Nurse Redheart panicked as she worked on her horribly injured patient. The sounds of explosions and the flickering of the lights within the surgery room made the mare squeak in terror but she continued her work regardless. The mare grunted when one of the two guards that were forcing her to work on their injured companion, kicked her in the side and yelled at her in their native tongue, which she did not understand.

“I don’t know what you’re saying!” she shouted in a panicking tone, pausing her treatment momentarily. The imposing soldier shouted at her yet again before slamming his metallic clad fist against a utensil tray, sending multiple medical tools sailing into the air and clattering against the floor. The soldier pointed his rifle at the mare a second time, threatening her further. She stopped her emergency surgery and fell on the floor, tears rolling down her face, grasping her face and begging for her life. The soldier shouted at her again and pointed at their injured soldier before taking a threatening step forward. Apprehensively, the mare stood up on shaky legs and began to tend to the wounds. She had never seen wounds such as these, let alone to know how to treat them!

I kicked in the door, surprised to see the little nurse that had helped me the last time I was here; being forced to perform emergency surgery on an injured Butcher. I stared at them and they stared back at me.

“Boys... How are you?”

Both Lancers looked at each other in confusion before they raised their rifles and started firing. I ducked to the side and grasped a handful of syringes sitting on a nearby table and jumped towards the Lancer on the right-hand side of the table. Grabbing him by the collar, I shoved each syringe into the weak bottom of his helmet. Releasing him, I jumped over the medical table and the unconscious patient and went after the second Lancer. Ducking under his swing, I wrapped my arms around his head and grasped his helmet and gave it a mighty jerk, with a disgusting crack as his neck snapped. As he slumped to the floor, I stepped over the corpse and grabbed the patient Butcher by the shoulder and pulled him until his head was just over the edge of the table. Lifting my elbow over my head, I brought it down on his face, using the table as a wedge to break his neck.

I panted, looking around the room for the little white nurse. Turning around, the mare sat balled up against the wall, terror etched across her face. "Miss… uh… I don't think I learned your name?" I admitted as I stepped forward and dropped to a knee.

"Redheart," she swallowed.

"Redheart! We need help! There are a number injured at Sweet Apple Acres!" I informed her as I stood up. "If they are to live, we need to get them medical attention immediately!"

The panting mare swallowed hard yet again before slowly rising on shaky legs. Carefully, she headed towards the door and headed into the hallway, ignoring the three bodies within the room. "Doctor Ray!" the mare shouted down the hallway, before taking off into a trot. "Look," she said with a sigh while briefly holding up a hoof. "I'm willing to help you but you have to get ponies to the hospital!"

"That's not happening," I countered. "The Grineer damn near had the building under lockdown when I got here. I was forced to make a serious push to get here."

The number of enemies had increased dramatically the closer I got to the medical facility. By the time I had gotten to the building, the resistance had gotten absurd. It was so bad I had struggled some. But ultimately, I came out on top.

"Do you have any idea what I am going through right now!?"

"Do you!?" I shouted back, forcing the mare to a halt by stepping in front of her. "There is a war going on outside and I am the only thing standing between you and fucking world domination!" I seethed. The mare glared at me while I glared down at her. "Your planet is at war. And we are your only galactic defense force. And the only ones that can save any unfortunate casualties are standing in this building! AND YOU'RE ONE OF THEM!"

The sounds of hoofsteps on the tile floor caused us to turn as a tan stallion in a white doctor’s jacket came running around the corner. "Redheart! Thank goodness you're alright!" Running up, he hugged the mare tightly. Ending the embrace, the doctor kept a hoof on the mare’s shoulder. "What is going on here?"

"I need a damn doctor, that's what!" I interjected. Both the stallion and the mare looked to me before an explosion went off very close to the building, causing the medical facility to shake and the lights to flicker.

"We can't leave the hospital," the doctor said calmly as he regained his bearings. "We have patients here that we can't afford to leave!"

"But what about outside!" Redheart added while holding out a hoof. "What are we supposed to do? All of our equipment is here!"

The stallion turned his head to me and waited for my response. "There are about a dozen known injured aboard a train just on the other side of Sweet Apple Acres. They need medical attention immediately otherwise, if they don't die, it could lead to complications in the future."

"But what about the hospital?" the stallion questioned. "Like I said, we have patients here that can't be moved without a carriage or a team!"

"I just need one or two doctors that you can afford to let go."

"But if what you say is true," Redheart interjected. "How do we know that those... whatever they are! Won't target the hospital!"

