The only good changeling is a dead changeling!by Iron McGalleyChaptersNo retreat, no salvationBeach LandingUp The HillNo retreat, no salvationA troopers life! Trixie sighed and trotted over to the stallion behind the large enlistment desk. "This is it, my last chance at something, if I can get through this then I will be back on the stages with believable stories and new fans and respect!" Trixie's chest filled with pride and hope as she got in line, several mares and stallions were already signing up for the trip of their lives. It had been over a year since the attack on Canterlot but the memories were still fresh in everypony's minds, the horror, the fear of being assaulted by the monsters. It would not go unpunished. The line advanced quickly, the Solar Empire was in dire need of more volunteers, unicorns to be more exact. Earth ponies were strong and all but they didn't last long against the swarm of the changelings, thousands upon thousands of battle hardened monsters without fear or regret, no retreat and no mercy were their principles. And so the Princess decided ponies should accept that reality as well! Numerous posters had been sent around the empire. For a brighter future! Fight today for the empire! The empire needs you! Join today and achieve ultimate friendship! No place like home! No place like the army! Join today and experience friendship like never before! There are friends, and then there's army friends. Sign up today and do your part! "Lulamoon Trixie." The light blue mare said as the large unicorn stallion wrote her name down in a list. "Unicorn infantry." The stallion looked up and smiled. "Good choice! The U.I. made me the pony I am today!" He handed Trixie a note with the directions to the barracks and she got a quick glimpse of the stallion's missing leg. Trixie smiled faintly and left. "No need to worry right? It will only be about a week of patrolling and then I can come up with a new show!" Trixie tried to lift her spirits but found it hard to believe, she was going to war after all. She arrived at the barracks after much effort and wandering around the military base. 21st platoon of Unicorn infantry read the sign on top of one of the buildings. "This is it Trixie, time to show these ponies what you're made of." Trixie gulped and opened the barrack doors, the scent of sweat and steel filled her nostrils and made her gag. Around fifty ponies turned around to look at her, one of them smiled and trotted over to greet her. "Good day comrade! Tis good ta see more ponies up an ready ta fight tha fight!" The bulky brown unicorn extended a hoof and smiled, plenty of his teeth were yellow and some were missing, his breath stank of cheap whiskey and old hay. Trixie smiled and shook his hoof, she was trying to be a more friendly pony after all, making a few friends in the platoon wouldn't hurt either. "Hello, I am the great and-err, I mean, my name is Trixie Lulamoon." She held her breath, the unicorn seemed like a nice enough fellow but his breath stank horribly. "Heh, well mighty pleased ta meet'cha miss Trixie! Name's Benny Sharphorn, come along now, I'll introduce ya ta some of the guys." Benny nodded for her to follow and he led Trixie through the crowd, most of the ponies gave her a quick nod and a few others a warm smile and wave. The pair arrived at the end of the barracks and saw a couple of ponies having a hoofwrestling match, on of them was a light red stallion with a sickle for a cutie mark while the other pony was a pale green mare with three coins as her mark. The match was very even, it didn't look like any of them was about to give in, suddenly though, the mare did a final effort and her opponent was defeated. "Haha! Beat ya again!" The mare crossed her hooves and smiled grandly. "Ze match vasn't fair! I vas vorn out by ze veight lifting from earlier!" The stallion huffed and looked at the floor. "Whatever, you Stalliongrad ponies never are good sports!" "Zat is a lie!" "Guys, keep it down! We have company." Benny nodded to Trixie and the quarreling ponies calmed down and greeted her. "Hey there! Here for some good old fashioned flank kicking?" The green mare winked and smiled at Trixie. "Morning." The stallion said indifferently and rummaged through a saddlebag behind him. "I'm Trixie Lulamoon, this is the 21st right?" Trixie eyed the stallion sourly and looked at the mare. "Yes, and don't mind old Zak, he's just a grumpy pony." The mare eyed him sweetly. "I'm Lightning Cloud by the way, welcome to the U.I.!" As soon as she said that, an alarm started to sound from outside, signaling the platoons to suit up and get in formation in the courtyard. Lightning Cloud smiled and trotted over to an armor and weapon rack, several suits of grey armor and many magic amplifiers of similar color lay on it. Trixie looked at the weapons, the magic amplifier was reserved only for the U.I., not even the royal guard unicorns were allowed to wear them in public. The weapon was basically a black cylinder with a metal barrel sticking out of its front end, the helmet of the armor was attached to the back end of the cylinder and the unicorn's horn was connected to the cylinder via helmet, the only thing said unicorn had to do was direct magic into the helmet and the cylinder would amplify it by a hundred percent, making even the smallest spark of magic a deadly projectile. The weapon came attached to a saddlebag for counterweight, on one side of the pony was the bag with all the supplies needed for long trips and on the pony's other side was a weapon to be reckoned with. Lightning levitated a set of armor and a magic amplifier to Trixie before sending another two towards Benny and Zak, and finally getting a set for herself. Other ponies around the barracks were doing the same thing, the effect was amazing. Trixie stared in awe as the many differently colored unicorns around her suddenly became very similar, the uniforms had managed what nothing else could have, it took away the pony's individuality and made them all look like one. One unit, one fighting force. No individuals, all the same, all as deadly as the next. Benny smiled and nudged Trixie on the shoulder. "Pretty cool huh? Wait till ya see what it looks like in a parade!" "Ooh! Don't forget those tanks they've got! Pretty neat stuff!" Lightning said excited as she placed the grey helmet on her head, her horn locking into position inside the helmet's magical extractor. Trixie wasn't so sure about seeing the immense war machines, she shrugged and started to put on her own armored chestplate, specially designed to block any magical shots except the most powerful. After everypony was geared up, they left the barracks and started to get into formation, several other platoons were already there and a few other were starting to emerge from their respective barracks. The barrack's courtyard was full of armored unicorns, ready for battle and whatever tartarus could send their way. And there, in perfect formation and total discipline, stood the glorious 5th platoon and it's officers. The 5th was the very best of the best when it came to battle hardened warriors, no other unit fought like them, endured like them, attacked and murdered like them, and when the ground crawled with enemies and from the skies rained fire and death they were the ones to stand proud and steadfast. While all others would flee and rout in terror as the enemy approached, the 5th would smile smugly and aim their weapons, laughing as the magic beams tore the enemy to pieces and their blood watered the fields of battle. All other platoons looked like foals when compared to the terrifying veterans, many a pony gawked and stared in awe at them. The platoon's commander was a sour looking unicorn, his grim appearance rendering the color around him faint and dull, few were able to meet his eyes as he scanned the entirety of the assembled forces. His disapproving gaze and frown making plenty of soldiers wince and look down in shame. The 21st stood opposite of the 5th in the courtyard, facing the veterans was a position of both honor and high expectation. If they did anything wrong, or embarrassed themselves, the highest ranking officer in the entire U.I. would be the first to notice, and the first to apply punishment. Trixie and her new friends stood on the third file of their platoon, looking at the center of the courtyard expectantly, whatever announcement was going to be given would be grand, nopony sounds the alarm for nothing. After a few minutes of waiting, the air was filled with the sound of heavy machinery and moving steel, it was a steam airship, they had become widely used throughout the military. It was easier to transport nonflying troops through the air than it was through land, it was also harder to destroy steel and iron than flesh and bone from regular pegasi. The behemoth of a machine appeared above the courtyard and the shadow it created completely blocked out the sun, the hot air balloon that stretched above it reached amazing lengths to be able to hold so much weight. Several ropes fell from the deck of the warship, they must have been really long too because the body of the vessel was as tall as a three story building and as long as Ponyville's train, with several cannons sprouting from its broadsides. After the ropes hit the floor, several unicorns started to slide down them and landed in the center of the courtyard. The unicorns were uniformed and armed, they quickly made a protective square in the middle of the courtyard, all the platoons looked in obvious amazement and wonder at whatever was going on, all the platoons except the 5th of course, they were professionals. Trixie wanted to ask her fellow recruits what was going on, but she kept quiet, not even the great and powerful Trixie wanted to provoke the wrath of a U.I. officer. The troopers stood in formation for several minutes before a flash of white light emerged from the middle of the courtyard and, behind the unicorns that stood in defensive formation, the princess of the night appeared in her royal battle armor, purely ceremonial since royalty never fought. "VALIANT FIGHTERS OF OUR FAIR NATION! WE SPEAKETH TO THEE TODAY SO THAT THOU MAY KNOW THE GRATITUDE OF THY RULERS!" The princess of the night practically shouted in her royal Canterlot voice as she addressed her soldiers. "MARCH FORTH! MARCH FORTH BRAVE WARRIORS! MAY THE EARTH QUAKE AS THY HOOVES TRAMPLE GRASS AND DIRT! MAY THE ENEMY KNOW NO REST FROM THINE WEAPONS!" Most new recruits were astonished by the volume of her majesty princess Luna but the veterans of the 5th and several other platoons that had already seen combat cheered dutifully and beat their hooves against the ground. Luna smiled and teleported back to wherever she had come from, the unicorns broke their defensive formation and held onto the ropes which where then pulled back up to the battleship. The enormous war vessel then flew away and disappeared on the horizon, flying back to its base back in Cloudsdale. The troopers stood in formation for a while before their officers started shouting orders to retreat back into the barracks for the night, the sun was setting and the recruits had to be trained in the morning. Trixie and the rest of the 21st broke formation and entered their barracks where they were assigned a bed and a number. "Lulamoon from Manehattan? Congratz! You get number 21!" The commanding officer, a chubby unicorn with a white coat, smiled at her and trotted off to keep giving numbers to the rest of the platoon. "21? What's so good about it?" Trixie looked puzzled at the officer's reaction. "It's the platoon's number, supposed to give luck." Lightning smiled at her as she removed her uniform and placed it back in the racks. "You're kinda like some sort of symbol now, so you better live up to it!" Trixie finished taking off her armor and laid down on her bed. "Symbol? I could certainly use the luck after all that has happened..." She sighed sadly at the memories of her past and fell asleep, much would await her in the months to come. Three months later The 21st marched through the heat of midday, the merciless sun scorching their helmets and transforming the interior of their battle suits into a living furnace, they couldn't care less. "Who are we?!" Shouted the commanding officer, surprising how much he could endure, considering his less than fit appearance. "U.I.! 21st!" Responded the entire platoon with a roar that rivaled Luna's royal Canterlot voice. Trixie smiled in her mind, she did not allow herself any display of emotion during duty, it would not befit the image of the troopers if somepony was to see her smiling. They were trained killing machines after all, and they did not smile unless it was over the corpse of a fallen enemy. "One fine morning under the rising sun!" One of the officers started chanting and the rest of the platoon soon followed. Their war chant was heard throughout the area, the ground shook under their powerful hooves and the wind itself yielded as they tore through it with every synchronized step they took. There was plenty of reason to celebrate, that was the last day of waiting, as soon as night hit, the entire 21st and several other platoons would board a battleship and set course towards changeling occupied territory. It was the quick hit and run type of mission, go in, blast holes into anything that moves and then get out. Simple. They marched for a couple of hours before heading back to the base, they had to gear up and get ready, that night was their big night. 