Well… this was it.

The ship had been repaired and she was now flight worthy. It was time to go… much to everyone's dismay. I stared at my handiwork that was the Liset. It was months of hard work, delays, and hardship, but we were flight worthy at last. Yeah, the bare metal sheeting scrapped from the Corpus ship looked like shit against the darker metal that lined the hull of the landing craft, but I would have Vauban replace those when we got back to the Dojo. As I looked over the hull for any issues that could lead to disaster, I heard the soft pitter patter of hooves and feet against the grass, causing me to turn and look at the group as they gathered around.

“So… it works now?” Serenity inquired.

“For as long as I need it to,” I answered before turning back to the ship and crossing my arms. “All we need to do is get through the Void Portal and get to the Dojo.” Which if my calculations are correct, we will. There was only one way to test those calculations though.

I felt something tugging at my arm, looking down, a pang of regret ran through my heart. Twilight was tugging at my arm with her wing, tears in the corners of her eyes as she looked up at me. Kneeling, I quickly removed my helmet and placed it on the ground before embracing her.

“Do… do you have to leave right now?” she sniffled.

“No,” I replied immediately with a whisper in her ear. “I can stay for a little while.” Leaning back, I pecked her on the forehead, just below her horn. The action was enough for her to smile lightly. “I promise.” As I stood up, I heard Ordis over my comms, but I ignored it for the time being. He probably had something to say about Nightmare or whatever. Wrapping her wing around my waist, Twilight nuzzled my hip as we turned to face the rest of the girls and Tenno.

“So… what’s up?” Rainbow said simply.

“Are you really leaving?” Fluttershy said softly as Storm sat next to her, the mare gingerly petting the large dog like creature. Storm seemed to be loving it too, since apparently, I don't pet her enough... Knight for his part laid in a ball as he basked in the midday sun, Spike, the infested one, not the dragon, ran about sniffing for something that had garnered his interest. He quickly found a butterfly and preceded to chase after the small insect.

I shrugged. “What do you want me to say? The ship’s repaired. I did exactly as I said I would.”

It only took much longer than I intended. But in that time... I believe that came out for the better. I made an interesting group of a friends and a loving girlfriend. It was a very rocky start to begin with, but I am willing to take the risk. I deserved this. We both do. As I stood there I could see that all five girls and one dragon seemed to have this look of uncertainty and almost… regret? I furrowed my brow as they all looked towards each other, they bit lips, avoided eye contact and all waited for someone to say something.

“Oh fine!” Rarity finally spoke, breaking the tension as she stepped forward. Sighing, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts, she opened her eyes a gave me a determined look. “Excalibur, we have been talking and… we’re sorry…”

I blinked and cocked my head slightly in confusion. “Excuse me?”

Fluttershy stepped up next as she held a hoof against Storm’s neck. “We want to apologize for how we treated you for… well… how you treated Twilight a few months ago…” Storm seemed to catch on to the mares saddened tone and poked Fluttershy in the neck with her nose before licking her happily, causing the mare to giggle as the much larger Kubrow started to crawl on top of her, pushing the mare over and inciting a laugh from me.

“We were not very friendly…” Pinkie wilted, her mane going flat and her color seemed to fade slightly as she looked down at the ground. “Huh?” Confused, the mare started to giggle as Knight rubbed himself under her chin, purring loudly as he rubbed up against her.

Rainbow suddenly yelped when something sticky attached to her ass and pulled her away. We all watched on as she was dragged along the ground, struggling to break free as Spike pulled her by his proboscis with the help of his mandibles. Once she was close enough, he stepped over her form and lazily landed on top of her. “Oof!” she grunted, before groaning and waving her legs wildly as the infested dog started to growl, vibrating on top of her.

“Looks like someone feels left out,” Fluttershy giggled, us following not too far behind. Our laughter died down after a little while as Rainbow continued to fight against the larger infested creature.

Applejack removed her hat and stepped forward. “We’re mighty sorry Excalibur. We shoulda given yah tha benefit ‘ov tha doubt. Yah proved yerself as a friend.” She paused as she looked towards Twilight with a smile. “And a lover.”

I smiled lightly.

“Thanks for the second chance,” I replied.

“Just don’t screw it up!” Spike threatened with a glare and cross of his arms.

I laughed. “Will do bud.”