"Because I know for a fact that the Grineer don't target medical facilities!" I explained. "They lack medical personnel out here in the field. This building and everyone and everything in it are an asset," I told them, pointing a finger at the floor and waving it back and forth to accentuate my point. "If you can treat the injured, you have purpose!"

The stallion lowered his head and held a hoof to his chin, pursing his lips in a fine line as he thought. He seemed to make his choice when her turned to the mare. "Red, we need to help the injured."

"But Doctor-!"

"Redheart, I don't need to be a scientist to know what is going on out there!" he said, cutting her off. "If what he says is true, getting ponies here is going to be impossible. Even if we do get the injured here, we don't have the capacity to hold them all!"

"It's also easier to get one of you to the train then all of them to the hospital," I added.

"Which is why I'm going!" the stallion stated.

Redheart's eyes widened in shock before she steeled herself. "Doctor you're insane!"

"Red please-"

"Which is why I am not letting you go alone!" The mare stepped past the two of us and headed down the hallway. "We're going to be on our own. We need everything we can- EEP!"

The mare jumped back towards us in terror when she rounded the corner as gunfire reverberated through the halls, bullets impacting and tearing through the wall. The sounds of Grineer boots thumping across the floor filled the air as the soldiers made their advance. As the little mare ran around me, hiding behind the stallion doctor, I ran the few paces forward and drew my pistol. With one hand, I fired at the two running Lancers. Both bullets struck true, sending the two to the floor and sliding down the hallway.

Turning towards the two, they waved me over and towards a different direction within the hospital. We ran through the halls at full speed before the doctor opened the door and waved us through. Entering the room, it was a frenzy of grabbing what medical supplies would be needed.

"I need syringes, masks, gloves, medication, painkillers, and bandages, lots of bandages!" the stallion listed as all three of us tore through cabinets and cupboards. I grabbed each listed item and some by the handful, stuffing them inside three different packs I had found in the room. I made sure to be careful with the glass containers that the medication was in and soon, I had three bags of medical supplies damn near spilling from the seams. I placed a bag on each thigh and one on my back while the doctor and the nurse placed their own saddlebags, bulging with supplies, on their own backs.

Just before we exited the room, the stallion ran over to a primitive looking phone and tapped a button before he started talking, his voice being transmitted across the entire building. “Attention everypony, this is Doctor Ray, due to the incident happening outside the hospital is under lockdown at this time. All personnel, please do your best to keep the patients calm and safe. No pony is to leave and whatever you do, do not… let anyone in that is not Equestrian. And please… be safe.” He set the handset back onto the top of the device and turned towards us. “And my the gods have mercy on us all…” he finished softly.

With rifle in hand, I escorted the pair out of the room and towards the front of the building. As we reached the front door, through the glass I could see a squad of Grineer Lancers and Troopers preparing to breach the front doors. Reaching behind my back, I pulled two specter orbs and tossed them not to far down the hallway. In a flash of light, two Rhino Specters appeared.

“I want you two to protect this facility with everything you have!” I ordered the pair.

“Yes Excalibur,” the robotic sound of my friend’s voice confirmed. Both looked at each other before they took off down the hallway and towards the roof. That would be the best location for surveillance and to provide covering fire. Turning back towards the front doors, I hugged the wall, staying out of eye sight for the time being. Once I was close enough, I grasped the handle and pulled the door open, taking the soldiers by surprise as I took up position in the doorway, mag dumping the squad.

With gun still smoking, I waved the two medical ponies over and out the door. “I hope you two are ready, because we are going to make a hard push to the train! So get ready to run!”

Taking off down the street, I lead the way through the town. We dodged patrols, used alleyways, and stayed out of sight as best we could. We had made it about halfway when we came under heavy fire.

Smashing in a door to a home, I went to the window next to the door and used my gun barrel to smash it out and opened fire on the advancing troops while Ray and Redheart came running in. Empty casings clattered against the floor as I emptied all two-hundred rounds inside the magazine. As I went for the reload, reinforcements replaced those that had been killed and opened up on me. Cursing my luck, I backed away from the window as the gunfire became unbearable. Moving farther back into the building, I posted up behind a couch, using it as support as I fired out the front door.

“DOCTOR!” I shouted over the gunfire.

“YES!?”

I stopped firing and looked over my shoulder at the stallion. “Somewhere in here are two civilians! Find them!” The two extra blue dots on my radar had given them away. I couldn’t leave them since were already in the building.

