gauntlet at Twilight, the commander fired a huge torrent of blue, plasma fire at the charging alicorn.

Startled, Twilight's eyes widened with horror as she attempted to fly backwards in fading away from the plasma fire. However, the fire got too close to her chest as Twilight yelped in. Even though only an inch of flames nicked her on the chest, Twilight felt extreme pain as she clutched her fresh burnt wound with her left hoof.

"ARGH!!!" Twilight grunted in pain before seeing the Alien Commander lunge at her with his plasma blade in his hands.

Before the alien commander could strike back at the young alicorn ruler, Tempest jumped into the fray and blocked Kilo's blade with her lighting barrier shield casted from her broken horn.

"Princess, stay back!!" Tempest said, trying to help Twilight retreat to safety.

As she grunted while holding onto herself, Twilight gets a good look at the new tough Sectanium warrior. Not a moment too soon, General Tyasion came up from behind Kilo as he takes out the translator before making his immediate speech in front of the Princess of Friendship and the Guard Commander of Equestria's Royal Guard.

"My apologies, your royal zealousness. Where are my manners?!" Tyasion smirked slyly. "Princess, meet Commander Kilo Gureth of the Elite Sectanium Royal Guard!!"

"Commander Kilo??"Twilight and Fizzy exclaimed in startled unison.

"You may have gotten the drop on us and our Empress, but Kilo happens to be the second powerful military officer serving closely to Vanista; first as the Chancellor of Sacreus, now a full-time commander personally leading her forces due to a massive loss from her first defeat!!"

"You can't be serious, you fiend!!" Twilight hissed as she readied herself while lighting up her horn once again.

"Well, I was about to say the same thing!!" Kilo snickered in amusement. "I heard about how some strange alien ruler from a different world was able to halt Empress Vanista's advances, saying that it was a pastel horse possessing supernatural powers beyond all reason. She told me everything about it the moment I saw her arrive back in Krenthal. I couldn't help but laugh like a ridiculous idiot out of disbelief. I didn't think it would actually be you this whole time, eh?!"

"YOU THINK???!!!" Twilight snapped as she fiercely circled around Kilo with fire in her eyes. "Are you really that thick-headed?? Did you even do your homework???!!"

Kilo blew a gasket as he started laughing his head off before finishing his speech.

"I didn't believe a word from Empress Vanista at first but because she had so many witnesses saying the same thing and that I have received reports of how most of our territorial garrisons are falling apart due to a strange army of pastel horses and supernatural creatures, I decided to drop by to investigate the place that they all came from but with a more indirect approach." Kilo continued as he lit himself up in a light-blue hue. "I don't know how are you able to do this princess but I got news for you!!"

In an instant, Kilo ran really fast and grabbed Twilight by the throat with his right hand. At the same time, he let loose a widespread arc of energy that sent knocked Fizzy out cold as he lifted the purple alicorn up above his height. Twilight gasped in pain as she could feel that her airways are starting getting clogged by the firm grip of the Sectanium Commander himself.

"You may have gotten the drop on the Empress and her cohorts, but I'm a whole different story!!!"

Just when Twilight lit her horn up, she attempted to make herself disappear under a purple flash in hopes of teleporting herself away from Kilo. However, the moment Twilight reappeared and fired another showering beam of rainbow magic at him from his rear only to back flip right above the young alicorn monarch, dodging Twilight's attack instantly.

As soon as he landed behind Twilight, Kilo launched a kick to the face the moment she turned to face the Sectanium Commander, sending the alicorn princess 5 feet backwards.

"UGH!!!" Twilight grunted as she crashed back into the ranks of her guard ponies. As they helped Twilight on her hooves, she rubbed her swollen cheek with her right hoof.

"Oh, I already did my homework alright!! I mean, do you what I did to the last alien ruler that stood in the way of the Sectanium race?!! Do you what I did to him?!!" Kilo cackled in amusement.

The Royal Guards on Twilight's side attempted to intercept the advancing Sectanium Commander as they readied their spears and crossbows aiming directly at Kilo.

