> Attack on Titan: For the Honor of the Princess
>  by moviemaster8510
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue: Night and Day
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Summer nights in the Crystal Empire were usually clear and cool, and this night was no exception. With its blue and red buildings that looked to be carved from gemstone and it’s massive, white, tetrahedral palace that seemed to pierce the sky with its soft, gently glow lighting the entire city, it was a sight to behold. It was particularly early this time of night, only an hour or so after the sun had set. Regardless, not a soul was out on the streets, instead surrendering within the safety and comfort of their homes.

Inside the palace, it was an entirely different story. Even during the serenity of night, the possibility of danger was always present. The castle’s guards shimmering indigo coats and light purple armor even contained some luster inside the icy-white halls they patrolled.

Inside one of the rooms, whose crystal walls radiated with royal blue, frames of art, large and small covered nearly every foot of its area while display cases featuring golden cups, chalices, and goblets wrapped around the edge of the room.

In the very back, however, was an odd mirror. Standing upon a circular base with horseshoes decorated around its edges was a purple, horseshoe-shaped frame, standing at around six-and-a-half feet tall. Atop it was another horseshoe design, pointed upwards and featuring a primitive drawing of a pony atop it.

The room was still and quiet, slightly dusty with a lack of use. Suddenly, a wind blew into the room from the source of the mirror itself. The mirror began to glow slightly as smoke began to drift from out of it. Just then, a human, late-teenage woman stepped from out of the mirror as if the surface were water. Carried out with her were even larger plumes of smoke as they flew about her like a macabre aura.

The woman had unnaturally light-yellow-colored skin, cyan eyes, and long, wavy hair streaked equally in red and a brighter yellow. Underneath her waist cut leather jacket with a studded collar was a purple t-shirt with a sun decal on the chest divided into six rays, the bottom half, along with the two right rays and the right halves of the top and bottom rays colored red, while the other halves and the two left rays, along with the top of the sun were colored yellow.

She wore and orange knee-length skirt with a purple and yellow stripe running down the right thigh, as well as black boots that featured a purple design that ran along and around the top of her feet and ankles and up to her mid shin. Her exposed legs were wrapped up in a brown, leather harness that ran into her boots and skirt. Fastened to her back was a slightly worn 3D Maneuver Gear, both its sheaths each filled with four blades and two ice-blue crystals atop of it.

The woman looked about her surroundings, smirking as she did. She took a comfortable walk around the mirror and behind it, looking upon the thin crystal surface of the back of the mirror.

“Au revoir,” she whispered as she stepped back towards it.

Crossing her left leg in front of her right and onto the base, she leaned her body back. Thrusting her right leg and foot out, she kicked the back of the mirror, sending it and the mirror itself shattering out into the room. While the bits of the crystal plating fell to the floor with subtle clinks, the shards of mirror separated like water before they evaporated in small, bright flashes.

The woman stepped back onto the base and walked through the frame of the mirror, smiling viciously at the act she had committed. The sound of hoofsteps came towards the door, leaving the woman to stand perfectly still, her face instantly changing into that of determination. The sounds stopped; the guard had to be outside the door. The woman reached for the left side of her jacket, clutching something inside.

The waiting felt like hours as the guard waited for another noise to ensure he was not imagining things. With a shrug, the guard stepped away from the door to the room and resumed his patrol. The woman continued to wait until the guard was far enough away so she could go through with the next part of her plan.

Having waited just enough, the woman reached into the jacket and pulled out a small, but modern-looking walkie-talkie from her pocket. With a turn of the knob, a faint static sound emitted from the ear-piece. Pushing and holding a small button on the side, the static stopped, allowing the woman to put her mouth to the receiver.

“Chrysalis?” whispered the woman. “Do you copy? This is Sunset Shimmer. Copy? Over.”

Letting the button go, the static came back on. A few seconds passed before the static sound stopped on its own.

“Sunset?” questioned the eerie, female dual voice of Chrysalis on from the receiver. “You made it out of your world? Over.”

“Affirmative,” Sunset Shimmer answered, annoyed. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t be talking to you right now. Over.”

“That’s good. Tell me, how is your old world now? Over.”

“This is my old world; it always has been. As for the alternate, I assume it will continue on. I can’t really say the same for the boys and girls at Canterlot High, however. Over.”

Sunset Shimmer smiled as Chrysalis’ voice came back on.

“So,” she said, “decided to have a little fun before you left? Over.”

“Yeah. If you can call it that. Over”

“I assume you won’t miss it? Over.”

“Absolutely not… Over.”

“Forgive me, I’m getting us off track. Now, tell me. What time do you have on your watch? Over.”

Sunset Shimmer pulled back the left sleeve of her jacket, revealing a cheap-looking rubber watch.

“It’s 10:23 where I am,” she responded. “Over.”

“Good,” Chrysalis responded. “Any problems with navigating the palace? Over.”

“I hate to admit it, but this is the second time the portal has opened since it’s been shipped to this Crystal Empire, and I never had a chance to navigate it since our last meeting, so could you please remind me of the route? Over.”

“Of course. At 10:25, the day guards will switch their shifts with the night guards. They will all gather together at the center rotunda of the palace to switch positions. At promptly 10:26, you will exit the room. Take the hallway straight across from the room, then, turn right. From there, you will turn left and continue down the hallway. All I can tell you is to check down the right side of each passing hallway until you see the southwestern balcony.

“Take that and run straight at it. Using your Maneuver Gear, jump off towards the western leg and swing down to the ground. Once you hit the ground, take the northwestern path one above the one closest to the palace’s leg. Take that straight until you reach the Crystal Empire train station. At promptly 10:30, a shipment of wool and crystal is set to leave the station for Canterlot. Hitch onto that train from the very back car where the workers are least likely to see you.”

The sound of galloping hooves ran wild outside the room, making Sunset Shimmer uptight.

“You might want to finish that,” she urged. “It’s 10:25 now and they’re changing. Over.”

“That is fine,” Chrysalis assured, “That is all you need to know for now. Once you near Canterlot, call me again for further instructions.”

“Copy that.”

“Best of luck to you, Sunset. Chrysalis, over and out.”

Sunset Shimmer placed the phone back into her pocket, quickly stepping up to the door. One last set of hooves came running by the room, completely unsuspecting of the human inside. Sunset checked her watch one last time. Seven seconds left.

Six.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

Sunset Shimmer gently pushed the door open and slipped out, gliding across the floor on Chrysalis’ route, the only audible sounds were the light taps of her feet hitting the ground and the short, but heavy jingle her blades made inside her large, bulky sheaths. Without a guard anywhere around her, it made little difference. All she needed to do was to get to the train in less than four minutes.

She reached the end of the hallway, following Chrysalis’s instructions and turning right. Continuing down the hallway, there seemed to be no more places to go, other than the left  turn at the end of the hallway. Sunset Shimmer quickened her pace to the corner, turning left when she finally reached it.

Now, Sunset faced a much longer corridor, seeing many intersections coming on both sides. As per Chrysalis’s instructions, Sunset Shimmer turned her head left. Finding anything that could be considered a balcony. With each new hallway that crossed the one she ran through, all they seemed to do was lead her to dead ends.

Finally, one came where a large passageway was open, revealing the open night sky. Almost instantly after she saw it, Sunset Shimmer turned right into the hallway and quickened her pace, happy to see that her mission would not end in vain.

The entryway came closer and closer, and Sunset Shimmer’s time got shorter and shorter. Looking at the other intersecting hallways to check for any guard ponies late in coming up, she continued her long and quiet-as-can-be strides on the floor.

Making it to the balcony, Sunset Shimmer ran to the right side of the balcony, reaching inside under her jacket, pulling out two operational devices. With a single hop, her foot landed upon the banister. With another push, Sunset Shimmer was airbound towards the west leg of the palace.

Halfway through her fall, Sunset Shimmer aimed her operational devices for the edge of the underside of the palace, pulling the triggers and firing a hook and wire from her waist. The hook made its mark, catching Sunset Shimmer and swinging her under the main body of the palace and towards the inside of the western leg.

Sunset Shimmer relinquished her hook allowing herself to fall once more. Then, firing a hook at the middle of the palace leg and one at the ceiling, Sunset Shimmer was caught once again, but just a foot or so above the ground. With her speed and the angles of where her wires were set, Sunset Shimmer began to swing around the leg.

Pulling the ceiling wire back in, Sunset Shimmer landed to her feet as she reeled herself in with the pillar wire. The momentum of her swing had her slide around the leg as she still pulled herself closer, waiting for the opportune moment. Finding the right path Chrysalis told her to take, Sunset Shimmer pulled the other wire back, resuming her run down the path.

Sunset Shimmer continued to run, passing the houses of the empire’s citizens and the buildings that were closed for the night. Soon enough, Sunset found herself outside of the actual town, running upon the grass. However, the train station was just in sight, and much like Chrysalis had said, a moderately short freight train of boxcars was waiting at the station.

With smoke pouring out of the smokestack, it looked like the train would leave any second. Sunset Shimmer pulled back her sleeve and looked at her watch; 10:30 already. Sunset Shimmer scoffed, knowing that watch wouldn’t be exact, but she would still more than likely barely make it.

As she passed the left side of the station to the second to last boxcar, which looked slightly ajar enough for her to fit in, the train lurched forwards, already beginning its journey to Canterlot. Sunset Shimmer hardly had to worry. With her train outmatching the train’s current speed, she managed to leap into the boxcar in one bound, sliding into the closed door on the other side.

Sunset Shimmer turned to the gap in the door to see the train pass the station and leave the Crystal Empire. Taking long, exhausted breaths, she continued watching as the train reached a speed that she would not have been able to match on foot, the Crystal Empire slowly getting smaller in the distance.

Putting her operational devices back into her jacket, Sunset Shimmer slid her back down one of the crates inside the car and sat on the floor, continuing to pant. With her arm still in her jacket, she pulled out her walkie-talkie and pushed the button on the side.

“This is Sunset Shimmer,” she gasped. “I’m on the train and it has departed the Crystal Empire. Over.”

A second passed before Chrysalis’s voice came on the server.

“Why are you talking to me on the train now?” Chrysalis hissed. “Do you want to be noticed?”

“I’m in the second to last boxcar. Too far from both the engine and the caboose for anyone to hear me. Over.”

A moment of silence.

“Very well,” she said. “Do not call me again until you see Canterlot. Chrysalis, over and out.”

Sunset Shimmer placed her walkie-talkie back into her jacket. Sitting comfortably against the crates, she looked out the gap in the door as the Crystal Empire began to disappear beyond the horizon.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunset Shimmer stood by the right-side door, which she had opened for lookout. Canterlot was fast approaching, and she could only rely on moonlight to see any of her surroundings beyond the train. The land was getting very mountainous, the tall bridges and steep climbs becoming more and more common. Sunset Shimmer awaited for the familiar spires that made up Canterlot’s palaces and buildings. While she hadn’t seen them in years, they still rung like a sweet melody in her memories.

Finally, the spires could be seen as the train passed through a craggy ravine and along the left edge of the mountain range. Sunset Shimmer marveled at the sight, even with the city and castle nothing more than a silhouette in the moon. Shaking herself from her wonder, she reached into her jacket and put the walkie-talkie to her ear.

“This is Sunset Shimmer,” she reported. “Canterlot has been spotted. I repeat, Canterlot has been spotted. Over.”

“Good,” cooed Chrysalis. “Now, all you must do at this point is keep your eyes peeled along the mountain. You will see three green flashes when I get visual of the train, no more, no less. That will be your entrance to my lair. Jump from the train and make your way to there with your Maneuver Gear. Do you understand?”

“Copy.”

“I shall see you momentarily. Chrysalis, over and out.”

Sunset Shimmer put her walkie-talkie away as the train passed through a small tunnel made in the mountain. The tracks bent to the left once again, revealing another part of the mountain. As she leaned outside the car and kept her eyes open, she noticed a bright green light from the bottom of her vision. Looking back down, Sunset Shimmer could see two more green flashes emanate from a spot on the mountains slope. As warned, there were no more after that.

The train followed the mountain range, bending to the right again. Sunset Shimmer knew this was the side where Chrysalis signaled her, making her open the door wider. Moving herself with her back to the edge of the car and into the nightly abyss, Sunset took one last deep breath.

Timing herself, Sunset hopped backwards out of the car and down the mountain’s edge, shifting her body so that it faced the mountain once again, but just inches from her body. Pulling out her operational devices from her jacket, she shot two of her wires into the face of the mountain, catching her and sliding her down the wall before she slid to a stop.

Clicking the bottom triggers, she reeled herself down further, looking out for the entrance. She then looked left to see a sizable cave entrance. Running to the left along the wall, Sunset Shimmer fell inside, releasing her wires as she landed to her feet.

Looking about her, the cave looked to be made of purplish-pink crystals. As Sunset Shimmer ventured further inside while she put her operational devices away, the cave darkened. Before the darkness could overtake her vision, a faint, flickering green glow was visible further down. Sunset Shimmer finally reached the source, what she saw amazing her.

The area was much larger and roomier than the cavern she had wandered, being held up by four large pillars that were wrapped on all sides with torches that burned a green fire. Along the left end of the room, a stream of water passed through, providing a peaceful ambience. Along the walls of this cavern, there were numerous holes that appeared to fit a black, pony-sized creature in each one as they slept.

“Welcome,” Chrysalis’s voice sounded behind her.

Sunset Shimmer turned around to see Chrysalis in the flesh, lit frighteningly in the fire’s glow. She resembled a very skinny black alicorn, although her body housed no fur, only a smooth, hard skin. The shins on her legs as well as her hooves were filled with holes that traveled completely through them and out the other sides. Her kelpy mane and tail were a dark cerulean, and also featured holes inside of it.

Her insect-like wings looked torn and useless, poking through a lime-green plating that covered her back. Her horn was quite large and very jagged, but not quite as large as her bright-green, catlike eyes. Her mouth featured four sharp fangs like a vampires. Sitting atop her head was a tiny black crown with large, turquoise beads atop the points.

“Chrysalis,” sighed Sunset Shimmer with a smile.

Sunset Shimmer approach Chrysalis, giving her a warm, snug hug. Chrysalis chuckled gleefully in Sunset Shimmer’s comforting embrace. Chrysalis’s horn began to glow slightly, stopping once Sunset Shimmer let go.

“It’s been far too long,” Chrysalis said.

“A year always is,” Sunset Shimmer responded.

“Follow me.”

Chrysalis walked around Sunset Shimmer and further into the cavern. Walking around to the top side of the square pillar formation, There was a hallowed-out, lime-green cocoon with a gelatinous surface on the bottom.

“Please,” Chrysalis insisted, “make yourself at home.”

“Don’t mind if I do,” Sunset Shimmer responded.

Undoing the fastening on her Maneuver Gear, the machine and sheaths came to the ground with a slight crash that echoed violently inside the cave. Inside the holes inside the walls, the black creatures stirred, opening their beady-blue eyes to see what the noise was.

“My apologies, my pretties,” called Chrysalis about the cavern. “Go back to sleep.”

The black creatures curled back up into their holes, closing their eyes and resting once again.

“I do ask that you be more quiet around my subjects,” whispered Chrysalis. “It’s still nighttime after all.”

“Tough,” Sunset Shimmer quietly snapped as she shed her jacket and lied it atop her Maneuver Gear. “I can’t sneak out of a busy castle and busy town during the day, so we’re making due.”

Sunset Shimmer sat down in her makeshift bed, the surface feeling like a smooth and firm gel.

“I understand, Sunset,” replied Chrysalis, “but now that you’re here, please get some sleep.”

“I did get a bit on the train,” Sunset Shimmer spoke as she removed her boots, revealing the harness that wrapped around her feet. “I should be ready for planning by sunrise.”

“Please, do take as much rest as you want. We still have several days before the Summer Sun Celebration, and in order for this plan to work, we have to make each… second… count.”

Chrysalis’s brow furrowed, knowing how risky their objective would be.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Inside the dungeon-like underground chamber of Canterlot Castle’s forbidden library, two half-filled bookshelves rested along the backside of the room, while a table featuring a shattered crystal ball siting in the center. In between the two bookshelves, a black, dusty book sat in a glass display, locked with chains. Only one word was written upon the stained metal plating on its cover.




Antithology




> Chapter 1: The Mission's End
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The rain had become more of a light drizzle along the vast plains. The ground was still quite wet and muddy, but the early morning sun managed to stream through several breaks in the light-gray clouds. While not the ideal time for a sparring practice, that did not stop Mikasa Ackerman and Armin Arlert, both out of their Scouting Legion cloaks and their Elements of Harmony, from doing so.

Sitting on the edge of one of the supply carts was Eren Jaeger, Jean Kirschtein, Conny Springer, and Sasha Braus, each of them wearing their cloaks, but not their Elements. Placed on the cart next to Eren was a brown Stetson hat.

Mikasa threw a roundhouse kick to Armin, who confidently blocked the blow with both forearms. Armin made a jab towards Mikasa’s face, but she managed to dodge it. Further inside the gathering of parked carts and resting soldiers was Hanji Zoe and Levi, who managed to catch some of Armin and Mikasa’s fight.

“So much for not getting dirty upon returning,” Levi grumbled.

“Can you really blame them?” asked Hanji. “Our year-long mission is finally ending today, and spirits are high.”

“Then they should wait and celebrate upon our return to HQ like good, little soldiers.”

“I wonder what’s going to happen! Do you think that we might be getting a visit from our old friends from Equestria? I’m sure that would make the soldiers happy.”

“Probably…”

Hanji looked upon his stoic face, seeing a very subtle hint of longing. Before Hanji could continue prying, Petra Ral ran to them. With the wind picking up her cloak, the left sleeve of her jacket was revealed to be cut off just above the elbow, revealing the stub where the rest of her arm used to be.

“Captain Levi,” reported Petra. “Commander Erwin has said we are ready to move out.”

“Thank you, Petra,” spoke Levi. “Go and get on your horse.”

“Yes, sir!” she responded, giving him the Military salute.

Petra, as instructed, ran back where she came. Levi turned from Hanji and walked out to where Petra ran.

“Make something useful of yourself and break up that fight,” Levi instructed.

“Yeah,” Hanji responded, hiding her disdain for his insult, “right.”

Hanji walked off towards Armin and Mikasa’s fight, quickening her pace as the soldier behind her began saddling up. She managed to watched as Mikasa hurled a punch towards Armin, who twisted and juked away from the punch. What shocked Hanji was how Armin managed to grab a hold of Mikasa’s arm, continue his twist, and bend forwards, sending Mikasa over his shoulder and to the ground.

Mikasa grunted as her back hit the ground, only for Armin to  pin her arm down and hold her neck down with his free forearm. Eren, Jean, Conny, and Sasha applauded, surprised by Armin’s ability to defeat the usually-fierce Mikasa. The sound of Hanji’s louder clapping brought the attention to her.

“Break it up, guys,” she ordered. “Commander Erwin has ordered us to continue on back home. Move it!”

Frightened by her authority, Conny, Sasha, and Eren ran off the cart and back to their horses nearby. While Hanji helped Armin back up, Jean grabbed hold of Mikasa’s arm and pulled her up to her feet.

“Great job, by the way,” Hanji whispered in Armin’s ear.

As Hanji walked from the three young soldiers and back to the horses at the front of the line, Jean and Mikasa followed her and walked by the blushing Armin, who was delivered a rub on the head and a shoulder pat from Jean and Mikasa, respectively. Seemingly brought out of his trance, Armin ran off to follow Mikasa and Jean.
________________________________________________________________________________________

The rain had finally stopped, and the gray clouds were giving way to the blue sky and bright sun. The Scouting Legion headquarters was finally in view and fast approaching, and with the arrival of the Scouting Legion there, would complete their year-long mission and allow them a long-deserved holiday.

Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Jean, Conny, and Sasha rode together, each of them wearing their Elements of Harmony, which consisted of two golden wing-shaped sheaths with their enchanted gem-bladed arming swords inside, the golden hilts and handles sticking out from the slots. Mikasa head was also adorned with the Stetson, shielding her eyes from the sun’s rays. With their long rest and relaxation nigh, Eren and his friends could only imagine how they’d be spending their time.

*BANG*

Lightning struck inside the courtyard of the castle, frightening everyone at first, but upon realizing the lack of rain or the slow dissipation of the clouds, many of the soldiers knew that it could only mean one thing. Eren, his smile widening, squeezed the reins of his horse in excitement.

“You don’t think…” Conny muttered.

“It has to be them!” Sasha concluded. “Our friends from Equestria have come to greet us!”

Armin, Mikasa, and Jean gasped happily, gladdened by the prospect of being in their friends’ company once again. Up ahead of the group, the stone-faced Erwin Smith, only able to grab on to his horse’s reins with his left hand, gave out a smile as well.

The soldiers and their horses and carts began to pour into the entrance, wanting to see who had come. Erwin, Hanji, and Levi, who were the first of the group, turned towards the courtyard and stables to see Princess Luna standing there, her dark-blue coat and dark, starry mane and tail radiating in the sun’s streaming rays.

“Princess Luna!” shouted Hanji, dismounting her horse mid trot and jogging up to her.

Luna watched as many of the other soldiers came out from behind the castle wall’s corner, seeing her standing there as well. Luna looked slightly off put by their wet and, in some cases, dirty clothes, especially upon seeing Mikasa and Armin as they walked up with Eren, Jean, Conny, and Sasha.

“Dear me,” she said, “you all look soaked to the bone. Here…”

Luna began to charge her horn as the last of the soldiers began to gather inside the courtyard. Appearing before her was a wide, rectangle shaped screen made from her aura, looking to be about seven feet tall. The screen began to slide towards the humans, making them a tad wary at what was happening. The screen passed through the humans, making them each shield their faces, only for them to feel a layer of heat pass over them as the screen came through them. Erwin and Levi seemed completely complacent with the spell, trusting Luna completely.

Once the screen had passed through each of the humans, it shrunk into its center until it vanished completely. The humans checked their bodies, wondering what had happened. It didn’t take long; each of the soldiers’ clothes and bodies were dry and spotless. Many of them gasped and murmured, amazed by the reminder of Luna’s abilities.

“Now,” chuckled Luna, “I think we can resume our formalities.”

“Princess Luna,” Erwin spoke, stepping forwards and bowing to her, “for what do we owe the pleasure of your acquaintance today?”

“Erwin,” she giggled again, “you don’t need to bow to me. If anything, I should be bowing to you.”

“My apologies, Luna, but my question still remains: for what reason do you come here?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I’ve watched you and your soldiers go off on your mission to the outer lands. You’ve braved harsh conditions and long bouts of unrest on your journey. I wish to congratulate you all on a job well done.”

The soldiers were eager as well, knowing that they would be released momentarily for rest.

“I humbly thank you for that,” Erwin responded, “but I’d be hard-pressed if this was the only reason you came here.”

“And you are correct,” Luna responded. “For my other reason for coming, I will need to speak with a select few of you in private. Eren Jaeger, Mikasa Ackerman, Armin Arlert, Jean Kirschtein, Conny Springer, Sasha Braus, Hanji Zoe, Levi, Petra Ral, and you, Erwin.”

“If you may give me one moment.”

“Of course.”

Erwin turned back to his soldiers, ready to hear him out.

“To those whose names weren’t called,” Erwin called, “you are hereby temporarily relieved of services to the Scouting Legion, and are granted a six-month leave before your return in the winter. But before your leave, offer your hearts,” he declared, giving his soldiers a salute, “as a sign for your devotion and promise of return!”

“Yes, sir!” the soldiers shouted in unison, giving him a salute back.

“Soldiers, at ease.”

With their duties officially ended, the soldiers all left for the stables to put their horses away, energetically talking with their friends about their plans for their time off. However, each of the soldiers whose names were called stayed, awaiting further clarification from Luna.

“Now, Erwin,” wondered Luna, “do you know of someplace private we could speak?”
________________________________________________________________________________________

Inside Erwin’s office, Erwin sat at his desk while Luna stood right before it, the others standing around the back half of the room, out of their cloaks, Maneuver Gears, and in case of Eren and his friends, their Elements of Harmony.

“So what is it that you wish to discuss, Luna?” asked Erwin.

“I assure you that it is nothing that should arouse concern,” spoke Luna. “In fact, I wish to liven up your long vacation.”

“Oh?” Levi replied. “And how might you do that?”

“You see, on our world, there is what we call the Summer Sun Celebration. It is a ceremony that commemorates the first day of the summer solstice, where Princess Celestia herself raises the sun before her subjects.”

While each of the soldiers, including Erwin and Levi, albeit mildly, were surprised about this fact, Hanji nearly swooned from the news.

“Wow,” she gasped, “I’ve read so much about her being able to raise the sun. That truly must be quite the sight!”

“Indeed it is, which is why Celestia has personally invited you to Equestria be her guests of honor at this year’s celebration.”

While Levi and Erwin remained stoic, the others’ eyes and mouths went wide in shock over the prestigious honor. Hanji, overcome with delight, finally fainted upon the floor, making Eren nervous.

“Squad Leader Hanji!” he called.

Eren managed to bend down and pick Hanji up under her armpits, where she groggily awoke and stood back to her feet.

“I didn’t expect such a violent reaction,” Luna said, feeling awkward, “but yes, Celestia has requested that each of you come to Canterlot where the Celebration will be held.”

“So,” confirmed Eren, “we’ll be going to Equestria?”

“That is correct.”

“Well, will Rainbow Dash be there?”

“Or Fluttershy?” Jean piped in.

“And Rarity too!” exclaimed Sasha.

Luna chuckled, gladdened by their enthusiastic wishes to reunite with their friends.

“That is one other thing I forgot to mention,” said Luna. “Your arrival to Equestria will not be in Canterlot, but rather in your friends’ hometown of Ponyville.”

“Ponyville?” asked Eren and his friends.

“That’s right. The actual ceremony is not for another three days, and I thought you owed it to yourselves to spend some time with the friends you made from Equestria.”

“But…” Jean mentioned.

“But what?”

“It’s just that… my family lives in Trost, and I haven’t seen them since we began our mission a year ago.

“Me too!” Sasha said. “I want to see how my father and village are doing since we won the war.”

“I completely understand,” assured Luna, “and that is why I have prepared written letters to each of your families explaining your absence and that you will be back within a week.”

“You say that the festival is three days away, right?” asked Petra. “Couldn’t we make a quick stop to see our families and then come to Equestria?”

“You see, Petra,” Luna said, sounding a bit unsure about herself, “my sister and I had made preparations for you coming today and surprising your friends upon your arrival.”

“What do you mean by that?” asked Jean.

“You see, Celestia had called Twilight and her friends to Canterlot for some… ‘important business’ yesterday, and they should be leaving back for Ponyville within an hour or so. I have already told the rest of Ponyville about your arrival and they are expecting you.

“If you do not come today, the ponies’ hopes will have been raised for nothing and Twilight and the others will know of your coming. I’m sorry for putting this on you at short notice, it’s just that Celestia and I wanted this reunion to be special for you and your friends. I assure you that you’ll be back home to see your families, but please consider this invitation now.”

The humans looked at each other awkwardly, knowing there was an elephant in the room that needed to be discussed.

“Well,” Eren said, “Mikasa, Armin, and I have lost our families, and our friends here are all we have anymore.”

“The same with me,” Conny said. “After I lost my village, these friends, and Pinkie Pie, are the only family left for me.”

Sasha and Jean both looked torn now. Along with making their Equestrian friends happy, they now had Eren and the others’ feelings to concern themselves with. As they continued to think, they soon could only think of being welcomed to Equestria into the warm, fuzzy arms of their pony friends and partners.

“Alright,” Sasha relented, “I’ll go!”

“So shall I,” answered Jean.

“Count me in as well!” Petra exclaimed, grabbing hold of Levi’s hand.

“Sorry,” Levi answered, brushing Petra’s hand off of his. “I cannot come.”

“Huh?” each of the soldiers, especially Petra, responded.

“We have just returned from our mission, and the soldiers are probably set to take off for their hometowns. That would leave only Erwin to manage the entire Scouting Legion affairs while we’re gone. I elect to stay on Earth and assist Erwin.”

“Request denied,” Erwin spoke.

Levi looked genuinely shocked at Erwin’s refusal for his help.

“Sir?” questioned Levi.

“Levi,” reasoned Erwin, “you are a fine soldier, and you have made yourself an invaluable addition to the corps. You have fought valiantly by my side for nearly as long as I’ve been a commander. You and Petra deserve some tranquility together after all that has befallen us.”

“Sir, I–”

“Levi,” Erwin spoke, his brow furrowing, “you will accept Luna’s invitation to Equestria. That is an order.”

Levi, knowing his hand was tied, relinquished his face of mild contempt and back into stoic acceptance.

“Aye, sir,” he muttered.

“And what of you, Hanji?” asked Luna. “Shall you be coming, or staying?”

“Are you joking?” Hanji exclaimed. “The wildlife, the landscape, the culture! Only a madman would refuse such an offer!”

Levi glowered at Hanji.

“Of course I’m coming,” confirmed Hanji.

“Of course,” Erwin spoke, getting Luna to turn towards him. “Levi did make a valid point.”

“Erwin?” wondered Luna.

“As commander of the Scouting Legion, I must stay behind to manage our responsibilities, including reporting our finds from the last quarter of our mission. I’m certain there will be time for me to visit Equestria as well, but right now is not a good time. My sincerest apologies.”

“No need for an apology. You’re a highly commendable man, Erwin, and I respect your decision.”

Levi subtlety rolled his eyes away from Erwin and Luna.

“So,” Luna asked, “I have the word of you nine that you’ll be coming?” 

With confirming nods, Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Jean, Conny, Sasha, Hanji, Levi, and Petra, gave their answer. Luna bowed her head and closed her eyes.

“This is wonderful,” Luna said. “You truly will make your friends and the rest of Equestria very happy with your presence. However, if this surprise is to work, you will need to change into some more casual attire and pack your belongings for your stay immediately.

“Furthermore, Celestia wished that you bring your uniforms and your Maneuver Gears, as she wishes for you to be in full uniform for the Summer Sun Celebration ceremony. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” Eren answered for everyone.

“Very good. Please, do change and pack. We will depart in an hour’s time.”

With gracious bows, everyone, minus Erwin, left the office and to their rooms to gather their things. Erwin glanced to Luna as she watched them leave.

“Did Celestia expect me to accompany them?” asked Erwin.

“She mentioned that she did not expect you to leave today,” Luna answered, “but she still hopes with all her heart that you can attend the ceremony in three days’ time.”

Erwin let out a gentle smile, happy that Celestia still cared for him so.

“I’ll see what I can do,” asked Erwin, “but tell Celestia that I make no promises.”

“That is all I ask,” Luna cooed.

With that, Luna bowed her neck to Erwin and exited the room, leaving him alone inside his office.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Eren began to stuff his poorly folded uniform and harness inside a large drawstring backpack. His Element of Harmony sat in a specially fitted case on his bed, still open and needing to be closed. Eren was dressed in his mustard-yellow tunic with brown pants and boots, his tunic tied at the waist.

As he gathered more clothes from his drawer, he uncovered a pair of books, the sight of which made him gasp. Pulling them out, he examined both of the covers: Daring Do and the Chasm of Chaos, and the other was Daring Do and the Marble Atlas. Eren looked at the titular pegasus at the front of the cover, smiling at how much it reminded him of Rainbow Dash.
________________________________________________________________________________________

“You won’t get away with this, Ahuizotl!” the blue pegasus Rainbow Dash mimicked as she lied down on her back on the bed beside Eren. “You say that time and time again,” she said, now sporting a cheesy Spanish accent, making Eren laugh, “and each time, you are right… but not today!”

“Shh,” Eren hissed and chuckled, “you’re going to wake everyone!”

Rainbow Dash and Eren both laughed together, unable to hold back their enjoyment of the book and Rainbow Dash’s retelling.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Armin passed by Eren’s room, catching him staring at his two books. Armin knocked on the jamb of his door, bringing Eren out of his nostalgic trance. Eren turned to see his good friend standing outside the room, wearing a white shirt underneath a light-grey sleeveless tunic and darker-grey pants.

“Armin?” wondered Eren. “What are you doing?”

“You really missed her,” Armin responded, stepping inside, “didn’t you.”

“Yeah… She stuck by me through the thick and thin, always risking her life to save me or someone else. And what about you? Don’t you miss Twilight?”

Armin smiled, remembering her warmly.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Armin and the lavender alicorn Twilight Sparkle lied upon their stomachs on a bed, the former in his white pajamas, reading a map featuring the 57th Expedition’s scouting formation.

“…and so when Erwin shoots his signal,” Twilight explained, “the formation will move with him as a result; no one gets lost.”

“Wow,” Armin cooed, “Erwin really is intelligent.”

“I still can’t believe it! Our first mission together.”

“Yeah,” said Armin, stroking Twilight’s mane. “Together…”

Twilight giggled, comforted by Armin’s company as they resumed reading the map.
________________________________________________________________________________________

“Of course I do. Just to think, though,” Armin said, sitting at the edge of Eren’s bed, “we’ll finally get to see them again.”

“Yeah.”

“And just think of what we’ll get to see in Equestria that we couldn’t see on our mission!”

“Huh?”

“Don’t you remember during the invasion of Trost? Cities made of clouds, a castle on a cliff. We’ll finally get to see those things.”

Eren, feeling his vigor returning, tossed his two books inside his backpack and stood to his feet.

“Awesome!” he shouted. “Equestria, here we come!”

Eren continued to haphazardly stuff his clothes into his sack, surprising Armin.

“Come on, Armin!” called Eren, turning to his old friend. “Let’s finish packing! There’s not a moment to lose!”

“Uh, Eren,” mentioned Armin nervously, “I still think the others are packing…”

Eren didn’t seem to care, jamming his clothes inside as his bag got stuffed.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Mikasa closed the case for her Element of Harmony on her bed and clicked it shut. Wearing a white blouse underneath a red sweater-jacket along with a grey shin-length skirt, along with her old, red scarf around her neck, she also took a look at the Stetson that sat in between her case and a sack stuffed with clothes.

Picking it up by the front of the rim, Mikasa carefully examined it, seeing every bit of stitching and loose end in the fabric, as well as the strands of her hair that were stuck inside of it. Mikasa couldn’t help but smirk over the fact that her old friend from another world was the last owner of this very hat.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Mikasa and the orange earth pony Applejack swung to the branch of a tree inside the forests outside the Scouting Legion headquarters. Mikasa easily made it to the branch first, promptly leaping off to the next one while Applejack managed to land on the same branch and hop off after her.

Mikasa and Applejack were both in their Scouting Legion attire, while the brown Stetson was sitting atop Applejack’s head rather than Mikasa’s. As Mikasa flew through the forest determinably, Applejack was not far behind, giggling as they soared.

“I’m right b’hind ya’, partner!” Applejack called out.

Mikasa looked back to her determined partner with equal intensity. The pony had quite the spirit on her, and she was proving to be a worthy match on the Maneuver Gear. Mikasa knew that Applejack would be an invaluable partner once she mastered it.

“Not for long,” Mikasa called back.

Mikasa hurdled over a pair of large branches flawlessly, looking back to see how her partner would do. Applejack managed to clear the first branch, but tripped over the second branch.

“Whoaoaoaoa!” yelled Applejack as she fell towards the ground.

Applejack’s wire on the tree of the first branch caught her above the ground, making her swing to and fro from the wire. Mikasa landed on the branch of another tree further down, watching her swing and spin on her wire. Mikasa looked rather stern at Applejack’s mistake. However, Applejack’s fun laughter as Applejack’s swinging settled down brought a slight smile to Mikasa’s face.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Mikasa found herself smiling at her fond memories of her partner and friend. Slowly placing the hat on her head, she turned back and sat on the bed next to her Element of Harmony case and sack of clothes. She knew that everyone was still busy packing, but she could still hardly wait to see Applejack once again.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Jean lied down on his bed, his Element of Harmony, his uniform, and spare clothes packed away at the foot of the bed. While in a white-collared shirt underneath a desaturated-brown vest and khaki pants, he came close to taking a nap, his eyes half-open and his body completely lax. His boy rested on the right side of the bed, his left arm spread out and wrapped around an invisible space on the left side.
________________________________________________________________________________________

It was dark and rainy outside, and the only light coming from one candle on the bedside table. While Jean slept soundly on the right side of the bed, the yellow-pegasus Fluttershy lied curled up in Jean’s left arm, shaking timidly from the loud pitter and patter of the rain on the window.

*BANG*

Lightning struck outside, the loud noise making Fluttershy jump out of her spot and squeak loudly in fear. As she landed back down, her body slid into Jean’s, hugging his body tight as she wept under his arm. Jean, while shocked by Fluttershy’s reaction, nonetheless found her trembling disheartening.

Jean gently stroked her back and left side just above the wing. Jean could feel as Fluttershy’s trembling decreased with his comfort, but the trembling he couldn’t quell forbade him from returning to sleep.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Jean smiled contently in his state of half sleep, imagining the moment he’d be able to feel her soft coat in his arms once again.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Conny and Sasha folded the last of their uniforms and placed them into their drawstring backpacks. Conny wore his green tunic with grey pants while Sasha wore a white collared shirt with a light-brown vest and a long, light-brown skirt. As Conny and Sasha began to fold their other spare clothes into their bags, Sasha turned to Conny.

“What are you going to do once you find Pinkie Pie?” she asked.

“I’m not sure,” Conny said with a shrug. “In all honesty, I’m hoping to get one of her parties again.”

“Oh yeah!”

“That was a lot of fun.”

“And lots of good food.”

Both Conny and Sasha froze in their packing and remembered the party of Pinkie Pie’s that she threw for them.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Inside the spacious storage room in the Scouting Legion Headquarters, many of Eren and Twilight’s friends surrounded Conny, the pink pony Pinkie Pie, Sasha, and the white unicorn Rarity, the humans gathered on both sides of a large wooden tub filled with water bobbing full of apples. The others cheered as Sasha and Conny dunked their heads in the tub, sloshing them about.

Within a few seconds, Sasha had a bright red apple clamped in her teeth, leading the others to cheer. Sasha ran towards Rarity slapped the bottom of her outstretched hoof. As Rarity ran to the bucket, Conny managed to pull an apple from the tub with his own mouth.

Running off to Pinkie Pie and tagging her hoof, Conny watched as Pinkie Pie ran to the tub, already behind to Rarity, who continued picking about for apples. It was all for naught, though, as Pinkie Pie dipped her head into the tub and pulled out an apple on the fly.

The others, Conny loudest of all, cheered Pinkie’s diligence as he ran to Pinkie and gave her a celebratory hug. Rarity pulled her own head out of the bucket, her face and the front of her mane wet. Rarity shook as much water as she could from her face, but it was Sasha who walked to her side with a dry towel for her.

Sasha knelt down and gently dried the rest of Rarity’s face with the towel. Thankful for her deed, Rarity nuzzled her head into Sasha’s breast, allowing Sasha to wrap her arm around Rarity’s side in a hug.
________________________________________________________________________________________

“Good times,” Conny said with a smirk.

“Rarity and I will have to stop at that bakery that Pinkie Pie works at,” mentioned Sasha. “I really want to have more of those small cakes she had there.”

“Yeah, right…”

Sasha and Conny, realizing their conversation was quickly going nowhere, decided to resume the packing of her clothes.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Hanji, along with her Maneuver Gear case, and a bag for her uniform and other clothes, had another case filled with papers, pens, binoculars, and a compass that she vigorously packed upon her bed. Wearing a long, jade-green skirt and a black, sleeveless blouse, she squealed with excitement as she began the completion of her packing.

“This is going to be great!” Hanji exclaimed. “Just one last thing.

Hanji walked back to her dresser and grabbed an aged, black notebook. With a gentle toss, it landed inside the case, although it caused the pens and papers to get knocked all about the case.

“Mmmh,” Hanji groaned as she walked back to her case, resorting the mess she created.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Levi, dressed in a black jacket and pants, and a white shirt and cravat, gently folded his uniform and gingerly laid them inside his bag. Petra sat on the front edge of the bed, her Maneuver Gear, uniform, and clothes packed, herself wearing a pink blouse with the left sleeve ending above the elbow and a light gold-colored skirt. As Levi packed the last of his clothes inside his bag, he drew it closed, lying it upon his own Maneuver Gear case.

“Do you need help carrying your things?” he asked.

“I’ll be fine,” Petra answered. “As long as I hang by bag over my right shoulder and hold my case with my right hand…”

“Are you sure? That all seems pretty heavy.”

“Levi,” she responded, standing up and walking towards him, “I appreciate your support, but I want to manage. I managed in the final days of the War on Titans, and I managed another year afterwards. I won’t let some luggage get the better of me.”

Levi couldn’t help but be impressed by Petra’s determination. She was a strong and reliable woman, and Levi knew as much. With a smirk, he grabbed his backpack and swung it over and onto his shoulder.

“Suit yourself,” Levi said.

Levi then grabbed his case and began to exit the room with his luggage. Petra smiled as he left. While he could never eloquently express it, Petra knew Levi cared deeply for her. She looked down, hoping that this trip to Equestria could mean something special for the two of them.

“Hey,” Levi called from the hallway. “Are you coming, or do you really need my help?”

Petra shot up, feeling embarrassed over her idle daydreaming. Grabbing the strap of her backpack and slinging it over her right shoulder, she then grabbed her case with her right hand, quickly strolling out of the room with a noticeable blush on her face.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Luna lied down in the courtyard, which was already barren with the soldiers having left for their hometowns. Surrounding Luna were Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Jean, Conny, Sasha, and Hanji, sitting or standing with their luggage by their side. Their ears perked up to the sound of the door opening, turning to see both Levi and Petra exiting from the dining room and walking towards Luna and the others.

Seeing as everyone was accounted for, Luna stood to her hooves, looking to the last two additions to the party. Levi and Petra stood in between Eren and Hanji, setting their bags down beside them as Luna checked to ensure that everyone was present.

“So everyone has come,” Luna said. “And each of you are sure that you have brought all that you need?”

“Yes, ma’am,” each of the soldiers responded.

“Just to make sure you are aware,” Luna said, “there should be no reason for the ponies to be frightened of you. Annie Leonhardt is a respected member of the Royal Guard, and they know of her quite well.”

That’s right, Eren thought as Luna continued talking, Annie’s still up there. I wonder how she’s doing…

“Now, my honored guests,” spoke Luna, “are you ready?”

“Yes, ma’am!” the humans all responded.

“Then I shall send the signal for us to be sent.”

Luna charged her horn, producing a bright white light that made the others shield their eyes. Luna soon stopped, knowing that it was enough.

“You might feel a slight pull…” warned Luna.

The area around Luna and the humans began to grow white, and a whirlwind began to pick up. The others closed their eyes as the light became too bright for them to see. However, the smiles on their faces, minus Levi’s were evident, nervous but eager to reunite with their old friends. With a loud boom, the pillar of light that had formed around Luna and the humans raised into the sky at an alarming rate, and with that, all traces of them and their belongings were gone.

From his office window, Erwin pulled back his drapes and gave a smiling nod, silently wishing his soldiers the best. With nothing left to see, Erwin stepped away from the window and allowed the drapes to conceal his window once again.
> Chapter 2: Visitors
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

All Eren and his human could hear was a shrill whoosh rushing through their ears as the light of the beam bled through their eyelids. Their faces were tense and their teeth gnashed together, feeling the strong pull upwards through the beam. Suddenly, the light quickly faded and the whoosh became muted, feeling a hard-landing on their feet.

Eren and the others opened their eyes finding themselves underneath the blue, cloudless sky, surrounded by the rustic, straw-roofed buildings of Ponyville. Eren and the others’ gaze looked down on the many colorful ponies that gathered around them in the town square, staring upon them as if Celestia was standing before them.

The humans, including Levi, were equally amazed by Ponyville and the citizens who inhabited it. The town was immaculate, the grass was vibrant and thriving, and most of the ponies looked quite well-groomed and clean. It was certainly a very different change in scenery from Earth. As Eren and the humans continued to look upon the ponies, Luna stepped forwards from the group, gaining silence and respect from her subjects.

“Ponies of Equestria,” boomed Luna, her voice sounding amplified out, “I present to you the heroes from the planet Earth! They have come to take part of our upcoming Summer Sun Celebration as our guests of honor! I request that you treat these humans with the respect and trust that you would with each other. They have endured a lifetime of hardship and have finally been granted a period of well-deserved relaxation, and wish to spend it here with you. With that said, thank you very much. Enjoy the rest of your day!”

Once Luna began talking, the ponies began to murmur to themselves again, unsure of what these alien creatures would be like. Luna walked around the circle of humans and to Armin.

“I’m sure the ponies will be more than willing to help you find your friends’ homes,” advised Luna quietly. “Have fun.”

Charging her horn, Luna disappeared in a bright flash, leaving the humans alone with the citizens of Ponyville. Before anyone could greet themselves, a mint-green unicorn mare with a jade-green-and-white mane and tail poked through the crowd and made her way to Armin. Her golden eyes matched the color of the gold lyre that her cutie mark consisted of.

“Wow,” she gasped, “it’s such an honor to have you here!”

“Uh…” Armin nervously moaned, “thank you?”

“I’m sorry,” she said, standing on her hind legs and extending her hoof to them. “My name is Lyra Heartstrings, but please just call me Lyra.”

Armin instinctively reached out to Lyra’s hoof and grasped it, giving it a firm shake.

“I’m Armin,” he greeted, “and these are our friends.”

“I see!” she responded, setting back on her four hooves. “Ever since one of you joined the Royal Guard, like, a year ago, I just couldn’t help but become completely fascinated by you humans and what you’re capable of!”

“Well, we’re not all that special…”

“Anyways,” Lyra interrupted, ignoring Armin’s comment, “sorry for coming off as a freak there. If there’s anything you need my help with, just let me know!”

“Actually,” Hanji responded, “we’re looking for where our friends live.”

“Your friends?” she asked curiously. “Who are your friends?”

“Twilight? Do you know her?”

“As in Princess Twilight? Who doesn’t know her? I can show you there if you want! Follow me!”

Lyra began to step forwards, wrapped up in her eagerness to help Equestria’s new guests out. At once, seeing their progress being made, the humans picked up their luggage and began to follow the giddy mare out. The other ponies, still amazed by the humans that had come before them, stayed in place to look at each other with confusion.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Lyra finally lead the humans to the large treehouse further into town. Hanji walked past her friends and dropped her luggage to her side, feeling the bark of the tree, amazed by the house’s structure. The other humans, finding the tree almost equally as impressive, stopped in their tracks.

“How is this possible?” asked Hanji, peering inside one of the windows, revealing the shelves of books inside the walls. “There’s no way a tree this hollowed out could be alive like this! It would be like removing the bones from someone’s body!”

“I’m guessing that trees function differently where you’re from?” asked Lyra.

“Don’t prod any further,” Levi solemnly warned, “that is, unless you want her to cram her useless knowledge into your head.”

“Well,” Lyra spoke, feeling awkward at Levi’s rude remark, “this is the local library, and Twilight’s house. Is this all you needed?”

“Well,” Eren spoke up, “I also want to know where Rainbow Dash lives.”

“That’s fine! Anywhere else?”

“How about Rarity?” asked Sasha.

“Or Pinkie Pie?” wondered Conny.

“And Fluttershy,” Jean mentioned.

“Does Applejack live nearby?” asked Mikasa.

“Well,” Lyra chuckled, “it looks like I’ll be giving you a tour of Ponyville then!”

“Actually,” Hanji mentioned. “I was going to wait for her inside if I may.”

“So am I,” Armin stated.

“If I remember Twilight,” Levi said, “than the squirt should be with her too. Petra and I will stay as well.”

“Petra?” asked Lyra, confused at who Levi referred to. “That reminds me! I never got the rest of your names. Silly me! Who are all of you?”

One after the other, the humans raised their hands and gave their names, making their identities known to Lyra.

“Eren,” he said.

“Mikasa,” she responded.

“Jean.”

“Sasha.”

“Conny.

“Hanji.”

“Petra.”

“Levi.”

The mass amount of names seemed to boggle the unicorn, but her smile soon returned as she resumed her pleasant demeanor.

“Thanks!” she responded. “So, Armin, Hanji, Levi, and Petra, you’re staying here?”

“We don’t mean to be rude,” Petra apologized, “it’s just that we wish to surprise when she arrives home.”