7:30 pm Trixie put her helmet on and checked her weapon to make sure it was secured and ready to fire, she was nervous, everypony was, but nothing in the world would make her change her mind about this. She had changed, the 21st platoon had changed her. She was no longer an egocentric mare, no more would she think so highly of herself, never again would her eyes look at ponies in a dismissive manner. A couple of months being dirt under an officer's hoof does that to a mare, she was a team player now, every pony that stood beside her on formation held the same amount of respect for one another, they would all stand together, fight together, and die together! Her comrades were at the ready as well, helmets were set, armor was ready for combat and weapons were just waiting to be unleashed onto the enemy. "Time for truth Benny, are ya army material or just the drunk everypony says ya are?" Benny Sharphorn stared at himself in the mirror, the images of his past flying through his head as every second brought him closer to showtime. A life of drinking and wasted years is not something that can be easily erased, but glory lasts forever and outshines all wrongs. "Lightning... Vould ya be my-" "YES!" Lightning Cloud jumped on top of Zak and kissed him deeply, the stallion returned the kiss. The mare broke the kiss and looked him deeply in the eyes, the couple had met on the streets of Canterlot about a year earlier, both fell in love almost immediately and spent many a night together but neither pony had the guts to ask the question both of them were thinking. Until then, when the fires of war and the risk of never coming back was staring at him in the eye, Zak from Stalliongrad decided enough was enough, he loved the mare. It didn't matter what his family said about her, or that her views on politics were different from his own, danger had its way of igniting flames inside one's heart, flames that emboldened a stallion's mind and sent him into a fierce determination. So now, with his spirits high and the mare of his dreams by his side, he was ready to fight, to die even. "Tartarus! Let the vastards come! I vill kill them vith my vare hooves if need be! But not before one last night vith my mare." Some ponies that saw the couple smiled and gave their best wishes before setting off to do their own thing. In a matter of minutes they were in formation at the front of their barracks and ready to leave, their commanding officer waiting patiently for the rest of the platoons to emerge from their respective barracks. The only platoons ready by the time the 21st appeared were the 5th, 7th and 13th platoons, only three more needed to appear and then they could board the approaching war vessels. Trixie, Benny, Zak and Lightning looked at the approaching airships as they flew closer to the courtyard, only a mile away from them. The dark night sky shielded the shape of the metallic beast but its general outline was still shocking. This wasn't your average steam airship, it was the admiral's flagship. Admiral Spitfire looked at the formed troopers below her. "Hmph... Unicorns, thinking so highly of themselves, without us they wouldn't even make it to the fight in time!" Spitfire turned around and looked at Soarin, second in command of the royal fleet. "Don't be so hard on them, just because the princess decided to let them have the first shot at the changelings doesn't mean we won't get our chance." Soarin smiled, he wasn't one for arguing but he didn't like to see accusations being shot at those who didn't deserve them. "Meh, I guess you're right," Spitfire trotted over to the main furnace of the airship. "But I still think a pegasus corps would do better against the changelings, more mobility you know?" "Yeah, but the U.I. has the firepower, and for mobility they have the fleet." Spitfire nodded and trotted to her quarters, she wasn't in the mood for greeting recruits. 8:40 pm The three airships landed one by one on the courtyard and the troopers boarded in silence, most of them had never been on an airship before. Beach LandingHearts Of Steel, Bones Of Clay 10:30 pm. An hour before battle Trixie and the rest of the platoon sat inside the enormous airship, a powerful silence had overtaken the atmosphere as their officers explained the plan yet once again. "Alright troopers! Mission's easy, after they drop us off at the shore, we make our way inland and form a battle line! The oilhooves will move in to cover the sides while the navy and Spits up there shower the colony with cannon fire! You get me?" "We get you sir!" The troopers shouted in reply and readied themselves mentally for what was about to come. A dark mood had fallen over the unicorns, the rumbling of the airship's engine almost deafening against their ears, the thick scent of sweat and burning coal flooded their nostrils. It would be only a matter of time now, all the platoons were ready, the battleships were on the move, nopony runs, everypony fights, down to the last bolt of magic, down to the last soldier, to death or glory... Their pledge to fight until the end, to give their lives if need be, it was stuck in each trooper's head, it was their prayer, their air, their very existence, and not a single one of them thought otherwise. It had been a long wait for this, hours upon hours of training, readying themselves, mastering the arts of warfare, and now it would all pay off. "Thirty minutes everypony! Get set!" One of the officers shouted at the unicorns, they stood up and faced forward, aligning themselves into a five rank and ten line formation, all fifty troopers of the platoon at the ready. The commander entered the room, the air of leadership he carried made the troops stand tall, they were proud of their commander, never one to stand and watch as they shed their sweat on the training grounds, not him, he always ran the laps, did the push ups, and shot the rounds all of them had. He was as much a part of the platoon as the next unicorn. "Alright troopers! We've made it! We're less than an hour away from no pony's land, the ground will be crawling with changelings!" The chubby unicorn grinned and started to move through the lines of soldiers, nodding at them and offering advice. "Just remember your training, keep together, and shoot anything that isn't wearing a uniform!" "Yes sir!" The soldier's reply was strong and proud, worthy of only the strongest. "Prepare for deployment!" The commander took his place at the front of the platoon, the banner carrier beside him swelled with pride at being both the bearer of the princess's standard, and having the honor to fight side by side with his commander. Trixie stood firm beside her comrades, Zak, Benny, and Lightning all steeled themselves as Trixie checked her weapon one last time and made sure her magic flowed freely between the helmet and the cylinder. Thoughts of home and family were what passed through their minds at that moment, although not all were happy memories, they all served the same purpose, to lead them forward and into battle, to sacrifice all and everything for a moment of glory. Trixie Lulamoon... "This is it, time to prove the world who I am, no more hiding behind lies, no more facades, time for truth..." Zakaria Cheskov... "...time fer honor, my family vill hear of me and they vill ve proud, I vill return home vith my Lightning, ve shall marry..." Lightning Cloud... "...and we'll live happy, in a farm outside Trottingham, just my Zak and I, with our foals and my family..." Benny Sharphorn... "...will hear what Ah have ta say, them ponies always thinking Ah was only good fer drinking, they will respect me more after this..." "Get ready everypony! We're deploying in ten!" A pegasus from the ship's crew shouted into the pod, then disappeared back to deck, leaving the infantry to wait and prepare for their moment of truth. 10:50 pm. On the deck of the admiral's flagship, Spitfire looked from side to side, the airships had lined up and were ready for battle, the cannons shining as the sunlight reflected upon their metal bodies. She didn't like having to play a supportive role in battle, as far as she was concerned, the U.I. were simple meat shields, their only purpose being to put on a show for the masses to enjoy, just so more meat shields would join. She grimaced and cast an expert eye over her crew and ship, making sure everything was in order. Although she respected the trooper's bravery and dedication, she held little appreciation for them, the meat shields thought too highly of themselves as far as she was concerned. "Alright everypony! To your stations! Halve the speed, get ready to drop the troopers!" Spitfire flew around the deck of her ship, making sure everypony was ready. The admiral's flagship began to slow down as less carbon was fed to the furnace, the two other ships followed suit and the air fleet started to descend to an altitude were it would be safe to deploy the U.I. troopers. As Spitfire made her way to the bow of the ship, one of her lieutenants stood at attention before her. "Admiral Spitfire! Permission to speak freely." The pegasus saluted and waited for his admiral to reply. "Spit it out soldier, we're in the middle of a battlefield." Spitfire stopped her flight and landed in front of her subordinate, the pegasus looked distressed, despite having permission to speak his mind, he spoke softly, making sure nopony heard him. "Admiral, it's just that, well... Is it a smart thing to just fly there? I mean, without fighters for support?" Spitfire simply nodded and gave the officer a reassuring smile, she had been asked the same question over and over again, but she was sure of her decision. "Relax lieutenant, the changelings aren't smart, the meat shields will keep them busy while we blast them away with our guns, bringing in the fighter corps would only increase the bill at the end of the day." "But admiral, shouldn't we at least form the battleships in a loose formation? They're too slow to dodge any concentrated fire from-" "From whom? Changelings? Don't make me laugh lieutenant, those bugs know as much about aerial warfare as the navy knows about hygiene, they won't give us problems." The officer nodded and Spitfire dismissed him to return to his duties, while she continued her inspection of the battleship. 10:51 Down below, in the waters before the changeling beach, the royal navy sailed fast and strong towards the shore, below their decks were the earth pony artillery and armored vehicle divisions, all ready for war. Standing on the deck of her own flagship, was captain Steel Corvette, commander in chief of the navy fleet attacking the beach. Four battle ships were commissioned to bombard the colony and transport the artillery and armored vehicle divisions, three of the vessels were equipped with two heavy mortars on deck, making them perfect for bombardment, but slow and lacking in broadside cannons. The remaining ship was Steel Corvette's flagship, a swift and agile two decked vessel, twenty cannons on each broadside and two hundred ponies as a crew. The captain smiled proudly at her fleet, she had personally selected which vessels and captains were to accompany her in battle, it would be a walk in the park as far as she was concerned. No fortifications had been set on the landing spot, either the changelings had no idea of the attack, or they were too stupid to defend themselves. The beach itself was a desolate desert of black sand, nothing lived on it, no plants and no animals, the large colony of changelings made sure of it, annihilating everything that could have grown near it. The colony was a fortress, resembling an over sized anthill, the citadel stood several miles high into the air, the shapes of thousands of changelings could be seen crawling outside it. Steel Corvette smirked, deciding to get an early start on the invasion, she decided to send the tanks early and nodded for her officers to prepare the landing boats and the earth ponies for battle, it would be a matter of minutes now, and her fleet would be the first to drop off its cargo, ensuring a medal for her. Admiral's flagship, 21st platoon. 10:59:25 "Alright everypony! It's just like in training, lay down on the floor and run the belt over your backs, then secure it in place with the lock beside you, once we land you press the button on it to unlock it, and don't do anything stupid until the pod hits the ground, you got me? Last thing I need is a metal box full of corpses!" "Yes sir!" The soldiers got on their stomachs and did as instructed, securing their weapons next to them and making sure their saddlebags were closed tightly. "Get ready! Thirty seconds till the drop!" Their commander shouted and all troopers clenched their jaws. "Just remember your training!" One final "Yes sir!" Left the mouths of the soldiers before silent prayers replaced any sort of noise in the pod. Unbeknownst to them, the navy had gotten ahead of schedule, sending the tanks and artillery forward ten minutes earlier, they were already at the beach, making progress towards their position. 11:00 The drop. "Deploy!" Spitfire shouted at the top of her lungs, the order was heard throughout the deck of the battleship and the crew rushed to comply. "Kill them all!" The unicorns shouted inside their landing pods as the distinctive sound of hooves on deck told them it was time. "For the princess! For our homes! For Equestria!" The earth ponies shouted their war cry to the skies as they moved through the sand, tanks ready to rain fire down on their enemies. 21st, heroes of the sand. A terrifying metallic clank was heard as the landing pod separated itself from the airship, the troopers felt their stomachs churn and their fur stand as gravity took a hold of them and pulled with all its strength to smash them against the ground. They fell for several seconds in complete silence, seconds which were being carefully counted by a designated trooper, he had his eyes closed, sweat running down his brow as he muttered to himself the passing numbers. Several soldiers looked at him pleadingly, none were afraid to risk their lives, but throwing it away without seeing combat seemed like a waste, the unicorn didn't notice them, he simply kept on counting. "Three... Four..." The distance lessened... "Five..." Not much space between them and the sand... "Six... Seven..." His eyes shot open and he pulled a lever on the wall next to him. Nothing happened, every soldier felt their stomach drop as they felt their lives coming to an end. Then the sound of something unfolding was heard, followed by a strong pull of the landing pod as their fall was slowed down by the parachutes brought them back to reality, loud cheers left the troopers as they celebrated being alive for the time being. Benny looked over at Trixie and lightly tapped her shoulder. "Ta foreigner can't hold his breakfast!" The large country unicorn laughed heartily and pointed a hoof at Zak, Trixie smiled and stole a quick glance at her comrade. The red stallion's face was a mix of green from nausea and a pale white from fright, his legs were trembling slightly and sweat was pouring down from his brow. A worried Lightning Cloud was fussing over him from her spot next to the Stalliongrad unicorn, ignoring the protests of her fiance and the muffled laughter from the soldiers closest to them. The mood had lightened up a little after the chutes had stopped the fall, the soldiers were eager for combat, and now that it was only a few moments away from them, they were basically overflowing with excitement. "Alright troopers! Remember, the door opens, we rush outside and secure the shoreline! The oilhooves will join us a bit after and we form a battle line! No mistakes ponies, you ain't in Ponyville anymore!" The commander shouted from the front, all voices quieting down immediately. "Hey