Peace Fighter

Chapter Sixteen
METAL HORNET

With a blast of energy METAL HORNET lowered and accelerated forward, the slug-blasters firing at Shining Armor who sprinted left to escape their firepower. Luckily for him the weapons were mounted in such a way that prevented them from turning more than 45 degrees in any direction, be it horizontal or vertical.

As the aircraft flew over him Shining took aim with the rocket launcher and fired, the missile flying straight and true and about to hit METAL HORNET when it was vaporized mid-flight by the same anti-missile technology first seen on METAL LANCE, though this was encased in a single pod rather than a large ring.

At that point Shining realized he had two options; find a spot that the anti-missile system didn’t cover, or remove the anti-missile pod from the equation entirely.

METAL HORNET went left and banked right to get back in front and spun to face Shining, the disc thrusters turning to stop the large aircraft.

Power thrusters are already used in the DRAVMs, but this thing uses only the thrusters. This could represent a significant leap in aerial technology for all species of the world if this tech got out Shining thought, wondering if the Peace Fighters would find a practical use for it.

Spreading its wings and turning the discs back for added thrust METAL HORNET rocketed forward, firing the slug-blasters all the way at Shining. The Captain waited until the aircraft was directly overhead before firing the missile system at the underside of the tail. Chrysalis detected this move and banked METAL HORNET to the left, narrowly dodging the rocket.

OK, so the anti-missile system can’t protect the tail. I just need to target that area.

Spinning METAL HORNET back around Chrysalis looked down at Shining and rocketed the aircraft forward again, firing the slug guns at him. The Peace Fighter stowed the missile system and pulled out the CSC-12C, taking aim on the aircraft and opening fire. The gun’s heavy rounds easily punched through the armor but were too small to be intercepted by the anti-missile system. It wouldn’t be enough to take METAL HORNET down, but it’d help.

30 rounds later Shining dropped the empty magazine from the rifle and rocked in a new one, yanking the charging handle on the right side to ready the weapon and taking aim once more on the anti-missile pod. Artificial thunder echoed in the valley the Changeling prison was built in as the CSC-12C spit fire at METAL HORNET.

Queen Chrysalis turned METAL HORNET so the left side was facing Shining, making it harder for him to hit the anti-missile pod.

This is different from METAL LANCE. I’m not fighting an unknown soldier in a tripedal machine, I’m fighting a person I know. I’m fighting an enemy I know almost as well as I know the Princesses. To what end is Chrysalis fighting for? How do her people benefit from involvement in this war?

METAL HORNET screamed overhead as Chrysalis strafed Captain Armor again, a sort of music broadcasting from the underside of the head. Like METAL LANCE’s roar, Shining suspected the admittedly creepy singing was for psychological warfare.

“Lalala...lalala...La la la...”

METAL HORNET stopped in place as Captain Armor turned around, seeing the aircraft stopped at a 45 degree angle with the top facing him. The head turned to face him, almost seeming like the aerial vehicle was looking at him.

At a different time, a different place, Shining Armor might of felt fear at the menacing display from a deadly creation. But instead, all he felt was determination to bring it and Queen Chrysalis down.

Pulsing the thrusters METAL HORNET turned all the way to face the Peace Fighter leader, flesh and machine staring each other down, both sides showing a courage befitting only of cold steel and he who has stood unwavering in the face of impossible odds before.

Captain Shining Armor hefted the missile system and took aim, just as METAL HORNET rose up several feet and extended its tail, lowering and raising it forward until it was facing forward underneath the head at a 45 degree angle. From in between the two over-and-under spires holding the thrusters came a warming and cracking of blue electricity, followed by the unmistakable BANG of a railgun.

The high-speed metal slug lanced quickly into the rooftop and ripped a hole through it, missing Shining Armor by a number of feet. Looking at METAL HORNET Shining had to once again give the designer credit; with the railgun armed and ready to fire the aircraft looked like a hornet poised to sting.

Chin-mounted slug blasters and a railgun, plus the anti-missile pod. Seems to me that METAL HORNET is more for heavy recon and medium assault. It could probably do work against tanks, however Shining mused.

Queen Chrysalis returned the tail to its original position and ignited the thrusters, sending METAL HORNET flying over Shining Armor once again. The Captain took aim and fired with the missile launcher, the rocket soaring up near the wing and detonating mid-air due to the anti-missile pod, though the resulting spray of shrapnel slashed and stabbed all along the wing and body.

METAL HORNET turned and banked, stopping at a 45 degree angle again before throwing all its weight to its rear to swing around fully, once more facing Shining Armor, who shouldered the CSC-12C and took aim on the anti-missile pod. METAL HORNET lowered itself and the wings turned upward as the discs turned back. Feeding all fuel to the thrusters Chrysalis rocketed METAL HORNET forward just a few feet over the rooftop, forcing Shining to dive to the floor to avoid getting splattered.

Shining looked up at the aircraft as it slowed its forward momentum and turned to face him, slower than usual. Shining bet that using the fuel to reach the speeds that it did temporarily reduced METAL HORNET’s agility and rendered it slower to turn afterwards.

Taking aim on the anti-missile pod with the CSC-12C once he had a clear shot Shining opened fire, the thunder of the large caliber rounds rattling his bones as they slashed through the thin metal comprising the pod and its components. Quickly the anti-missile pod was reduced to a large can on the side of METAL HORNET riddled with holes, completely inert and unable to do its job.

