The dust was thick, thicker than anything Lieutenant Colonel Errant had ever seen. It nearly blotted out the sun from the sky, the thestral and the thestrals under her command could feel the ground trembling beneath them as they made their way towards the source of the dust spouts. There was surprisingly very little noise save for the constant rumble of dirt, sand and rock being tossed into the air. Each soldier held their spell bow tightly as they trekked through the dusty plain, it was hard for the Lieutenant Colonel to even spot her own soldiers.

“Sound off!” She hollered, from her left and right she could hear her soldiers calling out. That gave her some relief, everyone was where they needed to be. After a few minutes the thestrals came to a stop, the trembling in the earth becoming nearly too much for them to take. “Stand fast!” Again the mare received a resounding chorus of positive responses, they each could see the columns of dust rising into the air. For what felt like an eternity they stood and watched them. Dust attached itself to their sweaty fur as some licked their dry lips, each held their weapon at the ready. They knew that something would come out of the dust eventually, that was just how things worked.

The rumbling began to get louder and louder, the ground shook harder and harder, it was clear whatever was coming would be coming soon. Errant could barely stand, her helmet rattled around on her head and she was forced to use her wings for stabilization. She grit her teeth, but they chattered heavily, she could taste dust in her mouth and was having a hard time keeping it out of her eyes.

“Stand fast!” She called out over the noise, again she heard the resounding responses. She readied her weapon and stood her ground, knowing full well that her new home and the homes of everyone she cared about were not more than a mile away. Suddenly there was a tremendous boom, it nearly knocked her off of her hooves but she again stabilized herself. A gust of air from the source of the dust blew enough of it away for her and the other soldiers to see the source of it all. Each of them blinked in surprise at what they saw, the more seasoned soldiers instantly flipped the safeties off their weapons.

In place of the massive dust cloud a new form had arisen, a black column of stone. It was as big as two buildings, gnarled and looked as if it had been constructed from the very darkest nights in history. Carved figures of insect like creatures looked out from around the top of the pillar, each more disturbing than the last. At the top was a rapidly fading green dome, beneath it the soldiers could see at least forty beady eyed changelings. Seated at the center of them all was an almost regal looking one, her sickly green mane was tied back with a piece of black fabric while she was adorned in ornate ebony black chitinous battle armor.

“Take aim!” Shouted Errant, by now she could see her soldiers in the fading dust, though it was likely all of this was obscured to any outside observers. As the bubble faded into nothingness the changeling queen stood from her throne and daintaly made her way towards the edge of the column. Her children stepped aside for her as the weapons of the American’s continued to follow her movements, a wicked looking staircase descended from the column and onto the dusty desert sand. Directly in front of Errant.

“Equestrian!” Bellowed the changeling queen as she stepped onto the dirt, now only twenty feet away from Errant. The two narrowed their eyes at eachother. “What fools are you to return to this land?”

“We’re not Equestrian.” Errant replied quickly, ignoring the buzzing sound that accompanied the arrival of so many changelings. “We’re American. We’ve come to build our country here.” The Queen raised an eyebrow and walked closer to the Lieutenant Colonel.

“So you are on your own then?” The Queen asked, Errant didn’t reply. The Queen quietly inspected the thestral, noting the weapon she possessed. “Interesting…” Errant kept her weapon raised directly at the nose of the Queen. “What say you lower your weapons and we discuss the terms of your surrender?”

“I could ask you the same thing.” Errant replied coldly, the Queen appeared somewhat annoyed by the statement. “You’re currently invading American soil.”

“Not for long.” The Queen opened her wings wide and lifted her head to the sky, took a breath as she steadied her weapon on the Queen. “Fly my children! Crush this puny nation!” The changelings on the pillar took to the air, each American shifted their aim to each of them.

“OPEN FIRE!” Errant bellowed, depressing the trigger on her weapon. A bolt of red energy went straight towards Chrysalis’ chest, the Queen cried out in pain as she fell and clutched a brand new wound. Errant was surprised it hadn’t killed her outright, but the thestral could see there was a melted hole in the armor. All around them her soldiers were firing, doing their best to fend off the invaders. “Fall back!”

The soldiers nodded, and quickly began rushing back to New Liberty. Occasionally they would stop and fire while other would move ahead, then they would switch off. On and off they fought their way back home, bolts of changeling magic whizzed in every direction. The bolts would hit the soldier’s armor and ricochet off as the changelings were aiming to be nonlethal in their attacks. The American’s were not as sparing, the bodies of changelings fell to the floor in droves. Errant watched as Chrysalis rose back into the air, her face was awash with emotion as she watched her children die.

“Wh-What are you doing!?” She yelled at the top of her lungs, the response was a bolt of energy whizzing past her head. “FIGHT FOR YOUR LIVES, MY CHILDREN!” She cried, her earlier tone of menace replaced by one of great pain. By this point the soldiers had returned to New Liberty.

“Take cover!” Errant bellowed, she looked to a group of soldiers that had been holding the town. “Get some other fresh troops and clear the sky! We must establish-” She ducked as a bolt of lethal changeling magic soared over her head. “Air superiority! MOVE DAMN IT!” Errant looked to the group she’d brought with her. “Every third soldier break off and see about moving some of the extra trench plate up, we can use it as cover!”

