Foreword: be sure to read Chapter Eight if you have not yet done so.

Act 1 Finale
Chapter Nine
Canine Commander

“Peace Fighters, MOVE UP! Find cover wherever you can and give the Empire hell!” Captain Shining Armor bellowed as he lead his soldiers through the streets of the canine capital, accompanied by the stallions of the Peace Fighters and a large amount of canines that had been quickly trained by Lieutenant Strong Spear to aid Shining Armor. They were all making the final push on the Equestrian Empire’s occupying forces and the last bastion of resistance, a government building known as the ‘Rotunda’.

Shining Armor hunkered down behind a ruined tank as an explosive artillery shell exploded near him in the street, spraying metal and concrete shrapnel up and down the way. Peace Fighter mares and stallions took cover behind vehicles, dumpsters, and even stole pre-fab partitions from dead Imperial soldiers.

The pre-fab cover were issued to Imperial soldiers in medium-sized kits and were issued to every soldier; the kit was a folding setup of stamped sheets of titanium attached via hinges. When the soldier needed cover but there was none, they would just unfold their pre-fab kit and stick it into the ground if it was soft enough, or stabilize it on solid ground with attachable feet.

A wing of Imperial fighters screamed directly over the Peace Fighters and their canine collaborators, carpet-bombing the street and igniting it in a blaze of explosions. With a deafening roar a nearby house collapsed into the street, completely obliterated and creating cover in the form of rubble on the left sidewalk.

Shining Armor looked up the road from his current position and saw the Rotunda about the length of a hoofball field away from him. The tall cylindrical building with a round top was shaped like a pistol bullet, and all that stood between it and them were around 100 Imperial Equestrians, a machine gun position, and the bomber jets.

The Captain moved forward, his bravery of being at the front lines inspiring the rest of his soldiers to fearlessly follow. A massive explosion tore a row of houses asunder, spraying bricks and rock into the skies. Shining Armor looked up at the sky and saw Imperial slow-bombers flying high in the sky, raining bombs on the city.

One such bomb landed directly in the middle of the street and Shining clambered up on the rubble made by a house it collapsed. “FORWARD, STALLIONS, UP INTO THE UNREMITTING BATTLE! FOR THE CANINES, FOR FREEDOM, AND FOR TRUE PEACE! FEAR NOT THEIR GUNS OR BOMBS, BUT WHAT MAY FOLLOW SHOULD WE ALL FAIL! THE PRINCESSES HAVE MADE MILLIONS SUFFER, AND WE MUST DO THE SAME UNTO THEM! INCH BY INCH, FOOT BY FOOT, MILE BY MILE, WE WILL REACH CANTERLOT AND PUNISH THE PRINCESSES FOR THEIR LIES AND CRIMES! PEACE FIGHTERS; DO NOT COUNT THE DAYS! DO NOT COUNT THE MILES! COUNT ONLY, AND ALWAYS REMEMBER THE ATROCITIES OUR SO-CALLED “GODDESSES” HAVE COMMITTED!” Shining bellowed.

“FIGHT!”

The Peace Fighter leader charged forward as his soldiers followed close behind; renewed with vigor they fought with a tenacity unprecedented by the Empire. The gray smoke-filled skies hung over them as the last of the slow-bombers flew far overhead, dropping their bombs. The Peace Fighters fearlessly pushed forward, their IMRT and smaller tanks right behind them as they encroached upon the Rotunda.

Finally, just when Shining thought they were about to break through the line and reach the steps to the Rotunda, an Imperial tank smashed through the glass display windows of a store directly in front of the Captain, its main cannon turning to fire so the coaxial machine gun could draw a bead.

Shining dove behind a ruined tank as the active one fired, its cannon shell piercing right through the ruined tank and missing the Captain’s head by a number of inches. The shell landed in another store and detonated harmlessly, though glass and cobble were thrown about.

Just as the 125mm on the IMRT was about to destroy the Imperial tank eight mechanical legs sprouted from the sides and it scurried up the side of a building like a spider, scaring half the Peace Fighters that saw it, including Shining.

Goddess it’s FAST! Faster than a Manticore tank, even!

WIth the Imperial tank on the roof, nothing nearby could reach it, as the rail gun on the IMRT was currently disabled.