Trix, watcha think? Two tha first ten or twenty minutes?" Benny looked back at Trixie and gave her his yellow toothed smile. Trixie looked at him with a dubious look in her eyes, and shook her head. "I doubt it, intel said it would be a walk in the park, we shouldn't lose more than four or five during the entire run." "Yeah, guess ya're right on that one, but still, that Green Grass fellow ain't gonna last too long." Benny nodded towards a scrawny looking unicorn, how he got into the U.I. nopony knew. The room was alive with chit chat once more, most of them having relaxed a little, due to some of Benny's jokes, the commander didn't mind, some of the unicorns that were sharing a joke at the moment might never get another chance to do so. All chatter died down however, as a loud thud and a strong tremor ran through the metallic walls of the landing pod. They were on land. "Alright! Everypony on the ready! Follow me, shoot all that is in front of us, and stay close to each other." The commander swiftly unlocked his belt and stood up, channeling magic to his horn. His weapon levitated beside him, the blue aura surrounding it looked menacing, but nothing compared to his scowl. The usually cheerful commander, who had always taken a liking to a good meal and some beer among comrades, now had a bloodthirsty shade in his eyes, his gritted teeth accentuating the battle lust in his soul. "Tear em to pieces!" He shouted and with a single kick from his rear legs, brought the front wall of the landing pod crashing down. Moonlight flooded the trooper's faces, and each one of them took a good look at the beach that might become their final resting place. Sand dunes, stretching all the way to the feet of the changeling's citadel, black sand, dark clouds and an eerie, green glow emanated from large rivers of slime that ran down from the top of the enemy fortress and into the sea. The descent to shore took about a minute, the parachutes on the pods were large and the wind was blowing from the sea, making them move forward and land several meters in front of their intended landing spots. The soldiers quickly freed themselves from both the hypnotic scenery and the security belts that bind them, and rushed out of the pod, following their commander and the banner carrier. "For Equestria!" The carrier shouted, the platoon replied to the cry with one of their own, and they all charged forward. Trixie looked around her as she ran, it was dark, but not too much so she was still able to see what was going on. Their landing pod had landed in front of a dune, so her view of the battle was pretty good since she was on high ground. She was no strategist, but she recognized a grave mistake when she saw one. "Hold the charge! Hold it! Form a line soldiers! A line!" The commander stopped running and looked around. They were alone, the tank divisions were nowhere to be seen. "Where are the Celestia damned oilhooves!" The commander directed his eyes to the shoreline, the landing boats were there, right beside his landing pod, and there were track trails on the ground, but no earth pony divisions. "Sir! Look!" A terrifying roar erupted from the darkness ahead of them, the gut churning scream of a pony followed, and then a large explosion illuminated the shadows. The glimpse they got was small, almost nothing, but it filled them with dread. The carcasses of many tanks lay scattered throughout the sand, fire engulfing several of them, while others simply lay destroyed and abandoned, the corpses of the crews littered the fields around their respective tanks. No sign of the enemy though, the only traces of combat where the remains of the defeated and several hoofprints that led to the feet of the dune the 21st was standing on, but then disappeared, as if the changelings had taken to the skies. "Those idiots went in without us!" The commander cursed under his breath. "Follow me soldiers! Let's show em what a true soldier looks like!" "Yes sir!" The 21st charged forward, weapons at the ready, hearts of steel and nerves of iron. But their resolve would be threatened, that roar they heard... Normal changelings didn't sound like that. Royal flight, fire in the skies. "Aim the cannons! Get ready to blast the monsters to tartarus!" Spitfire roared at her officers, the pegasi flew to the lower decks at full speed, delivering the admiral's orders to the gunners. Spitfire smiled as the cannons were aligned to aim at the citadel, the large metallic war machines ready to fire at her command. "Admiral! The earth pony divisions disembarked ten minutes early!" One of her officers shouted from across the deck. "The U.I. barely did!" "Damn fools! Whatever, it doesn't matter, they won't find much resistance anyway." Spitfire knew it was a mistake to send the light tank divisions to take on an entire army by themselves. Changelings had acidic saliva that could easily eat through the armor of a solitary tank, and the crews were not armed with anything stronger than their own hooves. Without the infantry to back them up, tanks could be nothing more than a snack to a swarm of the beasts. "Resistance will be minimal, no need to worry, the earth ponies won't lose more than a couple tanks at worst." The admiral returned to her own concerns, she had a fleet to command. And the dark clouds surrounding them weren't helping. They had formed out of nowhere, covering the skies and forcing the fleet to fly blindly. Good thing Spitfire had the coordinates of the citadel memorized, the cannons would still be able to fire accurately. "Alright everypony! Give them fire!" The thunderous explosions from the dozens of cannons on each broadside filled the air, the fire that spew from them illuminated the clouds around them for a little while, and splattered something across the deck. Spitfire noticed the green liquid shoot out from the nearby clouds, the cannon fire probably hit a bird or something, but no bird she had ever heard of had green blood... "What the hay...?" She poked the liquid with a hoof, several of her crew mates were gathering around it as well. "What is it Admiral?" "I don't-" A scream pierced through the silence, all ponies turned to look at the bow of the ship. A trooper had been pierced through the chest by a large forked tongue, about the size of a pony's leg, and behind him, perched up on the edge of the bow, stood the hideous beast responsible for his death. Its body was scaled and black, much like any changeling's, except that it was four times as large, much longer too. With a size that would shadow that of Princess Celestia's, the beast supported itself on six long legs, it's head was like a changeling's as well, except for the four extra eyes, and the long spider like jaws. The monster tossed the carcass aside and roared, it's forked tongue swaying from side to side, taunting the ponies to approach. Spitfire noticed the lack of wings on the monster and realized, a bit too late. "They're boarding us!" The crew panicked, they had never seen beasts like that one, most of them had spent more time tending to the airship's machinery and keeping it on the air than in combat. Three unicorns on board opened fire at the monster, a steady stream of magic bolts flying towards the beast. The creature gave a howl of pain as the projectiles shattered its shell and pierced the flesh beneath it, green blood spilling onto the deck. The troopers grew bold and advanced, still showering the beast in front of them, it howled and lunged towards the soldiers in a desperate attempt to kill them. But the creature's legs betrayed it, they collapsed under the weight of it's body and sent the beast tumbling forward, leaving it defenseless. The soldiers saw their chance and concentrated their fire on the monster's head, the magic bolts smashed through the skull and made a mess out of the beast's brain. The creature convulsed and thrashed wildly, but then grew still, the glow from it's eyes vanishing. The crew of the ship stomped their hooves in celebration and the soldiers smiled proudly. Spitfire wasn't buying it. "Battle posts! Get ready for battle! All hooves on deck!" She looked to the skies and saw several shades moving stealthily through the clouds above them, they were large and winged. "You two! Wipe the smirks off your faces and get the rest of your unit up here, now!" The soldiers nodded and rushed to the lower decks, the rest of the crew darted from board to starboard, getting into position behind the smaller cannons on deck. Spitfire got behind the wheel of the airship and turned to starboard, intent on getting away from the large monsters that flew overhead. "Full speed ahead! Get us more altitude! Where the hay are those meat shields!?" Spitfire's hollers reached far and wide through the darkness of the clouds. Unbeknownst to Spitfire, her airship had been the last one to be boarded, and if it weren't for the clouds surrounding her ship, she would have seen that one of the vessels that flew beside her was no longer there, but rocketing at full speed towards the ground, engulfed in flames. Up The HillJoin Now! In the middle of a large plaza in the great city of Manehatten, a large crowd was gathering to see the spectacle of a lifetime. Mares and stallions, fillies and colts of all ages sat in front of a large wall, where a projector was displaying a black and white movie. But not any movie, this was one where their guards and protectors appeared in their full glory. All voices and chatter quieted as the images began to roll. A large parade in the streets of Canterlot could be seen, the U.I. corps marching proudly, heads held high while confetti rained down on them and the crowds waved and cheered at their passing. Mares swooned and blushed as some of the stallions among the troops winked at them, hoofkerchiefs were thrown to the soldiers who then catched them in their mouths and placed them inside their neck collars. Mothers cried tears of happiness as they saw their once little fillies marching among the ranks of the greatest unit to ever grace Equestria, fathers giving proud waves and nods to their daughters. From behind the U.I. another corps could be seen approaching. The large and mighty, the strong and steadfast, the earth pony armored divisions approached and received the cheers and renewed waves from the crowds. Tank commanders waving from atop their vehicles while the war machines shot warning shots into the air, making the crowds go wild with excitement. The procession continued onward through the streets while roses and many other flowers were thrown at them. And then, from the skies, a large tremor coursed throughout the peaceful blue. The crowd bursted with cheering and ovations as the first of the flying war machines could be seen flying above the city and towards the large castle, where the entire parade was heading. The Wonderbolts then flew out of the vessels and began to perform for the ponies gathered below them. And as they flew, the large war machines shot their own warning shots into the air while the captain and her team pretended to dodge barrage after barrage of cannon fire. By the time the enormous parade and all of its followers made it to the castle, the princesses were already there, making ready to give their blessing to the corps. All soldiers bowed their heads and the tanks lowered their cannons, the airships lowered their altitude and the crowds bowed. Then the princesses gave a short nod and smiled, giving their blessings. The crowds and masses could be seen exploding with jubilation while the troops smiled and more warning shots were fired. The ponies that had gathered together to see the movie began cheering along, unable to contain their excitement. Colts and fillies pranced around while pretending to be part of the U.I., air force, or armored divisions. Then the image turned from Canterlot to a desolate swamp in the middle of nowhere. The brave U.I. soldiers could be seen charging forward through the treacherous swamplands, firing their weapons against an enemy which the camera did not seem willing to film. The soldiers continued running forward while firing, and then, all of a sudden, magic bolts began to be fired at them. All the magical projectiles impacting on the ground as the soldiers avoided each and every one of them, almost as if they knew exactly where they would be fired at. The crowd of Manehattenites gasped as one soldier was reached by a magic bolt. And then cheered as he stood up and shrugged it off as if it was nothing, displaying fully just how brave and grandiose the armed forces truly were. The U.I. then planted an Equestrian flag atop a hill, and fireworks illuminated the skies behind them. All of Manehatten cheered and began to sing their national anthem as the flag waved proudly atop newly conquered territory. The image then switched to clear blue skies, stained only by the hundred or so changeling soldiers flying on it, although, they seemed rather still for an invading swarm. The invading swarm could be seen on Equestrian skies, about a hundred enemies preparing to invade. But then, just as it seemed hopeless to hope, the image changed and showed a brave Spitfire atop her battleship, giving orders to fire all cannons at the invaders. The cannons were aimed and then fired. The image switched to the invading swarm once more and about three dozens could be seen dropping to the floor like flies, their comrades remaining still and in the same positions they had during the first frame. Obviously showing their lack of camaraderie towards their fellow warriors, which was perfectly un-equine-like behavior. The image switched once more and showed a much smaller battleship being surrounded by similarly smaller changelings, the clouds behind them being oddly larger than what a normal cloud should have been, given the size of the battleship. With another change in the image, the Manehattenites were seeing Spitfire and her crew bucking changelings off of their vessel, leaving marks on their exoskeletons that resembled rubbed off paint, which most surely demonstrated the might of Equestria's fighters in melee. The entire crowd was wild with excitement as the entire changeling swarm was seen falling down on the last frame of the film. The ponies began chanting Spitfire's name over and over as she waved at them and winked from within the movie. The image then switched to show a unicorn, an earth pony, and a pegasus standing side by side, wearing the respective uniforms of the U.I., Earth pony armored division, and the Air force. The trio smiled and pointed a hoof at the crowd while large golden letters appeared behind them, 'Join now!' they spelled. The crowd of Manehatten stomped