The ride to Canterlot was a lot more peaceful than the crew expected. When they all had gathered at the train station, they found Autumn waiting for them. At first, they thought she'd start a fire, but she was at her best behavior, especially during her time on the train. Which was odd. She didn't even try and sever Pinkie's hoof the whole trip, not even once.
Even more so as they all head over to the castle. It started to disturb them a little.
As they walked through the streets, the group couldn't help but notice the beautiful city of Canterlot. Ponies just going about their own, guards keeping the peace. Especially the guards, as Twilight and her friends trotted along they received a few looks from the ponies in steel. Made sense, they were mercenaries, everyone knew this. Twilight and her team were in countless newspapers detailing their crimes.
The most interesting part was the fact that her brother was a prince who is married to princess Cadence. This gave Twilight some immunity in a few places, allowing her to do her questionable projects. And the fact that she is Celestia's student gives Twilight even more freedom.
"Gosh I hate Canterlot," Dash said. "these guards just don't give us the respect we deserve."
"If y'all are forgetting, we ain't exactly a group of model citizens." Applejack glared back at the guard as they passed by.
Spike nodded. "She got a point, even back when Twilight and I lived here the guards would always spit in our direction. They can't really touch us, but freedom of speech lets them say what they want."
"I think they started to hate me when I broke into the graveyard that one night and stole a bunch of pony limbs." The group blanched once those words left Twilight's mouth.
"Okay, back to the point!" Dash quickly changed the subject before they learned something far more disturbing. "We literally like, fight a war, what do those tin cans even do?"
"Uphold the law." Said Rarity.
"Keepin' the peace." Added Applejack.
"Mnpha hmm."
"Autumn got you there Dash," Applejack chuckled.
"Oh shut up!" Dash snapped at the demomare.
It wouldn't take long before they arrived at the castle gates. A couple of guards escorted them from the courtyard and towards the throne room. And as they arrived at the entrance, Twilight couldn't help but notice two particular ponies just sitting by the doors who wore the same uniform as her.
"Starlight!" Twilight rushed over to her fellow medics.
"Twilight? Oh, hey!" Starlight greeted the alicorn with a smile.
"Ah, if it isn't Twilight Sparkle!" Greeted the other medic who was quite literally named the Doctor. Or you could use his other alias, Time Turner. "What a wonderful day, wouldn't you say?"
"Doctor, I'm happy to see that you have arrived in one piece!" Twilight said.
"Look," Dash held back a laugh. "the egghead found her flock!"
"Ha!" Pinkie burst into laughter. "Eggheads, it's funny because they have normal heads!"
"Right." The Doctor cleared his throat. "I heard that the Blue team won yesterday. Your castle must be in ruins now."
"What? I didn't know that." Starlight said. "My stuff, did it get blown up as well?"
"Yeah, got burned down along with the rest of the castle," Spike answered. "Sorry Starlight, nothing survived but the Cutie Map."
"What a shame." Starlight sighed.
"Oh, speaking of which!" All eyes focused on Twilight. "What are you two doing out here anyway, you know, alone and stuff? Where are the rest of your teams?"
The Doctor awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, everyone is actually in the throne room as we speak. The only issue is that-"
The doors flew open and out came Berry Punch. And they finally understood why the two medics were just sitting around outside, hundreds of mercenaries were having an all-out brawl in the throne room. And Discord could be seen watching the chaos unfold below him. The team wondered why they didn't hear any explosions or gunshots when the door was closed, they were just outside.
As Berry Punch returned to her senses, a mare with a broken horn came to finish her job and struck Berry with an iron boot. "Twilight."
"Tempest." She greeted back cheerfully. With that out of the way, Tempest Shadow went back inside to continue her onslaught. "Do you guys want to explain?"
"Yeah," Starlight chuckled. "a few ponies just kinda jumped into conclusions and thought we all were gathered for a battle royale, and now you see what happened after."
