The Gryphons dropped explosives from the sky, laying siege to Manehatten
The Dragons turned Baltimare into ashes in the breeze
The Changelings took Fillydelphium by numbers, overwhelming the inhabitants
The Royal Equestrian Army was created to fight back the threat.
The Earth Ponies fighting on the grounds with newly developed projectile weapons
The Pegasus fighting to rebuke the gryphons in the air
The Unicorns developing new technologies to defeat the enemy
In the beginning, they all thought Equestria would emerge victorious.
But now, no one is certain.
The lands lay scorched, by the weapons of both sides
Homes and shops are abandoned by their occupants
Now, many doubt there is going to be an Equestria after the war
Either the enemy wins, and takes over the once great nation
Or, we win. And are left with a destroyed land full of broken souls
Both are terrifying
And that is why we are here
To travel beyond the heavens
To find a new home in the starts
This, is project FarStar
This is the Twilight
Chapter 1: Rose Torn
These are the worst of the missions. But you gotta do what you gotta do. And that is exactly what she is doing, looking down the scope of one of her top of the line Equestria Military Rifled Crossbows, complete with a silencer and bipod. Below, under the veil of a titan of metal and pony engineering, sits her target. The princess of the night, and crucial to Equestria's mission of stellar exploration. Along with her sits her sister, somepony else, looking to be the captain of the ship, and almost all of Canterlot. The crowd cheers wildly at the sight of their royalty. Joy, she thinks. A rare sight as of late. Won't last long. She scopes along the makeshift stage. On one side is what she assumes are officers. Among them are ponies of every shape and size. A Jet Black alicorn, an even rarer sight as of...well...ever, sits in the mass of officers. Interesting. Near the end of the officers, a hansom gray and blue pegasus sits, looking bored. Looks like the royalty had found Wraith. What kind of deal did they give him? She thinks, adjusting her aim back towards her target. The large clock tower strikes noon, and Celestia stands and moves towards the mic.
”Greeting, citizens of Equestria!” She begins, her already regal voice rebounding through the area.
Rose mentally blocks out the noise, increasing the scope's magnification and focusing on the now exposed night sister. Her employers has been very specific. Fire after the ship was christened. Her shot would be the catalyst. They'd be the explosion. An explosion that would rain down on one of the last great pony cities.
“Today is a bright day in Equestria's dark five year struggle. The day where we step off our home world, and we venture forth into the unknown of the star ocean.”
She gives a brief pause for her words to sink into the now silent crowd.
“Our land has been scorched by Dragon fire, Changeling spells, and Gryphon weapons. Therefore, we decided three years ago to create a vessel carrying a portion of us to another world, were they may settle and create a new home. In the beginning, the feat seemed impossible, even for us. But, a marvelous invention was discovered by my late student Twilight Sparkle.”
The queen pauses once again. She looks as if she's about to cry, but Rose is almost certain they are fake. Celestia is too good to let emotions show without a reason, Rose thinks.
“Less than a fortnight ago, we finished the vessel. Using the magical Star Drive, our dream is now a possibility.”
A cheer erupts from the crowd. They're eating this up. The poor saps. Blissfully unaware.
“And so, on the eve of its maiden voyage, I christen this ship.” Celestia lifts one of the last remaining Sweet Apple Acres cider bottles.
“I christen this ship, The Twilight!” With that, she gives the bottle a magical swing, and shatters it on the metal hull. Showtime.
Rose checks the calibration one last time. Off to the side, Wraith lazily looks around the surrounding building, briefly passing over her sniper position on one of the balconies. A second passes by before Wraith wakes up and spins back, looking straight at her. Throwing caution to the wind, he unfurls his wings, startling the other officers gathered around him, and takes to the sky, making a beeline for Rose. Her focus blocks out the approaching threat, only showing the Princess and where her heart is. Wraith's sudden takeoff startles a large portion of the crowd, eliciting a few screams and shouts. Rose tenses on the trigger, and time seems to slow. She can hear her own heart beat, calm and steady. Her hoof tenses on the small pressure trigger. Wraith puts on another burst of speed. What a world, where one bolt can change the course of history, she thinks, oddly deep in though. She quickly stomps the trigger, just a mere second before Wraith crashes into her and the weapon. A small, sickeningly wet sound can be heard. I didn't think I'd her the impact from this distance, she thinks, trying to move the pegasus off her. A wet liquid starts to drip on her main when she realizes why the sound was so close. She finally moves him to the side, exposing the gaping wound in his chest. Blood starts to pool on the ground beside him.