“On it!” the doctor replied as he stood up and headed towards a nearby staircase. This battle had been nothing but a stalemate. The roar of the Liset’s gun tore through the air like a saw as distant explosions could be heard. Even though we only had the one ship, it was wreaking havoc on the assault craft in the air and the troops on the ground. We had the southern half of the town and were making a push to take the northern half. But the Grineer had been reinforcing their ground troops throughout the entire battle.

What had been just simple Lancers had evolved into Troopers, Butchers, and Heavy Gunners. Soon we would be seeing Elite Lancers, Scorpions, Bombards and Napalms. We as Tenno are a walking army of one, but the Grineer had a Galleon of infantry at their disposal. It would only be a matter of time before they started dropping their elite troops and heavy infantry.

“I found them!” Doctor Ray shouted as he ran down the stairs, with a grey mare with a black mane and a white mare with a blue mane in tow. “Miss Octavia, Miss Scratch stay down!”

“Do you have a back door!?” I shouted towards the pair before I returned fire out the front door.

“This way!” the grey mare replied with a point of her hoof. Standing up, I covered our retreat with a series of bursts as the three mares and one stallion retreated into the back of the home. Bullets tore through the wall behind me as I made it into the kitchen and towards the back door.

“Run!” I ordered as soon as I left the back door. All four of them spun on their heels and took off through the open field behind the homes. The sounds of shouting grunts and bullets whizzing over my head made me duck out of reflex before I turned around and fired from the hip. The three grunts exiting the building, ducked when my shots impacted over their heads. The first one in the group returned fire with a burst from his Grakata. The second time I fired, I came to a halt and aimed down the sights. While I gunned them down, a bullet went between my legs and hit the little grey mare in one of the legs.

“OW!” she yelped before losing her footing and stumbling with a roll. She went head of tail with a roll before landing front first in the dirt.

“Tavi!” the white mare screeched over her shoulder before she came to a sliding halt and running towards her friend. “Tavi are you alright!” she shouted. As soon as the white mare was close enough, she grabbed the grey mare by the torso and turned her over and into a sitting position, frantically trying to examine the wound.

“Vinyl, let me go!” the mare protested, pushing her friend off of herself. “I’m fine!”

“No, you’re not!”

Redheart came running up before burying her face in the right-hand side of her satchel, seemingly looking for something. Pulling her face out, she pulled out a bandage and began nursing the wound. “It’s just a graze Miss Octavia, you’ll be fine!”

With my head on a swivel, I took up a defensive position near the group. “Move fast please!” I urgently requested. The nurse quickly tied off the dressing and helped the mare to her hooves. Once they were moving again, I took up the rear.

The Liset roared overhead, causing the ground beneath us to shake violently. “Excalibur, I am detecting a number of civilians gathering in a large building not too far from your position!” Ordis informed over the comms. I blinked as I surveyed the immediate area.

“What building!?” I shouted in frustration while doing a full circle. There was nothing but small homes and businesses. “There is nothing here but small homes!” I turned my attention to the group in front of me. “Is there a big building in the area!? A house or something!?”

“The Rich Family Estate is not too far from here!” a limping Octavia answered while looking towards the rooftops. “That is the only large building in the area. Why?”

I kept my eyes peeled as I watched the roof tops and alleyways, looking for some large estate. “Apparently a number of ponies have taken up refuge there. I need to get to them!” Ember, Drax, and Serenity had to be preoccupied with their own escorts. It was up to me. I needed to get them out. “Doctor Ray? I need you to take this stuff!”

All of us came to a sliding halt, the four ponies panting from exhaustion and panic as they took the time to catch their breath. I dropped to a knee and started to remove the bags from my body. “Here,” I said, setting the medical supplies on the ground before standing up. I looked towards the doctor and instructed him on where to go to find the train. “Go to Sweet Apple Acres, Big Mac should be there escorting ponies to the train. If he’s not immediately there, he’s on his way!”

The stallion nodded, swallowing the remaining saliva in his mouth. “Come on girls… let’s go!” As he and the two non-medical ponies took off towards the farm, Redheart gave me one last worried glance over her shoulder before she turned back and rejoined the group. I gave her a two fingered salute before turning around and heading down a random alleyway and what I beleieved was the right direction. As I came out on the other side, I was greeted by a large, three story estate, surrounded by a tall stone wall. I didn’t have time to loath… I mean ‘admire’ the home…

My first thoughts went to the Orokin, none of them were very pleasant.

Vaulting over the wall, I entered the yard via the back. Looking towards the upper floor, I was debating whether or not going through a window or the front door was better. Opting for the latter, I ran around towards the front of the building.