"Starlight and I then snuck out while everyone else began to slaughter each other. Lucky us, right?" Said the Doctor.
"I think I understand." Twilight nodded. "This way you two can finish off anyone who's still alive! Brilliant! But... Then it'd be just you two. So I think the course of action is-"
"Twilight!" Starlight stopped the alicorn before she could get too deep into her rant. "We left because it's a madhouse in there. We nearly got our heads chopped off by Derpy, who is in fact on the same side as the Doctor."
"She's just a little confused, but the girl has the spirit." The Doctor smiled warmly.
"What is going on here!?" All heads turned towards the newcomer, Iron Will himself. "If Iron Will wanted an all-out brawl, then Iron Will would've started it himself!"
"Sir!" The group made themselves presentable in front of the famous Iron Will, the minotaur who ran the business. It is also worth noting that he was a beast when it came to combat, it was the reason why no one ever got their hands on Mane Co. Though, there was something odd about him today, primarily the sling around his right arm.
"Um, Iron Will?" Fluttershy approached him cautiously. "W-what happened to your arm?"
"Oh, this?" He sighed, his body slumped a bit. "Iron Will will let princess Celestia explain. He is too ashamed to even speak of it. Now if you excuse me, Iron Will has some punching to do, these creatures are lucky I'm currently handicapped or else they'd die from my right punch!"
With that, the minotaur jumped into the fray, then the screams of terror began as countless corpses were punched into the air. The group along with Starlight and the Doctor could only watch as the minotaur pummeled everyone in the room. And just from that, it didn't take long before the whole room became silent. Twilight and friends entered, bodies were scattered around. Many who were still alive would slowly succumb to their injuries. And Iron Will stood on top of a pile of soldiers triumphantly. And he only needed one arm to win, he was a warrior just like his ancestors.
"Aw, you ruined it." Discord said. "Just when it was getting to the good part."
"Discord! Did you start this fight? If so, why did you not inform Iron Will!?" The minotaur demanded.
"I didn't start it, some idiot just shot another idiot, and then the chaos happened. Oh how delicious it was, so sweet and tangy."
"You disgust Iron Will! And you broke my feelings."
"Discord! Why are there corpses in my throne room!?"
All attention looked over at the entrance to find princess Celestia and her sister who wore a long and pointy cone hat with the word "Loser" written on it.
"Discord, clean this all up!"
"Pfft, right away your royal heinie." With a snap of his talons, every creature dead on the floor had risen back to life, healthy and free of any injuries. And as if nothing happened, everyone was back to normal.
With everything cleaned up nice and shiny, the two sisters walked up to the throne. It is throne because there was only one, and it belonged to Celestia. This caused a few murmurs among the mercenaries, confused as to why Luna wore such a fashionable hat and the lack of a throne of her own. As Celestia took a seat on her comfortable chair of high quality, her sister Luna sat on the cold hard floor next to her.
It was a strange sight for everyone, usually, the two would bicker for a short while before addressing any issues with the kingdom or the mercenaries. But here they were, silent, well-mannered, and calm. Celestia even had a prideful smile on her face. Iron Will and Discord took their place between the two sisters with the god of chaos next to Celestia and so on.
"Now, you all must be wondering why I gathered you here today!" Celestia spoke, her soothing voice calmed the hearts of these mercenaries. "Today we gather here for an important announcement, one that would make history in Equestria. Today I, princess Celestia, am here to inform you all that..."
There was a pause, her lips quivered as she fought back her tears. But one slipped through and ran down her cheek. Everyone in the room gasped, whatever news that Celestia brought to them must be something important if it caused her to show weakness. Twilight and everyone else felt something in their chest, a pain that could not be described. They waited, their attention fully on their princess, no one dared to speak a word, or else they risk death as a punishment.
"My dearest subjects... Today on this great day, I have won." With that, the tears she held back flowed freely, she was overtaken by her emotions that she cried tears of joy.
