Author's Notes:

I ran as fast as I could through the center of Ponyville, sliding across the rough dirt road before I smashed into a set of trash cans, sending them clattering against the ground as they caused me to stumble but not lose my footing. I pushed off them just in time as a spiked hammer smashed into the ground, flattening one of the metal trash cans like a tin can.

“RUN!” I screamed as I ran down the street, startling a number of Grineer soldiers in the area as I ran past them. Several Lancers, Troopers, and Heavy Gunners lowered their weapons and turned confused as they looked in my direction. I was so determined to get away, I didn’t even attack a Lancer that got in my way, I just pushed him to the side. Just down the street, Serenity and Drax stared at me in confusion as they lowered their guns. Both Tenno stood up a little straighter when they saw the three brothers behind me.

With complete disregard to their allies, the Grustrag brothers pushed, shoved, and punched any clone that got in their way.

Just as I was about to run past the pair, Serenity drew her Tonfas and charged towards the G3. "Serenity no!" I shouted. But she didn't listen. The brothers didn't budge as they came to a sliding halt. Jumping off a cart, Serenity lifted her blades over her head!

Leekter palmed her helmet, smashing her head first into the ground, cratering the dirt and shattering her shields. I gasped as the Grustrag lifted her out of the ground and into the air. "Isn't this our new weapon?" The brown and black clad behemoth said, examining her armor.

Vem Tabook, in his green and black armor, wielding a large quad-barreled Hek shotgun stepped forward. “YYYou are the sc-crawniest of them all!” he insulted.

"Boooriiinnnggg!" the final brother, Shik Tal, in his blue and black armor, wielding his thick shield and Marlok pistol. With a grunt, Leekter tossed the armored woman in my direction. My eyes went wide as I stepped forward and caught her, grunting as I fell onto the ground with her in my arms. Serenity groaned in my arms as she came to. A guttural roar pulled my attention towards Drax as slammed the Imperator against the ground. Leaning back, he roared to the heavens before charging forward with reckless abandon.

None if the brothers even moved, but once he was close enough, the dragon leapt at Shik Tal. The clone raised his shield, a metallic clang resonating off the shields face as the warframe was lifted up and over the clone by the clone. Drax landed with a roll, digging his claws and feet deep into the ground, bringing his body to a halt. With another deep growl, the dragon stood up and charged forward yet again. Once he was in reach…

Another metallic clang filled the air as Shik Tal smashed his shield across the back of Drax’s head with enough force to send him barrel rolling through the air, smashing through the side of a building in a puff of dust. "Do not waste my time, Tenno!" he wheezed.

I could only watch in horror as the three turned towards me. To my left, there was a soft pat as something landed next to me. Storm stood there, fangs bared and dripping with blood as she growled with hatred towards the three clones. “STORM NO!” I screamed at her when she charged forward against my order. She was my baby, and I’ve seen what those three can do, I don't want her on the receiving end!

She roared, deep, ferocious, and guttural, leaping towards the hammer wielding Leekter. She yelped, her shields sparking as he uppercutted her with his Brokk hammer. She landed hard behind him, whimpering painfully as she propped herself up with her front paws. She yelped again when the Grustrag Brother grabbed her by the scruff of her neck, throwing her in my direction. I released Serenity and dove forward, catching the large kubrow with a roll. Panicked, I rubbed my hand across the top of her head as she gave me a hurt look. I gave her an apologetic look under my helmet before I lifted my head.

Their footsteps were like explosions as they approached me. I didn’t know what to do. I didn't know what to do!

Just as they readied their weapons, I leaned back in surprise when a bright orange and black blur landed between myself and the brothers. The cat arched his back, hissing loudly, angrily, at the three brothers in an act of defiance. With a feline hiss, the cat, swiped one of his razor-sharp paws as a show of intimidation.

“Gut them like the dogs they are Knight!” Ember shouted at her cat.

The cat snarled, leaping towards Leekter, fangs bared and claws sharp and ready. The berserker clone raised his mace-like hammer to counterattack the cat, but the kavat latched onto the head of the weapon, digging his modified claws into its spike, metallic head. Knight held on for dear life, as Leekter swung the weapon over his head. Digging his back paws deep into the metal of the hammer. Pushing with all his strength, the cat wrapped his body around the larger clone’s helmet. Releasing his weapon, the clone yelped as his vision was immediately filled with blakc and orange fur. Leekter stumbled backwards, palming the sides of the Kavat’s sides in an attempted to pull it off.