And coming face first into a squad of Elite Lancers!

Caught by surprise, the squad of five raised their Hind rifles, clicking off their safeties. In response, I raised my rifle but didn’t fire.

"Looks like we got ourselves a standoff..."

They continued to point their rifles at me while I kept moving mine from one Lancer to another, trying to cover them all should one of them fire. Like I could anticipate that action. My shields and armor would hold long enough for me to run a line across all five before they could kill me.

“Tenno!” one of the clones shouted from the back of the pack. Shifting my gaze towards the direction of the voice and past the stand off line, one clone, dawned in grey and black camouflage armor stepped forward. His ugly, grey, scarred face showed his boldness as he lacked his signature, taller helmet. He grabbed one of the Lancers by the shoulder and shoved him to the side and stepped between his troops, glowering at me the entire time. I lowered my rifle, curiously watching the Commander as he stepped in front of me and tossed his Grakata on the ground. Slowly, he reached behind his back and grabbed something.

Slowly… he pulled out a Skana, waving the Tenno blade in a taunting manner.

I stared at the sword in shock before growling furiously at the Commander. “You’ll pay for that!” I seethed, my teeth grinding loudly. He smirked at my anger, seemingly enjoying my hurt response. That sword is sacred to only the Tenno. Only the Tenno may wield these weapons unless they have been gifted to others by the Tenno. Holstering my rifle, I drew my sword, accepting his silent challenge.

He turned slightly towards his troops. “~Kill the ones inside the building. The Tenno is mine!~”

I was caught off guard by the order as the Lancers advanced on the front door. Swapping my sword to my opposite hand, I lifted my right hand into the air, my ethereal Skana appearing n my closed fist before I dropped to a knee and slammed it into the ground with a metallic grinding sound. Wisps of bright red energy surrounded the Lancers before the sounds of metal grinding filled the air. Each Lancer was impaled and set sailing into the air as they were dragged off by the energy swords of my Radial Javelin ability. The Commander watched in horror as his subordinates were dragged away and out of sight by the ethereal blades.

Grasping the blade of burning energy, I pulled it from the ground before it faded into nothing. Cracking my neck, I transferred my Skana back to my right hand, spinning her in preparation for the fight. “You really thought I would let you do something like that you bastard? You had something else coming. You are going to die, slowly, painfully, and alone!”

The Commander grit his teeth and charged me, form sloppy and uncoordinated. I blocked the weapon in a flash of sparks, pushing back against attack. In response the clone pushed with everything he could, but I was stronger. I grit my teeth as I pushed back, making his arms shake as he himself fought back with everything he had. The Commander glanced down at where our blades were connected, uncertainty etched across his face as he started to second guess his decision. Removing my left hand and holding him back with only my right hand, I opened my left Venka.

His eyes went wide.

Pushing him back, the Commander stumbled as I thrust my left hand forward. He had just enough time to lean back as my fist and claws glanced across his cheek, leaving three small gashes across his already scarred face. Using the momentum to my advantage, I spun, holding my Skana out as far as I could, my blade clanged loudly as he sloppily blocked the attack. Spinning back in the opposite direction, halfway through the turn, I adjusted my grip and held her backwards. Our blades sparked violently and brightly with each impact. With one last slash, my claws dug deep into his armor, tearing off one of his protective shoulder pauldrons…

I kicked him in the chest.

The Commander grunted as he sailed through the air, smashing through the front door of the home. The injured clone grunted, coughing from the strike as he propped himself up on one elbow, grasping his-

The stolen Tenno sword from the floor.

As I approached him, I stared the Commander down. “Why are you even bothering? I’m superior to you in every way.” The Grineer clone quickly pushed himself to his feet and stood up. He grunted again when I kicked him in the chest again, making him stumble. The Commander got his feet back under him and charged towards me. Blocking his sword swing, he went for a punch with his other hand. Catching it in my palm, he screamed when I twisted his wrist at an awkward angle. With a jerking pull, I kneed the Commander in the gut, knocking the wind from him before I twisted his arm again and made him punch himself in the jaw.

He grunted, stumbling back before he turned around, where upon the soldier made a run towards a set of doors and forcefully pushing them open. "What happened to that cockiness you had earlier you bastard? Huh?"

Following into the dining hall, the Commander ran to the far end of the large, extended length dining table. Instead of going around it and playing some stupid game of cat and mouse, I jumped on top of the table. The Commander gasped lightly as I approached. I cared little of the silverware as it absentmindedly kicked them out of the way, sending them clattering with farther down the table or the floor. Frantically, he looked for an exit before he turned towards a set of doors, leading to the kitchen.