But this caused a different reaction from the mercenaries, confusion went all around. It replaced their previous emotion like a bullet suddenly taking their life.
"You what!?" A scout at the back of the crowd asked.
"It is true," Celestia wiped away her tears as she began explaining. "After today, it will be official that I have won! Luna has lost her land to Mann Co, meaning that I am the remaining ruler of Equestria by default!"
"Wait, Mann Co, what's that!?" Another asked.
"Oh let's forget the details, we must celebrate this day with the biggest party that Canterlot will ever witness!"
"A party!?" Pinkie bounced out of the crowd and towards the princess with a big disturbing smile. "You can count on me princess!"
"That would be unnecessary Pinkie Pie," Celestia pushed the party pony aside. "I plan to ask Cheese Sandwich to do the job."
"B-but..."
"You can count on me princess!" Cheese Sandwich gladly accepted, much to Pinkie's dismay. This sent Pinkie into a fit of rage, what was once a quiet crowd devolved into another brawl, this time Twilight and her crew were caught up in it.
Once again, bullets and bombs started to whiz around. Celestia held up a barrier to protect her and everyone who was near her.
"Um, your highness?" Celestia turned towards Iron Will with an arched brow. "Shouldn't we talk about Mann Co and our problem?"
"Sister, he is right," Luna informed Celestia. "If we do not address the problem now, Mann Co would definitely take advantage of us and attack when we least expect it."
"Ugh, fine." Celestia rolled her eyes at them both. "Listen everyone!" The crowd became silent once more. Pinkie looked over towards Celestia with hope in her eyes and Cheese Sandwich's neck in her arms. "We must inform everyone here how I won against my sister Luna."
Pinkie's mane deflated, she expected that Celestia had a change of heart, so she decided to just snap Cheese's neck like a glow stick. Now the crowd became attentive to the princess. This piqued Twilight's interest, she listened intently to her mentor.
"A few weeks ago, Discord was approached by a man named Saxton Hale accompanied by numerous lawyers. He is the owner of a similar company to Mane Co which is named Mann Co and they come from a different dimension. And for weeks, they battled in the court of justice. But their efforts were fruitless. Mane Co is no longer ours, it is now owned by Saxton Hale."
The whole room gasped, the crowd exploded with chatter. Confusion became denial, then it shifted into anger. Many wanted to know what would happen to them, some asked if they would still receive any supplies from Mane Co and few didn't add anything useful to the conversation.
"My dearest subjects, please! That is not all, I'm afraid. In an attempt to take back what is rightfully ours, Discord had challenged Saxton Hale for the ownership of Mane Co, and he wagered Luna's territory. Which I didn't know that Discord was able to do. After an hour of combat, Discord lost and with it, my sister's crown. And you see now that she wears the cone hat of shame."
"Then what happens next!?" A concerned merc asked. "Is that all!?"
"I wished it was... Not only does Mann Co own half of Equestria, but Saxton Hale had set his eyes on the rest! And with his elite group of mercenaries, he issued a challenge against me for my throne!"
Twilight and her team gasped, somehow their questions were answered thanks to princess Celestia. And now they have an understanding of who the strange creatures were. And somehow, it started to click together in Twilight's head. The idea of another dimension, a whole new reality. This gave Twilight the conclusion that the mercs they fought yesterday were a copy of them, or perhaps it's the other way around.
"What is the challenge?" Tempest Shadow aka the heavy stepped out of the crowd, eyes full of determination. And with her was the rest of her team.
Flim and Flam, the engineers. When one isn't enough, two would definitely do the damage. Or if it's some fine cider you want, they're unicorns you need. Tempest's sniper, the Great and Accurate Trixie, who only took on the role to be better than Twilight just to discover that the author decided Twilight to be the medic. And now Trixie couldn't change her job because it was far too late and it would ruin the whole team dynamic. On the plus side, this gave Trixie countless opportunities to shoot Twilight in the head.
