The trip to the hill overlooking Canterlot was populated by multiple thousands of troops adorned with gold armor. Though some with darkly colored blue armor could be seen, fangs and bat wings on pegasai.

"There they are." Celestia exclaimed when she she saw her student and friends approaching. The
Princess dropped from the fluttering position over the camp to meet them. "I thought you weren't coming!" She said loudly before remembering herself and composing herself.

"I mean, your late." The student looked up at her teacher a moment, she never acted so anxious before. But them the city was never in as much danger as she made out...Wait, something is wrong! "Where is Luna?" The princess froze. "Err, I don't know. She charged into the city when she heard it had been attacked instead of following my approach. I haven't seen her."

The situation looked dire from outside the city, the walls were ensnared in black metal and green light. Even hints of movement inside the dark material. Ponies of metal with red beams coming from their eyes were seen roaming the walls and sky from the hill. "This is unlike anything I've ever seen..." Celestia was in shock, what magic did this to her subjects? Discord? No, this was organized, controlled. Her thoughts were interrupted by Twilight "That sort of looks like Stalliongrad's armored carriage prototype armor..."

The princess inhaled sharply. "Very different my student." She pulled her eyes from the city, looking to her student. "You may not see if from here, but the ponies you see on the walls are old residence of Canterlot, they seem to being controlled by that metal." Twilight looked over with shocked eyes. "What?!" She quickly turned her head to the city, her horn glowing as she concentrated on an old magnification spell from years ago. The shock in her eyes was apparent. "T-that can't be, I see Fancy Pants..." A startling yelp from Rarity interrupted further examination.

After quite awhile spent on calming down Rarity the group now understood the severity of the situation. "We are ready to make our move to take the elements princess. Whatever is going on the elements can do the job." The rest of the group save Rarity all looked up to the Princess with sure eyes. "Hearts stronger than horses." Celestia muttered before raising her head. "Bad Wolf! Get ever here, we need to plan our insertion into the...

______________________________________

>Drone #5732 detects military presence from local species.
>Drone #76431 unable to find entry to inner-complex of species #12702 citadel.

The notifications and reports hit the Queen simultaneously. "This will not do." She said rather pointedly. These drones can't break down a stone wall? So long have they been delayed by the ponies at the inner city that she grew impatient.

>Queen requesting visual stream of citadel.
>Drone #76431 sending feed

The image popped into existence inside the Queen's mind, the castle was being protected by a heavy magical shield, it was not an energy magic The Queen observed. This showed up on scans as solid metal, however it was quite transparent. A magic shield however taking on property of solid metal.

>Use splicers
>Ineffective, regeneration properties

"Seriously?..." The Queen sighed.

>Scan for source power module of entity.
>8+ Military uniform species #12702

The Queen blankly stared at the image before cutting it off, moving to take the vision of a drone on the walls. Celestia and her friends were visible. "Tia?" A small voice in the back of the Queen's mind was heard before being suppressed by the huge scale of drones all lashing out into her mind and spangling the voice shut. Where they shutting up Luna? "Strange, she should be gone..."

>Running diagnostics.
>1 Error detected.
>Separate entity detected.
>Identified as independent *ERROR*
>Location: Frontal Lobe.

>Purge program activated.
>Unable to remove error.

"What?" The data did not lie, the technological components could not this...Personality, this identity of past-self. So the Queen ordered the only thing she could think to logically do.

>Remove Frontal Lob.
>>Replace with technological module.
>Failed.
>Diagnosis: Shielded region of mind, unknown substance.

Unknown to the Collective, it could not understand what was blocking avenue to Luna's identity. The life force of a near-immortal being, the Princess was being watched over by Faust...At least that is what historians claim. "This is not possible, error in programming"

The Queen after many data codes and trying to bypass this shield was unable to do anything. No progress. It was written off as
a anomaly, no way this was a natural science. Assimilation of a higher species would explain and possibly provide a bypass with time. The collective found no reason to decommission the Queen in this, they had been able to suppress the voice instantly.

>Queen Command.
>Dispatch Appropriate amount of drones to meet species #12702 military.
>Error.
>>Insufficient numbers.

>Queen Command.
>Bypass, send assimilation forces.

_________________________________

"Princess! Enemy forces spotted!" The princess looked up from a small map of Canterlot. "Send a force to meet them." The six and Princess all looked on as a large force of guards in shining gold armor marched out to the field. Composed of unicorns and earth ponies, the force took formations that looked tuned to shredding hostile line. Large pikes and sword bearers composed the forward line of earth ponies. The hind populated with unicorn in circles looking to all channel their magic into a singular orb.

"I hope we can save these ponies before we destroy them..." Twilight fretted. The princess looked over to her. "We cannot save them without the elements, this is part of our plan. We need to-" She hitched her voice a moment before continuing with tears blurring her vision. "Kill them, we can save the rest with the elements."

>Thread Level Evaluation
>Severe

Author's Notes:

Chapter out. Set up done. Any comments heavily welcome, if you think something is off don't refrain from sharing. Did I hit a nail on the head? Tell me, this story is a primary avenue to improving future stories.