All of use stood around and gossiped. Spike the Helminth eventually released Rainbow but made sure to bug her enough until she petted him. She hesitated at first, but eventually became comfortable enough to rub his back. Pinkie rubbed Knight’s back while Fluttershy scratched at Storm’s ears. Ember, Serenity and Drax were lost in their own little conversation while Twilight rested in my lap as I idly rubbed her ear.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rainbow’s ear twitch before she lifted her head and looked towards the sky. “What is that?” she asked, squinting her eyes to get a better look. Confused, I lifted my head and looked towards the same direction she was as I stood up. In the sky, a little black dot seemed to be heading towards us. Ember, Drax, and Serenity did the same while the girls and Spike followed. All of use stared at the object for some time before a shape started to form.

It was oblong, like that of an egg, white and green in color… and had a turret pointing out of the bottom!?

My eyes went wide in terror. “Grineer Dargyn, get down!” I shouted in panic, tackling Twilight to the ground and used my body as a shield. Ember, Drax, and Serenity’s eyes had to have gone wide as well as they too, tackled the nearest pony and dragon. Storm grabbed onto Fluttershy and pulled her under her while Spike and Knight did the same with Rainbow and Pinkie.

Gunfire exploded against the ground, sending plumes dust and debris high into the air while others ricochet off the hull of the Liset!

How the fuck did they find us here!?

The all too familiar roar of the gunship made my chest rumble as it flew overhead, banking back around for another gun run. “In! Everyone in, GO GO GO!” I shouted as I pulled Twilight to her hooves and ushered her towards the ramp of the Liset. The rest of the girls, Spike, and Storm ran inside while I hastily picked up my helmet.

“Excalibur!” Ordis screamed into my ear as I slipped it over my head. “The Grineer have entered the atmosphere and-”

“I can see that Ordis!” I shouted as I drew my rifle and took aim.

The gun ship opened fire the second it banked around. Each heavy bullet impacted against the dirt in front of me, the larger caliber rounds tearing up the ground in its wake. In return I pulled the trigger on my rifle, the armor piercing rounds sailed through the air, impacting and tearing through the gunships weak hull. I could hear the bullets tearing through the metal, spraying metal fragments and fluid out the back. I dumped as many rounds as I could out of the magazine before there was a small explosion. The ship jolted violently as the engine sputtered. The exposed cockpit ignited, killing the pilot and forcing the ship to lose control.

The burning husk tumbled violently as it sailed over head before impacting against the ground in the distance. Searing hot metal was thrown in all directions as the ship was torn apart at the seams. I lowered my rifle as I watched as the gunship had sailed over head, leaving a burning trail of smoke in its wake before I had lost sight of it. I heard the sounds of multiple ships coming out of warp as they entered the atmosphere. A bright orange flash of light revealing the horror that would follow. Dropship after dropship, gunship after gunship filled the air like a plaque. Their roaring engines fueled by hatred, rang like a death bell.

Equestria, was under invasion…

“Ember, Drax, Serenity,” I said authoritatively, watching as a dropship flew overhead, drowning me out as its engines rummbled. “Defend the town and hold the line. Take down as many ships as you can!” I looked towards them, all three had determination on their minds as they drew their respective primaries. “Take down as many ships as you can! And kill anything that gets in your way!”

“Got it!” they all replied in unison, with a nod, acknowledging their order.

“I’ll cover you from the sky!” I shouted as I ascended the ramp. “Stay frosty!” As the ramp closed, the three of them nodded to each other before taking off towards Ponyville as fast as they could.

In Ponyville-central, citizens watched as the alien looking crafts roared overhead. Many of them flinched painfully, covering their ears as one ship sailed just over the rooftops of the tiny town. The citizens of Ponyville continued to watch with serious trepidation as the hulking masses of metal and fire started to descend upon the land. Down the main street, many of them watched as these machines landed.

BOOM!

Ponies screamed in horror, watching as one of the hovering ships exploded in a ball of flames. Its engines roared and sputtered, plumes of jet-black smoke and errant flames spraying out the side of said engine. The green ship started to list to the right before it ultimately tipped too far. Going belly up, it immediately lost altitude and collided with an already landed ship. Metal torn and buckled as the two ships collided. The first one rolled over the top of the one on the ground, its engine running on overdrive before something internally gave way. Searing hot metal shredded like paper as the rotating internal turbine threw white hot bits of mental in all directions.

One piece of metal tore through the center of the ship, killing anything inside before impacting against the ships core, spraying fuel in all directions before the ship exploded in a large ball of flame! The explosion chained through the second ship, causing it to explode not a second later. A bright fireball ascended into the air, followed by a plume of jet-black smoke.

“Everyone inside now!” Serenity shouted with a wave of her arm as she held her shotgun in her other hand.

“To late!” Ember shouted with a point of her finger down the street.

She was right.

