War of the Worlds
Chapter 8 - The Attack on Cloudsdale
Previous ChapterNext ChapterChapter 8 – Attack on Cloudsdale
Twilight walked silently behind the Princess as they were led through the packed streets of the
mighty cloud city. The ponies that they passed were all scared and disorientated, many of them
had only barley escaped the humans death machines. Some of them were talking about their
experiences, their homes being destroyed, loved ones either killed or captured. The Royal Guard
that were there were trying to reassure people that they were safe and that the human’s machines
couldn’t reach them in Cloudsdale.
As they reached the Wounderbolts building – that the Royal Guard were using as an HQ – and they
were taken into a large room with a table in the centre, various maps and books were strewn across
the tables surface and Princess Luna was pouring over them in deep thought. When she noticed the
group enter she greeted them fondly, nuzzling her sister. As they walked back to the table Twilight
saw that Captain Striking Spear was also sat there looking intently at a large map that covered the
majority of the table, the map was annotated with various symbols, but notably a large number of
green dots.
“You’re Highness” The Captain said standing
As she neared the table twilight could see the map more clearly, although there were green dots
spread across the surface, there were two large concentrations of dots. One was just west of
Canterlot and the other was directly on top of Ponyville.
Princess Celestia then asked Captain striking Spear for a report and the Captain told her that the
green dots represented the position of groups of “Martian” machines. He also mentioned that the
two large dots represented large concentrations of Martian unidentified activity.
“They are building something...what it is we don’t know...but it’s big” The captain said pointing at
the dot near Canterlot.
“And this other dot” Princess Celestia asked
“That appears to be the epicentre of the Martian invasion, there is a large concentration of Martian
machines and more pods seem to be landing there every day”
Princess Celestia looked worried for a moment before putting on a stern expression, she turned to
Rainbow Dash and told her to recon the area near Canterlot. Rainbow then went zooming off into
the sky.
Princess Celestia sat down at the table; although she wore a calm demure on the inside she was
worried. She knew that although Ponykind had survived thus far, more cylinders were arriving daily
and she didn’t know how Pony Kind could defeat them.
Rainbow Dash returned out of breathe, she had apparently been spotted and had to dodge heat
rays. Once she had her breathe back Rainbow reported that she hadn’t gotten close enough to get
a good look at what the Human’s were building, but she confirmed what Captain Striking Spear had
said.
“It was big...
the other machines”.
Luna’s eyes suddenly shrank to the size of pin holes.
“Tia” Luna said “what if their building something to reach us here”
Applejack looked confused by this, “what? You mean building one of those metal things that can fly”
Dr Nebula who had been listening to their conversation suddenly butted in “Yes, that makes
sense....the configure their machines to accomplish different tasks. For example. Their initial fighting
machines are those Tripods, then they built the squat spider like once that appear to be used to
capture ponies, clear areas and assist in building other machines. So why wouldn’t they simply build
a machine that can fly to reach us here”.
“Is there anything that these things can’t do?” Rainbow exploded
“Remember my little pony” Celestia said softly “they could have been planning this for decades”
“So what do we do?” Shining armour asked the room in general
“Well, trying to destroy the thing on the ground is impractical because it’s so heavily guarded. I
would recommend destroying it before it reaches the city”.
Suddenly screams could be heard from outside and Pinkie Pie – who had been looking out of the
window – said, “I think it may be too late for that”. The group rushed outside to see what all the
commotion was about, and there, hanging in the sky was a Human (flying) Machine.
It was a huge disk shaped object with a large fan blade in the centre, the cockpit was – like all the
other machines – two large green (eye) windows. Twilight could also see numerous “heat rays”
lining the underside of the disk.
It just hovered there for a moment before all of the heat rays fired simultaneously into the crowded
streets causing panic as all of the ponies tried to get out of sight of this new terror. The flying
machine hung there, firing its heat rays as the ponies fled, becoming bottled up in the narrow streets
making them easy targets for the flying metal monster.
On the roofs of several buildings the Royal Guard had set up fire ballistae “just in case” and now they
fired at the flying machine. All of the projectiles bounced off the shield surrounding the machine.
Twilight was about to yell to the guards that they had to use lightning when she noticed that a group
of Pegasus guards were gathering a large collection of black clouds above the machine.
Captain Striking Spear – who was a Pegasus – was directing them, when all of the clouds were
assembled the guards discharged all of them at once. The air around the machine shimmered
and crackled, Twilight expected that the next time the fire ballistae that the machine would
be vulnerable but instead the shield was still there. Twilight looked shocked, that should have
worked...the humans must have figured out what they were doing and fixed the flaw in their design.
“Everyone Inside!” Shining Armour yelled as the group ran inside the Wonderbolts building and
barricaded the door.
Twilight stared out at the wrecked city; the Martians had – just like everywhere else – swept all
before them like a plague. The heat rays had torn through the cloud buildings that made up the
city of Cloudsdale, the remaining inhabitants were hiding, or at least trying to, in what remained of
the buildings. The Martian flying machine was slowly patrolling the city in an almost lazy fashion,
powerful search lights on the underside of the craft were sweeping the ruins looking for survivors.