“That’s right! Twilight and all those ponies you mentioned are out at Canterlot right now. Are you sure you don’t want a tour?”

“We don’t mind waiting,” Levi bluntly said.

“That’s fine! I’m sure Spike will still be in there to let you in. I think the rest of us will head off now!”

Lyra trotted down the road, leaving Eren and the others to pick their bags back up and follow her.

“Alright, then,” called Armin with a wave. “Thanks, Lyra!”

“Cut that out,” Levi said. “You look like a child doing that.”

Armin slowly put his arm down, feeling somewhat deflated over Levi’s order.

“Well,” Hanji asked. “What are we waiting for?”

Walking up to the red door, Hanji gave it three quick knocks.

“Twilight?” shouted Spike from inside, his voice muffled by the wood barriers. “Gosh. You’re home early.”

Hanji, happy to hear Spike’s voice once again, stepped back with Armin, Levi, and Petra, wanting to look presentably together when Spike greeted them at the door. Hearing his small footsteps come closer, the door finally swung open, revealing the small purple dragon Spike to them.

Spike, upon seeing the four familiar humans standing outside, stepped back in shock. Regaining his footing, Spike leaned forwards and attempted to squint, unsure if his eyes were playing tricks on him.

“Levi?” he asked. “Petra? Is that…”

“Hi, Spike!” Petra chirped with a small wave of her right hand.

Hearing and recognizing Petra’s voice, Spike beamed and his eyes opened wide.

“No way!” he shouted, running to Levi and Petra. “I can’t believe you guys are here!”

Spike jumped up towards the two of them, laughing heartily as both Petra and Levi caught him as he attempted to hug both of their waists.

“What are you guys even doing here?” he wondered. “Where are the others?”

“Luna invited us from our world to yours,” Armin explained. “We finished our mission this morning, so we’re spending some time here. The others are out going to their other friends’ homes to see them.”

“Oh,” Spike responded, suddenly noticing Armin and Hanji. “Hey, Armin. Hey, Hanji!”

“Hi, Spike!” replied Hanji. “You wouldn’t mind if we came in while we wait for Twilight, would you?”

“No, of course not! Twilight should be back any minute now. Come on in, guys!”

Spike ran back to the door and held it open wide for his guests. Armin, Levi, Petra, and Hanji walked inside each one giving him a gracious nod. With everyone inside, Spike followed Hanji in and closed the door behind him.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Lyra led the remains of the group to a hill that was lined with a wooden fence, stopping at the foot of the hill and prompting the others to do the same.

“Applejack’s home is over that hill and down the road,” explained Lyra. “It’s a big red barn, so you can’t miss it. Plus, there’s bound to be some there to let you inside.”

“Thank you,” Mikasa bid as she began to step away from the group.

“Hey, Lyra,” Eren mentioned, “how much longer until we reach Rainbow Dash?”

“It will be a while,” Lyra said. “There are a couple of closer stops before we reach Rainbow Dash’s place.”

“Oh…”

“You’ll be fine from here, won’t you Mikasa?”

“Yes,” she responded.

“Then we’ll be off. I’ll see you later, Mikasa!”

With that, Lyra and the remaining humans headed off on their way to the next home. Mikasa walked up the hill, taking brisk steps to beat the slope. Making it to the top, she found another dip and rise in the hills. At the bottom end of the crest, the trees began to show ripe, red apples hanging from the branches.

Mikasa smiled, knowing she was on the right track. Slowing her pace down the hill with her heavy belongings in hand, she gathered in the serenity of the orchard that now surrounded her on nearly all sides but in front of and behind her. Climbing back up the hill, Mikasa noticed that the gates along the path had ended.

Reaching the top, she had finally found a house in the distance, shaped like a large, red barn. Off to its left, there looked to be a chicken coop and several sheds with bundled hay packed next to it. To its right, there was a small field of corn with an orange-colored building made of barrels. As Mikasa made her way down, a faint buzzing could be heard from the right side of the orchard. Mikasa could tell that it was coming her way, leading her to stop to see what it was.

Riding out onto the path on a blue, wooden scooter was an orange pegasus filly with a cropped, purple mane and tail, her wings flapping furiously as they pusher her forwards. Being pulled from behind was a red wagon carrying a yellow earth filly with a red mane and tail, her head adorned with a large, pink bow and a white unicorn filly with a curly lavender-and-pink mane and tail. Neither pony had a cutie mark adorned to their flanks.

Upon seeing Mikasa standing before her, the pegasus filly stopped her scooter and looked up to Mikasa with awe and confusion. The two other fillies looked over from behind the pegasus and saw Mikasa themselves, sporting equally stunned expressions.

“Whoa…” the pegasus filly gasped. “Is… that one of those humans?”

“I’ve never seen one up close before!” the yellow filly responded.

“Hello,” Mikasa spoke, raising her hand in salutation. “I’m Mikasa. I’m a good friend of Applejack’s.”

“Applejack?” the yellow filly responded, hopping out of the wagon and approaching her. “How do you know…”

The filly stopped upon noticing Mikasa’s Stetson, her eyes instantly widening up.

“Wait,” she said. “You’re… Mikasa? The same one Applejack told me about?”

“I suppose that I am,” Mikasa nonchalantly responded with a shrug.

The filly instantly grew a bright smile, turning to her friends.

“Girls!” she told them. “This is that human my sister was telling me about! The one who kicked the butts of all those titan monsters!”

The pegasus and unicorn, now realizing who was standing before them, looked to each other with amazed expressions. Immediately, the two fillies, along with the yellow one, ran towards Mikasa, encircling her, trying to climb up her legs like kittens, and hopping up and down before her. Mikasa herself couldn’t help but be charmed by their childish enthusiasm.

“I’ve always wanted to meet you, Mikasa!” the yellow filly said. “My sister couldn’t stop talking about you when she got back from her trip! I’m Apple Bloom, her sister!”

“I’m Sweetie Belle!” spoke the white unicorn.

“And I’m Scootaloo!” said the orange pegasus. “And we’re…”

“The Cutie Mark Crusaders!” the three of them shouted in united glee.

“Cutie Mark…” wondered Mikasa, “…Crusaders?”

“Yeah!” Scootaloo explained. “We don’t have our cutie marks yet, so we were out to go and try and get them!”

“But then you came along,” mentioned Sweetie Belle, “and now….”

“Now, what?” asked Mikasa.

“Can we hang out with you?” asked Apple Bloom. “My sister was saying all these great things about you, and now that you’re here, we want to get to know you a little better.”

Mikasa looked up at the expectant, hopeful smiles of the fillies. With the opportunity to wait for Applejack as well as be on good terms with her family, it didn’t take long to decide.

“Of course,” Mikasa said. “I was coming here to wait for Applejack in the first place.”

“Yay!” the three fillies cheered, hugging at Mikasa’s legs.

“Come on!” called Apple Bloom, pulling Mikasa’s leg towards the forest. “We have to show you our club!”

Apple Bloom jumped reached higher up and managed to grab hold of Mikasa’s free left hand with both hooves. As Apple Bloom walked backwards on her back legs, pulling Mikasa’s arm, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo stood to their back hooves, pushing on Mikasa’s lower back towards the forest. Humoring them, Mikasa stepped off into the forest, disappearing inside the trees.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Lyra continued to lead Eren, Jean, Conny, and Sasha further into town. Coming up, was an extremely abstract and decorated building. The roof’s shingles were sculpted and colored to look as if they were made from gingerbread, and the edges and tops corners were coated in what looked nearly like frosting. A tower rose from the center of the building, resembling two cupcakes stacked atop each other. Hanging to the side of the bright, pink door was a hanging sign featuring a cupcake on it. The mere sight of it made Sasha look on it in mouth-watered wonder.

“I’m guessing this is Pinkie Pie’s house? Conny asked.

“Yes, sir!” Lyra spoke. “Good guess.”

“What can I say?” he replied with an exaggerated shrugh. “I am a genius, after all.”

Jean rolled his eyes sarcastically, Conny unaware of his reaction.

“You…” Sasha quietly wondered. “You wouldn’t mind if we take a quick stop in, do you?”

“I don’t see why not!” Lyra cheerfully responded.

Sasha shuddered, excited by the paradise she would soon be entering. Lyra pushed the door open with her magic, the top of it hitting a bell that rung loudly.

The look inside the place looked equally as sweet and saccharine. The center parts of the pillars were carved and colored in a swirl of red-and-white like a candy cane. Sitting about on the tables set around the side of the waiting room were wrapped candies and cupcakes of an assortment of colors, the sight of which made Sasha’s hands tremble.

Behind the counter and sweets displays at the back of the room were two mature earth ponies. One was a plump mare who had a light blue coat. Her mane and tail were colored two shades of red, her mane styled as if it were placed on her head by a large piping bag. Her cutie mark consisted of three cupcakes with white frosting grouped together in a downwards triangle. Tied to her was a golden apron with pink, frilly edges.

The other was a lanky stallion with a yellow coat and a short, curly, orange mane and a long, droopy, orange tail, wearing a simple white apron, a white-and-orange striped bow tie, and a white-and-orange baker’s cap. The bridge of his snout was mottled with freckles and his lower jaw protruded out in an underbite. His flank was adorned with three square cakes with white frosting in an upwards triangle.

Hearing the bell ringing, the two ponies looked up to see Lyra and her human caravan with her. While the two ponies looked shocked at the strange creatures in their home, Lyra continued her pleasant smile.

“Why, hello Mr. and Mrs. Cake!” she greeted.

“Ahuh,” Mr. Cake nervously chuckled in a treble voice. “Hello, Lyra! I… see you brought some special guests!”

“Just some humans from Earth. Anyways,” she spoke, motioning to Conny, “this is Conny. He’s a friend of Pinkie Pie’s, and he’s just going to wait here for her to get back from Canterlot.”

“Wait a minute,” Mrs. Cake interrupted in a voice warbly. “Conny? Oh my goodness! It’s finally so good to meet you all!”

As Conny stood nervous and petrified as Mrs. Cake walked around the counter and towards him. Standing before him on her hind legs, she wrapped her arms around Conny’s arms and chest in a tight hug, making Conny’s eyes bulge from their sockets.

“If I had known that Pinkie’s friends from Earth were coming over,” she said, putting the wheezing Conny back down, “I would have made special arrangements.”

“Actually,” Jean spoke up, “our being here was supposed to be a surprise for her… and the rest of her friends.”

“Is it, now? Well, tell you what. You can wait upstairs in Pinkie’s room if you want.”

“That’s kind of you to offer,” Sasha spoke shakily, trying her best to control her appetite, “but we were heading to our other friends’ houses to greet them once they got back.”

“Oh, I see. Conny, Pinkie’s room is the last door at the end of the hall on the top floor. Just try and not wake the foals on the way there.”

“Th- thanks,” Conny said, beginning to walk towards a set of stairs at the left of the building.

“Would you like anything to eat?” asked Mr. Cake.

“I’ll be fine,” Conny said, “but thank you again.”

“No problem.”

“Excuse me…” Sasha whimpered before she swallowed her saliva before it could run over her lips, pointing to several treats on the table. “May I please have one?”

“Why sure! We’d love for our special guests to–”

Sasha had already reached for a cupcake on the table next to her, grabbing it and a couple of wrapped taffies accidentally. Sasha managed to shove everything in her mouth in one massive bite, her animalistic sounds scaring Mr. and Mrs. Cake as well as Lyra. Scaring them further was when Sasha swallowed her treat whole, the mound rushing down her gullet. Sasha coughed and gagged slightly at the pain her stretched maw underwent, but managed to give a weak, but gracious smile to the Cakes.

“Thank you,” she muttered.

Mr. and Mrs. Cake attempted the most genuine and accepting smiles they could. Lyra was just far too impressed.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Conny walked down the first upstairs hallway, carefully keeping his case from bumping into the walls. Passing a closed door on the left, giggling could be heard from inside. Curious, Conny placed his things against the opposite side of the wall and leaned over and put his ear to the door. Conny could identify two sets of laughter, making him smirk.

“Looks like they’re already up,” he whispered.

Just then, Conny tried to lean his ear further into the door, only managing to trip over his own foot and fall into the door. The force and his weight forced Conny to fall inside the room, landing on his stomach inside with a hard thud.

The two foals, one a cream-colored pegasus colt with a brown mane and tail, the other a light-yellow unicorn filly with a orange mane and tail with the former tied with a tiny blue bow, looked at the hurt Conny with a feeling of fear on their wooden beds, looking ready to cry. The two of them looked beyond the age of infancy, but had large, beady eyes to them, the colt’s brown and the filly’s blue.

As Conny struggled to get up, a broom, which was leaning against a wardrobe right of the door, landed on Conny with the handle, smacking his head. Conny rolled around, hissing in pain and humiliation as he gripped his head. However, seeing the strange creature before them in pain, the two began to erupt in shrill, but happy laughter.

Conny brushed the broom handle off his back and managed to get to his knees, finally getting to watch the foals’ laughter for himself.

“Baldy’s funny!” the colt guffawed.

“Again!” cheered the filly, clapping her hooves together. “Again!”

Conny, seeing that the foals were already up and looking up for some play, chuckled slightly himself, rubbing the back of his head.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Lyra took Jean, Eren, and Sasha to the southern part of the town, where the rural homes and buildings gave way to large tents of various bright colors. While Jean and Eren casually took in their surroundings, Sasha felt more alive and relaxed than ever, sighing contently.

“This place looks very lovely,” she complimented.

“You bet,” Lyra spoke. “Only one pony who’s fit for this place.”

Passing another large tent, the four of them reached a taller, circular building that was designed much like a merry-go-round, it’s walls blue and its roofs and awnings pink. On the outside of the second floor of the building, two bridled and saddled wooden ponies were held suspended by a pole, much like the ride itself, another one being painted on the large sign above the door.

“Welcome to Carousel Boutique,” Lyra introduced, “workplace and home to your friend Rarity.”

“Wow…” Sasha breathed, overtaken by its majesty, walking up to the door. “This is really where Rarity lives?”

“It is. While Rarity’s away, a new apprentice of hers looks after the home. Her younger sister is probably off with her other friends, so don’t expect her. But, this is your stop. Have fun!”

“Oh!” Sasha exclaimed, turning around to already find Lyra, Jean, and Eren bending off to their next destination. “Goodbye, Lyra. Thank you!”

Turning back towards the door, she gave it a hearty four knocks, idly waiting an answer from whoever was inside. Soon enough, the door opened, revealing a cream colored earth mare inside. She had a bobbed mane of two shades of light-blue with a red-and-purple hair clip in the back, and a tail of the same color. She wore a light-purple sailor color with a white border along with a red tie on her neck. Her cutie mark was a floppy purple hat with a large red feather in the side.

The inside looked very much like a dressing studio, complete with dresses hanging on a wheeled rack, a circular platform with three mirrors surrounding the back third, and mannequins that wore unfinished designs, all surrounded by fuchsia-curtained walls. Upon seeing Sasha before, her the pony squeaked loudly and jumped backwards, crashing onto her rump.

“Oh no!” Sasha said, putting her belongings down and walking up to the startled mare, offering her her hand. “I’m very sorry for scaring you!”

“Don’t be,” the pony responded, accepting the help and letting Sasha pull her back to her hooves. “I’ve heard so much about your kind, it’s just that I’ve never seen you so close. What’s your name?”

“Mine?” Sasha asked, feeling a bit on the spot. “I’m… Sasha. Sasha Braus.”

“Sasha?” she responded. “What a lovely name. I’m Coco Pommel, but please just call me Coco. Is it alright if I asked you why you came to Carousel Boutique?”

“No, not at all. My friend Rarity lives here, and I was just coming to wait before she returns to Canterlot.”

“Oh, you know Rarity? I’d love to hear more about that, but why don’t we talk over tea? I’ll brew some right now.”

Sasha smiled, finding Coco’s company extremely pleasant.

“That would be very nice,” she responded. “Thank you.”

Coco walked to a door at the back of the room. Grabbing her luggage from outside and placing it in, Sasha gracefully and calmly followed Coco into the kitchen through the back door.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Continuing along the southern edge of Ponyville, Lyra stopped at a long eastbound path that seemed to lead away from Ponyville.

“What’s this?” asked Eren. “Where will this take me?”

“Rainbow Dash’s home is just east of Ponyville,” Lyra explained. “Just keep looking up, and you’ll find it before long.”

“Uh…” Eren moaned confusedly, unsure of Lyra’s words before shaking him out of his misunderstanding. “Right. Thank you, Lyra.”

“Eren gave a quick wave to Lyra and Jean before turning onto the path and briskly walking down, looking up and out as Lyra had instructed.

“Come on, Jean,” Lyra motioned, “your friend’s house is this way.”

Lyra walked up north, leading Jean to follow her, leaving the excited Eren behind. As Eren continued on the path, as Lyra had promised, two white structures with streaks of rainbow color on the left floated in the sky above the ground off in the distance. Seeing his objective, Eren picked up his pace to a brisk jog, excited to see the odd, but fascinating structure.

With his faster speed, Eren managed to get a better visual. Sitting upon a cloud with streams and cascades literally made from rainbows on both the left and right sides, was a tall, ice-blue tower with a dome top, supported by grand, white pillars. Spouting from the top of the dome was a rainbow that bowed down towards the stream on the left. The streams looked to run off the clouds like waterfalls, but evaporated entirely halfway down. Connected next to it was another cloud, upon it, a small, pantheon-shaped building with a larger dome structure behind it.

Eren finally reached the buildings, standing just below the center of them. As he placed his bag and case down on the ground beside him, he then heard the sound of something walking upon the cloud, sounding like something walking on a pile of sheets.

To Eren’s shock and surprise, the head of Gilda the griffon appeared past the edge of the cloud. As the griffon’s eye shrunk to focus on the human standing below her abode, Eren looked up in awe at the fascinating new creature. Sliding herself off, Gilda soared down towards Eren and gently landed in front of him, Eren unable to move due to his shock and reverence.

“Cool,” she spoke with a devious smile, scratching the top of Eren’s head with one of her talons, “a new one of you guys to play with.”

“Hey!” Eren shouted, forcefully slapping her claw away with his hand. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Jeez Louise, kiddo,” she chuckled, waving her hand from the slight sting, “you need to lighten up. I’m gonna take a wild guess here… Eren, right?”

Eren’s shock returned upon the mentioning of his name.

Eren said, “How do you–”

“Rainbow Dash told me about you!” Gilda interrupted. “Couldn’t stop talking about you when we caught up on old times. Being that you’re coming out here to see her, probably, I just put two and two together, ya’ know?”

“Right…”

Gilda cocked her head, feeling Eren’s awkward gaze at her as he continued to study her.

“What?” she asked. “Haven’t you ever seen a griffon before?”

“Is that what you’re called?” Eren asked back.

“Hmm, guess not… Anyways, I’m Gilda,” she introduced, extending her claw to Eren. “Great to finally meet you.”

Eren, feeling more comfortable with this creature and her hospitable nature, grabbed hold of her claw and shook it.

“So,” Gilda wondered as she let go of Eren’s hand, “what do you think you’re going to do while you wait for your friend?”

“Is…” Eren wondered, pointing up to the two homes, “that your house?”

“Mine and Dash’s. Sweet cribs, right?”

“Uh… is there any way I could stay up there and wait?”

“Ooh, yeah, about that. Only those with wings can walk on clouds, and I don’t even see any nubs sticking out the back of your shirt, so… sucks to be you!”

Gilda shot back up into the air and flew up back to her house, laughing hard as she left Eren behind.

“Oy!” he shouted. “Come back!”

By then, Gilda was too far out of earshot or her capacity to care, landing on her cloud and walking back to her house. With a tired sigh, Eren picked up his belongings and walked towards the shady shadow that the clouds created from above.

“Strange…” he muttered under his breath.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Jean walked north from Ponyville without Lyra by his side. Soon, the sights of the town were covered by the trees that had begun to grow more in number as he walked. Coming up ahead was a sight that he couldn’t ignore or mistake. Past a small, natural bridge that passed over a creek was a small cottage with a tall grass-laden roof. Hanging abundantly from branches from the nearby trees and the cottage as well were birdhouses of sizes and colors.

“This must be her,” Jean concluded.

As Jean walked onto the bridge and towards the house, many of the birds poked their heads out from the holes to spy on the strange creature coming towards Fluttershy’s cabin from their safe distance. Jean set his stuff down upon reaching the door and knocked on it gently.

“Hello?” Jean asked. “Is anyone home?”

The door opened, but from Jean’s angle, no one appeared to be there. Looking down for the answerer of the door all he could see was a white rabbit holding the door open, looking up at Jean with wide eyes.

“What the…” Jean wondered.

The rabbit shrieked, his fur standing on end. The rabbit then slammed the door, nearly knocking Jean back. As Jean went to push the door in, he heard the sound of a lock clicking inside. Jean pulled at the handle, only for the door to not budge.

“Hey!” Jean shouted, pounding at the door. “Let me in! I’m a friend of Fluttershy’s! Come on, open the door!”

As Jean continued to bang away, the birds, as well as some squirrels, chipmunks, and ferrets in the creek, all hid in whatever safe haven they could, frightened by Jean’s seemingly hostile behavior. Jean, realizing he was fighting a losing battle, turned around and slid down the door, sitting on the ground. Jean buried his face into his palm, embarrassed about being locked out by a bunny.

“You, human from wherever you roam,” called a deeper, female accent, “what are you doing at Fluttershy’s home?”

Jean looked up to see a zebra pony on the other side of the bridge to Fluttershy’s cottage. Her mane was styled in a Mohawk, and her neck, ears, and left forearm were adorned in gold rings. Upon her flank was a sun-like symbol, its center a large spiral and the rays being small triangles. The pony looked quite cross with him, which Jean instantly realized.

“Please, listen,” Jean requested, standing up. “I’m a good friend of Fluttershy’s and I was just coming to surprise her when she got back home from Canterlot.”

The zebra looked upon Jean with intense scrutiny, walking across the bridge and to Jean, who looked nervous with his approach. Standing to her hind legs, she pinned Jean’s shoulders to the cottage wall with her front hooves, moving her head closer to his.

“For me, the portal of truth and lies,” she chanted, “is found in the luminance of one’s eyes, so speak up, you creature most queer. What exactly is your purpose here?”

Jean began to freeze up with the pressure mounting him, but managed to speak his case.

“My name is Jean Kirschtein,” Jean explained. “A year ago, Fluttershy and her friends came to my world during a war to help us when our backs were against the wall. We became good friends, and now, Princess Celestia invited me and my friends here to Equestria and to reunite with them. Is that good enough, you crazy horse?”

Zecora squinted into Jean’s eyes, making Jean frightful once again, feeling as if he had put his foot in his mouth. However, Zecora slid off his vest and backed away.

“My sincerest apologies, Jean,” she spoke. “I think my rationality was gone. Now that you say it, I’ve heard your story. A tale from Twilight of humanity’s glory. Now I believe you, every word. Forgive me for being so absurd. I am Zecora of the Everfree. Won’t you please shake hooves with me?”

Zecora extended her hoof out to the massively confused Jean. He even found his handshake with her loose and awkward due to his lack of focus.

“Why are you talking like that?” asked Jean.

“Talking like what?” Zecora asked. “The way I rhyme? It’s just how I speak; every time.”

Jean’s eye twitched, unsure how or why she could speak that way to him.

“I… wha– Never mind,” he relented. “I’m not sure what you’re doing here, but I’m glad that you are.”

“Whatever do you mean?” What happened to you? I’ll lend you my time and see what I can do.”

The other animals, seeing Zecora comfortably talk to Jean, peeked their heads out to watch, becoming less frightened of him.

“I wanted to wait inside for Fluttershy,” Jean said, “but this white rabbit locked me out.”

“Ah, yes, Angel, Fluttershy’s bunny,” hissed Zecora. “His treatment of you is far from funny. I can get him out and let you through, but I will require assistance from you.”

“Huh? And what’s that?”

Zecora gave Jean a confident, sly smirk.
________________________________________________________________________________________

At the sparsely populated Ponyville train station, a train had pulled in from the south, wheezing to a stop, each of the passenger cars lined up perfectly at the station. The doors began to open, and out of the second car came Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy. Each of them were very close to each other as they tried to finalize their conversation before they broke away.

“How much longer until you are done with the dresses?” asked Twilight to Rarity.

“I suppose with a few extra hours of experimentation,” Rarity said, “I should have them ready later this afternoon.”

“So we should come by after dinner?” asked Applejack.

“How about this? We’ll all meet at Au Clopin for dinner. My treat of course.”

“Rarity,” spoke Fluttershy, “you don’t need to do that. We’re more than capable of paying our own way.”

“Fluttershy, if these dresses perform well at the Summer Sun Celebration ball, I’ll have more than enough bits to pay for your meals at the café for a week!”

“Well, if you’re really up to it,” Applejack said.

“I am, I will. Now please, let’s get home and freshen up.”

“Way ahead of you, Rarity!” Rainbow Dash called as she flew up and out east. Fluttershy took off north for her home while the other ponies stepped out of the station platform and split off for their homes.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Twilight was happy approaching her door. With a long tiring trip in Canterlot, all she was in for was a nice, long nap to recharge herself. As she put her hoof to the door to push it open, she heard the sound of laughter inside, not just from Spike, but from several other voices as well. Twilight, slightly unsure, pushed her door open and stepped inside the library, finding it empty.

“Spike?” shouted Twilight. “Who’s up there with you?”

“It’s Twilight,” called Armin’s voice from upstairs.

Twilight gasped at the sound of Armin’s voice, recognizing it instantly. While she couldn’t believe it at first, she heard several footsteps quickly descend the stairs at the back of the room. Sure enough, Twilight saw with both widening eyes and smile as Armin, Hanji, and Petra poured into the room from the stairs, standing before her. With a flare of her wings and a bright, happy gasp, Twilight finally saw that her eyes weren’t deceiving her.

“Armin!” she cried out. “Hanji!”

Twilight galloped straight for Armin and Hanji, each of their eyes wet and their smiles equally wide as Twilight jumped into both of their embraces, viciously nuzzling her body onto them as the both held her tight, her wings wrapping both of them in an equally tight hug. Petra giggled at their loving reunion as Levi and Spike nonchalantly came down the stairs.

“You guys!” Twilight panted, settling down and giving her friends space. “What are you guys doing here? Is the mission done already?”

“Yeah,” Armin answered. “Luna then came and took us all to Equestria to attend the Summer Sun Celebration.”

“That sounds wonderful! Are the others here too?”

“Yes,” Hanji answered. “They’re going and surprising their other friends at their homes like we did for you.”

“Well, I’m glad you did, because I want nothing more than to celebrate the Summer Sun Celebration with all of my friends.”

Armin and Hanji smiled, glad to still be thought of so by Twilight She then pushed past them and up towards the stairs.

“Come on!” she called, stopping and turning around. “I want to hear all about your travels!”

As Twilight went up the stairs, Armin and Hanji gave each other a nod before they followed her up. Petra, Levi, and Spike retired upstairs as well, hoping to add more to their discussion.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Applejack trotted up over the last hill to her home, she could hear the faint giggling of three fillies inside the orchard.

“Hm,” pondered Applejack. “Strange. I could have sworn they would have been off crusadin’ by now.”

Applejack turned into the field of trees, following the merry laughter of her sister and two friends. Coming into view was a small, orange treehouse perched on one of the larger trees in the orchard, the tree growing up through the center of it. Two green ramps elevated from the ground to it. As he passed through the clearing, she found Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo playing with a female human, her back to Applejack.

Applejack watched as Scootaloo charged at the human and jumped into her waist, toppling her over and landing on her stomach. The three fillies laughed while the human, whose face was now visible to Applejack, smiled contently at their energy.

As Scootaloo jumped off Mikasa, the latter turned to see Applejack standing there, completely blown away that the friend she hadn’t seen in a year was now right in front of her. Mikasa herself managed to stand to her knees and stare into Applejack’s moistening gaze.

“Mikasa?” asked Applejack. “Is that really you?”

Mikasa smiled and gave her a single nod, chuckling slightly now that they were together again.

“Mikasa!” Applejack shouted, charging at her friend with tears flying off her eyes.

Mikasa threw her arms open to embrace Applejack, only to plow into her and knock her to her back. Regardless, Mikasa and Applejack managed to get a grip on each other as they both pulled themselves closer to each other in a friendly hug, each one laughing. Applejack then stood over her former partner held her hoof out for her.

“Sorry ‘bout that,” Applejack apologized as Mikasa grabbed hold of her hoof and pulled herself to her feet. “Guess I don’t know my own strength.”

“It’s alright,” Mikasa pardoned. “I have forgotten as well.”

“Girls,” Applejack introduced, turning back to the three fillies, “I’d like you to meet a very good friend of mine: Mikasa Ackerman.”

“We know already,” spoke Apple Bloom. “I mean, we’ve been playing with her for the last hour.”

Applejack chuckled at her absentmindedness and Apple Bloom’s wisely sharp remark.

“Wait!” Applejack exclaimed. “Let me introduce you to the rest of the family, Mikasa. I know they’d love to meet you!”

Mikasa smiled, knowing Applejack would be happy with her acceptance.

“Sure,” she admitted. “I’ll follow you.”

“Come on!” called Applejack, already beginning to walk from the forest. “It’s just down the hill!”

Mikasa ran back to the right edge of the clearing, placing her hat back onto her head and grabbing her luggage, jogging to catch up with Applejack while the three fillies followed her.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Zecora knocked on the door to Fluttershy’s house. As expected, there didn’t seem to be an answer. Zecora’s genuine looking smile didn’t seem to leave her face, however.

“Angel, oh Angel, you rambunctious pet,” she chanted in sing-song, “Do I have a wonderful treat? You bet. If this treat you want me to confide, then all you must do is come outside.”

On cue, Jean who hid on the right side of the house, peeked around and tossed Zecora a carrot, which she caught in her teeth. Looking back at the door, a click came from inside and it slowly creaked open, the suspicious bunny poking his head out.

Seeing the plump carrot in Zecora’s grasp, Angel smiled and began to hop towards her. Zecora dropped the carrot on the ground before her, leading the rabbit to pick it up and chomp on it like there was no tomorrow. As Jean tiptoed around the cottage and towards the door, his case and bag in his left hand, he looked to Zecora and patted his heart with his free palm in respect and thanks. Zecora merely gave him a playful wink.

“Now that I have given you your food,” Zecora spoke, rubbing Angel's ears with her hoof, “you will now learn to not be so rude.”

Angel perked up in confusion, the half-eaten carrot still in his grasp. Turning behind him, he saw as Jean’s foot slipped inside and the door closed. Angel spat bits of carrot out and ran to the door, dropping the rest of the carrot behind. Angel then began pounding on the door, warbling at Jean inside to let him in.

“Such is the punishment that’s deserved of you,” concluded Zecora as she took the path towards Ponyville, “and with that, I bid you, ‘Adieu.’”

Angel couldn’t be bothered to listen as he continued to bang on the door. Inside, Jean looked around the interior, noting its green, wooden floorboards and brown walls. Along with the rugs about the floor and the brick fireplace/stove combo, minus the numerous dog beds and bird houses all about the room, it looked rather cozy. With a triumphant sigh, Jean set his things down and made his way to the green couch at the back of the room.

Approaching the cottage from up in the air, Fluttershy looked down to see Angel continuing to hit the door. Instantly, she gasped in fear and swooped down towards him.

“Oh, goodness!” she sighed, fluttering down and landing. “I didn’t lock you out while I was gone, did I?”

Angel, happy to see his owner there, began to warble at Fluttershy, using his hands and motions to assist in the story.

“What?” she squeaked. “A big, scary monster? And Zecora let him in?”

Angel nodded vigorously.

“That sounds unlike her… Oh, maybe I’ll have one of my other friends do it.”

The half-eaten carrot struck her in the head. Looking down at Angel, he crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently.

“Oh,” she mumbled, “okay. I’ll do it for you…”

Fluttershy slunk up to the house ad began to push the door slowly open. Jean, seeing Fluttershy’s hoof push it open, stood to his feet, almost gasping at the sight. Angel slipped in through the smallest crack he could and began pointing at Jean, showing her the monster.

Fluttershy, seemingly filled with purpose, leapt inside the house, sporting an angry growl on her face. On the way down, she cowered back down, covering her eyes with her arms and falling to her stomach, trembling.

“Please, Mr. Monster,” she begged, “please don’t eat us!”

“Why would I do something like that?” Jean’s voice responded.

Recognizing the voice, all fear within Fluttershy stopped. Looking up, she saw Jean standing in her living room, in the flesh, the happiest toothy smile on his face. Fluttershy breathed in hard, her smile growing wide.

“Jean!” she shouted, galloping towards him.

Jean chuckled in delight as Fluttershy ran closer, jumping into his open arms and letting him hold her tight around her mid back, her face nuzzling into the side of his neck.

“It’s really you!” she cried, her tears beginning to stream down onto the collar of Jean’s shirt. “I missed you so much!”

“Yeah,” Jean choked up, stroking her back between her wings. “Me too.”

Angel stood still, completely dumbfounded with his owner’s complete trust and love for the strange creature. Still petrified, Angel fell over onto his back and fainted.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Pinkie Pie burst inside Sugarcube Corner, a burst of confetti blasting from behind her seemingly out of nowhere.

“Hellooooooo, Cakes!” she called out.

“Why, hello, Pinkie dear,” greeted Mrs. Cake from inside the shop.

“I thought I’d let you know that there’s a guest waiting upstairs for you!” added Mr. Cake.

“A guest?” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “That’s like receiving a letter! Only it’s a pony!”

Pinkie Pie zipped upstairs, the Cakes giving them unsure smiles to each other. On the first floor, Pinkie Pie could hear laughter coming from the foals’ room, making her stop. With a shrug, she walked back to the door and opened it wide.

“Alright,” she spoke, “I guess I can say hi to–”

Pinkie Pie’s words were stopped as she saw Conny sitting on the floor and holding onto the filly while the colt sat on the floor in front of him. Her eyes were wide open and mouth agape. However, it was Conny and the foals who broke the silence.

“Pinkie!” the three shouted in unison.

“Conny!” Pinkie Pie cheered, hopping up in excitement.

Putting the filly down, Conny stood back up and walked up to Pinkie Pie as she came up to him halfway. Standing on her hind legs, she went in for a tight, gripping hug, but Conny managed to get his arms around the pink mare as well, each of them giving each other near-suffocating hugs. The two foals also ran over to her and hugged her legs.

“Oh my gosh!” Pinkie Pie realized. “You’re here from Earth to surprise me, and you two are up to say hi to me! This is like the best surprise I could ever ask for!”

Pinkie Pie squeezed again, the sheer force making Conny let go and give an excruciating grunt.

“Hey,” wheezed Conny, rubbing both Pinkie Pie’s mane and back, “you mind letting me go so I can breathe?”

“Oh, sorry…”

Pinkie Pie relinquished Conny from her grip, allowing him to gasp in vital oxygen. However, Pinkie Pie’s arms were stuck in her ring shape. Waving her arms out back to normal and flexible again, she set them back on the ground.

“My doctor said I have to cut down on my hugs,” she explained. “Making my arms really stiff.”

Conny chuckled heartily, both from Pinkie Pie’s funny gag and his gladness to see her again.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Sitting at a blue-sheeted table next to the large window inside the modest, light-lavender-colored kitchen, Sasha tilted her cup nearly upside down, draining the last of the dark liquid into her mouth, placing it back on the saucer. Sasha then reached for the teapot in between her and Coco, pouring herself another cup.

“That's your third cup,” Coco commented a touch nervously. “You must really like that tea.”

“Are you kidding me?” Sasha asked. “Black tea is a luxury where we come from. That’s certainly one think I love about this world; you seem to have a lot of what we don’t.”

From inside the studio, a bell could be heard as it was hit by the top of the entrance’s door. Sasha and Coco turned to the kitchen entrance, wondering who was coming.

“Coco!” Rarity’s voice sung from the studio. “I’m home!”

“Rarity!” shouted Sasha, sliding her chair out from under the table and running to the door.

Sasha burst through into the studio, the sound shocking Rarity as she darted her body to the kitchen door, seeing Sasha stop upon seeing her. Rarity felt shivers run up her spine as she saw her familiar friend stand before her. Sasha squatted down and clasped her hands over chest, her giddiness and excitement making her weak at the knees.

“Sasha?” Rarity giggled quietly. “Is it really…”

“Aha!” Sasha laughed bursting upwards and running towards Rarity with her arms wide open.

“Sasha!”

Rarity galloped towards Sasha and leapt towards her. Coco came in and saw as Sasha caught Rarity around her back and twirled her around, overjoyed to feel her warmth and soft coat on her. Coco stifled a touched chuckle, watching as both of them snuggled their faces into each other’s.

“Sasha!” Rarity panted. “Whatever are you doing here?”

“We finally finished our mission,” said Sasha. “Celestia then invited us for this celebration of yours and brought us here to surprise you!”

“Well, surprised I am, and I couldn’t be happier to see you! Oh, you have to tell me all about it! Coco, can you brew some tea?”

“I already have,” she responded. “Sasha was just telling me all about her time with you on her world.”

“Oh. Very good then! Sasha, would you please join us in the kitchen?”

“Of course I will, Rarity,” Sasha replied. “Thank you.”

Rarity happily pranced past Sasha and Coco into the kitchen, delighted and excited to hear all about her friend’s adventures over a hot cup of tea. Coco and Sasha briskly walked back into the kitchen, more than happy to share Rarity’s company.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Rainbow Dash’s home came in sight. With a soft, warm bed on her mind, she didn’t even notice Eren as he waited underneath the shade of her and Gilda’s home. Eren, seeing the familiar blue-and-rainbow streak in the sky, chuckled in a quick exhale, running out to make his presence known. As he appeared out, Rainbow Dash’s body disappeared over the surface of the cloud, confusing him.

“Ah!” Rainbow Dash sighed, landing on the plush cloud. “Home sweet home!”

“Yo, Dash!” called Gilda, poking her head out from her front doorway.

“Hey, Gilda!” called Dash. “Did you wake yourself up just to say hi to me?”

“No,” she responded, pointing downwards, “but your friend down there might have.”

“Friend?”

“Oy, Rainbow Dash!” shouted Eren’s voice.

Rainbow Dash’s ears wiggled upon hearing the incredibly familiar and distinctive voice. Wondering if her ears were deceiving her, she leapt to the edge of her cloud and peered downwards. Eren, seeing her eyes meet his, gave a welcoming smile and a cheeky giggle, almost as if chiding her for forgetting him. Rainbow Dash’s eyes grew wide, and with a loud, enthusiastic gasp, she jumped off her cloud and flew about excitedly.

“Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!” she squealed. “EREN!”

Nosediving down, she swooped up and scooped up Eren under her arms, squeezing him tight as she soared back up in the air. Eren, enamored with Rainbow Dash’s energy and warm, soft body against his, threw his arms around her back just below the base of her flapping wings as she hovered high above the ground.

“Oh my gosh, Eren,” Rainbow Dash wept, rubbing her face and wet eyes into his chest, “you have no idea how happy I am to see you!”

“Yeah,” Eren hoarsely sighed, “I missed you too.”

“Hey, Rainbow Dash!” called Gilda as she stepped further outside her house. “You might want to put him back down before you drop him.”

“Huh?”

Eren looked down, to see that he was roughly fifty meters above the ground, making him instinctively squirm in shock.

“Relax, dude,” Rainbow Dash chuckled, keeping her grip tight on him. “Let’s get you down before one of us hurts you.”

Eren snickered as Rainbow Dash fluttered lower to the ground. Gilda watched the two of them with an eager smirk.

“Oh yeah,” she confirmed. “He’s going to be lots of fun.”
> Chapter 3: For the Upcoming Night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunset Shimmer slept soundly in the hollowed out cocoon that Chrysalis had prepared for her. Despite only being in a white tank-top and a pair of white underpants, with the perfect warmth and humidity inside the cave, it seemed as if she could sleep like that all day.

Just then, a black pony-like creature with a similar structure to Chrysalis, although with a smaller, smoother horn, blue, beady eyes, and a dark blue plating on its back, ran in through one of the caverns, a nervous and frightened look on its face.

“My queen!” it shouted in a raspy, treble voice. “My queen!”

Chrysalis, who had been sleeping in a larger hole high within the cavern, woke up alert, the other pony-like creatures stirring out of sleep as well. Sunset Shimmer herself writhed out of bed, wondering what the matter was. She watched as the creature stopped before Chrysalis as she hopped down from her hole towards it.

“What has happened, my changeling messenger?” she spoke. “Why have you awoken us?”

“Humans,” the changeling panted. “Nine humans from Earth… have arrived in Ponyville.”

Immediately, Sunset Shimmer stood to her feet, shocked by the news.

“Was this the only reason you woke me?” snarled Chrysalis. “Because nine humans have arrived in Equestria?”

“He has every right to be concerned,” Sunset Shimmer shouted.

Chrysalis looked over her messenger to see Sunset Shimmer walking up towards her.

“Sunset,” hissed Chrysalis. “What do you know of these humans? Furthermore, how do you know of these humans”

“It’s simple really,” Sunset responded. “You told me a year ago about how Twilight and her friends went to this world to assist the humans in a war they were losing. My Maneuver Gear had to have belonged to one of them, right?”

“Yes… from that human girl that Luna brought back with her after they won.”

“If that’s true, those humans that are in Ponyville are not just some harmless tourists; they have to be trained soldiers.”

Chrysalis raised her eyebrows, intrigued by Sunset Shimmer’s reasoning.

“Twilight and her friends had allied themselves with and more than likely befriended the men and women of that army,” continued Sunset Shimmer. “If this is true, then the only humans Celestia would ever be able to trust entering Equestria are the soldiers that Twilight and her friends had befriended on that other world.

“The Summer Sun Celebration is in three days, and it can’t be coincidence that they’d be brought to Equestria just to spend time with their friends. This means that the humans will be attending the Summer Sun Celebration, and that their presence in Canterlot could put our plan in high risk.”

Chrysalis huffed, both slightly impressed and humored by her comrade’s logic.

“I don’t find your find your assumptions that the humans being soldiers are baseless,” Chrysalis said, “or even far from possibility. However, do you really think that these humans will be present at the Summer Sun Celebration, with the means to stop either of us, no less?”

“We shouldn’t rule it out,” Sunset Shimmer answered. “Our plan already has had insubstantial planning due to our… distances, and we have only these last three days to finalize everything. With the arrival of these humans, a major wrench has been thrown into the plan and threatens to ruin everything. For all extents and purposes, we should treat these humans as if they were alicorns as powerful as Celestia herself.”

Chrysalis continued to look into Sunset Shimmer’s expectant and foreboding glare. With a nod, she acknowledged Sunset Shimmer’s sage advice.

“Very well,” Chrysalis spoke, turning around from her and beginning to walk towards a cavern entrance. “Put on your clothes and Maneuver Gear and practice however you will. But next time, choose a better metaphor for those humans. I shouldn’t need to fear someone whom I had defeated once before.”

Sunset Shimmer huffed and smirked, gladdened both for Chrysalis’s trust and support, but also the knowledge that they both had enough power and wits to make the plan work, with or without the humans’ appearances.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Twilight, Armin, Hanji, Levi, Petra, and Spike, sat around a rectangular table inside Twilight’s study, teacups and saucers in front of each of them and a teapot in the middle of the table. On the back half of the study was another collection of books on shelves carved from the walls. On the front half as a desk that was neatly organized with papers and an inkwell with a quill already inside.

The next floor merely consisted of a small bedroom with yet another shelf of books a large bed, and a small basket with a blanket inside. As Twilight reached for the teapot with her magic and poured herself some more tea, Armin continued to go on about his adventures with his friends and the Scouting Legion.

“We continued traveling south,” spoke Armin, “and we eventually reached a really sandy area, and water as far as the eye could see!”

“None of us have ever seen so much water in our lives!” Hanji spoke.

“But not only that,” Armin said, “the water was really salty. I had told Eren when we were children about the oceans, and that the salt inside of them could never be depleted because it was so vast, but he would never believe me! Just imagine the look on his face when he discovered it himself!”

Twilight and Spike laughed, being able to imagine it clearly in his head. Twilight took a nostalgic smile, remembering Armin’s absent friends fondly.

“That reminds me,” Twilight said, “how are Eren and the others?”

“Last we checked,” Levi answered, “they went off to find the others. I wonder if we’ll ever even see them again.”

Hanji sighed despondently, unable to find humor in Levi’s sardonic joke.

“Well,” Twilight mentioned, “my friends and I are meeting at a café in town to discuss our plans for the Summer Sun Celebration. I’m almost certain they’ll bring them with.”

“Yeah,” Spike said, his voice hinting the irony, “now Rarity’s going to have nine others to pay for dinner tonight.”

“That’s not going to happen, Spike. If we’re going to all dine together, like I’m going to front Rarity with a bill like that, generosity or not.”

“Well,” Levi responded, “it’s kind of difficult to pay our own way when our currency is probably worth shit here.”

“Levi,” Twilight cooed, “I know that you have a certain way of… wording things, but could you please refrain from using that kind of language here. I think there’s certain things from the human vernacular that should be left unknown to the rest of the ponies here.”

Levi looked into Twilight, sensing that it would be wise to heed her advice. However…

“Well, damn,” he spoke without a hint of sarcasm. “Pardon me.”

Petra huffed through her nose, the slightest of smiles appearing on her face. Twilight however rolled her eyes, barely accepting Levi’s dry response.

“But wait,” Spike spoke, “what about all that gold that Celestia gave you from when we were here?”

“Didn’t think to bring it,” Levi said. “Besides, gold is probably more valuable there than it is here. I wouldn’t see Celestia being so unhesitant to send the amount she did way back then otherwise.”

“Levi’s right,” Twilight told Spike. “A dinner at Au Clopin is usually at least twenty bits by itself, and that’s without tip.”

“Well,” added Petra, “we feel bad about having either of you pay for us.”

“You shouldn’t. I’m certain Celestia or Luna will reimburse us.”

“Oh… well, that’s assuring.”

“What time will we even need to leave?” asked Armin.

“Oh, not for a while,” Twilight responded. “We still have most of the day to spend with each other. In fact, since we’re at the library, I’d thought you might want to read some of the books that we have, if you’d like, of course.”

“Really?” Hanji exclaimed, standing from her chair and leaning over the table.

“You’d let us do that?” Armin responded.

“Why not? I trust you’ll be careful with them.”

“Thank you!” Hanji gasped, already making her way to the stairs that would lead her down into the library.

“You…” Armin asked, reluctantly standing from his seat as well, “really don’t mind, do you?”

Twilight chuckled, putting Armin even more at ease.

“Go right ahead,” she encouraged.

With a nod, Armin walked to the stairs, leaving Twilight and Spike alone with Levi and Petra.

“So,” Spike asked, “how was the rest of your mission?”

Levi glanced down at his cup, seeing only a few sips left inside.

“Twilight,” Levi requested, “could you pass the tea here?”

“Certainly,” Twilight said, lifting the teapot over to Levi.

Setting it down, Levi carefully picked the teapot up himself and slowly poured a refill. Putting it back down, he grabbed his cup by the rim and took a greedy sip. There was still much to their story yet, and he’d be spending a lot of time trying to condense it.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Applejack opened the short, closed door on the left entrance of her home, Mikasa and the three fillies following her inside, Mikasa removing her Stetson and holding it at her side. From the next room on their right, the sound of frying and the smell of sweet pastry wafted through the air.

“Applejack?” called a high-pitched, aged female voice from the room. “Is that you dear?”

“Sure is, Granny Smith,” Applejack answered.

“That’s good, because I’m just makin’ yer’ breakfast!”

“Well, you might as well add another, ‘cause you ain’t gonna’ believe who I picked up!”

“You have a guest? Well, let me see ‘em, then.”

Applejack led Mikasa and the fillies into the kitchen, where a lime-green elderly-looking mare stood at the stove. Her skin was sagging, but her flank, where a whole apple pie in a tin was emblazoned, still looked well-kept.

Her white mane and tail were both tied into large buns with loose ends sticking out. Tied around her neck was an orange bandana with red-apples decorated all over it. Turning her head to face Mikasa and Applejack, Mikasa could see the perpetual droop of the mare’s ears, her half closed eyes, and her pruny mouth along with her wrinkled face. Upon seeing the human in her kitchen, Granny Smith cackled loudly and approached her.