Caught off guard, the remaining two brothers turned towards their ally as he stumbled backwards with the cat viciously clawing at his helmet. Ember landed in front of me, pressing her open palm forward, a ball of flames firing from her hand, impacting against Tabook’s chest, throwing him backwards and onto the ground. Shik Tal stepped forward, bashing his shield against my sister’s chest with a metallic bang. As she sailed towards me, she landed with a hard roll next to Serenity as she propped herself up on her elbows.

Upon seeing my two friends on the ground, I felt a surge of confidence and power.

These freaks… had to die!

I could feel my teeth grinding as I stood up. “Ordis…. I need an axe. And a big one!” The Liset roared overhead, dropping the requested item not too far from me. The impact felt like an explosion, when in reality it was a little bit softer. The black and red two headed, razor sharp, heavy axe, stood like the sword in the stone in the center of the street.

Behind me, Ember groaned in pain as she sat up on one of her elbows. Serenity moaned as well as she sat up, clutching her head. “What is he doing?” she questioned though her blurry vision.

Ember panted as she tried to get her feet under her. “He’s going to kick their asses.”

I cracked my neck as I stared down the now recovered brothers. Knight came padding up to Storm as he nuzzled up to her. She appreciated the gesture as she nuzzled him in return. The pair had been raised side by side, they were basically siblings.

“You three want a fight? I’ll give you a fight!”

I took off like a shot from a gun, grasping my Scindo just below the twin-heads of the axe, pulling it free from the dirt and holding it in my right hand as I went for Shik, who was standing right in the center. Vem stepped forward, raising his gun while Leekter raised his Brokk. Calculating their attack pattern, I knew what to do. Leekter went for the swing as his brother went for the shot. I slid underneath Leekter’s swing, ignoring him as I slid past. Reaching out, I grabbed Vem’s Hek by one of the lower barrels, lifting the weapon into the air as I pushed my right hand and the Scindo forward, basically punching Shik’s shield, holding him at bay with everything I had!

“Today… you all die…”

I pushed Shik back just far enough to lift my leg, planting my boot flat against his shield and using the thrust to flip over the top of Vem’s shotgun. I contorted myself around, wrapping my body around the clone’s mighty helmet. The Grustrag grunted, cursing as he tried to grab at my legs. Dropping from his shoulders, I wrapped my arm around his neck, taking him down to the ground with me, body slamming his heavy form against the dirt. I lifted my head just in time to see as Shik leveled his pistol. The gunshot was like a cannon, firing the dumb rocket from the modified grineer handgun.

I rolled backwards, dodging the first shot before it exploded agaisnt the ground as I lifted the Scindo over my head. I planted the axe in the dirt like a flag in the dirt, bracing my shoulder against its heavy head and using it as a makeshift shield as the rocket impacted against the dual-bladed axe in a plume of smoke. I pulled my blade free with a grunt, holding her in my right hand. Like an out of control train, the heavily armored Grustrag charged, intent on using that shield as a ram.

A guttural roar and a white blur shot past me, impacting hard against the shield, throwing the blue clad clone off balance. Metal scraped against metal as Drax dug his clawed fingers deep into the shield as he slid along its surface a second time. Two more blurs shot past me as the dragon twins tore by on all fours, driving towards the clone with a roar, wrapping their smaller bodies around the clone’s larger frame.

“Come here you bastard!” Serenity shouted as her grapple hit Vem square in the chest. The woman grunted as she pulled hard on the line. Ember joined in as well, trying to pull the clone off his metallic feet. Vem grasped the line with his larger, armor clad hand as he attempted to pull the pair towards him.

“Tenno, your Warframe looks so... slippery."

I turned towards the remaining Grustrag brother as he heaved his hammer into the air, grasping it with his both hands. I cracked my neck loudly, pointing the head of my weapon in his direction. “Today, the Grustrag Three will be no more.” The clone reached behind his back, pulling out a small grenade, clicking the top and heaving it in my direction. I charged brown clone, slapping the grenade with the back of my hand, causing the flashbang to explode behind me harmlessly.

Our blades collided like thunder.

Storm, Knight, and Spike tore through the center of town, tackling anything that got in their way! They each knew that it was their job to keep the Grineer at bay as their masters fought! Knight leapt at an unsuspecting Trooper, tackling the poor bastard to the ground, clawing into his armor, exposing the tender clone flesh beneath as he began shredding his torso. Storm grabbed a Lancer by the throat, dragging his poor form against the ground as he did everything in his power to try and break free. Spike on the other hand dove towards a squad, using his infested body to trample them beneath his claws.