"STAY BACK, ALIEN SCUM!!! DON'T YOU DARE COME ANY CLOSER!!!!" One of the guard mares hissed as she raised her spear, pointing the tip at Kilo's face.

Unfazed however, Kilo smirked as he raised his steel gauntlet once again, this time he aimed it in front of Twilight's guards as it spewed out a massive torrent of white fog that blind-sighted every pony and the alicorn.

The guards and Twilight all started coughing and hacking not being able to see anything before it is too late. The next thing Twilight knew, Kilo reached out and grabbed Twilight by the neck as he is tightening his grip intensely. Twilight started gasping as she is losing her airways for she felt like a metal brick is pressing down on her throat in the next second.

"TWILIGHT!!!" Spike shrieked as he unfurled his wings and flew up and down towards the strangled alicorn.

The moment Spike spew out green dragon fire from his mouth, Commander Kilo raised his left hand which is revealed to be also wearing a metal gauntlet as well. Just like Kilo's right gauntlet, it let out strange powers that are more than a match for a dragon's or an alicorn's natural abilities. Instead of getting burned, Kilo's left gauntlet formed a small tower-like barrier that warded off Spike's dragonbreath. The next thing Spike could see is a yellow beam that came firing out of Kilo's left glove, zapping the purple, flying lizard at once; letting Spike lose consciousness before plummeting into the ground.

Seeing all this, General Tyasion started cackling as if Kilo is finally helping them get the upper hand against Equestria's ruler all in one day.

As Kilo loosen his grip over Twilight's throat, he makes another method to have the Princess of Friendship beg for mercy.

"It's still not too late to yield to our alien Empire. If you do this, we will let you continue your reign here but only as part of our jurisdiction."

In a few deep breaths, Twilight growled as she responds negatively to Kilo's terms.

"You wish. You're just making excuses in order to enslave me and my people again!! I'M NOT HAVING IT!!!"

"Then you might as well say your prayers because they all call me, THE KINGSLAYER!!!" Kilo shouted back in triumph.

"Kingslayer??!!" *GACK!!!* Twilight shrieked before she feels Kilo's grip on her neck tighten again.

Grunting in shortness of breath, Twilight made several attempts to smash Kilo's metal gauntlet with her hooves but to no avail. His gauntlets are actually hard as steel, considering that Kilo doesn't even feel Twilight's physical strength hurting his wrist in the least. In the next second, Twilight's face is turning blue as she is about to face death's door while under Kilo's strangulation.

However, just before Twilight collapsed, a lasso came from behind Kilo as it wrapped around his neck, surprising the alien commander in alarm.

"What the?? WAAAAAGGHHH!!!"

The next thing he knew, Kilo was pulled backwards as he was forced to hurl Twilight out of his grip while they both flew towards the direction of the lasso all at once. As soon as they got pulled out of the thick cloud of smoke, Applejack was there tugging on her lasso for she already saw what was happening between the enemy alien and Twilight before taking immediate action to save her best friend.

As Thunderhoof came next to Applejack, he stood his ground before catching Twilight as she landed on top of his fur. For Kilo, before he had a chance to hit the ground, he was met with an angry earth pony mare that turned her back on him. Instantly, Applejack bucked the Sectanium Commander into submission with both of her hind legs before checking up on Twilight.

*WAPOW!!*

Just like that, Kilo was sent flying sky high way 50 feet above all of the buildings in Dodge Junction as he disappeared on the horizon.

"Hey Twi, are you okay??" Applejack asked as she sees Thunderhoof lowered her down before the princess coughed up hoarsely from behind nearly strangled to death.

"Damn monster!!!" Twilight gasped as she got back on her hooves.

The moment he sees the Commander get kicked away from Twilight, General Tyasioin shrieked as he blindly issues another order despite their almost-successful conquest upon a settlement in Equestria.

"All forces, disengage!!! I repeat, disengage!!!"