Now, confident that he’d be able to take down METAL HORNET with the rockets Shining Armor pulled out the launcher and took aim down the sights and fired, Chrysalis directing METAL HORNET down to dodge the rocket.

Spinning the aircraft around Chrysalis let loose with the slug blasters, the heavy steel rounds slamming into the roof all around Shining Armor who ran for the cover provided by a small single-room structure on the roof. Busting the door open the Peace Fighter leader reloaded both weapons and listened to METAL HORNET fly overhead.

“Lalala...” METAL HORNET sang from outside.

Just need to get one shot on that thing to bring it down. Just one from the missile system. You can do this Shining Armor.

The small structure shook with enough intensity to make the lights break, most likely because Chrysalis was firing the railgun at it. The door was still cracked open, though, which allowed a little light to pour in and come to a rest on--

Oh Goddess...

It was Twilight’s head, but only half of it was visible. Every tooth in her mouth was visible in a horrible clown-like smile, and her visible eye was wide open with a flame in it. It stared straight ahead, looking at the wall just a few feet to Shining’s right. As he looked at it, he could hear a white noise, like radio static, screaming in his head. It was demonic, like a horrible monster from hell come to hunt down and brutally murder Shining. The Peace Fighter was shaking, his lips trembling as he stared at this terrifying visage of his sister.

The white noise abruptly ended, and the visible eye snapped to look right at Shining Armor, piercing his very essence. Shining stood on his hind legs and pressed his back tight against the wall, finding that his breath was growing more shallow.

The building shook again, and the demonic visage of Twilight moved. It collapsed to the floor and rolled all the way across the room to Shining’s hooves. The sound of it against concrete gradually becoming slower and slower but yet still with the same intensity until it was the distorted sound of rubber on cement.

It stopped against Shining’s hooves, and he saw that it wasn’t a sinister expression of his sister’s head, but rather a colorful beach ball with a funny pattern.

His heart thumping so loud he was sure it was echoing through the room Shining kicked the ball away from him perhaps more frantically and fearfully than he would admit and ran back outside, hefting the missile system and watching METAL HORNET fly directly over him.

Just kill it. Kill it and kill her and go home Shining thought, taking aim with the missile system and pulling the trigger, catching METAL HORNET just as it was preparing to turn. The rocket struck right in the center of the left-side thruster disc, blasting it apart and causing Chrysalis to lose control of the aircraft. METAL HORNET dipped down and crashed onto the roof of the building, kicking up tons of dust and rock as it began to bleed smoke and fire from the disc.

Smashing the cockpit window and dragging Chrysalis out Shining Armor shoved the barrel of his gun to her neck, wanting to interrogate her before he finished her off. “What is MY HEAVEN? WHAT IS MY HEAVEN?!”

Chrysalis winced before looking up at the Peace Fighter, confused.

“How do you know of MY HEAVEN?”

“Doesn’t matter, just tell me what it IS!” Captain Armor demanded, reminding Chrysalis of her predicament by shoving the barrel of the CSC-12C harder in her neck.

“MY HEAVEN is the key to the continuity of life on this planet, the key to ensuring the end of war and allowing peace and prosperity to return to those who deserve it, and that is all you will learn from me on the subject. It matters not, really, since your Peace Fighters are destined to fail. You’ll take in any ex-Imperial soldier for your army, regardless of what suffering they have caused you personally in the past. There is one within your ranks that is responsible for your greatest loss” Queen Chrysalis declared.

“What does that mean? What are you talking about?!” Shining questioned.

“Your friend, Private Gleaming Bullet... He’s the one who shot and killed Cadence so many moons ago” Chrysalis answered.

For a moment, all Shining could do was stand there over the Changeling Queen, perplexed by what she had revealed to him about both MY HEAVEN and Gleaming Bullet. Silence was interrupted in its speech by the uproar of Shining’s gun as he killed Chrysalis and sat down beside her, too shocked to get moving back to friendly territory.

Gleaming killed Cady...?

It was almost surreal, the fact that he'd been working with his wife's killer all this time. Was he an Imperial spy? Or was he guilty over what he had done and left the Empire for us?

Shining looked down at Chrysalis and saw a handgun holstered on her left side, one that the Peace Fighter leader had never seen. He reached down and picked it up, admiring how it looked. It was apparently an SPP-M6, but was quite customized. The slide and frame were a deep blue color and the entire gun had been elaborately scroll engraved. The grips were made of smooth Cocobolo wood and on the left side of the slide, written in calligraphy were the words 'For MY HEAVEN'.

The distant roar of natural thunder knocked Shining from his musings, prompting him to look to the left horizon and see a storm approaching. With Chrysalis dead the Changelings would be thrown into a power struggle that would likely last for a couple months, effectively removing them from the war for that time. The Peace Fighter Captain yanked several of the small thrusters from METAL HORNET, thinking they would be able to use the technology in the future, before heading down for a land vehicle to return to Vietmane. He would soon be back leading the Peace Fighters, but there was still a great deal left to do and deal with.

And Gleaming Bullet was first on that list.

~~~~

Legal note: Shining Armor, Queen Chrysalis, and all related characters belong to Hasbro. Gleaming Bullet and all related characters belong to me. All other original characters belong to their respective owners.