Drax grunted as he landed with a roll, keeping himself upright as dug his claws deep into the earth. Juwel and Zeitlos landed hard as the pair groaned, grabbing their heads in their claws as they glared at the blue armored clone. The three dragons continued to glare at the clone as he rolled his shoulders, like it was barely a fight.

"You are beneath us!" Shik insulted with a wheeze as he rolled his shoulders. As the twins rose to their feet, all three of them shared a look before smirking knowingly. The three dragons inhaled deeply, their chest puffing out as their inner fire burned hotter than ever before!

The flames they spewed forward were as beautiful as they were deadly. They burned as bright and as hot as the sun itself, the mix of reds, oranges, and whites created its own unique rainbow as the wall of flames engulfed the Grustrag.

But Shik Tal is not that dumb…

The clone had the brains to use his shield just as it was intended. The flames passed by him harmlessly, doing nothing but darken the front of his shield as he stared through the thin eye slits cut into the metal. The flames were blinding, but his augmented armor did as it should, protecting the clone within. Digging his augmented feet deep into the dirt, the clone pushed forward through the fire and the flames. All three draconian warriors’ eyes went wide as their foe began to advance! They held out as long as they could before the clone came too close for comfort, forcing the trio to scatter and their flames to die out.

Serenity grunted behind her tonfas as the outside of her armor sparked with electricity. She ignored the pins and needles that made her skin crawl and held true. Ember took to the flank, firing her Braton, trying to punch through Vem’s thick armor, but her weaker rifle did little against such defensive measures.

I grunted as I felt my knee give, forcing it into the dirt as I held my Scindo over my head, doing everything in my power to hold the larger clone at bay. “Wait ‘til you see what comes next!” I could hear the maniacal smile in Leekter’s demonic, dual tones voice as I glared up at the clone.

“How about I show you, Leekter!” I countered. With a defiant shout, I pushed my left hand forward, forcing the pommel of the axe into the air and the head towards the ground. Metal ground against metal yet again as the Grineer hammer slid against my axe as I parried the strike. The large spiked head buried itself in the dirt as I cracked Leekter across the jaw with the pommel of my axe. The clone grunted, his head recoiling to the side from the attack. I spun, holding my blade high, but just before I could go for the kill, he stiff armed me, throwing me head over heels. I grunted from the strike, but caught myself mid-flip, landing on my feet. I panted as I stared the clone down.

Out of the corner of my eye, Ember and Serenity were in a shoving match with their Grustrag brother. Vem had been forced to his knees, holding each of their blades at bay by the blade. In the opposite direction, the three dragons were busy running all around Shik like a pack of wolves going for the kill, trying to find an opening and waiting for their opportunity to strike.

I had an idea…

I took a deep breath before I whistled as loud as I possibly could to grab everyone's attention. Everyone, including the two remaining brothers turned their heads in my direction.

“SWITCH!” I shouted as loud as I could.

I bullet jumped towards Vem, confusing the clone, forcing him to release the weapons he had been and holding have him reach out with both hands. He caught my Scindo by the handle with not even an inch to spare. The clone grunted, his arms shaking violently as I pushed on the handle with all my strength. I shouted out, pushing with all my body weight as I forced the edge of the weapon to kiss the front of his helmet.

Ember and Serenity landed with a roll each, firing their respective weapons towards the thoroughly confused Shik, each round and shot causing the Grustrag Brother to grunt when their rounds struck true against the clone’s lower back. The riot clone turned, using his massive shield as a barrier between the female duo.

Leekter was the only one to be prepared for his newer opponents. All three dragons roared as loud and as deep as they could, showing no fear as they slammed into the clone, dragging him into the side of a building.

I could hear pistons and hydraulics moving as Vem started to stand up. Right, metal augments… The metallic replacements help to aid the Grustrag as he began to tower over me. Once he rose to his full height, he wrapped one of his larger, gloved hands around my own.

Oh… shit!

The tides turned!

I suddenly found myself on the receiving end of his strength. I grunted as I felt my arms start to shake violently as the larger, augmented clone began to out strength me. But I held true, holding him back just long enough for me to get out of this situation. Adjusting my feet accordingly, I leaned to the left and stopping my struggling. The head of the axe shot past my head by mere millimeters. Vem made a noise of being caught off guard as she stumbled past me, releasing my weapon as he went. The clone grunted, stumbling as he nearly lost his footing.

Perhaps I should help him with that.