Hearing this, the Sectanium soldiers break away from the engaging Equestrian guard ponies and the buffalos as they used their teleporters, disappearing away from the battlefield. After the Sectanium soldiers fell back, their shuttles have been secured without any difficulty as Twilight's Royal guards safely rescued the inhabitants of Dodge Junction. Before any pony or buffalo could cheer in victory, the General glared at Twilight and Applejack with another remark.

"Don't get too cocky just because you sent Commander Kilo flying. He will return one day for terrible vengeance!! I swear it!!!"

After that, the general used his own personal teleporter as he disappeared from every pony's sight. Shortly, their mobile command center ascended up above the town as it flew towards the direction of where Kilo disappeared too, in hopes of recovering their knocked out commander before leaving Equestria.

Her forces may have reclaimed Dodge Junction, but because Twilight almost lost to a powerful invading adversary, she can't help but feel traumatized by such a painful encounter when defending one of Equestria's cities. The moment Twilight turned to face Applejack, the earth looked at her with concern in her eyes.

"Applejack, we're heading back to Canterlot!" Twilight suggested as she shook Fizzy up to get her commander up on her hooves.

"W-What happened??" Fizzy gasped, feeling dazed as she groaned in pain coming from the back of her head.

"The enemy has fallen back. Dodge Junction is secured." Twilight replied in a small huff. "I have to go back to Canterlot for a debriefing with Xul and Star Swirl. Can you and Chief Thunderhoof take care of things here for now?"

"Yes, your highness!!" Tempest replied as she saluted the princess with her right hoof.

Seeing this acknowledgement, Twilight gathered Spike and Applejack to her side before she teleported herself and her friends back to Canterlot, disappearing in a flash.

End of Flashback......

After recounting her traumatic experience when first facing off Commander Kilo at Dodge Junction, Twilight took a deep breath before she could continue reading Kilo's files further.

Some call Kilo the "Kingslayer" for he is infamous in killing any ruler that almost became more than a match for Empress Vanista.

During the war with the UFF, he has claimed the heads of the following enemy leaders and commanding officers that temporarily halted the Sectanium's advance, whom happen to be allies and followers of the UFF:

1. Queen Serrissa of Chimone's race.
2. Supreme Chancellor Lorano Yang.
3. Chairman Aurian Dulussen
4. President Pope Luther Rain
5. Prime Minister Xia Qwestor
6. King Autumn Wen Terrain

Seeing all of those rulers that Kilo have defeated, Twilight felt even more afraid that she will be next on his hit list very soon. In fact, she was the very few rulers that resisted the advance of the Sectanium Warriors and their mind-controlling abilities.

When Twilight relayed her encounter with Xul and Star Swirl, they both suggested her to stay the hell away from him since he won't hesitate to accomplish what the Empress did not. He may not be a Psychic Warrior but Xul did say that he is a thousand times more worse than any of them.

Thankfully, Kilo did not return after the attack upon Dodge Junction. However, his personal fleet made several more attacks in other cities , much to Twilight's dismay.

On her desk, Twilight uses her magic to take out another folder and a photo of a burning city in which describes the attack on Manehattan which took place 4 months after the incursion at Dodge Junction (4 years, 6 months before the peace treaty)......

Flashback: Through the photo, most of the buildings in Manehattan are set aflame by the impeding bombardment of the Sectanium Battleships looming 100 feet above the city. In terror, many ponies and griffons are fleeing with their lives as the streets are showered with all sorts of explosions and shrapnel coming from above. The enemy ships are using laser cannons and dropping torpedoes into the urban environment as it is creating large pillars of dirt and fire that leaves innocent creatures horribly wounded and mutilated before dying.

So many screams and cries are filling out through the entire city as fillies, mares, and gentlecolts are scampering aimlessly and helplessly before being silenced by the evil wrath of Kilo's fleet during the night.

The fire teams rushed to help the frightened ponies and griffons reach the ferries for evacuation. However, it wasn't long before Sectanium Paratroopers came crashing down into the evacuation areas at the docks before quickly drawing out their blasters and sidearms.