their hooves happily and began to chat excitedly about what they had just seen and how brave their troops were. Some mares complained about the violence shown in the film and how they shouldn't film live action. Several colts and fillies formed separate teams and played war games in which the brave equines proved victorious time and again, while the grown mares and stallions began to form lines in front of the recruitment booths stationed at the sides and exits of the plaza. Up The Hill The 21st marched onward, through the dark sand littered with corpses and destroyed tanks. The moon lay hidden behind a thick layer of clouds, concealing the flying war machines and leaving the soldiers feeling alone. No tanks had survived the onslaught, as the number of tank carcasses around them was too large for there to be any hope left for the armored division. There were no changelings however, and this was cause for more worry than the destruction around them. And as the troopers moved forward, the tension grew thick. "Where are they?" "It's a trap!" "Damned oilhooves, why'd they have to rush in?!" The commander and his soldiers had been meant to meet the seventh and fifth platoons after marching inland, and then form battle lines along with the armored divisions. But the earth ponies were gone and there was no sign of either platoons. They marched onward, trying to stay on high ground as much as possible. The dunes grew taller the farther in they went, and it had come to the point were it was dangerous to move up one without knowing what lay on its other side. The commander of the platoon turned to face his soldiers. Pointing a hoof at the dune blocking their path, the commander selected the two designated scouts of the troop. "Zak! Wheat! Move up there and tell how's the view!" "Yes sir!" Answered the two stallions before breaking formation and running uphill to scout ahead. Their weapons surrounded in a red aura for the Stalliongradense and a golden one for the Fillydelphian. Lightning Cloud whispered something to her fiancé and stretched her neck as tall as possible to keep a watchful eye on him. Her own weapon suddenly lighting up in a light blue glow, ready to fire in his defense. The platoon stopped moving as their commander gave the order to wait for the scout's report, and got into a defensive formation with the soldiers forming a square and readying their weapons. Zakaria Cheskov and Golden Wheat ran up the dune, one behind the other to watch his back should any danger appear from above. Both soldiers gave a quick nod to each other as they neared the top and then cleared the rest of the way. Weapons raised, they scanned the terrain swiftly before turning around and shouting the all clear. "All clear commander! No changelings in sight!" The commander smiled and nodded for the troops to break formation and advance. "Good job, Zak of Wheat! Knew we could count on our trusty scouts!" The scouts smiled proudly before falling back in line, knowing full well that praise could quickly turn to reprimands if they failed to live up to U.I. standards. The platoon continued onwards for a while, always guarding their flanks and keeping a clear path behind them should they need to make a swift retreat to the beach. "Hey Trix! Where'd ya think the changelings went? I'm pretty sure I don't see any around." Lightning Cloud whispered to the blue mare beside Benny, not wanting to cause too much noise, lest they draw the commander's attention. Trixie looked around, eyeing the dunes and sand worriedly. It had been a relatively calm trek through the beach, meeting no resistance but plenty of bad omens. The navy was still visible from the distance, Steel Corvette's flagship being the closest one to the shore. "I don't know, reports did say it would be easy but-" Her voice was drowned by thunderous explosions erupting from above. "Heya! Them flyponies did done started shooting!" Benny shouted over the roaring cannon fire. The explosions illuminated the clouds above them and showed the frame of the gigantic admiral's flagship. The troopers cheered and shouted as the skies burned and the projectiles flew towards the citadel before colliding and setting the colony aflame. Screeching sounds of dying changelings could be heard from the distance. "Shut it! Silence everypony!" The commander bared his teeth and glared at the soldiers for their stupidity. "We are but fifty unicorns in the middle of changeling territory! They see us, they swarm us! Got it?" The soldiers nodded and fell silent, contenting themselves with seeing the fireworks in silence. Oddly enough, they stopped after the first barrage. "Sir? Why'd the fleet stop?" The banner carrier murmured to his commander, confusion in his eyes as he eyed the calm skies above him. "Quiet. Listen." The big boned commander took a hold of his weapon in his magical aura and aimed it upwards. "Soldiers! Anti aerial formation! As we trained, move it!" It was not long after the words left his lips, that a blood chilling roar erupted from the clouds above. Sounding of blood lust and rage. "Pony heck! What the buck is that!" The inexperienced troopers stood, mouths agape as five shadows made themselves apparent above them. Long, slender bodies bearing eight legs and four enormous insect wings descended at horrendous speeds. Their size was of such magnitude that it would have easily compared to half of an equestrian battle airship. The monsters began to lower their altitude until even the faintest details were visible. On their heads were dozens of eyes, their jaws were circular shaped with hundreds of tiny razor sharp teeth inside. The troopers had received intense training and were hardened for anything the changelings could throw at them. But these were not changelings. "Get into formation! Into formation you foals!" The commander hollered time and again, trying as best as he could to get the platoon into a defensive formation. But with his officers being as terrified as the very equines they were supposed to lead, he could do nothing. The flying behemoths approached with every passing second, drawing closer and closer. It was not until the soldiers could clearly see the color of their eyes that the first shots rang out. The commander, tired of waiting for his soldiers to obey, opened fire upon the nearest beast. "Snap out of it troopers! As we trained!" His voice was shaking as the fright he felt seeped out. Yet he restrained it and held his weapon high as round after round of magical projectiles shot out of the barrel of his weapon. Magic bolts impacted on the flying monster's head, but had no effect. His exoskeleton was too strong, and the projectiles bounced off of its core like rocks thrown at a tank. The commander did not falter, however. He stayed strong for his soldiers, knowing fully well that if they saw him run, they would run. He was the pillar on which they stood. "For Equestria!" He shouted, and after a second, his answer was given. "For home!" His soldiers replied, shaky as it was, it was sincere. Fifty steady streams of deadly magical bullets struck the monsters as they neared. The creatures snarled angrily as some of their eyes were punctured by the trooper's shots. But they kept on coming. "Compact circle, everypony! Don't give em easy pickings!" The entire platoon closed in together, Trixie and her friends getting pushed to the center of the formation as the beasts hovered over the ground, deploying yet another frightful sight before the Equestrian soldiers. Hateful screeches and loud thuds, followed by a cloud of dust as the flying beasts left the battle, flying back to the grim clouds above. Visibility was at zero, the cloud of sand concealing whatever it was that the monsters dropped. "Hold your fire! Aim at the dust cloud!" The platoon stayed silent as they waited for the dust to settle. It wouldn't do any good to waste energy shooting at targets they could not see. Trixie wiped the sweat off her brow with a hoof as she aimed her weapon. The tension was building quickly, and many troopers found themselves sweating badly despite it being almost midnight. "Miss Trixie! Whaddaya think's in there?" Benny whispered to Trixie as he held his weapon tighter in his magical hold. "I..." Trixie squinted her eyes and looked at the cloud. Long... Things. Long things that resembled legs began to move inside it. At a charging speed. "Enemies incoming! Suppressive fire!" The commander shouted, and almost immediately, a barrage of magical bolts shot out against the approaching beasts. The monsters hollered and ran faster. The troopers screamed in terror and rage, pressing themselves to hold their ground despite the fear in their hearts. There were fifty proud U.I. soldiers. There were thirty of the monsters. Unbeknownst to the troopers, these were the same beasts that had attacked Spitfire's flagship just moments before. Six hateful eyes glaring at them from each beast, elongated changeling bodies with six legs charging forward, and spider like mandibles eager to kill. "Shoot them! Kill them all!" Came the shouting of the soldiers as the monsters closed the distance between them by half. It would be a few seconds before they reached their lines. Trixie clenched her jaw. Benny steeled his nerves. Zakkaria shot a swift prayer to the goddess of the sun. Lightning took aim. The beast closest to them snarled and doubled its pace, lifting a trail of dust behind it. Its hideous face had become the focus for fifty desperate soldiers. And there is not a more dangerous foe than a trained warrior with no way out. The air was filled with bullets. With a mighty roar of their own, the 21st Unicorn Infantry platoon discharged barrage after barrage upon the approaching beasts. The bullets flew fast and true, piercing the exoskeletons and penetrating into the soft flesh beneath. Death filled the air, squeals of pain resounded as the monsters screeched and writhed in the ground. Broken legs, shattered shells. Spilling guts, spitting blood. The first among the charging monsters fell, carcasses convulsing violently as the magical projectiles continued massacring them. The U.I. showed no mercy. "End them all! Remember your training! Remember the dead! Vengeance!" "Vengeance!" They fired as one, aiming at the legs and eyes. Making sure that none of the creatures were able to fight, nor stand. But the beasts feared not, and they advanced without losing speed. Using the lifeless bodies of their fallen comrades as shields, raising them with their front legs to cover off the barrages. Fear crossed the faces of those among the front lines, but they would not falter. It was a coward's way to run when they felt fear. And it was a warrior's way to shoot faster when death showed itself. A soldier, a mare from Hoofington. She felt death. Starry Scope had been born, she had lived, married and had children who grew and left home to make their own lives. Husband killed in the changeling invasion, she would prefer to be nowhere else at that exact moment. Facing death. As the first of the monsters pressed forward and threw the carcass it had used as a shield aside, Starry Scope smiled and aimed the barrel to face the creature. "I'll meet you yet again, honey. That much I promise..." A roar was heard, bullets were sprayed, and the monsters were upon them. Three of the creatures spearheaded the attack, crashing headfirst into the Equestrian formation. Havoc became the norm. Soldiers were lifted off the ground by powerful jaws, enormous legs crushed heads as if they had been made of clay, bullets went astray and shot friends instead of foes. Three monsters became five, and then seven. The formation did not hold. The commander shouted and barked orders, attempting desperately to maintain his platoon through the assault. Soldiers backed away from the rampaging monsters, breaking their formation. The ones at the back tried hard and mighty not to harm their own as they shot round after round against the beasts, but the confusion was overwhelming. "Suppressive fire! Walk and shoot! We're falling back troopers!" Anger in his voice, the commander opted for the only possible course of action. An orderly retreat. The soldiers heard the words and they felt like fresh water amid the desert. As fast as their hooves could take them, the soldiers ran to their commander, anxious to leave the bloodthirsty beasts behind them. The creatures did not notice them leave. They were too engrossed on the fallen's corpses to notice the danger they were in. "Form a line! A line soldiers! Stop the retreat and reform!" The commander shouted and the troops obeyed. Trixie looked back at the carnage and thanked Celestia that her friends and her had been in the middle of the formation and not in the frontal lines. Almost none survived. She did a quick headcount, eyes wide as she saw how many had fallen. "Twenty... Thirty four... Thirty eight?!" She clenched her jaw and felt anger. Thirty eight survivors, twelve dead. And it was not over yet. "All troopers form a line!" She heard her commander shouting orders and hurried to obey. She spotted Benny and Lightning standing together by the middle left wing of the forming line and ran to them, searching for Zak the entire way. The beasts growled and tossed the carcasses of twelve dead ponies to the side, then licked their fangs with forked tongues and charged the Equestrian line once more. "For the dead! For our friends! Kill them all!" The 21st roared again and commenced a deadly barrage of magic bullets, once more having the devastating effect as before. Only difference being, now there were only seven surviving monsters to kill. A bullet pierced one of the front beast's legs, causing it to stumble and fall face first into the sand. The monsters behind it were blinded by the dust their wounded comrade caused, and in their annoyance, they teared him to pieces on the spot. It was more than enough of an opportunity for the U.I. They concentrated their fire, aimed to the heads, and slaughtered the creatures on the spot. When the last of the beasts convulsed a final time before dying, the soldiers lowered their weapons and sat on the sand. No cheers accompanied them. No merry celebration was had. Lightning Cloud was in tears, inconsolable. There was no sign of her fiancé. Not among the living, and not among the dead. The commander was shaken horribly. Furious about having being left alone by the other platoons and by the tanks, terrified about facing monsters spawned from tartarus instead of changelings he was used to fighting. And confused... Not knowing what to do. Trixie looked at the skies, hoping for a sign that all would be well. That the worst had just passed. She was answered to with a burning aircraft, falling to its doom.