Using the curved blade of the axe as a hook, I pulled the clones leg out from underneath him, forcing him to lose his footing and land hard on his back. But it was for naught when I grunted as my shields exploded in a flash of blue sparks. Whatever hit me did it with enough force to throw me several feet into the air, I landed hard, rolling several times. Just as I sat up, I grunted again when my sisters black and orange form hit me in the chest. Serenity, Drax, and the twins followed suit as they landed nearby in a puff of dust.

“By his majesty are they strong,” Juwel groaned in pain as she wrapped an arm around her now dented chest plate.

“Say hello to the Grustrag Three,” I said somewhat sarcastically as my shields began to regenerate. Standing up, I ignored the screams of pain that every muscle in my body wanted to make known. Even bending over to grab my Scindo was a chore. Both Leekter and Shik helped their brother to his feet as well.

Enough fucking around…

I had to deal with them head on, play to their confidence to try and out play them from there. I charged the brothers with reckless abandon, ducking under the shot fired from Vem's gun before I grabbed one of the barrels yet again. I spun, driving my elbow into the seam of his armor, making the clone grunt as I pulled his gun from his grip. I spun on my heels and fired from the hip, striking Vem with enough force to throw him off his feet. I turned yet again, firing at Shik as he charged me, his shield took the brunt of the damage, but the electrical sparks were blinding. I fired the final shot at Leekter, hitting him center mass and forcing him to stumble. Shik swung at me with his shield, forcing me to jump back before I used the shotgun as a makeshift staff. Pressing his right arm forward, I caught the barrel of Vem's pistol between the barrels of the Hek, twisting the handgun from the clone’s hand.

I jumped back, throwing the empty shotgun at Vem, but he threw his arms up, deflecting the incoming firearm with a grunt. That stalled him just long enough for me to take the opening. I lunged at him, wrapping my legs around his arm and grasping his helmet. He shouted and struggled as I climbed atop his shoulders and wrapped my legs around his neck and drew my pistol…

I placed the barrel to the back of his head and dumped the magazine.

His armor held as intended against the first two shots, the third and fourth cracked through it, the last four forced blood to squirt from the hole as his skull exploded within the helmet. I jumped off the body when Vem's knees hit the ground.

I drew my Scindo and lifted the mighty weapon over my head. Metal ground against metal as I buried half of the axes head into Shik's shield, making his eyes go wide behind his helmet. The Brother was distracted long enough for me to pull my axe away, shield still attached to her blade. Shik stumbled forward when I pulled his shield off his arm, but I paid that no mind. With a shout of defiance, I pulled both the Scindo and his shield back as far as I could before smashed both pieces of metal against Shik's helmet. He grunted, sailing backwards as a resonating clang filled the air.

It sounded like a gong.

I planted the shield against the ground before slipping my arm into the arm support and grasped the handle. Shik was about a head taller than me, but I was so doped up on adrenaline I could have lifted the Liset. That shield weighed nothing. I held it high, metal resonating as Leekter smashed his mace like hammer against the shield as I held it over my head.

"You… are… NOTHING!"

"Go to hell!" I grunted, pushing back against the berserk Grustrag, throwing his weapon back as I bashed Leekter in the gut with the edge of the shield, throwing the clone backwards. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Shik as he charged me at full sprint. I spun, holding the Scindo high over my head as I faced the clone.

Shik screamed out in shock and agony as I severed his right leg at the knee.

He sailed forward, throwing his arms forward to try and soften his fall before he landed with a grunt and a roll. I was on him within seconds…

I grasped the shield with both hands and held it over my head. Shik held his arms up in surrender, a silent plea to spare him, but he deserved no such mercy, none of them did. I aimed for him neck as I smashed the blunt edge of the shield between his helmet and chest plate, slicing through his neck, severing his head from his body.

I panted as I stared at the corpse for a second before I looked around the immediate area. Leekter was nowhere to be seen and the Grineer in the neighborhood seemed to have backed off. As I pushed off the shield with both hands, everyone else approached, holding sides, rubbing bruises, or just examining the area themselves.

"Remind me to never piss you off," Zeitlos panted. His voice was much lower than that of his sisters now that I heard him finally talk.

"We need to-" I was cut off when the once quiet streets exploded with gunfire and explosions from the quiet serenity we had for a hot second. Elite Lancers, Troopers, and Heavy Gunners opened fire on the six of us from all directions. "Pull back to the clock tower!" I shouted as I drew my Lex and opened fire. The dragon twins took up cover behind Ember and Serenity as they shot back, Drax on the other hand made a run for the Imperator.