“Yes, ma’am!” The soldiers saluted and rushed off towards the piles of construction supplies, their sights set on heavy metal plates that they’d used on the floors of the lower tunnels. Errant took cover in a prone position, it was clear the Changelings were firing to kill now.

“Does anyone have eyes on Sonar or the Princess?!” She called out, she didn’t like the chorus of negative answers she received. “Damn it!” The mare rolled rapidly towards the closest building and rapidly entered.

“Man down!” Someone shouted outside, Errant pushed it out of her mind as she looked around the building. It was the general store and it seemed most of the civilian population had taken refuge there. The families of the soldiers fighting out in the streets, ponies of all races.

“Any of you know shield magic?” Errant asked loudly over the sound of the raging battle outside, the ponies all huddled in one corner as several bolts of changeling magic impacted the side of the building. “Come on, anyone at all!? Any form of combat magic!?”

A few unicorns raised their hooves, Errant nodded in response as she looked around. There was little in the way of weaponry aside from farm equipment, and armor was completely out of the question. The Lieutenant Colonel hummed for a moment.

“Arm yourselves as best you can! If you can get a shield up I need you to head out there and support are boys. If you know offensive spells, any at all, do them.” Errant bellowed, the unicorns looked at her uncertainly. “MOVE!” Her sudden yell seemed to jumpstart them into gathering up the farm tools, a few of them slipped pots or pants on their heads to use as makeshift helmets. Errant turned and looked out the door and up to the sky, she smiled as she saw her soldiers dropping the Changelings left and right. Errant hoisted her weapon up again and rushed outside, the civilian defenders following not long after.

Errant ran past bodies in the street, mainly changelings, but not all. Some of her soldiers had fallen, but again, she had to push it out of her mind. Her next stop was the town hall, hopefully she would find Sonar and the Princess there. She dodged past bolts of energy and leaped over dead bodies until finally she reached the building, as fast as she could the mare ran in.

“Flash!” Shouted a familiar voice as she found herself face to face with two spell bows.

“Thunder!” She replied, the owners of the spell bows lowered the weapons. Errant instantly recognized her old friends. “Rolling Thunder, Chipped Blade.”

“Lieutenant Colonel.” The two replied in unison, Errant could see the two of them were doing fine. Their armor had been traded for more mobile desert fatigues, the scoped spell bows they held had been painted a similar color.

“I’m looking for the VIPs.” Errant said, the two snipers nodded and gestured behind them to a staircase.

“Head up with her, Chipped. See if you can do some good.” Rolling ordered as he went back to guarding the door, Chipped nodded and began running up the steps. Errant followed closely behind him, trying not to listen to the screaming and yelling from outside. Finally she found herself in the Presidential office. The Lieutenant Colonel sighed in relief as she saw them, meanwhile Chipped Blade made his way to a window and began searching for a target. The shade’s had been drawn, thankfully, and so it seemed the changelings didn’t know the VIPs were there.

“Everyone okay?” She asked, Twilight Sparkle and Sonar looked at eachother before gesturing across the room. Errant noticed that the yellow one, Fluttershy if she remembered correctly, was huddled up with the Rarity and Pinkie Pie. It seemed they were doing their best to calm the poor mare down, meanwhile it seemed that Applejack was doing her best to keep Rainbow Dash from running out into the fray.

“Physically, we’re fine.” Twilight said as she adjusted her mane.

“I can see.” Errant replied, she looked at Sonar. “So far we’ve managed to hold our own, I’ve got some of the unicorns supporting us as best they can… But I doubt it’s gonna help much.”

“The walls in the tunnels are holding, I’m glad we had them enchanted when we secured them.” Sonar replied, she adjusted her glasses as she looked around. “I can’t really think of what to do, Lieutenant Colonel… We need to fortify, but it’s hard to do that when we’re under fire…” The spectacled mare looked to Twilight Sparkle. “Can you cast some sort of shield dome, like in Canterlot?”

“I can try, but I don’t think I could keep it up for more than eight hours… Twelve if it doesn’t come under attack.” The mare looked at the two American’s with a determined expression. “Is there anything else we can do?” Errant was about to speak before the discharge of a spell bow caught the ponies attention. They shot a brief look over to Chipped Blade who was rapidly reloading.

“We can’t let you-”

“Pony feathers!” Shouted Rainbow Dash from across the room, finally breaking loose from Applejack’s attempts to restrain her. “We can help, just tell us what you need us to do.” Lieutenant Colonel Errant looked at the prismatic pegasus with a somewhat impressed expression.

“Can you figure this shit out when we have time!” Shouted Chipped Blade from across the room. “I got eyes on five fast moving behemoth changelings.” The stallion squeezed the trigger of his weapon, resulting in another soft popping noise. “Make that four.”

“He’s right…” Sonar said quietly, she looked at Twilight with a serious expression. “Do it. Fast.” The Alicorn nodded and opened her wings, her horn began to glow as did her eyes. Errant covered her eyes as did most of the other ponies in the room, the sound around them seemed to be drowned out. With forelegs outstretched Twilight cast the spell, a massive beam of energy shot through the roof of the building.

Over the town of New Liberty a lavender dome began to form, forces on the ground and in the air all paused to watch as it began to encircle the town. Chrysalis, who had been doing her best to bolster the morale of her weakened forces, cursed under her breath as she saw the dome beginning to form. Her own horn began to glow but with very little reserves of love energy she knew it would do nothing.