*BLAM* *BLAM* *BLAM*

As shots are fired, the security mares and police colts rushed in to intercept the enemy paratroopers but to no avail. Instead, they were shot in the chest before they fell on their hooves.

"Some pony get General Mangus on the line!! The evacuation area is under heavy attack in Manehattan!!!" One of the security mares shouted as she raised her hoof to her mouth, which is holding a hoof-communicator. "I repeat!! The Manehattan evacuation is under attack!!!"

While trying to send out a distress call to the Equestrian Royal Army, the security mare is hiding behind some fallen rubble that came out of a building minutes earlier after it was bombarded by an enemy alien cruiser.

As more shots have been fired by the hostile aliens, the security guards and police are forced to use their magic to protect themselves and the frightened ponies before being forced to flee onto the ships. Amongst those cowering behind the shield barriers, Police Chief Bluesteel, who happens to be a huge unicorn stallion, made an attempt to create a blinding flash screen with his magic to keep the invaders impaired of their eyesights before lunging at them with a nightclub held in his right hoof.

*WHACK!!!*

With a wide swing, the police chief knocked out one Sectanium soldier out of commission as several of his surviving police colts rallied behind him before the unicorn officers started shooting out taser spells to subdue the invaders, while the earth pony officers rammed their riot shields at the alien soldiers up front. While the chief kept the invaders occupied, Police Captain Roundhouse, who is a earth pony in a white coat with gray mane bearing the cutie mark of a round shield, continued to help escort the evacuees onboard the ferry.

"Keep moving!! Hurry!!!"

Just when things are finally under BlueSteel's control, the alien nightmare happening on Manehattan is yet to begin. In a horrific effect, he and Captain Roundhouse could feel rumbling coming from the sea right where the ferries departured from. Before they knew it, a huge submarine emerged from the sea bearing the Sectanium Empire Emblem on its top hull, right in front of its foreplane. In an instant, the submarine had huge long metal claws coming out from the upper side hulls on both sides and reached out towards all the passengers onboard the ferries in their sights.

"NOOOOOOO!!!" BlueSteel and Roundhouse screamed in terrified unison.

As the alien submarine grabbed several ponies with its claws, they were all screaming and crying in horror while struggling helplessly against its firm robotic grips. For the ponies that are pegasi, they tried to unfurl their wings as they immediately attempted to flying out of the ferry just to get away from the alien sub. However, the horror isn't over yet as a medium-sized drone-like ship descended from the sky and fired several beams that held the fleeing pegasi in their place.

"SOME PONY HELP US!!!" One of the pegasus mares cried in tears while holding her filly in her hooves.

Before long, a huge rainbow beam of magic struck the alien drone as it disappeared into a cloud of fire and smoke. Princess Twilight and General Magus punched through the billowing cloud of smoke as they are seen taking flight towards the ferry that is being raided of its passengers.

Behind Twilight and Magus, a huge battalion of pegasus guards zeroed in and started shooting out lighting crossbow bolts. At the same time, Rainbow Dash and her fellow Wonderbolts also flew in alongside Princess Twilight in rescuing every pony in Manehattan. Also, several squadrons of UFF fighters have also appeared from the sky as they intercepted the Sectanium Star Cruisers looming above the bombarded Manehattan.

"Wonderbolts secure that ferry!!!" Twilight shouted in a Canterlot voice as the Wonderbolts flew ahead of Twilight and the pegasus guard formation.

With Rainbow at their lead, the wonderbolts divided into two groups as she and Soarin led three members to the right flank while Spitfire and Vapor Trail led Sky Stinger and the other two to the left flank. As the two groups flew towards the alien sub on both sides, they descended one feet above the water before spinning in a fast circular motion before conjuring two swirling cyclones that jutted out of the ocean and zeroed into the Sectanium submersible vessel.

As Rainbow's water cyclone hit the sub on its starboard, the alien vessel shook to its side as it struggled to hold onto the ponies that are still in its grip. However, Magus drew out a golden halberd, which was attached to his shield, before swinging its huge blade as it decapitated several metal claws, releasing most of the ponies.