We turned tail and hauled ass back towards the clock tower with the intention of making a front line. "Ordis!" I shouted over the comms as I looked towards the skies. "Deploy the fifty at the top of the clock tower!" I kept my gaze on the Liset as she tore through the skies, dropping her payload at the clock tower. The heavy support weapon hit the side of the building, the claws on the tripod dug deep into the wood as the weapon bounced lightly. Ember and Serenity took up cover next to the tower as Drax stood out front, firing wildly at anything that moved.

I jumped, catching the edge of the tower and pulling myself up and next to the bell. Grasping one of the handles of the gun, I grabbed the charging handle and pulled it back with all my strength, chambering the gargantuan bullet. Lining up my sights, I let loose.

The gun shook violently but the tripod held it in place as I fired towards the ground below. Any soldier that was caught in my sights was shredded. Limbs were severed, torsos exploded, and armor was useless against the weapons mighty force. The bell rang out loudly when a Dargyn tried to fire upon me. I didn't pay it any attention when the white dragoness caught the ship in her claws, pulling the pilot from the open cockpit and throwing him like a forgotten doll.

I continued to fire into the streets below, trying desperately to hold the Grineer at bay. But I know how these clones act and what they do. With a Galleon of troops at their disposal, they would just throw themselves at us until we either caved or all of them finally died. But we couldn’t give up now, we still needed to evacuate part of the town and get them out of the hot zone! With the two larger dragons holding the aerial assault at bay, Ordis came in low and fast, coming to a complete hover next to the clock tower as he opened fire with the minigun. I could feel the reverberations in my chest and the roar of both the motor and the escaping gases of the gun was near deafening, but I held true.

We definitely made the Grineer second guess us now!

The dead and the dying littered the streets of Ponyville, blood seeping into every crack and crevice it could find, even splattering itself against walls and windows. Limbs and bodies brought to light the horrors of war. It was a warning to what would inevitably come if we were to fail on this day. My arms began to feel numb from the constant, heavy vibrations of the fifty-cal. as I watched every soldier that fell into my sights drop dead at my hand. After what felt like an eternity did the Grineer back off, finding it better and safer to hide from my line of sight.

Call it what you want, but just when I felt as though we were establishing a defensive line, a gunship came in low and fast.

I caught it out of the corner of my eye, watching as it fired several heavy missiles in our direction before it was taken out by the Ambassador. I caught him as he locked eyes with my own, screaming at us at the top of his lungs. I barely heard the warning. “Look out!”

Ordis pulled the Liset back hard, doing everything he could to protect the ship and those within her hull. He fired a series of flares to throw them off course. It did the trick, to a degree though. Several of the missiles turned towards the nearest burning orange ball, exploding harmlessly away from the ship, but I was forced to make a jump for it. I held onto both handles of the gun with everything I had and made a leap, using the tripod of the heavy turret as a swivel and a handhold as I fell against the side of the structure. With the barrel pointing towards the sky, I planted my feet flat against the wall and hung on for dear life when the top of the bell tower exploded in a massive ball of flames, severing the bell from its supports. The gargantuan hunk of bronze fell free from its supports, smashing through the floor and far into the tower as the open top of the building was set ablaze.

“Dammit,” I cursed under my breath, of course that would happen, it always does.

But from the looks of it the gun had survived. Reaching up, I started to climb part way up the gun and towards where it attached to the tripod. Grasping the clip, I gave it a quick jerk before punching the pin out. Gravity did the rest. Landing hard, I immediately stood up, dragging the eighty-pound weapon with me. Unlike the rest of my heavy support weapons, I failed to put a gravimag on the thing to lighten up the load. I never use this thing without its tripod. Guess I'll be regretting that one later. My whole body shook, and it took every ounce of strength I had to keep the thing in my hands and on target.

“Come on!” I stopped just long enough for me to shout out my next set of orders. “We need to push towards the castle! Drax on me!” The two of us took the lead as Ember, Serenity, and the Dragon Twins followed suit. We fired, we fired at everything and anything that wasn’t friendly. Drax and I advanced up the main street like walking tanks, targeting anything that got to close. With us as the main target for Grineer forces, Ember and Serenity targeted anything that got behind us or from side alleys as the twins dealt with anything that got to close.

In front of us, our pets would appear for a millisecond as they took down and dragged away unsuspecting soldiers. A head here, a swipe there, proboscis from over there. Those poor bastards never stood a chance. Even airships were graced with our wrath. When they got to close or got away from our air cover, they exploded in a vicious ball of flames, tumbling out of control and exploding somewhere in the distance behind us.