“Flee!” She shouted to her children, knowing that if any were to get caught under the dome they would most certainly be killed. Her soldiers obeyed readily and began withdrawing as fast as they could, nearly all of them escaped. Chrysalis watched in horror as a group of five were trapped within the dome. They desperately pounded on the magical barrier, through the hivemind they shared Chrysalis could feel their fear.

That feeling didn’t last long however, she could see the black clad American warriors closing in on them for the kill. Perhaps they would show mercy if her children surrendered, but she knew they never would. The trapped changelings were unable to fire a single shot before they were cut down in a hail of red energy bolts. The Queen looked to her remaining children, only a third of the force she’d come with remained.

On the inside of the dome, Lieutenant Colonel Errant and the other ponies carefully exited the town hall. The sight that greeted them was a sobering one. Bodies were strewn about the street, both changeling and thestral alike. All in all, it seemed like the American’s had held their own against the enemy, and though the losses were far less than what could have been, it still sent a chill down the spines of all those present. Chipped Blade and Rolling Thunder rapidly made their way away from the group and off to aid their fellow soldiers in clearing away the dead.

“I… I should go see how bad it is…” Errant said quietly, she looked at Sonar, Twilight, and the others. “Ma’am…” She nodded to the acting president before trotting off to find someone, already the other soldiers were beginning to gather the dead and clear out the streets. Sonar looked to the six mares from Equestria with a somber expression.

“Please… If you can think of anything to help…” Sonar began, Twilight and the others nodded quietly. Sonar sighed and rubbed her eyes and went out to aid the ponies in the street, Twilight looked to her friends. They all appeared shaken by what they were seeing, and in a way, Twilight was just as shaken. Perhaps it was because she’d seen such destruction in Dominic’s dream she had a better way of hiding it, but her friends were entirely different.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack both had subtle quivers to their lips, and perhaps they didn’t notice, but Twilight could see tears forming in their eyes. Rarity was struggling to hold back what Twilight could only assume was an urge to retch and vomit most likely for Fluttershy’s sake. The yellow mare in question seemed to be taking it the hardest, her sobs were audible as the tears streamed down her cheeks. Pinkie Pie was really quiet, quieter than Twilight had ever seen. Her mane and tail had lost their puffy curls as she watched the American soldiers begin tossing changeling bodies into a big pile.

“What can we do, Twilight?” Applejack’s voice cut through the silence, the alicorn turned her head to look at her friend. The earth pony had a determined expression despite the tears in her eyes. “How do we help them?”

“I… I don’t know…” Twilight replied, her head was aching from the amount of magic she’d put into the shield. It would hold for eight hours, maybe twelve if there wasn’t any sort of bombardment or assault. “I can’t think straight…”

“Are you all crazy?” Pinkie suddenly asked, all eyes turned to her. “We can’t help these ponies. We’re way out of our league.” The seriousness of the mare’s tone resonated with her friends, in the background the sound of bodies being piled up set the mood very well. This was soon coupled by grunting as soldiers and civilians began moving metal trench plates into place, they seemed to be propping them up at angles to act as cover against whatever enemy attack would come next. “Face it, there’s no hope here…”

The friends lapsed into silence and simply watched the citizens of New Liberty work, it was odd the way that they went at it. They worked as if there was nothing wrong, of course, there were exceptions, but the most of them seemed to be focussed on building up the defenses and clearing away the dead. While the Changelings were piled up, the eleven American casualties had been lined up on the street and covered in tarps. Their armor and weapons had been taken to be used by the living, but still they’d been treated with the greatest respect. It did seem hopeless, and it confused the six friends as to why they seemed so willing to keep going.

The soft sound of metal on metal above them drew their attention upwards, there they spotted a flag pole. On it they spotted the stars and stripes, it had holes in it and the edges were frayed, still it waved on. The mares looked back to the working ponies and noticed that every now and then they’d look around at the town before giving a slight nod and going back to work. It occurred to Twilight that perhaps they carried on because they had built this place with their own two hooves, perhaps it was pride in what they’d done that drove them onwards.

“Maybe we can give them a little hope…” Twilight said, she looked to her friends. “Help them build this place up again.” Her friends looked at her with uncertainty. “If we don’t and they lose, we lose with them. And if we’re captured or worse…” Fluttershy eeped at that bit. “There’s no one to warn Equestria, and then what?” Realization began to set in among the five mares. “Yes, this isn’t our home, but it may as well be.”

“You’re right, Twi.” Rainbow Dash said strongly, perhaps to bolster her own resolve. “I’m gonna go see if that Errant mare can find anything for me to do.” Twilight smiled a bit at her statement, Applejack adjusted her hat and rubbed the back of her neck.

“I’m gonna go with her.” She said as the two of them began trotting away, Twilight looked to Rarity, Pinkie and Fluttershy. It seemed Pinkie was starting to perk up a bit more and Fluttershy had stopped her crying. Rarity held a stern, yet dainty, stance.

“I think Fluttershy and I will go seek out Miss Sonar, I’m sure there’s something she may need our help with, right Fluttershy?”

“...Right…” Fluttershy replied quietly, still a bit shaken up by the day's events.

