(A week later)

"Clear first area! Go! Go! Go!'

"Area cleared! Move into the building!"

"Melee with your knife!"

"Last area! Move! Move!"

"Sprint to the exit! Clock's ticking!"

(Border outpost Delta)

"Ohhhh yeah 2.01 seconds too slow sandy better luck next time," The Zebra smiled looking at the timer while the Abyssinian hissed under his breath at his score.

"Oh, that's bullshit! There's no way!" Sandy growled while the Zebra crossed his arms with a smile.

"Don't know what to tell you cloak doesn't lie," This response got the Zebra a quick glare while one of the 'new' soldiers of the western badlands stared at his rival.

"You fucking hit the cloak early,"

"Pffph I did not!" The Zebra shrugged.

"You're lying out your striped ass! I know you did!" Sandy growled while the Zebra held up a smile on his face with his hands out.

"I so didn't,"

"Your right eye twitches when you lie Xeron!" This caused the Zebra to hold said eye confused.

"It does?"

"I knew it!" As the two bickered one of the other western soldiers ran past the finish in the brand new combat mark two armor he was issued in.

"By the gods! Why must we do this? I already know how to fight! Why must we change thousands of years of our ways of battle overnight?" The Jackal barked causing the Abyssinian to nod slightly out of partial understanding.

"I hear what you're saying, brother, but look at what we have! These weapons and armor are years ahead of anything we had before Sir Six came to the badlands," Sandy responded holding out his standard-issued marksman carbine. "These weapons are far more powerful than the crossbows we had back in my homeland!"

The Jackal groaned while pulling on his sand-colored chest plate of combat armor.

"Say what you will this armor is far too tight for my liking," This caused the two to chuckle at their comrade's comment.

"I agree! But I have been told this armor can protect us far better than we had before," Sandy pointed out, looking at his armored hand and making a fist. "It makes me wonder if this is the most basic armor from Six's homeland what does the more advance stuff look like,"

Xeron leaned back on the wall behind him with a smile.

"I heard rumors about that actually,"

"Oh really?" The Jackal asked reloading his weapons.

"Yes, Sir Six and Lord Xavior have been talking about something called 'power armor' which from what I heard is far better than even this armor we have the honor of wearing now," Xeron explained.

"Do tell,"

"I don't know but-"

*BOOM!*

The three didn't have time to react as a loud explosion sent them flying into the walls of the trenched training course they were speaking in. Sandy was the first to get up, his ears ringing from the blast and his vision entirely obscured by a thick cloud of dust.

Slowly the ringing in his ears died down while he found his weapon to take up a defensive position but suddenly he froze at the sound of a warcry. Even though the dust was still thick in the air Sandy could see the figures rushing at his position with what seemed to be spears.

Raising his weapon he opened fire at the attackers, he attempted to hold his ground but the attacking forces were more than a single Abyssinian warrior could take. Even though each one he shot fell down like a sack of bricks Sandy found that he emptied the entire magazine of his weapon forcing him to pull out his sidearm, this didn't stop the invader's charge. When the dust began finally settled Sandy threw his 10mm pistol at one of the attackers he reached down pulling out his knife.

The longer weapons of the enemy's spears however prevented him from getting close as an attacker in gold armor rushed him trying to stab his weapon into the cat's chest. Only to find the superior armor of the Abyssinian was able to push the blade away from it's mark and allowed Sandy to recognize the one's reason for the attack.

Ponies...

Not surprising.

Able to jab his knife into the neck of the golden armor pony Sandy moved to perform another attack on another pony only to find himself being stabbed in the thigh in a gap between his armor. Teeth clenched Sandy grabbed the spear still stuck in his leg and backhanded the pony who wounded him, quickly thinking he used the blade to cut the wooden poll below the spearhead and turned for a counter-attack but was once again stabbed by another pony this time close to his armpit.

Unable to use his knife hand now Sandy grabbed something from his belt and bashed it against the other pony's head knocking him down. The Abyssinian looked up towards the base now able to see clearly the carnage that was going on around him, the standing warrior watched as his fellow survivors attempted to hold the line while others began to regroup for a counter-assault to hopefully push the ponies back.

That was until he saw a massive gaping hole in the border wall, no wonder the base was nearly blown down the gap in the wall was near twice the size of the base. Whatever the ponies used it really had a big kick to it...

Feeling another spear tip jab itself into his flesh Sandy bite down on his tongue as he fell to his knees followed by another spear in his lower abdomen. Turning to see Xeron still alive and fighting Sandy held out the object in his hand and bit down on a piece of metal on it, the zebra reached out trying to save his comrade but he was too far away.

But far enough away that he would be saved from what Sandy was planning on doing.

