The only good changeling is a dead changeling!

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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.