The turret on the Imperial tank turned and aimed down, firing directly at Shining Armor. The stallion quickly conjured a shield and the round detonated on impact, rattling the Captain’s teeth and bones from the force.

The tank clambered down and into the streets, behind the IMRT and into the midst of the Peace Fighter infantry. Shining, abandoning the charge, ran full-speed back to where the enemy tank was.

“Our momentum is strong, Captain, what are you doing?! The DRAVMs are about to bomb the Rotunda; we’ve almost got this!” Lieutenant Spear declared when Shining slid next to her behind a pile of rubble.

“You hand me your rocket launcher right NOW, Lieutenant!” Captain Armor ordered, watching the Imperial tank as its machine gun thundered into the crowd of his soldiers, the sound of the heavy rounds firing echoing throughout the city. At a different time and place Shining would lament the destructive nature of this war on their once-peaceful land, but now there were more pressing issues.

Strong Spear did as told and handed Shining Armor the rocket launcher, an RATRLS-7. The Re-usable Anti-Tank Rocket-Launching-System model 7 was a formidable and dependable rocket launcher, capable of piercing almost all types of armor except for maybe the armor on the IMRT.

Shining crouched and slammed the rear-end of the launcher against the ground, shoving a warhead into the opening and flipping around and onto his shoulder. “Game OVER!” Shining bellowed, firing the launcher and sending the rocket straight and true into the side of the Imperial tank, blasting its left side treads apart and sending them flying. Captain Armor dropped low again and slid another rocket home as the tank got up on its eight legs and turned to face him directly, the ponies inside recognizing him as target numero uno.

“Come and get me, I dare you!” Shining yelled, stowing the launcher and bolting for the stores on the other side of the street, the tank giving chase.

“Shining!” Lieutenant Spear yelled after him.

Shining Armor ran through a clothes store and the Imperial tank smashed in after him, shattering and breaking hundreds of ponequins and racks to chase the revolutionary. Captain Armor slammed through the back door into an enclosed courtyard. It appeared to be a loading area for the clothing store, as there were several trucks parked in the area.

Shining’s study of the area was cut short when the Imperial tank smashed through the wall, rearing its ugly head and forcing the Captain to take cover behind one of the trucks.

Tank with treads that also sprouts eight legs if the treads are disabled... Must be for psychological warfare. Or maybe it’s a homage to the Spider People of the Northern Isles Shining thought, sliding home one last rocket in the launcher.

The tank bustled along in the yard, searching for the Captain.

“SHINING ARMOR! ID CODE SA-1164-3372! LEADER OF THE PEACE FIGHTERS! KILL ORDER...EXECUTE!” a pre-programmed voice thundered from the tank, the main cannon firing at one of the trucks when it had finished.

Ducking out from behind the truck he was behind Shining levelled the launcher and was about to fire at the tank when it turned, blasting its coaxial machine gun at him and forcing him to roll away behind another truck and keep running.

“EXECUTE!” the voice bellowed, firing at the truck and blasting it completely across the yard, the vehicle missing the Captain by mere feet.

Shining rolled out from behind the other truck he was behind and fired at the tank, blowing apart its left side legs and rendering it totally immobile.

“Who dares wins... MY HEAVEN...is...solitary...” the voice inside the tank choked out, before it finally went dead.

Peering inside the tank revealed there was a sole operator, hooked up with the same kind of suit the ELEMENT GEAR soldier who attacked Shining Armor earlier had been wearing. The operator had been speared by the missile Shining fired into the tank and was dead.

The hell was this thing talking about? What is ‘MY HEAVEN’?

Captain Armor couldn’t answer his own questions, and knew there were more pressing matters at the moment. Leaving the destroyed tank behind the Captain went back through the store he had entered the yard through and re-joined the Peace Fighters in the assault on the Rotunda. True to Lieutenant Spear’s earlier claims the DRAVMs had made their run on the building and the final push was being made.

“Move it, Peace Fighters!” the Captain commanded, hooking up with Lieutenant Spear near the front. With a final run from the DRAVMs and the IMRT rolling through the Imperial line the Peace Fighters reached the steps of the Rotunda.

“IMRT, take aim on the cap of the tower and FIRE!” Shining Armor yelled, the 125mm on the massive tank drawing a bead and trumpeting its roar, ripping apart the top of the building and destroying everything inside.