Princess Celestia and her two captains were huddled in a corner talking in hushed whispers, trying
to figure out how to salvage the situation. Suddenly a scream broke the silence; Twilight’s head
snapped to the direction of the sound, she could see that the flying machine had stopped over what
remained of a cloud house. One searchlight beam was focused down into what had been the ground
floor; the others were independently sweeping the area. Then she noticed two long articulated
claws coming down from the belly of the craft, they descended into the room and pulled out a mare
– the claw wrapped around her neck – and a stallion, on which the other claw had a looser hold.
As they reached about half way between the machine and the clouds below the stallion broke free
and began trying to help his mare. He began pulling at the claw that held his mare’s neck but then
what remained of the claw that had held him swatted him like a fly towards the ground. The claws
then retracted inside the machine and a sliding panel came to cover the hole, the stallion meanwhile
was struggling to stand. The searchlight moved from the remains of the house to centre on his
struggling form, he managed to utter one heart-renching cry of pure anguish before the heat ray
silenced him forever.
“Rainbow...you think you can outrun those beams?”
“In my sleep” Rainbow said, a smile curling the edges of her mouth as she got Twilights meaning.
Twilight nodded at Rainbow before running out into the street yelling and letting off magical bursts
at the craft. Her plan worked as she was soon hit by a beam of light that made her squint to make
out the dark shape of the flying machine as it came directly over her, then she saw the shape of one
of the claws as it snaked down from the machines underbelly. Twilight’s heart was beating in her
throat as the claw wrapped itself around her midsection and began to gently lift her off the ground.
Once she was close enough to the craft she gave Rainbow Dash the signal, who then rocketed off
the ground towards her, as soon as Rainbow left the ground the heat rays began firing. Rainbow
ducked and dived as she dodged cyan beams of death, after zooming around the craft a few times to
confuse the pilots she sped towards the hole in the underbelly, stopping at the lift to sever the claw
holding Twilight with a single kick before ducking inside.
Twilight fell towards the city bellow, the air rushing past her ears with such a noise that she could
barely hear her own screams, which was until she was caught by Fluttershy and deposited safely on
the ground.
On board the flying machine Rainbow found herself in a dark room – the panel having closed after
her – then green lights embedded in the ceiling flickered on illuminating the room in a sickly green
glow. Rainbow gasped in shock at the sight that now confronted her. Along the edges of the room
she could see pods; rows upon rows of pods stacked one on top of the other. Inside the pods were
the ponies that had been captured by the Martians, she approached one of the pods and found it to
contain the mare that they had seen abducted earlier. She appeared to be in some sort of coma, but
at least she was alive – rainbow could see the rise and fall of her chest – as Rainbow looked over the
mares body she could see that she was wired up to the pod with at least a dozen cables, a large thick
cable was entering the mares mouth, which she assumed was helping her to breathe.
Why are they doing this? Why keep them alive?
Rainbow mused to herself. Then she noticed a thin tube connected to the mares neck...it was filled
with blood. Rainbow Dash recoiled in horror, her eyes wide.
Their EATING! us
She screamed inside her own mind, suddenly she was filled with a fire of rage
Time for them to die
She thought with conviction, and with that in mind she turned and walked through an opening in
the opposite wall. She walked along a corridor lit by green lights until she reached a door, she could
hear sounds beyond which she assumed were the Martian pilots. Deciding her next move she burst
through the door and into the control centre of the craft.
Before her was a crescent moon shaped room lined with control panels, standing by the control
panels, and now turning to face her were three Martians; who looked almost surprised to see her
there. They just stood there for a moment staring blankly at her, then –obviously recovering from
the shock – one of the Martians ran at her and attempted to grab hold of her, with one quick buck
from her hind legs she sent the Martian reeling backwards into a control panel causing it to spark.
Seeing the other Martian to the right of her starting to lumber towards her; she chose her moment
and ran at full speed towards the Martian stood in the centre of the room, opposite the front
windows. At the last moment she lifted herself into the air and tackled the Martian through the
windows and into the sky, tossing the clearly shocked Martian to Captain Striking Spear she wheeled
around and flew back towards the Martian flying machine. Coming above the craft she spied the
central pin of the spinning turbine.
Got to be on target
She said to herself, the thought of ending up in that turbine was not a pleasant one. Then she
rocketed downwards and smashed through the central pin, almost instantly the fan blades that
made up the turbine came apart and the craft began to fall.
Ponies on the ground that had come out of hiding to watch the sceptical began cheering and
stomping their hooves as they watched the machine fall. Once it had disappeared beneath the cloud
layer Rainbow landed amid cheers of admiration.
“Well done my little pony” Celestia said
Captain Striking spear approached the group leading the captured Martian.
“Who’s for finding out what these things look like?”
Celestia nodded with a stern look, this was an opportunity to find out how to beat these
humans...and she wasn’t going to miss it
“Take the mask off” She ordered Striking Spear.
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