"Oh no you don't!"

Jumping off the table, I chased after the retreating Commander and into the adjacent room. We ran through the kitchen and through another set of doors and entered one of the hallways, heading deeper into the building. Just when he took a random left turn into another door, I tackled through the doorway and I to the room. A number of screams filled the air as we tumbled into the room.

With a roll or two, I landed on top of the Commander, but before I could get a strike in, he kicked me off of his form. I landed with a grunt on my back, leaving me vulnerable to a retaliation attack by the Grineer clone. I rolled to the side just as his blade buried itself into the floor. I jumped to my feet just as he pulled the sword from the floor. He charged me recklessly, as he went for the swing, I caught his arm with my left hand.

Fuck this…

Twisting his arm, the clone winced when his joints cracked loudly whereas I lifted my right arm and Skana over my head and with one fell swoop, severed his arm at the shoulder. He screamed out in agony, spraying blood across the room as I used the severed limb as a makeshift weapon, beating the Commander with it. Sheathing my Skana Prime, I grabbed the bleeding and beaten Commander by the collar and stared deeply into her terrified gaze. Using myself a pivot point, I flipped the Commander through the air and onto a table. Pulling the Skana from his severed limb, I held the weapon over my head…

I buried it in the Commander's chest, punching a hole through the wooden table underneath.

Bastard…

As I stood there, staring at the Commanders lifeless corpse, I blinked a few times as my tunnel vision and rage started to fade. Slowly lifting my head, I looked over my shoulder. There, huddled in the corner were about a dozen or so ponies, staring at me in utter horror as their eyes continuously went from me, to the corpse. I turned my head back to the body pinned to the table. Lifting a hand, I wrapped my fingers around the handle and pulled the weapon from the body with a wet sucking and a metallic scraping sound.

“Welcome to hell,” I said, tilting my head ever so slightly towards the gathered crowd. One mare stared at the blood dripping from the end of the blade and the slow drip coming from the table. In a matter of seconds, she heaved, grasping her mouth with a hoof before running over towards a nearby trashcan and promptly emptying the contents of her stomach. Wiping the edge of the Skana with my glove, I placed it in the small of my back and grabbed my rifle.

“Come on, we’re leaving,” I stated while I headed towards the door. But when I made it to the doorway, I didn’t hear a single pony move. Confused, I looked towards the gathered group still huddled in the corner, all of them staring at me with that horrified look, refusing to move. “NOW!” All of them jumped by the shout before them ran towards the door and out of the room. I just sighed as I followed the group out the door.

Exiting the building, we headed into the streets. “Were headed for the farm!” I told the group of ten plus ponies as I ran towards the front of the herd. Within minutes we met resistance and became pinned in an alleyway as I was forced to open fire around the corner. I shouted over the comms. for backup. With a loud thud, Storm landed next to me, horribly startling the herd of ponies. Stepping forward, she took a deep breath and widened her stance…

And howled to the heavens…

The roar was so ferocious, so guttural, that it struck fear in the hearts of anyone that bared witness to it. Peeking around the corner, every clone in the area, Troopers, Butchers, and Lancers ran for their lives. Out of the corner of my eye, coming from the opposite alleyway, Spike the Helminth came barreling through, knocking over a set of trash cans, sending them banging and rolling into the street. Storm followed suit, taking off down the main road with Spike in tow.

I turned towards the group. “That’s our opening! Let’s go!” I bullet jumped across the street, landing with a slide before I took up cover in the same alley that Spike came bolting out of. Covering the rest of the group, I had them run towards me. With the Grineer in the immediate area gone, the final push to the farm was an easy one. Thankfully there were no injuries this time. Everyone was panting loudly as we came over the last hill to the farm. Weakly, everyone, dragging hooves in the dirt, stumbled up to the farmhouse. Those that didn’t remain standing, either sat down, or laid down wherever convenient. Not long after, Big Mac came trotting up panting loudly and soaked in sweat.

“Mac,” I said, turning to the stallion as he looked over the gathered group. “Did the medics make it?”

Exhaustively, he nodded his head weakly. “Eeyup…” he swallowed dryly and licked his equally dry lips. “Anypony hurt?”