Though, they still screamed in terror for they are falling straight into the ocean due to the fact that the earth ponies cannot fly. When Rainbow and her team finished their cyclone attack, they flew in a jiffy before rescuing the ponies before they drowned in the ocean. The fight is not over yet, as the alien sub is still seen stalking the other Manehattan ferries.

Thankfully, the other water cyclone conducted by Spitfire and her team was able to strike the alien sub by it's port side from underneath it's mass as the swirling twister dive down like a snake striking it's prey from above.

Just like that, the alien sub finally got flipped over to it's starboard side, with it's port flipper coming out of the water and pointing straight up to the sky above. Seeing this, General Magnus flew next to Spitfire's team before he decapitated the rest of the metal claws with his halberd before the pegasus guards caught the ponies in their hooves.

Feeling relived of their success in rescuing the passengers of the raided ferry, Princess Twilight advanced forward with the rest of the pegasus guard formations as she swoop down to reclaim the Manehattan evacuation area of all the hostile, intercepting aliens that came down from the sky. At the same time, the UFF fighters unleashed an endless volley of laser blasts and missiles at the enemy alien cruisers, taking several of them down before they blew up sky high.

The moment Twilight landed, she charged straight at the Sectanium paratroopers like a bull in a china shop. With her horn charged to the fullest, Twilight lifts her head up as she knocked them off their feet and sending them flying. For the pegasus guards, they attacked the enemy aliens from above with their spears at the ready, puncturing them in their shoulder blades and into their veins before the Sectaniums fell on their backs.

The Sectanium paratroopers immediately broke away from the Manehattan police as they frantically tried to fire several shots at the charging pegasus guards with their blasters. During the chaotic fight in the evac site, one of the paratroopers takes off his helmet for he happens to be another mind-controlling warrior in disguise. Before she knew it, the warrior snuck from behind the Princess of Friendship while she blasted away several more alien paratroopers as he attempted to fired his mind-controlling beam at her face.

"ARRRGGGGH!!! UGGGHHHHH!!!" Twilight grunted in pain as her head started to feel pressure by the warrior's power.

"NO!! PRINCESS!!!" One of the pegasus guards shrieked as he attempted to intercept the warrior only to get blasted in the wings by one of the paratroopers from behind.

"GAAAAGGGHHH!!!"

Twilight tried desperately to turn her face away from the advancing warrior but she is slowly starting to lose her conscious, much to the Sectanium's smirking delight. However, before the warrior could grab Twilight by the neck, Rainbow Dash flew in a flash like a multi-colored blur.

"GO SOAK YOUR HEAD, YOU FOUL HORSE DUNG!!!!" Rainbow yelled as she shoved the warrior instantly.

With such velocity and with full force, Rainbow slammed the warrior in the face with both hooves so hard that she knocked him straight into the ocean, making a big splash as a pillar of water spewed out.

The moment Twilight was freed with the warrior's mind-controlling grip, she felt dazed with excruciating pain wracking in her brain while holding her head with both of her front hooves.

"Twilight, are you okay?!" Rainbow asked out of concern as she landed next to the alicorn's side.

*SHOOM*

Before Twilight could answer, she looks up to Rainbow only to see a fast shooting beam fly right past them in-between herself and the pegasus, much to their shock. The moment both ponies turned to the source of the shooting, they see that a squad of 30 Sectanium Paratroopers are charging towards them while shooting their weapons wildly in their direction.

"Rainbow!! Every pony!! Get behind me!!!" Twilight hissed as she cast a shield wall spell up front.

When Rainbow jumped behind Twilight, a group of Pegasus guards also formed up to her rear as well with their spears held in their hooves. With all ponies behind Twilight's shield wall, the princess charged forward with the pegasus guards and Rainbow following suit.