It felt like an eternity when we finally made it to the castle. With gun fire all around us, the twins headed for the heavy oak doors and pulling them open with all their strength before heading inside. Pieces of stone chipped of the outer walls and splintered the wood of the doors as Ember and Serenity followed the pair of dragons inside. Drax was next, only ending his supportive fire once he was finally inside. I was last, shooting until the last possible second until the twins slammed the doors shut, barricading them with the support beam.

We were exhausted…

Heavy breathing a panting filled the air as we took a second to catch our breath. The ground shook outside, and the doors buckled slightly when something heavy, or explosive impacted against their surface outside. But they held. Though the true question was for how long?

“Find the evacuees,” I ordered as I turned towards the group behind me. “I don’t know how long these doors will hold.”

“What about you?” Serenity questioned as everyone else started to move further into the castle.

“I’ll provide covering fire from the balcony,” I replied as I stepped past her, which garnered a nod in response. “Check the map room!” I shouted at the group ahead of us. “It’s the only place big enough to hold them all!” Several nods of affirmation were they responses. I immediately headed for the stairs, jumping them two at a time before I came to the upper balcony that overlooked the town. I shouldered the doors open and ran towards the railing, setting the bottom of the fifty there as a mock support.

That and my arms needed a break.

Down below, the Grineer had regrouped and knew we were inside, but it was clear that none of them bothered to look up at me. They were gathering forces to prepare and breach the doors. “Let me know when you guys are set up down there,” I whispered into the comms. as I reloaded the heavy machine gun. “Be prepared though, they're preparing a breach.”

“Were all set,” Ember replied.

“Copy,” I whispered my confirmation just as I slid a new belt into place and closed the gun before charging it with the heavy wooden handle. It was then when a soldier lifted his head and pointed at me, shouting towards his allies as I stood up and took aim. Clones scattered out of the open courtyard, immediately forgetting their intended attack as they ran for the safety of available cover. Those that weren't fast enough were immediately gunned down by my hand. Just after I had started firing, the doors below opened, the three remaining Tenno firing as soon as they had the opportunity.

"Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!" Ember shouted at the top of her lungs, waving her arm for the refugees to follow her lead. About three dozen residents exited the castle and followed Zeitlos and Juwel as Ember and Serenity guarded the flanks as Drax took up the rear, firing from the top of the stairs with a roar. Everyone ran as fast as they could, but several were hit by stray gunfire. They fell, tumbling into the dirt from leg wounds or minor grazes. But they were immediately dragged away and out of the open by their fellow pony. The four of us continued to provide covering fire as they slipped into the alley one by one. Ember was the last to disappear from sight which was my que to go.

I grabbed the front of the gun and slid over the top of the railing, landing hard on one knee before I took off after them. "Zeitlos, I want you to clear the rest of the town!" I shouted at him. With a nod, the drake took off and out of sight. "Come on people we gotta move!"

This fight was ruthless.

We had the entire Grineer army pouring down on us. Which was both good and bad. It was good, because it allowed Zeitlos to get the remaining residents out, bad because we still had to guard those, we had with us. At the front of the herd, Drax and I held the line, guarding the alleyway as the rest of the ponies were hidden in said alley. Off in the distance, I saw something drop from the bottom of a landing ship. I had a feeling I knew what it was.

"Excalibur, I am detecting subterranean heat signatures in your area."

Not a second later did the ground in front of me explode in a plume of dirt. What growled and hissed at me was an abomination of flesh and metal. Its eyes were black and soulless, flesh near rotting and sucked inward, pronouncing every bone in its face. Its teeth were chipped, dirty, and the mouth was jet black, tar oozing from within its gaping maw. It was like looking at a zombie.

"GHOULS!"

I snapped the barrel of the fifty under the monster’s chin and immediately pulled the trigger. Its head exploded in a puff of flesh and bone before I kicked the corpse back where upon it exploded in a plume of coolant and toxic gasses. "They're in the ground!" Barrels and weary heads immediately snapped to the ground. Even the dirt beneath our feet wasn't safe...

"What do we do!?" one mare screamed.

"Nobody… move… a muscle!" I said slowly. The four of us kept our guns pointed at the ground wearily as the gathered group of ponies shuffled their hooves nervously. Many of them were starting to sweat nervously as well. "The can sense vibrations in the earth. Stay still; they can't find us…"

Behind us, it was near impossible to keep everyone still. There were thirty bodies that we had to keeps still. Guess how easy that is? They shuffled, shook, and moved in the most minute ways. But it was a loud bang that made me turn my torso in that direction, not daring to move my feet lest I incur their wrath. Two mares and a stallion stared in horror as a metal trash can as it rolled along the ground. The pink mare held her tight rear leg above the ground. The appendage started to shake violently as she gave me that look of utter horror, knowing full well how badly she screwed up...