“We-he-hell,” she chuckled, “is this your old friend from that far-away place, er… what was it called again?”

“It’s Earth, Granny Smith,” Applejack answered, running to the stove and flipping the pancakes that were inside of it. “And yes, this is Mikasa.”

“Well,” she said to the human, “yer’ purtier than I imagined you’d be.”

“Thanks,” Mikasa spoke awkwardly as Granny Smith touched her abs with her hoof.

“Thick as stone,” she complimented before standing to her hind legs and supporting herself on Mikasa’s shoulders. “And them arms,” she observed, moving them down, forcing Mikasa to stretch them out and continue supporting the nag as she felt her out, “so lean and well-toned. Yer’ quite the strong one, Mikasa.”

“Again,” Mikasa nervously giggled, setting Granny Smith back down, “thank you.”

“Well, I imagine breakfast’s almost ready for you and Mikasa. Go ahead and grab seat. I’m sure you’ll meet Big Mac soon enough. Hehe. He’s gonna’ get a kick out of you.”

As Granny Smith, walked towards the kitchen’s exit, Mikasa looked to a small table off to the right side, going over and sitting at one of the two chairs, placing her hat on her lap. A jar of butter and a boat of syrup was already out. Applejack walked over with a plate in her teeth, containing a small stack of two pancakes, placing it on the table before Applejack.

“Go ahead and eat,” egged Applejack. “I already ate on the train. Then I’d like you to help Big Mac and I with something.”

“Aw, come on,” begged Apple Bloom, who wore devastated faces along with her two other friends. “We want to play with Mikasa some more.”

“Apple Bloom,” cooed Mikasa. “It’s alright. I haven’t seen Applejack in quite some time and I’d like to spend some time with her if I could.”

“Aww,” the three fillies whined, drooping their heads down.

“It’s okay girls,” Applejack assured them. “Mikasa won’t be leaving here too soon. You can play with her some more tomorrow.”

“But tomorrow’s school…” Scootaloo moaned.

Applejack put her hoof to her chin, thinking of an alternate solution. Her face brightened up upon

“How about this?” asked Applejack. “Mikasa can take all y’all to school. How does that sound?”

Instantly, the sad faces of the fillies lit up bright, happy of the idea.

“That sounds like a great idea!” Sweetie Belle said.

“Hehe,” chuckled Applejack, “I’m glad we agree. Now, run along, girls. You have a busy day of crusading to do.”

“Okay!” Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle shouted out before running out.

“Bye, Mikasa!” called Apple Bloom. “See you tomorrow!”

Before Mikasa could wave goodbye, Apple Bloom had already left. Applejack shook her head, amused by their playful spirit. She then looked to Mikasa’s plate, which hadn’t looked at all touched. 

“Come on, Mikasa,” encouraged Applejack. “Don’t let yer’ hotcakes get cold!”

Truth be told, Mikasa had already eaten filling provisions earlier that morning on earth. While not entirely hungry, she couldn’t bring herself to turn down her friend’s meal. Reaching for her knife, she scooped a pat of butter and began to spread it over the top pancake.
________________________________________________________________________________________

On the floor above the Sugarcube Corner shop, the two foals were asleep in their beds, softly nuzzling their covers over themselves. Conny, peering at them through the crack in the door, silently shut it, leaving the two to nap once again.

“Wow,” Pinkie Pie whispered as they made themselves to an upstairs staircase, “I never knew how good you are with children.”

“I had a little baby brother before I left for the Military,” explained Conny. “I was always taking care of him. It seemed I was the only one he liked.”

“Then you must be really good with kids.”

“It’s really not all that hard. Kids love fun, and I’m just chock full of that.”

“That you are!”

Pinkie Pie and Conny made it to the top of the stairs, leading to a rather large bedroom. Much of the furniture, which included a queen-sized bed, a wardrobe, a blue couch, and a table with a record player on it, was pushed off to the edge of the room, leaving a lot of space in the middle. Left of the stairway was yet another staircase that led to a pink wrap-around walkway inside the room. On the right of it was a nice fireplace with a stone platform before it.

“Wow,” Conny sighed, looking up. “This is your room?”

“The long and short of it!” responded Pinkie Pie. “Even though it’s not really long or short. Or maybe tall and short. Is this room really that tall?”

As Pinkie Pie went on her rant. Conny looked to see a small, light-green alligator sleeping on Pinkie Pie’s bed, curled up much like a cat. Conny curiously approached it, sticking its finger towards it.

“Well, hey little guy,” whispered Conny, reaching the base of its neck.

As quick as lightning, the creature’s large, purple eyes shot open. Jumping up and opening its pink, fleshy mouth, the gator bit down on Conny’s hand. Although it lacked any teeth, the quick actions of the reptile scared Conny horrendously, making him run around the room and screaming, the gator keeping his mouth clamped on.

“Ah!” he shouted. “Get it off! Get it off!”

The commotion was enough for Pinkie Pie to end her previous rant, seeing what was wrong with her friend.

“Oh,” she nervously chuckled, seeing the gator biting her friend, “looks like you’ve met Gummy.”

Conny could not hear Pinkie Pie past his terrified screams.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Applejack and Mikasa, her hat back on her head, walked out from the double doors of the barn, heading out towards the orchards. Mikasa’s hand was placed over her stomach, feeling the strain from two breakfasts.

“So,” Mikasa said, “what is it that you needed my help with?”

“I was going to sell some apples in town tomorrow to have a little extra cash in Canterlot for the Summer Sun Celebration,” explained Applejack. “The more apples I can buck, the more money I stand to make. I’ll need someone to carry the buckets back to the barn, and that’s where I’d like you to help. I’ll even pay you a cut of whatever I make tomorrow.”

“Thank you, but there’s no need for that.”

“Well, I certainly ain’t letting you work for free. I just wouldn’t be able to live with myself.”

Mikasa wanted to speak, but seeing as how her friend was already doing so much for her, she knew that refusing would be fighting a losing battle.

“Alright,” she quietly relented. “That sounds fair.”

“Hey!” exclaimed Applejack. “There’s Big Mac now!”

Over the hill, Mikasa’s eyes met upon a muscular red stallion with a short orange mane and tail. The front of a halved green apple that covered his entire flank served as his cutie mark. His hooves were light-yellow in color from use, tufts of fur hanging just above them. Over his neck was a large, wooden yoke. Hanging from his mouth was a long piece of wheat which he twiddled to both sides of his mouth.

Facing an apple tree with three empty wooden buckets along the bottom next to the trunk, he quickly turned around, and tucked his back legs in, bucking them out and striking the tree. To Mikasa’s amazement, each apple that hung from the branch not only fell off the tree, but perfectly landed in one of the three buckets, filling each one full.

“Mmhm,” he proudly huffed.

“Big Mac!” called Applejack, allowing him to turn around, his face and body stunned upon seeing Mikasa with her as they came near. “Big Macintosh! I’d like you to meet my friend Mikasa, all the way from Earth.”

“Well, howdy,” gushed the blushing Big Mac. “My sister’s told me so much about y’all and your friends. It’s an honor to finally meet you at last.”

Big Macintosh reached his large hoof forwards, which Mikasa had to take in both hands to shake.

“Mikasa’s going to help us on some yardwork so I can do some selling tomorrow,” Applejack said. “Mikasa, would you mind putting some baskets around one of these trees for us?”

“Certainly,” Mikasa said.

Walking around, Big Macintosh, petting his strong neck and confusing him, she lifted three buckets from a stack and walked to the next closest three, placing them each within a third apart from each other. As Applejack went towards the prepared tree, Mikasa stood before it in a fighting stance.

“Mikasa?” asked Applejack. “What are you doing?”

“The way you gather the apples,” explained Mikasa. “It looks interesting. I want to give it a try.”

“Mikasa, it takes a lot of strength to clean a tree like me or Big Mac can. You should probably lea–”

“I said I want to give it a try,” Mikasa hissed, glaring at the tree.

Immediately, Applejack and Big Mac took a step back, frightened by Mikasa’s resolve.

“Is she really…” whispered Applejack to Big Mac.

“Eeyup,” he said.

“Do you really think she can?”

“Nnope.”

Mikasa stared at the perfect point for striking the bark: right at the center, and two to three inches above that. Running at the tree, she leapt up and tucked her legs in. At the right moment, she thrust her right foot out and hit the trunk with a loud shout, making the whole tree quiver.

Gravity pulled her back down, but Mikasa managed to land on her feet and back away from the tree, doing her best to hide the slight limp in her foot. Mikasa, Applejack, and Big Mac looked at the tree, awaiting the results. At that moment, all of the apples plucked themselves from the branches and fell into the bucket, almost as flawlessly as Big Mac had done.

Mikasa let out a content sight and turned to face Applejack and Big Mac. The both of them stood with mouths agape, the piece of straw dropping from Big Mac’s mouth. Mikasa merely turned back and picked up one of the buckets, turning towards the barn and walking back.

“Could you help me with those other two buckets?” asked Mikasa.

As Mikasa passed them, Applejack continued to stare at her. Big Mac however, smitten with her modesty and hidden strength, smiled warmly and chuckled, his ears drooped down in reverence.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Jean and Fluttershy sat out in the small field behind the latter’s house upon a large red-and-white checkered blanket. Between them was a picnic basket that was filled with a bag of crumbs, a bag of assorted nuts, shaved whole carrots, and a collection of various flowers.

Surrounding the blanket were a variety of different animals. Along with the average woodland critters, such as squirrels, rabbits, and chipmunks, there were also ferrets, beavers, otters, and an assortment of birds, including ducks, hummingbirds, jays, and robins. While many seemed happy in the presence of the kind yellow pegasus, some of the animals looked strangely at Jean, unsure what he was and why he was in Fluttershy’s company. However, as Jean carefully passed animals a carrot or a handful of nuts, the animals found themselves less wary, accepting Jean’s treat with happy chirps and gracious nods.

“This is unbelievable,” Jean said with a relaxed smile. “The animals on Earth don’t act like this at all.”

“Really?” asked Fluttershy. “Because many of the birds that lived in the trees around your headquarters were very nice. Perhaps I just have a way with words.”

“Perhaps…”

Jean reached into the basket, grabbing a handful of feed. Holding it out in front of him, several small birds gathered onto Jean’s hand and picked generously. Jean massaged the neck of a blue jay with the back of the joint on his free index finger, the bird nuzzling its neck into Jean’s finger, making him chuckle.

“What about you?” asked Fluttershy. “Did you see any kinds of animals along your journey?”

“In all honesty,” spoke Jean, “a lot of the animals that we came across were no different than the ones that still lived within the walls. However, the ones we did see… oh, goodness,” he sighed, running his fingers through his hair, “I can’t even remember what they were called. I’m certain you would have been very valuable to have along for our journey.”

“That’s so kind of you, Jean.”

By now, Jean’s hand had no traces of feed upon his hand, allowing the birds to leave and let Jean put his hand down.

“In fact,” Jean admitted with a slight blush, “every time we came across a new animal, I couldn’t help but think of you, and how much I wished you’d have been there to tell us what it was. It really reminded the rest of us how much we missed you and the others.”

The animals that listened in on Jean’s confession wore touched smiles, many of the squirrels and ferrets clasping their hands together. Fluttershy then leaned over and tilted Jean’s head up with her hoof, allowing him to face her, seeing her accepting smile.

“Well, we’re here now,” she said, “so you don’t need to feel sad anymore.”

Jean tenderly clasped his hand around Fluttershy’s hoof, savoring the soft touch on his palm and the serenity he felt from it. Unbeknownst to him, a large, bulky mass of fur approached him from behind. Fluttershy’s face brightened upon seeing it, much like she would for the arrival of a good friend.

“Hello, Mr. Bear,” greeted Fluttershy. “You haven’t met Jean yet, have you?”

Jean, feeling the creature’s breathing on the back of his neck, turned around to see a large brown bear looking at him inquisitively. Jean, seeing the creature’s teeth, shouted loud and jumped back, nearly landing atop Fluttershy. Jean’s sudden reaction, forced many of the smaller mammals and birds back away in fright.

“Holy shit!” shouted Jean. “That’s a bear!”

Fluttershy looked nervously at her terrified friend, and then to the bear, who stood hunched on his hind legs, wringing his paws shamefully, unsure of what he did wrong.

“Oh,” cooed Fluttershy, trotting to him and petting the side of his thigh, “don’t be sad, Mr. Bear, my friend Jean has never seen a bear up close before, and you must have given him quite the fright. I’m sure if you’re nice to him, he won’t be as scared anymore.”

Rolling back on his fours, the bear stood over Jean, who didn’t dare make any more moves as the massive animal looked down at him. Jean closed his eyes and shuddered as the bear’s head dipped down, sniffing the bare skin on his neck. Seeing that he didn’t mean any harm, the bear smiled, licking Jean from the base of the neck to his ear, coating it with saliva.

Jean continued to tremble as the bear nuzzled the side of his face into Jean’s wet neck. Fluttershy, finding the event cute, approached Jean and lied on her stomach, reaching underneath the bear and rubbing Jean’s stomach.

“See?” Fluttershy softly asked him. “He’s nice. You just have to trust him, is all.”

Jean, trusting his friend’s judgment, managed to pick up his arms and gently wrap them around the bear’s neck in a hug. The bear, now facing Jean, gave another happy lick up Jean’s face. Jean hid his disdain for his slimed head through a forced chuckle. Nonetheless, Fluttershy closed her eyes and smiled, thankful for the confrontation to end on a good note.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Rarity flipped a switch on the wall, shining light all about the circular room from four lamps that were connected to the wall at equal distances. With the room now properly lit, Sasha and Rarity could see that they were standing in a blueberry-colored, dome-shaped room supported on the sides by white-and-lavender checkered pillars.

The front-right half of the room appeared to be work-related, seeing a desk with a red sewing machine and a shelf filled with different colors of fabrics organized inside of it. On the other side of the widow, there were six pony mannequins, each one with six simple, but colorful dresses on each one. The rest of the room left of the door consisted of a red with red-velvet sheets and a fuchsia canopy, and a cabinet. Immediately, Sasha’s eyes were drawn towards the six dresses.

“Wow,” Sasha gasped, “these are beautiful.”

“Really?” Rarity wondered. “Because honestly, they’re far from finished.”

“Are you joking? If I were a pony, I’d wear this and never want to take it off.”

“Oh, you’re too kind, Sasha, but these dresses are for my friends, and I want to have them finished by tonight.”

“Tonight? Why would you need these dresses tonight?”

“Oh, you see, these dresses are for the Summer Sun Celebration ball in a few days, and I wanted to get their opinions before I take these with to Canterlot, so we’re meeting at a café for dinner to meet up.”

Sasha, hearing the word “dinner,” perked up.

“Can I come?” asked Sasha.

“But of course, darling! I’m certain the others would love to see you again.”

“Me too…”

Rarity used the moment of silence that followed to look at the six dresses upon the mannequins. Rarity’s face slowly began to brighten, formulating an idea.

“Sasha,” wondered Rarity, “I know this may sound like a personal question...”

“Yes?” Sasha responded.

“Could I measure you?”

“Measure me? What for?”

“Since I’m making dresses for my friends, I just thought I could make some outfits for you and your friends.”

“What? Rarity, that’s very nice, but you don’t need to go through all that.”

“But I must! The Summer Sun Celebration ball is a very formal gathering of Equestria’s upper class, and I want you all looking your absolute best.”

“But… all that work–”

“That’s not a problem. With Coco’s help, I’ll get them all done in a jiffy.”

Sasha still had many questions with her, but Rarity’s excited smile told Sasha that they’d be rebuffed before she could fully ask her.

“Alright,” Sasha replied. “I’ll trust that you’ll do your best.”

“Wonderful! Now, if you could please remove your clothing.”

Sasha squeaked in apprehension and hugged her chest defensively.

“You need me to undress?” Sasha exclaimed.

“It’s quite alright,” Rarity assured her. “We’re both ladies here. Besides, I’m not wearing cloths right now and you don’t see me having a fuss.”

Sasha, feeling trumped by Rarity’s logic, began to unbutton her vest, a more relaxed smile on her face. Rarity, happy for Sasha’s compliance, levitated a rolled up measuring tape from her desk.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Eren flew just behind Rainbow Dash and Gilda inside a tall, misty canyon. His Element of Harmony was equipped to his sides and his Military boots were firmly on his feet. His sword handles were in his hand, but the blades looked as if they were missing.

The three of them approached a wall of brambles and thorny vines. Without hesitation, Rainbow Dash and Gilda flew inside. Eren gasped at their bravery, but huffed soon afterwards, unable to allow them to make a fool of him.

Eren flew through the gaps, hardly able to see Gilda or Rainbow Dash through the dangerous foliage. Leaping from vine to vine on his feet, Eren managed to see every gap and hop through it, still managing to keep his distance. More often than not, the thorns would snag Eren’s clothes and hands, cutting them lightly. Despite this, Eren ignored it and pressed on.

Gilda and Rainbow Dash flew from the bramble field, not a scratch on either of them. Eren emerged soon after, his skin broken and his clothes torn. Rainbow Dash looked back and chuckled, both in amusement of Eren’s cuts, and in respect for his ability to keep up.

“Nice job, Eren!” called Rainbow Dash, “but let’s see how you can get past the quarray eels!”

“Huh?” Eren gasped.

Rainbow Dash and Gilda flew deeper into the canyon, passing by several large holes within the rock face. As the two of them flew out in front of one, a large, red, serpentine creature with a purple underbelly emerged from it, biting down at them and crashing its face into the other side of the canyon.

Eren shuddered in shock, having never seen anything like this thing before. More came out of their holes as Rainbow Dash and Gilda flew past and irked them, staying out to await the oncoming Eren. Eren squeezed the handles of his blade, flying faster than ever before.

Zipping in between two of the eels’ heads, Eren found himself flying in between the jaws of another. Eren flipped his body forwards and facing down, allowing the eel’s bite to miss him. Looking down, Rainbow Dash and Gilda were nowhere to be seen. Completing his flip and looking up, Rainbow Dash and Gilda were still not there.

Keeping close to the wall and flying next to the intact spaces of the wall in between the eels’ holes, Eren avoided the eels and continued looking about. Suddenly, he saw Rainbow Dash and Gilda carefully dodging the eels in the center of the canyon, seeing himself at a neck-and-neck tie with both of them. As they did with the brambles, the two of them looked to be managing themselves well.

With a relieved smirk, Eren continued flying along his path, passing the last hole and moving out towards the center of the canyon. Rainbow Dash and Gilda, flying past the last one, saw Eren out in front of her, frightening the latter.

“Nuh-uh!” Rainbow Dash shouted, picking up her speed and flying alongside Eren. “I ain’t losing to you again!”

Rainbow Dash flapped her wings as hard as she could, finally overtaking Eren. Eren chuckling as the end of the canyon came close, squeezed the handles of his bladeless swords, coming close behind Rainbow Dash. The edge quickly came up, and Eren and Rainbow Dash’s heads were right at the same level. Passing the top of the canyon, Eren and Rainbow Dash let off their speed, shooting up into the air and falling back towards the ground.

“I totally beat you that time!” shouted Rainbow Dash.

“No way!” Eren protested. “I got faster than you!”

“Not a chance!”

While Rainbow Dash fluttered down with her wings, Eren hovered down using the magic of his element, still continuing their argument.

“Maybe if you didn’t cheat!” Rainbow Dash yelled.

“Cheated?” Eren laughed. “I passed through those eel things fair and square!”

“Hey, hey!” shouted Gilda, landing besides them. “Hasn’t anyone ever heard of a tie?”

“Tie-schmie!” Rainbow Dash. “I want a rematch!”

“No,” Eren said, “I have a better idea.”

“What’s that?”

With no other warning, Eren wrapped his arm around Rainbow Dash’s neck, leaning back and pulling her down. Eren laughed as he tried to roll over and pin her down. Rainbow Dash, finding more fun in their little wrestle, playfully pushed and rolled away from Eren as she too tried to pin Eren down. Gilda could only watch with a slight smile as Eren and Rainbow Dash played together like children
________________________________________________________________________________________

Outside from a large café with green supports set under the orange afternoon sky, Rarity and Sasha sat along a row of giant, purple mushrooms, serving as tables, with a long stretch of hay bales serving as the seats atop the sandy-colored ground. Many ponies sat at similarly shaped tables, either talking or imbibing the drinks or dining off the simple plates of food before them. While Rarity sat calm and composed, reading a menu, Rarity clicked her knees together, looking around for no one in particular.

“Dear me,” Rarity exclaimed, “I didn’t think everypony was going to be this late with getting here. Sasha, would you like me to order you something to drink.”

“No,” sighed Sasha pertly, “I’ll wait for the others to get here.”

“Suit yourself…”

As Rarity put her menu back in front of her face, Sasha continued searching outside the café area. Looking amongst the ponies that walked by the restaurant, she finally saw a human figure with a shaved head walking beside a hopping pink pony. Recognizing them instantly, Sasha shot out of her seat, waving her arms at her two friends.

“Conny!” she shouted, nearly scaring Rarity out of her own seat. “Pinkie Pie!”

Pinkie Pie spotted the erratic Sasha within the outdoor seating of the café, her face brightening upon seeing her and Rarity together.

“Look, Conny!” chirped Pinkie Pie, pointing her hoof out. “It’s Sasha! Come on! Let’s go say hi!”

Pinkie Pie galloped out towards Sasha and Rarity, Conny having to run out to catch up. Pinkie Pie’s giddy smile brought another smile to Sasha’s face, especially and Pinkie Pie ran towards her and hugged her tight.

“Hi, Sasha!” Pinkie Pie greeted. “Long time no see!”

“Yeah,” agreed Sasha, rubbing Pinkie Pie’s back affectionately. “Hi, Pinkie Pie!”

As Conny began to take a seat for himself, Twilight, Spike, Armin, Levi, Petra, and Hanji came from around a corner and walked into the café, spotting Sasha and Conny inside.

“Hello, Conny,” spoke Twilight, offering her hoof to Conny, which he shook. “Good to see you again.”

“Yeah, you too,” agreed Conny.

“Ooh, Levi!” Rarity called out, standing from her seat and walking up to him.

“Rarity,” said Levi, acknowledging her with a clasp of her hoof in both of his hands.

“It’s such a pleasure to see you again, darling.”

“Likewise…”

“Hanji!” cheered Pinkie Pie, leaping with joy upon seeing her.

“Pinkie!” Hanji cried happily.

Pinkie Pie hopped into Hanji’s arms as she spun her around like a child with her doll. Approaching the café with Mikasa was Applejack, who looked delighted to see Armin.

“Howdy, Armin!” she called out. “How’s it going?”

“Applejack!” Armin exclaimed.

Applejack greeted Armin back with a wrap-around hug and a pat on his back, setting herself back down to greet the others. Mikasa then approached Armin.

“You haven’t seen Eren around, have you?” she asked.

“No, I haven’t,” Armin responded.

“Then perhaps you need to look a bit harder,” spoke Eren’s voice.

Armin and Mikasa looked to the side to see Eren standing about ten feet away from them. However, Rainbow Dash was already soaring towards the both of them, wrapping her arms around both of their necks and pulling them towards her in a group hug.

“Wow!” she exclaimed. “Everybody’s really here!”

“Hi, Rainbow Dash!” greeted Armin, patting her lower back with his hand.

As Rainbow Dash continued hugging two of her oldest human friends, Eren turned to see Applejack galloping towards him, draping her arms over his shoulders and snuggling her face into the side of his head. The force nearly knocked Eren back, but was able to keep standing with two recoiling steps.

“Eren!” Applejack gleefully shouted. “It’s so great to see you.”

“Haha,” giggled Eren, hugging Applejack tight. “It’s great to see you too, Applejack.”

Rainbow Dash flew about, looking for the next of her friends to greet, only to see Conny greeting Jean and Fluttershy, who had arrived down below. Conny, noticing her through the corner of his eye, smiled as he blocked the setting sun with his hand.

“Hey, Rainbow Dash!” called Conny.

“Conny!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash, swooping down and giving him a hug. “What’s up?”

By now, most of the outdoor area was filled with humans reuniting with their Equestrian friends and the chatter of greetings and laughs they had begun to share. The other ponies around them and dining could not look away. Nonetheless, they were happy to see everyone going about in such high spirits.

“Everyone!” called Rarity, picking up a small, flowered water vase with her magic, clinking a fork against it. “Could we all please sit down?!”

Levi and Petra had already began to sit down next to Rarity, while Jean and Fluttershy took seats across from them. The others moved about and began to take their seats, sitting next to their partners and friends while still continuing their friendly conversations.

“I do have to say,” Rarity began, getting the others to silence themselves, “it was certainly a pleasant surprise to have all of you come here, albeit unannounced. However, you couldn’t have come at a better time. With the Summer Sun Celebration just days away, I can speak for all of us that we couldn’t be happier that you’ll be celebrating it with us.”

“Well,” added Armin, “it was nice of the princesses to bring us.”

“That it was. However, there is something I’d like to ask the humans, and do not take this the wrong way.”

Immediately, the humans’ looks of pleasantness became one of awkward confusion.

“It’s alright,” Sasha vouched. “She only wants to measure us!”

“Measure us?” asked Eren.

“What for?” wondered Jean, as if almost offended.

“You see,” Rarity explained. “On the night of the Summer Sun Celebration, there is a lavish ball that is held, and everypony will be dressed in their best suits and gowns. I assume that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna would like you to attend, but I can’t imagine that you brought such formal attire with you.”

“Of course not,” Levi responded. “All we were told was that we would be going to Canterlot.”

“That’s all well and good, but I still don’t think I would be able to allow you to attend such an important party dressed as… casually as you all are. That is why, after dinner, I would like you to follow me back to Carousel Boutique so I can measure you all, in complete privacy, of course, and present you with proper attire for the ball.”

As usual, the humans, especially the men, looked rather uncomfortable about Rarity’s question.

“It’s okay, everybody,” Sasha assured them. “She only wants to help us out. Plus, I managed to see the ones she was already working on for the rest of you,” she said, directing her voice to the ponies. “I know she’ll do a good job. Come on, guys. Give her a chance!”

The other humans looked to each other, as if waiting for one of them to commit for the rest. However, one finally broke the silence.

“I’ll do it,” spoke Hanji. “I’ve never considered myself a dressy person, but if it will make you and the others happy, I’ll gladly volunteer.”

The other humans, seeing Hanji’s offer, relaxed as they prepared their answer.

“I suppose if we can dress like the citizens from the inner districts,” said Conny.

“Come to think of it,” mentioned Jean, “that doesn’t sound too bad.”

“You’re right,” agreed Petra. “I think we can manage.”

“I might as well,” Levi relented with a sigh. “I’ll need to have these clothes cleaned of hay anyways.”

“I’ll give you my permission as well,” spoke Mikasa.

“So will I,” answered Armin.”

Eren looked about, seeing himself as the last man out. However, if his friends were all up to it, it seemed that his hands were tied.

“Alright,” Eren answered. “I’ll come too.”

“Wonderful!” chirped Rarity. “Sasha and I will lead you over to my house after dinner.”

“But what about our dresses?” asked Pinkie Pie. “I had set of precious time in my calendar to be able to see them!”

“It’s okay, Pinkie,” Twilight told her. “I’m sure Rarity hasn’t forgotten.”

“Indeed I haven’t!” responded Rarity. “Since I will need to make more outfits, I will need a bit more time to finish yours. However, I thought it would be a lot more fun if we could all see everyone’s outfits tomorrow. How does that sound?”

“Actually,” Applejack said, smugly smiling at Rarity’s ingenuity, “that ain’t a half-bad idea, Rarity!”

“Probably because that’s not a bad idea at all!” Pinkie Pie agreed.

“Then it’s settled,” declared Rarity. “The big reveal will be tomorrow!”

The others nodded in agreement, chattering about what surprise tomorrow would hold

“Hello?” piped a meek voice from the front end of the table.

Standing at the end of the table was a happy bluish-grey pegasus mare with a choppy, blonde mane and tail. Seven tiny bubbles were what comprised her cutie mark, but the most remarkable feature of all were her golden yellow eyes, one of which would constantly look off in the opposite direction from the other. The others looked felt odd about her condition, but did their best to not alienate her for it.

“Um…” responded Armin, still perplexed about the pegasus’ condition. “Hello there.”

“Hi!” she greeted, he voice sounding squeaky and slightly slurred. “I’m Derpy Hooves, and I have a message for you guys!”

Derpy? Eren thought. Someone was really cruel enough to name someone like that?

“What is it?” asked Twilight in response to Derpy Hooves’s statement.

“Well, you guys kind of showed up out of the blue, and the ponies who sent me over wanted to know…”

Derpy Hooves’s words trailed off as she spotted Eren looking at her pitifully.

“Hey,” asked Derpy Hooves, sounding somewhat hurt, “why is he looking at me like that?”

Twilight and Applejack both turned to look at Eren, whose face made them feel sick with embarrassment, only adding to Eren’s confusion and pressure.

“I’m sorry,” Eren defended sincerely. “I’m just curious why your eyes are jumbled up like that.”

“Eren!” scolded Twilight. “Don’t be so insensitive!”

“It’s okay,” sighed Derpy Hooves, looking a touch despondent. “I was born with the condition. It’s okay, though! I can see just fine!”

“Well…” Eren said nervously, “I’m glad to hear that.”

Derpy Hooves, accepting the compliment as an apology, closed her eyes and gave Eren a loving smile.

“Anyways,” interrupted Twilight, still sounding a touch irate, “what did you want to tell us?”

“Oh, that’s right!” Derpy Hooves exclaimed, clunking her head with her hoof. “Silly of me to forget. I was sent by the folks at the Ponyville Hostel if you humans needed a place to sleep tonight and tomorrow. Well?”

“That’s awful kind of ya’,” responded Applejack. “However, I was planning on letting Mikasa stay with me overnight.”

“Eh,” Twilight spoke, “that could be a problem for me.”

“Huh?” wondered Hanji. “Why’s that?”

“I only have my bed upstairs, and that won’t be nearly enough to fit four of you, even if I sleep on the floor.”

“And even if I did have the room,” added Rainbow Dash, “I don’t think Eren can walk on clouds like pegasi can.”

“Well, that shouldn’t be a problem,” Applejack said. “There’s plenty of space at Sweet Apple Acres for a whole bunch of you. How does that sound.”

“Well,” asked Petra, “how many can you allow?”

“Well, I already have Mikasa, and I can take you, Levi, Hanji, Armin, and Eren. That is, if you don’t mind sharing beds.”

“That’s fine,” Petra responded, holding Levi’s left hand, “we won’t mind.”

Levi looked to Petra, who merely gave him a toothy smile that they both know he couldn’t deny.

“I’ll come to,” he responded.

“If you’re really up for it,” Hanji said. “I’ll come too.”

“Plus,” Armin spoke, standing up and coming in between Eren and Mikasa, placing his hands on their shoulders, “we’ll get to be together.”

“Yeah,” Eren sighed, relieved by this aspect. “Sorry, Rainbow Dash.”

“Ah, it’s cool,” she spoke with a wave of her hoof. “We got the rest of your stay to hang out some more.”

“What about the rest of you?” asked Twilight.

“Oh, it’s okay,” responded Fluttershy. “I’ll let Jean have my bed.”

“And Sasha can have mine. I can move my things down to the studio and work there with Coco for the night.”

“And you don’t mind sleeping with your good pal Pinkie, would you?” Pinkie Pie asked to Conny, hugging him.

“Sure,” he wheezed, feeling the wind being crushed from him.

“So,” Derpy wondered, looking about the ponies and humans, “you’re all set then?”

“Afraid so,” Twilight responded, “but thank you very much for the message, Derpy.”

“Well, that’s good!” Derpy Hooves responded. “I’ll be sure to let the hostel know!”

Derpy Hooves turned away from the table and began to exit the café, letting the others resume their reunion meal. Unbeknownst to Derpy Hooves, Twilight pulled down on Eren’s ear, scolding him for his behavior.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Derpy Hooves walked about Ponyville, the sun soon beginning to dip past the hills to the west and the streets becoming more vacant. Looking out at a single upcoming alley, she spotted a mint-green tail with a white streak flick out from the end of it, signaling her over. Derpy Hooves moved into a quick trot and slid inside the alley, finding Lyra inside.

Coming deeper into the alley, Lyra gave Derpy Hooves an expectant and firm nod. Instantly, Derpy Hooves’s light, bubbly smile changed into that of equal seriousness and determination. However, her eyes remained in their abnormal positions.

“Did the humans accept?” Lyra asked her.

“No, they didn’t,” responded Derpy Hooves, her voice much more controlled and fluent. “It seems that they will be spending the night with their friends. Several of them are going to Sweet Apple Acres, on the count of Twilight not having any more room and Rainbow Dash being unable to house a human in her cloud home.”

“I see. It’ll be much harder to keep our eyes on them, then. No offense, that is…”

“None taken…”

As Derpy Hooves paced around, Lyra couldn’t help but note the hostile tone to her voice at her last two words.

“What happened?” asked Lyra.

“That Eren one. He made a crack about my eyes.”

“Hey, Derpy, I’m sure he didn’t mean that. We were told that he is a bit rash, both on and off the battlefield.”

“I’ll show him a rash, alright…”

“Derpy, now’s not the time to start something. Come on, let’s go send our report, grab a shake, and call it a night. Deal?”

Derpy Hooves, realizing herself being worked up, took a deep, relaxing sigh and looked to her partner with a smirk, gladdened by the prospect of a refreshing frost beverage.

“Alright,” she answered. “Let’s get going.”

Walking side by side, Lyra and Derpy Hooves made their way to the other end of the alley towards the town, Derpy Hooves reforming into her happy and blithe façade.
> Chapter 4: Sweat and Blood
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunset Shimmer looked nearly dead when she slept. The only part of her body that moved inside her hollowed out cocoon bed was her chest as it subtly rose up and down. Her clothes were folded neat atop her organized 3D Maneuver Gear above her head.

Silently creeping up to the cocoon was a changeling, its footsteps just as inaudible as Sunset Shimmer was. It kept close to the cocoon, but kept its head so that the shadow wouldn’t pass over her eyes and possibly alert her. Opening its mouth, the changeling prepared to take a bite.

Before her eyes even opened, Sunset Shimmer’s right hand clasped onto the changeling’s neck. As the creature tried breaking free, Sunset Shimmer hurled her arm over herself and thrust the changeling’s back into the rock beside her bed, incapacitating it.

Using this moment to her advantage, Sunset Shimmer grabbed one of the bladed operational devices from her sheath, and held the tip of the blade at the struggling changeling’s throat.

“Bwahahaha,” laughed Chrysalis, approaching from behind. “Marvelous as always, Sunset Shimmer.”

Realizing that it was a test, Sunset Shimmer let the changeling go and let it scurry away before she slid her sword back into its sheath.

“We have plenty of work to do today,” Chrysalis told her, “so chop chop!”

Sunset Shimmer stood up from her bed, bent down, and picked up her clothes, walking off with them.

“If I wanted to be woken up this early,” Sunset Shimmer moaned, “I would have stayed back at school.”

“Ugh,” groaned Chrysalis, “don’t you just love morning ponies?”

The assaulted changeling watched Sunset Shimmer walk off with her clothes, grumbling as it rubbed the back of its head.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Mikasa fluttered her eyes open, although the darkness of her bedroom didn’t help her much. The forest-green walls were barely intelligible, only visible through the sunshine that shone through the blinds. Noticing that morning had already come, Mikasa looked to her right and left, noticing that Eren and Armin were both asleep beside her, sandwiching her in.

As quietly as possible, Mikasa rolled the covers off of her and her two friends and gently squirmed out, revealing them all to be wearing white, matching pajamas. Sliding off the front of the bed and quietly to her feet, Mikasa shed her shirt off and walked towards her empty backpack, a pile of folded clothes lying beside it.

With Eren and Armin rolling towards the space Mikasa left, the two continued sleeping, nether of them any the wiser about Mikasa undressing in front of them.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Applejack stood in the kitchen, trying to manage the antsy Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo as they looked about the room, waiting for a certain someone to appear.

“Come on!” whined Apple Bloom. “She said she’d take us!”

“I know that!” hissed Applejack, trying to keep her sister quiet. “I can’t control how long that girl sleeps, and I don’t think it’s right to wake her if she’s comfortable.”

“But she said she would!” Scootaloo said.

“Listen, I’ll give her two more minutes, and then I’m taking all y’all to school.”

“Don’t bother,” Mikasa voice whispered down the stairs.

Mikasa nimbly flew down the stairs, wearing her white blouse, grey dress, and red jacket, wrapping her scarf around her neck.

“Mikasa!” shouted Apple Bloom happily, leaping off her hooves.

“Hey!” Applejack hushed. “Just because she’s awake doesn’t mean the others are.”

“Sorry…” squeaked Apple Bloom.

“That’s fine. Run along now. I don’t want Mikasa to run y’all to school.”

The fillies ran to her side and hugged at her legs, excited for her to finally escort them.

“You know where you’re going?” asked Applejack to her friend.

“Just like you told me last night.”

“Alright, then. See you tonight, Apple Bloom.”

“Bye, sis!”

Mikasa walked to the door, swinging it open for the fillies to exit. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle did so with fluttery giggles under their breath. Without even looking back, Mikasa stepped out of the front door, following the three fillies out and slowly letting the door close.
________________________________________________________________________________________

As Mikasa and the three fillies walked along the path from Sweet Apple Acres, the sound of children playing came wafting through the trees. Sure enough, a small, red schoolhouse with a bell tower on the front side of the roof came into view. To the left, there were fillies and colts frolicking in the playground, which featured a swing set, a dual tetherball court, and small wooden hurdles. To the right a red, triangular flag wove in the wind, held by a polished wooden pole.

“We’re here!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed. “Just wait until we show everypony who got to take us to school!”

As the four of them approached the school yard, two more fillies became visible from the other end of the path. One of them had a pink coat with a purple mane and tail with a large white streak down the middle. Her cutie mark consisted of a blue tiara, matching the one she wore on her head.

The second was grey-colored, her combed and ponytailed mane and brushed tail colored in lighter shades. Her eyes were covered in large glasses with blue rims and a pearl choker was wrapped around her neck. A silver spoon with a magenta heart on the end of the stem was what made up her cutie mark.

The two fillies spotted Apple Bloom and her friends, devious smiles appearing on her faces. Mikasa, almost as if a sixth sense hit her, could already tell that something was wrong about the ponies approaching them, her mild-mannered face contorting into caution. However, the three fillies following her looked confident with their human friend by their side.

“Well, well, well,” jeered the pink filly, “if it isn’t the Legion of Blank Flanks.”

“That’s not our name,” shouted Scootaloo, “and you know it! We’re the Cutie Mark Crusaders!”

“Oh, right! How could I have ever confused the two? They’re so vastly different!”

“Not!” added the grey filly, leading to both of them laughing.

Mikasa looked mildly annoying with their condescending behavior. However, the three other fillies with her were far from disheartened.

“Save it!” Apple Bloom demanded, ceasing their bullies’ laughter. “Diamond Tiara,” she addressed to the pink filly and then to the grey one, “Silver Spoon. This is our good friend Mikasa, from the planet Earth!”

The Cutie Mark Crusaders stood before the other two fillies and nodded in affirmation.

“Oh,” Diamond Tiara mocked, “we saw it coming from a mile away. We were just taught better to not pay any attention to stray animals.”

Mikasa’s brow began to furrow. It was nothing she couldn’t handle, but the three fillies’ proud expressions began to deflate, serving only to make her anger grow.

“What?” responded Silver Spoon. “Were you trying to earn your cutie marks in zookeeping this time?”

“She isn’t an animal!” Sweetie Belle defended, although clearly sounding hurt. “I bet she’s got even more class than the both of you combined!”

“Hardly,” Diamond Tiara responded, circling around the three fillies and Mikasa with Silver Spoon with the likeness of prowling lions. “Only a dirty ape like that would wear such an ugly jacket…”

Mikasa’s teeth began to bare, resisting the urge to do something rash as they came back in front of her again. The three fillies under her care began to slump, unable to counter Diamond Tiara’s or Silver Spoon’s insults.

“Or that filthy dress,” added Silver Spoon.

“Or that ratty looking scarf,” spoke Diamond Tiara.

Mikasa’s eyes shot open, unable to hear another word. Stepping past Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, the two of them and Scootaloo shocked by her actions, she glowered over Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, getting them to quiet themselves.

“Did no one ever teach you when to keep your mouth shut?” growled Mikasa.

“Ooh,” taunted Diamond Tiara, keeping her cocksure smile, “did I touch a nerve there?”

“Don’t get her angry!” whispered Silver Spoon in a volume that Mikasa could clearly hear. “She might attack you and give you rabies!”

As the two fillies laughed at Mikasa’s expense, Mikasa flexed her hand out, finding herself unable to control her reach for Diamond Tiara. Before she could have the chance, the bell above the school began to ring. At once, the foals in the schoolyard all ran to the front entrance, piling in one by one. Mikasa looked to the entrance of the school, seeing the sight herself.

“Well?” Diamond Tiara continued to provoke. “What now?”

Mikasa looked back at Diamond Tiara. Contempt filled her eyes, but her mouth spelled a hint of defeat.

“The bell rang,” Mikasa hinted fiercely. “You should get to class now.”

“Hmph,” she responded. “That’s what I thought. Come on, Silver.”

Raising their heads up and huffing, the two of them marched into the school with an air of superiority. Beside her, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo trod towards the school, humiliated and ashamed.

“I’m sorry, Mikasa,” moaned Apple Bloom. “I didn’t know she would be so mean to you.”

“You have nothing to worry about,” assured Mikasa. “I’ll come pick you up afterwards.”

As the yellow filly gave a smile of appreciation, the shrill voice of Diamond Tiara shattered it once again.

“Hey!” she shouted. “You heard the mutt! Get inside! Or do you want to earn your cutie marks in tardiness?”

Without a word or a hint of a goodbye, the three fillies made their way to the school, Diamond Tiara holding the door open for them while Silver Spoon waved them in. Mikasa kept an intense watch over them until they, along with Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara were inside the school and the door was closed.

Mikasa hissed through her teeth. She would not let those two fillies get away from her today.
________________________________________________________________________________________

A blade spun in the air, the tip piercing a hanging cocoon filled with a green ooze inside a stone hallway filled with dozens of cut cocoons. Sunset Shimmer, dressed and equipped in her Maneuver Gear, drove her empty operational device onto the base of the blade, connecting it once more.

Spinning to the left, Sunset Shimmer slashed her blade out of the cocoon and continued to swing it into another, spilling both of its contents simultaneously. With her arms crossed, she stood face to face at another cocoon, slashing an x-pattern into the cocoon and draining it as well, then slashing the top to drop it and see from behind it.

With one last cocoon remaining, she swung her arms out at it and ejected both blades, launching them with the tips spearing into it. Sunset Shimmer drove both blades back into her operational devices and swung around, leaving two large cuts in the cocoon that bled it dry.

Sunset Shimmer, panting, raised her hands towards her face, seeing how they, along with her blades and operational devices, were coated in ooze. Grunting loud, Sunset Shimmer turned around and jogged back to the beginning of the hall.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Sasha sat on a luxurious couch with a gold frame inside Rarity’s studio, patting her belly full of breakfast. The sounds of several sewing machines rung from the ceiling into the room above her. Sasha grunted, both from the tightness in her gut and the anticipation of what Rarity’s creations would look like.

“Rarity,” called Sasha, “how much longer?”

“Coming, Sasha!” called Rarity’s voice.

After a few moments of time, Rarity trotted down the stairs along the outside of the studio and found Sasha on her couch, bored nearly to tears.

“Come now, Sasha,” Rarity scolded, approaching her closer, “you can’t possibly look this distraught over a single dress… although I do believe the end result will be most wonderful.”

As Rarity giggled, she felt Sasha’s arms grab her shoulders and her face get excruciatingly close to hers.

“Don’t tease me!” she shouted, making Rarity squeal in fear. “Just tell me! How much longer?”

“I…” Rarity stammered, darting her eyes about the room, “just about an hour more?”

Sasha still looked uptight, still unhappy from the answer.

“At the most?” Rarity squeaked, her last effort of calming laid bare.

Sasha finally relinquished her grip on Rarity, slouching back towards the couch. Rarity brushed her shoulders with her hooves, straitening the frayed bits of her coat.

“Well,” Rarity said, trying to put her cheerful demeanor back. “look on the bright side. The rest of your friends should be coming soon, and after we’ve looked at your new clothes, I’ve planned a day at the spa for all of us!”

“The spa?” asked Sasha, clearly making her confusion known.

“Sasha? Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of a spa before!”

“I’m sorry… but I haven’t.”

“Oh, dear me, Sasha, you are going to have a ball! Massages, facials, saunas, hot tubs, mud baths. Oh, you are going to feel the best that you have in years, darling!”

“I’m sure they won’t disappoint,” Sasha chuckled nervously.

“Alright then,” Rarity sighed, backing up towards the stairs. “Why don’t you just let the fantasies of your preening keep you busy while Coco and I finish up your friends’ clothes?”

Sasha watched Rarity as she disappeared up the stairs, humming a merry tune to herself.

“Um…” Sasha thought aloud, “okay?”

Sinking back onto the couch, she lied down and scanned the wall, searching for any little thing to help the promised hour tick by.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunset Shimmer and Chrysalis sat at an ornately carved stone table across from each other. Each one had merely a large goblet placed in front of them, a thick green liquid inside of it. While Chrysalis sipped hers much like she would a fine wine, Sunset Shimmer sat her head on the palm of her hand, swirling her goblet around, disinterested and having somewhat lost her appetite.

“What’s wrong?” asked Chrysalis. “Is your lunch not to your liking?”

“I’ve never been very big on lime flavor,” she spoke.

“Well, it’s all we can eat down here if we don’t want to get caught. Plus, it’s rich in protein.”

Sunset Shimmer, squirming at the final word Chrysalis had said, grabbed her entire goblet’s stem and began chugging down the syrupy liquid inside, parts dribbling down her cheeks. Chrysalis watched Sunset Shimmer with an ounce of awe as she set the cup back, wiped her mouth and face with her napkin, stood up, and tossed the napkin on the table.

“I’m going to continue warming up,” she said as she left the room.

Upon Sunset Shimmer’s finally leaving, Chrysalis gave a shrug and took another sip of her own green slime.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Sasha was fast asleep on Rarity's couch, the tension of waiting absent in her relaxed body. However, with the sound of the door clicking open and the top of it hitting the bell placed in front of it, Sasha awoke with a jolt, falling off the couch with a yelp. Woozily getting up, Sasha looked to see Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Hanji, Levi, Petra, and Applejack frozen in place just outside the building, perplexed by her reaction.

“Looks like you got a good night’s sleep,” Levi grumbled, stretching his still tired bones.

Applejack huffed irately at Levi’s remark. As the humans and pony entered inside Carousel Boutique, Sasha couldn’t help but feel excited about the arrival of her friends.

“Is it almost time?” asked Sasha, crawling to Armin and grabbing him at the end of his vest, making him uneasy.

“I don’t know!” Armin shuddered. “We haven’t seen anyone else come yet.”

Before the door could close, all the way, a purple hoof stopped it, opening it back up for herself and Rainbow Dash, the other pony revealing herself to be Twilight.

“Morning guys!” Rainbow Dash called with a wave. “Morning, Eren!”

“Good morning, Rainbow Dash,” Eren responded happily.

“Twilight,” spoke Armin, “you haven’t seen the others yet, have you?”

“I saw Fluttershy and Jean come down,” answered Rainbow Dash, “and if I’m timing it correctly, Pinkie Pie and Conny should be here–”

“Hi, guys!” shouted Pinkie Pie, hopping into the room with a panting Conny jogging in after her.

“…now.”

“Dammit, Pinkie,” Conny wheezed, “you’re too fast for me.”

“Sorry, Conny,” the pink responded, “I couldn’t help it! I could just faintly hear Rainbow Dash telling me I was going to arrive, and what kind of friend would I be if I disappointed her?”

“A normal one…” Conny said under his breath.

Upon hearing the clamoring downstairs, Rarity trotted down the stairs once again, surprised to see nearly everyone had arrived.

“Well, look at you,” she complimented, “all arriving on time!”

“Of course, silly!” called Pinkie Pie. “What kind of friends would we be if we were late?”