Seconds later the white flag unravelled and spread across the side of the Rotunda.

~~~~

As the captives were hauled off to be taken to a detainment center Shining Armor stood on the steps of the Rotunda, talking with Lieutenant Spear and Commissar Bulldog, the latter of whom was glad and grateful for what the Peace Fighters had done for his people.

“Thank you, Captain Armor! With our capital liberated and the training you have imparted on us I’m confident the Canine people can liberate their nation. Now for my end of the deal; you and your army will be allowed full access to any and all resources and supplies we have to offer in your fight against the Princesses” the Commissar declared.

“Thank you” Shining commented, just happy that the Princesses had suffered a significant loss finally. Plus they lost their walking tank, METAL LANCE. Shining Armor was sure the Princesses would be pissed off beyond reason, but knew they’d be able to take them on with the Canines backing them.

And the Lieutenant suggested we ask ‘Them’ for help... Crazy Captain Armor mused, idly surveying the area. He was going to need to call in the heavy-lifter DRAVMs from Mother Base to lift the IMRT back for repairs.

“Well, I think we’re done here. I’ll leave some soldiers behind to keep an eye on things, but the rest of us are heading back to base. Think your people can handle the stragglers, Commissar?” Shining asked.

“Yes, I believe we can. Thank you again, Captain” the Commissar replied.

“Good, very good. Well, I think I’m gonna head back to Mother Base. There’s vital planning to be done now that we’re on the offensive. See you back there, Strong Spear” Captain Armor told her, heading for a nearby DRAVM that landed on the street in front of the Rotunda.

“See you later, Captain” the Lieutenant called to him.

Once on the DRAVM it took off and turned in the direction of Mother Base, beginning its trek back. Along the way Shining began to write his diary entry for the day, enjoying the opportunity to relax after being nearly killed twice today; first by an elite soldier, then by an eight-legged tank.

Things just keep getting weirder and weirder; first a massive walking tank, then some kind of elite soldier named ELEMENT GEAR, then ANOTHER walking tank. Well hopefully things will get better now, and hopefully this is step one in freeing all of--

An alarm was sounding in the cockpit.

“What is that?” Shining asked, stepping into the front and looking at the control board.

“Something’s gotta lock on us, Sir! Hold on, getting ready to deploy countermeasures” the pilot responded, flipping several switches on the board. Suddenly the alarm changed pitch, the sound confusing the pilot.

“What the--?”

“What? What’s going on? Doesn’t that sound mean a missile is coming at us?” Captain Armor inquired.

“No, that means imminent collision” the pilot answered.

Before Shining could speak again something hit them and a horrible sound of shrieking and warping metal was heard. Looking back into the cargo hold of the DRAVM the Captain could see outside and saw bits of debris flaking off them.

The entire rear end of the dropship had been sheared off, and they were now careening to the ground.

“What the hell just happened? What hit us?!” Shining Armor demanded, bracing himself against the seats in the front.

The DRAVM slammed into the ground and Shining was thrown from his position, smashing his head against the wall and knocking him out.

~~~~

When Shining awoke he could see outside through the open rear of the vehicle, seeing the landscape sprawling before him, a copse of trees some hundred feet away. His eyes closed again, and when they opened something was obstructing his view of the trees, something black and big. It appeared to be an aircraft of some type.

His eyes closed once more, and when they opened a black leg was in front of his face. Sparing the last of his conscious energy Shining Armor shakingly looked up and saw a clean hole cut through the leg, allowing him to see straight through it. Several other cut-outs could be seen, and his mind deduced the black leg closely resembled Swiss cheese.

With this final realization Shining Armor slipped from the conscious realm, and fell into a coma.

~~~~

END OF ACT ONE

Author's Note

What is MY HEAVEN? Who was the person Shining Armor saw last before passing out? How did half of Shining's DRAVM get sliced off? Find the answers to these questions and more in ACT TWO of PEACE FIGHTER, dropping April 19th, 2013.

Legal note: Shining Armor, Princess Celestia, and all related characters belong to Hasbro. Lieutenant Strong Spear, Gleaming Bullet, and all related characters belong to me. My Little Pony belongs to Hasbro.