“I’ll go too, see if I can find anypony to make smile!” Pinkie said with a bit more excitement. “I’m sure that’ll help, right?” Twilight nodded and the pink mare shot off like a bullet. The Alicorn was struck by just how sudden she’d gone from dismal to upbeat, she made a note to maybe have Pinkie examined by a mental health professional after they got home. With that settled, Twilight felt it was okay to collapse on the steps of the Town Hall and rub her throbbing head. She’d never used so much energy before, her horn was aching. Silently she wished that Celestia, Luna or Dominic was there, they’d know what to do.

[♦]

Rainbow Dash and Applejack searched for a while before they entered the town’s Saloon, the armed guards on the roof gave away that there was more inside than they would be lead to believe. Quietly they attempted to enter the old wooden structure through the main doors, but found two guards standing beside it as well.

“Hey, buster! Let us through!” Rainbow Dash shouted at one of the guards, she tried to push past but was met with the barrel of a spellbow right between her eyes. The mare stammered for a moment and backed up beside Applejack, the guard lowered his weapon and went back to standing there. The orange earth mare looked to Rainbow Dash for a moment before she adjusted her hat and walked up to the guard.

“‘Scuse me, sir?” Applejack asked, the guard looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “We’re here to see Lieutenant Colonel Errant.” The guard looked to the other soldier and then poked his head through the door of the saloon. He seemed to be having a discussion with someone while Applejack and Rainbow Dash waited.

“So, Chrysalis, huh?” Applejack suddenly asked, Rainbow Dash looked over at her. “Never thought we’d see her again.” Her prismatic compatriot looked out of the dome that surrounded the town, in the distance she could see the Changeling encampment.

“This was the kinda stuff I used to dream about.” Rainbow Dash muttered quietly. “In canterlot I heard things got bad, but, they never had to pile up bodies… Maybe a few dead changelings, but they were buried.”

“There’s no time to bury their dead, kid.” An authoritative tone responded as the doors to the saloon opened. Lieutenant Colonel Errant in all her fearsome glory strode through the swinging doors and out in front of them. Both Applejack and Rainbow Dash felt intimidated by the imposing thestral, even if their bodies didn’t show it. “We have seven hours to get this place into fighting shape.”

“But Twilight said we’d have at least eight-”

“Eight hours of shield, that means that if it takes seven hours of work to get this place into the best shape it can be we have to have an hour to rest and calm down, otherwise we may as well quit now.” Errant explained like she would to one of her subordinates, her leathery wings rustled as she paced back and forth. “You two wanna help, be my guest. Either pick up a weapon or get digging.”

“I think we’ll stick to digging.” Applejack said, Errant nodded in response and whistled.

“Corporal Grey.” The lieutenant colonel called out, a rather buff looking thestral responded with an obviously western ‘Mhmmm?’. “Escort these two to Major Elbow Grease.” The soldier responded with the ‘Mhmmm.’ and began walking out of the saloon, wordlessly he started trotting towards a distant part of the town. Applejack began following him outright while Rainbow Dash hesitated a bit.

“I’ll… Catch up, AJ.” She said, Applejack looked at her for a moment as if trying to figure out why. “Just go, I won’t be too long.”

“Alright, RD.” The cowmare said cautiously before turning on her hooves and rushing to catch up to the stallion that’d been sent to escort her along. Rainbow Dash sighed and rubbed her head, then took a few deep breaths and turned to face the Lieutenant Colonel. The thestral was looking at her with an appraising gaze.

“Lemme guess. You want to fight.” Errant said coldly, Rainbow Dash flinched but nodded. “You realize this isn’t going to be a cakewalk? Ponies will die.” The thestral leaned forwards, just inches from Rainbow Dash’s face. “You could die.”

“I… I Know.” Rainbow Dash replied, mustering up enough courage to look the Lieutenant Colonel directly in the eyes. “My friends don’t really know this… But before I met them I was considering joining the guards…”

“We aren’t guards, girly.” Errant said as she leaned back. “You got the mettle in you? I don’t see it.” Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth at the thestral and was about to retort. “I’m not in the position to turn you down.” The prismatic pegasus began to relax, this was halted when Errant wrapped her wings around Rainbow Dash and pulled her forwards. Their heads bumped together as Rainbow Dash came face to face with the slitted eyes of the fearsome American commander. “If you endanger my soldiers, I don’t give a rat’s ass if you single hoofedly defeated Discord and Nightmare Moon with one hoof behind your back, I will bury you out there. Do you read me?”

“Loud and clear.” Rainbow Dash responded as she gritted her teeth again, Errant released her from her hold and whistled again.

“Rolling Thunder!”

“Yo!” A voice boomed from across the street.

“Get your ass over here and take this mare through basic recon and weapon’s handling, get her outfitted with some fatigues and out on the line!” Errant turned away from Rainbow Dash and started back inside the saloon, she paused and briefly looked over her shoulder. “Don’t fuck up.” Rainbow Dash sighed as she heard those words and turned to face the pony that she heard coming across the street. The thestral didn’t wear armors like the others and his spellbow was far different from the one’s she’d seen the others use.

“Alright, kid. Let’s get started by securing you a weapon to use in the first place.” Rolling Thunder said as he walked past her into the saloon, Rainbow Dash followed behind him. What she expected to find inside the saloon was far from what she actually saw, there was little in the way of alcohol or other spirits. It’d rapidly been converted into a war room, but from what Rainbow could see it almost looked as if at one point the place looked like something she’d find in Ponyville. She caught up to Rolling Thunder as he was looking through several spellbows that’d been laid out on a table. “Pick one and we’ll get to work.”