No retreat, no salvationA troopers life! Trixie sighed and trotted over to the stallion behind the large enlistment desk. "This is it, my last chance at something, if I can get through this then I will be back on the stages with believable stories and new fans and respect!" Trixie's chest filled with pride and hope as she got in line, several mares and stallions were already signing up for the trip of their lives. It had been over a year since the attack on Canterlot but the memories were still fresh in everypony's minds, the horror, the fear of being assaulted by the monsters. It would not go unpunished. The line advanced quickly, the Solar Empire was in dire need of more volunteers, unicorns to be more exact. Earth ponies were strong and all but they didn't last long against the swarm of the changelings, thousands upon thousands of battle hardened monsters without fear or regret, no retreat and no mercy were their principles. And so the Princess decided ponies should accept that reality as well! Numerous posters had been sent around the empire. For a brighter future! Fight today for the empire! The empire needs you! Join today and achieve ultimate friendship! No place like home! No place like the army! Join today and experience friendship like never before! There are friends, and then there's army friends. Sign up today and do your part! "Lulamoon Trixie." The light blue mare said as the large unicorn stallion wrote her name down in a list. "Unicorn infantry." The stallion looked up and smiled. "Good choice! The U.I. made me the pony I am today!" He handed Trixie a note with the directions to the barracks and she got a quick glimpse of the stallion's missing leg. Trixie smiled faintly and left. "No need to worry right? It will only be about a week of patrolling and then I can come up with a new show!" Trixie tried to lift her spirits but found it hard to believe, she was going to war after all. She arrived at the barracks after much effort and wandering around the military base. 21st platoon of Unicorn infantry read the sign on top of one of the buildings. "This is it Trixie, time to show these ponies what you're made of." Trixie gulped and opened the barrack doors, the scent of sweat and steel filled her nostrils and made her gag. Around fifty ponies turned around to look at her, one of them smiled and trotted over to greet her. "Good day comrade! Tis good ta see more ponies up an ready ta fight tha fight!" The bulky brown unicorn extended a hoof and smiled, plenty of his teeth were yellow and some were missing, his breath stank of cheap whiskey and old hay. Trixie smiled and shook his hoof, she was trying to be a more friendly pony after all, making a few friends in the platoon wouldn't hurt either. "Hello, I am the great and-err, I mean, my name is Trixie Lulamoon." She held her breath, the unicorn seemed like a nice enough fellow but his breath stank horribly. "Heh, well mighty pleased ta meet'cha miss Trixie! Name's Benny Sharphorn, come along now, I'll introduce ya ta some of the guys." Benny nodded for her to follow and he led Trixie through the crowd, most of the ponies gave her a quick nod and a few others a warm smile and wave. The pair arrived at the end of the barracks and saw a couple of ponies having a hoofwrestling match, on of them was a light red stallion with a sickle for a cutie mark while the other pony was a pale green mare with three coins as her mark. The match was very even, it didn't look like any of them was about to give in, suddenly though, the mare did a final effort and her opponent was defeated. "Haha! Beat ya again!" The mare crossed her hooves and smiled grandly. "Ze match vasn't fair! I vas vorn out by ze veight lifting from earlier!" The stallion huffed and looked at the floor. "Whatever, you Stalliongrad ponies never are good sports!" "Zat is a lie!" "Guys, keep it down! We have company." Benny nodded to Trixie and the quarreling ponies calmed down and greeted her. "Hey there! Here for some good old fashioned flank kicking?" The green mare winked and smiled at Trixie. "Morning." The stallion said indifferently and rummaged through a saddlebag behind him. "I'm Trixie Lulamoon, this is the 21st right?" Trixie eyed the stallion sourly and looked at the mare. "Yes, and don't mind old Zak, he's just a grumpy pony." The mare eyed him sweetly. "I'm Lightning Cloud by the way, welcome to the U.I.!" As soon as she said that, an alarm started to sound from outside, signaling the platoons to suit up and get in formation in the courtyard. Lightning Cloud smiled and trotted over to an armor and weapon rack, several suits of grey armor and many magic amplifiers of similar color lay on it. Trixie looked at the weapons, the magic amplifier was reserved only for the U.I., not even the royal guard unicorns were allowed to wear them in public. The weapon was basically a black cylinder with a metal barrel sticking out of its front end, the helmet of the armor was attached to the back end of the cylinder and the unicorn's horn was connected to the cylinder via helmet, the only thing said unicorn had to do was direct magic into the helmet and the cylinder would amplify it by a hundred percent, making even the smallest spark of magic a deadly projectile. The weapon came attached to a saddlebag for counterweight, on one side of the pony was the bag with all the supplies needed for long trips and on the pony's other side was a weapon to be reckoned with. Lightning levitated a set of armor and a magic amplifier to Trixie before sending another two towards Benny and Zak, and finally getting a set for herself. Other ponies around the barracks were doing the same thing, the effect was amazing. Trixie stared in awe as the many differently colored unicorns around her suddenly became very similar, the uniforms had managed what nothing else could have, it took away the pony's individuality and made them all look like one. One unit, one fighting force. No individuals, all the same, all as deadly as the next. Benny smiled and nudged Trixie on the shoulder. "Pretty cool huh? Wait till ya see what it looks like in a parade!" "Ooh! Don't forget those tanks they've got! Pretty neat stuff!" Lightning said excited as she placed the grey helmet on her head, her horn locking into position inside the helmet's magical extractor. Trixie wasn't so sure about seeing the immense war machines, she shrugged and started to put on her own armored chestplate, specially designed to block any magical shots except the most powerful. After everypony was geared up, they left the barracks and started to get into formation, several other platoons were already there and a few other were starting to emerge from their respective barracks. The barrack's courtyard was full of armored unicorns, ready for battle and whatever tartarus could send their way. And there, in perfect formation and total discipline, stood the glorious 5th platoon and it's officers. The 5th was the very best of the best when it came to battle hardened warriors, no other unit fought like them, endured like them, attacked and murdered like them, and when the ground crawled with enemies and from the skies rained fire and death they were the ones to stand proud and steadfast. While all others would flee and rout in terror as the enemy approached, the 5th would smile smugly and aim their weapons, laughing as the magic beams tore the enemy to pieces and their blood watered the fields of battle. All other platoons looked like foals when compared to the terrifying veterans, many a pony gawked and stared in awe at them. The platoon's commander was a sour looking unicorn, his grim appearance rendering the color around him faint and dull, few were able to meet his eyes as he scanned the entirety of the assembled forces. His disapproving gaze and frown making plenty of soldiers wince and look down in shame. The 21st stood opposite of the 5th in the courtyard, facing the veterans was a position of both honor and high expectation. If they did anything wrong, or embarrassed themselves, the highest ranking officer in the entire U.I. would be the first to notice, and the first to apply punishment. Trixie and her new friends stood on the third file of their platoon, looking at the center of the courtyard expectantly, whatever announcement was going to be given would be grand, nopony sounds the alarm for nothing. After a few minutes of waiting, the air was filled with the sound of heavy machinery and moving steel, it was a steam airship, they had become widely used throughout the military. It was easier to transport nonflying troops through the air than it was through land, it was also harder to destroy steel and iron than flesh and bone from regular pegasi. The behemoth of a machine appeared above the courtyard and the shadow it created completely blocked out the sun, the hot air balloon that stretched above it reached amazing lengths to be able to hold so much weight. Several ropes fell from the deck of the warship, they must have been really long too because the body of the vessel was as tall as a three story building and as long as Ponyville's train, with several cannons sprouting from its broadsides. After the ropes hit the floor, several unicorns started to slide down them and landed in the center of the courtyard. The unicorns were uniformed and armed, they quickly made a protective square in the middle of the courtyard, all the platoons looked in obvious amazement and wonder at whatever was going on, all the platoons except the 5th of course, they were professionals. Trixie wanted to ask her fellow recruits what was going on, but she kept quiet, not even the great and powerful Trixie wanted to provoke the wrath of a U.I. officer. The troopers stood in formation for several minutes before a flash of white light emerged from the middle of the courtyard and, behind the unicorns that stood in defensive formation, the princess of the night appeared in her royal battle armor, purely ceremonial since royalty never fought. "VALIANT FIGHTERS OF OUR FAIR NATION! WE SPEAKETH TO THEE TODAY SO THAT THOU MAY KNOW THE GRATITUDE OF THY RULERS!" The princess of the night practically shouted in her royal Canterlot voice as she addressed her soldiers. "MARCH FORTH! MARCH FORTH BRAVE WARRIORS! MAY THE EARTH QUAKE AS THY HOOVES TRAMPLE GRASS AND DIRT! MAY THE ENEMY KNOW NO REST FROM THINE WEAPONS!" Most new recruits were astonished by the volume of her majesty princess Luna but the veterans of the 5th and several other platoons that had already seen combat cheered dutifully and beat their hooves against the ground. Luna smiled and teleported back to wherever she had come from, the unicorns broke their defensive formation and held onto the ropes which where then pulled back up to the battleship. The enormous war vessel then flew away and disappeared on the horizon, flying back to its base back in Cloudsdale. The troopers stood in formation for a while before their officers started shouting orders to retreat back into the barracks for the night, the sun was setting and the recruits had to be trained in the morning. Trixie and the rest of the 21st broke formation and entered their barracks where they were assigned a bed and a number. "Lulamoon from Manehattan? Congratz! You get number 21!" The commanding officer, a chubby unicorn with a white coat, smiled at her and trotted off to keep giving numbers to the rest of the platoon. "21? What's so good about it?" Trixie looked puzzled at the officer's reaction. "It's the platoon's number, supposed to give luck." Lightning smiled at her as she removed her uniform and placed it back in the racks. "You're kinda like some sort of symbol now, so you better live up to it!" Trixie finished taking off her armor and laid down on her bed. "Symbol? I could certainly use the luck after all that has happened..." She sighed sadly at the memories of her past and fell asleep, much would await her in the months to come. Three months later The 21st marched through the heat of midday, the merciless sun scorching their helmets and transforming the interior of their battle suits into a living furnace, they couldn't care less. "Who are we?!" Shouted the commanding officer, surprising how much he could endure, considering his less than fit appearance. "U.I.! 21st!" Responded the entire platoon with a roar that rivaled Luna's royal Canterlot voice. Trixie smiled in her mind, she did not allow herself any display of emotion during duty, it would not befit the image of the troopers if somepony was to see her smiling. They were trained killing machines after all, and they did not smile unless it was over the corpse of a fallen enemy. "One fine morning under the rising sun!" One of the officers started chanting and the rest of the platoon soon followed. Their war chant was heard throughout the area, the ground shook under their powerful hooves and the wind itself yielded as they tore through it with every synchronized step they took. There was plenty of reason to celebrate, that was the last day of waiting, as soon as night hit, the entire 21st and several other platoons would board a battleship and set course towards changeling occupied territory. It was the quick hit and run type of mission, go in, blast holes into anything that moves and then get out. Simple. They marched for a couple of hours before heading back to the base, they had to gear up and get ready, that night was their big night. 