I shook my head. “No. Thankfully.” Turning around, I surveyed the group myself. They had to be exhausted from both the run and the amount of adrenaline they had coursing through their veins. Turning back, the large red stallion was in the middle of disconnecting himself from the cart. Small drops of blood dripped onto the ground from behind the wooden cart, pooling on the ground below. The stallion slowly approached me with hooves dragging along the ground, digging small trenches in the dirt with each step.

As he got closer, I felt a pulse on the small of my back.

With a small jerk of my head, I looked at the handle of the Skana that had been on my lower back since I aquired it from the dead Commander. Slowly reaching back, I drew the blade and held it up in front of my face as I looked at it with a keen eye. The white, red, and blue blade wiggled ever so lightly in my grasp, her blue energy pulsing like a heartbeat. I blinked at it twice before I slowly turned my gaze towards the apple farmer not too far away. Turning towards him and holding the sword out in his direction, she pulsed a little harder with desire. I stared at the blade for a second more before spinning it in my hand with the handle pointing out.

“Mac,” I said softly as I approached the stallion, keeping my gaze on the sword. Turning towards me, I held the sword out to him, feeling as she pulsed yet again in my grasp. The stallion stared at the sword in confusion before looking up at me expectantly. “Take the blade.”

“Ah can’t…”

“Mac!” I said a little more firmly. “She’ll keep you safe, I promise.” I held the sword out a little further, silently telling him to take it. “She needs a new master… and you’re it.” The stallion’s eyes flicked down to the blade as he blinked at it. Cautiously he lifted a hoof, but he let it hover over the handle for a few tense seconds before he finally decided to grasp the handle with his hoof. Releasing it, I let him take the full weight of the weapon.

He stared at the blade, lost within its power. “Ah… ah’ve never felt such power.” He lowered the weapon and sat down, running a hoof along her razor-sharp edge. “Ah… it feels like a long-lost friend.”

I didn’t say anything immediately. “I don’t know about you Mac but…” I pulled my own Skana from my back and held her with both hands, admiring her pure white, polished blade. “We Tenno have a connection with our weapons. We believe them to be sentient,” I finished, looking to the stallion. Seeming skeptical, he raised an eyebrow, silently asking me 'what are you going on about?' Stepping up, I held my Skana to my helmet. “Don’t let him,” I whispered before resting her flat on the ground and stepping back. “Pick up that blade.”

Big Mac glanced down to my Skana Prime, then back up to me as if silently asking ‘are you kidding me?’ Gesturing towards the sword with my hand, I urged him on. Setting his new sword point first into the dirt he stood up, his questioning gaze and raised eyebrow never wavering. Stepping forward, he grasped the handle as best he could and lifted…

He failed.

Taken back, the stallion’s eyes widened in surprise when he failed to lift the weapon from the ground. Widening his back legs, he grasped her handle with booth hooves and heaved with all his might. The stallion grunted and groaned, pulling with all his strength. Even the ground beneath his back hooves started to crack violently as he pulled with the strength of ten men. He continued to struggle for several seconds before he let go, releasing the breath he had been holding.

“Ah... can’t…” he panted.

I tilted my head upwards back towards the sword. “Let him,” I told her. Glancing back down at my sword, the stallion stepped forward and wrapped his hoof around the handle and seamlessly lifted her off the ground and high into the air above his head. Caught off guard this time, the stallion’s eyes went wide yet again as he held his head back is shock. Holding out my hand, I called her towards me, where upon she sailed seamlessly through the air from the few meters I was away from him and caught her in my open palm, sheathing her back on my back. “That sword is just as much or a part of you as you are of it. Treat her well and you will be safe.”

The stallion grabbed his sword from the dirt and held her with both hooves. It pulsed in his grasp, showing its appreciation and affection for its new master. “Ah will,” he said to me. “Thank you,” he said softly to the Skana in his grasp. Standing up, he sheathed the blade in between his body and his collar. Emboldened, the stallion approached the group of refugees with a look of determination. “Come on everypony, this way!”

As he led them through the trees and out of sight, I headed back towards the town as fast as I could. Running down the street I drew my sword and went crazy. I caught one Lancer off guard, hacking through his helmet and torso armor before dropping into a slide. My Skana and I became one as I hacked my way through the unfortunate troops.

I held my own as they continued to throw themselves at me. Wherein they acted like dogs but they died like pigs. Their weapons were nothing but a mere hindrance. Their sloppy tactics and weak armor would be their ultimate down bringing. As one Butcher advanced on me, I blocked his strike with my shield and a flash of sparks. Our weapons were nothing but a flurry of bright orange sparks as his knives caught nothing but air. With an uppercut from my sword, the unarmored Butcher was sent flying.