Rainbow Dash stepped up to the table and looked the weapons over, they appeared as if they’d been used before and some were covered in dust. She picked one up and rapidly put it down as she realized there was a red liquid on the grip. She quickly wiped it off on the floor and gripped a cleaner weapon, Rolling Thunder nodded at her choice and lead her out the saloon’s back door.

[♦]

Applejack grunted as she used all her might to drag a heavy piece of trench plate towards the main defensive line. Hours after she’d seen Rainbow Dash last and already the fortifications were starting to shape up. Some of the heavy metal was being angled in the ground and supported by sandbags while others were being used as floors in the rapidly dug trenches, the work was going extremely fast all things considered. Across the sandy plain the workers could see the Changeling encampment through the shield.

The insectoid ponies were hard at work as well, though it seemed they were more focussed on something else rather than on fortifications. As Applejack finished dragging the trench plate over she took a moment to wipe her forehead and survey the work, it was clear that it was no Canterlot Castle but she thought it’d do against a changeling attack. The mare and a few of the other workers picked up sledgehammers and rapidly began hammering the trench plate down into the ground, it was backbreaking work but they did it nonetheless.

“Sure is starting to shape up.” She commented as they finished using their sledgehammers and set them aside, the other workers simply nodded and started on their way back to the supply dump to get more trench plates. Applejack followed behind them and found their silence odd, but she supposed they had more important things to do than chat. The supply dump was next to the very last building on the main street just before the road that stretched out into an endless strip back to Equestria.

The mare noticed that it seemed there were several wagons just sitting around, why they hadn’t been used she had no idea. The mare lasso'd one of heavy trench plates and began dragging it over to one of the wagons, from the looks of the wagon it’d be able to take more than a few due to its rugged design. In fact, that's probably how most of the supplies had been transported to the town in the first place.

“Hey! Don’t touch those!” A pony shouted, Applejack paused her dragging and looked to the source. A rather young looking stallion, perhaps just out of highschool, was walking towards her.

“Why?” Applejack asked, she was somewhat confused as to why the ponies of New Liberty wouldn’t use a wagon if it could make their life easier.

“Because those are evacuation wagons.” The young stallion said briskly, he took a rope he was carrying and tied it off around the plate Applejack had been pulling. “Come on, ma’am. I’ll help y’all with this.” Applejack was slightly surprised by how quickly the pony had tied himself off, she was also surprised that he knew so much about the dealings around here.

“Thanks…” She trailed off as if dropping the question for his name, the young stallion began pulling the trench plate beside Applejack before answering.

“I’m Fortress Wall.” The young stallion introduced himself in between grunting, Applejack nodded her head towards him. “My folks are in charge of the supply dump, but they’re busy fortifying, so I’m in charge for now.” The orange mare had to say she was certainly impressed by how well he was doing considering the chaos that had reigned hours before.

“Pleased to meetcha, I’m-”

“Applejack.” The stallion cut her off as they continued dragging the trench plate to the next location. “I see ya in papers, miss. You’re a certified badass to me.” Applejack was somewhat touched by his statement, she didn’t think she had fans. That was fine with her, but she secretly was glad that this young pony had complimented her. “I’m sure you guys handle stuff like this all the time, right?”

“Not really.” Applejack replied as the two of them passed the pile of dead changelings, she shuddered as she caught a glimpse of their dead eyes staring at her. Fortress Wall didn’t seem to notice, or maybe he was putting on a brave face considering his hero was standing right next to him. “We’ve been in pretty tight spots though, that’s for sure.” The mare trailed off as she realized that with Twilight becoming a princess they’d hardly done anything together, she put a pin in that thought as she and Fortress Wall finished dragging the trench plate to its proper location.

“Alright, that’s another one down.” Fortress said as he slipped the rope off the trench plate and coiled it up over her shoulder. The stallion paused and looked out over the defensive line towards the Changeling encampment, meanwhile ponies began to hammer the trench plate down into the dirt. “What do you think they’re doing over there?” Applejack came up beside the young stallion and looked at the encampment for herself.

“I don’t know, but I’m sure it’s nothing good.” Applejack responded, she adjusted her hat as she looked towards Fortress Wall and noted just how young he seemed. He appeared to be just over nineteen if she was being generous, his short mane indicated he probably came from a military family. “Come on, let’s get back to work.”

“Yeah.” Fortress Wall turned away and the two of them began walking back towards the supply dump.

[♦]

Hour passed as the ponies continued their work, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie had been given the task of keeping the foals and other civilians calm while Rarity had put her sewing skills to use in repairing fatigues and sewing sandbags closed. It was a little before sunrise when all of them had the time to rest. Twilight had been spending her time recuperating from the spell she’d cast for the shield, there had thankfully been no shelling during the ten hours that the shield had been up but it was clearly visible that it was starting to weaken.

From the guest room the six element bearers had been given it was possible to see the changelings were readying for another assault. The six friends had all come in at different times, first Applejack, followed by Pinkie and Fluttershy, and last was Rarity. All of them seemed alright, even if Rarity was a bit sandier than usual. All of them watched out the window, too on edge to sleep as they waited for Rainbow Dash.