Both knew that he was going to die as three more spears found a place in the gaps in his armor, the feline however simply wasn't going to go down quietly.

"No mercy," Sandy growled before pulling the pin on his plasma grenade with his teeth which then went off in a cloud of green flame eating away at the ponies surrounding him and the bench in the base defenses.

(Meanwhile-New Navarro)

"How the hell did they get through?" Xavior asked his hologram overlooking the similar holographic map of Outpost Delta where it was currently under siege with a massive gap in the border's wall.

"If I had to guess they used that," Aya's hologram pointed to the holo-table where a giant force of ponies had gathered around the breach in the wall with what seemed to be a massive piece of siegecraft weaponry.

"What in god's name is that?" Six asked the only one on the table actually being physically present, confused at what he was seeing.

He had seen many things back in the Mojave and none of them were this, a massive tube being barely held up by six giant airships. If he had to guess it was one big ass cannon but nothing could compare to this weapon, looking quite old and very well... weird and that was saying something. Looking up Six noticed the Sphinx staring at the image of the weapon with a slight look of fear on her face which was surprising.

Usually, she had a look of confidence and pride on her face...

"What is it" Six asked.

"Something very powerful... something I hadn't planned for when raising the wall," The sphinx answered. "I never expected to see one of these since-"

The sphinx stopped herself before unfurling her wings.

"Why are we talking?! We are being invaded!" The sphinx turned to Six. "Are all of you going to stand there gawking and ask questions or are you going to honor your places at the table!"

Six and the leaders of the three kingdoms were taken aback by the Sphinx outburst.

Taking action Six pushed a button on his side.

"I'm sending a detachment of vertibirds to reinforce outpost delta Xavior think you can spare any of your forces?" Six asked the Zebra king whose kingdom was closest to the eastern badland border.

"Of course... they should be there within the hour," Xavior froze upon seeing his screen before smiling. "Make that within the next ten minutes. Such marvelous machines you have given to us my friend,"

Nodding Six began to select more functions on his command module.

"I'll have the rig ready to defend against any attempts to cross the western water cost... but Aya best be prepared for the worst-case scenario," The Jackal queen smiled.

"Those ponies will not breach our defenses this time, but Six be careful how you address me I am not some soldier you can order around," Aya told Six with her eyes narrowed while Six moved to avoid her gaze.

Damion and Xavior chuckled, the Abyssinian king then spoke.

"And I shall have my forces ready to reinforce any other outpost if necessary although I doubt they have more than one of those massive cannons,"

"Damion. My old friend we should not underestimate the ponies they have proven that they have more than a few tricks up their sleeves," Xavior reminded which all nodded in agreement.

"This might be a good day to test something..." Six hummed which got the attention of Damion.

"What are you thinking my friend?" Turning his head to the panther king, Six smiled barely baring his sharp fangs.

"A little experiment,"

(Sometime later at the breach)

"Forwards you maggots! The cannon will not do all the work!" The solar commander announced while the troopers marched though the breach.

"Captain!" One of the lower-ranking soldiers made his presence known.

"What is it private?" The commander asked while pulling back on his cloak to turn towards the soldier.

"News from the front: We have encountered a enemy strong hold not fair beyond the breach we currently have it under siege but despite it's small size we aren't getting through," The private informed causing the commander to give a small smile.

"No worries simply encircle the stronghold we will have the mighty solar cannon blast it away before the enemy has a chance to respond and by the time they get word we will have a stronghold of our own right in the middle of their trade routes!" The commander beamed with pride.

"Also sir Captain Flash has taken a battalion of solar guard deeper into the territory without informing Captain Fast Stand," The young soldier finished to which the commander looked back at the breach while smiling.

"Well, I'll be... didn't think you had it, you Sentry,"

"Sir, should I send a messager to tell Captain Flash to withdraw back to the main line?"

The commander threw out his hand.

"That wouldn't be necessary Captain Flash had lost his grandfather to these savages... let the lad have his payback," The commander commented. "Now have the solar cannon target the wall again let's make this breach bigger as to allow more soldiers to flow into the-"

The commander and the soldier messager stopped to turn to the sky and looked up seeing what seemed to be flying metal boxes in the distance towards the breach.

"What in Celestia's name?"

Author's Note

Oh boy sorry for the wait but here is the next Arch as promised...

Things are going to start to get really spiced up now that officially the ponies have attacked the western badlands. Which is resulting in the counter-attack of the... I really need to give the western badland's faction a name.

Still, I'm sorry for how long this has been for the update just been busy as of late.

Better late than never.

Don't worry I'll have a scene change back to Starlight later in the next part but as for now, I'll let you guys think about whats going on and what Six has planned for this invasion.

Not to mention a new face will make a reveal in this arch.

Till then my fellow wastelanders.