7:30 pm Trixie put her helmet on and checked her weapon to make sure it was secured and ready to fire, she was nervous, everypony was, but nothing in the world would make her change her mind about this. She had changed, the 21st platoon had changed her. She was no longer an egocentric mare, no more would she think so highly of herself, never again would her eyes look at ponies in a dismissive manner. A couple of months being dirt under an officer's hoof does that to a mare, she was a team player now, every pony that stood beside her on formation held the same amount of respect for one another, they would all stand together, fight together, and die together! Her comrades were at the ready as well, helmets were set, armor was ready for combat and weapons were just waiting to be unleashed onto the enemy. "Time for truth Benny, are ya army material or just the drunk everypony says ya are?" Benny Sharphorn stared at himself in the mirror, the images of his past flying through his head as every second brought him closer to showtime. A life of drinking and wasted years is not something that can be easily erased, but glory lasts forever and outshines all wrongs. "Lightning... Vould ya be my-" "YES!" Lightning Cloud jumped on top of Zak and kissed him deeply, the stallion returned the kiss. The mare broke the kiss and looked him deeply in the eyes, the couple had met on the streets of Canterlot about a year earlier, both fell in love almost immediately and spent many a night together but neither pony had the guts to ask the question both of them were thinking. Until then, when the fires of war and the risk of never coming back was staring at him in the eye, Zak from Stalliongrad decided enough was enough, he loved the mare. It didn't matter what his family said about her, or that her views on politics were different from his own, danger had its way of igniting flames inside one's heart, flames that emboldened a stallion's mind and sent him into a fierce determination. So now, with his spirits high and the mare of his dreams by his side, he was ready to fight, to die even. "Tartarus! Let the vastards come! I vill kill them vith my vare hooves if need be! But not before one last night vith my mare." Some ponies that saw the couple smiled and gave their best wishes before setting off to do their own thing. In a matter of minutes they were in formation at the front of their barracks and ready to leave, their commanding officer waiting patiently for the rest of the platoons to emerge from their respective barracks. The only platoons ready by the time the 21st appeared were the 5th, 7th and 13th platoons, only three more needed to appear and then they could board the approaching war vessels. Trixie, Benny, Zak and Lightning looked at the approaching airships as they flew closer to the courtyard, only a mile away from them. The dark night sky shielded the shape of the metallic beast but its general outline was still shocking. This wasn't your average steam airship, it was the admiral's flagship. Admiral Spitfire looked at the formed troopers below her. "Hmph... Unicorns, thinking so highly of themselves, without us they wouldn't even make it to the fight in time!" Spitfire turned around and looked at Soarin, second in command of the royal fleet. "Don't be so hard on them, just because the princess decided to let them have the first shot at the changelings doesn't mean we won't get our chance." Soarin smiled, he wasn't one for arguing but he didn't like to see accusations being shot at those who didn't deserve them. "Meh, I guess you're right," Spitfire trotted over to the main furnace of the airship. "But I still think a pegasus corps would do better against the changelings, more mobility you know?" "Yeah, but the U.I. has the firepower, and for mobility they have the fleet." Spitfire nodded and trotted to her quarters, she wasn't in the mood for greeting recruits. 8:40 pm The three airships landed one by one on the courtyard and the troopers boarded in silence, most of them had never been on an airship before.
Beach LandingHearts Of Steel, Bones Of Clay 10:30 pm. An hour before battle Trixie and the rest of the platoon sat inside the enormous airship, a powerful silence had overtaken the atmosphere as their officers explained the plan yet once again. "Alright troopers! Mission's easy, after they drop us off at the shore, we make our way inland and form a battle line! The oilhooves will move in to cover the sides while the navy and Spits up there shower the colony with cannon fire! You get me?" "We get you sir!" The troopers shouted in reply and readied themselves mentally for what was about to come. A dark mood had fallen over the unicorns, the rumbling of the airship's engine almost deafening against their ears, the thick scent of sweat and burning coal flooded their nostrils. It would be only a matter of time now, all the platoons were ready, the battleships were on the move, nopony runs, everypony fights, down to the last bolt of magic, down to the last soldier, to death or glory... Their pledge to fight until the end, to give their lives if need be, it was stuck in each trooper's head, it was their prayer, their air, their very existence, and not a single one of them thought otherwise. It had been a long wait for this, hours upon hours of training, readying themselves, mastering the arts of warfare, and now it would all pay off. "Thirty minutes everypony! Get set!" One of the officers shouted at the unicorns, they stood up and faced forward, aligning themselves into a five rank and ten line formation, all fifty troopers of the platoon at the ready. The commander entered the room, the air of leadership he carried made the troops stand tall, they were proud of their commander, never one to stand and watch as they shed their sweat on the training grounds, not him, he always ran the laps, did the push ups, and shot the rounds all of them had. He was as much a part of the platoon as the next unicorn. "Alright troopers! We've made it! We're less than an hour away from no pony's land, the ground will be crawling with changelings!" The chubby unicorn grinned and started to move through the lines of soldiers, nodding at them and offering advice. "Just remember your training, keep together, and shoot anything that isn't wearing a uniform!" "Yes sir!" The soldier's reply was strong and proud, worthy of only the strongest. "Prepare for deployment!" The commander took his place at the front of the platoon, the banner carrier beside him swelled with pride at being both the bearer of the princess's standard, and having the honor to fight side by side with his commander. Trixie stood firm beside her comrades, Zak, Benny, and Lightning all steeled themselves as Trixie checked her weapon one last time and made sure her magic flowed freely between the helmet and the cylinder. Thoughts of home and family were what passed through their minds at that moment, although not all were happy memories, they all served the same purpose, to lead them forward and into battle, to sacrifice all and everything for a moment of glory. Trixie Lulamoon... "This is it, time to prove the world who I am, no more hiding behind lies, no more facades, time for truth..." Zakaria Cheskov... "...time fer honor, my family vill hear of me and they vill ve proud, I vill return home vith my Lightning, ve shall marry..." Lightning Cloud... "...and we'll live happy, in a farm outside Trottingham, just my Zak and I, with our foals and my family..." Benny Sharphorn... "...will hear what Ah have ta say, them ponies always thinking Ah was only good fer drinking, they will respect me more after this..." "Get ready everypony! We're deploying in ten!" A pegasus from the ship's crew shouted into the pod, then disappeared back to deck, leaving the infantry to wait and prepare for their moment of truth. 10:50 pm. On the deck of the admiral's flagship, Spitfire looked from side to side, the airships had lined up and were ready for battle, the cannons shining as the sunlight reflected upon their metal bodies. She didn't like having to play a supportive role in battle, as far as she was concerned, the U.I. were simple meat shields, their only purpose being to put on a show for the masses to enjoy, just so more meat shields would join. She grimaced and cast an expert eye over her crew and ship, making sure everything was in order. Although she respected the trooper's bravery and dedication, she held little appreciation for them, the meat shields thought too highly of themselves as far as she was concerned. "Alright everypony! To your stations! Halve the speed, get ready to drop the troopers!" Spitfire flew around the deck of her ship, making sure everypony was ready. The admiral's flagship began to slow down as less carbon was fed to the furnace, the two other ships followed suit and the air fleet started to descend to an altitude were it would be safe to deploy the U.I. troopers. As Spitfire made her way to the bow of the ship, one of her lieutenants stood at attention before her. "Admiral Spitfire! Permission to speak freely." The pegasus saluted and waited for his admiral to reply. "Spit it out soldier, we're in the middle of a battlefield." Spitfire stopped her flight and landed in front of her subordinate, the pegasus looked distressed, despite having permission to speak his mind, he spoke softly, making sure nopony heard him. "Admiral, it's just that, well... Is it a smart thing to just fly there? I mean, without fighters for support?" Spitfire simply nodded and gave the officer a reassuring smile, she had been asked the same question over and over again, but she was sure of her decision. "Relax lieutenant, the changelings aren't smart, the meat shields will keep them busy while we blast them away with our guns, bringing in the fighter corps would only increase the bill at the end of the day." "But admiral, shouldn't we at least form the battleships in a loose formation? They're too slow to dodge any concentrated fire from-" "From whom? Changelings? Don't make me laugh lieutenant, those bugs know as much about aerial warfare as the navy knows about hygiene, they won't give us problems." The officer nodded and Spitfire dismissed him to return to his duties, while she continued her inspection of the battleship. 10:51 Down below, in the waters before the changeling beach, the royal navy sailed fast and strong towards the shore, below their decks were the earth pony artillery and armored vehicle divisions, all ready for war. Standing on the deck of her own flagship, was captain Steel Corvette, commander in chief of the navy fleet attacking the beach. Four battle ships were commissioned to bombard the colony and transport the artillery and armored vehicle divisions, three of the vessels were equipped with two heavy mortars on deck, making them perfect for bombardment, but slow and lacking in broadside cannons. The remaining ship was Steel Corvette's flagship, a swift and agile two decked vessel, twenty cannons on each broadside and two hundred ponies as a crew. The captain smiled proudly at her fleet, she had personally selected which vessels and captains were to accompany her in battle, it would be a walk in the park as far as she was concerned. No fortifications had been set on the landing spot, either the changelings had no idea of the attack, or they were too stupid to defend themselves. The beach itself was a desolate desert of black sand, nothing lived on it, no plants and no animals, the large colony of changelings made sure of it, annihilating everything that could have grown near it. The colony was a fortress, resembling an over sized anthill, the citadel stood several miles high into the air, the shapes of thousands of changelings could be seen crawling outside it. Steel Corvette smirked, deciding to get an early start on the invasion, she decided to send the tanks early and nodded for her officers to prepare the landing boats and the earth ponies for battle, it would be a matter of minutes now, and her fleet would be the first to drop off its cargo, ensuring a medal for her. Admiral's flagship, 21st platoon. 10:59:25 "Alright everypony! It's just like in training, lay down on the floor and run the belt over your backs, then secure it in place with the lock beside you, once we land you press the button on it to unlock it, and don't do anything stupid until the pod hits the ground, you got me? Last thing I need is a metal box full of corpses!" "Yes sir!" The soldiers got on their stomachs and did as instructed, securing their weapons next to them and making sure their saddlebags were closed tightly. "Get ready! Thirty seconds till the drop!" Their commander shouted and all troopers clenched their jaws. "Just remember your training!" One final "Yes sir!" Left the mouths of the soldiers before silent prayers replaced any sort of noise in the pod. Unbeknownst to them, the navy had gotten ahead of schedule, sending the tanks and artillery forward ten minutes earlier, they were already at the beach, making progress towards their position. 11:00 The drop. "Deploy!" Spitfire shouted at the top of her lungs, the order was heard throughout the deck of the battleship and the crew rushed to comply. "Kill them all!" The unicorns shouted inside their landing pods as the distinctive sound of hooves on deck told them it was time. "For the princess! For our homes! For Equestria!" The earth ponies shouted their war cry to the skies as they moved through the sand, tanks ready to rain fire down on their enemies. 21st, heroes of the sand. A terrifying metallic clank was heard as the landing pod separated itself from the airship, the troopers felt their stomachs churn and their fur stand as gravity took a hold of them and pulled with all its strength to smash them against the ground. They fell for several seconds in complete silence, seconds which were being carefully counted by a designated trooper, he had his eyes closed, sweat running down his brow as he muttered to himself the passing numbers. Several soldiers looked at him pleadingly, none were afraid to risk their lives, but throwing it away without seeing combat seemed like a waste, the unicorn didn't notice them, he simply kept on counting. "Three... Four..." The distance lessened... "Five..." Not much space between them and the sand... "Six... Seven..." His eyes shot open and he pulled a lever on the wall next to him. Nothing happened, every soldier felt their stomach drop as they felt their lives coming to an end. Then the sound of something unfolding was heard, followed by a strong pull of the landing pod as their fall was slowed down by the parachutes brought them back to reality, loud cheers left the troopers as they celebrated being alive for the time being. Benny looked over at Trixie and lightly tapped her shoulder. "Ta foreigner can't hold his breakfast!" The large country unicorn laughed heartily and pointed a hoof at Zak, Trixie smiled and stole a quick glance at her comrade. The red stallion's face was a mix of green from nausea and a pale white from fright, his legs were trembling slightly and sweat was pouring down from his brow. A worried Lightning Cloud was fussing over him from her spot next to the Stalliongrad unicorn, ignoring the protests of her fiance and the muffled laughter from the soldiers closest to them. The mood had lightened up a little after the chutes had stopped the fall, the soldiers were eager for combat, and now that it was only a few moments away from them, they were basically overflowing with excitement. "Alright troopers! Remember, the door opens, we rush outside and secure the shoreline! The oilhooves will join us a bit after and we form a battle line! No mistakes ponies, you ain't in Ponyville anymore!" The commander shouted from the front, all voices quieting down immediately. "Hey Trix, watcha think? Two tha first ten or twenty