Like a wave of death, Grineer troops clad in thick, green armor, armed to the teeth pooled into the streets. “Tenno Skoom!” the clones shouted as dozens of Grineer grunts immediately opened fire as many of them tipped over carts and tables that scattered the market area, using them as makeshift cover.

Stuck out on the open, Ember, Serenity and Drax were forced to return fire from the incoming assault. Ponies screamed in terror as they started running towards any open door within the immediate area. Mares and stallions grabbed fillies and colts as they ran. One mare was clipped in the leg by a stray bullet, causing her to stumble and roll, screaming out in agony as she held her bleeding leg. Bullets ricocheted and bounced against the dirt road as one stallion braved the threat and grabbed the mare by the scruff of her neck and pulled her to safety.

Two rounds impacted against Ember’s shields loudly. “Oof, ah!” she winced from the impacts before targeting the shooters. Drax reflexively ducked when he heard two bullets wizz past his head, nearly striking his helmet. Both Tenno opted to back off and try to take up cover as Serenity stood like a statue in the center of the street. Firing both barrels as fast as she could from her shotgun, she did the opposite and advanced forward without fear or trepidation. Aiming towards a tipped over vegetable cart, she unloaded both barrels through the flimsy wood. The sounds of wood shattering and armor shredding and flesh maiming could be heard as a puff of red erupted from the behind the makshift cover.

Her shields sparked wildly as every soldier in the vicinity targeted her, but she paid them little mind as she continued to fire. Reloading two shells into the gun, she emptied both barrels just as quickly as she could close the weapon. The surviving Grineer Lancers started to either back off or take up a different position in a better attempt to fight back.

In a bright flash of blue light, Serenity’s shields broke, but her thick armor continued to absorb and deflect incoming shots. Stepping past the downed vegetable cart, she lined up her sights as three Lancers stood up. Firing both barrels, the slash buckshot rounds tore through the first, second, and third Lancer as all three of them fell backwards, dead.

Reaching down with her left hand, she pulled one of her Grakatas from her hip and opened fire on two advancing soldiers. Their thick armor held for a little while before their helmets cracked and gave way. Both lancers fell to their knees as their guns clattered loudly against the ground.

“Tenno skoom!” one clone shouted as he charged forward. The attacking Butcher lacked armor, wielding nothing but a single, Grineer Cleaver like a maniac. With a clenched jaw and a desire for blood, the soldier had zero concern for his own safety let alone his life. Raising the weapon over his head, he slashed widely. Serenity ducked under the attack and holstered her Grakata. Jumping back, she dodged another attack and loaded her shotgun, slapping it closed. As he swung a third time, she stepped around him, grabbing the soldier by the back of the neck, shoving the gun against the deformed clones back, she turned her head away and fired both barrels.

The Butchers severed legs and lower torso flopped against the ground, spraying blood as she held onto his disconnected upper torso. Using it as a shield, she let the corpse absorb as many bullets as it could as she ran for cover, letting her shields recover before tossing the corpse to the side like the meat shield it was. Nearby, one Lancer took the opportunity to advance, breaking from cover he charged forward. There was a bright flash of orange and a whoosh of air as the Lancer suddenly burst into flames. He screamed out in agony as his armor did little to nothing to protect his deformed body. Throwing his rifle to the ground, he frantically waved his arms in an attempt to put out the flames.

Nearby, Knight charged forward, digging his claws deep into the wooden wall of a nearby building. With all his strength, the Kavat ascended the wall like a spider and pulled himself onto the thatched roof. His soft paws didn't make a sound as the feral looking Kavat lept from roof to roof. Underneath him, he surveyed his surroundings. Dozens of Lancers, Butchers, and Troopers flooded through the streets and alleys of this little town.

A scream caused the Kavat to slide to a stop, ears pivoting atop his head like antennas as he searched for the rogue sound. Peeking over the edge, the Kavat watched as a squad of Lancers entered a home via the front door. He could hear struggling, yelling, and furniture breaking as the occupants within the home ran for their lives. Leaping towards the building, Knight landed on the roof and used his steel like claws to tear his way inside. The cheap thatching shredded like paper as the cat furiously dug his way inside. Once he made a hole big enough, Knight forced his way through and into the home.

Landing in the attic, he quickly found the attics access hatch and smashed his way through the flimsy door like it was paper. Tearing down the hall like a bat outta hell, the cat leapt down the stairs, and vaulted off a wall towards the nearest Lancer, claws at the ready. The Grineer soldier only had enough time to scream as he was tackled to the ground with a roll. The Kavat was tooth and claw as the pair rolled violently against the floor.