“How long do you think they’ll wait?” Rarity asked, watching smoke from the changeling’s camp fires rise into the sky.

“I reckon they’ll hold off until the shield goes down on its own…” Applejack commented as she adjusted her place on her rather creaky old bed. She cast a look towards the defensive lines and noted a familiar face, Fortress Wall was checking over the trenches. She had had quite the pleasant chat with him as they’d worked, he reminded her of her father in an ‘Ol’ southern gentleman’ type of way. At that thought Applejack frowned, she didn’t like to think about her parents. Instead she thought about the young stallion, he seemed decent enough, and if there weren’t a war on she’d dare say she found him kind of cute.

“Why can’t we just talk this out?” Fluttershy asked as she watched the soldiers begin setting up crudely built ballistas, they’d been made from just about anything left over from the supply depot. “I realize that the changelings started it, and they probably want to take over or something, but doesn’t Chrysalis realize that all this death…”

“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.” Twilight chimed in as she stared directly at the ceiling, all eye turned to her. “Dominic said he’d read it in some book called ‘The Art of War’...” She sighed as she looked out the window towards the Changeling encampment. “I wish he were here… He’d know what to do…”

“How?” Asked Rarity, somewhat surprised that humanity had a book that viewed warfare as an art form. That wasn’t what she was asking for, however. “All due respect for the man, but he never finished high school. How could he possibly know what to do here?”

“Can we talk about something happy?” Asked Pinkie Pie who had been silently listening to their discussion. She’d been paying more attention to the room than anything else, the faded paint and the smell of old wood reminded her of her room on her family’s farm. Before anyone could say something happy the door to the room swung open. The mare that entered surprised them all.

Dressed in desert fatigues and carrying a spellbow, Rainbow Dash was covered in dirt and grime. She sighed and pulled a drab tan cap from her head, then undid her mane which had been tied up in a bun. The prismatic pegasus let out a tired sigh and wordlessly made her way to her bed, then flopped down face first.

“I’m okay.” She said into the bed, holding up a hoof as if to indicate her point. She seemed so nonchalant about it that her friends weren’t sure what to say. They lapsed into an awkward silence as they watched Rainbow Dash lay on her bed, her spellbow resting on the floor a few inches from her hooves that dangled off the side of the bed.

“Uh… Hello, Rainbow Dash.” Rarity began, she began to reach to poke the spellbow. Before she could the pegasus smacked her hoof away without even looking.

“Don’t touch that.” Rainbow Dash said into the bed, Rarity was surprised at just how fast the mare had realized what she was doing. The prismatic mare rolled onto her back and let out a loud sigh. “Just ask your questions already.”

“We’re just… Surprised is all.” Twilight said as she sat up on her bed, wincing slightly at the loud creaking noise it made as she did so. The others nodded in agreement, still it seemed Rainbow Dash was more focussed on staring at the ceiling to care.

“Shouldn’t be.” Rainbow Dash responded. “You said it yourself Twilight, it’s not just about America, it’s about Equestria too.” She moved her forehooves as she spoke. “You have your ways of helping, and I have mine. I can’t do manual labor and I suck at boosting morale.”

“You don’t need to risk your life to help!” Pinkie Pie cut in, she appeared to be the one most on edge by this latest turn of events. “Dashie, what if something happens to you! What if we can’t play pranks anymore, or go on swell adventures, or even just hang out!?”

“What about the elements of harmony?” Asked Applejack. “If you die we may never be able to use them again!”

“I agree with Applejack, it’s too risky!” Added Twilight, the alicorn now sitting completely straight up in her bed. All eyes were on Rainbow Dash as Pinkie and Rarity nodded their agreement. “You’ve gotta talk to the lieutenant colonel! Have her put you someplace out of danger with the rest of us.” Silence fell over the room as Rainbow Dash rubbed the bridge of her nose.

“Why?” Fluttershy’s voice broke in, now it was everyone’s turn to look at her. She shuddered for a moment before straightening up and asking again. “Why does she have to hide? She’s a grown mare, she can make her own decisions... “ Fluttershy looked at Rainbow Dash, looking her right in the eyes. “It’s a noble thing you’re doing, Rainbow Dash…”

“Thanks, Shy…” Rainbow responded with a small smile as she laid her head back down on the bed.

“That being said…” Fluttershy added, she gained an oddly passive-aggressive tone. “Don’t get hurt out there, please... “ After those words had been said there was little else discussed, only a few awkward coughs and some small talk. Twilight kept an eye on the shield outside the window, watching it get thinner and thinner with each passing hour. Rainbow Dash had dozed off for a few hours, as had the others, but the prospect of what was coming had kept the alicorn from sleeping. It was fine, alicorns needed less sleep than most ponies. There was almost a calmness to the morning, as if both sides had decided to call it quits. She was well aware that wasn’t the case, however.

The calm was shattered when outside a loud bugle began blaring, it was loud enough to stir all of those in the room. Rainbow Dash was quick to grab her spellbow and tie her mane back into a bun.

“I’ve gotta go, you guys.” The mare said quickly as she went to the door. “Stay safe!”

“You too!” They all responded as a nervous silence fell over the group. They quickly gathered their things and got ready to go to the roof.