Then all hell broke loose…

The earth behind her exploded in a plume of dirt and dust as one of those monsters shot out of the ground, wrappings its elongated arms around her lower back before dragging her partway into the hole. She screamed at the top of her lungs as the other mare and the stallion grabbed her by her front hooves, struggling to hold onto her as they did their best to pull her free. The same thing continued to happen all around us. Plumes of dirt were the precursor to moans, gurgles, and guttural roars as mares and stallions were grappled and pulled deep into the ground.

All four of us opened fire either where we could find a target or just straight into the ground. Juwel for her part rushed over to one mare, Bon Bon is her name, and pulled the light tan mare out of the hole before the dragoness took a deep breath and bellowed bright orange flames deep into the hole. Drax did the same with a brown stallion as Serenity pulled another mare free and fired blindly into the tunnel with both barrels. A pair of mutated hands grasped me around my ankles, but I ignored them as I fired at one emerging ghoul as soon as it appeared, killing it before it fell into its hole and exploding.

It was then the earth beneath me gave way.

I landed hard but didn't have any time to focus on the pain as I was immediately swarmed by Ghouls trying to dogpile on top of me. One of them grabbed my gun, smashing it against my chest as it roared into my face, splattering that tar-like saliva all across the front of my helmet. I grunted, grinding my teeth as I pushed back with all my strength! In the struggle, I fired several shots, missing entirely, but the crack of the gun, along with the reciprocating barrel and the muzzle flash caused the creature to yelp in fear and back off, screaming as it disapeared into the dark. I took that time and planted my feet firmly against the ground of the tunnel and pressed my knees together as a makeshift bipod before I heaved the fifty on top of my knees.

I fired blindly into the dark tunnel, the muzzle flash illuminated the dirt walls of the tunnel and shook me to the core as I heard the rounds impact against metal and flesh. "'Cal!" Ember shouted as she dropped into the tunnel and worked her way towards me, rifle at the ready. I stopped firing when she grabbed me by my left shoulder and helped me into a better sitting position. "You okay?"

"Yeah… you?"

"Were fine… and so is everyone else. They seem to be all accounted for," she explained, answering the question I intended to ask. "Looks like you drove them off."

"No…"

They were still there…

I could feel their cold gazes...

"Ember… put a flame down there."

She hesitated for a second before she lifted her arm and fired off a bright ball of orange flames down the tunnel before it impacted against one of the sides of the tunnel.

It was exactly as I suspected…

Dozens of Ghouls stood farther down the pitch-black passageway. They growled, hissed, gurgled, and gagged, swiping and clawing at the air and dirt at us in frustration. It was like I was looking at an army of the undead, but they were too afraid to act on their basic instincts. Their mutated faces showed they anger and desire to kill, for some, to feast. But even in their soulless black eyes, I saw something. These things are normally breed for one thing; to kill. They are an overwhelming force designed to overwhelm their enemy through sheer mass and count. Pawns bred specifically to die, precursors to the actual troops.

But this was backwards.

They came after the normal troops. These weren't breed in their bags either. They were dropped in. Same with the Grustrag Three. These two sets of clones served one master and one master only. But the order was incorrect.

So that wasn't Vay Hek up there...

Then who was it?

"Why aren't they attacking us?" Ember whispered as she continued to eye those beasts.

"Because they know they'll get shredded if they do," I replied as I adjusted my grip on the handles. That was that look in their eye. They did have a brain in that mutated skull. "They're taking orders."

"Mutation?"

"No," I replied. "They were bred to…"

I couldn't believe it…

"I didn't think they could…"

"Konzu did," I replied. "We're gonna need Grokdrul. Same with an injector."

"Or a big ass fireball! Come on, I have an idea!" Ember helped me to my feet before she exited the hole first, I followed soon after, after I gave the gurgling monsters one last concerning glance. Just as I exited the hole did more gunfire come our direction. The four of us returned fire yet again as we did our best to protect the ones behind us.

"I'm going to relocate!" I shouted loud enough for all to hear. I stepped back, holding the heavy weapon close to my chest I lifted my leg and smashed in a nearby door. I found the stairs almost immediately, rushing up them and smashing through a door that faced towards the street. It was a little girls room based off the looks, but all I cared about was getting towards the window opposite the door. I overturned a table under the window before I used my gun barrel to smash out the glass and clean the edges of the larger glass shards before I dropped the weapon on the windowsill. I poked my head out to several Lancers held up out of sight of the alleyway.