The remaining soldiers were no match for the animal. Armor and flesh were torn asunder and rendered useless by the cat. Hissing could be hear from inside, followed by screams of terror made by those who were disemboweled. The final Lancer of the squad landed on his stomach, screaming and flailing his arms in a frantic attempt to flee as Knight tore into his back armor before sinking his four-inch-long fangs into the soldier's neck and shaking him violently, spraying blood in all directions.

With a disgusting crack, the Lancers neck broke as he went limp in the Kavat’s maw.

“Koss Huut!” a new Lancer shouted to his companions as he stepped through the doorway and raised his rifle. Knight hissed loudly as he arched his back, intimidating the soldier. With dripping fangs, the cat dove forward and tackled the Lancer out the door, both were claw and fist as they tumbled through the street, hacking and slashing as they went. As the duo continued to roll in the center of the street, Spike dove over the tumbling pair, mandibles wide and dripping with infested mucous.

The infested dog hissed loudly as he continued to charge forward with malicious intent and reckless abandoned. Three Lancers were no match for the beast as they were thrown from their feet and trampled. Spinning, the creature hissed loudly at a gathered squad before he fired his proboscis, the sticky end of the line attaching itself to the back of a Troopers leg, pulling his feet from underneath him. The Trooper screamed in panic as he was dragged away, his shotgun knocked from his grasp.

Spike dug his claws deep into the dirt as he started to back away as he dragged his prey with him. The Grineer soldier clawed at the dirt in a futile attempt to get away, anything to get away from the infested beast intent on devouring him. With his mandibles pulling at the tube of infested flesh, the infested animal dragged the soldier into a dark and decrepit alley. The sounds of screaming, bones breaking, and blood splattering caused every Grineer soldier in the immediate area to run in panic at the sounds of the animal feasting on the flesh of their dead comrade. But when the beast emerged into the light…

It looked like a demon…

With blood pooling under its flexing mandibles, the creature let out an infested roar. A roar that any Grineer veteran knew… and feared...

But they were soldiers! Bred without fear and a passion for killing! This was their time! Spike winced when gunfire impacted against his shields, in return, the infested dog roared in anger before charging after the shooter. With a dive the animal sunk his mandibles deep into the Grineer Lancers neck, tearing at his esophagus as he feasted on the clone’s flesh in the middle of the street.

Back in the center of town, Ember smashed her blade into the ground, knocking a squad of Lancers off their feet and onto their backs. All of them shouted their annoyance as they stood up, ready to fight back. With a swipe of her hands to the sides, a bright orange gas sprayed in all directions from the ports located on her wrists, coating the soldier’s armor and clogging their helmets filters. All the soldiers immediately dropped their rifles, wiping their hands against their armor in an attempt to get rid of the sticky substance. One soldier cleared his visor before his eyes went wide.

Ember stood in the center, lazily examining a ball of flame in her palm.

“Sorry love,” she ‘apologized’ before clenching her fist and smashing it into the ground. Which sent a wave of searing hot flame in all directions thanks to her Fire Blast ability.

Each soldier burst into flames as Ember’s Accelerant ability caused the soldiers armor to burst into flames. Metal and flesh melted as the poor souls caught within the blast radius were cooked alive inside their metallic suits of armor. Nearby, Serenity ran up and raised her shotgun as she took aim at one of the poor soldiers still panicking as he tried to smother the flames.

“No,” Ember interjected, grabbing the barrel of Serenity's gun and pushing it down. “Let them burn.”

Serenity lowered her gun before both girls looked towards the sky, the sounds of ship engines grabbing their attention. The Liset roared overhead as it was chased by three gunships, weapons firing. Lastly, the Odonata Prime screeched overhead, firing a barrage of heat seeking missiles at any unfortunate ground force. The sounds of explosions drowned out the chaos of war that persisted.

Back in the cockpit of the Liset, I ran towards the cockpit. “Ordis, as soon as we get airborne deploy the archwings!” I ordered. He was going to have issues operating all the archwings and piloting the ship all at once. So, it was better for me to take charge before things got to out of hand. “I'm taking control!”

As soon as I reached the cockpit, the floor separated, and a large chair came into place with a hiss. Jumping into the seat, I tapped a few buttons on the left arm rest. It had been a while since I needed to do this. Just behind me, both tables disappeared and were replaced with two rows of five seats.

“Get in girls!” I shouted as I started the engines. Behind me, all six of them and Spike jumped into an open chair and grabbed onto the provided seatbelts and clipped them in. The ship hovered off the ground as started to lift off while I finished my flight preparations. There was an explosion as something impacted against the shields, causing the Liset to jolt violently and everyone to scream behind me. “Hang on!” I prepared the last few flight preparations and grabbed the stick with my right hand and throttle with my left. Shoving the throttle all the way forward the engines flared and roared as we took to the skies.