Surrounded by the dead and the dying, this, showed my true skill as a swordsman.

Those that remained, found it best to run back towards their own.

With the area cleared yet again, I slowly started walking down the street. “Excalibur,” Ordis said over the comms. As the Liset roared overhead. “The girls would like to have a word with you.”

I rested my fingers against the side of my helmet as I looked around the area for any dangers. “Put them through.”

There was a sound of crackling static before a voice came through. It was Rarity. “Excalibur, darling! Where is my sister!? Please tell me Sweetie Belle is with you!”

Next came Applejack. “And mah family!”

Fluttershy followed next. “And my animal friends!”

Finally Pinkie. “Cally, please tell me Mister and Misses Cake are safe!”

“Rarity, your sister is safe, same with your family Applejack,” I informed them as I continued my stroll. A bullet hit me in the head, glancing off my shields. “Ow!” turning towards the area it came from, I pointed my Lex at the poor Lancer that thought it would be a good idea to shoot me! With one crack of the gun, he fell backwards, crashing against the side of a dumpster with a metallic clang. Heh… right where he belongs. “Pinkie I don’t know where they are though. And Fluttershy, I would be amazed if they didn't take to the woods!”

“Could you please find them!?” Pinkie begged, I could hear the tears in her tone of voice.

“Pinkie we’re trying to evacuate the town,” I told her. “For all I know they could already be at the evac. point!”

“Please!” she sobbed into the comms. “Please go and look for them!?”

I conceded. “I’ll check the cafe,” I said before taking off into a sprint. Within minutes, the fighting began to intensify the closer I got to Sugarcube Corner. My shields kept getting pecked at when I finally came to the front of the building. Smashing through the front door, I held my rifle at the ready. The place had been ransacked, tables had been overturned, chairs strewn about all over the place. Food had been splattered against the walls and drinks spilled across the floor. The windows had been shot out, glass covering the floor.

“Mister and Misses Cake!?” I shouted into the seemingly abandoned building. There was nothing on my radar, save for the numerous red dots in the area. Running around the front counter, I investigated the kitchen. “Mister and Misses Cake!?” I shouted again, this part of the building had been fairly clean, other than a tipped over bag of flour and dozens of hoof and boot prints running through it and out the back door.

“Tenno!” I heard a female voice scream behind me.

Uh oh...

I grunted when I felt her grappling hook connect to my armor with a loud tink. “Shit!” I yelled when I was pulled off my feet and dragged across the room. I grunted again when my back collided with the front counter, the register smashed against the floor, clattering loudly and heavily as it smashed the wooden boards on the floor. I was pulled halfway across the counter and forced to stare, upside down, at the black armored, mental augmented Grineer Scorpion. The female clone raised her Machete over her head, aiming it towards my head. My eyes went wide before I rolled to the side just before her weapon smashed against the glass of the display case. Getting my feet underneath me, I slid my hand under a conveniently place pie and threw it.

There was a comedically loud splat when the confectionery good hit the Scorpion square in the face.

I snorted a laugh.

Slowly, the Scorpion raised up her left hand and dragged it down her face. She glared at me while I held back a laugh. “What?” I said, struggling to keep from laughing. Pinkie would be proud, I know she would. With a growl, the Scorpion pulled her arm back and fired off her grapple. Leaning to the side, I dodged the attack and caught the line in my grasp. With a jerk, I pulled her forward, slamming her upper body on the top of the counter, causing her to roll over the top and land behind the counter. As she stood up, I grabbed her by the collar and smashed her head against the top of the counter.

There was a hard knock as her forehead cracked loudly against the hard glass surface as she fell backwards. Turning to my left, I headed into a different part of the home. The entryway had a spiraling staircase heading to the second level of the home. “Mister and Misses Cake!” I shouted as I ran up the stairs before I came to the top and started running down the short hallway. I didn’t see anything on my radar but I checked all the rooms anyway. Kicking in the last door, I entered the final room.

And holy shit was it pink!

Clearly this was Pinkie’s room.

“Tenno!” I heard the same Scorpion scream at me as she came barreling down the hallway. I could hear her as she smashed in doors. I turned around and faced the door, before turning back and running towards a standup cabinet. Grasping the handles, I pulled it open. Honestly? I expected clothing or some party supplies, not what rolled out.

“Ouch!” I cursed when a large, blue cannon with pink wheels smashed into my shins, shattering my shields. Hopping around on one leg, I grasped my left shin, looking like a moron in the center of the room. After hopping around like an idiot for several seconds, I heard the Scorpion shuffling to her feet in the other room, followed by several boots banging against the wood floor. As I stared at the doorway, watching the shadows growing closer, I turned back to the cannon.