“Wait a tic. I don’t see Jean or Fluttershy yet.”

“Give them a second,” spoke Rainbow Dash. “In fact, judging from where I last saw them, they should be here–”

“We’re here,” Jean responded, entering inside the boutique with Fluttershy landing beside him.

“Wow, two for two.”

Rarity sighed happily upon seeing the whole of her friends before her.

“Now that you’re all here,” she formally greeted, “I am happy to announce that all of your attires have been finished. Would you like to see them?”

Before anyone could utter a word or make any kind of action, Sasha plowed through the cloud at up the stairs, coming towards Rarity. Suddenly, a blue aura encased her, ceasing her movements and confusing Sasha.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Rarity responded. “Follow me. You’ll all get to see them at once.”

Rarity let go of Sasha and made her way back up the stairs, the others, including Sasha, patiently walking up the stairs and towards Rarity’s workshop. They came to a pink-colored hallway with a single door at the end of it. Passing a door to the right of the room, which Mikasa glanced a look at, Rarity opened the door and entered inside, allowing the others to follow.

The outer edge of the room was covered up with large, pink curtains, concealing the dresses inside. Coco Pommel was standing in the center of the circular room, stepping back to make room for the others. As Sasha tried to take a peek behind one of the curtains, the gathering of the others forcibly herded her into the center of the room, annoying her.

“Now,” explained Rarity, closing the door behind her, “I’m glad you’ve all come to see the unveiling of your new clothes. It was a lot of fun and quite the challenge for both Coco and I, especially for the human clothing, but I’m certain you will be pleased with the results. Before we begin, I’d like to organize you all. For the humans, your outfits will be on the left side of the room, while for my pony friends, your clothes are on the right. Go ahead and move yourselves.”

With nonchalant shrugs, the humans and ponies walked about the room until each species stood on their own half. Feeling the moment of truth come, closer, Sasha lightly hopped up and down on the floor, keeping her excited murmurs to a minimum.

“Fillies and gentlecolts,” she exclaimed, her horn glowing and a blue aura grabbing the curtains, “I present to you, the Summer Sun Ensemble.”

The curtains were tugged, the tops of them falling to the floor and revealing the clothes stationed on the mannequins. The humans were surprised to find that the mannequins matched their body shapes as opposed to the pony shaped ones off to the other side of the room. The mares to the right shrieked and giggled with glee as they saw their new clothes, while only Sasha and Hanji acted the same as they ran to their set looking for their outfits.

Sasha finally found hers, and her knees trembled at the sight of it. It was a brilliant red gown with a slit running to the mid-thigh and a black band around the waist, a beautiful black-and-white checkered choker hanging above the neck. Standing beside the mannequin were a pair of shiny black-lace slippers.

Hanji’s dress was a wavy, flowing jade green with a deep V running to the center of her breast, featuring mesh shoulders with satin feathers decorated on it as well as a golden belt around the waist. Hanging from the neck of her mannequin were two long turquoise earrings that sparkled with touches of diamonds.

“Oh my God,” sighed Sasha, nearly on the verge of tears and cupping her hands over her mouth. “It’s so pretty…”

“This is incredible!” Hanji declared as she fondled the dress and examined it from nearly every angle. “Rarity really outdid herself!”

The others, seeing Sasha and Hanji’s reactions, began to walk about to their own clothes, looking for their names labeled on the proper mannequin. Meanwhile the ponies were all gathered around their own dresses, gushing over theirs or eagerly discussing the others with their friends.

Twilight’s dress featured a purple short-sleeved blouse with a gold choker around the neck, featuring her magenta star cutie mark as its emblem. Attached to the back, was a radiant, sheeny purple bodice with small orb-like designs that seemed to blend in a 3D space like a hologram. Emblazoned over both sides where the flank would be was the enlarged design of Twilight’s cutie mark. Lastly, four light-blue slippers were placed over the four hooves on the mannequin.

The rest of the ponies’ dresses were likewise in concept, but different in color and style. Rainbow Dash’s dress featured a white blouse with a sky-blue bodice with lighter-blue orbs, featuring her cutie mark and gold, lightning-shaped trimming on its edges that matched her four slippers. Two holes were made for Rainbow Dash’s wings, but featured gold sleeves that would slip over her hooves. Around the neck of her mannequin was a double-chained necklace featuring a red lightning bolt as the center gem.

Applejack’s was both a green blouse with short light-green sleeves and bodice with red, orange, yellow, and lime-green orbs. The bodice’s outer trimming was white with golden outlines, and the both sides of the back end featured three large white apples with faint red glows. A regal Stetson with red stitching was placed atop the head and a modest pendant of a red apple was fastened around the neck. Her four slippers were white with green soles.

Fluttershy’s light-green sleeveless blouse matched her bodice, the outline of which transferred from a brilliant lime-green at the front center and faded carefully on both sides into a yellowish-orange at the back end. The orbs near the back end were colored orange, purple, and yellow, and both sides of the back end were marked with three glowing, pink butterflies. Much like Applejack, a pink-butterfly shaped pendant was fastened at the neck. Her slippers were jade-green, the back two having lace that ran up the shin.

Pinkie Pie’s blouse was more complex, featuring a light-blue sequined front, puffy light-pink shoulders, and translucent pink sleeves. The orbs on her pink bodice were an array of vibrant colors, neither distracting the main pink color or the three balloons on both sides, the center one yellow, the side two blue. Pinkie Pie’s slippers matched her blouse, and the neck of the mannequin was given a ringed choker with a blue-balloon gem.

Rarity’s seemed to have its own kind of design, the deep purple blouse being long-sleeved and featuring a tall flipped collar. Separated by a gold band was her bodice, featuring not only the purple orbs, but also a kaleidoscope-like array of diamonds all over it. Also, it seemed narrow, the dress matching the contours of the mannequin’s body and back legs very well. Both the edges of the dress and the sleeves of the blouse were light blue and looked to be made of lighter material. Rarity’s blue slippers with gold lace perfectly matched her choker, featuring a blue diamond-shaped gem.

“This is great, Rarity!” complimented Twilight. “These just might even be better than your Grand Galloping Gala design!”

“Oh, I doubt that,” spoke Rarity with a smug grin on her face, “but they really are, aren’t they?”

“I’ll say!” butted in Pinkie Pie. “We’re going to be turning so many heads. We’re going to be head magnets!”

Fluttershy couldn’t stifle a giggle at the pink mare’s enthusiasm as she admired her dress. Both Applejack and Rainbow Dash, fully satisfied with their designs, clopped both of their hooves together vigorously. Finally, on the other side of the room, Eren and the other humans finally found their clothes. Upon recognizing them as theirs, they couldn’t look happier with the results.

Eren’s clothes consisted of a pristine dark-grey corduroy jacket, a pair of matching pants, and a light gray shirt with the top button undone. As well, a pair of shiny black shoes were set at the base of his mannequin with a pair of black socks in the soles. Folded up next to his shoes was a black satin jacket and matching pants. Eren looked upon the second set of clothes confusedly.

“Why did I get two sets of clothes?” he spoke to himself.

Armin and Mikasa looked up at their own clothes with a sense of awe. Mikasa’s mannequin wore her dress, a simple gown with a flowing black bodice, held together by two thin straps over the shoulders. Mikasa couldn’t help but notice a red scarf around the neck as well, showing how well hers would complement her new dress. Mikasa also had black high heels that also went well with her dress.

Armin had a light blue blouse with loose sleeves and a darker blue vest over it with long coattails that reached the center of the back of the calves. The collar was held together by a broach with a red gem. In place of shoes, he was given a pair of majestic blue boots that climbed all the way up to the bottom of his knees.

Meanwhile, Petra and Levi were looking upon their outfits. Levi spied a smart, dark-red suit with black lapels, a white shirt, and a black bow tie. Levi couldn’t help but be impressed by his outfit’s simplistic elegance, smirking appreciatively.

“This is beautiful,” sighed Petra, feeling about her dress.

The dress itself was slender and colored a bright yellow with a wide, matching band around the waist. It had no sleeves and featured a tight collar that covered the entire neck. Hooked onto the top end of the mannequin’s neck were a pair of subtle ruby earrings. Beneath it were a pair of shiny orange slippers.

“It’s perfect!” Petra responded. “We’re going to look so well together!”

Petra leapt onto Levi and wrapped her arm around his shoulder, laughing excitedly. Levi felt somewhat off put by the sudden gesture, but was glad to see Petra happy. Jean and Conny looked upon their own clothes wondrously as well.

Jean was presented with a dark brown tuxedo, featuring a golden vest, a white collared shirt underneath, and a black tie around the collar. Conny’s suit was a silky grey jacket, a white turtleneck, and a black pair of pants. Both outfits were each complimented with a pair of dark-brown leather shoes.

“Oh my,” Fluttershy’s voice broke out as she walked up beside Jean, “you’re going to look so handsome in that suit.”

Jean, seeing the yellow pegasus next to her, rubbed her mane with her hand and chuckled.

“You think so?” he asked her.

“I know so,” Fluttershy spoke with confidence. “At least,” she said, shying back, “I think I am.”

“Yeah,” Jean responded, “you probably are.”

Conny continued looking out over his outfit when he saw a set of clothes beside the mannequin. Picking them up and observing them, he was surprised to find a dark-green short-sleeved, button-up shirt and a pair of brown corduroys. As he continued looking, Eren bumped into him, his new jacket and pants in hand.

“Conny,” mumbled Eren, annoyed.

“Hey,” he responded, “you got extra clothes too.”

“Well, of course you did!” Rarity spoke up. “Canterlot is a city of class, and, no offense, I couldn’t allow you to walk about the city in those drab tunics of yours!”

“Uh…” Eren moaned in awkward confusion, “thank you?”

“Not a problem!” Rarity responded, walking towards the center where Coco was.

Conny looked to Eren and gave him a shrug, satisfied with his answer. Rarity cleared her throat as she approached the center of the room, ready to make another announcement.

“So, everyone and everypony,” she asked around, “how do you like your new clothes?”

The room erupted in a plethora of pleasant confirmations and thanks for her work. Coco nodded as well, wanting to feel their gratitude as well.

“Thank you very much, Rarity,” responded Armin.

“Hold on,” spoke Sasha. “You shouldn’t forget Coco. She was also a big help.”

Coco gasped, surprised to be acknowledged by someone.

“Why, thank you Sasha,” Coco replied with a genuine smile.

“Don’t thank her,” said Rarity, draping her arm over Coco. “In fact, they should all be thanking you for all of your help.”

“Yes,” spoke Petra, “thank you, Coco.”

As the others thanked her as well, Coco became flushed with pride and accomplishment.

“You’re all very welcome,” Coco said to everyone. “It was my sincere pleasure to work for you.”

“And here are your pants, Sasha,” Rarity said, charging her horn.

Rarity lifted up a pair of white pants from the ground and hovered them towards Sasha, which began to fold themselves neatly as they landed in Sasha’s arms.

“Pants?” wondered Eren. “What did you need her pants for?”

“I won’t lie,” Rarity explained, “while shirts, frocks, and dresses are no stranger to me, I’ve never worked with pants before, so I needed a model to work with. But enough about that. Who’s up for a trip to the spa?”

The others looked at each other with unsure looks, wondering what they’d be getting themselves into.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunset Shimmer dove into a steaming spring inside the cave, quickly surfacing her body up and rotating her arms and kicking her feet in a breaststroke. Her yellow skin was showing signs of redness due to the heat of the water, but she continued her swimming regardless.

Pushing off the back wall of the spring, Sunset continued the breaststroke until she reached the end of the pool. Chrysalis watched her intently, smiling at Sunset’s endurance as she resumed a final lap.

With her swimming done, Sunset Shimmer ran out of the pool in her bikini and underwear, running up a narrow passageway into the hive’s living quarters. Finding the stream at the other end of the room, she took long, careful strides as she made her way to her relief, grunting in slight pain with each step she took.

Sunset Shimmer unceremoniously jumped in, the cold water feeling like ice on her skin. Sunset Shimmer rose up and shouted from the chill. Chrysalis’s laughter came out from the other end of the room while Sunset Shimmer swam to the stream’s bank and held on before the stream could carry her away.

“Wonderful job today,” Chrysalis complemented. “You can rest now.”

As Chrysalis walked away, Sunset Shimmer hopped out of the water and lied on her back, breathing unsteady and shaky breaths. Despite the limits her own body was breaking, Sunset Shimmer chuckled, knowing her hard work would all pay off in the long run.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Later, that afternoon, Eren, Armin, Sasha, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Levi, Petra, and Hanji all accompanied Applejack and Mikasa towards the schoolyard to retrieve Apple Bloom and her two friends. By now, school had ended, but the colts and fillies playing in the yard were too waiting for their guardians to pick them up and take them home.

Applejack and Mikasa both brightened up upon seeing Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo running about the schoolyard together, neither Diamond Tiara nor Silver Spoon in sight. Upon seeing the humans and ponies approach, the three fillies gasped and darted directly towards them.

“Mikasa!” shouted Apple Bloom. “Yer’ all here!”

“Why wouldn’t we be?” Applejack responded. “Who else did you expect to come?”

As Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo made their way to Rarity and Rainbow Dash, respectfully, Sweetie Belle looked up at the unfamiliar girl who stood by Rarity’s side.

“Sweetie Belle,” spoke Rarity, “please meet my good friend, Sasha. She’ll be staying at our house tonight before we leave for Canterlot tomorrow morning.”

“Cool!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed as she allowed a crouching Sasha to shake her hoof. “Rarity could hardly stop talking about you when she got home from that. I’m really happy to…”

Sweetie Belle’s words dithered away as Sasha’s hand gently scratched the base of her mane. Rarity smiled at the warm reception her sister was giving her friend.

“Careful, Sweetie Belle,” screeched the familiar voice of Diamond Tiara. “You don’t want to get ticks from her.”

Sasha looked out to the source of the voice and saw the two bullying fillies approaching them. Hurt by her statement, Sasha pulled her hand away.

“Wow,” Silver Spoon said, “I guess you were right Diamond Tiara, they do travel in packs.”

The two fillies laughed while Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom walked behind their sisters and guardians, also hurt by their words. Mikasa gazed down with an extremely spiteful glare.

“Come on,” Applejack sighed to her fellow family and friends, “let’s just go home.”

The others, feeling somewhat confused by the two other fillies’ insults, began to split up towards their respective places of rest, choosing to ignore them.

“Yes,” Diamond Tiara egged on, “send the beasts back to their pens.”

Eren stopped in his tracks, offended by this particular remark. Mikasa stopped beside him. Before Eren could have the chance to turn around, she placed his hand on this shoulder.

“I’ll handle them,” she simply told them.

Eren turned to see Mikasa also walk back to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, her vengeful stare still boring into the two of them. The other ponies and humans turned and stopped to see Mikasa make their way to them before stopping right before them. Both of the fillies looked up with a sense of fear, unsure what she would do.

“Do you know what the adults in our town would do to punish nasty little children such as yourselves?”

“What?” asked Diamond Tiara with a smug smirk. “Did they put them do–”

Diamond Tiara’s words were silenced by a shrill yelp as she felt herself picked up by her mane and bent over Mikasa’s knee. With a forceful palm, Mikasa spanked Diamond Tiara hard on her rump. Diamond Tiara was in too much shock to feel the first hit, but upon the second whack, the sting was tremendous.

The ponies watched in sheer amazement as Mikasa continued to punish Diamond Tiara with more hard smacks. Silver Spoon was frozen in place as Diamond Tiara screamed with tears running down her face. The remaining fillies at the school gathered at the gate to watch. On the tenth and final smack, Mikasa lifted the filly back by her mane and let her down on her stomach, her butt too sore to stand.

“Your turn,” Mikasa said to the petrified Silver Spoon.

“No,” protested Silver Spoon as she found herself lifted up as well, “wait!”

Silver Spoon’s pleas fell on deaf ears as she was smacked just like her friend. The ponies shielded their eyes from such a painful punishment while the humans merely watched as if the fillies had what was coming to them.

After only five smacks, Silver Spoon’s punishment was done, letting her back down. Diamond Tiara managed to stand up while Silver Spoon was standing perfectly fine. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon began crying as they hobbled home.

“I’m…” whined Diamond Tiara, “I’m telling my dad on you!”

“Good!” shouted Mikasa. “I’ll spank him too for raising such a little shit!”

The two had no words left as they disappeared over the hills crying and moaning. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo walked from the group and to Mikasa, their eyes wide with wonder.

“Wow,” Scootaloo said, “no one’s ever done that to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon before.”

“I can’t believe you’d do that for us,” Apple Bloom said. 

“Listen,” Mikasa said to the three fillies, “don’t let what I have done make you think that you can just attack them. If they ever do give you trouble, tell them you’ll tell me. That will shut them up.”

Mikasa gave the three a smirk before they all jumped on her, giving her a farewell hug for the day.

“Thanks, Mikasa,” Sweetie Belle cooed, “you’re a really good friend.”

Mikasa returned the hug, wrapping her arms around each of them. The other ponies, brought back to a more comfortable atmosphere by the goodbye, smiled as well.

“Come along, Sweetie Belle,” called Rarity. “It’s getting late!”

“Coming!” called the white unicorn, running after her sister. “Bye Mikasa!”

“Scoots,” said Rainbow Dash, “I think it’s time we got you home.”

“Alright,” complied Scootaloo as she walked to her guardian’s side. “See you around, Mikasa!”

“I’ll see you tomorrow at the station, Eren.”

“Yeah,” responded Eren with a wave. “Goodnight, Rainbow Dash.”

Rarity, Sweetie Belle, and Sasha, as well as Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo all waved to their friends before they went their separate ways home. Apple Bloom stayed by Mikasa’s side as she leaned her body onto her leg like an affectionate cat.

Mikasa smiled as she picked up Apple Bloom by her waist and lifted her to her shoulders, letting her sit atop them. Applejack chuckled over Mikasa’s behavior, being mercilessly protective of her as well as being loving and caring towards her.

With little else to do except await the Canterlot train the next morning, Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Levi, Petra, Hanji, Apple Bloom, and Applejack made their way back to Sweet Apple Acres for the night.

> Chapter 5: Beryl
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A brown steam train with colorful-roofed cars sped through the tracks through many rocky tunnels and passageways. The sky was blue and cloudless, providing a beautiful reflection from a lake that the mountains surrounded. The early morning sun mottled the sky with a touch of orange and pink, providing a truly spectacular eve for the Summer Sun Celebration.

Inside the train’s cars, Twilight and her friends were sitting beside their human friends as they made pleasant conversation and looked out the windows, enjoying the scenery before they would arrive in Canterlot.

“If you thought my house looked cool,” Rainbow Dash told Eren, “…well, of course it is, but just wait until you see Canterlot.”

“I’ve been looking forward to it ever since you told us about it during the Battle of Trost,” Armin said.

“Trost?” wondered Eren. “When did she…”

Eren suddenly remembered Rainbow Dash’s words as she spoke to him inside the neck of his titan form.
________________________________________________________________________________________

“There are cities made of clouds, a castle on a cliff, dragons, manticores, hydras! It’s so cool in Equestria! I’ll take you there!”
________________________________________________________________________________________

“That’s right,” Eren sighed. “I almost blew it for everyone that day, didn’t I?”

“But you certainly didn’t, did you?” asked Twilight. “You saved a lot of people that day, Eren.”

“But if it wasn’t for all of you coming,” Armin said, “we’d all probably be dead, yet alone, not be here with you in Equestria.”

“Well,” said Spike as he walked up to the four of them, “we’re glad we did it, and we’d do it again.”

“Not that that would happen again, of course,” Twilight chuckled nervously.

“Of course not!” Spike assured them, waving his hand dismissively. “I was just saying that we were happy to do that for you guys.”

“We sure were. We even got some really cool friends out it.”

“I’ll say!” exclaimed Twilight, leaning onto Eren’s side, who received a firm pet of her coat from Eren.

“You haven’t even met everyone yet,” responded Twilight. “Shining Armor is coming with his wife, Cadance, and I’m sure you’ll get to meet my parents at some point.”

“Shining Armor is coming?” asked Petra, leaning in from her seat towards Twilight and her friends.

“Yep. As rulers of the Crystal Empire, it’s practically customary for them to attend.”

“Oh,” she sighed, sitting back in her seat. “I see.”

The train passed through the mountains, and Twilight, glancing out the window, smirked at the sight she saw.

“Well,” Twilight told Petra, her volume raised to address the rest of the car, “you’re not going to need to miss him for much longer, because ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Canterlot!”

The humans, minus Levi, scrambled to the left side of the car and looked out the window, completely floored by the sight they were looking upon. Not far off into the distance was a massive white city and palace with gold spires perched along the side of the mountain.

Gasps and sighs of, “Oohs,” and “Ahs,” were all that could come from the human’s mouths as they marveled at the majesty of Equestria’s capital city.

“Isn’t this awesome, Eren?” asked Rainbow Dash.

The lack of Eren’s response confused Rainbow Dash, and as she flew to the middle of the car to search for him, she found not a trace of him inside the car.

“Eren?” Rainbow Dash called, flying to the front end of the car. “Eren?”

Rainbow Dash flew to the back of the car and through the walkway into the next car. As she looked around, the sound of feet on the roof brought her to stop and realize where her friend was. With a chuckle, she flew out of the car and out from the side of the catwalk.

Flying up towards the roofs, she sighed with relief to see Eren trying to stand out of his kneel and keep his balance with the rickety train. After failing once again, Eren gasped as he felt a pair of arms grab him under his armpits and lift him to his feet.

“Hey,” she told him, landing on her hooves, “if you want to go onto the roof, let me know next time, okay?”

Eren giggled, happy to have his friend next to him for the breathtaking view of the castle ahead. Rainbow Dash jumped up, the train moving faster than her before she began flapping her wings and kept up with Eren and the train. Eren continued to look ahead to their spot as Rainbow Dash flew alongside, both enjoying the cool summer mountain breeze.
________________________________________________________________________________________

The train pulled up to Canterlot station and slowly screeched to a stop. Once the doors opened, Eren, Twilight, and all their friends poured out of the exit, wondering where to go from there. It didn’t take Eren and Twilight long to see Shining Armor standing at the end of the station, waving at them with an alicorn mare beside him.

The pony was very slender with a pink coat and wings with faded purple tips. Her mane was a long billow of light-yellow, fuchsia, and purple. A teal, crystal heart with gold lace made up her cutie mark.

“Shining Armor!” called Twilight. “Cadance!”

Twilight galloped towards her brother and the other mare as Petra broke through her friends to see Shining Armor gleefully greeting his sister with a snuggling hug. Petra, overjoyed to see Shining Armor again, ran towards him, who was completely unaware as he continued to greet Twilight.

“Shining Armor!” Petra cried out, wrapping her right arm around Shining Armor’s neck.

Shining Armor let out a loud laugh, both surprised by the newly added weight to his body and also glad to hear Petra’s voice.

“Petra!” Shining Armor exclaimed. “It’s great to see you too!”

“So this is that girl you were telling me about?” asked Cadance.

“Oh, right!”

Petra slid her arm off Shining Armor’s neck and faced both him and Cadance. From behind, Levi approached her, leading the other humans and ponies with him.

“Petra,” Shining Armor introduced, “this is my wife Cadance. Cadance, Petra.”

“It’s wonderful to finally meet you!” chirped Cadance as she let Petra shake her hoof. “I heard about what happened to your arm. You must be very brave to go off into battle and lose it.”

Levi came to Petra’s right side, slightly surprising Cadance.

“And you must be Levi,” she greeted, putting her hoof to her chest and bowing in reverence. “It’s an honor to meet you.”

Petra, enamored to see Cadance give such respect to him, clasped his left hand, surprising him greatly. Shining Armor noticed the gesture, smiling upon realizing what it meant.

“Well,” he chortled, “look at two lovebirds here.”

“Not just that,” Petra spoke, Levi looking a touch embarrassed at the news that was about to come, “but Levi and I… well, we’re engaged!”

Shining Armor and Cadance looked at each other with truly stunned expressions. Twilight and the other ponies, Spike especially, were just as surprised. Cadance and Twilight squealed with delight as they both walked up and hugged Levi and Petra, Spike running up and hugging Levi’s leg. The other ponies cheered the joyful news, but the humans merely smiled, having already known this before.

“Congratulations!” Cadance responded to Petra. “That’s wonderful to hear.”

“I’ll say!” Shining Armor added. “Do you have any idea when you’ll be married.”

“Huh?” Petra questioned, looking a bit flustered. “There’s… no need to rush, but I’ve always wanted a fall wedding!”

“Fall weddings are beautiful,” Twilight advised, “and I think it’s a perfect time for a couple like you to tie the knot.”

“Perhaps we can talk a bit more about it at the palace,” Shining Armor said. “Celestia and Luna actually sent us here to escort all of you there.”

“That sounds great,” Petra added. “What about our luggage?”

“Oh,” sighed Rarity, “I have someone for that.”

Weakly coming up behind the ponies and humans was a mountain of luggage being carried all on the back of a grey, homely unicorn stallion with a natural red mane and tail in a red concierge uniform. The humans, seeing the agony and strain on the unicorn’s face, looked somewhat mortified with his load, each one walking up to the luggage and grabbing a suitcase and their 3D Maneuver Gear cases.

“Don’t worry,” Arrmin told him, “we’ll manage our own luggage.”

“Th…” the concierge wheezed, “thank you…”

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to them all, Lyra and Derpy Hooves stepped of the train from one of the back cars and looked to the group with scrutiny. Without wanting to draw more attention to themselves, the two stepped away from the station and into the streets of Canterlot.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna stood in the middle of the grand foyer of their palace, guards walking about the halls and keeping their tight patrol. Standing beside the two of them was Annie Leonhardt, keeping eye on the door and the visitors that would be coming through any moment. Sure enough, the doors slowly swung open, and Shining Armor and Cadance led the way for the ponies and humans entering inside. While the ponies were happy to see both the princesses and Annie, Eren and Armin were overjoyed to see her, having not done so in a year.

“Annie!” Eren called as he and Armin quickened their pace away from the group to greet her.

Hanji and Petra, however, had their eyes glued to Celestia, who neither have seen in their lives. Hanji let out a victorious whoop and dropped her bags while she and Petra ran to greet Celestia.

“This is amazing!” Hanji squealed, excitedly shaking Princess Celestia’s hoof with both her hands. “I’m actually getting to meet Princess Celestia at long last!”

“Well,” Princess Celestia giggled, “I can share your sentiment. Hello, Hanji, and welcome to Canterlot.”

Celestia turned to Petra as Levi finally made it over and took his place beside her.

“Ah, and you must be Levi and Petra,” she addressed, “it’s an honor to meet you both.”

“Likewise,” Levi said as he gently took Celestia’s golden slipper in his hand.

“I can’t believe this is only the first time that either of us has met,” Petra responded, shaking Celestia’s hoof.

“It certainly has been far too long,” Celestia agreed.

“It’s so good to see you,” Armin said, hugging Annie around her arms and waist. “How have things been since you were with the Royal Guard?”

“It’s been alright,” Annie figured.

“Rainbow Dash and her friend Gilda were telling me all about that journey you and Gilda had last winter,” Eren brought up. “You’re alright, though, right?”

“More or less,” Annie said, lifting her jacket and hoodie up to reveal the scar on her side.

“Well,” Armin added, trying to change the subject, “it’s good to hear you’ve been making a living and making friends.”

“Yeah,” sighed Annie. “Me too…”

“Ponies,” Celestia gently called out, “ladies, gentlemen…”

The humans and ponies, minus Annie, stood back in a group with each other while Annie stood back in line with the princesses.

“Tomorrow morning is the Summer Sun Celebration,” explained Celestia, “and I’m very happy to see all of you attending as our guests of honor. Since you are not privy to our holiday, I wish to explain the nature of which the festivities will occur.

“At three o’clock, there will be a tremendous feast that I’m inviting all of you to attend. And I have even had our chefs prepare meat selections for all of you for just this occasion.”

Sasha took a deep, slow inhale, extremely excited by the prospect of dining on meat.

“There’s no need to worry,” continued Celestia, ignoring Sasha’s reaction. “The meat is generally reserved for the more… exotic wildlife pays visit to Canterlot now and then, but I digress. Afterwards, you will be permitted to sleep until this evening, in which there will be a wonderful fair that will last throughout the night. For the next step, I’d like you to follow me…

Celestia walked away down the hallways of the palace, leading Luna and Annie, followed by the other ponies and humans, to head to the same destination as they.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Coming outside, Celestia and Luna led the humans and ponies to a very sizable park surrounded by the buildings of the city. At the city’s edge was an elevated marble platform with two metal staffs with two shapes upon them: a yellow sun on the left and a crescent moon on the right.

The area before the stand was very open and spacious with no obtrusions. Further back, however, were a slew of colorful stands and tents with many ponies setting them up, either as food vendors or carnival games. All about the park around the stands were carnival rides, including a ferris wheel, a small roller coaster, a zipper, and much more.

“Golly!” exclaimed Applejack. “They’ve outdone themselves again this year.”

“Wow,” Conny said, “you guys really go all out on this thing.”

“Of course we do, Conny,” spoke Luna. “The Summer Sun Celebration is only one of the most important Equestrian events of the year.”

“It looks a bit too colorful for my tastes,” commented Levi.

“Just wait until dark,” Rainbow Dash joked. “Once all of the lights come on, it will be even more colorful!”

Levi stifled an annoyed grumble.

“The reason we brought you here,” Luna continued, “is because we wish to rehearse the pre-sunrise presentation with you. We have already prepared what to say, all we need you to do is stand where we need you and to salute the audience when we are finished.”

“That sounds easy enough,” Hanji responded. “Either way, we’re more than willing to help.”

“That sounds wonderful,” replied Celestia. “Now, the faster we can get this done, the more time you can spend perusing the castle before our feast. Let’s waste no more time. Follow me.”

Celestia walked up towards the platform, leading the humans and ponies to the platform, where they obediently followed.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Armin walked through the hallways of the living quarters of the palace, his luggage no longer with him, browsing the very many stained glass murals that made up the windows along the walls. Walking past a door, it opened, alerting Armin and stopping him. Hanji and Twilight emerged out, with Twilight closing the door behind her.

“Hey, Armin,” greeted Twilight. “I was just going to look for you. Would you like me to give you a tour of the palace?”

“That sounds great, Twilight,” Armin said. “I’d love to.”

“Great! I’ve spent a lot of time in this castle during the better part of my foalhood, so I know this place like the back of my hoof.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“Come on!” Twilight finally called, leading the way. “We’ll start at my favorite place. The library.”

“Yes!” exclaimed Hanji. “Let’s!”

Twilight gleefully trotted down the hall, Armin and Hanji briskly following her with equal enthusiasm.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Jean twisted the faucet of an in-ground tub off, stopping the flow of steaming water. His clothes were strewn about the floor, the only article of clothing was a pair of undergarments. Testing the water with his big toe, smiling in comfort at the perfect warmth, he slid his underpants off his waist and kicked them at his pants.

Fully nude, Jean carefully stepped into the tub, slowly sitting in and letting the water immerse him up to his neck. Gently pushing off the front wall, he floated himself to the back and laid his arms around the pool’s rim.

“Ah,” he sighed, “now this is the life.”

Jean closed his eyes and relaxed his muscles fully as his body slipped further into the water, his chin dipping on the surface. The only sounds he could hear were the water gently sloshing on the edge of the tub as well as Fluttershy’s voice humming on the other side of the doors.

One noise brought him out of his tranquility not long after: a quack. Cracking his eye open, Jean peered at what appeared to be a bright-yellow rubber duck floating about the water over his stomach. Jean, confused at the toy’s appearance, opened his eyes and observed it with suspicion.

“Where did this thing come from?” he wondered aloud.

As he continued pondering, the rubber duck opened its mouth, a row of razor sharp fangs growing out of them. The duck quacked again, but in a much lower and threatening tone as its entire body seemed to jiggle and grow.

Jean shouted loud as he quickly took his hand out of the water and swatted the duck out of the bath where it bounced on the floor and onto the wall. Once it hit the wall, a bright flash came from it and grew out into an entirely new creature, which lied on its upper back with the rest of its body against the wall and curling out away from it, its back legs dangling above the floor.

The creature appeared to encompass a variety of creatures: a grey, furry draconic head and neck with an enlarged right fang and a long white beard, bushy white eyebrows, bright, yellow eyes, an antler and a blue, bulbous horn on its head, donkey ears and mane, a long and skinny brown fuzzy body, a polydactyl right lion’s arm, a left eagle’s talon, a bat-like right wing and a blue, feathery left wing, a green draconic right leg, an antelope’s left leg, and a red dragon’s tail with a furry tip along the end.

Jean scrambled out of the water as if he were a cat, screaming as loud as he could in fear of the malformed creature in the same room as him. The creature slid down the wall, lying on its back before arcing its body up to a standing position, almost as if it were ignoring gravity itself.

“Definitely a screamer,” the creature commented in an aged, but goofy voice as he picked his ear with his pinkie talon.

“Oh my goodness!” exclaimed Fluttershy, bursting into the room. “Jean, are you al–”

Fluttershy gasped as she watched Jean run to the side of the room for his towel, his bare buttocks clearly visible to both Fluttershy and this creature. As Jean wrapped a towel around himself, covering his private areas, he panted as he looked to both Fluttershy and the creature. Fluttershy, extremely flustered with having caught Jean in such a position, blushed profusely as she tipped over to her side, her legs stiff as boards.

“Oh see,” the creature chided, “now look what you’ve done.”

With a snap of its talons, a ball of water appeared over Fluttershy’s body and splashed all over her, awakening her with a jolt as she jumped to her feet and gasped for air. Another snap of its talons, produced a flash over Fluttershy, her damped-down mane and soaked coat now dry and restyled.

“Discord,” spoke Fluttershy, looking up at the creature, “what are you doing here?”

“And why are you spying on me while I’m bathing, you fucking freak of nature?” demanded Jean as he stepped closer to the two of them.

“I think the better question is,” Discord responded nonchalantly and gentlemanly, “what are you doing in Fluttershy’s bathroom?”

“We’re sharing a room, you god-damned freak!”

“Jean!” Fluttershy shouted, running in between the two. “Discord! Don’t fight!”

“I wasn’t fighting,” Discord pouted while clasping his hands together, his eyes growing wide and sparkly. “I’m always good.”

Fluttershy gave Discord a despondent stare, breaking Discord out of his act as he settled down. Jean did not let his guard down for an instant.

“Alright,” Discord sighed, “to whom, who swatted me out of the bathtub, I might add, do I have the pleasure of acquainting myself with?”

Jean furrowed his brow harder, knowing this thing was only trying to antagonize him further.

“Discord,” Fluttershy greeted, “this is my friend Jean Kirschtein from Earth. And Jean, this is Discord. He was once the malevolent being of chaos and disharmony, and now, he’s one of my best friends.”

“Very best,” Discord added, slinking up to and hugging Fluttershy, who looked genuinely happy beside him.

“Hmph,” Jean huffed. “You certainly do have a way with animals, Fluttershy.”

“Oh, come now, Jean,” he responded, a hurt expression on his face, “I didn’t mean anything by that back there. I’m willing to let our first meeting be water under the bridge…”

Discord then morphed into a brick bridge over Jean’s head which changed back into Discord who landed in Jean’s arms.

“…if you are.”

Jean let Discord go, only for Discord to hang on to Jean’s neck and weigh him down. Before Jean could fall, a rocking chair appeared under his rump which caught him and Discord as they both swayed back and forth.

“You see,” asked Discord, snuggling himself towards Jean, “isn’t this nice? I can be a good friend to you if you do the same for me. What do you say, pally?”

“I’d like to get back to my bath now,” grumbled Jean.

“Well, suit yourself.”

With a snap of his talons, the back of the arched legs disappeared, and on the back rock, Jean, Discord, and the chair dipped back towards the tub. Discord and the chair both disappeared right above the water while Jean fell in with his towel on. Fluttershy flinched and covered herself as the water splashed out and near her. However, a brown umbrella with a green handle appeared and opened up from the side, shielding Fluttershy from the splash.

The umbrella’s canopy folded out as the shaft transformed into Discord’s head while the rest of the contraption changed into the rest of Discord’s body.

“Well,” Discord said, “you heard the man. He wants his privacy back, and who are we to deny him that? Toodles!”

With a spastic wave of his lion fingers, he disappeared in a puff of smoke. Jean swam to the edge of the pool, coughing water from his mouth. Fluttershy, seeing his towel floating on the surface of the water, blushed once again and backed away towards the doors.

“I’ll just…” said Fluttershy, “get you a new towel.”

Fluttershy darted out of the room as fast as her legs could carry her. Jean looking about the room and realizing he was alone, finally relaxed his muscles, submerging himself fully into the tub.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Twilight stood in between the aisles as Hanji and Armin slid about the shelves of the expansive Canterlot Palace Library on wheeled ladders. As Hanji flipped through the books contents, quickly absorbing select words on every page, Armin stood still for long periods of time as he took his time on each book he found. Twilight could only smile, happy to see others who shared her love of learning.

“Did you find any winners?” asked Twilight.

“I’m not sure,” Armin said, putting his book back. “There’s so many here that I don’t know which to read first.”

“Well, you just let me know, and I’m sure the princesses will be fine with you borrowing them.”

“That’s great to hear,” he responded back, picking another book out with brown spine and cover with silver edged pages.

Looking upon the cover of the book, Armin blew the dust covering its title. It only consisted of three large words: Watch Your Step.

“Watch your step?” wondered Armin, flipping the book open and revealing an image of Discord on one of the pages. “I wonder what that means.”

“Perhaps if you read it,” the image responded, its mouth and body clearly mobile, “you’d learn.”

Armin, overwhelmed with shock, tossed the book up. Realizing what he’d done, he leaned back to try and catch it, only to realize once again that he was now falling off the ladder. The commotion and terrified yelps of Armin were caught by Twilight and Hanji, who watched as their friend fell with the book in his grasp.

“Armin!” Twilight shouted.

Appearing on the floor in a flash of light was a trampoline angled diagonally down the hall, which Armin’s back landed on. Even as he was thrust to the floor, landing on his back and sliding to a stop, the book remained clung to Armin’s chest. As Twilight ran down the hall and Hanji leapt from the ladder to check on Armin, the shrill cry of a whistle brought Twilight and Hanji to a screeching halt.

Armin looked up to see Discord walking in from the shadows, wearing a black-and-white striped polo and a matching cap, the whistle in his mouth. He held his arms straight up beside his head as he looked dead into Twilight and Hanji’s eyes. Hanji was frozen stiff at the sight of Discord, having not seen anything quite like him before.

“Discord!” shouted Twilight. “What did you do? You could have really hurt Armin!”

“Oh,” Discord responded, his referee outfit puffing off of him much to Hanji and Armin’s surprise, “I assume you’re talking about Blondie Bowlcut below me.”

“Yeah, and I said his name is Armin!”

“Could you give me a hand?” Armin weakly groaned.

“Sure thing,” Discord obliged, extending his lion’s paw out, “just be sure to give it back.”

Armin took grasp of Discord’s paw, but upon pulling it, the arm slid out of Discord’s socket like a glove from a hand. Armin shrieked and convulsed as the dismembered arm fell on him.

“Armin!” cried Twilight.

Discord laughed heartily, keeping his balance by leaning against a bookshelf. Twilight picked up Armin and the book with her magic. Unbeknownst to Armin, Discord’s right arm was still in his hand.

“That reminds me,” Discord said, regaining his composure and approaching Armin and Twilight, “could you give me my hand back?”

Armin looked down to see Discord’s arm still in his hand. Freaked out, Armin impulsively whipped it at Discord, who managed to catch it in his talons.

“Much obliged,” he thanked.

As Discord screw his arm into place back in its socket, Hanji couldn’t withhold her joyous excitement any longer. With a deafening shout, she ran to Discord, who looked confused by her demeanor, as she began to examine the bases of Discord’s limbs, wings, tail and neck.

“Unbelievable,” she panted, running her fingers from the side of Discord’s hairy waist down to the thigh his green dragon’s leg. “There’s no signs of stitching or cauterization!”

Discord, genuinely in shock by Hanji’s feeling him up, stayed perfectly still as Hanji moved on to the left bicep and bird-like arm.

“These parts are completely natural looking!” continued Hanji, her excitement rendering her observations to screams. “This is a perfect animal hybrid!”

Discord, realizing the positive attention she was giving her, let out a smug chuckle.

“Well,” he admitted with his paw to his chest, “I am a sight for sore eyes!”

“Yeah,” Twilight hissed under her breath, “that’s if you want them to stay sore.”

Armin looked at Discord as Hanji began to bombard him with questions about him. It was then that Armin took a good look at his eyes, noting a striking resemblance to something in his memories.

“Wait a minute…” whispered Armin.

Peering around to the backside and his tail, Armin noticed the color of his tail and the furry end upon it. It was then that Armin gasped and realized who he thought Discord was. As Hanji took a deep inhale to continue her interview, Armin took his opportunity.

“Discord,” Armin called out.

“Yes, Armin?” Discord called out, glaring at Twilight.

“Does the name Beryl mean anything to you?”

Armin noticed as Discord betrayed his knowledge with a nostalgic glimmer in his eyes, a limp droop in his ears, and a slightly agape mouth. Discord looked at Armin and Twilight, who could tell that Discord knew exactly what Armin alluded to.

“Beryl?” wondered Hanji. “Who’s that?”

“I…” Discord began, “I haven’t been called by that name in over a thousand years.”

“I still don’t understand. Who or what is Beryl?”

“Hanji,” explained Twilight, “you do know how Spike is my assistant, right?”

“Yes?”

“Much like Spike is my assistant, and Hunter was Luna’s assistant, Beryl used to be Celestia’s draconic assistant.”

“But how?” wondered Discord, scratching the back of his head. “How did you know I was… him?”

“On the final day of the War on Titans,” Armin explained, “Hunter used magic crystals to show us his childhood that led to his banishment. I saw a dragon with eyes and a tail just like yours beside Celestia. He even called you by name and told us who you were.”

“So you were once a dragon?” asked Hanji. “How did you become a… whatever you are now?”

Discord looked off to the side, unsure if it would be a good idea to let them know, even if they knew as much as they did. Discord relented with a sigh and a deep inhale. Cupping his hands together, he slowly spread them out, creating a glassy sphere that grew in size the wider his hands spread apart.

Appearing inside the orb, was what appeared to be a young, red dragon with yellow eyes like Discord’s, running and playing with Princess Celestia, whose body and age resembled Twilight’s. Hanji, Armin, and Twilight peered into the orb.

“Celestia and I were the greatest of friends,” Discord explained. “She was like an older sister to me.”

Through the glass, both Celestia and Beryl aged considerably each taking on adult forms.

“As the many, many years together went on,” Discord continued, “I began to see her more than just a friend, and even more than a close family member.”

Twilight gasped, realizing what Discord was getting at.

“You were in love with Princess Celestia?” she asked.

“Shh!” Discord hissed, sloppily covering Twilight’s mouth with his paw before letting it off. “Yes, I was in love with her. I knew she would never return my feelings being that she was a pony and I was… a dragon. I wanted her so bad… that I made possibly what was one of the worst decisions of my life.

“I had acquired Hearts Desire from a tribe of zebras who made their home deep within where the Everfree Forest is now. After taking it, I had gained the ability to wield magic on my own.”

Inside the glass ball, Beryl snapped his fingers, causing a technicolor spark to fly from his claws. As his snapping continued, the sparks became bigger until they actually began emitting auras.

“Using my new abilities, I practiced in secret, hoping I could master them enough that I could transform myself into a pony so she could reciprocate my love.”

“I’ve practiced transformation spells in the past,” Twilight said. “They’re difficult enough on inanimate objects, but to transform a creature as complex as a dragon to that of a pony? On yourself, no less?”

“Yes,” Discord admitted. “And I found that out the hard way.”

Armin gasped slightly, having put many of the pieces together. He remained quiet, wanting Discord to tell his point of view. Appearing in the ball, Beryl’s body morphed into that of a dashing red alicorn with a pinkish-red mane.

“My first transformation was actually successful,” Discord said, “but Celestia had discovered who I was, and by extension, what I was doing. She had demanded that I change back immediately.”

In the sphere, Celestia scolded Beryl’s pony form, who shamefully cast a spell to change himself back. However, he had instead transformed into a lion with draconic back leg and a bird-like tail. Another poof had turned Beryl into a winged deer, one of its wings black and bat-like. The transformations continued in fast succession as even more random parts as Celestia backed away fearfully as Beryl convulsed violently, glowing brighter and brighter with each transformation.

A bright burst of light came from Beryl’s body, shrouding the sphere in light. Hanji and Twilight peered closer to see the light fade away to reveal Beryl, now in the form that everyone now knew him as Discord, but with a much shorter beard and smaller eyebrows. Beryl looked at himself in his monstrous form, making him collapse to the ground in misery as tears rolled off his face.

“So you were the result of magic having gone awry,” Hanji admitted.

“Yes,” answered Discord. “Celestia never thought of me the same way again, and she had far less trust in me. I knew that we had no chance at that point. All I had left was my magic, and I continued to practice it once again.”

Discord, his younger self, a ladle floating between his hands, watched as it changed into more random items: and oboe, a vase, and even managed to transform it into a miniature elephant.

“My powers grew stronger, and it overjoyed me what I could change and accomplish with my magic. I then suppose I… went mad with power, and began a rampage all over Equestria, changing it in the warped vision I saw it in. I no longer wanted to be known as Beryl, the dragon that foolishly thought he could woo a princess. I renamed myself Discord, the spirit of chaos. It had a nice ring to it, I remembered.”

Discord placed his hands on the sphere and clamped his hands shut, the sphere shrinking into nothingness inside. Twilight, Hanji, and Armin looked into Discord’s eyes, prepared to hear the rest of the tale.

“It was then that Celestia and Luna first sealed me inside the Elements. And about a thousand or so years later, you and your friends defeated me again before freeing me not too long after, and then Flutter…”

Discord gasped and turned away, knowing he probably said too much. Armin, knowing who he was talking about, stepped up to approach Discord.

“What about Fluttershy?” asked Armin. “What did she do to you?”

“She…” Discord spoke, his eyes wetting and his nose sniffling, “she showed me a friendship that reminded me of the one that Celestia had given me so long ago. I remembered what I had lost by choosing to wield magic, and I no longer wanted to give that up. I guess I’m only telling you this because… you were the first to find out, and that I’d much rather stay friends with Fluttershy than possibly repeat the past by admitting my feelings like this.”

Twilight, finding herself surprisingly moved by Discord’s story, looked down, unsure what to say to him at that point.

“So,” Twilight wondered, “if you cherish your friendship with Fluttershy, why don’t you act as kindly around the rest of us?”

“Pfft,” Discord chortled, wiping his nose, eyes, and somber expression from his face nearly instantly, “it’s not like using magic isn’t still fun, isn’t that right, Element of Magic?”

Discord underlined his points by pinching Twilight’s cheek with his paw.

“But you don’t have to be so abrasive about it!” Twilight frowned.

“Baby steps, my dear Twilight,” he said as he began to walk away from her and down the hall of shelves. “Baby steps…”

With a flash, Discord had vanished from the library, leaving Hanji, Armin, and Twilight alone.

“Eh?” exclaimed Hanji, pulling her hair with worry. “There was still so much more I wanted to know from him!”

“It’s okay, Hanji,” Armin spoke, putting his hand on her shoulder. “I’m certain this won’t be the last we see of that guy.”

As Armin continued consoling Hanji, Twilight stared out at the space where Discord had disappeared, amazed at the whole new light she now saw him in.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Inside the ornate, stained-glass window-laden dining hall of the palace, Celestia and Luna sat on both ends of a long, mahogany table dressed in candelabras, festive flora, and plates of food, including platters of shaved, cooked meat closer to the center of the table. Sitting on both sides of the table were Eren, Rainbow Dash, Mikasa, Applejack, Armin, Twilight, Jean, Fluttershy, Conny, Pinkie Pie, Sasha, Rarity, Spike, Levi, Petra, and Hanji.

As the others began placing food on their plates, Sasha already nibbling slivers from the meat platter, Fluttershy, a small salad on her plate, looked about her before she slid herself from the table and carried her plate in her mouth.

“Hey,” asked Jean, “where are you going?”

Fluttershy placed her plate back on the table.