Then there was their spy, Suri Polomare, a master at the art of deception and blackmail. She's the kind of mare who would lie her way out of prison, and she has. Lightning Dust, the scout, fastest mare in the group. The only reason she was a mercenary to begin with was that it gave her a chance to challenge a rival of hers. Blueblood, the unreliable democolt who spams sticky bombs. He was once a prince and the nephew of princess Luna and Celestia. But due to his snobbish personality, Celestia had removed Blueblood from the royal family and forced him to get a job.
The only one willing to accept him was Tempest Shadow, and thanks to her they made him useful. Well, not as much since Blueblood never goes near any objectives. But if the time calls for it, Blueblood isn't afraid to show everyone why he's superior. Sometimes you just need good motivation, like money.
Next was Gilda, a griffon from afar, her role was the soldier. With her ability to soar to the skies, she is a menace with the Air Strike. And just to rub salt in your wounds, she would call you a dweeb. Gilda hurts both your pride and your body. Don't get her started with the Market Gardener. Second to the last was the pyro, and an all too familiar face for Celestia. Sunset Shimmer, hot in several places. Good looks, great hair, and a fiery pain in the flank. Always walking around with a sledgehammer, she's ready to break some bones anywhere and anytime.
The last one was their medic, and it was none other than Starlight Glimmer. Unlike some medics, she favored the use of magic to heal her team, and by god is she great at it. Almost as great as Starswirl the Bearded, or maybe she is superior, she did defeat Twilight that one time.
"Tempest, it is a pleasure to see you again." Celestia smiled.
"I am honored you believe so your highness." Tempest bowed respectively.
"Has my nephew been a nuisance lately?"
Blueblood looked away, cheeks flushed red. Tempest laughed at his reaction. "No your highness, he had been working as hard as ever."
"I am happy to hear that. So to answer your question, the challenge is simple. Mann Co wishes to send their best mercenaries against Mane Co's, and from what we witnessed, they are quite the team." Celestia answered.
"I see," Tempest's eyes flashed with determination. "then I Tempest Shadow along with my team wish- neigh- my team will fight for your honor!"
"Yeah, we'll show them what's what!" Said Flim, his brother Flam nodded his head in agreement.
"Ha!" Trixie laughed. "Trixie will make quick work with Trixie's enemies. Just watch, and you'll be dazzled by my outstanding performance."
"I bet those dweebs got nothing against us," Gilda commented.
"If they're just like any other team here, then I'm sure I can melt down their skin," Sunset said with pride.
No other team would step up, none dared to challenge the VN Omega. They were a team not to be reckoned with despite having a useless demo, they all make up for it with their skills and experience. Tempest especially, a defector of the Storm King's army, now the heavy weapons mare. With her strength and athletic build, she was able to take on three different teams alone all at once. A noteworthy success that skyrocketed her popularity in the business.
"Forgive me Tempest, but it appears they have chosen a team on their own judgment," Celestia said, her voice filled with regret. Regret because she knew that she could've done something if only she had listened to Discord.
"Who have they chosen, your majesty?" The Doctor asked.
"Mann Co had chosen... team Harmony as the representatives of Equestria."
The whole room went silent, for two whole minutes, none would say a single word. Then, they all screamed in terror as they realized who the fate of Equestria depended on. And it was none other than the team who were notorious for having countless collateral damage everywhere they go. Soon, the whole room once again devolved into an all-out brawl with each other.
Discord watched with delight as the mercs killed one another once again. Iron Will could only look on with disappointment, he would've jumped in to kill them all over again, but there was just no point. Luna smirked, she had nothing else to look forward to but her sister's defeat. If Mann Co does win it would mean that Celestia would be brought down to Luna's level.
Celestia groaned loudly as the sound of someone's back breaking filled the air. "One of you call my assistant, I need a cup of soothing tea this instant."