As soon as Twilight closed in, she slams her shield wall into the front of the enemy alien squad, knocking 10 of them on their backs. Once that is done, Rainbow and the pegasus guards bellowed a battle cry as they flew over the alicorn princess and lunged at the remaining 20 with full-frontal force.

Before long, the sea ponies appeared from the ocean and transformed into hippogriffs as they attacked the Sectanium Paratroopers that got too close to the edge of the docks, much to their confusion. Instantly, the sea ponies grabbed the aliens by their ankles before dragging them into the water in trying to drown them.

The evil aliens that weren't close to the edge of the docks have also ran into the hybrid sea creatures with another startling surprise. The hippogriffs were also hurling live clams at the aliens. In a surprise, the sectaniums were met with huge shells clamping theirs jaws on their faces, making them scream hysterically as they ran blindly into each other before they knock themselves out. Of course, they all have Princess Skystar to thank for since she already used that stunt on the Storm Creatures when she helped the Mane 6 retake Canterlot from the Storm King back then.

Speaking of which, Skystar also appeared from the ocean too as she transformed into a hippogriff before flying high above Twilight and Rainbow. After Rainbow slammed both of her hind hooves into the face of one alien paratrooper, Skystar landed next to the cyan pegasus before she hurled Shelly at the next alien a few feet in front of them.

*CHOMP!!*

"GAAAAHHHHHH!!! GET IT OFF MEEEEE!!!" The alien paratrooper screamed neurotically as he fell on his butt while trying to pry off the huge clam that clamped on his face.

"Hey gals!! Long time no see!!!" Skystar chirped in delight. "Mother wanted me to send in her regards!!"

"Thanks for dropping in, Skystar!!" Rainbow snickered in amusement as she sees the alien struggling with the clam latched onto his face.

The moment the hippogriffs came swooping down from the skies, they lunged at the alien paratroopers and wreaked havoc upon them with their claws, beaks, and with their spears. In a few minutes of fighting against both ponies, seaponies, and hippogriffs, the Sectaniums have all been overwhelmed once again as they are being forced by Princess Twilight and Princess Skystar to drop their weapons the moment the alicorn tazed the remaining attackers at will.

As soon as they all yielded, the Sectaniums have been chained up by their necks and by their wrists before being taken away by the surviving Manehattan police.

At the same time, for the warrior the got dragged out of the water thanks to the seaponies, Twilight cast a sleep spell on him before personally locked him up inside a metal cage as she ordered her guards to send the Sectanium to Canterlot to await execution.

For the enemy fleet looming above the city, the Sectanium Fleet fell back as the UFF battlecruisers encroached on their position from the south. Another city in Equestria is saved once again. However, just when Twilight finally got things under control, she sees from the rooftop of a nearby Manehattan apartment on her right that Commander Kilo is glaring at the Princess with jeering animosity.

Before she had the chance to react, Kilo vanished immediately as if he was a ghost stalking Princess Twilight. Luckily, he didn't make a move against her this time for now.

After reminiscing her second flashback, Twilight felt haunted by Kilo's watchful eye despite her successful liberation in Manehattan. After putting down the picture of the burning Manehattan on her desk, she walked up to the balcony of the palace to see the rest of Canterlot below her. With all the ponies walking and going places inside the city, Twilight felt a bit nauseous over how they would react when Twilight continued her campaign in driving the Sectanium invaders away from her homeland.

She may have sent some of her best pony warriors and heroes to intercept the enemy activity near the Empire's territory just to keep them away from her and her fellow Equines, but Twilight still felt nervous to think that several hidden enemy battle formations somehow got past them to continue in trying to conquer a part of Equestria by force because of Commander Kilo.

As she looked down to the castle courtyard from her balcony, Twilight gets a third flashback that takes place a week after her
her battle in Manehattan......

Author's Note

I apologize for such a long delay. I still have to cover up everything that Queen Twilight went over throughout the 5-year war with the hostile alien race. Other than that, I haven't gotten any feedback from anyone for a long time and I'm not sure how can I continue if no one responded to my works.

Either way, I'll still continue with this story by all means though I can't keep any promises.