minutes?" Benny looked back at Trixie and gave her his yellow toothed smile. Trixie looked at him with a dubious look in her eyes, and shook her head. "I doubt it, intel said it would be a walk in the park, we shouldn't lose more than four or five during the entire run." "Yeah, guess ya're right on that one, but still, that Green Grass fellow ain't gonna last too long." Benny nodded towards a scrawny looking unicorn, how he got into the U.I. nopony knew. The room was alive with chit chat once more, most of them having relaxed a little, due to some of Benny's jokes, the commander didn't mind, some of the unicorns that were sharing a joke at the moment might never get another chance to do so. All chatter died down however, as a loud thud and a strong tremor ran through the metallic walls of the landing pod. They were on land. "Alright! Everypony on the ready! Follow me, shoot all that is in front of us, and stay close to each other." The commander swiftly unlocked his belt and stood up, channeling magic to his horn. His weapon levitated beside him, the blue aura surrounding it looked menacing, but nothing compared to his scowl. The usually cheerful commander, who had always taken a liking to a good meal and some beer among comrades, now had a bloodthirsty shade in his eyes, his gritted teeth accentuating the battle lust in his soul. "Tear em to pieces!" He shouted and with a single kick from his rear legs, brought the front wall of the landing pod crashing down. Moonlight flooded the trooper's faces, and each one of them took a good look at the beach that might become their final resting place. Sand dunes, stretching all the way to the feet of the changeling's citadel, black sand, dark clouds and an eerie, green glow emanated from large rivers of slime that ran down from the top of the enemy fortress and into the sea. The descent to shore took about a minute, the parachutes on the pods were large and the wind was blowing from the sea, making them move forward and land several meters in front of their intended landing spots. The soldiers quickly freed themselves from both the hypnotic scenery and the security belts that bind them, and rushed out of the pod, following their commander and the banner carrier. "For Equestria!" The carrier shouted, the platoon replied to the cry with one of their own, and they all charged forward. Trixie looked around her as she ran, it was dark, but not too much so she was still able to see what was going on. Their landing pod had landed in front of a dune, so her view of the battle was pretty good since she was on high ground. She was no strategist, but she recognized a grave mistake when she saw one. "Hold the charge! Hold it! Form a line soldiers! A line!" The commander stopped running and looked around. They were alone, the tank divisions were nowhere to be seen. "Where are the Celestia damned oilhooves!" The commander directed his eyes to the shoreline, the landing boats were there, right beside his landing pod, and there were track trails on the ground, but no earth pony divisions. "Sir! Look!" A terrifying roar erupted from the darkness ahead of them, the gut churning scream of a pony followed, and then a large explosion illuminated the shadows. The glimpse they got was small, almost nothing, but it filled them with dread. The carcasses of many tanks lay scattered throughout the sand, fire engulfing several of them, while others simply lay destroyed and abandoned, the corpses of the crews littered the fields around their respective tanks. No sign of the enemy though, the only traces of combat where the remains of the defeated and several hoofprints that led to the feet of the dune the 21st was standing on, but then disappeared, as if the changelings had taken to the skies. "Those idiots went in without us!" The commander cursed under his breath. "Follow me soldiers! Let's show em what a true soldier looks like!" "Yes sir!" The 21st charged forward, weapons at the ready, hearts of steel and nerves of iron. But their resolve would be threatened, that roar they heard... Normal changelings didn't sound like that. Royal flight, fire in the skies. "Aim the cannons! Get ready to blast the monsters to tartarus!" Spitfire roared at her officers, the pegasi flew to the lower decks at full speed, delivering the admiral's orders to the gunners. Spitfire smiled as the cannons were aligned to aim at the citadel, the large metallic war machines ready to fire at her command. "Admiral! The earth pony divisions disembarked ten minutes early!" One of her officers shouted from across the deck. "The U.I. barely did!" "Damn fools! Whatever, it doesn't matter, they won't find much resistance anyway." Spitfire knew it was a mistake to send the light tank divisions to take on an entire army by themselves. Changelings had acidic saliva that could easily eat through the armor of a solitary tank, and the crews were not armed with anything stronger than their own hooves. Without the infantry to back them up, tanks could be nothing more than a snack to a swarm of the beasts. "Resistance will be minimal, no need to worry, the earth ponies won't lose more than a couple tanks at worst." The admiral returned to her own concerns, she had a fleet to command. And the dark clouds surrounding them weren't helping. They had formed out of nowhere, covering the skies and forcing the fleet to fly blindly. Good thing Spitfire had the coordinates of the citadel memorized, the cannons would still be able to fire accurately. "Alright everypony! Give them fire!" The thunderous explosions from the dozens of cannons on each broadside filled the air, the fire that spew from them illuminated the clouds around them for a little while, and splattered something across the deck. Spitfire noticed the green liquid shoot out from the nearby clouds, the cannon fire probably hit a bird or something, but no bird she had ever heard of had green blood... "What the hay...?" She poked the liquid with a hoof, several of her crew mates were gathering around it as well. "What is it Admiral?" "I don't-" A scream pierced through the silence, all ponies turned to look at the bow of the ship. A trooper had been pierced through the chest by a large forked tongue, about the size of a pony's leg, and behind him, perched up on the edge of the bow, stood the hideous beast responsible for his death. Its body was scaled and black, much like any changeling's, except that it was four times as large, much longer too. With a size that would shadow that of Princess Celestia's, the beast supported itself on six long legs, it's head was like a changeling's as well, except for the four extra eyes, and the long spider like jaws. The monster tossed the carcass aside and roared, it's forked tongue swaying from side to side, taunting the ponies to approach. Spitfire noticed the lack of wings on the monster and realized, a bit too late. "They're boarding us!" The crew panicked, they had never seen beasts like that one, most of them had spent more time tending to the airship's machinery and keeping it on the air than in combat. Three unicorns on board opened fire at the monster, a steady stream of magic bolts flying towards the beast. The creature gave a howl of pain as the projectiles shattered its shell and pierced the flesh beneath it, green blood spilling onto the deck. The troopers grew bold and advanced, still showering the beast in front of them, it howled and lunged towards the soldiers in a desperate attempt to kill them. But the creature's legs betrayed it, they collapsed under the weight of it's body and sent the beast tumbling forward, leaving it defenseless. The soldiers saw their chance and concentrated their fire on the monster's head, the magic bolts smashed through the skull and made a mess out of the beast's brain. The creature convulsed and thrashed wildly, but then grew still, the glow from it's eyes vanishing. The crew of the ship stomped their hooves in celebration and the soldiers smiled proudly. Spitfire wasn't buying it. "Battle posts! Get ready for battle! All hooves on deck!" She looked to the skies and saw several shades moving stealthily through the clouds above them, they were large and winged. "You two! Wipe the smirks off your faces and get the rest of your unit up here, now!" The soldiers nodded and rushed to the lower decks, the rest of the crew darted from board to starboard, getting into position behind the smaller cannons on deck. Spitfire got behind the wheel of the airship and turned to starboard, intent on getting away from the large monsters that flew overhead. "Full speed ahead! Get us more altitude! Where the hay are those meat shields!?" Spitfire's hollers reached far and wide through the darkness of the clouds. Unbeknownst to Spitfire, her airship had been the last one to be boarded, and if it weren't for the clouds surrounding her ship, she would have seen that one of the vessels that flew beside her was no longer there, but rocketing at full speed towards the ground, engulfed in flames.
Up The HillJoin Now! In the middle of a large plaza in the great city of Manehatten, a large crowd was gathering to see the spectacle of a lifetime. Mares and stallions, fillies and colts of all ages sat in front of a large wall, where a projector was displaying a black and white movie. But not any movie, this was one where their guards and protectors appeared in their full glory. All voices and chatter quieted as the images began to roll. A large parade in the streets of Canterlot could be seen, the U.I. corps marching proudly, heads held high while confetti rained down on them and the crowds waved and cheered at their passing. Mares swooned and blushed as some of the stallions among the troops winked at them, hoofkerchiefs were thrown to the soldiers who then catched them in their mouths and placed them inside their neck collars. Mothers cried tears of happiness as they saw their once little fillies marching among the ranks of the greatest unit to ever grace Equestria, fathers giving proud waves and nods to their daughters. From behind the U.I. another corps could be seen approaching. The large and mighty, the strong and steadfast, the earth pony armored divisions approached and received the cheers and renewed waves from the crowds. Tank commanders waving from atop their vehicles while the war machines shot warning shots into the air, making the crowds go wild with excitement. The procession continued onward through the streets while roses and many other flowers were thrown at them. And then, from the skies, a large tremor coursed throughout the peaceful blue. The crowd bursted with cheering and ovations as the first of the flying war machines could be seen flying above the city and towards the large castle, where the entire parade was heading. The Wonderbolts then flew out of the vessels and began to perform for the ponies gathered below them. And as they flew, the large war machines shot their own warning shots into the air while the captain and her team pretended to dodge barrage after barrage of cannon fire. By the time the enormous parade and all of its followers made it to the castle, the princesses were already there, making ready to give their blessing to the corps. All soldiers bowed their heads and the tanks lowered their cannons, the airships lowered their altitude and the crowds bowed. Then the princesses gave a short nod and smiled, giving their blessings. The crowds and masses could be seen exploding with jubilation while the troops smiled and more warning shots were fired. The ponies that had gathered together to see the movie began cheering along, unable to contain their excitement. Colts and fillies pranced around while pretending to be part of the U.I., air force, or armored divisions. Then the image turned from Canterlot to a desolate swamp in the middle of nowhere. The brave U.I. soldiers could be seen charging forward through the treacherous swamplands, firing their weapons against an enemy which the camera did not seem willing to film. The soldiers continued running forward while firing, and then, all of a sudden, magic bolts began to be fired at them. All the magical projectiles impacting on the ground as the soldiers avoided each and every one of them, almost as if they knew exactly where they would be fired at. The crowd of Manehattenites gasped as one soldier was reached by a magic bolt. And then cheered as he stood up and shrugged it off as if it was nothing, displaying fully just how brave and grandiose the armed forces truly were. The U.I. then planted an Equestrian flag atop a hill, and fireworks illuminated the skies behind them. All of Manehatten cheered and began to sing their national anthem as the flag waved proudly atop newly conquered territory. The image then switched to clear blue skies, stained only by the hundred or so changeling soldiers flying on it, although, they seemed rather still for an invading swarm. The invading swarm could be seen on Equestrian skies, about a hundred enemies preparing to invade. But then, just as it seemed hopeless to hope, the image changed and showed a brave Spitfire atop her battleship, giving orders to fire all cannons at the invaders. The cannons were aimed and then fired. The image switched to the invading swarm once more and about three dozens could be seen dropping to the floor like flies, their comrades remaining still and in the same positions they had during the first frame. Obviously showing their lack of camaraderie towards their fellow warriors, which was perfectly un-equine-like behavior. The image switched once more and showed a much smaller battleship being surrounded by similarly smaller changelings, the clouds behind them being oddly larger than what a normal cloud should have been, given the size of the battleship. With another change in the image, the Manehattenites were seeing Spitfire and her crew bucking changelings off of their vessel, leaving marks on their exoskeletons that resembled rubbed off paint, which most surely demonstrated the might of Equestria's fighters in melee. The entire crowd was wild with excitement as the entire changeling swarm was seen falling down on the last frame of the film. The ponies began chanting Spitfire's name over and over as she waved at them and winked from within the movie. The image then switched to show a unicorn, an earth pony, and a pegasus standing side by side, wearing the respective uniforms of the U.I., Earth pony armored division, and the Air force. The trio smiled and pointed a hoof at the crowd while large golden letters appeared behind them, 'Join now!' they spelled. The crowd of Manehatten stomped their hooves happily and began to chat excitedly about