“Two ships to the rear!” Ordis informed me.

“Dammit!” I cursed. Pulling up a holographic feed, there were indeed two Shield Dargyns had taken up chase behind us. “Ordis, revert power to the rear shields. I'm deploying the archwings!”

Tapping more commands into the console, I heard the hiss of the deployer arms, followed by the roar and light trails as the archwings took to the skies from beneath the ship. The Liset jolted again, the shields absorbing yet another attack and protecting us, but it would only be a matter of time before the shields would break. I tugged hard on the stick to keep the ship from crashing into the trees below. These two pilots were intentionally keeping me low to the ground. I needed to get some elevation!

“Ordis get these guys off my tail!” I shouted, banking hard to the left and over the Everfree.

“Yes Excalibur!”

The Odonata Prime took up behind the three of us in hot pursuit. The wing banked and turned with each little movement of the gunships. I did my best to dodge the Grineer attacks as their heavy cannons continued to fire at us. If Ordis had eyes, he would have narrowed them in concentration as he flooded the wing with power. Bringing the gold and white wing into position, Ordis fired off a series of heat seeking missiles at the two ships.

The bright orange heat seekers immediately homed in on the warmer ship’s hulls. As soon as they connected, both ships exploded in a bright orange fireball and a plume of jet-black smoke. One ship was torn in half midair before impacting against the ground, the other spun uncontrollably before crashing into the canopy below, burning brightly.

Finally…

I pulled back on the stick to gain some altitude before I circled around, the skies were flooded with Grineer dropships. I looked towards the skies and higher than out current location, there had to be a frigate somewhere, there was no way these many small ground forces had found us here. That could be the only way the Grineer could have gotten here without jump drives. If it was here, it had to have still been in the upper atmosphere.

“Assault craft inbound, Excalibur,” Ordis informed me a second time.

“Keep them busy!” I replied. Tapping a few more buttons on the console, I heard the Lisets latest addition drop from inside the hull and extend into place. “Time to put this twenty mil. to good use.” I might have scammed the plans from those planes back in the humanverse and I was eager to test it out! Three gunships came into view out of the corner of my eye, taking up position behind me. Tracers raced by, sending plumes of dirt and bits and pieces of tree bark into the air. “Hang on!”

Banking hard to the left, the engines roared as the flaps flared wide as I pushed the ship as hard as I could. I felt the g-force as I did my best to get an angle to fight back. Just behind me everyone had been screaming until about halfway through the turn. Once I leveled out, I glanced over my shoulder at the other occupants in the cockpit. Everyone sat limp in their seats save for Rainbow, who was panting loudly. Yep, they lost consciousness.

“R-Rainbow?” I heard Twilight mumble incoherently. “Wha… what happened?”

“Sorry girls,” I apologized before rolling the ship to dodge a burst of gunfire. “Took that a little too hard for you guys to handle.“ I glanced over at Rainbow yet again. “Nice job staying awake Rainbow.” We pushed several Gee's on that turn, out of everyone, she would be the one to stay awake. But I couldn't focus on that now. “Hang on!” I shouted. Everyone screamed yet again as I pulled back on the throttle, flaring the flaps as I braked as hard as I could to gain an advantage. All three-pursuit craft raced past me, I could see the exposed pilots looking over their shoulders back at me. “Got you…” I pressed the trigger on the stick, causing the minigun to roar and hum underneath me.

The twenty-millimeter rounds tore through the exposed hull and soft bodies of the first two ships. Both exploded, showering the forest below with searing hot debris. Targeting the third ship, I was about to press the trigger when I saw another ship take up chase behind me. Its larger hull indicated that the Grineer were getting desperate to keep air superiority. The left arm of the machine fired a series of missiles as the right spun rapidly with its deadly drill bit. “Damn Ogmas!” I cursed under my breath.

I targeted the ship I was chasing, shredding it like paper before banking back towards Ponyville and left the out of control ship to carine into the ground. Pressing a button on the back of the stick, I deployed a series of bright red flares, confusing the attackers heat seekers and causing them to explode harmlessly behind us. Staring down at the town below, the streets were flooded with Grineer troops and gunfire. I could see where my team was set up, holding back the invasion as best they could. Multiple Grineer soldiers lay dead in the streets as I came roaring overhead.

I needed to even the odds.

Ignoring the Ogma and its two support ships that joined in, I banked back around to get a good angle for a gun run. “Ground team, ground team, this is the Liset, preparing gun run. Danger close!” I said over the radio. Placing the crosshairs dead center of the main road, I just held the trigger.