Great Flying Celestia! Why'd he have to go and do that?
She works fast, bandaging the hole the projectile had caused using her bandoleer. Soon, the cloth is drenched in the life water. His eyes flutter momentarily as he regains consciousness.
“Wuh....” he starts to say, groggily, already trying to get up.
“Don't move,” she demands, more forcefully than intended. On second thought, she'd need force to keep Wraith from hurting himself even more.
“Now, you might want to tell me why you MADE ME SHOOT YOU IN THE CHEST!” She was mad. And, on reflection, she didn't know why. She just was.
He makes what she guesses is the best shrug he can do in his current state. She sighs. “Same old Wraith, diving headfirst into danger.”
Below, in the crowded plaza, ponies are shouting. Celestia and Luna try to control the crowd, but the ponies are restless. In the distance, a siren sounds. The Raid Siren. Things just got a whole lot more difficult, she thinks, attempting to move the hurt pony. Thank Celestia for pegasus bones. Hollow and light. With the wounded pony safely mated onto her back the wounded pony safely tied to her back, she starts at a brisk trot from the balcony and down the long, winding stairs towards the plaza.
Outside, a large amount of grey smudges approach the city from the non-mountainous side of Canterlot. The shapes quickly form into winged creatures. Soon, individual features can be made out. Strapped to each gryphon is a special suit designed to allow the firing of weapons and the dropping of bombs strapped to their undersides. A chthunk sound starts as the city's defenses start firing magic projectiles at the intruders. A few strike home, disintegrating parts of the gryphons, leaving them writhing in agony as they fall to their dooms. One is hit under the beak, crumbling everything upwards, leaving the Gryphon headless and lifeless. Many manage to make it through the magic barrage, preparing to drop their ordnance on the citizens of Equestria.
Everything is happening very quickly. Quicker than Celestia and Luna can raise the protection spell. Quicker than Rose and carry Wraith to the square. The lobby looms as they round yet another landing. Wraith groans slightly. The bumpy ride isn't helping his condition. Skidding slightly on the glazed floor, Rose runs out the main door into pandemonium. Ponies are running for their lives as Gryphons bombard from the sky, trying to pick off individuals with their projectile weapons. Across the plaza, Celestia is is trying her best to sharpshoot Gryphons while Luna makes a break for the ship, along with the other officers. Risking her former contractors for the chance to reach both the nearest medical facility and her best hope for getting out of harms way, she bolts across the plaza, dodging the ponies she can and trampling those she can't. It's not long before she reaches the stage, running around the regally embroidered stage cover towards the lowered boarding ramp of the Twilight. Celestia gives no more than a second glance before returning her concentration towards the invaders. Luna and the other officers are already on board, and the ramp starts to retract.
Crap.
Backtracking onto the stage, she stands at the farthest edge, preparing to make a leap of faith. Wraith wakes up from his comatose state, seeing the surroundings and making a good guess as to what Rose is trying to do. Rose takes off at a gallop, running the length of the stage, gaining all the speed she can. Finally, she leaps off the end. Wraith extends his wings, catching a rare gust of find, propelling them across the gap and onto the boarding ramp. The Twilight is already levitating a good bit off the ground. Giving sighs of relief, Rose brings Wraith inside the ship, setting them both down on a bulkhead. As the ramp starts to sheath itself within the metal titan, a loud war cry can be heard in the distance.
RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWRRRRR!!!!!!!!
She instantly recognized that sound. She had heard it enough working for both sides on the battlefield. A dragon is coming.
Double Crap.