“I was going to have my feast with Discord,” she explained. “I don’t want him to dine alone if I can help it.”

“Come on,” egged Jean, “I think he could use the alone time.”

Armin, Hanji, and Twilight couldn’t bring themselves to continue their meal after learning of Discord’s past.

“He gets plenty of alone time in here,” argued Fluttershy, “and now, I’m going to give him some company.”

Without waiting for Jean’s response, Fluttershy carried her plate with her mouth to the doors of the chambers. Feeling guilty about seeing Fluttershy walk alone, Armin, Hanji, and Twilight all pushed themselves from the table and grabbed their plates, napkins, and silverware. Celestia and Luna watched them all begin to leave without the slightest hint of restraint.

“What?” Jean nervously chuckled. “Not you too.”

“You know,” Armin said to Jean, stopping beside him, “Discord isn’t as bad as others seem to make him out. I think you should give him another chance.”

“Have you even met him?” Jean asked, but dithered off once he saw Armin continue his path to wherever Discord was. Finding himself between two empty chairs and getting odd looks from the others at the table, Jean winced, his mind made up.

“Damn,” he nearly-inaudibly hissed as he grabbed his own plate and utensils.

As he stormed past Celestia, she gave the faintest of smiles, happy to see Jean’s truly kind nature shine through. The others, unsure of what to do next with the awkward atmosphere hanging in the room, all looked at each other.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Discord sat at a square-shaped table alone in an otherwise small, barren room. With a gold goblet filled with chocolate milk beside a plate of meat, mashed potatoes, and green assorted vegetables, he wrapped a napkin around his neck and prepared to eat.

As he grabbed his silverware, the sound of hooves entering inside brought his attention to whomever entered, smiling at the sight of the yellow pegasus as she set her plate on the table.

“Fluttershy,” he greeted, “how nice of you to join me.”

“Well,” she admitted, “I felt really awful about you eating by yourself, so I came to give you some company.”

“So did we,” Armin spoke.

Discord’s smile grew a bit wider as Armin, Hanji, and Twilight entered the room, Twilight seating herself next to Fluttershy.

“Guys,” said Fluttershy, “what are you all doing here?”

“You see, Fluttershy,” explained Discord, “your friends and I had a really interesting talk in the library later this morning.”

“Discord,” spoke Twilight, “do you really want to tell her?”

“Thinking it over, I decided that it wouldn’t hurt to tell her.”

“Then you might as well wait for me to hear,” called Jean’s voice.

Upon seeing Jean enter the room, Discord’s sincere smile became even happier with his arrival.

“Don’t get any ideas,” Jean said. “I came to keep Fluttershy company. Now, what were you going to tell her?”

Discord, without his visual aid, explained the story to both Fluttershy and Jean. While Fluttershy was in near tears by the tale’s end, Jean’s condescending glare turned to one of acceptance and understanding.

“I care for you very much, Fluttershy,” Discord finished, “but I don’t want to make any more mistakes. We’ll always be friends, right Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy, a tear streaming down each eye, hopped onto Discord and gave him a hug, which everyone minus Jean seemed touched into smiling by.

“So, what do you say, Jean?” asked Discord, extending his paw towards Jean. “Let’s start again?”

Jean, not wanting to ruin what appeared to be a sincere attempt at an apology, reached over and grabbed his paw.

*BZZT*

Jean jerked his hands up, spilling bits of his food onto the floor. Upon revealing the joy buzzer hidden in his paw, Discord began laughing, followed by Armin, Hanji, and Fluttershy. Twilight rolled her eyes, having expected some joke to occur.

Jean, knowing that no harm was meant, but still annoyed about his spilled plate, sat on the floor and began shoveling his food into his mouth.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Nighttime had already come to Equestria, and the humans were sleeping in their beds, still in their casual day wear. The lights from the festival below were dancing through the windows and onto the ceiling. Eren, in particular, looked nearly dead strewn out over his covers, a thin trail of drool escaping his lips.

Just then, his door slammed open, with a peppy and lively Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Conny outside his door. With a spastic jump, Eren sat up in his bed to see the three of them waiting.

“Come on, Eren!” called Rainbow Dash.

“Yeah,” called Conny. “The fair’s starting up soon.”

“I want to ride all the rides!” cried Pinkie Pie.

“Alright!” called Eren, stumbling out of bed. “Just give me a–”

Tripping over the back of his heel, Eren landed upon his stomach, groaning weakly as he tried to get over the pain.
________________________________________________________________________________________

The doors opened up from the palace to the park, the entirety of the humans and their pony friends coming out of it. Overlooking the bright, colorful decorations and lighting, the ponies were just beginning to arrive and liven up the festival.

“The Summer Sun Celebration,” sighed Armin, wowed by the festival’s surprising majesty.

“I know!” cheered Pinkie Pie. “Let’s go!”

Conny and Pinkie Pie ran off and towards the fair, weaving through the ponies that had begun to gather.

“Yeah!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash. “It’s time for a good time!”

Both she and Eren ran after Conny and Pinkie Pie while the others calmly walked down the stairs and took in the festivities for all their worth. Observing them blend in with the crowd were Lyra and Derpy Hooves both on opposite sides of the park. Lyra’s horn kept a faint glow, which didn’t seem to be noticed or acknowledged by anyone.

“Where are they heading?” Lyra asked.

“Eren, Rainbow Dash, Conny, and Pinkie Pie are heading into the fair,” Derpy Hooves’ voice reported, “the others seem to be wandering around the open area.”

“They’re still getting used to everything. Just be my eyes in the sky for me and report back in an hour.”

“Roger that. Over and out.”

Lyra looked up as Derpy Hooves flew up towards other pegasus ponies, keeping up her happy oblivious demeanor for the ponies who knew her that way. Lyra blended into the crowd, joining the others ponies in their merriment.

Unbeknownst to anyone, along the top of the tallest spire of the palace, Sunset Shimmer, fully dressed and in her Maneuver Gear, gripped the flagstaff that nearly pierced the sky, providing her with a complete view of the park and the celebration.

“Enjoy the night, guys,” she playfully whispered. “It’s the last one you ever will.”

Letting go, Sunset Shimmer fell from the tower and back towards the cliffs beneath Canterlot. Sunset Shimmer enjoyed the freefall, knowing that she would finally receive a better, long-awaited adrenaline rush the likes of which she would never forget.
> Chapter 6: The Final Golden Sunrise
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sasha and Rarity both sat at a bench near the food court. Both of them looked winded and sweaty, having spent an entire night at the Summer Sun Celebration fair. Sasha weakly tore a piece of funnel cake off a paper plate she held. Holding the piece to Rarity, the white unicorn simply shook her head in refusal.

Sasha, sighing dejectedly, lifted the morsel to her face and chewed it just as slowly, looking ashamed that she could still continue eating after all that she had imbibed and eaten that night. As Sasha set the plate down behind her, two royal guards stepped up to them.

“Sasha Braus,” reported one of the guards. “It’s time.”

Sasha, alerted by her call to duty, stood up and brushed the cake crumbs and powdered sugar from her clothes. As the guards escorted Sasha towards the palace, Sasha turned back and gave her friend a goodbye wave, which Rarity returned.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Conny and Pinkie Pie screamed for joy as their car of the tilt-a-whirl spun crazily along the track. Their screams arced into laughter and then into amusing terror as the spins would erratically change. The track began to slow down, making Pinkie Pie and Conny groan with displeasure.

Once it came to a stop, Pinkie Pie and Conny leapt out of their car and towards the exit, already scanning the park for another ride to ride. As they left the gate and got back to the park, two guards were already waiting for them.

“Cool!” chirped Pinkie Pie. “Hey, Mr. Royal Guards, do you think you can let my friend and I cut in line at the roller coaster?”

“We’re not here to let you ride rides,” one guard spoke. “We’re here for Conny. Please, come with us. It’s time.”

“Oh, right,” Conny moaned, cursing his forgetfulness as the guards escorted him, “I’ll… see you later, Pinkie.”

“Break a leg, Conny!” shouted Pinkie Pie. “I mean, don’t break a leg, but still break a leg!”
________________________________________________________________________________________

Jean and Fluttershy stood inside the petting zoo amongst various farm animals and excited foals. Jean, holding a long, paper cone of cotton candy, smiled as he watched over Fluttershy tend to a pig and a couple of lambs, petting them all with a loving and happy expression on her face. Hearing a nibbling sound behind him, Jean looked to his side to see a goat nibbling on his cotton candy.

While slightly disgusted at the state of his now ruined treat, he looked back to Fluttershy and her gentle treatment of the animals. With a sigh, he let the stick drop out of his hands, the goat happily braying as it waltzed away with his cotton candy. Watching it go off, he found two royal guards looking back at him, waving him over. Knowing what they wanted, Jean leaned over to Fluttershy and whispered in her ear before turning and making his way to the guards.

“Bye, Jean!” Fluttershy called. “Good luck!”

As Jean hopped the metal gate, the goat stepped in front of it with the cotton candy in its mouth. Realizing its origin, Fluttershy smiled again for her friend’s kindness.
________________________________________________________________________________________

A wooden ball collided with a small tower of tin cans at one of the tents, knocking every one over minus one. Applejack, standing next to Mikasa, grumbled at her failure.

“Oh, for goodness sake!” she moaned.

“Let me have a try,” Mikasa asked.

“Certainly, madam!” a carney in a red-and-white striped shirt replied. “That’ll be one bit!”

Mikasa placed the coin on the counter, for which the carney exchanged it for one wooden ball. Mikasa picked it up and held it with both hands at her chest, taking aim at a freshly stacked tower of cups. With nearly inhuman reflexes, Mikasa wound her arm back and threw forwards, sending the ball flying at the tower.

The cups soared back, left, and right, some of them, nearly hitting the other towers. The flying cups made the carney hide behind his counter in fear. Looking up at the expectant Mikasa, he stood back up and retrieved a large yellow teddy bear.

“Here you go,” he quickly spoke.

“Nice arm, Mikasa,” complimented Applejack.

Mikasa smiled as she and her friend were about to walk off, only to be halted by a pair of guards. Mikasa, instantly getting the hint, mounted the teddy bear on Applejack’s back.

“I want to give that to Apple Bloom,” she spoke. “I’ll see you after the sun rises.”

Applejack nodded as Mikasa walked to follow the guards to the palace, Applejack walking in another direction with her sister’s new bear.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Armin, Hanji, and Twilight strolled through the crowds together, a candy apple on a stick in Armin’s hand. As they looked for any other of their friends, they managed to spot Levi and Petra coming towards them with Spike walking in between them. Twilight also noted that it was Annie who was escorting them.

“Annie,” greeted Twilight, “I’m assuming that it’s time for Armin and Hanji to get ready?”

“Yes,” she responded. “I needed to find you so I could make sure Spike was with you once we leave.”

“I appreciate it. Thank you, Annie.”

“Armin, Hanji,” she beckoned. “Let’s get going.”

“I’ll see you later, Twilight!” called Armin.

“Good luck, guys!” called Spike with his hands cupped around his mouth. “We’ll be there cheering for you!

By the time Spike had finished, the five humans had already gotten too far out of earshot.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Eren and Rainbow Dash lied face-up on a pile of hay, looking up at the night stars. Both were stuffed with food and cider, and they were both long tuckered out from doing rides with Pinkie Pie. However, their current spot was easily giving them more pleasure than any attraction could.

“The night sky is beautiful here,” Eren said. “I can hardly believe a place like this exists, even with all the things I’ve seen after the war.”

“Well, believe it,” Rainbow Dash replied, rolling over to face him, “because in an hour, you’re going to witness Celestia raising the sun!”

“I’m sure it will be really something.”

Suddenly, Eren began to realize something, only for the answer to hit him hard. Shooting to his feet, he gasped, alerting Rainbow Dash to his reaction.

“That’s right!” he exclaimed. “I need to get to the palace soon.”

“Relax, dude,” Rainbow Dash told him, nudging his leg with the back of her hoof. “I’m sure they guards will get ya’ when they need ya’, so let’s just sit back down and have a nice–”

“Eren Jaeger,” called two pegasus guards. “Your presence is requested at the palace.”

“Aw, come on,” Rainbow Dash groaned.

“It’s okay, Rainbow Dash,” assured Eren. “I’ll come and see you after the ceremony. I’ll see you!”

Rainbow Dash reached out as Eren walked away with the other two soldiers. Feeling a bit alone, Rainbow Dash trotted over to find any one of her pony friends.
________________________________________________________________________________________

A crowd had begun to gather around the platform where the official raising of the sun would take place. A collection of eight guards stood along the platform’s edge with bugles held up by stands to their mouths. Twilight and her pony friends were front and center in the crowd, right at the foot of the steps to the platform, itching for the moment that Celestia and Luna would appear to begin.

“How much longer?” hissed Pinkie Pie in Twilight’s ear.

“Pinkie,” chided Twilight, “it’s the same as last year. They’re never late.”

“Well make time go faster!”

“Pinkie, you know as well as I do that I can’t do that.”

“Uh,” mentioned Spike, “actually…”

“Forget it,” Twilight responded, turning her head from Pinkie. “Just be patient.”

Pinkie Pie, glad for Spike’s voucher, bumped her hoof with Spike’s fist. The crowd gathered at the platform began to cheer as the horns began to sound a triumphant anthem, leaving the two of them to see what was happening.

To their surprise and delight, Celestia and Luna walked up to the platform, each one standing with their proper staffs behind them. Celestia put her hoof up, silencing the crowd and the guards, who picked up their horns and moved to make way for the princesses.

“Citizens of Equestria,” began Celestia. “The Summer Sun Celebration is a joyous event symbolizing the very first day of the summer solstice and the harmony shared between two sisters, but on this day, we have yet another reason to celebrate. Roughly one year ago, a race of alien creatures from another world called humans were discovered by us ponies and were given vital assistance in the survival and prospering of their race after a deadly threat threatened to wipe them out.

“However, the humans came out of their nightmare as victors and have begun to rebuild their world with our help. And now, to show the companionship between our two worlds, much like the companionship between my sister and I, I welcome the human heroes from the other world!”

The crowd applauded loudly as Eren and the rest of the humans began to march towards the platform from one of the palace buildings right of the palace. Leading the group was Sasha, followed by Conny, Armin, Hanji, Levi, Petra, Eren, Mikasa, and Jean, each of them dressed in their military attire and their Scouting Legion jackets, as well as their 3D Maneuver Gears or Elements of Harmony.

The humans rounded the edge of the platform as their pony friends below cheered even louder upon seeing them in full clarity. With Levi in the center, the humans turned out to face the ecstatic audience in uniform. The humans stood stoically, but proud as the crowd’s piercing screams erupted from their mouths.

“Soldiers,” the princess ordered, “offer your hearts to Equestria!”

In tandem as well, the humans placed their left arms behind their backs and placed the right side of their balled fists against their hearts, driving the audience even wilder.

“You may face me, now,” Celestia continued to command.

With three synchronized steps, the humans turned their back to the audience and faced Celestia and Luna. With that finished, Celestia nodded to Luna, who responded with a nod of her own. Luna flew up into the air, hovering several feet off the ground as her horn began to glow. The ponies and most of all, the humans, watched with sheer awe as the moon quickly dipped down to hid beneath the horizon.

As the moon was halfway concealed, Celestia flew up to the same level as her sister, her own horn glowing. Just then, a crack of light appeared over the farthest stretch of land that the eye could see, making the humans find great difficulty to keep their arms from falling limp to the sheer awesomeness of the sisters’ powers.

Once the moon had completely vanished, the sun was halfway up the hill as it broke the night sky into a blue, cloudless wonder. The sunlight washed over the land and eventually the city as the sky behind the slowly changed from a dark purple to a bright, light blue. With the sun high in the sky and the morning hue set, Celestia ceased her spell and set herself down beside the crowd to the cheering of the audience.

“Wow,” Hanji inaudibly squeaked.

Celestia looked back to the rest of the soldiers, smiling at their predictably stunned response to their first Summer Sun Celebration.

“At ease, soliders,” she admitted.

Just as much to her expectations, the human’s arms, even Levi’s fell limp to their sides, causing Celestia to giggle.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Eren and the humans entered back into the palace, feeling relaxed with the night finally being over. Hanji and Sasha especially cracked their tired bones, moaning as they did.

“Ugh,” Petra yawned, “the only thing I want to see at this point is a bed.”

“You and me both,” Levi grumbled with baggy, bloodshot eyes.

“You have to admit,” Conny responded. “It was a lot of fun.”

“Even fun can get exhausting after a while,” Jean responded.

“Come on,” Hanji sighed with her hand over her mouth. “Let’s get some shut-eye. We still have the ball to attend tonight.”

“Oh,” groaned Eren, “right.”

“Eren,” whined Sasha, “don’t poo-poo the ball. Rarity spent so much time making those clothes for us.”

“I’m sure that will be fun as well,” Armin spoke to Sasha, “but I’m also sure that we’ll be more excited for it once we got some rest.”

“I agree,” Mikasa said, already making her way to her bedroom. “Let’s get some sleep.”

Following Mikasa’s lead, the humans walked through the palace halls, making the long trek to their bedrooms for a nice nap. As the humans disappeared from around a corner, Annie stepped inside and walked through the halls, but continued down the hall she was on as opposed to turning and following Eren and the others.

The hallway took her to an outdoor passageway that led to a bridge that was held over a steep drop into the ground far below the cliff. She continued walking down, looking about her in any direction that she could find what she was looking for. A shrill eagles cry to the left caught her attention, allowing her to spot Gilda swooping up and down towards the bridge on outstretched wings. With a final upward crest and dip, Gilda landed on her back paws and then her front talons as her wings folded back in.

“I have to tell ya’,” she said to Annie with a smile, “it must be a nice view from where you’re standing, but it sure can’t beat mine in the sky.”

Annie, also smiling at seeing her friend, approached her and wrapped her arms around her neck in a loving hug. Gilda returned the embrace with a one armed hug of her own, nuzzling her cheek onto the side of Annie’s head.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Deep below Canterlot, Sunset Shimmer, still dressed in her casual attire, sharpened her blades carefully with a smooth rock as the others sat in a neat pile beside the rock she sat on along with her unequipped maneuver gear. Meanwhile, a massive legion of changelings sat in their personal dens, hung from the walls, or few in the air around Chrysalis in the center of the part of the cavern she and Sunset were in.

“My fellow changelings,” she declared, “tonight is the night that Equestria shall fall from its graces and into our rule!”

The other changlings responded with a shrill roar that sounded like millions of cicadas buzzing, overjoyed by the news.

“We will never forget the humiliating defeat during the royal wedding at the hands of Shining Armor and his wife, Cadance,” she spat, adding particular venom to the final name. “However, in the roughly two years since that day, I have grown stronger; we have grown stronger! And with the addition of the talented and lethal Sunset Shimmer, our victory will be all but inevitable!”

Sunset began to load her blades back inside her sheath, having finished her preparations.

“Sunset Shimmer,” called Chrysalis. “Explain the plan for us!”

Upon the final blades being placed inside, Sunset slipped her Maneuver Gear on and placed the operational devices inside the holsters inside her jacket. She approached Chrysalis with a smug smirk on her face, the flying changelings making way for her.

“First,” Sunset Shimmer planned, “do you have what you need?”

“Of course,” Chrysalis gleefully hissed, holding up two light-brown capsules in her magic grasp.

“Good. It will be expected that Celestia and Luna will have a high amount of security around them at most, if not all times. However, those pills are not for them. As much as I want to tear their kingdom from their hooves, they deserve a better death than that.”

Chrysalis frowned with slight disapproval, but nodded, signaling Sunset Shimmer to continue.

“Regardless,” she went on, “you shall disguise yourself as any pony you wish. Keep an eye out for Twilight Sparkle and Discord.”

“Discord?” questioned Chrysalis. “Do you really think that the princesses would allow him to attend the party?”

“If he disguises himself and stays on his best behavior, we should at the very least prepare for it. Anyways, just slip that into their drinks and the two other greatest magical threats other than the princesses shall be eliminated immediately.”

“Understood.”

“Meanwhile, I will sneak up through the mountains to the closest passageway I can find to reach the forbidden library where Antithology is still held. The coordinates haven’t changed at all, have they?”

“Since my last… covert checkup yesterday,” Chrysalis cooed deviously, “nothing has changed.

“That’s good. It’s safe to assume that security will be beefed up inside the ball, so I won’t have to deal with many guards on my way there. In either case, I will take Antithology from the library and hide out inside the library. At promptly 8:30, I will meet you there. From there, you shall take the book and find the largest space you can. We’ll need it…”

“Right…”

“From then, you will do your thing, and I will distract as much attention from the guards as possible so that they will not even bother thinking you’re anywhere near the castle, yet alone inside of it.”

“And what about you?” asked Chrysalis. “Will you be able to handle that responsibility on your own?”

“Absolutely,” she said with a toothy grin.

“And what about the humans?” wondered Chrysalis. “Should we try and steal their belongings?”

“I highly do not recommend this. We need to keep this as much of a secret as possible until I appear at the ball. If the changelings are spotted before then, the castle will go into lockdown, and we’ll never reach the book, yet alone awaken its power.”

“I see. It’s good reasoning.

“Of course it is…”

“Then it’s settled!” Chrysalis shouted out. “Operation Cliff Fire will commence. Prepare yourselves well, my changeling legion. Tonight will spell a dark, but glorious chapter in Equestria’s history. Revel in it, for we shall take Canterlot from them, and with our combined powers, the entirety of Equestria!”

The bug-like changelings screamed and hollered louder, a sound that was sweet, blissful music to Sunset Shimmer’s ears.
________________________________________________________________________________________

The sun was already beginning to set as the closing ball of the Summer Sun Celebration was soon to commence. Eren was fixing the buttons on his shirt, his grey jacket and pants already on his body. Looking at himself in his mirror beside his bedroom door, he observed himself with a proud smile, impressed to see that he looked rather good sharp.

Happy with his appearance, he walked outside his door to the hallway where the other humans, also dressed in their brand-new formal attire, were waiting impatiently.

“It’s about time you showed up,” Jean scolded.

“Hey, Jean,” chuckled Eren, observing his friend’s coat with his hands. “For once, you actually look halfway decent.”

“Yeah,” he remarked, turning his back on him, “which is more than I can say for you?”

“What did you say!?”

“Guys!” shouted Armin. “Stop fighting. This is supposed to be a fun night, remember?”

“Yeah,” Sasha added, “and you don’t want to ruin your clothes.”

Eren and Jean, who stood staring forebodingly at each other, took a sigh of relief as they realized that Armin and Sasha were right.

“Well,” Jean spoke, “we’re all here, so let’s get going.”

As Jean and Eren began to walk down the hall, the others stood up and began to walk with them as well.
________________________________________________________________________________________

The other humans were descending the main staircase to the foyer of the palace that would lead to its ballroom. They could already see that a line of ponies gracefully walked in through the foyer and into the ballroom, where soft symphonic music could clearly be heard from inside.

As they made their way down, they could finally see their pony friends all dressed in their matching dresses and styled hair. Having not seen them before in their outfits, each of the humans stopped at the foot of the stairs, and with the exception of Levi, they all gasped in wonder at their beauty brought forth from their dresses.

Fluttershy, Twilight, Spike, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash especially were stunned by the clothes their human friends wore, also impressed with how well they looked. Rarity looked back and forth between the expressions of both her pony friends and her human ones.

“Well,” Rarity chuckled, “I think it’s safe to say that I outdid myself.”

“Yeah,” Spike responded, wearing only the top half of a tuxedo with a white shirt and red bow tie. “Just look at them. They’re speechless.”

“Come on, y’all,” Applejack instructed. “Let’s make room for them.”

The six ponies and dragon stepped aside to both sides of the carpeted path, allowing the still bedazzled humans to step down to the main floor, standing before each of their friends.

“Shall we go then?” Jean asked to Fluttershy, forming a hoop with his right arm, putting his fist to the side of his waist.

“Oh!” Fluttershy exclaimed, surprised by his chivalrous act, “yes, of course!”

Fluttershy stepped to Jean’s right side and unfurled her left wing, slipping it in through Jean’s arm and holding on.

“By the way,” Jean told her as they walked forwards, “you look very beautiful.”

“Oh, thank you Jean,” she cooed.

Armin, taking Jean’s lead, put his ringed arm to Twilight, who giggled in response.

“Why, thank you, Armin,” she continued to chuckle, slipping her wing through the hole. “You’re such a gentleman.”

The others began to walk together towards the ballroom, following Jean and Armin. Eren, seeing their acts, put his arm out for Rainbow Dash, but she snickered loudly, disheartening him.

“Relax dude,” she assured him, patting him on the back with her wing. “You don’t need to escort me. I can walk all on my own.”

“Oh…” Eren panted. “Okay.”

Eren and Rainbow Dash were already behind the group, and as Eren looked about him, his face going a bit flush, he didn’t notice a slender light-grey unicorn mare in a dark-blue dress stepping out in front of him.

“Watch it!” Rainbow Dash warned as she bit her the bottom of her friend’s jacket.

Yanking her head away from the unicorn, Eren yelped as he just barely avoided hitting her, making her yelp in response as well.

“Hehe,” Rainbow Dash nervously laughed, “sorry about that.”

“That’s alright,” she sighed, straightening her dress out. “No harm done.”

“Yes,” agreed Eren, blushing even brighter, “I’m very sorry. Have a good night!”

The two of them turned back and headed towards the large, open glass doors where bubbling music was playing from.

“You need to be more careful,” scolded Rainbow Dash.

“I was!” Eren persisted.

The mare continued to watch the two of them as the disappeared within the crowd of people.

“Yes,” she gleefully snarled, “you should be more careful.”

A flash of green shone in her eyes before she too walked towards the ballroom.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Annie and Gilda both sat along the edge of the balcony to the ballroom’s building, dangling their feet over the steep abyss below them. Each one held a small snifter glass with purple punch inside of it. Annie gazed up at the sky, thinking deeply about something, which Gilda couldn’t help but notice.

“Hey,” she questioned Annie, “what’s up? There, I mean.”

“I’m just thinking about the Military Police,” Annie responded, “and what they’re doing on Earth at this very moment.”

“I can tell you one thing, they certainly aren’t partying with the best of them like we are!”

“To think,” Annie said with a small grin on her face, “Hitch would kill to be in my position right now.”

“Wait, who?”

Annie, realizing herself to be drifting off into her nostalgia, gasped and refocused herself.

“She was a… another soldier I had the displeasure of working with when I was in the Military Police back on Earth.”

“Oh… well, do you think she’d be able to survive hiking to Ponyville while a group of assassins tried to kill her?”

“Probably not.”

The two of them looked at each other flatly before they each broke into unadulterated laughter. Gilda lifted her punch glass up and downed it to the very last drop, sighing loudly with the quenching of her thirst. Annie then watched with confusion as Gilda slipped off the banister and stood on her hind paws, her left talon supporting her on the banister.

“Here’s to you, Hitch!” Gilda shouted.

With a heave, Gilda chucked her glass off into the sky where it fell back to the forest floor down below. Annie was shocked at her behavior, looking dumbfounded at Gilda as she brushed her talons off against each other.

“Hey, I’m going to get some more punch,” Gilda informed Annie, “you need me to top you off or to get you some food?”

“I’ll be fine,” Annie admitted, “thank you.”

With a shrug, Gilda slipped back inside the ballroom with the likeness of a legged snake. Annie, her nearly empty glass still in hand, finished the last of the sweet liquid inside, lifting her glass up to the bright moon.

“And here’s to you, Marlow,” Annie bid silently, dropping the glass and letting it fall to the cliff.

Annie began to slide off the banister and walk towards the doors to the ballroom, only for her to hear the sound of her glass break. What struck Annie as odd was how the glass sounded when it broke; not like it hit the rocks and shattered, but as if someone had forcibly swung a blade at it.

Stepping back to the balconies edge and leaning over, she could see as a bright skinned human in a black jacket and colored skirt flew and swung along the side of the mountain on her 3D Maneuver Gear. Annie couldn’t help but stare in disbelief at what she was seeing, but realized that she was soon to turn the corner to the cliff and continue on her way.

“Sorry Gilda,” she hissed as she stepped to the banister and leapt off.

Launching her hook underneath the buildings, Annie kept a keen eye on the mysterious intruder as she continued to go on her suspicious path.
________________________________________________________________________________________

The inside of the ballroom was just as bright and colorful as one would suspect from a holiday called the Summer Sun Celebration. Rainbow-colored streamers and bright balloons adorned the pillars of the room, and the outer edges were almost crammed with people while a few waltzed upon the polished stone dance floor to the small orchestra playing on the stage.

Hanji was pouring herself a glass of punch as Gilda came up beside her, grabbing a glass for herself. Upon seeing the creature for herself, Hanji began to gasp loudly, much to the discomfort of Gilda’s ears.

“You’re a griffon!” she shouted while pointing. “A real life griffon!”

“Yeah,” groaned Gilda, rubbing her head back, “no big deal, really.”

“No big deal? But… you’re a griffon! They don’t exist anywhere on our world!”

“If people like you are who inhabit it, I can’t imagine why.”

“No, it’s okay, I’m nice! Honest! I, uh… let’s start over. I’m Hanji Zoe! A real pleasure to meet you!”

Gilda flinched as Hanji extended her hand towards her, looking at it like a rotten corpse.

“I’m sorry,” Levi questioned as both he and Petra approached them, “is this woman bothering you?”

“I…” Gilda stammered, feeling cornered, “I was just going to get me some punch.”

“Then get your punch. We’ll be leaving you alone now.”

Levi grabbed Hanji by the arm and pulled her along away from the punch table, Hanji fighting him slightly for one final goodbye.

“Bye, Ms. Griffon!” she called out.

With Hanji and the other two humans now out of earshot, Gilda took the ladle from the bowl and poured it inside her glass.

“Yeah,” she growled. “Goodbye.”

Levi, feeling they were a safe distance from Gilda, threw Hanji from his grasp, staring daggers at her.

“We’re supposed to be the ambassadors for our race,” Levi scolded, “and you’re making us look like children who won a holiday here.”

“Come on, Levi,” Hanji whined, “it’s not every day you see a real live griffon.”

“In this world, I can’t say that that’s the case. Come on, be social with others for a change.”

Levi and Petra both left for the dance floor, shooting disappointed glares at her before sifting into the crowd. Hanji looked down dejectedly, realizing what a fool she had made out of herself. Her eyes then caught as a glass of punch floated below her face. Mystified by it, she reached her hands down and grabbed the glass in both hands.

“Your drink, madam,” spoke an eerie male voice.

“Oh,” she sighed. “Thank you.”

“But of course. Anything…”

Hanji looked up to see a lanky brown unicorn stallion with a white mane and tail, a curiously long beard, bushy eyebrows, yellow eyes, and wearing a tuxedo top with a black bow-tie and fedora hat, as well as a bushel of wheat for a cutie mark.

“…for a friend,” he finished, waving his hat out in an acknowledging fashion with his yellow magic aura.

The pieces in Hanji’s head instantly fit together, making her gasp at the realization.

“Discord?” she questioned.

“Tonight,” he corrected, flipping the fedora back onto his hat, “I’m Barley Bags, as per my deal to be allowed to come tonight. You won’t tell anyone, will you, Hanji?”

“What? Of course not! You can trust me!”

“Oh, how wonderful! Come on, I want to see how well you can cut a rug!”

Discord pulled Hanji by her waist towards the dance floor, making her spill her punch.

“But I haven’t gotten my drink yet!” she whooped.

It was too late, as Discord’s pulls only serve to make her splash her drink all over the floor she walked on, providing them with a clear path that the other guests did not want to be on.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Inside the roughly bricked chambers deep within Canterlot’s lower levels, two unicorn guards stood watch at a wooden door, looking out at the long chamber that led to the spiral staircase that led up to the main palace area. Nothing seemed to be amiss at this point, being a relatively peaceful and lax night in Canterlot considering the ball upstairs.

At that moment, a couple of slashing sounds were audible upstairs, putting the guards in caution. After a couple seconds of silence, the corpse of a recently slain guard limply landed on the floor with a metallic clang and bloody squish, frightening the guards immediately.

Grabbing their bladed operational devices from their 3D Maneuver Gears, they watched as Sunset Shimmer landed atop the guard’s body and tumbled into the hall, a her bloodied hands and blades held out to her side as she slowly stood with an evil grin on her face.

“H– Halt!” one guard shouted, their blades firm in both of their magical grasps.

With an unthreatened huff, Sunset Shimmer walked towards them, flicking the blood of her arms and weapons with each step she took.

“That’s it!” shouted one guard, galloping out towards her with a shrill cry.

“Stop!” warned the other guard.

With a single thrust, the guard forced his swords out towards Sunset Shimmer’s chest. With unintelligible speed, Sunset Shimmer spun to the right and blocked the soldier’s blades with her own, throwing them out to his left. With his neck now exposed, Sunset Shimmer followed through with her spin as she swung the blades at the guard’s throat.

The second guard stood completely stiff as his ally’s blood sprayed from his neck and painted the wall to his left, crumpling in a lifeless heap. With no time to prepare himself, Sunset Shimmer continued her spin as she bent her body over, allowing the blades to swing up through the neck and bisect the lower jaw.

The shock and blood loss killed the pony nearly instantly, while Sunset Shimmer quickly knelt down to the last slain guard and rummaged through his key ring.

“Halt, you monster!” cried Annie’s voice.

Sunset Shimmer jerked her body around to see Annie standing at the passageway to the spiral staircase. Despite seeing her there, Sunset Shimmer quickly removed her shocked expression and chuckled with an excited smirk.

“If you had any idea the fate Celestia has in store for you,” Annie mentioned, “you would not be laughing.”

“But that’s exactly why I am laughing!” Sunset Shimmer continued to giggle. “Because in just a few minutes’ time, there’s nothing that bitch can do to stop me.”

Annie grimaced with a haunted look in her eye, clearly nonplussed by Sunset Shimmer’s deranged attitude.

“You’re insane,” Annie remarked, reaching for the operational devices inside her jacket. “I don’t think I would be overstepping my bounds by killing you right now.”

Slipping two blades from her sheaths inside her operational devices, Annie unsheathed her swords, holding them out wide to completely block Sunset Shimmer’s escape.

“Hm…” Sunset Shimmer pondered, “I’ve always wanted to take on one of you guys…”

Sunset Shimmer held out her own swords and pointed them at Annie, keeping them still and unflinching. Annie threw her arms behind her back and charged out at Sunset Shimmer.

With a slight turn in her waist, Annie fired a hook off towards Sunset Shimmer’s head. Sunset Shimmer managed to block the projectile, but was only barely prepared as Annie’s blades came swinging at her chest.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Levi and Petra gently spun and stepped to the soft beat of the music the orchestra played along with several other mares and stallions. Petra rested her head onto Levi’s chest, comforted by the ambience and his presence.

“What if we got married here?” she asked.

“Do we really need to talk about this now?” Levi grumbled in a near whisper.

“I think that’s a great idea,” came the voice of Shining Armor from behind them.

Petra and Levi turned to see both Shining Armor and Cadance dancing towards them. Shining Armor was sporting a red military jacket that was decorated in medals, while Cadance was dressed in a flowing light-purple dress.

“Shining Armor,” Petra exclaimed. “Cadance!”

“It’s about time we saw you two here,” mentioned Cadance.

“So what was that about having your marriage here?” asked Shining Armor.

“I was just telling Petra that this isn’t the time nor the place,” Levi said.

“Either way, a Canterlot wedding would be a splendid idea,” Cadance assured him. “I’m certain it will be a lot less chaotic than the one we had.”

“Chaotic?” wondered Petra.

“Out of our way!” shouted a familiar voice.

Coming up towards the two couples were Hanji and Discord in his pony disguise, jumping and twirling madly as if they were dancing to a manic tango rather than a calm waltz. Shining Armor and Cadance and Levi and Petra stepped backwards to let the two pass, Hanji being thrown out by Discord and caught on the arm, where Hanji was swung down and landed on her feet, the two of them continuing to fly throughout the dance floor.

“Speaking of chaotic,” Levi said, going back to Hanji.

The interruption caused quite an awkward silence between the two couples, Princess Cadance quick to break it.

“Well,” she said, “it was nice to see you both. I’m very happy for you.”

“Thank you!” Petra bid. “I’ll hope to see you again soon!”

Cadance and Shining Armor waltzed away, leaving Levi and Petra to do the same now that they were left alone once again. Off on the edge of the dance floor, the grey unicorn watched as Hanji and Discord bowed to each other, the song having finally ended. She smiled as she watched the both of them laugh as they walked over to Armin and Twilight, who were also waiting on the other side of the dance floor.

Hanji, unable to conceal or withhold her enjoyment, laughed heartily as she leaned against Discord’s side, the both of them walking up to the bemused Twilight and the confused Armin.

“Wow,” Hanji panted, winded from her experience with Discord. “Barley Bags sure knows how to ‘cut a carpet!’”

Twilight stared at Discord despondently, knowing the danger he posed with his dancing. Discord, knowing he had been caught, lowered his head to Twilight. Discord tried to keep a straight face, but knew that Twilight would not buy it.

“Okay,” relented Discord, “you found me out. You just can’t tell the others that I’m… well, me.”

“You’re who?” asked the voice of the grey unicorn mare coming behind them.

Armin, Twilight, Hanji, and Discord turned to see the grey mare walking through the dance floor with four glasses of punch in her magical grasp.

“Are those for us?” asked Armin.

“They sure are!” she cooed, already passing them out. “I saw the two of you heading for Princess Twilight and…”

“Armin,” he responded.

“Right, thank you, and I just wanted to extend my respect and gratitude for your coming.”

“Well,” Twilight responded, feeling close to blushing, “that’s very kind of you… thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. I thought that the presentation this morning was wonderful, and…”

The grey mare’s words faded away as she saw the liquid inside Twilight’s glass get sucked away by a long, plastic silly straw with Discord siphoning it off. Both Twilight and the grey mare tried to withhold their shock and anger as the straw made a loud sucking sound as the last of the liquid was drunk. Even Hanji and Armin looked slightly unnerved by Discord’s action.

“This punch really is good,” teased Discord. “You really ought to try it.”

Discord stung Twilight yet again by dumping the contents of his entire glass into his mouth, licking his lips upon getting the last drop.

“Well,” the flustered grey mare spoke to Discord, “that was incredibly rude of you.”

“Ms.,” Hanji stepped in, “we’ll take it from here.”

Without a word, the grey mare trotted off towards the exit to the ballroom, leaving the mortified Hanji, Armin, and Twilight with the shamelessly coy Discord.

“Why would you do that in front of her?” Twilight scolded.

“Oh, come now, Twilight,” excused Discord, “I would have done that in front of anyone.”

“Discord,” Hanji warned, a sharp, lethal glare in her eyes, “the princesses are in the foyer. Do I need to have a talk with them.”

Discord, knowing what this meant, tensed up with frightened eyes.

“No, no, no!” admitted Discord, forming a halo over his head with a snap of his fingers. “I’ll be good. Honest to goodness, I will!”

Twilight glared at Discord, not trusting him for a second.

“It won’t happen again,” spoke Hanji, “or the princesses will know.”

“Come on, Twilight,” encouraged Armin, handing him his glass, “you can have mine. I’ll go get some myself.”

Armin went alone, leaving Twilight smiling at this friend’s kind act. Unbeknownst to her and Hanji, Discord suddenly felt a painful grumbling in his stomach. With a quick passing, Discord merely shrugged it off and loitered around with Hanji.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Annie leapt backwards towards the door to the library, just barely dodging Sunset Shimmer’s blade as it slashed her hoodie. Sunset Shimmer continued to encroach with a downward strike, only for Annie’s crossed blades to catch and deflect them. Annie kicked at Sunset Shimmer’s close abdomen, pushing her off. Sunset Shimmer continued to swing down, aiming for Annie’s leg.

Annie attempted to pull away, only for the top of the blade to slice deep into her right calf. Annie limped backwards towards the door, keeping her blades together defensively.

“So that was the fight I get from you guys?” Sunset Shimmer asked. “You other humans are lamer than I could have thought!”

“I’m still standing, you bitch,” threatened Annie. “If you want to get through this door, you’re going to have to kill me.”

“Hmph…”

Sunset Shimmer detached her dulled blades from her operational devices and slid two new ones on, producing a fresh pair of swords.

“…whatever you say.”

Sunset Shimmer ran out with her new blades at the seemingly helpless Annie. However, Annie whipped her arms out behind her and swung down and out, detaching each blade at the right moment so that they flew straight towards Sunset Shimmer’s face.

Sunset Shimmer moved her blades into an X formation to block them, but Annie’s force was so strong that the blades were broken off at their bases. As Sunset Shimmer moved her arms to punch, Annie stepped out and held out her arm, using her other arm to lock over Sunset Shimmer’s neck.

The force of her run plus another push backwards from Annie sent both of them flying towards the door. Annie yanked herself back as she felt her captor’s head smash into the wooden door with a deafened crunch of wood

Annie rolled away from the disoriented Sunset Shimmer and equipped a single blade to her right operational device. Sunset Shimmer forced herself to her stomach as Annie stood over her. Sunset Shimmer reached out to grab her discarded operational device, only for Annie’s blade to be aimed right over her head.

“Annie,” shouted Princess Celestia’s voice. “Stop!”

Annie turned to indeed see Princess Celestia stepping up into the hallway, an angered look on her face.

“I’ll take care of this,” she said.

Celestia cast a green colored beam at Annie, the shock and confusion completely overriding her. The beam struck Annie in the chest and sent her flying into the door, the temple cracking against the metal-barred windows and making her fall unconscious. Sunset Shimmer looked up to see Princess Celestia walking towards her, only for her to transform into Chrysalis in a wave of fire, who looked at her with an extreme sense of disappointment on her face.

“Get up,” Chrysalis ordered.

Sunset Shimmer stumbled to her feet, still woozy from her hit. Once she was able to keep her balance, she stared at Chrysalis weakly, but furiously.

“You try having the back of your head smashed into a door,” she challenged. “I’d love to see how fast you’d recover.”

“She got the better of you,” Chrysalis told her bluntly, “that is why I am disappointed. You won’t let it happen again?”

Sunset Shimmer still angered by her apathy, but sated by her reasonable disappointment, relented with a sigh.

“Never again,” she complied.

“Good,” Chrysalis cooed, her smile returning. “Never mind about her. I’ll handle it.”

“And how are Twilight and Discord?”

“Discord drank both his and her glasses.”

“What!? He found us out?”

“No, he did it as a prank to Twilight. Either way, Discord took a double dose of those pills you gave me, and Twilight has inadvertently been saved.

Sunset Shimmer growled, but knew nothing could be done at this point.

“At least he’ll die faster,” she reasoned.

“We have our own work to finish,” reminded Chrysalis. “Now, go refill your blades and get to the ballroom. I’ll take care of the rest.”

“Roger…”

Sunset Shimmer knelt down to the still unconscious Annie and began extracting her blades from her sheath and putting them in her own. Meanwhile, Chrysalis floated the key-ring from the most recently slain unicorn guard and flicked through each key before singling one out.

As she placed the key into the door’s lock, Sunset Shimmer, her blades refilled with a full set inside her sheaths, ran to the spiral staircase, not saying a word to Chrysalis as she turned the key and opened the door. Pushing it open, Chrysalis stepped inside and found the black book kept safely within its case.

Chrysalis charged another spell and fired it at the glass, shattering it and leaving the book entirely to her whims. Stepping up to the display, Chrysalis brought a wide, toothy smile upon her face, the completion of their plan nearing completion.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Eren, Rainbow Dash, Mikasa, Applejack, Jean, and Fluttershy stood by the punch bowl, the latter four looking slightly bored and disinterested.

“Jean,” requested Fluttershy, “let’s dance!”

“You really think we can?” Jean asked with an awkward tone in his voice.

“Well, I saw Hanji dancing with this other stallion pretty well…”

“Then I guess there’s no problem then,” he responded, putting his hands out.

“Oh, Jean!” she sighed, standing to her hind legs and placing her hooves on Jean’s hands. “This is going to be wonderful.”

Jean hugged Fluttershy close to her as she slung her arm over Jean’s shoulder. The two of them began to step off together into the dance floor with the other couples. Mikasa, looking somewhat flustered at Jean’s kinship with his friend, turned to Eren with a blush in her cheeks.

“Eren,” she demanded, “dance with me.”

“Huh?” Eren queried. “What do you–”

Mikasa shut his mouth by pulling herself onto Eren’s body and grabbing his back to keep them close, the other hand grabbing his arm. Rainbow Dash and Mikasa both looked very surprised and interested at what was about to happen.

“I said dance with me,” she hissed.

Without giving him a chance to respond, Mikasa spun around with Eren past the other ponies and onto the dance floor.

“Go get her, Eren!” cheered Rainbow Dash.

“What just happened?” Armin asked as he approached the table.

“In all honesty,” Applejack responded, “I’m not all too sure, either.”

“Let’s go!” begged Rainbow Dash. “I have to see this!”

As Rainbow Dash and Applejack walked down the edge of the dance floor, Armin quickly grabbed a glass and filled it with punch before he made his way towards Rainbow Dash and Applejack. As Jean and Fluttershy made it closer to Hanji, Twilight, and Discord, Fluttershy managed to spot Discord in the crowd, despite his disguise.

Discord, realizing this, walked over towards Fluttershy and extended his hoof to her. Fluttershy parted away from Jean and began to dance with Discord, leaving Jean confused and alone. He then recognized the pony’s beard, understanding what had happened.

“Hey!” he shouted, unaware of Mikasa breaking away from Eren as she came towards him. “You’re–”

A tap on the shoulder kept his mouth silent as he tried to look behind him, only for Mikasa to swing around and grab his hand and opposite shoulder. Upon seeing Mikasa’s face, his face flushed and elicited a shuddering breath as she looked up to him.

“Just be natural,” Mikasa suggested.

Jean, doing his best to keep his emotions and composure in control, managed to take the lead, taking Mikasa around the floor. With Eren now alone, he began to walk back over towards Rainbow Dash and Applejack.

“Looks like she tried to wrangle you in again, didn’t she?” chuckled Rainbow Dash. “That is, unless, you still find me attractive.”

Eren looked down and winced heavily as Rainbow Dash gave him a suggestive look.

“Rainbow Dash!” hissed Eren. “I told you, that was a complete misunderstanding!”

“You keep telling yourself that, sugarcube,” egged Applejack.

Eren, fed up now, walked over to join Armin and Hanji, who continued to watch Discord and Fluttershy dance. As Discord looked happily into Fluttershy’s eyes, he felt a tremendous soreness run into his left arm. Stopping and crouching down, Fluttershy gasped in shock to see her friend hurt so badly.

“Discord!” she cried. “Are you o–”

Discord pulled his left arm out under his body to reveal an eagle’s talon.

“Did she say Discord?” wondered a lavishly dressed mare as she approached with her male partner.

“I think so,” said another stallion.

Soon, a small crowd of people began to gather around Discord and Fluttershy, frightening them both greatly.

“Out of my way!” ordered Hanji, pushing through the crowd and kneeling between the two.

Hanji gasped to see as Discord convulsed again as everyone around him watched his right leg slowly morphed into that of a green dragon’s. The crowd gasped at the horrifying transformation as Armin and Eren managed to get inside the ring of people.

Discord strained his mind as his two limbs to return to normal. Discord’s brow sweated profusely as he tried to find relief, only for a sharp stabbing pain to enter into his head. As Discord flailed on the floor and shouted in agony, his right arm and his left leg transformed into a lion’s and an antelope’s.

“Discord?” sobbed Fluttershy. “What’s happening to you?”

“I…” Discord stressed, “I don’t know!”

In fast succession, the rest of Discord’s body began to change to normal to the terror of the crowd as his body continued to write and contort.

“What is the meaning of this?” shouted Celestia’s voice.

Immediately, the crowd parted to make a path for Celestia and Luna, who both approached from the  front end of the dance floor with livid expressions on their faces. From the other side of the room, Conny, Pinkie Pie, Sasha, and Rarity watched the scene with confusion and fear.

“No!” Fluttershy protested, guarding Discord with her body. “It’s not his fault! Something’s wrong with him.”

“He must be wrong in the head to consider taking on his form and terrorizing our guests!” Luna shouted, refusing to yield in the approach with her sister.