The gun roared like a chainsaw, causing the whole ship to vibrate as heavy gunfire echoed throughout the hull of the Liset. On the ground, Grineer soldiers turned to run for cover as the Liset came overhead. Many held their arms of their heads while others focused their fire toward the Liset. Those unfortunate enough to be caught in my sights were torn to shreds. Plumes of dirt sailed high into the air, even lightly peppering the Liset as I flew by. Many soldiers were literally cut in half, some exploded in nothing but a plume of red mist, others were thrown from their feet, impacting against each other, walls, or smashing through windows. Just before I reached Town Hall, I pulled up and banked off towards the direction of Canterlot.

“Excalibur what do we do!?” Twilight screamed.

Adjusting my head, I glanced over my shoulder. Twilight had a very worried look on her face, next to her, Spike was curled up in his seat, holding her hoof tightly. There were tears in his eyes and he sobbed loudly. The rest of the girls fared no better. Fluttershy had her eyes welded tight, she was actively sobbing as she held Rainbow's hoof tightly. Rainbow was panting with a concerned expression on her face as she looked towards me for some sort of explanation. Rarity and Pinkie were on the verge of tears as they looked towards me as well.

I didn't reply immediately, trying to find the best way to answer. “I'm going to do everything I can to push the Grineer back.” I turned back and looked forward put to window in thought. “First I need to get you guys off the ship.”

Which was saying something.

I had to evac. them to a safe place. As of right now, Canterlot was my best option. I just need to get the Grineer off my tail long enough to put this bird on the ground. “Hang on!” Everyone screamed yet again as I pushed the stick forward into a steep dive. The engines roared as the ground started to get bigger. Reminded me if the first time I landed here in Equestria, actually. Behind me, the gunships followed, guns roaring as they took the opening to start firing. Bullets whizzed past the Liset, impacting against the ground in front of me. Just as we were about to crash, I pulled the stick back hard, leveling out mere meters from the ground.

Behind me, two Dargyns smashed into the ground in a plume of black smoke and charred dirt. Those ships might be versatile, but they can't bank worth a damn. The Ogma on the other hand had the sense to pull up before crashing. Those pilots are trained better than normal it's just a matter of out doing them. Laying off the throttle, I let the ship gain some distance, make him think he had the upper hand. I bet he was smiling the closer he got.

I may have let him get to close when the ship shook as the mining bit clipped the tail. Electrical sparks and small bits of metal were torn from the Liset upon impact. I cursed at letting that happen and decided now was the time to move. Firing a series of flares, their blinding orange flames bounced harmlessly off the thick metal hull of the mining craft turned weapn but ultimately disoriented the pilot long enough for me to pull away. Pulling back on the stick, I ascended rapidly before pulling hard on both the stick and the throttle. I flared the flaps and stalled the engines, rolling the ship backwards.

I was already on the trigger by the time the ship was even around as I trailed a line from the rear of the Ogma to the nose. Each armor piercing round shredded the ship's hull, causing it to smoke, sputter and ultimately explode and lose control. Upon impact with the ground, the ship tumbled end over end before being torn in half at the seams. Finally, I had some room to breathe.

“Girls, I'm going to head to Canterlot and drop you all off,” I informed them. “Then we'll do everything to keep the Grineer contained!”

I frowned, this was going to be a mess.

“Excalibur, three more assault craft inbound,” Ordis informed me yet again.

“Son-of-a-bitch!” I shouted looking towards the top of the window to see if I could get a view. “Ordis, get those-”

“LOOK OUT!” Rarity screeched.

Immediately I snapped my head forward, eyes going wide as saucers. “SHIT!” I pulled hard left on the stick when I saw both towers of Canterlot Castle racing towards me at near supersonic speeds. The west tower was nothing but a blur past the window as we tore by. It was like threading a needle with a tank.

Princess Celestia hummed a little tune to herself as she wandered through the castle gardens. The birds were singing, the flowers were blooming. In the distance, she could see a rather large flock of larger birds, and if they weren't birds, they were definitely dragons.

She had confirmed her suspicions when she heard several loud roars in the distance.

Hopefully they would stay away from Ponyville.

Two of her guards were mildly distracted by the garden’s current animal occupants. The female guard was busy petting a curious rabbit while the stallion had an owl perched on his horn. The pair of golden clad ponies giggled and laughed accordingly at the animal’s movements or mannerisms. Celestia herself watched on with a smile at such a wonderful sight. A faint flick of her left ear caused her to turn her head towards the skies when she picked up a curious noise. She could hear the familiar roar of the Lisets engines as it approached.