As the Scorpion entered the room, I grabbed her by the back of the neck and threw her towards the massive muzzle of the cannon. There was a comedic thoomp as she went down the barrel head first, frantically kicking her metallic legs trying to wiggle and break free. Running to the back of the cannon, I grabbed the firing string and faced the door. Entering the room, the responding Lancer raised his rifle.

“See yah!” I waved, pulling the string as hard as I could.

There was a resonating boom as the cannon fired the makeshift projectile. The pair collided violently and smashed through a nearby window and falling the two stories to the ground below with a bone breaking crash. Running towards the window, I poked my head out. Down below, the pair laid, no long moving. Satisfied, I headed back towards the stairs.

“Pinkie! Where could they be hiding!?” I shouted into the comms. as I ran down the stairs.

“Try my Party planning cave!” she told me. “It’s patented and trademarked!”

Whatever she even meant by that.

“Where the hell is it!?”

“Press the top if the ice cream on the ice cream cone at the bottom of the stairs!”

Turning around the room, I found a fake ice cream cone at the base of the handrail and slapped it with my hand. There was a clicking sound beneath my feet as some sort of tumbler started to come to life. Stepping out of the way, a secret trap door opened in the floor. I glanced down into the darkness before pulling my rifle and jumping in. I slid down the slide before finally entering the hidden room. The dimly lit room was filled to the brim with filing cabinets, shelves of cakes, balloons, presents, and other party materials. Glancing at my radar, I saw four little blue dots in one of the corners.

“Mister and Misses Cake?” I said gently before slowly approaching the family. Coming around the corner, the frantic, lengthy yellow stallion and a shorter pudgy blue mare were trying to calm their hysterical screaming children. Both foals were wailing at the top of their lungs at my appearance. Confused, both parents screamed in horror at me when they turned around, while I held up my hands to try and calm them down. “Mister and Misses Cake, please calm down! Pinkie sent me here to get you out!”

“Pinkie sent you?” Misses Cake panted, holding a hoof to her chest.

“Yes!” I confirmed. “Come one, it’s not safe here. We need to go!” I urged them, helping the pair to their hooves. Each of them had a foal in a hoof as I helped them up the slide and into the room. Handing over her little yellow filly to her husband, Misses Cake ran over towards a door and grabbed a strange looking harness. Stepping into the leg’s holes, she donned the harness. As she tightened the straps, Mister Cake gently placed the orange unicorn filly and the cream colored pegasus colt into the baby harness and strapped them in.

The sounds of glass smashing and silverware clattering against the floor in the dining area caused all of us to look that way. “We need to leave!” Raising my rifle, I fired through the wall. Each armor piercing bullet tore through the measly wood and into those standing on the other side. I could hear the screams of the infants over the gunfire before I stopped firing. Several bodies hit the floor in the other room as a pool of blood spilled into our room. Both parents gagged at the sight, dry heaving as though they wanted to puke. Turning around, I ushered them in the opposite direction and towards a different door. Exiting the building, we headed towards the front as I opened fire.

On the opposite side of the courtyard, the doors to the Town Hall were kicked out as a white dragon exited the building and opened fire with his Boltor. The distinct pinging of the rifle filled the air as the armor piercing darts sailed through the air and buried themselves in their targets. Any poor soldier caught in the fire was hit with enough force to be pinned to any unfortunate surface. As the two of us continued to fire, several ponies exited the building behind Drax. Turning around, I escorted the pair towards the other group and took cover behind a nearby cart next to Drax.

“Drax, good to see you!” I greeted.

“Good to see you as vell, my friend.”

Standing up, both of us turned around and reloaded our respective rifles as we joined the back of the group. The resistance died down as always, the closer we got to the farm. Our frantic pace relaxed a little into a fast-paced walk. As I looked over the group, several mares and a few stallions them were limping along. A few had actively bleeding wounds while others were being carried along. Stepping up to a struggling stallion, I helped him carry the injured mare he had on his back. When Big Mac arrived, I helped her into the cart.

The one once clean wood, was stained red with the blood of the unfortunate victims…

Both Drax and I watched as the stallion led the group through the orchard and to the train.

Turning to the drake, we looked at each other in exhaustion and frustration. Stepped up and slapped him on the shoulder. "Come on, we still have half the town to evacuate," I said as we started jogging towards the town once again.