Before Celestia could force Fluttershy aside to face the embarrassed and genuinely scared Discord, the sound of terrified gasps sounded behind the two princesses, making the two of them turn to the source. Celestia clenched her teeth and widened her eyes as she saw Sunset Shimmer herself, walking from the balcony entrance and towards the two of them.

“Hmhmhm,” she chortled. “It looks like those pills we gave him really did the trick, didn’t they?”

The other ponies cleared the way for Sunset Shimmer, repulsed and alarmed by the sight of blood on her clothes and swords, as well as the smell coming off of them.

“Sunset Shimmer!” Celestia panted. “What are you doing here? How are you even here?”

“You tell me,” Sunset Shimmer demanded. “It’s been another year already, and I’m now completely through with that hell you kept me in for fifteen years!”

Twilight, as well as the other ponies, nearby her, looked to each other with great confusion, unsure who this human was and what connection she had with Celestia.

“Why…” Celestia tried to ask. “Why do you have a 3D Maneuver Gear? Why are you covered in blood?”

“On that world,” responded Sunset Shimmer, stopping on the front edge of the dance floor, “they say the human heart pumps 700,000 gallons of blood every year. On that world, I’ve pumped over ten million gallons. Your guards were a mere pinprick compared to what’s in store for you and this world.”

Celestia gasped, mortified by the act she had realized Sunset Shimmer had committed.

“Guards!” shouted Luna. “Dispose of her!”

Right then, three pegasus guards flew out from three different sides of the room, their own bladed operational devices at the ready. Sunset Shimmer stood completely still as she analyzed her attackers. The guard on her left appeared to be coming first, and ducking down, Sunset Shimmer slashed her blade up and out to the right, slitting the guard’s throat.

The continued motion of the slain pony collided into the pegasus on her right. Sunset Shimmer’s body followed with the force of her swing, beginning to dodge the third guard, but thrust her sword into the exposed side of the chest. With the remaining guard knocked to his back, Sunset Shimmer jumped to her feet and jammed the end of her other sword into his neck.

The humans and ponies in attendance all gasped loudly with sheer terror at Sunset Shimmer’s macabre act. A large majority of the guests screamed and shrieked as they all galloped for the exit. Gilda had begun to exit from the balcony, leaping out and soaring around the castle. The only ones staying were each of the humans, their pony friends, Shining Armor, Cadance, and Discord

The group began to huddle around the still haunted Celestia and Luna with scornful faces, each one poised to attack, minus Discord, who was still too sick and weak to move. As the last of the guests cleared out, Lyra and Derpy Hooves ran into the room, standing by at the entrance with caution.

“Sunset Shimmer,” seethed Celestia with shaky breaths, “what do you want?”

“What do I want?” Sunset Shimmer asked incredulously, breaking off into a hysterical laughing fit that unnerved and angered the humans and remaining ponies. “I already have all that I need! Antithology!”

Celestia and Luna gasped at the uttering of the title, but Celestia kept her brave and spiteful face.

“I don’t know what purpose you need with that book,” Celestia told her, “but it will do you no good! That book is only accessible to me and me alone.”

“I figured as much,” huffed Sunset Shimmer. “But what if I had the next best thing, namely someone who could be Celestia.”

Celestia and Luna, as well as the remaining ponies, Cadance, Shining Armor, and Twilight especially.

“You don’t mean–” questioned Luna.

“In fact,” interrupted Sunset Shimmer, “she should be finished right about–”

A bright green light and the sound of fire and broken glass came from the open balcony, as well as the sound of a rumbling in the castle.

“Wait here!” Luna advised as she soared out towards the balcony, passing by a still and patient Sunset Shimmer.

Flying out and up from the balcony, Luna soared over the building’s roof to see a large rotunda at the top of one of the palace’s buildings with bright green light shining through each of the now broken windows, as well as the cackling of Chrysalis’ laughter inside.

Luna swooped back down and into the ballroom, looking at Celestia with a heavily apparent look of danger and omen in her eyes. Celestia, her eyes squinted to the thinnest of slits, stared deep into Sunset Shimmer’s humoring eyes.

“Sunset Shimmer,” she growled. “What have you two done?”

“Exactly what we have planned for,” she responded. “The fall of Equestria.”
> Chapter 7: Legion
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chrysalis stepped into a large rotunda, walking towards its back wall with both Antithology and a bound and gagged Annie in her magical tow. Once she made her way into the center, she roughly set Annie down on her rump, making her grunt with discomfort.

“Now,” Chrysalis asked her facetiously, “are you ready to witness the new age of Equestria?”

Annie screamed through her cloth, hopping up to try and attack her, only for her to fall to her side helplessly, Chrysalis laughing as she moaned with futility.

“I knew you were,” she answered back.

Taking a few steps forwards, Chrysalis transformed herself into Celestia, her evil grin still plastered on her muzzle and her horn still glowing green. Annie began to shout and yell as loud as she could, hoping with all her might that someone would hear her. Chrysalis ignored her, flipping the book open to the middle, a strong gust of wind blowing throughout the room with each turn of a page. Annie, beginning to lose faith, cried hard, tears flowing from her eyes.

“Wicked beings whom I have forsook,” chanted Chrysalis as Celestia, making the book glow a bright green and its pages vibrating, “and held captive in this book; I now open your prison door and set you free forever more!”

A bright green light shone from the book as it began to float by itself. Chrysalis, mystified by what she had completed, stepped back to watch her spell in all its wonder. Unbeknownst to Chrysalis, Luna could see what was happening from above the ballroom building. Luna flew back inside the ballroom and faced Sunset Shimmer beside her sister and remaining guests.

“Sunset Shimmer,” she growled. “What have you two done?”

“Exactly what we have planned for,” she responded. “The fall of Equestria.”

“You won’t get away with this!” shouted Rainbow Dash.

“Rainbow Dash,” Celestia cooed, “I’m sorry, but it’s too late. All we can do now is to evacuate the city before more harm comes to my little ponies. Now, quickly! Come close!”

The humans and ponies did as they were told, but Levi was quick to see Sunset Shimmer winding her arm to strike as Celestia and Luna tried to charge their horns.

“Wait!” he shouted.

Celestia and Luna did as he was told, giving them enough time to see a single blade fly out towards them. With enough time to spare, Celestia deflected it with a quick magic shield. Sunset Shimmer winced, winding the left arm back as her right hand and operational device reached for another blade.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Chrysalis watched in delight as the pages of the book began to detach from the spine and fly about the room in a frenzied twister.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“I remember how difficult teleportation can be,” remarked Sunset Shimmer, “but to transport the whole lot of you away? Even between you two princesses, you need just enough time to charge yourselves. Gives me time to kill at least two of you.”

“Sunset Shimmer!” pleaded Celestia. “Let us go! My ponies need me.”

“Yes,” giggled Sunset Shimmer, nearly biting her tongue in pleasure, “beg. Beg just like you made me beg.”

Luna glanced out at the corner of her eye to see two shadows begin to gallop towards the entrance to the ballroom. Knowing that timing was vital, Luna kept her angered stare at Sunset until…

“Tia,” ordered Luna, “now!”

Celestia and Luna began to charge up their horns, allowing Sunset to restore strength for her oncoming attack.

*PKOOHH*

The sound of a gun firing alerted Sunset Shimmer immediately as a green shard of light darted towards her face. Using her agility to block the attack, she deflected the spell with the edge of her blade, sending it ricocheting off into the ceiling. Looking back to Celestia and Luna, she and the rest of the humans and ponies were already covered in an aura of light.

Sunset tried to toss out at least one blade towards the group, only for it to fly through open air as the aura, as well as the humans and ponies to disappear, making the blade clatter to the ground.

*PKOOHH*

Another gunshot. Sunset Shimmer dove forwards, just avoiding another blast from the mystery light. Turning her body to the entrance to the hall, Sunset Shimmer restored her operational devices with two new blades.

However, she could only register for a spit second as a pegasus with a long sword attached to its waist in a sheath and a device clamped to her right wrist flew towards a unicorn with two odd devices on her arm, each one equipped with a small cannon on the inside of each hoof, as well as a green-glowing ring on her horn. The pegasus groped the unicorn, and with a bright flash both of them disappeared.

Sunset Shimmer growled, having lost her prey and unable to identify their saviors. With another pressing issue at hand, Sunset Shimmer ran towards the balcony exit.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Chrysalis transformed back into her original form, watching as the pages slowly began to form a large sphere inside the center of the room. Annie too was mystified and mortified by what she was witnessing as the pages completed their round form. From there, the bottom of the sphere went aflame, quickly spreading across the sphere until it was nothing more than a large ball of fire.

The fires soon began to dissipate, the orb now looking more like it was made from a mirror which began to grow out, sparking profusely with green bolts as it did. Just as the orb was about to collide with both of the walls, it burst as if it were made of water, the liquid silvery fluids vaporizing on the ground once it hit.

Now standing where the orb had been were a multitude of creatures and beings, much to Chrysalis’s delight. The first one she laid her eyes on was a large, heavily-built centaur-like creature with a dark-grey horse’s body, a furry, black, humanoid torso with bald muscular red arms and hands, a red ape-like face, white beard, and long steer-like horns.

Standing next to it was an human-sized, anthropomorphic cat with light-brown fur, long orange hair draped over her right shoulder, and wearing a regal red robe. Accompanying her was a green wyvern with a long, light-colored beak. Behind the both of them was a large blue goat with black horns that wrapped back and around his head, a row of fangs extending from the bottom of his jaw, two red voids for eyes, and a golden bell hung around his neck by a red belt. Next to it was a brown donkey with a horribly-oversized muzzle and two small, pointy brown horns from the top of its head.

Behind them was an ghostly entity made up of what appeared to be grey clouds, its square face suggesting brutishness, along with an anthropomorphic hornet about a foot taller than the cat creature, sporting an ornate red cape and holding a golden spear, as well as a giant made up of molten magma, a slender emperor penguin with a ruby crown and plumage designed to look like a literal tuxedo, a hairless, humanoid-boar with a tiara made of granite, and finally, a deep-red squid with a pair of eyes just beneath the base of its mantle.

Upon finding themselves inside the rotunda, they looked about them confusedly and cautiously. Suddenly, the red-and-black centaur spotted both Chrysalis and Annie before it.

“You,” he spoke in a guttural growl, turning the others’ attention towards the two of them, “who are you?”

Chrysalis tossed the page-less cover of Antithology at the cloven hooves of the centaur. The others responded with shock and surprise, staring back incredulously at the smug Chrysalis.

“I’m the one who’s giving Equestria back to you,” she chuckled.

The others before her still could not believe what she had done for them, nearly frozen stiff at the concept of their newfound freedom.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Celestia and Luna reappeared with the humans and their pony friends, including Spike and Discord, inside the head chambers of the palace. As the humans and ponies breathed spastically at their brush with death, another burst of light flashed beside them. Emerging from the light were Lyra and Derpy Hooves, the former equipped with the horn-ring and cannon braces on her hooves, and Derpy Hooves with the sheathed sword on her body.

“Your highness,” asked Derpy Hooves, “are you alright?”

“Yes, Derpy,” panted Luna, “I am. Thank you.”

“Hey,” Eren stammered, pointing at the grey pegasus, “you’re that pony from the diner! What are you doing here? What happened to your voice?”

Derpy Hooves leapt up and smacked Eren on the back of his head. The others were taken aback by the pegasus’ act while Eren rubbed his head and groaned loudly.

“That’s what you get for making fun of my eyes!” Derpy spoke.

“I didn’t mean anything!” cried Eren.

“Derpy Hooves,” Lyra hissed, “this is not the time nor the place.”

“Can someone please tell me what’s wrong with Discord?” wept Fluttershy.

The others turned to him to see him wheezing and gagging on the floor. Sasha gasped and covered her mouth, horrified by the helpless creature.

“I’m such a fool…” he sighed. “I should have known there was something up with that pony who gave us those drinks…”

“What?” Twilight shouted. “What do you mean?”

“The aching, the shortness of breath, the fact that I couldn’t use magic back there without feeling tremendous pain. She must have put Essence of Curseroot in them.”

At that moment, Twilight, Celestia, and Luna gasped.

“Essense of Curseroot?” wondered Armin. “What is that?”

“Curseroot is a plant that has been used to suppress the magic of unicorn prisoners,” explained Celestia, “but in high or concentrated doses, especially when congested, it saps all magic from those creatures, and when the magic is gone… it takes their life.”

Fluttershy squeaked loudly with flowing tears.

“Can’t we save him?” he asked.

“Potentially,” Celestia said, “but we will need to work quickly. Ponies, humans, return to your rooms and get dressed into your uniforms and Maneuver Gears. Lyra, Derpy, escort Shining Armor and Cadance to their rooms and pack only what you need. I will treat Discord as well as I can while Luna evacuates the city, but in either case, we’ll need to escape. There is a secret train tunnel where an engine and a few of cars are waiting. Twilight, you know where it is, don’t you?”

“Yes, Princess Celestia,” she answered with a quick nod.

“Good, meet us down there in precisely fifteen minutes. Now go! There is no time to lose!”

Without another word the ponies ran down the hall to their chambers, minus Fluttershy, who timidly stood by and stared at her ailing friend.

“Fluttershy, go!” he rasped. “Jean needs you now!”

Fluttershy, after taking a long, possibly last look at Discord, darted off behind her to follow their friends to their rooms.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

The centaur stepped up to Chrysalis, whose smug smile removed any pretense of fear from the creatures that faced her. With the large creature’s equine chest/human abdomen just a foot or so from her head, Chrysalis smiled wider as he lowered his front hooves down to their knees and placed his hand over his heart.

Annie whimpered through her cloth as the other creatures behind the centaur all took their form of a bow, signaling their allegiance with the one who had freed them. All of the creatures stood back up, each of them, minus the centaur, stepping around her and Annie.

“We thank you greatly for your act,” Tirek spoke. “We wish to know the name of the one who has released us.”

“My name is Chrysalis,” she answered, “queen of the changelings. And I know you all as well, Tirek,” she said to the centaur, then turning towards the blue ram and the donkey, “Grogar, Bray,” she added, facing the robed cat and the wyvern, “Catrina, Rep,” she continued, looking to the cloud monster, the lava giant, the squid, the bee, the penguin, and the boar, “Arabus, Lavan, Squirk, Queen Bumble, King Charlatan, and Queen Porcina.”

“Hmm,” Catrina purred with a sly grin and a slight German accent, “she’s done her research.”

The sound of retracting wires were heard from outside the door to the rotunda, with Sunset Shimmer storming in quickly afterwards. Upon seeing her, the creatures glared and growled at the potential threat, Tirek charging a red-and-yellow sphere of magic in between his horns. Sunset Shimmer stood stiff as a board with wide, surprised eyes.

“Do not attack her!” bellowed Chrysalis. “She is an ally of ours, and you can trust her fully.”

The sphere in space of Tirek’s horns shrunk, and the collection of creatures settled down. Sunset’s fear transformed to anger as she stared at the taur.

“And what is this one’s name?” Tirek asked Chrysalis.

“My name is Sunset Shimmer,” she snapped, stepping up to Tirek without hesitation, “and I’d greatly appreciate it if you let me speak when I’m more than capable of doing so.”

Tirek squinted at Sunset Shimmer, who squinted right back.

“She looks like feisty one,” Porcina joked in a heavy Cockney accent. “Best not to push her buttons, eh?”

“Go on,” Sunset Shimmer goaded with a proud sneer. “Listen to Porky over there.”

“Porky?” she squealed, stomping her way to the human girl. “I ought ta’ beat the daylights out of you!”

Tirek’s massive hoof blocked he path, making the boar hop up in shock.

“That’s enough,” Tirek spoke. “She has made her case. Sunset Shimmer,” he asked, turning to the human, “what is that device on your waist?”

“It’s a 3D Maneuver Gear,” she answered. “It allows me to soar along tall places and function as a weapon.”

Tirek smirked, impressed by the ingenuity of such a creation. However, any sense of ease ended with the booming of a voice outside.

“Citizens of Canterlot!” the voice cried. “This is your Princess Luna! You must evacuate the city! I repeat, you must evacuate the city immediately!”

Suddenly, and louder with each second, the noise of screaming, terrified ponies erupted around the entire building. The blue ram breathed in and closed his eyes at the pleasing sensation.

“Oh, how I miss that sound,” he sighed in a raspy British accent. “The screams of terror of those that I oppressed.”

“Chrysalis,” Tirek spoke, “let us take this city and the princesses once more.”

“No,” Chrysalis answered.

“What?” Tirek, Grogar, and Catrina all exclaimed.

“Do you not trust us?” Arabus spoke with dejection.

“After you set us free in the first place?” warbled Bumble.

“We cannot let the enemy see our hand quite yet,” argued Chrysalis. “Let Sunset and I handle Canterlot now. Once we set outward over all of Equestria, you and your powers shall help us completely destroy any opposition.”

“You think you and your friend can manage this task yourselves” Tirek asked.

“Ohoho,” she chuckled, “we won’t be alone. Lavan, seal any entrances and exits from those why might try to get in once we leave. Once we’ve succeeded, we’ll enter through the windows. Do not be alarmed unless it’s a guard. If one manages to enter, kill him immediately.”

“You got it, Chrysy,” he responded in a voice as rough as sandpaper.

Annie felt hope torrent out of her eyes as she was soon about to consign to a terrible fate.

“And what of that other creature there?” Rep asked, pointing to Annie.

“Spare her,” Chrysalis said. “She will be of immense value to us. Perhaps one of you can use some… ‘persuasion’ to sway her to our side?”

Catrina stepped forwards, an proud smile sliding across her face.

“Leave that to me,” she said.

“Very good. Just don’t hurt her…”

Chrysalis turned her head to Catrina first with serious sternness and then with a light grin.

“…too badly.”

Catrina smiled back at the answer.

“I will not disappoint you,”

With a nod, Chrysalis and Sunset Shimmer ran to the exit door, Lavan quickly following behind. Once the door closed behind them, Lavan’s hand placed itself upon the top of the door and melted. Moving down, a streak of hot rock now cooling down was placed over the creases of each door. Meanwhile, Catrina walked casually towards Annie, who could not move in her bondage, but could only wail as Catrina’s claw brushed her hair.

“Nighty night,” she teased, her viciously bent claw reached at her face.

The last thing Annie could do was scream as the hand began to glow green and the palm pressed over her eyes, consciousness slipping away.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Trains left the stations one after the other, the ones that haven’t left yet filling up with unicorns and earth ponies. Pegasi flew in all directions towards their home towns and cities, screaming, crying, and panting with their lives at risk. Among them, Gilda flew south towards Ponyville, a somber frown on her face as she looked back.

“Go get her, Annie,” she choked with slight hope.

As she looked back down, she, as well as the other pegasi around her, saw a sight forming beneath them that forced their wings to fly faster than they could have thought possible.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Eren and Rainbow Dash burst into their bedroom, Eren having torn his shirt and jack from his body and sliding his pants off in mere seconds.

“Rainbow Dash,” he shouted, “keep an eye out for that yellow girl.”

“How long should it take you to change?” asked Rainbow Dash, trembling herself almost off-balance.

“Just a couple of minutes!”

“But we only have fifteen!”

As Eren slid his pants and harness onto his legs, the sound of a loud buzzing could be heard from outside. Rainbow Dash flew up to the window, and upon seeing the source of the sound, her wings froze, making her fall back to her hooves an back up with a desperate look on her face and drooped ears.

“Scratch that,” she mumbled. “We don’t even have that couple…”

“Huh?” questioned Eren. “What is it?”

Eren hopped up and looked out the window, and now his expression matched Rainbow Dash as he looked at a swarm of changelings flying up and surrounding the castle at practically every vantage angle.

“This can’t be,” muttered Eren. “We’re defenseless.”

With a screech from one of the insectoid creatures, a whole mass of them sped up towards the window where they had spotted their prey.

Eren hopped off his spot and stood directly in front of Rainbow Dash, putting his arms up into a futile shield. At that moment, the case for his maneuver gear Element of Harmony began to glow from the inside out. The device burst forth from the case and latched itself to Eren, making him glow brightly.

A changeling burst into the room, darting straight at the light and Rainbow Dash, a pair of glowing red blades cut forth from the light and slashed two large gashes in the creature’s chest, felling and killing it instantly. The light disintegrated to reveal Eren now wearing his gold-and-platinum armor with his red cape.

“My Element!” gasped Eren.

Just then, around a dozen more changelings flew into the room, and with Eren suited and armed, he gripped the handles of his blades and threw his arms back out.

“Stay back, Rainbow Dash,” he called to her. “I’ll take care of them.

Three of the changelings charged him at once, and Eren managed to cut them all down with a single slash of his swords. As the other six changelings looked upon the scene in fright, Eren wound both of his arms in, both swords glowing bright. Before the creatures could have time to escape, Eren threw his arms out, the blades shooting two long crescents of red light as they were swung out.

Both crescents struck all nine of the changelings, and they each glowed a bright color before disintegrating into ash and dust. The changelings waiting outside shrieked before they ran from the windows and left well enough alone. Eren smirked in triumph before his armor glowed all over until all of its features were muted by the light. The light morphed into a less bulkier form and faded away, stunning Eren and Rainbow Dash to see that he was now in his Scouting Legion uniform.

“What?” he wondered. “How did I–”

“Never mind that!” Rainbow Dash shouted, bucking the door back open. “We have to help our other friends!”

“Right!”

Rainbow Dash galloped out of the room and down the hallways searching for the rooms of the others.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Levi checked his way through the door of his bedroom, shattering the stile around the now ruined lock. Petra and Hanji came in promptly afterwards, running to their beds.

“Hanji!” instructed Levi. “Please dress Petra for me! I need to equip myself before Sunset Shimmer finds us!”

Petra watched nervously as Levi grabbed both his hung uniform and his Maneuver Gear case from his wardrobe and slammed them onto his bed, tearing his shirt off in several hard tugs.

“You heard him, Petra!” Hanji shouted, “We need to get moving!”

“Right, sorry!” she cried.

As Levi slipped his blouse over his head and his arms through the sleeves, a window broke on the far corner of the room, a changeling stumbling about in the room. Petra and Hanji screamed at the foreign creature before them. Levi huffed and stood in an offensive stance.

The changeling hissed loudly and flew out at Levi, only for him to spin around and kick the creature in the neck, the sounds of its bones breaking against the tip of Levi’s foot and the sound of its skull cracking as its head hit the edge of the cabinet.

Five more changelings appeared, from the broken window, looking down at their slain comrade on the floor. With shrill screeches, they all reared back to charge at once, Levi undeterred from protecting the two women behind him.

Before they could advance, a powerful magenta beam burst in through the window, taking a few of the stones in the frame as well. The beam blasted straight into the changelings, where they fell limp to the floor, completely unconscious. Once the energy dissipated, Twilight Sparkle, Spike on her back, and Armin, who was in his Scouting Legion uniform and Element of Harmony Maneuver Gear, hopped into the room and slid onto the room upon their feet.

“Hmph,” spoke Levi, reaching back for his pants, “you certainly came in the nick of time. Keep watch for us while we get dressed ourselves.”

Armin and Twilight nodded. As Twilight ran to the window and kept a careful eye over the changelings outside who were far too afraid to consider entering, Armin and Spike ran in between Levi and Hanji and Petra, Armin glancing to Levi as he blushed in his attempts to avert his gaze from Petra, whose dress was now off and her naked body exposed.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunset Shimmer stood atop the spire of a tall building, watching the sheer chaos of her and Chrysalis’s deeds as it spread from the panicked equine citizens and the changelings chasing them beneath her. Her shirt, jacket, skirt, and limbs were streaked with fresh blood, and her crimson blades dripped down from the tips and onto the street.

A trio of ponies caught her eye. It was a stallion of the royal guard with a 3D Maneuver Gear and two middle-aged unicorns, a stallion and a mare. The stallion was a blue color with a darker-blue combed mane, a messy tail and a crescent moon within a crescent moon for a cutie mark. The mare was a light-grey color with a purple-and-white Hime cut mane with a curl on the back end and a straight tail with the same design, as well as three purple stars for a cutie mark. Sunset Shimmer smirked at them as they each carried a haphazardly stuffed case, sleeves of shirts and hems of dresses caught inside and fluttering outside.

“Looks like these ponies value their things more than their lives…” she commented to herself. “Let’s see how far that got them.”

At the right time, Sunset Shimmer leaned forwards and pushed off the building, swinging to the next closest roofs down on her Maneuver Gear, keeping her eyes on the three ponies continuing to gallop down the streets and weave past the hysterical masses.

On the flat roof of a café, she leapt down from it and into the path of the royal guard. The armored stallion could not halt himself fast enough as Sunset Shimmer tumbled before him, stopping right beside him. With a quick slash, her blades sliced through his front leg and his neck, tripping him and ending his life. The mare and stallion skidded to a stop and yelped as they watched their escort lie limply in a pool of blood forming around his body. Sunset Shimmer stood up to face them and flicked the blood from her blades.

“Don’t you know it’s not smart to travel heavy during an evacuation?” she tauntingly asked, stepping towards them. “I guess you’ll learn the hard way.”

With a step forward, a hook had shot into the wall of the café, and Sunset Shimmer turned around only to see a brown-and-white mass with a black top swing around the building with the soles of their boots skating the floor. The being swung its swords at Sunset Shimmer, who was just quick enough to block them. Regardless, she was sent flying towards the café, the back of her legs catching the banister of the metal gate to the outdoor seating and making her flip into a table, destroying it.

The two ponies looked in wonder at their savior, realizing once he had begun to stand still that it was Levi looking over Sunset Shimmer’s body. With a glance towards them, he frowned.

“Get going,” he calmly ordered. “Otherwise you’ll end up like him.”

Seeing the cut guard once again, his blood now having surrounded him, the two ponies’ hairs stood on end, and they galloped away as fast as their legs could carry them. Levi turned to see the two leave for whatever safety they could find.

The shrill scream of Sunset Shimmer’s voice alerted Levi, turning to see the girl charging at him. With a sidestep, Levi began to swing his blades down and up like a golf swing. Using both of her swords, she swatted them away up and to her side. With Levi’s neck exposed, she moved her forearm to thrust it into his windpipe, but with a continued motion of his arm, Levi stepped aside and bent backwards, avoiding the backhanded swing at his throat.

He backed away once again and gave her some space, their blades now pointed towards each other. Sunset Shimmer wiped the blood trickling down her the back of her neck from her crash into the table, suddenly smiling and evolving it into entertained laughter.

“It’s about time I faced someone that was a challenge,” she hissed.

“You have a funny matter of speaking,” Levi commented. “I don’t really care for it.”

Sunset Shimmer charged at Levi, who ran backwards to monitor her movements. She leapt up with her arms raised above her head, allowing Levi to flip his left operational device so the blade was turned downward. He then swung both arms in, catching Sunset Shimmer’s blades as they came for his head.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Discord lied with moist eyes beside the kneeling Celestia inside her palace throne room, several jugs, a couple empty and two more filled with a milky, argent liquid sitting next to her. Using her magic, she gently tilted the contents of one of the jugs towards Discord’s mouth, who slowly gulped the drink with his tears streaming down his face. The door came open, and Luna briskly stepped in, taking her place beside her sister.

“How is he?” she asked softly.

“Not good,” Celestia spoke with a heavy heart as she placed the jug aside. “I fear that even this potion won’t be enough to save him. It will prolong his life, but I don’t know if it will cure him.”

“Perhaps if you put some chocolate syrup in it,” he coyly begged, only for his joke to end on a violent coughing fit.

Celestia couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle.

“Even when knocking at death’s door,” she said, “you still love to make jokes.”

“How else would I want to spend my final moments?” he responded, putting his lion’s paw on Celestia’s hoof and giving it a tender squeeze.

Celestia closed her eyes, allowing her own tears to fall from them. She then sported a serious look and charged her horn.

“No,” she bellowed, lifting Discord up and having him mount her entire back. “I won’t lose you just yet! Luna, I want you to find as much magemilk as we have and bring it with. We can make some more in Ponyville.”

“Of course, sister,” she said, grabbing the two filled jugs in her own magic.

“We need to meet Twilight and the others downstairs soon. We must hurry.”

Luna failed to respond, looking around at the stained glass walls and tapestry of colors that comprised the space about them.

“Luna,” snapped Celestia.

“I’m sorry,” wept Luna, her eyes becoming wet. “It’s just that I don’t know if we’ll ever see this palace the same way again.”

“Equestria will not be the same, Luna. If we want to ensure its survival, we must leave now.”

Luna bowed her head and let a couple of tears bleed out from her eyes, making her final reflections of their home. With another charge of their horns, both Celestia and Luna disappeared with Discord, leaving the room empty, the only sounds that could be heard was the screaming of ponies and the screech of the changeling’s call.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Sasha, Conny, Jean, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie, ran through the corridors, looking ahead for any sign of their friends. Each of the humans were now in their Scouting Legion attire with their Element Maneuver Gears attached to their sides. Turning the corner, they saw Eren, Rainbow Dash, Armin, Twilight, Applejack, Mikasa, Petra, and Hanji, the latter three also in their uniforms and equipped with their respective Maneuver Gears.

“There you guys are!” Jean panted, looking about at something that was obviously amiss. “Hey, where’s Levi?”

“He went off to fight Sunset Shimmer,” Petra moaned, her anxiety cracking her voice. “I don’t know if he’s going to make it back!”

“Petra!” Armin spoke, grabbing her right wrist. “Don’t you get it? He’s distracting her so we can get to the secret train. We have to go while there’s still time!”

“But… Levi’s still out there.”

“And if he comes back now, she’ll certainly be after us! We have to leave!”

Armin ran down the hallway with Petra in tow, forcing Twilight to gallop ahead and lead them in the right direction. The other humans and ponies sprinted down with them, trying their best to keep close behind.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Celestia and Luna stood on the long, narrow platform of a craggy tunnel lit only by a few meager torches that sparsely lined the walls. Sitting on the other side of the platform was a standard Equestrian train with only four cars attached to the engine. The back two cars were filled with royal guards who waited nervously and impatiently for the other passengers to arrive. Within the second car was Shining Armor, Cadance, Derpy Hooves, and Lyra as they sat around Discord lying on his back on the floor. The back front car was completely empty and its door was wide open.

The echo of footsteps roared from a tight upstairs stairwell in the center of the platform. Celestia and Luna turned their heads to see Twilight and Armin bounding down the stairs with the other ponies, humans, and Spike following behind.

“In the front car,” instructed Celestia. “Discord’s in the next car back.”

The others refused to say a word as they scrambled indoors. The last in line was Petra, who hesitantly walked towards the car with an exhausted pant.

“Petra?” questioned Luna. “Where is Levi? Why is he not with you.”

“He went to take on Sunset Shimmer,” she wheezed. “He’s distracting her from us.”

Luna closed her eyes and shook her head.

“He has two minutes,” Celestia responded, “otherwise, we must leave without him.”

Celestia and Luna walked to the front car, and with time running out, Petra resolved to follow them inside.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Levi and Sunset Shimmer flew from the ground to the rooftop of the stained-glass chamber, Sunset Shimmer approaching the retreating Levi as he continued to hold his swords offensively at her. Breaking into a sprint, Sunset Shimmer spun both her body and her swords around, creating a mad whirlwind of metal that Levi calculated closely.

With a flick of her wrists, Sunset Shimmer’s blades pointed out and threatened to slash Levi. He was not easily fooled, effortlessly smacking each attempt at his body away with a succession of swats from his own blades. Levi continued to watch for any blind or open spots in Sunset Shimmer’s barrage of attacks, suddenly finding one in her now exposed abdomen. Pushing his right foot into the ground behind him, he quickly drove his knee into Sunset Shimmer’s gut.

Sunset Shimmer, along with doubling over with pain, thrust her head forwards at Levi’s head, smashing her forehead against his, forcing him back. Appearing disoriented, Sunset Shimmer swung her arms out and detached both blades from the bases of the operational devices. Despite their speeds and their spin, Levi swung his arms up, sending the blades flying high into the air, managing to catch two changelings flying overhead. Neither Levi nor Sunset Shimmer looked at the blades as he watched her insert two new blades into her operational devices, keeping them at the sheath.

Levi and Sunset Shimmer stared each other down, waiting for the other to make a move. Just then, a sight caught Levi’s eye: a plume of smoke riding along the edge of the cliff where Canterlot sat. Levi made a frustrated squint as he leapt off the roof and towards the smoke’s direction. Sunset kept herself still, looking upon Levi with a sense of intense desire and craving, relaxing her hands off her operational devices.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Celestia’s train made its way around the cliff within a crevice carved into the side of the rock, allowing safe room for the train to make its way. Smoke and steam erupted from the chimney of the engine and hit the rock ceiling, spilling out and around towards the sky.

Petra sat next to Spike and Mikasa, clutching a handkerchief tightly with her eyes letting out several drops of tears. Watching her with sympathy and mourning were Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Jean, Pinkie Pie, Conny, Sasha, Rarity, Celestia, and Luna.

Eren looked angrily to the sky, wondering just where their last passenger would be. Suddenly, the sound of metal puncturing metal was heard along with the slight jerk in the car, raising the suspicions. Eren stood up and walked to the back of the car, his right hand on the handle of his sword.

As he made it to the door, Levi’s body swooped up from the side of the mountain and landed in the walkway between the two cars, placing his bladed operational devices into his sheath. Petra gasped happily to see him as he unceremoniously stepped inside, passing around Eren to see his fiancé standing up to him. She ran to him in hysterical sobs and wrapped her arm around him, and Levi hugged her tight, supporting her up.

“Don’t you ever do that again!” she cried.

“Better me than the lot of you,” he said without emotion, then glancing back to Eren. “Good job guarding the door,” he spoke to him.

“Uh… yes, sir!” he struggled to respond.

“We’re headed to Ponyville, right?” Levi asked Celestia.

“We are. News of Canterlot’s takeover will be heard all over Equestria, and right now, we need to prepare ourselves for the inevitable battles to come.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Chrysalis stood over the struggling bodies of a collection of unicorns and earth ponies stuck in the streets by a translucent green paste melding their hooves to the street. Even with their hopeless situation, the tried to crawl free and break the paste with their magic, much to Chrysalis’s sheer enjoyment. From behind her, about two-dozen changelings approached the trapped ponies.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunset Shimmer stood loosely and relaxed on the roof of the stained-glass chamber, feeling the hot winds blow through her clothes and limbs as they picked up the fires of several burning buildings all around her. Her eyes kept locked onto Celestia’s train, watching as it finally appeared from under the cliff and merged with the main railway.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Catrina knelt over the comatose Annie in the center of the rotunda as she gently squeezed the gash on her leg, a soft glowing coming underneath it. The other various creatures inside were circling around her to see the process. Annie’s face remained still and calm, unaware of what would become of her if she would awaken.
> Chapter 8: Sunset Shimmer
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunset Shimmer swung up to the top of the domed roof of the rotunda and kept herself hooked onto the side as she looked off to both sides for Chrysalis. Eventually, she flew up from below to her right, hovering in front of a window. Using her magic, the glass shattered, allowing Chrysalis and Sunset Shimmer entrance. Tirek, Catrina, Grogar, and the others looked up as they came down to the floor in their own respective methods.

In particular, Queen Bumble, Grogar, Bray, and Tirek were visibly impressed and amazed by the blood, both clotted and wet, that caked Sunset Shimmer’s body and clothes. Chrysalis smirked as she glanced at her, proud of her to have earned the respect of the others.

“Wo- Wow!” Bray stammered. “She did that?”

“How many ponies did you kill?” Tirek asked.

“Only a couple,” Sunset Shimmer nonchalantly admitted, “but you should have seen the gashes I left on them. I tripped a guard up by slicing his leg halfway and ended him by cutting his throat.”

“Halfway?” wondered Rep, easily boggled. “Don’t you mean ‘cut it in half?’”

“No,” she answered defiantly. “He still had half of his muscle and skin holding it together.”

Rep and Bray bobbed their heads in sheer fascination and impression. Just then, Catrina stood from over the still-unconscious Annie, turning and walking towards Sunset Shimmer.

“That gash on her leg was quite serious,” the cat had told her. “It will need time to heal before I can begin the process, and even that should take some time.”

“Sorry about that,” Sunset Shimmer replied coolly. “She was being rather difficult.”

Suddenly feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over her, Sunset Shimmer unfastened her 3D Maneuver Gear from her harness, letting the device clatter loudly to the floor. With the weight off her hips, she fell onto her rump and lied against her sheaths, taking a relaxed sigh.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Twilight walked into the front car of Celestia’s train following Armin and Hanji, a saddened look on the former’s face as she turned back to the giant tower of smoke where Canterlot had once stood. She then approached Princess Celestia and Luna, who also sat forlornly in the wake of the loss of their home and kingdom.

“Twilight,” eased Celestia, “I’m so sorry for all of this.”

Twilight huffed with frustration, stopping in her tracks.

“No, Celestia,” she said, “you have nothing to be sorry for.”

“But I do, Twilight. You have no idea who that human with the yellow skin is, and it’s because of me that she’s the way she is.”

“What?” Armin spoke up. “You know who that person was?”

“And what do you mean she’s like that because of you?” questioned Twilight.

Luna and Celestia turned to each other and nodded in agreement before turning back to Twilight. Others around them began to listen, intrigued by what Celestia was about to disclose.

“There’s much that Luna and I have kept from you all,” Celestia said, “and I think it’s time that we told you the truth.”

“You see,” Luna said, “when we first discovered Eren and his friends on Earth, it was not the first time we had seen humans before.”

“What?” Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity exclaimed.

“What does that mean?” Twilight continued to wonder.

Celestia closed her eyes, scared to reveal her secrets.

“When we had banished Hunter to Earth,” Celestia said, “we knew full well of the humans that lived there and the damage they were doing to each other.”

“I couldn’t bear to outright kill him myself,” said Luna, “so we sent him to Earth to be taken care of by your people there.”

Eren and the humans present, with the exception of Levi, gasped with saddened shock. It was then that Eren bolted up and walked to the princesses with fire brimming in his eyes.

“So, you knew we were there and you still sent that dragon to us?” he screamed.

“Eren,” cried Luna, “it’s not like that! We had no idea he’d still be alive from the travel, yet alone be safe on your world! We had no intention of inflicting harm to your species, nor any knowledge that he’d inflict so much harm to your kind.”

“All those people that died back home are really because of you!”

“Eren!” exclaimed Armin, pulling him back by his arm. “Please hear them out. You and I both know they would never have any ill will towards us.”

Eren hissed as he realized the pointlessness and triviality of his anger, calming himself down.

“Why are you telling us this anyways?” asked Rainbow Dash. “What’s that got to do with that human with the yellow skin?”

Celestia faced Twilight, and then the still fuming Eren, prepared to continue the rest of the story.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Inside the Canterlot palace rotunda, Sunset Shimmer sat against her Maneuver Gear and took a small finger sandwich hors d'oeuvre among several others on a silver platter sitting beside her, taking a bite and savoring the flavor. A few changelings ran around giggling, celebrating their successful coup. Just then, Tirek, Grogar, and Catrina approached her, gaining her minimal attention.

“Sunset Shimmer,” spoke Tirek.

“Yes?” she asked. “Can’t you see I’m eating my dinner?”

“Don’t talk back to him,” ordered Grogar. “You should be thankful he didn’t–”

“That’s enough, Grogar,” Tirek responded, holding him back with his massive hand.

“We’re merely curious about your origins,” explained Catrina. “You share an overall resemblance with that other creature over there, but you certainly look much different from her.”

Sunset Shimmer glared into Catrina’s expectant eyes, swallowing the bite she had been chewing.

“It’s because once upon the time, I wasn’t like her:” she said, “a human.”

“A human, you say?” asked Grogar. “Than just what were you?”
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“A long time ago,” said Celestia, “she was my apprentice before you, Twilight.”

“What?” Twilight gasped. “Are you saying that she used to be a pony?”

“Yes. And much like you, she was extremely adept at magic. She had actually passed Class 3 lessons by her first year.”

“Class 3? That’s crazy! It took me all three years to surpass that level.”

“So not only is this person skilled with a Maneuver Gear,” spoke Sasha, “she can use magic too?”

“No,” Luna answered, “not since she took her human form.”

“But why?” asked Applejack. “And how?”
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Already, the three creatures surrounding Sunset Shimmer were already engulfed in her seemingly-unbelievable tale. Setting her crusty end of bread beside her bloodied Maneuver Gear, she walked to the back of the room towards one of the sealed doors.

“In all honesty,” Sunset Shimmer said, “the times I spent learning with Celestia were wonderful, and she was very supportive of my growth and prowess with magic, but once I got through Class 3, I was forbidden from being tutored any further. She said that while I was learning quickly, I needed to learn the magic of friendship before continuing on with my studies.”

Just then, the group stopped at the door, blocked by the rock that kept it shut. Tirek stepped up and with a shove of his front hoof, the wooden door broke away, revealing a balcony that overlooked the vast land over the cliff that Canterlot had stood on. Sunset Shimmer nodded to Tirek in thanks, stepping on and being followed by him, Catrina, and Grogar.

“Surely,” continued Sunset Shimmer, “spending most of your days in a castle doesn’t guarantee you much in the way of social knowledge. However, I couldn’t bear to stay stuck with the magic that I had already mastered by that point. I had to keep going…”

Sunset Shimmer clenched her fists, hinting to the three behind her that a particularly troubling part of her past was about to resurface.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“One night,” spoke Celestia, “Sunset had managed to sneak into the Starswirl wing of the Royal Library and began practicing advanced spells behind my back. I had caught her once and forbade her entry into the library ever again. She, being as headstrong as someone like her could be, disobeyed me again and tried to master the fiendfyre spell in retaliation.”

“Fiendfyre?” Twilight exclaimed. “Don’t tell me–”

“Yes,” answered Luna. “The Great Castle Fire of 983 was caused by her.”

The humans, while unsure of the elements of Equestrian history that Celestia was alluding to, paid close attention to her story.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“Four guards were killed in the blast,” Sunset Shimmer recounted to the three creatures, looking out over the balcony with her hands gripping the banister, “and about a dozen more were injured. I even watched two of them as they burned. The sight of their skin bubbling and their coats singing off; at that time, I had never seen anything so horrible in my life. I was sorry for what I had done, but it wasn’t good enough for her.

Sunset Shimmer balled her hand into a fist and punched the top of the banister, scraping her knuckle against it.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Inside a dark room lit only by the light coming from the hallway, Celestia and Luna stood before a repentant and frightened Sunset Shimmer unicorn filly, the sun design on her shirt serving as her cutie mark.

“Please!” Sunset Shimmer begged. “I’m sorry! I won’t disobey you again! Just please don’t send me away!”

“I’m sorry,” grunted Celestia, “her horn charging and covering Sunset Shimmer in her aura, “but I cannot bear to trust you any longer. If you truly want to continue learning beyond my tutelage, then you may do so without putting the safety of my ponies at risk.”

Sunset Shimmer felt a painfully tingling feeling in her arm, and looking to her hoof, she watched with hysterical fits of sobbing five digits extended from the base of her hooves, the bony exterior sinking into what was now a hand. The bulge in her belly began to sink into her stomach and her muzzle squished into her face.

“Stop it!” screamed Sunset Shimmer. “Please!”

“You…” wept Celestia upon watching the filly’s gruesome transformation, “you forced me to do this! If you want to learn on your own, I won’t stop you, but you cannot do it here any longer! Farewell, my student.”

Sunset Shimmer’s tail began to slink into the bottom of her back with the hairs receding in as well. With a hard push Sunset Shimmer was hurled towards the horseshoe-shaped mirror in the very back of the room.

“Princess Celestia!” Sunset Shimmer shrieked before her body flew in through the reflective surface of the mirror like a standing pool of water.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“After discovering Eren’s Earth,” spoke Luna, “I had begun discovering alternate versions of it, some more advanced and some more primitive. After studying the more advanced earths, we tried to create our own, using alternate, humanized versions of ourselves and the ponies currently existing to serve as the base. We tried instilling as much of their technology, architecture, history, and customs into this alternate Equestria we had created, hoping to find a safer way to study the humans and advance Equestria’s civilization without meddling into one of the Earth’s affairs.”

“Another Earth?” questioned Conny. “You know how crazy that sounds, right?”

“It’s no different than how we discovered your Earth, Conny.”

“It’s not important,” Celestia said to him. “With the Equestria that we created from what we knew about humans, it could serve as both a suitable home for Sunset Shimmer to learn more than she ever could here, as well as a prison to keep her from our Equestria. It forced us to end our research in this world.”

“If it’s meant to be a prison,” questioned Jean, “then why was she able to escape?”

“It’s like writing ‘Do Not Eat’ on a lollipop with frosting,” added Pinkie Pie. “Whether you like it or not, you’re still going to eat it!”

“I did not intend to make that world a permanent prison,” Celestia said. “I had put a spell on the portal to the alternate Equestria so that it could reopen in a year’s time for one day only. I hoped that being in such a new world with such overwhelming new things would traumatize her into returning to me as a faithful student once again and remaining diligent to her studies.”

“So you tried to put fear into her to change her?” asked Twilight with a disgusted snarl. “You really thought that was the best option for her?”

Celestia closed her eyes again and let two tears fall from them, her regret and pain visible and apparent for all in the car to see.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“I assume she sent me to that world to scare the shit out of me,” Sunset Shimmer said, turning to face Tirek, Grogar, and Catrina. “For a time it was working. Being sent to another world, being unable to use my magic, clumsily accustoming myself to the body I was now forced to live in, being forced to be taken in by a pair of completely new parents, and my naiveté serving as a target for many bullies that I had to come across, all of whom shared my frighteningly alien body.

“I wanted to go back so badly, but I survived. I learned to walk on my own two feet, I learned what that world had to offer, and soon, I wasn’t afraid anymore. After what Celestia did to me, I couldn’t allow her the satisfaction of giving into her.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“When a guard of ours managed to escort her back when the portal opened up in a year’s time,” resumed Luna, “we had hoped to see a transformed Sunset Shimmer. She had changed alright…”
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“No,” Sunset Shimmer said with a scowl to the shocked Celestia and Luna, “I’m not coming back.”

“What are you saying?” Celestia asked. “You have a home here!”

“I had a home here, but that home is gone because of you.”

“Sunset Shimmer,” growled a hurt and betrayed Celestia, “you will return to me.”

“No! I’m beginning to like my new home! I’m learning so much more than this crummy place.”

Celestia opened her mouth to object, but Sunset Shimmer turned back and ran towards the mirror portal shocking her, Luna, and the handful of guards in the room with her.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“Like the fool that I was,” Celestia admitted, “I decided to keep the spell on it to allow it to open back up one day every year, hoping that she’d have a change of heart once again and return.”

“And now she’s going to kill us all!” Eren shouted. “Why? What else did you do to her?”

“I assure you that I never saw her again after that until today,” protested Celestia, standing up to him. “I knew what I did was unforgivable, but I didn’t expect her to come this far!”

“And what about Chrysalis?” asked Twilight. “How did she get involved in all of this?”

Celestia found herself strained, trying to piece a suitable answer together for the confused humans, ponies, and dragon on board.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“Every year,” Sunset Shimmer explained as Chrysalis walked out and joined Tirek and Grogar, “I would come back to Equestria and sneak around just to see what it was like, but it was just like candy corn.”

“Candy…” wondered Catrina, “corn?”

“It’s a fall-time candy from our time. It comes once a year, and even though you’ve had it, you still take a bite, only to be reminded of how bland and tasteless it is. Even my new world became boring as the years past. I learned and mastered everything I could get my hands on: literature, math, history. Once I exhausted that, I turned to combat: kendo, fencing, karate…”

“I think you’re getting a bit far ahead,” said Chrysalis. “Don’t forget about my involvement.”

Sunset Shimmer turned back to see her, smirking to herself.

“Right,” she lightly-chuckled, “how could I ever forget?”

“You see,” Chrysalis spoke, “I was here a couple of years ago already. Thanks to my shapeshifting abilities,” she explained, transforming into Cadance with a flame rolling down her entire body, “I nearly managed to take over Canterlot by disguising myself as the fiancé of the captain of the Royal Guard. Before the wedding had happened, I had stumbled into the room where Celestia kept the portal to Sunset Shimmer’s world, and I met her when she happened to stumble through.”

“As much as I would have loved to stay for the wedding,” resumed Sunset Shimmer, “the portal was soon to close, and I couldn’t attend. However after getting to know each other, we agreed that whether she was successful in taking over the kingdom or not, she would meet me here again while she devised a plan.”