“I wonder what Excalibur wants?” she mused to herself. She continued to watch the skies, opting to wait in the gardens for the alien ship to land.

It wouldn't…

She could only watch in shock and horror as the spaceship tore through the skies at a high rate speed, maneuvering just enough to slip between both watch towers. What followed next made her hair stand on end as a chill ran up her spine. Three more ships came into view, two of them squeezed between the towers, the third impacting against the west tower. Animals scattered and chirped loudly in panic, the solar mares guards looked to the sky just in time to see the ensuing chaos unfold. They could do nothing but watch on as the tower crumbled, bits of dust and debris showering the ground below before what little support remained gave way. The mighty tower crumbled like dust in the wind, collapsing behind the burning husk of the ship that collided with it.

There was an explosion that followed as the ship crashed somewhere within city limits. “Luna!?” Celestia shouted in panic as she turned towards the castle. She was worried for the wellbeing of her sister after the impact. Without any hesitation the Princess started for the castle. “Luna!? Somepony find my-OOF!”

“Princess get down!” the stallion guard shouted when he tackled the mare to the ground. Just in front of them, the ground was torn to shreds as a lng strafe of bullets impacted against the grass of the gradens. Just above them the Liset roared overhead, its two pursuers hot on the ships tail. From her spot on the ground, she could only watch the aerial battle unfold as the ships banked around. The two egg shaped and colored ships seemed to have the upperhoof before the Liset rolled and banked around, getting behind the two ships.

Her and her guards winced, pinning and covering their ears from the intense noise. Next, both ships exploded in a ball of flames and lost altitude out of sight, followed by distant explosions. Her eyes were glued to the Tenno craft as it came around and towards her position within the gardens. The ship came around and faced away from her as the ship's rear access ramp descended. The mare and her guards were forced to protect their faces from the roaring winds and dust clouds the engines produced as they shielded their eyes with their forelegs.

“Out, out, everyone out!” she heard Excalibur order from the hovering ship. Lowering her leg, the solar princess could see the Elements of Harmony and Spike just inside the ship’s interior. Spike had just made it the edge of the ramp when the ship suddenly jolted hard to the left. The diarch was forcefully pulled to the ground by her guards when the following explosion shook the earth so violently it made the mares ears ring and the earth to shake. Each pony in the immediate area was peppered with debris from the crater thanks to the explosion. Celestia opened her eyes to see the Liset pointing nose first towards the sky.

“SPIKE!” she heard Twilight scream.

“TWILIGHT!” the little drake screamed back. The solar princess gasped when she saw her former students little brother hanging onto the edge of the ships ramp for dear life. He clawed and pulled, but the bare metal was to slippery. With one last ear-piercing screech of his claws against the metal ramp, the little purple and green drake lost his grip, screaming as he fell.

Celestia heard Twilight scream Spike’s name again but the princess chose to ignore it. Celestia pushed herself to her hooves and with a mighty leap and equally mighty flap of her wings she dove after the little dragon as he fell. With a tumble she caught the dragon in her hooves and used her wings as cushions as the pair rolled across the ground several meters. When they came to stop, the pair looked towards each other before they looked to the sky. They could only watch helplessly as the Liset roared off into the distance, bobbing and weaving to miss a series of attacks from unknown ships.

"Sister?"

"Luna!?" Celestia gently placed Spike on the ground and stood up, running over to pull her sister into a warm embrace. Two of the mare’s lunar guards stood nearby, ears pivoting like satellites, searching the area for more threats. "Are you okay?" Celestia worried over her sister, grabbing the lunar mare's cheeks with her wings, looking for any injuries.

"I'm fine," Luna replied rather stoically, pushing her older sibling's wings from her face. "I am more worried about our situation!"

"Uhm… your majesties, you may want to come and look at this!" one of Celestia’s solar guards shouted. Both Diarchs looked towards the stallion in question as he looked over one of the few areas that overlooked the valley. Both mares, along with the lunar guard and Spike ran to the wall and peered over, gasped at the horrific sight before them. They could hear gunfire in the distance, ships hovered around Ponyville like moths to a flame. Explosions would occasionally pepper the land and multiple buildings were ablaze. They could only watch on in utter horror as the sleepy little town burned before them.

They were all so transfixed they failed to see the looming shadow overtaking the castle.

Every head in the city of Canterlot went to the sky. High above, looking over the land like a plaque, was the behemoth titan of metal and evil. It blocked out the sun as it moved and roared like thunder as it crashed through the clouds. The hulking mass of metal looked as though it couldn’t fly. It shouldn't be able to fly! With nine fins protruding from behind the helm and its face-like front made it look like a gigantic monster was invading the countryside. It didn’t belong on this planet nor this realm as it came from the heavens like a demon as it descended from above.