[♦]

Rainbow Dash joined the ranks of the armored American soldiers and armed civilians in the trenches and fox holes that had been dug during the interim. She was lucky enough to be paired up with a rather nice young stallion, a civilian wearing blue clothing and holding a regular crossbow. It looked as if it had been made in Equestria a long time ago. The stallion seemed a bit nervous, but who wouldn’t be. The magical dome was paper thin now, it was clear as ever that the changelings had amassed for an attack. Rainbow Dash could see rows of them, even if they were a shadow of their earlier force it was clear it would be a hard fought battle.

Lieutenant Colonel Errant stepped out into the scene with several soldiers behind her, one held a pole with the American flag waving on it. It had been intended for ceremonial functions and not as a battle flag, but Errant hoped that a show of force would perhaps convince Chrysalis that surrender was the better alternative. The other ponies were equipped with fifes and a drums, again they had been meant for ceremonial purposes but it seemed that perhaps some music would help with morale.

“Fix bayonets!” Ordered Lieutenant Colonel as she too readied her weapon for the fight, the soldiers with bayonets did so rapidly. By now the dome was nearly done, a pebble could probably shatter it. The mare turned to the ponies with instruments and nodded, the drums began to beat and the fifes began to drone out ‘Dixie’, this was because it seemed to be the song the President hummed the most.

The sound carried easily over the wide expanse of land between the two opposing forces, undoubtedly reaching the ears of the changelings. Meanwhile the ponies manning the two makeshift ballistas began loading them with rocks and jugs of flaming grease. Rainbow Dash remembered what she’d been taught about her weapon and that she should remember that the changelings were going to kill her if she didn’t kill them first. All along the lines the American’s prepared, a gust of wind caught the flag just as the dome fell and it began waving loudly in the wind.

For a minute or so there was only the sound of the drums and the fifes, the ballistas turned towards their targets in preparation for the battle’s commencement. On the Changeling side of the field it seemed the music was having some sort of effect, some clutched their heads while others flinched. It appeared they’d never heard music in battle before. As the music came to an end Rainbow Dash said a quiet word to her maker.

“MAKE READY!” Shouted Errant, the Americans responded by setting their weapons in ready position or drawing sabres, those armed with makeshift weapons pointed the pointed weapons forwards. The shield evaporated moments later, silence reigned for a short time. “ARTILLERY! OPEN FIRE!” The Ballistas began flinging the heavy stones and flaming jugs towards the changeling force.

“Forwards, my children! Make them pay!” Chyrsalis shouted from across the field as her forces began charging forwards. Some took to the air but were rapidly shot down by the few unicorns in the line, Rainbow Dash could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she heard the thundering hooves of the Changelings.

“Steady…!” Errant ordered, watching the enemy force charge headlong across the dusty field whilst firing off bursts of green magic. Some of the civilians in the lines began to back up, but their hardened trench mates pulled the back to the fight. “STEADY!” Errant raised her own weapon as the wind blew across the field, the flag behind her flapping wildly. “These are our homes now! STAND YOUR GROUND!” Magic began getting closer to the mark, deflecting off some of the trench plates or melting a good way through them. By this point it was possible to see the green eyes of the changelings. “OPEN FIRE!”

Rainbow Dash was the first to pull her trigger, not on purpose however. The sudden command had caused her to tense unintentionally. Nonetheless, the Changelings were packed so close together that she managed to strike one. Moments later the rest of the line began firing, mowing down the insect ponies with almost sickening efficiency. Still the changelings charged ever onwards, fully intent on taking the trench no matter what.

“Gentlecolts!” Errant shouted as she planted yet another changeling, she let her weapon hang slack on its strap before taking her own sabre from its sheath on the side of her armor. “Prepare to defend yourselves!” Rainbow Dash took another shot with the spellbow before the changelings were too close to fire. The soldiers in the trench were soon inundated with the swarm of enemies, many of them fighting off the creatures with their swords or their bare hooves. Rainbow Dash put years of athletic sparring to good use, clobbering several changelings with the butt of her weapon or simply her speed.

One changeling jumped down into the trench in front of her and lowered its horn, no doubt in a bid to gore her with it. All other things in the world faded from her mind as she focussed on that sole warrior. It and she charged each other and met with a loud clash, Rainbow Dash grunted heavily as the bug hissed and spat at her. She used her weapon to press the bug up against the trench wall by the throat but it responded with a kick to her stomach. With the wind knocked out of her she fell back, the changeling opened its mouth and aimed for her throat with its sharpened teeth.

There was a roar from the side as the stallion Rainbow Dash had been standing beside tackled the changeling to the ground, the mare watched as the two rolled in the dirt. Despite all the chaos raging around them she could only focus on that one changeling. It appeared the stallion had the upper hoof at first, raining down punches with great fury. The Changeling rolled again and pinned the stallion to the ground, then began to choke the life out of the young stallion. Rainbow Dash straightened her stance and came up behind the changeling, without thinking she hooked one forehoof around its throat and began pulling it tighter with the other.

“Get… the fuck… off of him!” She roared in anger whilst the changeling struggled and tugged at her forehoof. She didn’t relent, baring her teeth as she put all her strength into pulling. There was a loud snap and the struggle stopped, the panting prismatic pegasus dropped the corpse to the dirt as the young stallion scrambled to his hooves. Without much time to contemplate what she’d done she looked at him. “Come on, kid! Let’s get back into it!”