“I take it you weren’t successful?” mocked Grogar.

“No,” Chrysalis responded, “I wasn’t, but considering where you’ve been before today, I’d say that you weren’t either.”

Grogar snarled at the changeling while Catrina chuckled in admiration.

“Don’t laugh,” Grogar spat to the cat, “you shared my same fate.”

Catrina grimaced and stayed quiet.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“After Shining Armor and Cadance’s wedding,” said Celestia, “I was wary about how much Chrysalis came to know about me and the rest of Canterlot since her intrusion. In an act of safety and insurance, I sought to hide the portal away to where Chrysalis wouldn’t know, and when the Crystal Empire reemerged, I hid it within the palace.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“The fool thought that they could just hide it,” Chrysalis said, “but I managed to return, disguised now as one of Celestia’s guards. I was even the one of the guards assigned with moving the portal to the Crystal Empire. What an idiot!”

“So you met her after another year?” asked Tirek.

“Yes,” Sunset Shimmer replied, “and I couldn’t tell you how much more boring it was getting in this new world.”

“That’s when I presented her with her new toy,” Chrysalis said.

Catrina looked into the rotunda through the open space that Tirek had created, spotting the 3D Maneuver Gear.

“That thing?” she asked.

“Yep,” Sunset Shimmer said, hopping up and sitting along the banister, her feet dangling over the dark forest far beneath her. “Supposedly, Celestia and Luna had formed an alliance with a race of creatures that shared my new appearance called humans on another world during that year, and that device of theirs was that civilization’s crown jewel of technology. They even brought one back to serve as a member of the royal guard.”

“I just decided to… borrow her device,” Chrysalis spoke with a shrug. “It’s not like she wasn’t going to get a new one. It would probably just be seen as a cruel, xenophobic prank from pony to human and she’d get another one no questions asked.”

“And,” Sunset Shimmer interrupted in an overly-relieved voice, spinning herself so she faced Tirek, Catrina, and Grogar, “you would not believe my excitement over my new present. Before I went back to play with it, Chrysalis told me to return to Canterlot and follow her instructions. I had to go back to get some walkie-talkies, but hey, what can you do?”

“And I’m guessing the next year brought you to this moment?” questioned Grogar.

“Yeah. I took that year to master the device, and when it was time to finally say goodbye forever, I went back to my old high school and gave them a homecoming they would never ever forget.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________

The sounds of screaming rung all throughout the halls of Canterlot High School. Sunset Shimmer, her 3D Maneuver Gear hooked onto her device and fresh blood streaked on her clothes, walked from a chemistry classroom. Fire spread out from the classroom before a large explosion blasted flames and a few dismembered limbs of the recently slain out from the doorway.

A male student limped out of another classroom and tried to run to safety, only for Sunset Shimmer to sprint at him and slash him down the spine. Spotting another girl running and crying for her life Sunset Shimmer chuckled madly as she gave chase.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunset Shimmer swung down towards a large marble statue of a horse on a large square-shaped base, turning back and looking upon her work. Canterlot High was engulfed with flames, the sounds of the few survivors screaming as they burned alive inside. She looked to the broken glass front doors with a slight sense of disappointment. She knew whoever managed to break them probably escaped with their lives, but it was still a comforting fact that the trauma they’d have would ruin their lives.

With a sarcastic salute, Sunset Shimmer walked through the wall of the base of the statue, fazing right through it with ease.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“It was one of the most entertaining things I ever did on that world,” Sunset Shimmer claimed. “To see Celestia’s creation brutally cut down and destroyed like that, as well as employ my techniques on an actual target, it was a truly magical experience that I thought I’d never feel again, and I want Celestia to feel the despair I felt when she took what I loved from me.”

Tirek stepped out from the group and approached Sunset Shimmer, resting his massive hand upon her shoulder.

“My friend,” he said to her, “you and your companion have proven your worth with the successful taking of the city, and I respect your reasoning for revenge. You and Chrysalis can continue being of use to us by planning our next move.

“Then let’s go,” Sunset Shimmer responded, sliding Tirek’s hand off and hopping down from the banister. “We have a lot to discuss.”

She hurriedly walked back into the rotunda, passing by Chrysalis, Grogar, and Catrina without another word. Tirek frowned slightly at her casual disrespect.

“Just be thankful she’s on our side,” mentioned Chrysalis, turning to follow her in.

As Catrina and Grogar followed her, Tirek grumbled and came inside as well.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Lyra and Derpy Hooves exited the second car and approached Celestia and Luna. Jean looked to them, having a feeling what they were here for.

“How is he?” asked Celestia.

“It’s hard to tell,” Derpy said. “His condition doesn’t seem to be getting better, but he’s still conscious.”

Jean sighed with sympathy.

“And Fluttershy’s still in there?” he asked Derpy.

“Yes,” she responded. “She’s still rather distraught. You’re free to go in if you want.”

“Okay,” he said, standing up. “But I swear, if he pulls something…”

Jean passed through the aisle and into the next car down. Twilight peeked in just as the doors began to close, seeing Fluttershy with streaming, red eyes. She sighed and looked back to Celestia.

“Okay,” she accounted, “so Sunset has been conspiring with Chrysalis and has stolen this Antithology. What is this? If they’re going to try and take Equestria over with it, we need to know exactly what we’re up against.”

“Antithology is an enchanted prison,” Celestia answered. “During the time in between Hunter’s banishment and Discord’s first attack on Equestria, we had to combat evil without the aid of the Elements of Harmony. There were many who tried to conquer Equestria, and each one of them failed.”

“Who are they?” asked Petra. “If they’ve been released, we should know exactly who we’re fighting.”

“There were 11 in total. One of the first was Porcina, a vain swine who used her magic to turn Equestria to glass and use it as her mirror. Then, there was Squirk, a squid who could change his size by absorbing and exerting water who tried to flood Equestria for his domain.

“Following him was Lavan, who attempted to turn the mountain housing Canterlot as a volcano and destroy it with an eruption. Before the Crystal Empire, the penguin King Charlatan sought to freeze all of Equestria. The hornet Queen Bumble, who used an artifact called the Sunstone to steal sunlight for her domain. Arabus, a deity made of cloud, used his shadow to terrorize Equestria and steal the shadows of other ponies for food.

“The last three are arguably the most dangerous. There is Grogar and his companion Bray. Grogar was a highly feared being from Tartarus who wielded a cursed bell around his neck that granted him fearsome power. Catrina, assisted by her wyvern, Rep, was a powerful sorceress who garnered near limitless magic from the oils of a now extinct plant known as witchweed, and finally there was Tirek, who for a time was the ruler of Tartarus and attempted to siege Equestria and further Tartarus’s domain.

“One by one, each of these creatures were sealed within the pages of Antithology, but now that they have all been released at once, I do not know how we will be able to defeat them.”

Eren looked around at the ponies as they fearfully cowered in their seats, haunted by Celestia’s tales. Eren’s eyes then found Rainbow Dash’s. His gaze suddenly became furious and full of resolve. With a sudden understanding, he closed his eyes calmly and turned to Celestia.

“Celestia,” he said, “whether you meant to bring Hell to Earth or not, you and the ponies helped us take it out. I would never forgive myself if I were to see my allies, especially if they are my friends, lose their home to Hell on their world. As both a soldier for the Scouting Legion and an ally to Equestria, I’ll kill every last one of those bastards myself if I have to!”

“You won’t be alone!” Armin said. “I want to save this world just as much as you do.”

“And I cannot allow that bitch the satisfaction of killing my friends,” hissed Mikasa, standing from her seat with shady-eyed fury.

Levi stood up and looked to the princesses as well.

“That Sunset Shimmer and I have unfinished business,” he said. “I’ll cut ribbons out of her and her little army before they can think of coming close to us..”

Petra, first heartened by his words, matched Mikasa’s dark frown and stood up beside her fiancé.

“And I’m not letting you fight without me!” she said. “I might have one arm, but I’ll fight twice as hard.”

Hanji slowly stood up, and once her and the ponies looked at her, they gasped to see that her eyes were wide and enraged, with her hairs beginning to stand on end.

“That Chrysalis is going to pay for what she did to Discord. I want to hear her screaming as my blade plunges through her neck.”

Sasha and Conny turned to Pinkie Pie and Sasha, respectively, and then to each other, giving a determined nod before standing up together.

“We’re coming along too!” Conny declared.

“I don’t want any more of my friends dying!” shouted Sasha.

With their human friends making the call, the ponies too stood out from their seats and facing Celestia and Luna.

“Don’t think we’re not coming along for the ride,” spoke Applejack. “We ain’t letting our home be destroyed!”

“Even if it’s us against all of Tartarus,” Rainbow Dash stated, grinding the bases of her hooves against each other, “nothing’s gonna’ stand in our way.”

“As a princess of Equestria,” said Twilight, “it would be my duty and my pleasure to save my home!”

“And you can count on me too!” shouted Spike.

Twilight gave a thankful smirk to Spike in response. Rarity glanced back at Sasha’s brave face and let out a sigh.

“I guess my hooves are pretty tied, aren’t they?” she breathed with a slight smile.

“Woohoo!” cheered Pinkie Pie. “Back to the old grind!”

Both Derpy and Lyra smiled as they broke through the crowd to make their presence known.

“We’ll always be loyal,” spoke Derpy.

“You have our full support and strength,” replied Lyra.

Celestia and Luna looked to their loyal human and pony legion, smiling warmly as the flickering flames of light began to glow.

“But what about Fluttershy?” asked Pinkie Pie. “Or Jean? It won’t be as great if they’re not with us.”

“Don’t worry, Pinkie Pie,” assured Twilight.

Looking up and in through the windows to the next car back, she watched as a distraught Fluttershy leapt onto Jean as they both knelt beside Discord inside. Jean was quick to accept her comforting hug, clear in his support for her.

“I’m certain they won’t refuse to fight,” finished Twilight.

Lyra glanced to the window, seeing the tiny village and town hall of Ponyville just a few miles down the hill.

“We’ll be arriving in Ponyville within twenty minutes,” she said.

“Good,” Twilight responded. “Girls, the second we get off that train, head home, shelter your loved ones, grab your Maneuver Gears, and meet me back in the town square. We need to prepare for war once again.”

The ponies nodded as they now stood impatiently as they awaited the fated arrival of the train at the Ponyville station, Twilight looking the most impatient of all.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunset dropped a massive roll of parchment on the floor of the rotunda, kicking it down and unraveling it to reveal an enlarged, colorless, but well-defined map of Equestria. Chrysalis, Tirek, and the others all peered over it as they studied the towns and other landmarks upon it.

“Alright,” Chrysalis began, “we will need to divide ourselves up. Sunset Shimmer has reported that the princesses, the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, the rulers of the Crystal Empire, and the humans are all taking the train to Ponyville.”

“Then why are we not attacking Ponyville?” warbled Queen Bumble. “If we all stand together, they won’t stand a chance!”

“I wouldn’t advise that,” Sunset Shimmer retorted. “As of right now, our main objective should be to keep as much of Equestria in our control as possible. Charging straight at Ponyville, we’ll could very well be setting ourselves up for an impasse, and if the word has gone out to the towns and cities north, east, and west of here, they will flank us from both sides.”

“So what do we do then?” asked Lavan.

“Simple, we will organize teams to conquer those cities and keep the populace repressed.”

“And who would you have in mind?” wondered Bray.

“Here’s what I was planning,” Chrysalis stepped in. “Squirk, Porcina, Lavan, the eastern cities are the biggest in Equestria next to Canterlot. Take the city of Manehattan and monitor the bridge. It’s the only way you can access the city by land.”

“Will there be plenty of water?” rasped Squirk.

“It’s a seaport city,” Sunset Shimmer sneered, tapping on the city and name on the map with her foot. “Of course.”

Squirk beamed brightly.

“Arabus, Bumble, Rep,” Chrysalis resumed, “in the west is the pegasus dominated skyward city of Cloudsdale. I trust you will be more than capable of taking it.”

“Of course, Miss Chrysalis,” Arabus responded with a serious salute.

“Should be easy with him around,” cooed Queen Bumble.

“Tirek, Catrina, Grogar, Bray,” said Chrysalis, “you will stay and patrol Canterlot.”

“Understood,” Tirek and Grogar both said in tandem.

“Hey!” shouted Charlatan. “What about me?”

“Rest assured,” Chrysalis chuckled. “I’m trusting you to take the Crystal Empire alone.”

“Alone?!” the penguin squawked. “The Crystal Empire? Me?”

“You see, the Equestrian railways do not pass far enough around any of the major cities that we will be sieging, thus if they try and head to the Crystal Empire, they will be forced to run into the groups stationed at Cloudsdale, who has a nice aerial view from what I’ve heard, Manehattan, and Canterlot. And without Shining Armor or Cadance there to save them, the city will be ripe for the taking. However, you won’t be leaving quite yet… not without backup.”

“And who would that be?” wondered Rep wondered.

Chrysalis lightly flicked her head forwards, and the others turned to see Annie still resting on the floor calmly.

“How much longer do you think she has?” Chrysalis asked Catrina.

“A couple hours,” she answered.

“Perfect.”

“And then that leaves you, Sunset Shimmer, and your changelings with Ponyville,” surmised Tirek. “Will it be enough, even with the strength of the ponies and humans who are now headed there?”

“It hardly even matters,” Sunset Shimmer brushed off. “As long as we keep them in Ponyville, there will be no real opposition standing in your way.”

“Besides,” Chrysalis said with an oddly suggestive tone, “I wouldn’t mind lending my new friends a small changeling army to assist them.”

“Ha,” Princess Porcina giggled with excitement, “then we’re set?”

“Soon enough. Tirek, while we’re gone, make use our new slaves that we were able to kidnap. We should shape our Empire while it can still be molded.”

“Of course,” he replied deviously.

“Then let’s go!” Sunset Shimmer exclaimed. “Let’s strike while the iron’s hot!”

The room erupted in cheers as the creatures and beings were all prepped for their glory. Sunset Shimmer and Chrysalis glanced to each other and smiled, the fruits of their labor blooming beautifully before them.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Tirek burst into the stained glass chamber with Catrina and Grogar following them. The dozens of ponies inside screamed and whimpered as they laid sight on the creatures before them. Tirek looked to see as hardened green gel coated the unicorns’ horns and the pegasi’s wings while all hooves were pasted to the floor. With their situation utterly helpless, he let out a small, toothy smile.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunset Shimmer ran to the western end of Canterlot, her cleaned 3D Maneuver Gear harnessed to her body. At the city’s edge was a long wooden dock that extended over the steep ravine, and tethered to the dock on both sides were two large, wooden ships painted purple with large, yellow flaps attached to the sides like wings with one in the back like a rudder, both of them supported by a large, purple balloons painted like whales.

Sunset Shimmer couldn’t help but stop to look at their majesty, even with the large number changelings perched on and flying about them. Chrysalis appeared on the port side of the right ship looking right at her.

“The ship on the left is yours!” she cried. “You know how to fly one!”

“My father actually piloted one once,” called Sunset Shimmer as she stepped onto the dock. “It shouldn’t be hard.”

“Good then. Let’s hurry to Ponyville… while spirits are still low.”

With a charge of her horn, the rope holding the dirigible to the dock was lifted off in a green aura, freeing the ship and allowing it to float up and away. Sunset Shimmer, grinning incessantly, flew to the mast on her Maneuver Gear and hopped to the quarter deck where the wheel was. The changelings on the ship turned to her while many others stopped and looked to her as they fluttered in the air.

“Stay on the ship,” she called to them. “Something tells me you’ll need all the energy you can muster…”

Sunset Shimmer threw the wheel to spin to the left, the rope still tethering the ship to the dock tugging it until the dock broke away. With the ship freed, Sunset Shimmer’s ship flew up right behind Chrysalis’s, heading south.
> Chapter 9: Ponyville
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Apple Bloom looked out her bedroom window, looking at the dangerous red tinge of the night sky. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo lied down anxiously on their friend’s bed.

“What’s going on out there?” Scootaloo asked.

Apple Bloom, unable to provide an answer, continued looking out the window, biting her lip with trepidation. However, upon looking towards the hill and the dirt path leading to Ponyville, she spotted Applejack and Mikasa running up the hill and back down towards Sweet Apple Acres. Apple Bloom, missing the terrified faces on her sister and friend’s face, jumped happily from the window and turned to her two other friends on her bed.

“Gals!” she shouted. “Mikasa and Applejack are home!”

“Really?” asked Scootaloo, shooting up to her hooves with Sweetie Belle.

The two remaining fillies galloped to the window, fighting for an open space to see them. However, it was Sweetie Belle who, upon seeing them approach in greater clarity, saw a look of fright and severity on their faces.

“What’s going on?” she wondered, “and why does Mikasa have her uniform and Maneuver Gear on?”

It wasn’t much longer before the two of them came to the house and burst through the door, the fillies’ expressions getting more anxious as the sound of frantic footsteps came ever closer. Even with their obvious approach, a forceful bang from the bedroom door jolted Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo all at once, their shock refusing to subside as Mikasa and Applejack ran into the room.

“Sis!” cried Apple Bloom. “What’s goin’ on?”

“No time,” puffed Mikasa in a hoarse pant. “Come with us now.”

Before the fillies could reply or respond, Mikasa wrapped her arms around Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo while Applejack bit on the scruff of her sister’s neck. Applejack quickly galloped from the room and back towards the stairs to the first floor.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Behind the barn, the three fillies continued to wait with fear and confusion as Applejack pushed Big Macintosh by the center of his rump, sliding the uncertain stallion towards the cellar stairway. Right behind, Mikasa ran with Granny Smith slung over the back of her neck, the uncomfortable, bouncing grunts leaving her mouth with each step forward. By the time Applejack had shunted the reluctant red stallion inside the cellar, Mikasa set Granny Smith down onto her hooves and quickly escorted her inside with her family.

“Just what in tarnation is all this for?” Granny Smith warbled. “Is there a storm a-comin’?”

“Worse,” Mikasa panted. “Equestria is under attack.”

“What?” the five ponies inside shouted at once.

“Big Mac,” wheezed Applejack with moistening eyes. “Take care of Apple Bloom and Granny Smith if we don’t come back. I’m sorry, and I love you all so much.”

As Applejack bowed her head and wiped her tear-streamed eyes, Mikasa reached for the doors.

“Sis!” cried Apple Bloom, fighting her way through her family and friends. “Stop! What’s happening?!”

“Good bye…” Mikasa wheezed, closing the doors and casting them into darkness, muting Apple Bloom’s shouts for her sister.

“Applejack! Come back!”

Mikasa’s full weight and force upon the door was hardly enough against the kicks and shoves against it from the inside, and with the ponies’ anguished pleas and cries coming through the cracks, Mikasa only furthered her resolve.

“Applejack!” shouted Mikasa. “Hurry and lock the door!”

Applejack looked over to the cellar doors as they continued to be jammed upwards against Mikasa’s weight. With a painful grunt and wiping of her eyes, she galloped to a pail beside the doors and pulled out a large padlock. With a slight move, Mikasa revealed two small metal pieces with a hole on each side of the door. Moving her head over, Applejack could faintly see as Apple Bloom’s face came into the light with each push against the door, making the lock tremble in her teeth.

“Now!” begged Mikasa.

With a guttural scream, Applejack slipped the bar of the lock into the slots and clamped it shut, allowing the both of them to roll away from the door. All Applejack and Mikasa could hear now were the exhausted, yet desperate sobs of the three fillies inside.

“Applejack,” Mikasa said with a hand upon the mare’s shoulder, “you need to get suited up if you want to protect them.”

She let out another ashamed grunt, followed by a hard sniffle. Finding her way back to her hooves, she and Mikasa shared one look with each other before they broke for the other side of the house.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Rarity burst into her studio, her horn charged brightly with her aura encasing the numerous mannequins lavishly dressed with her gowns and other outfits.

“Where is it!?” she spat, each of the wooden ponies lifting up all at once.

Unable to find what she was looking for, she threw every mannequin to the back of the room, breaking several of them and tearing her dresses on the shattered wood. Sasha ran in immediately after, aghast by the destructive mess that her friend had instantly made.

“Rarity!” she exclaimed. “Calm down! We’re not going to find it if you keep–!”

“Where is it?!?” Rarity yowled, lifting up her dresser and desk.

Unable to see anything under the furniture, she tilted them towards her, spilling drawers and their contents to the floor. With another yell, Rarity dropped them, cracking the wood with a tremendous crash and bang. Sasha, frightened ran downstairs, leaving Rarity to her own insane devices.

Rarity continued throwing her broken mannequins, torn clothes, and pieces of her furniture about the room, the movements of her body becoming less controlled and more swaying. Finally, with a grief-drunken fall to her side, Rarity wept like a child and curled into a tight, defensive ball, twiddling her hooves with violent shakes.

“Rarity!” screamed Sasha’s voice coming up the stairs. “I’ve got it!”

Rarity picked her head up just to see Sasha bounding into the studio with a long, metal case in her hand. Sasha slid beside Rarity as her madness appeared to subside, allowing her to roll onto her hooves.

“Where did you–” she began as she flicked the locks open.

“It was in the closet downstairs,” Sasha answered. “Rarity, please, calm down. You’re not going to save your sister all worked up like that!”

“Sister… Sweetie Belle!”

At once, Rarity dumped the contents of her case out: a 3D Maneuver Gear with sheaths, operational devices, blades, a harness, and gas tanks. Catching each item, she tossed the case atop the pile of broken wooden and haphazardly sorted it out.

“Rarity!” cried Sasha, grabbing her harness and the main body of her Maneuver Gear. “Here, let me help you!”

“I, uh…” the unicorn stammered as her friend slipped the harness over her head, “thank you, darling. Please hurry, though. The enemy will be here soon, and I need to protect–”

“Sweetie Belle is with her friends at Applejack’s! I’m sure she and Mikasa took care of them!”

“Yes…” Rarity nervously laughed, calming down just enough for Sasha to put the harness onto her right leg, “no doubt…”

“Rarity, the other leg!”

“Oh, yes! Right…”

Rarity kicked her left leg up, giving Sasha the necessary room to put the rest of Rarity’s harness on.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Eren awaited underneath Rainbow Dash’s home, just able to hear the faint sounds of her grunts as she suited herself up with her own Maneuver Gear. Eren took a glance to the north, seeing the two small specks of Sunset Shimmer and Chrysalis’s airships as they both approach the town. Eren moaned with sheer impatience, unable to see as Gilda bolted from Ponyville and towards him. Skidding to a loud halt, he finally turned to face her.

“Hey…” she panted. “You haven’t seen Annie around, have you?”

“I thought she stayed behind to help evacuate the others!” Eren defended.

“Damn!” she hissed, lowering her head to let out several tears from her face.

“Gilda…” Eren whispered, reaching out to her.

“Don’t touch me!” she snapped, smacking Eren’s hand away. “I swear on my life, if they laid a single hoof or finger on her, I’ll bleed them dry!”

“Gilda! I’m certain she’s okay! We’re talking about Annie after all!”

“I don’t want to lose her again…”

“Hey! Hey! Hey!” Rainbow Dash shouted from above.

Eren and Gilda began to look up just as Rainbow Dash came down with her Maneuver Gear and harness upon her body, gently fluttered down between them.

“Gilda,” she roughly cooed. “don’t say things like that.”

“But I mean it!” she proclaimed. “If they hurt her–”

“If they hurt her, or any one of us, we’re going to bleed them dry, got it?”

Gilda, at first shocked by Rainbow Dash’s words, then let out a smug smile as she balled up her talon.

“Yeah,” she calmly agreed, bumping her fist into the flat surface of Rainbow Dash’s operational device shoe, “got it.”

Eren himself found it easier to smile with the calm and collected change in Rainbow Dash and Gilda’s demeanors. Looking back, his eyes widened to see the details of the airships getting more defined as they came closer.

“Guys, come on!” he shouted, taking a few quick bounds back down the road to Ponyville. “We have to hurry and get back with the others.”

“You don’t need to tell us twice,” Rainbow Dash announced.

Gilda and Rainbow Dash each took large leaps skyward, shooting off towards Ponyville just above Eren’s head. Without a second’s hesitation, Eren drew both of his swords from his golden-wing sheaths, pressing the triggers below the hilt and flying off right behind them.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Conny and Pinkie Pie, who was already in her harness and Maneuver Gear, quickly made their way downstairs, Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake both wrapped in Conny’s arms. Gummy clamped to Pinkie Pie’s mane for safety, whipping about with each step she took. The two young foals whimpered with nervousness, sounding on the verge to bawling.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Conny whispered, looking down to each child.

The four made their way into the dining room of Sugarcube Corner, where Mr. and Mrs. Cake were tending to several guests oblivious of the maelstrom soon to come. Immediately, the sight and sound of the now crying foals and Pinkie’s device alarmed the two shopkeepers.

“Pinkie Pie!” scolded Mrs. Cake. “What are you–”

“Sorry, everyone!” shouted Conny as he hopped over the display counter and to the back room. “The store’s closed!”

“What are you talking about?” Mr. Cake responded. “What are you doing with the foals!”

“We’re protecting them!” shouted Pinkie Pie. “Equestria’s under attack!”

“What?” exclaimed the voices of the patrons inside.

“Run and hide, everypony! Ponyville’s about to be attacked!”

The patrons all began to scream, but each of their actions varied. Many ran from the store to their homes for sanctuary, while others hopped to the display case and smashed the glass, grabbing as many pastries as their arms could carry. Mr. and Mrs. Cake yelped and backed away at the sudden vandalism while the two foals in Conny’s grasp were now blaring in their frightened wails.

“Pinkie Pie!” screamed Mrs. Cake. “What is the meaning of this?”

“Just follow us!” ordered Conny as Pinkie Pie came around the side of the looted counters. “Before they get further inside.”

As Conny backed his way in to the kitchen and pantry area, Pinkie Pie herded the two back inside, leaving the store to the mercy of the panicked populace.

“Are we really in danger?” Mrs. Cake asked.

“Do you think Pinkie Pie wouldn’t say such a thing knowing that she’d cause a riot?” replied Conny.

The reply came as a solemn shock for the two, slowly realizing the gravity of the situation.

“So,” Mr. Cake said, “we’re really…”

“Yes!” Pinkie Pie cried, pointing to a large door in the corner. “Hurry and get in the hide-in!”

“Don’t you mean the walk-in pant–”

“It’s not going to be used for walking now!”

Opening the door, Pinkie Pie motioned the Cakes inside, Conny following them with Pumpkin and Pound Cake. Once the stallion and mare sat down, Conny handed them each a foal, calming them down significantly. Gummy let go of Pinkie Pie’s mane and scuttled into the pantry with the others.

“Are you really going out and fighting whatever’s coming?” Mrs. Cake asked.

“If you and your kids want to live,” Conny said, “yeah, but I’m making sure none of you guys die.”

“I’m sorry,” Pinkie Pie choked up. “I didn’t want to leave you guys like this, but know I love you all so much. See you later.”

Closing the door with her family now safely inside, Pinkie Pie and Conny stared at the door before they heard the screams of the ponies and the shattering of the glass come closer to the door.

“Come on,” Conny advised. “We need to keep everyone from getting in here.”

“Yeah,” Pinkie Pie agreed immediately. “Let’s.”

Running back to the door to the main dining room, they fought their way into the cluster of ponies fighting for food and shelter.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Fluttershy watched from the top of her house as a large wave of woodland animals, big and small, scattered towards the Everfree Forest, much to her tearful dismay. As the last of them critters disappeared beyond the edge of the woods, Fluttershy, couldn’t hold back her sobs, fearing for their now uncertain safety.

“Oy, Fluttershy!” shouted Jean’s voice through the chimney. “Are you done with the animals?”

“Oh…” moaned Fluttershy, reluctantly floating back to her front door. “Have you found Angel yet?”

“Yeah, he’s under your couch!”

Fluttershy slipped back into her house to see Jean, kneeling down and reaching out underneath. Against the wall, Angel squirmed about to avoid contact with Jean’s hand. A finger brushed against the rabbit’s foot, frightening Angel enough to bite down on his hand.

Jean shouted with pain, but still managed to pull his arm in and take Angel with him. Jean pulled up his bitten hand with the rabbit’s mouth still clamped down on it, and with a forceful free hand, he grabbed Angel by the scruff of the neck hard enough to allow the rabbit to let go himself, letting out a pain-riddled squeak.

“Jean,” shouted the approaching Fluttershy, “that was too hard!”

“Listen to me, you little bastard!” hissed Jean with a pointed finger, freezing Angel solid with fear. “I could skin you alive right now and make a stew out of you…”

Angel curled into a ball and covered his eyes, visibly trembling from the threat.

“Jean!” snapped Fluttershy.

“But I won’t out of respect for my friend here,” he finished. “However, the guys that are coming here as we speak, they will skin you alive and cook you if they find you here. That I can promise.”

The rabbit’s shaking refused to stop, but Fluttershy remained silent as Jean’s purpose was becoming clear.

“Now,” he quietly demanded, “what you’re going to do is run into that forest and not look back. You’re not going to come back out until this thing is over, you got it? When that is, I don’t know, but spare Fluttershy the trouble of finding your half eaten corpse in your house and find safety.”

Jean gently set Angel back down onto the floor, who was now staring at Fluttershy for the proper course of action. With a simple nod, the rabbit took in the conformation as a shock, and with a few seconds of nervous steadfastness, he ran to Fluttershy and gave her a tight hug at her leg.

“Oh, Angel,” Fluttershy cried, stroking down his back, “I’ll miss you too, but you need to leave now. Now go. Go!”

With a push, Fluttershy freed herself from her pet’s grope, allowing him to bolt from her and Jean’s sight and out the ajar front door. As Fluttershy stared at her door, tears streaming down her face, Jean approached her from the side.

“Come on,” Jean said. “Let’s get dressed before they show up.”

“I don’t know,” Fluttershy whimpered, slowly and submissively crouching down. “I don’t know if I’m ready to do this again… in my home no less.”

“Listen! I just gave your bastard rabbit the talking of his life! If you can’t fight, then nothing is going to protect him from whatever’s coming.”

Fluttershy clenched her eyes, the decision slowly surfacing into view. Jean clenched his hand, unsure what he would be willing to do should she have refused. Then, with a suddenly determined face, she faced Jean.

“Okay,” she said. “If it’s for Equestria and the lives of those poor animals, then I’ll do whatever I must.”

“That’s the spirit! Now, come on! Let’s go find your stuff!”

At once, Jean and Fluttershy made their way to the staircase that would lead up to her bedroom.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Inside her study, Twilight stared at her open Maneuver Gear case, lifting each of its contents out and studying them with a troubled and nostalgic eye. Around her, Armin and Hanji worked quickly to put Spike’s own device onto his body. Levi and Petra stood by the balcony window, watching as Sunset and Chrysalis’s airships quickly encroached towards the town. Irked, Levi turned to Twilight.

“Twilight,” he hissed. “We have mere minutes before they get here. Quit staring at your Maneuver Gear and put it on, dammit!”

“I, uh…” Twilight stammered, brought out of her daze. “Sorry… It’s just that I can’t believe that we’re having to put these on again, to protect our home!”

“That’s good. You’ll make an easy target for them.”

“Ugh. Levi, for once, can you stop being so condescending?!”

“Twilight,” Hanji said, stopping herself from preparing Spike, “as much as I’d hate to admit it, Levi’s right. We don’t have much more time until Ponyville is attacked. We– no, Equestria is depending on our full concentration, just like we did for the war on the titans!”

“Right… the war…”

“Twilight,” spoke Armin, continuing on Spike’s Maneuver Gear “you saved our world before, and now it’s time for us to return the favor. We won’t let you down, just like you didn’t.”

Twilight finally urged a smile from her lips, looking right at Hanji.

“Thanks so much guys,” she said with a hefty hint of regret. “I’m sorry you have to get roped back into this.”

“It’s what we’ve been trained to do,” Levi said. “Now let’s hurry before–”

“The ships are just outside the city!” shouted Petra.

“Hmm… I guess not…”

Twilight seized up at Petra’s sudden announcement. At once, she bolted to Armin and Spike, quickly tightening Spike’s harness and latching his Maneuver Gear to it at once.

“Are you good?” Twilight shouted, lifting the purple dragon up. “Good!”

Without awaiting an answer, Twilight practically threw herself towards the stairs towards the library section, Spike practically a ragdoll in her grasp. Without much hesitation themselves, Armin, Hanji, Petra, and Levi and bolted down the stairs behind her.

Upstairs, Discord laid curled on Twilight’s bed while Celestia and Luna stood on both sides closely, watching pitifully as he convulsed and slowly succumbed to his poison. At the top foot of the steps to Twilight’s study, Cadance lovingly kissed and armored Shining Armor’s muzzle as tears ran down her face.

“Please don’t leave me yet,” she begged.

“I wouldn’t think of it,” Shining Armor responded.

Donning his helmet and lance, Shining Armor gave his wife one final nod before he galloped down the stairs. Once Cadance watched him speed down to the library, she waited a few moments more before she was comfortable thinking that he was out of earshot, finally letting out a loud sob and a wave of tears from each eye.

With Luna gently stroking the gagging Discord with the side of her hoof, Celestia frantically began to write a note on a piece of parchment.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

High above the town on her dirigible, Sunset Shimmer threw a lever down, stopping the ship directly over Twilight’s treehouse. Casually walking around the eagerly-awaiting changelings to the starboard’s edge and looking down. She smiled with insatiable hunger as Levi chased after Petra, Hanji, Armin, Spike, and Twilight from the house’s exit. Joining their line from the perimeter of Twilight’s house were several royal guards, galloping safely beside them, only to be joined by their own commander.

“Finally come out to play, now,” she chided. “Now the fun can begin.”

Walking over to the deck, she faced Chrysalis and her battalion of changelings on the next airship over.

“On my command,” Sunset said, stepping up to the ship’s very edge, her feet just teetering above, “we begin our attack.”

“Roger!” she responded.

Sunset removed her operational devices from her jacket and placed their ends over two blades inside her sheaths. With a loud ring of metal, her blades were pulled from the metal boxes, staying firmly upon her handles. Carefully keeping her swords at her side, she awaited the opportune moment in which she could give the order. Likewise, the changelings ringed the edges of the ship, held back only by Sunset’s silence.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

In the town square, ponies continued to run for their lives or were frozen in their tracks by the sight of the airships stopped over Ponyville. With each passing moment, the streets became more and more barren as every mare, stallion, colt, and filly ran into the closest shelters they could find.

Finally, Twilight, Spike, Armin, Hanji, Petra, Spike, Shining Armor, and the handful of stallion guards arrived, seeing Applejack, Mikasa, Rainbow Dash, Eren, Gilda, Pinkie Pie, Conny, Sasha, and Rarity spread out around the large rotunda in the center of the large area.

“Hey!” Armin called, immediately noticing something amiss. “Where’s Jean and Fluttershy?”

“They must still be trying to get here!” Applejack hissed. “I swear, Fluttershy…”

“Never mind them!” Eren exclaimed, with swords fiercely drawn. “We’ll make due until they get here! Until then, we’re going to kill them all for what they’ve done to my friends and their home.”

“Every…” Mikasa snarled.

“Last…” added Armin.

“Fucking…” Rainbow Dash growled.

“One,” Eren finished.

The humans and ponies tilted their heads up to the sky, anxiously awaiting the descent of the enemies.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunset squinted down upon the town, determined.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Eren’s eyes thinned to narrow slits as he eyed the airships.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“Begin…” Sunset spoke.

With a gentle leap, Sunset dove down towards the town. With a shrill, buzzing cheer, the changelings flew down from the ships and swarmed out and about, becoming a black rain to the remaining ponies far below. Chrysalis gleefully watched as the changelings upon her ship flooded over the sides and soared down in a nearly intangible flurry. It didn’t take long before she was the only one left. With a determined chuckle, she galloped off the ship’s side, taking flight with the rest of her army.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

A few remaining ponies on the streets cowered down and screamed, losing their will to escape.

“Anyone with wings on their backs or their waists,” Levi commanded, “spread out and take as many as you can! Everyone else, stay within the center of town!”

“Gotcha!” Rainbow Dash shouted, soaring west with Gilda beside her.

“Sasha, you can stay here with Rarity.”

“Sir!” she responded.

Twilight took off to the north, leaving Eren and the other humans, minus Mikasa and Armin, rather confused.

“Eren,” called Armin, “I think he’s referring to the Elements of Harmony too!”

“GO!” Levi nearly screamed.

Eren and Mikasa quickly headed south and split off east and westbound, while Armin, and Conny scattered towards the falling changelings. Levi, along with the remaining humans and ponies, looked up to see several changelings flying towards them, screeching to signal their arrival. Unaffected, Levi kept his eye on one approaching him quickly, the swing of his blades too fast for the black, insectoid creature to register.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Jean and Fluttershy began to fly towards the town, soaring high above the trees that surrounded the fields southeast of the town. It was then that a familiar shape was caught in the corner of Jean’s eye below, galloping towards the town. Its black and white stripes were unmistakable.

“Hey!” Jean shouted, soaring down to the ground, much to Fluttershy’s shock.

“Jean?” she cried, flying down as fast as she could. “Jean, where are you going?!”

Jean tailed just above and beside her Zecora as she galloped down the dirt path to town, panting heavily with a large wooden staff with thinly-edged tips on both ends in her mouth. She didn’t seem to acknowledge Jean, only focused on the cloud of black specks and bright-green blasts that were destroying the town.

“Zecora!” he shouted. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Ponyville is under attack!” she mumbled, the gap in her mouth slurring her words. “It would not be fair if I just stayed back!”

“It’s way too dangerous!” Fluttershy pleaded. “You can’t fight these things with just that staff.”

“I’ll do what I must, for my friends are in trouble. I must help my friends before Ponyville is rubble.”

Jean hissed at the zebra’s insistence, realizing there was only one viable course of action.

“At least let us fight with you. If you want to help, fine, but don’t think I can let you do this alone.”

A visible smirk came upon Zecora’s mouth, her breathing and speed not letting up.

“I thank you, Jean, for allowing me to try,” she panted. “Is this okay with you too, Fluttershy?”

“Of course! I certainly don’t want you to die.”

“Hmph,” Zecora huffed. “You each fit your titles like a glove, but now, let’s show these pests the opposite of love.”

“And how!” agreed Jean.

Zecora picked up her pace once again, Jean and Fluttershy amply staying by her side as they approached Ponyville.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunset Shimmer fell with reduced speeds with a green aura covering her, the horns of four changelings beside her glowing in a similar color. Just as they began to slow their descent once they reached the same height of the roofs, the changelings let her go, allowing her to fall to the ground and safely tumble and reduce the impact.

Smiling at the destruction and terror the changelings had already began to spread, she turned to a building and ran to it. Keeping her full focus on the doors, she kept her arms behind her back and leapt up, kicking both doors in and knocking them off their hinges.

The ponies concealed in shadows betrayed themselves with involuntary shouts of fright, alerting Sunset in their direction. Sunset, using the new light of the open doorway, looked to the direction of the cries and found nearly two-dozen ponies hiding in the back corner of the massive foyer of what looked like an abandoned townhouse.

Adopting a intentionally and maniacally-unsuccessful expression of innocence and benevolence, Sunset Shimmer quietly and nimbly approached the huddled and trembling ponies, noting the large number of foals guarded by a ring of mares and stallions.

Immediately, her eyes trained themselves to the flanks of every pony young and old, observing their cutie marks. With quick, momentary glances, her evaluation was complete, and she was now standing over the cowering bodies of the ponies beneath her. Looking at her clean blade, she let out a short sigh.

“Nothing personal,” she admitted.

With a quick slash, she cut through the throat of a blue unicorn mare with an hourglass cutie mark, her blood spraying over the rest of them. They watched in silent horror as the now lifeless pony crumpled down as her wound poured out seemingly without end.

“Ahh, Mom!” shrieked a greyish earth colt, laying atop her corpse a bawling, helpless heap.

Looking at the pick-axe cutie mark on his flank, she emotionlessly looked to another mare, a cream-colored earth pony with a rose cutie mark, the former’s glare making urine dribble down from the crevice of her ass.

“Your turn,” said Sunset.

“Fly!” the mare suddenly screamed out, hurling a green pegasus colt with a paintbrush cutie mark.

Noticing this, Sunset quickly responded to the colt’s wingbeats trying to carry him to the door, hopping towards him with a lifted leg before kicking him in the side of the neck, sending her into the wall. The colt, the wind knocked out of him and his throat aching beyond measure, writhed about and gasped for air as Sunset approached the weeping earth pony, her head hung low.

“That’s it,” she whispered, “stay still…”

“Everypony, run!” exclaimed a gray stallion with three clovers for a cutie mark shouted.

With a swift thrust, Sunset’s blade stabbed him through the chest, making him let out a small cough of blood before he took one futile step to the door before fainting. The mass of ponies all made a desperate scramble for the door, several of them able to evade Sunset’s stance.

As they ran past, Sunset swung her blade urgently through the side of a blue unicorn stallion with a rook chess piece while letting an earth mare with a cutie mark featuring a hammer and ruler crossed in an X run free. As the felled stallion crumpled down, his innards spilling out from his deep gash, Sunset managed to slice down two more ponies: a brown unicorn colt with plus, minus, multiplication, and division symbols and a reddish-pink pegasus mare with a musical note for their cutie marks.

By now, most of the ponies had managed to make it outside, save for a yellow pegasus colt without a cutie mark and a purple earth mare with a baseball bat cutie mark, the injured green pegasus colt slung across her back. With a flick of her operational device’s back switch, and sideways-upward swing, her blade spun out and around and back towards the fleeing trio of ponies.

The blade managed to stick itself into the ground right before the pony’s back left hoof, causing her to trip and bounce the green colt off her back. As he hit the ground and rolled to the wall just beside the open doorway, the other two ponies galloped away, leaving him alone with Sunset and her blades dripping with the refugees’ fresh blood.

“No…” the green pegasus rasped out, curling up in a tight ball.

“You’re no good for the new Equestria,” Sunset told him in an icy tone. “Better that you die now than receive the slow, painful deaths your friends will receive.”

“My thoughts exactly,” a familiar voice growled.

Looking up to the doorway, Levi stepped inside with both swords drawn and prepared to clash against Sunset’s. The colt at the doorway looked up to see his potential savior.

“Hobble off,” he coldly demanded. “Stay inside until help arrives.”

“Ha!” Sunset interrupted. “There is no helping these ponies. Even with as well as we’re razing this town, Chrysalis and I are sadly the weaker of the parties we sent to take over the other cities across Equestria.”

Levi scowled, angered at the grim reminder.

“Which would suck for you…” she softly concluded, “because you won’t even be able to defeat me!”

Sunset aimed her body at the injured colt and fired off one hook from the left side of her waist at it. Before it could strike its target, Levi swatted the hook away, hearing the sounds of her running feet coming towards him. With her blades aimed to swing to her right, Levi made an incalculably fast lunge at Sunset, the bottom of his right operational device soaring at the right side of her ribs.

Sunset managed to turn into the attack, receiving the bottom of the handle squarely in her gut. The sharp pain shooting up through her stomach and throat made her double over for a moment, giving Levi just enough time to grab her by the hair and throw her back outside through the doorway.

As Sunset managed to get back up and gather her blades again, Levi turned to the colt once more, his signature glare getting its point across to him. As the foal limped off towards the front right corner of the house, Levi sprinted back outside, just to see Sunset, spit dribbled over her bottom lip and chin, ready once more with her blades.

Before he could attempt to land a strike, Sunset shot her hooks up to the building’s roof, carrying herself up while delivering an unsuccessful slash towards her adversary. Levi was quick to respond, jerking his body around and shooting his own hooks from his waist and into the same building, flying up and over in his pursuit for her.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

A half-dozen changelings, a larger one with red-painted wings, flew towards the town square, observing the chaos below as Sasha, Rarity, Hanji, Shining Armor, Petra, and several Equestrian guards held their ground around its perimeter. Despite the numerous changeling bodies that fell lifeless to the ground like flies, the leader smiled at this sight, focusing its sights at the entrance doors.

“Quickly, now,” the leader hissed. “While they’re still preoccupied!”

Dipping down to the streets, the other five changelings let out a shrilly, brave battle cry following him down in a straight line. From below, Sasha gasped as their enemy began to break through.

“Wait!” Sasha cried as she jumped up to take it on.

A changeling lunged to her from up and to the right, which she didn’t even recognize until a bright blue beam blasted it away from behind her, forcing a yelp out. As she landed back to her feet, Rarity stood close by her side, panting with her horn charged. Sasha looked to the changelings as they barged their way in, much to her dismay.

“Darling,” Rarity almost casually reminded save for the exhaustion in her voice, “remember, they’ll handle it. Now, ten o’clock.”

Looking off to her left, another changeling came at her, and by pure instinct, she swung her sword at its head.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Inside the main hall of the building, a large group of ponies were huddled in the back of the room with a cocoa-brown mare with a wavy-gray mane and scroll cutie mark behind them all. The changelings appearance struck fear into all of the ponies gathered their save foe her, who sported an angered scowl. The changelings flew directly over the group and kept them still where they sat and cowered.

“Hand the mayor over and we will not harm a hair on your heads!” the commanding changeling spat.

The pony in question continued to scowl as she struggled to make a decision, however the sound of metal sliding out of a sheath loudly rung out through the air. Each changeling looked about in multiple direction, leaving not one vantage unseen. Just as they all turned their heads to see where their comrades had, a few hooves galloped beneath them and bounded off the ground.

Three changelings turned to the source of the sound, managing to see Derpy hooves as her long sword swung at them, cutting through them at once. The ponies gasped as they watched the changelings fall, Derpy joining them. The two remaining changelings and their leader looked downwards at their fallen companions and Derpy, charging their horns and aiming them at the grey pegasus, unable to hear the two simultaneous blasts coming out from the upper level walkway in the back right. Just then, two small balls of green energy exploded into the two changelings beside their leader, throwing them to the ground as if they were hit by large boulders.

Looking incredulously to the source of the orbs, he saw as Lyra stood at the walkway’s edge, her cannon-equipped arms balanced and steadied on the banister. By the time, the leader could charge his horn, Derpy leapt up from the ground and sliced through his wing, taking it clean off. With a high-pitched screech, the changeling fell to the floor in the middle of his slain comrades.

As he writhed, squirmed, and cried in agony, Lyra teleported beside her partner, giving her a look. Derpy nodded, allowing her to lift her right hoof and aim her cannon’s barrel onto the creature’s face. The onlooking ponies and mayor, smiling slightly at their successful defense, awaited what they knew was to come.

“For the honor of the princess,” she growled.

With a loud zap and a bright flash of light, it was the last sight and sound he ever experienced.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Jean, Fluttershy, and Zecora entered into Ponyville, the black creatures already surrounding them above as they passed ravaged building after ravaged building. Fluttershy’s expression softened and her eyes began to well with tears, watching as several rooftops went alight by green blasts from the changelings around them.

“Keep your eyes on the enemies, dear,” Zecora told her. “You can’t afford to be seized by your fear.”

“Come on,” Jean hissed to himself as he rose up.

He and two changelings suddenly sped at each other, each of the latter shooting a green spell at him. Jean expertly deflected each attack with each of his blades. Continuing their approaches, Jean hacked through both of his enemies’ bodies before they could charge another spell. As Jean fell behind to rejoin his paltry party, panting from his brush with death, Fluttershy closed her eyes as her face became calm and focused.

“I’m sorry,” Fluttershy said with sudden determination. “It won’t happen again.”

“That’s great!” Jean shouted. “Let’s hurry and find the others before they realize it’s just the three of us!”

Scores of changelings nearby turned their heads towards the three of them, which Jean, Fluttershy, and Zecora noticed right away.

“Shit!” Jean spat. “We have to keep going. We won’t make it with just us.”

“Oh, Jean and your big mouth,” Zecora muttered in exasperation, “now our chances have just gone south.”

Zecora picked up her speed with a strained face while Jean and Fluttershy kept up, their eyes frequently glancing to the swarm of changelings closing in on them.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Chrysalis flew down towards Sugarcube Corner, where several of their changelings were already entering. Looking around for any humans and ponies that would be nearby, she briskly walked towards the bakery, using her magic to rend the walls beside the doorway. Now revealed were many ponies inside cowering at the sight of the changeling queen now in their midst.