what they had just seen and how brave their troops were. Some mares complained about the violence shown in the film and how they shouldn't film live action. Several colts and fillies formed separate teams and played war games in which the brave equines proved victorious time and again, while the grown mares and stallions began to form lines in front of the recruitment booths stationed at the sides and exits of the plaza. Up The Hill The 21st marched onward, through the dark sand littered with corpses and destroyed tanks. The moon lay hidden behind a thick layer of clouds, concealing the flying war machines and leaving the soldiers feeling alone. No tanks had survived the onslaught, as the number of tank carcasses around them was too large for there to be any hope left for the armored division. There were no changelings however, and this was cause for more worry than the destruction around them. And as the troopers moved forward, the tension grew thick. "Where are they?" "It's a trap!" "Damned oilhooves, why'd they have to rush in?!" The commander and his soldiers had been meant to meet the seventh and fifth platoons after marching inland, and then form battle lines along with the armored divisions. But the earth ponies were gone and there was no sign of either platoons. They marched onward, trying to stay on high ground as much as possible. The dunes grew taller the farther in they went, and it had come to the point were it was dangerous to move up one without knowing what lay on its other side. The commander of the platoon turned to face his soldiers. Pointing a hoof at the dune blocking their path, the commander selected the two designated scouts of the troop. "Zak! Wheat! Move up there and tell how's the view!" "Yes sir!" Answered the two stallions before breaking formation and running uphill to scout ahead. Their weapons surrounded in a red aura for the Stalliongradense and a golden one for the Fillydelphian. Lightning Cloud whispered something to her fiancé and stretched her neck as tall as possible to keep a watchful eye on him. Her own weapon suddenly lighting up in a light blue glow, ready to fire in his defense. The platoon stopped moving as their commander gave the order to wait for the scout's report, and got into a defensive formation with the soldiers forming a square and readying their weapons. Zakaria Cheskov and Golden Wheat ran up the dune, one behind the other to watch his back should any danger appear from above. Both soldiers gave a quick nod to each other as they neared the top and then cleared the rest of the way. Weapons raised, they scanned the terrain swiftly before turning around and shouting the all clear. "All clear commander! No changelings in sight!" The commander smiled and nodded for the troops to break formation and advance. "Good job, Zak of Wheat! Knew we could count on our trusty scouts!" The scouts smiled proudly before falling back in line, knowing full well that praise could quickly turn to reprimands if they failed to live up to U.I. standards. The platoon continued onwards for a while, always guarding their flanks and keeping a clear path behind them should they need to make a swift retreat to the beach. "Hey Trix! Where'd ya think the changelings went? I'm pretty sure I don't see any around." Lightning Cloud whispered to the blue mare beside Benny, not wanting to cause too much noise, lest they draw the commander's attention. Trixie looked around, eyeing the dunes and sand worriedly. It had been a relatively calm trek through the beach, meeting no resistance but plenty of bad omens. The navy was still visible from the distance, Steel Corvette's flagship being the closest one to the shore. "I don't know, reports did say it would be easy but-" Her voice was drowned by thunderous explosions erupting from above. "Heya! Them flyponies did done started shooting!" Benny shouted over the roaring cannon fire. The explosions illuminated the clouds above them and showed the frame of the gigantic admiral's flagship. The troopers cheered and shouted as the skies burned and the projectiles flew towards the citadel before colliding and setting the colony aflame. Screeching sounds of dying changelings could be heard from the distance. "Shut it! Silence everypony!" The commander bared his teeth and glared at the soldiers for their stupidity. "We are but fifty unicorns in the middle of changeling territory! They see us, they swarm us! Got it?" The soldiers nodded and fell silent, contenting themselves with seeing the fireworks in silence. Oddly enough, they stopped after the first barrage. "Sir? Why'd the fleet stop?" The banner carrier murmured to his commander, confusion in his eyes as he eyed the calm skies above him. "Quiet. Listen." The big boned commander took a hold of his weapon in his magical aura and aimed it upwards. "Soldiers! Anti aerial formation! As we trained, move it!" It was not long after the words left his lips, that a blood chilling roar erupted from the clouds above. Sounding of blood lust and rage. "Pony heck! What the buck is that!" The inexperienced troopers stood, mouths agape as five shadows made themselves apparent above them. Long, slender bodies bearing eight legs and four enormous insect wings descended at horrendous speeds. Their size was of such magnitude that it would have easily compared to half of an equestrian battle airship. The monsters began to lower their altitude until even the faintest details were visible. On their heads were dozens of eyes, their jaws were circular shaped with hundreds of tiny razor sharp teeth inside. The troopers had received intense training and were hardened for anything the changelings could throw at them. But these were not changelings. "Get into formation! Into formation you foals!" The commander hollered time and again, trying as best as he could to get the platoon into a defensive formation. But with his officers being as terrified as the very equines they were supposed to lead, he could do nothing. The flying behemoths approached with every passing second, drawing closer and closer. It was not until the soldiers could clearly see the color of their eyes that the first shots rang out. The commander, tired of waiting for his soldiers to obey, opened fire upon the nearest beast. "Snap out of it troopers! As we trained!" His voice was shaking as the fright he felt seeped out. Yet he restrained it and held his weapon high as round after round of magical projectiles shot out of the barrel of his weapon. Magic bolts impacted on the flying monster's head, but had no effect. His exoskeleton was too strong, and the projectiles bounced off of its core like rocks thrown at a tank. The commander did not falter, however. He stayed strong for his soldiers, knowing fully well that if they saw him run, they would run. He was the pillar on which they stood. "For Equestria!" He shouted, and after a second, his answer was given. "For home!" His soldiers replied, shaky as it was, it was sincere. Fifty steady streams of deadly magical bullets struck the monsters as they neared. The creatures snarled angrily as some of their eyes were punctured by the trooper's shots. But they kept on coming. "Compact circle, everypony! Don't give em easy pickings!" The entire platoon closed in together, Trixie and her friends getting pushed to the center of the formation as the beasts hovered over the ground, deploying yet another frightful sight before the Equestrian soldiers. Hateful screeches and loud thuds, followed by a cloud of dust as the flying beasts left the battle, flying back to the grim clouds above. Visibility was at zero, the cloud of sand concealing whatever it was that the monsters dropped. "Hold your fire! Aim at the dust cloud!" The platoon stayed silent as they waited for the dust to settle. It wouldn't do any good to waste energy shooting at targets they could not see. Trixie wiped the sweat off her brow with a hoof as she aimed her weapon. The tension was building quickly, and many troopers found themselves sweating badly despite it being almost midnight. "Miss Trixie! Whaddaya think's in there?" Benny whispered to Trixie as he held his weapon tighter in his magical hold. "I..." Trixie squinted her eyes and looked at the cloud. Long... Things. Long things that resembled legs began to move inside it. At a charging speed. "Enemies incoming! Suppressive fire!" The commander shouted, and almost immediately, a barrage of magical bolts shot out against the approaching beasts. The monsters hollered and ran faster. The troopers screamed in terror and rage, pressing themselves to hold their ground despite the fear in their hearts. There were fifty proud U.I. soldiers. There were thirty of the monsters. Unbeknownst to the troopers, these were the same beasts that had attacked Spitfire's flagship just moments before. Six hateful eyes glaring at them from each beast, elongated changeling bodies with six legs charging forward, and spider like mandibles eager to kill. "Shoot them! Kill them all!" Came the shouting of the soldiers as the monsters closed the distance between them by half. It would be a few seconds before they reached their lines. Trixie clenched her jaw. Benny steeled his nerves. Zakkaria shot a swift prayer to the goddess of the sun. Lightning took aim. The beast closest to them snarled and doubled its pace, lifting a trail of dust behind it. Its hideous face had become the focus for fifty desperate soldiers. And there is not a more dangerous foe than a trained warrior with no way out. The air was filled with bullets. With a mighty roar of their own, the 21st Unicorn Infantry platoon discharged barrage after barrage upon the approaching beasts. The bullets flew fast and true, piercing the exoskeletons and penetrating into the soft flesh beneath. Death filled the air, squeals of pain resounded as the monsters screeched and writhed in the ground. Broken legs, shattered shells. Spilling guts, spitting blood. The first among the charging monsters fell, carcasses convulsing violently as the magical projectiles continued massacring them. The U.I. showed no mercy. "End them all! Remember your training! Remember the dead! Vengeance!" "Vengeance!" They fired as one, aiming at the legs and eyes. Making sure that none of the creatures were able to fight, nor stand. But the beasts feared not, and they advanced without losing speed. Using the lifeless bodies of their fallen comrades as shields, raising them with their front legs to cover off the barrages. Fear crossed the faces of those among the front lines, but they would not falter. It was a coward's way to run when they felt fear. And it was a warrior's way to shoot faster when death showed itself. A soldier, a mare from Hoofington. She felt death. Starry Scope had been born, she had lived, married and had children who grew and left home to make their own lives. Husband killed in the changeling invasion, she would prefer to be nowhere else at that exact moment. Facing death. As the first of the monsters pressed forward and threw the carcass it had used as a shield aside, Starry Scope smiled and aimed the barrel to face the creature. "I'll meet you yet again, honey. That much I promise..." A roar was heard, bullets were sprayed, and the monsters were upon them. Three of the creatures spearheaded the attack, crashing headfirst into the Equestrian formation. Havoc became the norm. Soldiers were lifted off the ground by powerful jaws, enormous legs crushed heads as if they had been made of clay, bullets went astray and shot friends instead of foes. Three monsters became five, and then seven. The formation did not hold. The commander shouted and barked orders, attempting desperately to maintain his platoon through the assault. Soldiers backed away from the rampaging monsters, breaking their formation. The ones at the back tried hard and mighty not to harm their own as they shot round after round against the beasts, but the confusion was overwhelming. "Suppressive fire! Walk and shoot! We're falling back troopers!" Anger in his voice, the commander opted for the only possible course of action. An orderly retreat. The soldiers heard the words and they felt like fresh water amid the desert. As fast as their hooves could take them, the soldiers ran to their commander, anxious to leave the bloodthirsty beasts behind them. The creatures did not notice them leave. They were too engrossed on the fallen's corpses to notice the danger they were in. "Form a line! A line soldiers! Stop the retreat and reform!" The commander shouted and the troops obeyed. Trixie looked back at the carnage and thanked Celestia that her friends and her had been in the middle of the formation and not in the frontal lines. Almost none survived. She did a quick headcount, eyes wide as she saw how many had fallen. "Twenty... Thirty four... Thirty eight?!" She clenched her jaw and felt anger. Thirty eight survivors, twelve dead. And it was not over yet. "All troopers form a line!" She heard her commander shouting orders and hurried to obey. She spotted Benny and Lightning standing together by the middle left wing of the forming line and ran to them, searching for Zak the entire way. The beasts growled and tossed the carcasses of twelve dead ponies to the side, then licked their fangs with forked tongues and charged the Equestrian line once more. "For the dead! For our friends! Kill them all!" The 21st roared again and commenced a deadly barrage of magic bullets, once more having the devastating effect as before. Only difference being, now there were only seven surviving monsters to kill. A bullet pierced one of the front beast's legs, causing it to stumble and fall face first into the sand. The monsters behind it were blinded by the dust their wounded comrade caused, and in their annoyance, they teared him to pieces on the spot. It was more than enough of an opportunity for the U.I. They concentrated their fire, aimed to the heads, and slaughtered the creatures on the spot. When the last of the beasts convulsed a final time before dying, the soldiers lowered their weapons and sat on the sand. No cheers accompanied them. No merry celebration was had. Lightning Cloud was in tears, inconsolable. There was no sign of her fiancé. Not among the living, and not among the dead. The commander was shaken horribly. Furious about having being left alone by the other platoons and by the tanks, terrified about facing monsters spawned from tartarus instead of changelings he was used to fighting. And confused... Not knowing what to do. Trixie looked at the skies, hoping for a sign that all would be well. That the worst had just passed. She was answered to with a burning aircraft, falling to its doom.