I drew my Lex, leaning out and firing at them, killing several and forcing the rest to flee or my firing grabbed their attention and they started shooting back at me. I leaned back, holstering my pistol before I opened fire out the window iwth the fifty. Over the roar of the gun, I heard an entirely different roar off in the distance, just over the opposite roof tops of the opposing homes. My eyes went wide when the entire building shook before the home opposite of me exploded in a plume of debris and dust. I immediately stopped firing.

"They're backing their forces with heavy armor!" I shouted into the radio as I grabbed the gun and started to retreat. "Thumpers incoming!"

"Run!" Serenity shouted towards the group of ponies as the four-legged walking tank smashed its way towards them. The herd immediately exited the alleyway and started to run down the street in their panic. No one dared look back, but they could hear the metal and gears grinding and the earth shake beneath their feet and hooves as they ran. But these walking tanks have more to them than they appear.

The ground exploded and shook as a plume of dirt was kicked into the air, causing everyone to come to a grinding halt. With their vision impaired, several ponies closed their eyes, the dust burning painfully, causing many of them to lose their footing, crashing into one another as they tumbled over their fellow mare and stallion. One mare landed with a grunt, groaning as she sat up, rubbing her head with a hoof. As she opened her eyes, she blinked away the dust before she shook her head and looked up.

Her scream was near deafening as she immediately started to back pedal away.

The hulking mass of metal was oblong in nature, starting small at the top and getting bigger towards its base, which attached to a viscous, metallic drill bit covered in jagged teeth at the bottom of the chassis. Four metallic legs kept the beast aloft as held its body in the air. On the side of its thick hull, two, three-barreled cannons pointed down at the group.

"NO!" Serenity shouted as she slid in front of the cannon with her arms held out wide. She hadn't let anyone touch these little ponies, the same ones that have been so accepting of her. Her act of defiance showed the lengths she would go to save her people. On the opposite end of the group, another Thumper came clamoring up, walking like a crab as it moved, pointing that gargantuan cannon towards the herd, intimidating them into surrendering. Many of the ponies within the herd hudded together and did their best to look as nonthreatening as possible. Drax for his part roared his defiance, low and guttural, telling the tank that he would never give in!

Serenity for her part was caught off guard as I landed on the barrels like a diving board. The barrels dipped before they recoiled, pointing towards the sky and firing randomly into the air as I landed on the tip of the hull. The other Thumper immediately targeted me, firing at the other Thumper. Bullets ricocheted off the round hull, never once penetrating the thick armor, but it was still a hazard to me, not hidden from within. I slid down the back of the hull, finding the access hatch and grabbing onto the handle. I planted my feet firm against the metal and pried the hatch open before diving inside. The three crewmen inside could only watch in horror as I entered the vehicle.

I thrust my sword forward, impaling the gunner through the back of his chair before I grabbed the loader by the collar, pulling him over his seat, grasping his head with both hands before twisting his head hard to the right, snapping his neck. The driver drew a pistol, standing up and raising his arm. I wrapped my hand around the Viper machine pistol, yanking it from his grip before I backhanded him as I tossed the weapon in the air, catching it by the grip before I fired on him. I was in the chair before he fell, tossing the black and yellow pistol over my shoulder before I grabbed both control sticks and pushed them forward.

Mares and stallions screamed, huddling together as I passed over them, using the weight of the Thumper as a battering ram, smashing into the side of the other Thumper. Metal buckled and moaned as we held each other at bay like a pair of pissed off bulls. I pulled back several meters before I made the machine rear back on two legs before I brought it down atop the other Thumper's hull. Both machines roared as I interlocked our hulls. Glancing over, I found the switch for the drill, or the thumper, and kicked it with my right foot.

The entire tank shook with each stroke, buckling the metal underneath its spiked head as I smashed my way into the opposite tank. Even from my spot within the cockpit I could feel the metal of the oppossing tank buckle beneath the drill with each powerful strike of the drill. After about ten strikes in total, the hull of the opposing Thumper finally reached its breaking point before the cockpit gave way, exploding in a ball of flames before collapsing beneath me.

I sighed, hopefully we wouldn't see any more.

I stood up, grabbing a grenade that had rolled free and waited until I was at the access hatch before I primed the device. The top blinked bright red before I tossed it inside before jumping away, letting the inside of the Thumper explode and burn before I grabbed my fifty from my back, heading towards the still fleeing group.