Stepping inside, the changelings stood obediently and in attention as she scanned the area. The bloodied corpses of multiple ponies, young and old, were strewn out on the frayed and cracked wooden floors. Of the ponies that were spared, each of their eyes were wet and red, unable to occasionally take their eyes off the ponies whose lives the changelings had ended.

“And this is all that you’ve found?” Chrysalis asked to a large changeling with dark-blue streaked wings.

“Yes, my queen,” he said.

“And what of the owners?”

“We did not find them. We checked the upstairs, the kitchen, and no sign of them.”

“…Wait here.”

Chrysalis began to walk towards the back, peering inside the kitchen until she eventually stepped in. The place indeed looked to be ransacked quite thoroughly, minus one glaring thing. She stepped towards the back corner at the closed door for the walk-in pantry. With slight, gentle movements, Chrysalis put her hear against the wood frame, raising her hoof towards it as well.

With a small scratch at the door, a faint, but definite whimper from a foal inside betrayed the Cakes inside. With a frustrated sigh, she charged her horn, lifting a large taffy-pulling machine from out of the floor and placing it snugly against the door.

Inside the pantry, the two elder cakes gasped as they realized what had happened. Outside, Chrysalis stepped back as she listened to the now frantic banging against the door and the crying of the foals. Returning to the store, she kept her eyes on the blue-winged changeling, who could feel the icy stare giving him shivers.

“We’ll talk about this later,” she said. “In the meantime, burn the place.”

“Burn it?” he asked. “But they’re bakers and foals! These are ponies that Tirek and Grogar ordered us to–”

“Their deaths will demoralize the pink pony. If the royal wedding and Sunset Shimmer have taught me anything, it’s that we cannot underestimate our enemy. We will bring them down by any means necessary, and that includes following my orders! Understand?”

“…Yes, my queen.”

“Good. Burn it now.”

Chrysalis stepped back outside the bakery and flew off to the south, leaving the changelings and their next in command back alone. Turning to face the others, he cleared his throat.

“You,” he said to a group of four changelings, “take the prisoners to the train station. The rest of you, you heard her. Light this place up.”

With their captain leaving out with the other four changelings and their pony captives, the remaining changelings spread out along the first floor, with horns charged. With numerous small blasts along the walls and on the floor, the wood caught fire and quickly spread. The changelings quickly fled out with wings buzzing hard, sparks and embers bouncing dangerously on their hides as they escaped. As the flames inside roared and the wood crackled, it gradually began to muffle out the sounds of the Cakes and their children crying and pleading for someone to save them.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Jean, Fluttershy, and Zecora amply made their way through the changeling hordes attacking them. As Jean and Fluttershy slashed and slayed the creatures with their blades, Zecora maneuvered her staff with ease, twirling it around her muzzle, catching it in her teeth, and taking hard whacks at the changelings unfortunate to be close enough to her, breaking their ribs or cracking their skulls with uncanny force.

Turning a corner, they found both Conny and Pinkie Pie standing atop a roof and taking slashes at the changelings brave enough to charge at them while deflecting any offensive spells away with the sides of their blades. Their path towards them clear, the three of them ran to their friends, their panting sounds bringing them to Conny and Pinkie Pie’s attentions.

“Guys!” Pinkie Pie happily cheered. “We were beginning to think that you weren’t going to show up.”

“I apologize for the slow arrival,” Zecora spoke, “but these two were seeing to my survival.”

“That’s alright!” Conny shouted. “Now, let’s go find the others so we can use our Elemen–”

Suddenly, an ominous sight appeared in the corner of Conny’s sight, and turning his head, he saw a large pillar of smoke masking a large fire off in the distance, but he could easily tell its shape, or what was left of it.

“Oh, shit!” Conny screamed, running on the rooftops towards the fire. “Shit!”

“Conny!” cried Pinkie Pie.

However, as she looked to the fire before her too, a near-crippling sensation of fear washed over her too.

“Oh, no!” she screamed, galloping off. “NO!”

“Pinkie Pie!” called Fluttershy.

Flying off above the streets to follow her and Conny, Jean and Zecora ran close behind her, keeping their eyes on their friends as they made their way over. As several changelings scooped down from the sky to rush them from behind, Jean flipped his handles and reached down to grab Zecora around her waist and pressed the triggers with his pinkies. Lifting both him and her up from the streets and towards the rooftops, he could now easily see Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Conny on the rooftops running out to the burning building.

“Hey,” Jean said with worry, “isn’t that where Pinkie’s folks live?”

One by one, the five of them hopped down from the roofs and before the searing building. Immediately, Pinkie and Conny could hear the hoarse and weakened voices of the Cakes and their foals as they continued to desperately cry for help. Pinkie Pie screamed as her worried tears flowed hard down her face, running towards the door on her back legs with her blades wound up behind her head.

“Hold on!” she cried. “I’m coming!”

“Pinkie!” Conny cried, running after her. “Wait!”

As Fluttershy, Jean, and Zecora began to approach the bakery, a loud buzzing forced their attention to its source, making them turn to see nearly two dozen changelings forming a half-circle around them. As the changelings gently came closer, Jean, Fluttershy, and Zecora scowled, refusing to give an inch as they readied their weapons for combat.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Gilda ripped a changeling’s flesh before her with her sharp talons while delivering a forceful kick to one behind her. As her kick spun and clocked another unsuspecting one, a magical blast caught her in her left wing, leaving behind a thick, green paste that immobilized her flight.

She let out a shrill, piercing shriek as the other changelings surrounded. Just then, an orange crescent of light flew down from above and struck her cemented wing, making all of it disappear off of her. Just then another orange light was accompanied by a red one, each one striking two of the changelings around the distressed griffon.

Looking up, the creatures were immediately met by the blades of Eren, Mikasa, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack, and within only seconds, each of them were cut down by the four of them. With the area mostly clear, Gilda slowly got up to her fours, looking to her saviors with a slightly ashamed expression.

“Sorry about that,” she hissed. “I’m not thinking straight.”

“Gilda,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, “worrying about Annie now isn’t going to help us! I know you want her to be okay, and so do I, but focus on keeping yourself safe now, otherwise, she won’t get to see you once this ends!”

Gilda fought to look her friend in the eye, but a sudden gasp from both Mikasa and Applejack changed everyone’s attention. Up in their line of sight was Chrysalis flying out high above them, seemingly ignoring them all and keeping on her path, the destination both Applejack and Mikasa knew all too well.

“NO!” Applejack screamed. “She can’t be!”

Sprinting off as fast as her hooves could push, Applejack made a beeline for the direction of Sweet Apple Acres, leaping over the buildings on her Maneuver Gear.

“Applejack!” called Mikasa. “Stop!”

Squeezing the triggers on her swords’ handles, she flew away from the group and hovered closely over Applejack.

“Never mind me!” cried Applejack with nervous tears forming. “Go after her!”

“Applejack…” Mikasa sighed with concern.

Looking at the ravaged town behind her, and then back out at Chrysalis ahead, Mikasa scowled with regained purpose and increased her speeds. Now over the orchards of Sweet Apple Acres, Mikasa trained her sights at the back of Chrysalis’s neck, her swords held back in tense anticipation.

Right at the moment her arms moved to swing, Chrysalis turned to Mikasa with her horn charging up. Caught off guard, Chrysalis managed to produce a bright flash, allowing her to move off to the side and allow the blinded Mikasa to pass by. Mikasa squinted as she turned around, trying to find Chrysalis beyond the large floaters blocking her sight.

Unable to see anything in front of her, she was completely unaware as she could barely make-out a green, glowing sphere forming around her. Closing her eyes as tight as her muscles could allow, she could only see a blurry Chrysalis flying in front of her, cackling in apparent victory at her confinement. Mikasa pointed her now-illuminated swords out and jabbed the inner walls, shattering the barrier like glass.

Just as the pieces dithered away, Mikasa could only regain her full, unobstructed vision just as a blast of green magic shot into her chest, throwing her down and away from her. Chrysalis continued to fly out to Applejack’s home, looking back as her adversary managed to glide down and crash into the roof of a building. Looking up from the streets, Applejack gasped at Mikasa’s failure to stop her.

“SHOOOT!” she cried out, continuing her rapid pace to her family.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Chrysalis landed in the backyard of the barn-shaped house, glossing over the windows and doors with slight movements of her eyes.

“Now,” she spoke aloud, walking to the cellar doors, “where would a farmer keep her family safe…”

Peering out through the crack in between the doors and seeing the changeling queen approach, Big Mac squinted with sheer spite, fueling his oncoming decision. Outside, Chrysalis’s horn, along with the padlock barring the doors glowed green, triggering Big Mac’s body. Right before she could pull the lock open, the door exploded out, Big Mac’s back hooves pushing chunks and slivers of wood away and into her.

Chrysalis quickly tried to rub the pieces of the door from her face and eyes, but suddenly felt a massive force press into her throat and pin her head down by her horn. Looking up, she saw into the red stallion’s seething face, feeling heavy wave of his breath blasting under her chin from through his clenched teeth.

From inside the cellar, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo crept up and peered just over the top most stair, watching his successful restraint. Hearing their hoofsteps, Big Mac growled and lifted his body up. Chrysalis only managed to put her arms up and hold him away just enough to keep his resulting stomp from completely crushing her throat. The second front hoof landed upon her horn, an audible, low-pitched crack coming from it.

Just coming over the last hill towards her home, she just caught a glimpse of Big Mac pinning Chrysalis down. With another loud cry, she only continued to go faster as she went downhill.

Big Mac continued to press more and more of his weight against Chrysalis’s resistance, who continued to let Big Mac off only enough to allow herself to barely breathe. It was then that Applejack came around the house and darted towards Chrysalis.

“Big Mac!” she cried.

Big Mac’s gaze seemed to soften, and his body twitched with the slightest hint of concern, but it was all that was needed. Chrysalis quickly slid her horn from underneath the stallion’s hoof, using her now free head to smack Big Mac off of her. With Big Mac disoriented from the blow, Chrysalis leapt to her hooves and thrust her head forwards, stabbing her horn deep into the right side of his chest.

Applejack, as well as the three fillies watching from in the stairwell, all gasped loudly as Big Mac’s vindictive eyes shot open with fatal realization. With a twist of her neck, her horn drilled around inside his wound, spurting a deep-red blood from out of it. Then with a push, Chrysalis threw Big Mac’s body at Applejack, the sight of him tumbling limply forcing Applejack and the fillies to scream and let tears loose from their eyes.

Looking to the fillies as they all ran out to him, wailing and gagging, Chrysalis shot a contemptuous glare to the mortified Applejack, charging her horn with visible difficulty. Letting out another shriek, Applejack charged for the changeling queen, but with a flash of light, Chrysalis managed to evade Applejack’s attack, disappearing with the bright blast.

Stricken stiff, Applejack was stuck in her stance until she heard the sound of another pair of feet land to the ground. Turning, she discovered Mikasa, looking worried and frightened, as she brought herself to her knees beside the dying stallion. Just managing to come outside, Granny Smith watched as Applejack run over to Big Mac and try to the best of their ability to treat him.

“Big Mac,” Applejack stammered, frantically using her hat to try and stop the blood, “come on! We need to get you help!”

Big Mac managed to lift one arm up and push Applejack’s hooves off of him. Looking into his tired eyes, he forced a smile and a gentle shake of his head.

“Nope,” he whispered before letting out a loud, forceful cough, his blood seeping out from his mouth.

Laying his head back down, he brought in one last breath and a huff before becoming completely still. The three fillies, unable to hold anything back, all hugged each other and bawled, nearly crumpling from the stress it brought to them. Granny Smith pulled her bonnet off her head and held it over her heart, biting her lip as tears streamed down her face.

Applejack crumpled down to the shins of her forelegs and then threw them over her own head. Mikasa, her own lips and eyes quivering, reached out to his face and pulled his open eyelids down, then leaning onto his corpse and crying with her face pressed into his shoulder.

Applejack threw her head and arms up into the sky and screamed out into the clouds, the veins in her neck bulging and her soaked eyes clamped shut.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Chrysalis appeared atop one of the stationed airships in a flash of green light, crying in agony as the crack near the base of her horn lit green and seeped a thick, glowing-green liquid. Falling to her shins, a large changeling with yellow-painted wings flew up over the ship’s banister and to his leader, his eyes filled with concern.

“My queen!” he shouted. “You’re hurt! How bad is it?”

“Never mind!” she growled. “Find Sunset as quickly as possible… and then call the order for retreat.”

“Retreat? But we still have so many more ponies to–”

“I can’t fight in my state! I shouldn’t have to tell you what would happen to the others if I were to fall…”

The yellow-winged changeling, realizing the severity of her words, huffed in relenting.

“Yes, my queen,” he spoke, fluttering off the ship’s surface and diving back over the edge.

Now alone again, Chrysalis felt safe to grunt in pain as she put a hoof to her horn with utmost delicacy.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Beside Twilight’s treehouse, Armin and Twilight stood around its trunk with around a dozen pegasus guards, keeping the numerous changeling forces still about at bay. Twilight, more than anyone else beside her, sported a bloodthirsty and vengeful frown as she attacked and slayed the changelings coming her way.

“You’re not going to take the princesses,” she growled and breathed. “You’re not going to take… Ponyville… and you’re certainly not going to take away… my home!”

Armin grimaced at what his friend had been reduced to, only to be brought back to the battle as a pair of changelings came at him with fangs bared. One by one, his blades sliced through their sides, making them crash into the wall outside.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Discord, still lying limp and sickly in bed, looking out to the window, watching as changeling after changeling attempted to break their way in, only to be stopped by a pegasus guard leaping up to successfully intercept them. Looking to Celestia, he saw a parchment appear from her horn in a small ball of light that floated of her horn. Reading it, he shifted up as much as his atrophied body could allow.

“What do they say?” he croaked.

Celestia looked to him with eyes filled with the slightest bit of hope.

“They said they’re ready,” she spoke.

Looking to Luna, they both began to charge up their horns, squinting tightly.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Jean and Fluttershy watched with great tension and worry as Conny and Pinkie Pie managed to drag the unconscious Mr. and Mrs. Cake from the jagged hole in the side of the eviscerated bakery. Behind them, the bloodied corpses of the small changeling faction laid still, allowing Jean and Fluttershy to keep their full focus on them.

Zecora galloped out with the crying and coughing foals, along with Gummy, who clamped tightly on her mane. As Conny and Pinkie Pie both began to breathe into the mare and stallion’s mouths, occasionally putting their ears to their sides behind their shoulders, Fluttershy and Jean couldn’t help but gaze skyward, seeing a large circle of light form high in the clouds.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Levi flew backwards across the rooftops of Ponyville, trading blows with Sunset’s blades as she chased him, a confident look on her face. Spinning and twirling, neither came close to their skin, keeping each other back with seeming effortlessness. Coming down close towards Twilight’s treehouse, Levi managed to swing around Sunset and kick her off, sending her towards the ground.

Before she could collide, she shot a hook off at the top of Twilight’s treehouse and reeled in, allowing her to swing around the mid-level. Looking in through the top-back window, she managed to see Celestia and Luna charging their horns inside. Before she could fully register, the sound of metal piercing quickly into wood sounded off ahead of her, and upon looking up, Levi sped head-on at her at an inconceivable rate. With another press of the trigger on her right handle, she reeled in just fast enough to soar over Levi’s body and slash, but was moving too fast to attack him.

Detaching her hook, she soared away from the treehouse before Armin, Twilight, and the guards. Her feet hit the ground, and taking a knee, she slid a wide distance between herself and her opponents. As she stood up, the skin on her knee shredded and dripping red, Levi swung out from the other side and descended, landing squarely on his feet beside Twilight.

The armored guards, alicorn, and two humans stared Sunset Shimmer down, who gripped her blades in preparation for their approach. However, the light in the sky shone brighter, casting its luminance over the group and treehouse. Just then, in the space between Sunset and her enemies, multiple bolts of lightning struck down from the light, forming a bright wall separating the two. The force of the initial blast forced Sunset and the others to jump away on either side. She, along with the ponies and humans, save for Levi, looked on in wonder at who or what would be coming from this.

“We thought the war was over,” a male voice echoed out from the light, which Armin gasped at, “but you and your friends just had to spoil it, didn’t you?”

Sunset stayed her ground as the light began to slowly fade, and upon revealing who was inside of it, the guards, Twilight, and Armin all huffed at the sight. Dozens of humans, male and female, in military jackets with both the red-rose Garrison crest and the green unicorn Military Police crest on their backs faced Sunset with great spite and rage. Among the soldiers were Marlo, Hitch, and Boris of the Military Police, and Ian, Riko, and Mitabi of the Garrison. Four soldiers stood ahead of the army: Kirill Rostov, Nile Dawk, Hannes Berlitz, and Erwin Smith.

“Hannes!” Armin exclaimed. “Erwin! E– Everyone!”

Every soldier and commander’s hands gripped a bladed operational device, prepared to make the attack on their superiors’ orders.

“If you thought that you could have your way with this world and its inhabitants,” Erwin said to the steadfast Sunset, “then I’m afraid you thought poorly.”
> Chapter 10: Tooth and Nail
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunset glanced at the large number of new opponents now trained on her. Gripping her blades tight, she awaited any and all humans and ponies that would come her way, but refused to budge in response to their steadfastness.

“Oy,” Levi said. “You should probably cut her down before she thinks of escaping.”

Hannes looked back to the stern and calm Scouting Legion soldier and nodded.

“Garrison!” he ordered. “Attack her!”

At once, Ian, Riko, Mitabi, and the rest of the Garrison forces charged at her with triumphant shouts, Levi effortlessly weaving his way around them and to the front.

“My soldiers,” Nile cried, “spread out and drive the black pieces of shit out!”

Like cockroaches, the Military Police soldiers leapt up via their Maneuver Gears and went off in multiple directions.

“Everyone else,” Erwin shouted back to the rest behind him, “stand your ground here and protect the princesses!”

“Sir!” they all shouted back.

The first of the Garrison soldiers came at Sunset, who leapt back and only managed to dodge and deflect any swings and jabs at her, unable to make an attack of her own. Just then, Ian and Riko both came at her from the sides, with Levi sprinting down the center at her. With their blades out, they created a formation that even Sunset knew she couldn’t avoid. Regardless, she let out a scream and prepared her own blades.

Just then, a green aura surrounded her and she was plucked from the ground, the blades of the three soldiers just grazing the bottoms of the tips of her boots. Looking about her surprised, yet slightly vexed, she saw as the yellow-winged changeling and four others flying up into the air with their horns charged.

“What are you doing?” she shouted.

“The queen has been injured,” the yellow-winged changeling responded. “She has called for a retreat.”

Opening her mouth to object, she suddenly felt the urge to look back down. She saw as the Military Police continued to spread out through the ruined town, the Garrison soon joining them. As they passed over the area, changelings with many-colored wings flew out from the streets and back towards the two airships. Looking further down, she managed to spot Levi, and the two exchanged vengeful looks, their eyes filled with desire to finish one each other off once and for all.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

At the town hall, Hanji, Petra, Sasha, Rarity, Shining Armor, and his guards continued to fend off sporadic waves of changelings that still attempted to enter inside. Suddenly, many colored-winged changelings flew to the small groups that awaited their turn to attempt their sieges. As the commanders explained the situation, the shouts of soldiers roared over the rooftops.

Many of the groups, understanding their impending predicament, flew up into the sky and back towards the airships to safety. Those too slow to respond were met with fatal blows by the Military Police as they came over the rooftops of the buildings surrounding the town hall.

As one changeling commander and his group began to ascend, a blade shot straight out from a rooftop and sliced the commander’s wing off. As the screeching changeling fell and bounced to the ground, the blade continued its flight until its end pierced through another changeling’s chest, sending it down and pinning it to the ground. Hanji, stunned by the sight, looked to the direction of the blade’s origin, watching as the familiar red-haired soldier ran towards her battalion with his hand at his left sheath before he pulled it away, revealing a fresh blade attached to his operational device.

“Woo,” he huffed. “This is one way to spend a nice summer’s day.”

“Kirill!” Hanji excitedly shouted.

As many other soldiers approached, the changelings nearby had all gone, allowing Hanji and Kirill to safely embrace. Hitch walked over to the writhing changeling commander and pointed her blade at it.

“Hmm,” she playfully chortled with evident vindication, “I wonder what these things feel like to cut.”

Winding her arm in as the changeling winced and accepted his fate, several of her companions watched with great anticipation.

“NO!” barked Lyra’s voice, freezing Hitch’s body stiff.

All eyes turned to the shout’s source, finding Lyra and Derpy Hooves, still equipped, with slight confusion and disappointment as they approached Hitch and the wounded changeling commander.

“If he’s one of Chrysalis’s commanders,” Derpy said, “and he’s still alive, we can interrogate them, so put your blade away, ma’am.”

Hitch stared at Derpy Hooves, transfixed by her intensely serious glare with her lopsided eyes. Puckering her lips to stifle her chuckles, her lips finally parted and howled with laughter, making Derpy’s face all the more angered.

“And why should I listen to you?” Hitch roared, making Petra, Hanji, Sasha, and the other ponies groan with the world of hurt they saw Hitch jovially stepping into. “You look like a retard with those eyes! Now, I’m sure that this big ol’ bug can do plenty of begging in Hel–”

Her words were cut off as Derpy’s back hoof kicked Hitch in the stomach, sending her doubling over and clutching her waist. Before Hitch could cry out, Derpy spun up and around, striking the same hoof into the back of her head, knocking her unconscious. The unfamiliar soldiers of the Military Police, Kirill included, had their eyes widened and their mouths closed in fear. Seeing this obedient sight, Derpy redirected her attention to the changeling, who peered through the squints of his eyes to see Derpy and Lyra still over him.

“Don’t speak,” Lyra said. “Your next words will be for Princess Celestia and Luna. Choose them carefully.”

The changeling nervously hissed, unsure of what fate would come to him now.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Changelings poured over the sides of the stationed ships’ banisters from below and stood onto the deck. One of the last groups to arrive was Sunset and the changelings who rescued her. Running to the stern and taking the wheel, she looked over to the other ship, just able to faintly see Chrysalis’s cracked horn as she made her way to the wheel.

Hissing through her teeth, Sunset Shimmer threw the wheel to the left and pushed the lever beside it up, allowing the ship to rotate and accelerate forwards. Once her dirigible was pointed back towards Canterlot, Chrysalis’s own ship began to move, turning back in Sunset’s likewise direction. With a glare starved of satisfaction, Sunset kept her eyes on the palace on the mountainside as she, Chrysalis and their armies retreated.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Inside the Ponyville Hospital, a building miraculously and relatively unscathed by the battle, chaos still managed to fill the air in its hallways and crowded rooms. The rich scent of blood was thickest above all else as nurses and doctors struggled frantically to save those wounded and hanging onto life by the skin of their teeth. Screams and wails of mares, stallions, and foals alike sounded off one by one in the wake of the grim announcement that their loved ones would not come through.

The sounds of misery and despair continued to dampen the spirits of Conny and Pinkie Pie as they stood, waiting outside a busy sounding room, not a moment passing when the hallway was empty from doctors, patrons, or patients going through.

“Why haven’t they told us anything yet?” Pinkie Pie whined, her eyes occasionally pouring tears from both eyes. “If they’re okay, they would have said something by n-how…”

“Pinkie,” Connie cooed with a hoarse, half-honest whisper, “the babies were crying when we pulled them out of there. If they could withstand the smoke then… surely they could too.”

His words did little to suppress the pink mare’s sobs, leading Conny to slide down the wall on his back and sit beside Pinkie, sighing in exhausted defeat. As Pinkie Pie sat down beside her friend, he put his arm around her lower back and pulled her closer, resting his face just below her shoulder.

“It’s going to be alright, Pinkie,” Connie cooed with more control and assuredness. “It will be al–”

Just then, the door beside them swung open, alerting both Pinkie Pie and Conny so that they stood attentively for the doctor, a pale-coated earth stallion, exiting to face them. They stared grimly into his eyes, awaiting whatever horrible news that could come to them as soon as he opened his mouth.

“Mr. Cake is awake and well,” he began, “but his wife–”

Pinkie Pie’s loud gasp overpowered the doctor’s words, and before she could possibly hear more, both she and Conny darted around him and went into the room. Mr. Cake, sitting up in his bed with sooty and, in places, singed fur, could barely register as both Pinkie Pie and Conny came at him from both sides, smothering him with hugs.

“Sir!” the doctor shouted, re-entering the room. “Ma’am! Get off of him!”

Mr. Cake didn’t seem to respond, his face stuck in an abysmally depressed frown and tears running like waterfalls.

“Please!” the doctor called once again. “He still needs to recover.”

As instructed, Conny and Pinkie Pie gently brought themselves off of him, much to his dismay.

“No, please,” he begged. “I need…”

“And there you are!” exclaimed Pinkie, running towards two incubators in the room’s corner where Pumpkin and Pound Cake were kept. “Thank Celestia you made it out.”

As she kissed the glass covers, the foals still wailing inside of them, Conny looked to the bed beside Mr. Cake, seeing the unmistakable shape of his wife veiled by a white sheet, the mare inside them lying completely still.

“No…” hushed Conny, his ears suddenly tuning in to Mr. Cake’s hoarse sobs.

Two unicorn nurses gently lifted both the late Mrs. Cake and the sheet off the bed and onto a gurney.

“No,” Conny quietly protested out of disbelief. “Stop.”

Having not heard him, the nurses continued their work as they began to wheel the gurney towards the room’s exit.

“I said stop!” Conny now shouted, throwing himself at one of the nurses and checking her to the floor.

The other nurse yelped and forced herself to the corner, frightened as Conny got up and threw the sheet off of Mrs. Cake, revealing her far larger burns on her body.

“Sir!” the doctor shouted with full anger.

“This is my friend’s mom!” he cried as the doctor tried to herd him towards the door. “Pinkie!”

Pinkie Pie, her attention turned to the gurney, finally spotted Mrs. Cake with Conny now out of her line of sight. Realizing what this meant, she let out a shrill wail and galloped to her. Conny quickly forced the doctor back and managed to catch Pinkie Pie before she could get any closer, holding her back as she bawled uncontrollably.

“No,” she screamed. “You said… you said, they’d be alright! You said they’d be alright!!”

“Pinkie!” Conny yelled, his voice choking himself.

Forcing himself to his knees, he pulled down Pinkie Pie to the floor with him, allowing Pinkie Pie to turn to him and wrap her arms and legs around Conny’s body, holding him as close and tight as her strength would allow. Both the nurses and the doctor, stood still and disheartened, watching as the Element of Laughter herself crumpled down to the floor in a mess of tears, Conny gripping her mane and back as firmly as he could.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“No, Applejack!” screeched Apple Bloom in a single violent cough. “We can’t!”

Both Applejack and Mikasa gave a final heave as they loaded Big Macintosh’s corpse into the back of a wooden cart behind the barn.

“We should at least give him a proper funeral!” Sweetie Belle pleaded.

“That’s not an option either!” Mikasa snapped, wiping her nose with a short sniffle. “We need to get back to town and regroup with the others. The airships Sunset Shimmer and Chrysalis used to get here are gone. Now that they’ve retreated, we need to formulate a counter-attack before they have another chance to hit us again.”

“What?!” Apple Bloom cried. “You can’t go back there! Big Mac needs us!” 

“Apple Bloom,” relented Applejack, “I really hate to say this, but Mikasa’s absolutely right. If we don’t find a way to take them on, they’ll take this town again without a fight. We need to go now if the rest of you have any chance of living through this.”

“We don’t even know what’s happening!” Scootaloo blubbered loudly. “Why did that thing kill Big Mac? Why is Ponyville under attack?”

Applejack winced as she struggled to produce an answer, almost feeling as time was beginning to sink her like quicksand.

“Applejack,” Mikasa’s voice softly spoke, breaking the desperate clutch on her mind, “stay here and tend to you family. I’ll go to Ponyville and relay everything I can back to you.”

“Mikasa,” Applejack responded, approaching her slowly, “are you sure?”

“Tell the girls. They deserve to know. I must be off now.”

Applejack, her face hardening with understanding, gave her partner a nod and a trustful glance.

“I’ll be back soon!” Mikasa shouted, running off in the direction of the town.

Grabbing the swords from her sheaths and hopping up, she flew higher above the ground with a click of the triggers on the handles, soaring over the hill and back to the town. Applejack, seeing her finally having gone, turned to face the confused and still sniveling fillies before her. Granny Smith too approached her, her face ravaged with redness and soaked with her tears.

“Okay,” Applejack said with a gulp, “this is what’s happening…”
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Mikasa quickly descended towards the grass before the town hall, quickly seeing the carnage of slain changeling corpses and a few fallen guards. Landing on the grass and tumbling to break the fall, she slid back to her feet and briskly walked to the front, the doors shut. She gave three hard bangs on the left side of the right door and stood still.

“It’s Mikasa,” she said. “It’s safe. Nothing else is out there.”

Almost instantly, the door creaked open just enough for Mikasa to slip through, which she did with an odd grace but great speed. Inside, the floors of both the first floor and the balcony above and around were filled to the brim with ponies and humans alike. Upon turning to see Mikasa behind them, the ponies and humans standing before her parted a way towards a small open circle where Celestia, Luna, Lyra, Hanji, Mayor Mare, and Levi were standing comfortably inside. A toolbox with bloodied shears, pliers, and scalpels were set beside Hanji, a wrench in her hand.

Mikasa jogged through the path and inside the circle, able to make out the faces of her friends both Earthly and Equestrian, including many of the former who she had not seen in a year, including that of Hannes. Gasping in surprise to see him, she was suddenly brought to the attention of the wounded, mortified changeling commander who lied weakly on the floor.

“Mikasa!” whispered Armin’s voice.

Shooting up to the bottom left side, of the inside of the group, she saw as Armin and Eren motioned for her to join them, seeing Twilight, Spike and Rainbow Dash both by their sides. She then slowly walked to them and positioned herself between her human companions, her eyes staring straight at Luna’s prisoner.

“Hey,” Eren piped up just barely above a whisper, “where’s Applejack?”

“She’s at home with her family,” breathed Mikasa. “Chrysalis attacked the farm and killed Big Mac.”

“What was that?!” he suddenly shouted.

Turning to face Eren with a slight look of fury, she softened her expression upon seeing Mikasa next to him, her face barely able to hold in her own rage. Meanwhile, both Rainbow Dash and Twilight looked up to Mikasa, unsure of what she could have said to get such a reaction out of him.

“Mikasa,” she instructed, “good to see you have finally come. Please do keep Eren quiet for us.”

“My apologies,” Mikasa replied with vengeful anticipation, “Please… continue.”

“No,” Hanji said with a possessed and seemingly apathetic voice. “Please, I’d like to know what you just told him.”

Mikasa gasped as every pony and human eye turned to her, making her doubly uncomfortable with the information she’d have to reveal. Looking down and Rainbow Dash and Twilight, who looked more inquisitive of all, Mikasa gulped with increased reluctance.

“Ma’am,” Mikasa muttered. “I–”

“Spit it out!” Hanji said, her eyes widened to their peaks.

With a loud squeal, Mikasa bit her lip and closed her eyes.

“Chrysalis attacked Sweet Apple Acres and killed Big Macintosh!”

Twilight and Rainbow Dash were first to react, gasping and taking a reactive step back, their lips and eyes quivering. Only mere moments passed before the rest of the ponies in the room were in uproar with both fury and grief, the cacophony of it all welling water in Mikasa’s eyes. Each of those in Garrison and Military Police attire were only marginally emotional, while those within Scouting Legion jackets sported looks of shame and sadness.

“Enough!” Hanji cried, throwing her hand up.

The room went silent, surprising Mikasa as she looked around. The pain of fear and death was still evident on their faces, but they stood perfectly still and quiet, their only noticeable movements being the blinking of their eyes.

“I suppose that is why Applejack is not present with you?” Hanji asked.

“Yes, ma’am,” Mikasa answered.

Focusing back on the changeling commander, Hanji pointed her wrench at his face.

“You hear that, monster?” she said quietly. “Not only have you killed countless innocent stallions, mares, and foals, but one of them just happens to be the brother of a dear friend of mine.”
The changeling glanced at the ponies among the crowd, seeing their miserable, desperate expressions along with spite aimed directly at him.

“The ponies in this town are all like family,” she continued. “When one of them dies, they mourn them as if they were their own brother or sister. Now tell me,” she finished, lifting her wrench up. “Would your queen and the others mourn you too?”

Instantly contorting her face into that of sadistic hatred, she reached into his mouth with the wrench, and wrapped the head around the bottom right fang. With a hard jerk up on the wrist and a quick crack and spurt, the changeling’s tooth was torn out from the jaw, his screams shortly muted as blood filled his mouth.

Stallions and mares alike turned away, mothers and fathers shielding the eyes of their nearby foals as disgusted wretches and groans filled the air. The humans did their hardest to keep a brave face, uncomfortable with sharing as remote a pleasure with the changeling’s suffering as Hanji was.

“Hanji, no!” barked Luna, an aura quickly coming over both her horn her fellow interrogator.

Landing only one punch to the creature’s already mangled face, Hanji was swiftly lifted up, flailing at her prisoner with reckless abandon.

“Let go of me!” she demanded. “Let fucking go of me, right now!”

“You’ve done enough damage!” Luna exclaimed. “Now let the prisoner talk before he dies of blood loss!”

Setting Hanji back on her feet beside Erwin at the front of the ring, but not freeing her from the aura’s grasp, she could only watch with an animalistic scowl as Lyra approached the commander, an empty glass cup in her aura before her.

“Here,” she said, presenting the glass. “Spit.”

Breathing in through his nose, the changeling hawked a slimy mixture of blood and spit into Lyra’s face, making her hop back and rub what she could from her eyes. As she continued to grunt and moan, Derpy Hooves stepped forwards and grabbed the cup with her bared teeth, the tightness of her grip making the glass crackle on her teeth. With a wind of her neck, she swung the cup into his face, knocking him to the floor with shards stuck in his cheek and eyelids. Before she could continue watching him writhe, she felt her mane grabbed and pulled hard, sending her up and landing on the ground beside Hanji.

“What did I just say!?” Luna howled.

Derpy Hooves looked angrier than ever, but with a glance of respect and approval from Hanji, which she returned in kind, their scowls were far less violent and more controlled. Luna turned to Lyra, whose face was still covered in grime, but whose eyes were open. The on looking ponies, slower and slower, were finding it easier to stomach the violence being inflicted upon the changeling.

“Now,” Lyra said, stepping back up, “where were we?”

Setting herself on her shins, Lyra looked the changeling into his one good eye, her stare ordering him to not spit at her again.

“So,” she said, “Big Mac is dead, and Chrysalis killed him herself. Tell me, you say that you were sparing any and all ponies that would make good slave labor, correct?”

Looking at Lyra’s blood-coated face, the changeling remained silent with his lips closed and his jaw slightly open.

“I bet you think I really look silly with your blood all over me, don’t you?” she asked. “Let me tell you something. Once this interrogation’s over, I’ll get to wash my face and I’m good as new. Well, sure, I’ll have a little stain, but it certainly beats having glass caught in my eye, so don’t think for a second that you have an upper hand here.”

With a rasp, the changeling did something that unnerved Lyra and even Luna: he chuckled.

“You may have captured me,” the changeling said, “but I’m a drop in the bucket compared to what we have on our side.”

“You don’t need to remind us of the evils that she has released,” Celestia snapped back. “Tell us what they are planning next.”

“And why do you think I’ll do that?”

“Just look at you!” Luna responded. “You’re in enough pain and damage as it is. Tell us that much, and we’ll not just spare your life, but we will work towards healing you back to normal.”

“Right… because your word means absolutely everything. How else have you helped others? You cast your ambitious, loving student away in another world in an alien, scared, helpless, and betrayed–”

“She’s taken the lives of innocent ponies!” Celestia cried, tears forming. “We couldn’t rehabilitate her otherwise!”

“Rehabilitate. Interesting choice of words. And what exactly was it that you wanted to rehabilitate her from, exactly, because I know that it wasn’t for murder. You know that it wasn’t for murder.”

“You shut up,” growled Luna.

“Of course, I can’t speak for the beasties you’ve imprisoned in that book you had, but let’s be truly honest here. Sunset Shimmer’s banishment was never about her killing those ponies in the library fire, was it?”

Celestia opened her mouth to affirm, only to find the words stuck in her throat as the eyes of Ponyville’s citizens stared at their exchange.

“You two could have had something beautiful, massive even, but her level of growth scared you, didn’t it?”

“No…” Celestia moaned, closing her wet eyes.

“You were everything to her. All she wanted was to make you proud of her skills, and you instead saw it as some kind of ‘threat.’”

“Shut up,” Luna growled loudly over her sister’s sobs.

“She learns advanced spells, and she makes one single mistake and you instantly ruin her life. Haha, even when your own sister became–”

“I said shut up!!” Luna finally shrieked.

Stepping forwards, she struck the changeling hard in the face, knocking him back towards the ring of ponies and humans surrounding them, looking awestruck at this action. Quickly, Celestia pulled the changeling back towards her and Luna, who was suddenly blocked by Derpy Hooves and Lyra as her horn surged with aura and she panted vehemently, her eyes flickering with a catlike appearance.

“Ugh,” the changeling coughed, “that really hurt. But you and I both know that the truth always hurts the most.”

Luna slowly charged her horn down as Derpy and Lyra continued to restrain her, her eyes also becoming stable.

“Whether it be the library fire or your sister’s envy that led to…”

Luna glowered, silencing him.

“…in any case, you could have helped them both. Instead, you chose to cast them out of your lives over a little dissent. Your sister may have been ready to forgive you, but Sunset… she really loved you, you know. Now, you’re nothing but a target to her and her new friends, and they won’t stop until they take everything and everyone from you.”

“Talk, monster!” Luna barked. “Or do I need Hanji to remove another tooth!”

Hanji smirked as she clipped her pliers together in excitement.

“I think it’s clear we’re done talking,” the changeling responded, pulling himself up to sit. “Too bad. I was hoping to get to watch the bonfire.”

Just then, the changeling quickly reached for his head.

Luna gasped. “Wait, wha–”

“Farewell, Princess.”

With the left hoof on the right side of the jaw and the right on the left temple, the changeling pulled hard, the bones in his neck snapping as his face almost glanced perfectly behind him. The only sound left in the room was the limp tumble of the creature’s body as it fell to the floor.

Silence continued on from the crowd of ponies and humans, sharing looks of fear and anger as they awaited for the stillness to end. Eren trembled, feeling his fists close into balls and his teeth pushing together in an enraged scowl.

“You fucking bastard!” he screamed, charging from the group.

The ponies leaned forwards in shock as Eren slid down to the changeling and picked him up by his neck, its snout inches from Eren’s face. The others merely looked at him in pity at the futility of his acts.

“Talk, you monster!” he screamed, throwing its body in his grasp. “I won’t let you die without you talking!”

From up in the balcony, Gilda shut her eyes tight and trembled, struggling to block the tears forcing their way through her lids. Celestia looking up at this, charged her horn, its aura likewise forming around Eren’s body.

“Eren, stop!” she finally cried out, Eren’s hands letting go of the changeling as he was suddenly jerked backwards.

The voices of the Ponyville citizens suddenly began to rise, sounding hostile and enraged. At once, Mikasa, Armin, Jean, Conny, and Sasha slid their way to the front around Eren, Rainbow Dash, Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Spike close by. The surrounding human soldiers looked to their commanders for further orders.

“Steady,” Erwin grimly spoke to his men.

At once, his Scouting Legion soldiers grabbed their operational devices from their jackets and placed them beside their sheaths. The Garrison and Military Police were soon to follow suit.

“This is all your fault!” shouted a greyish-blue stallion standing over the crowd with a pointed hoof.

“My baby’s dead because of this!” cried a cream colored mare.

As the anger of the crowd rose, the individual curses and threats on Celestia were lost among all the others as the ponies began to encroach towards her. Instantly, the Eren and his friends spread out with their swords drawn, gently stepping inch by inch to repel the mob back.

“You humans are actually on her side!” on stallion called out from the back.

“Of course they are!” shouted another. “They’re human, just like that Sunset one!”

Mikasa hissed as the crowed appeared to look and act more violent and delusional. Armin glanced back at Twilight and her friends behind him, watching them stand snugly around Celestia and Luna. Turning back around, the crowd did not appear the least bit frightened by Eren and his friends’ wall, continuing to approach them, the horns of the unicorn stallions and mares beginning to glow.

At that moment, Armin hopped forwards with his arms hugged in and the magenta gems in his blades glowing bright. The crowd began to run backwards from Armin’s apparent assault, but once Armin swung his blades out, a similarly-colored ripple of light spread out along the inside of the room, phasing through each pony and human where it traveled. The other human soldiers stood lax and bewildered over what Armin had done, while the ponies instantly turned quiet out of fear.

“Listen to yourselves!” Armin screamed. “Celestia would never forsake you like this! She has done everything she could to try and keep you people safe!”

“And look at how well that’s gone!” shouted a mare with a light pink coat.

“She may have been rash, but you have no idea what Celestia and Luna have gone through, what we’ve all gone through to ensure this country’s survival.”

“Armin!” called Luna, stepping through the scrum of Twilight and her friends. “You don’t need to–”

“No, sister,” Celestia interrupted with an arm barring her. “Armin. Go ahead.”

Without turning back, Armin kept his gaze out over the expectant ponies before him.

“Long ago,” Armin said, “Equestria was caught in a civil war over a lack of trust from their leaders. They saw Luna as an omen and wished to see her dead so Celestia could rule alone.”

The ponies’ expressions refused to change.

“Their parents, King Solar and Queen Aurora, sacrificed themselves to quell their hatred and to see that Luna would be accepted just like her sister! Luna had a dragon, just like Twilight has Spike, and he killed many ponies that posed even the smallest threat to them, even injuring others in the process! She banished him to our world as punishment and he’s the one who started the titan invasion”

Suddenly anger gave way to confusion and shock, the ponies loosening their stances as they glanced over at Armin, his friends, and Celestia, Luna, Twilight and her other friends behind him.

“Unbelievable,” a light-brown stallion huffed, “Celestia was who caused your titan invasion, and you expect us to trust her more after that?!”

“It was my decision!” Luna barked. “I never expected him to survive, and even if he did, I was certain the humans would take care of him.”

“Even if this were true, how come we were never told about this?”

“Because you didn’t deserve to!” Armin screamed back, his voice nearly cracking under the high-pitch.

The crowd fell silent once again, giving Armin the floor back.

“Celestia and Luna were traumatized by what happened then, and so were we; Luna’s dragon showed us. She didn’t want any of you to know that their rule was influenced in any way by bloodshed! That’s why Celestia was frightened enough to banish Sunset and even Luna when she became Nightmare Moon! She wanted to ensure with all her being that no pony under her rule would have to go through that same pain and misery ever again!

“And after it was discovered what had become of our world,” Armin continued, “she sent Twilight and her friends to put an end to it once and for all. Yes, because of them, they made our world hell. But without them, we would have all died long before now, and we wouldn’t have made the friends that we have, and for that, I’m forever grateful and loyal to them.”

“And what about whatever has taken over Canterlot?” shouted a young stallion in the back. “Do you and your friends think that it will be enough to stop them!”

Armin winced, preparing for the answer that could all but devastate them.

“No,” Armin finally let out, refusing to let his head down as the ponies began to clamor fearfully. “Not without your help, that is!”

The crowd once again stood mute and still.

“Even with the forces of Earth’s military, the Royal Guard, my Equestrian friends, and even the princesses themselves, what we stand against still pales in comparison to their power. That is why we need you to join us to take Equestria back!”

“What makes you think I’m going to fight for Celestia after what we’ve learned!” cried another raspy stallion.

“I never said to fight for her! Instead look around!”

The ponies, moved by Armin’s resolve, glanced beside them, friends, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers; all locking eyes with one another. Pinkie Pie glanced up to Connie and pressed her face against his ribs, the corners of her eyes wet and streaming. Mikasa put her fist over her mouth, feeling her own eyes wavering with oncoming tears.

“Think of what you’ve lost just tonight,” continued Armin, “and now think about what you have left. This is what you need to fight for! We stay here and do nothing, you can enjoy whatever certain final moments you have with your friends and family. But if you want to promise them a tomorrow, even at the gamble of your own, I implore you, please fight alongside us.

“If you choose to stay behind and seek shelter, I won’t blame you. I understand if the thought of giving your lives right now frightens you, and believe me, I know what it’s like. I was a cadet fresh out of training when titans attacked our city, and I watched my friends die. I almost gave in and accepted my fate, but Eren, Mikasa, and these ponies beside us reminded me that I still had them to fight for.

“If you do choose to fight with us, don’t fight for me, and don’t fight for Celestia, fight for Equestria and the future that you want to see your loved ones live in! Your mothers, fathers, children, friends. Fight to ensure their survival!”

No other sound was heard other than the mild echo quickly dissipating into nothingness. Armin kept his fierce face and darted his eyes around his audience, nervously looking for any signs that his words sunk in. Celestia also kept steadfast in her expression, not wanting to soil the integrity of Armin’s speech.

Please, Armin thought. At least one…

The muffled noises of a shuffling crowd began to draw near, and as Arming looked to the source, he saw as ponies parted the way to let Zecora, her staff hugged in her left arm, step forward and take Armin’s place.

“Armin,” she said, “your voice commands such power. I will fight with you in this darkest hour.”

She then looked back to Jean, and gave him a smiling nod, which caught him a little off guard, but he still managed to return the gesture with one of his own.

Flapping wings came down from the balcony, and no one needed to look up for long to see Gilda land beside Armin with a graceful pounce.

“Don’t sweat it, kid,” she told him, “I was joining you with or without that speech.”

Near the back, a white pegasus stallion’s ears drooped back as he closed his eyes tight, caught between two impossible decisions, making a royal-blue colt and light-pink filly behind him look up in uncertainty.

“Daddy?” the foal asked. “What’s wrong?”

Hearing her voice seemed to tip the scale. Opening his eyes, his ears still down, he sighed and knelt down to his children.

“Listen to me,” he said, “your mother will always be with you. I will make sure you get through this. I promise.”

“Dad?” The colt questioned, the hesitation in his voice already piecing together his dad’s intentions. “What are you–”

Withholding his tears as best he could, the stallion wrapped his arms around his foals and pressed them into his shoulders. The two tears his eyelids tried to hold back finally came out, running down the sides of his muzzle and onto his children’s backs.

“Honey,” he said to an approaching light-green earth mare, “please keep them safe.”

His wife, already knowing what he had decided, held her arm over her mouth with watery eyes. Then she fell towards her husband, and he caught her in a desperate embrace, much to the growing shock of their foals.

Around them, other stallions, unicorn, pegasus, and earth pony alike, passed through the crowds. The sobs of their children, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, as well as friends, could be heard as they disappeared from their sight among the crowd and beside Armin and his friends.

Armin let out a sigh that trembled with both melancholic sympathy and relieved excitement. Hannes, watching Armin’s words in full effect, smirked slightly with a gentle huff through his nose.

“Well done, Armin,” he whispered, audible only to himself.

Within a few minutes, several dozen stallions, along with a handful of mares, stood around Armin along with his human friends, Twilight and her friends, Lyra, Derpy, Luna, and Celestia. Crying was still heard, in pockets of the crowd, but Armin, strengthened by the number of reinforcements, turned to Mayor Mare and walked to her.

“Mayor,” he said, “where can the others seek shelter?”

“There’s a bunker underground beneath the town hall. We’ll get everyone else down there on the princess’s word.”

“Okay.”

He then walked towards Erwin and Celestia, confident determination chiseled into his eyes.

“Sir,” Armin said, “I might have a plan. It’s impromptu at best, but I–”

“Armin,” Erwin said, unable to conceal a comforting smile, “you are a very bright young man, and I have full confidence that whatever you have in mind will be sufficient in these odds.”

“Alright. Celestia, how fast can you alert the ponies in the other cities across Equestria of what’s happening?”

“Instantly,” she said, “once I’ve written one, that is. What do you need it to say?”

“The same thing I told the ponies here.”

Armin looked out of a window on the balcony of the front of the city hall, nearly feeling the weight of all who lived in the direction that he gazed on his shoulders.

“We need more help,” he said, “in any form we can receive.”