“By the gods!” Celestia shouted as she watched as the Grineer Heavy Galleon as it rumbled through the clouds and high over the city of Canterlot. The heat from the ships gigantic engines was so powerful and so hot that even it, made the solar princess wince. The flames too, were so bright and so large it was as though they were looking into the sun itself. “That thing has to be as big as Canterlot…”

“No…” Luna breathed in awe before she slowly looked towards her sister. “It’s bigger…”

They could only watch, ants on the ground as the boot that could easily crush them raced overhead. Celestia haf never known that a weapon of such magnitude could ever exist! But now she knew, more than she could have ever known as it continued its course for some time before coming to a resting halt over Ponyville. Celestia and Luna both knew exactly why it was there.

There was only one thing they could want…

The Tenno that currently resided in the sleepy town.

“Princess, we must get you somewhere safe!” one of the guards instructed.

“Agreed,” one of the lunar guards agreed. Reluctantly, the princesses let themselves be ushered away from the ensuing chaos unfolding just south of the castle. The sounds of gunfire and explosions echoed off the hardened stone walls of the castle. Celestia ushered Spike along as they quickly worked their way across the castle grounds. Just before they made it to the doors of the castle, a series of whizzing noises tore through the air before they impacted against the stone walls of the castle. Multiple stray rounds and ricochets had found their way up the valley, indicating how much of a hazard this battle was going to be.

Upon entering the building, the princesses and Spike were led along deep into the lower depths of the castle. Multiple guards had joined them along the way upon receiving the call. It was clear to all present, the castle was under lockdown. It was several tense minutes before the group entered into the catacombs of the castle, the safest place so far in case of serious attack.

They entered through a gigantic, thick oak door. Several guards waited outside while others followed the mares and little drake into the bunker. Originally, it was an old vault that housed most of the castle’s wealth, but that had been transferred to a different part of the castle, thus leaving the space to be converted into a hide away/safe zone for the princesses should the need arise.

Such as now...

The stone walls of the large vault made it feel more like a prison cell than a safe zone, but the luxurious furniture and small kitchen gave it a bit of flare to the dreary place. Spike headed towards a chair near one of the walls and sat down, holding his head in his claws as he started to cry. The little guy already lost everything once and he was about to see it a second time. He was worried for Twilight, he was worried for his friends, he was worried about his home, worst of all, he was worried about his planet, and his freedom. Celestia in turn headed towards one of the two luxurious red couches in the center of the room and sat down. Both faced each other and were only separated by a single, rectangle wooden coffee table. Luna opted to pace back and forth as the guards took up position near the door.

For what felt like an eternity, the only noise that pierced through the tense air was the metallic hoof steps of the lunar mare as she paced back and forth, lost in thought. Finally, Luna stopped her pacing and looked towards her sister with a hardened gaze.

"We have to do something!"

Celestia, who had been staring blankly at the coffee table, slowly lifted her head. "Like what?"

"Fight!?" Luna suggested as though it was the obvious answer. "I refuse to sit here and wallow in fear like a pig!" she shouted, slamming her hoof loudly against the floor. "That is all we have done since our return! That is all ponies have done! We hide like mice while we let the dog we paid, fight the cat!" The mare snorted angrily, puffs of heated air leaving her nostrils. "Equestria was once a formidable force across the world! Now we act tough, but in reality we have done nothing but lay down on the wire and let others walk all over us! I'M SICK OF IT!"

Celestia ended up becoming lost in her own little world about half way through the conversation. She had been listening, but barely. "Luna…" the solar mare started. It was as though… she wasn't all there. The once confident princess who had ruled for a millennia with pride, joy, and strength…

Was gone…

What Luna was staring at was a shell of her sister's former glory.

"Luna.." the mare said, repeating her sisters name. The princess swallowed nervously as she went back to staring at the coffee table. "Never in my life have I faced such of an event as I have now… I have stared into the face of a god…"

Celestia lifted her head and the stare she gave, made her look like a ghost. Luna and the accompanying guards felt a very pony like chill run up their backs. They were mere mortals, their land, was about to be a battle between gods. Lives were going to be lost, the number, unknown. No pony was in control and no amount of help would change the soon to be inevitable outcome.

For this, death was certain.

The outcome, unknown.

The victor determined by bloodshed.

"And I do not like what I have seen…"

Author's Notes:

Here is a little teaser as for what is to come...

So this is the big build up that has been years in the running!

I wish I could find better pictures for everything. But they all come from the wiki and the pictures are basically youtube thumbnails.