Meanwhile, Chrysalis had landed in the center of town. All other forces were busy fighting each other, and that left only Errant to face the mad Queen. The two circled around each other, occasionally Errant could see Twilight and the others on the roof of the capital building watching the fighting.

“Foul night demon!” Chrysalis bellowed as she held her horn towards the Lieutenant Colonel. “What gives you the right to steal the lives of my children!” Errant twirled her sabre as she matched the Queen’s movements, her slitted eyes tracking every step Chrysalis made. “I shall see you die for it!” Chrysalis charged forwards and swung her horn as if it were a sword, Errant brought up her sabre and blocked it before kicking the Queen back.

“You think we will lay down and let you invade our homes?” Errant asked coldly as she herself took several aggressive swings at the Queen. Each one was parried or blocked with the Queen’s horn, Chrysalis’ took a few steps backwards as the two began to circle again. “We are not Equestrian, not anymore.”

“Nationalism is unbecoming of a welp like you!” Chrysalis took a stab forwards, her horn impacted Errant’s armor and left a dent before Errant slashed at the Queen’s side with her sabre. The chitinous armor she wore was left with a deep gouge before Chrysalis backed off. Errant charged forwards, yelling as she made broad swings. Chrysalis easily dodged and blocked her attacks, Errant took another swing towards the Queen’s unarmored neck. Sparks flew as Sabre met horn and the two of them struggled to hold the other one back.

“The way I see it you have two choices!” Errant said through gritted teeth as the two of them held up the block against the other. The thestral gave a hard shove and sent the Queen back a few steps, she leveled her blade at her foe with narrowed eyes. “Surrender or die.” Chrysalis responded by charging straight forwards with a snort. Errant parried the assault and moved to the side, then gripped her sword and prepared to slice off the head of her foe. Time began to slow down for Errant as she focussed on her attack, the Queen’s attack had been sloppy at best. In those few moments she spotted something, a slight glow on the queen’s horn. Her attack connected just as there was a flash of green light. By the brightness of it, there was no doubt it was a teleportation spell. It wouldn’t have taken the user far considering how small it was. Maybe only a few feet.

“Fool.” Errant heard from behind her, moments later she felt searing pain in her back and her chest. A twisted horn emerged through her chest plate, drenched in red. Errant began screaming in pain as she felt herself lifted off the ground and tossed across the dirt road, her sabre clattering to the ground a few yards away. She could see Chrysalis stocking towards her with only a slight cut on her neck, Errant’s screams had turned to weak whimpers and coughs. “With your death, my children shall be avenged!” The Queen leveled her horn at Errant’s already gushing chest wound, a few inches higher, directly at her heart.

Errant just stared at the Queen as blood dripped past her lips, slowly Chrysallis began pushing through the armor. Suddenly she stopped, a pained expression coming across her face. Without a word the Queen collapsed backwards, a smoking hole becoming visible on the right flank of her armor. Errant could see Chipped Blade on the roof of the capital building, slowly lowering his weapon.

The thestral opened his wings and rapidly glided down towards Errant, panic coming across his features.

“MEDIC!” He called out, but it seemed that the rest of the town was still fighting off the Changeling forces. “I need a medic! Mare down!” Chipped tried to put pressure on the wound, but Errant was beyond pale and beyond help. She weakly put a hoof on his, prompting him to look at her. “Don’t worry, ma’am! We’ll get you fixed up!”

“G-Go… They n-need you.” Errant said before coughing up several spurts of blood.

“No, ma’am! I-”

“T-That’s an order… Soldier.” Errant said again, Chipped Blade’s eyes began to water as he looked at her, his fatigues and hooves now drenched in blood. “I-I’m so p-proud of you… Ch-Chipped… Y-You are like a so-...” She was cut off by another spat of coughing. “S-Son…” Chipped quietly stood up, looking down at Errant with tear stained eyes. After those words came the death rattle, a sickeningly quiet gurgle that would stick with the young soldier for the rest of his life.

The rest of the battle passed in a blur for most of those present, eventually the beleaguered Americans wiped out or captured the rest of the Changeling force, but not without heavy cost. In the fighting another five soldiers and three civilians lost their lives. As it turned out, Chrysalis was only wounded by the bolt of energy, her armor absorbing most of the lethal effects. She'd been captured and imprisoned in a freshly built POW camp, leaving the town of New Liberty to mourn and bury their dead.

[♦]

As Sonar finished telling her story, cobbled together from numerous reports and accounts, Dominic sat silently between Luna and Celestia. His expression almost completely blank, fearing the worst Luna prepared for another mind walking spell. Dominic wiped his eyes with a shaking hand, he hadn’t even realized he’d started crying. After a few moments his tears stopped and he closed his eyes, after several deep breaths he opened them and looked around the room.

“I…” He began, only to look down at the bed again. All those present watched him carefully, fearing another incident. “Need a drink…”

Author's Notes:

Ugh, between moving and all that other stuff it's been hard finding time to write. But here it is, another chapter. This was kind of difficult to write, I didn't want to go to quick with descriptions and such but at the same time I didn't want it to be drawn out too much. Hope it's up to snuff for all you lovely people. If not or you have any suggestions, please, leave a comment below!

Have a good one!