//------------------------------//
// Let's see how far we've come 
// Story: Bionic Titan: A New Dawn 
// by KorenCZ11 
//------------------------------//








Zap Flash








As we approached the island, I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Already, something wasn’t right about this, but I had no reason to feel this way. HD noticed it immediately, even inside the life suit.

“What’s wrong?”

I let out a controlled breath. “I don’t know. I’ve got a bad vibe about this.”

She rolled her eyes. “Any more so than usual?”	

I shook my head and looked her in the eyes. “Much more. Stick close when we start moving, alright? Chances are, the safest place to be is going to be inside that new titan.”

“Alright.” she leaned in and pressed her cheek to mine. Her soft skin, her sweet smell, and her warmth all helped me to relax a bit.

“Hey! Didn’t Doc. Ligma tell you not to do that shit!?” Inside the hangar of the Mimic with us was Tendon and Sinew, both of our changeling pilots. The former had a bad temper.

“You know he doesn’t like that name.” HD reprimanded.

The redish changeling flew down to us at the bottom of the hangar. “Well, he deserves it, the creep. I don’t like getting high before a mission, and you guys doing that shit is going to force it on me. Stop it. Put your helmets on, no more physical contact.”

And then, he used his magic to put our helmets on for us. Rough but precise. That’s Tendon alright. He’d already donned his own life suit and helmet and was ready to go. He tapped the terminal on his suit and asked, “Gaston, how much longer before we start?”

Over the loudspeaker, he replied, “Fifteen minutes to arrival. People board personnel container now. Go time.”

Tendon nodded. “Good. Now I won’t have to smell you.”

I shrugged. “Whatever you say man.” He was still butthurt about the best pilot comment. He knows I’m better and it eats him alive inside. It doesn’t help that I’m about twenty years younger than him too. He’s been a titan pilot since the first generation was in its prime, and if not for me, he would be the best pilot Blackrow has access to. I don’t think he’d shoot me in the back, but I’m always cautious of it. He really doesn’t like me. “Let’s head up, HD.”

“Sure.”

It’d been difficult to keep separate since we got to Blackrow today. Any time we could be next to each other we were, and it wasn’t so noticeable before, but the little gestures and simple movements all seemed more precious now. It’s hard to not touch her when I can, and she’s been even worse about it. Maybe after being together for so long, this was just the natural progression, but it feels like a wall has been broken or a door has been opened. Things I never would’ve done, things I refrained from doing before are simply what I should be doing.

What a terrible day to be marching to our deaths.

Once we were in the container, we were joined by Garrod, Gallant, and Elise. The box was made to fit about a whole platoon, with fifteen seats on either side. Essentially, it was a tram car with an ambulance in the back. Sinew’s job was just to get us to the island and drop off. As soon as HD and I were in the suit, they’d wait for ten minutes before pulling out. We’d either get it up and running, or we’d be left to fend for ourselves. Of course, I wasn’t going to take that long to get it moving.

“Are you guys ready?” Garrod asked, slapping a claw to my shoulder.

“As we’ll ever be, I guess.”

“Aww, come on Zap, have some enthusiasm! This is a brand new AE titan we’re talking about! And think about the sights on Miyako, the weather there is supposed to be ten times better than what we get in Cavalisa.”

“Eh.” Elise commented. “Miyako is overrated. Sure, it’s nice if you like being outside, but the place is super expensive, and locals of the right species are treated way better than anybody else.”

HD tilted her head. “Oh, are you from there or something?”

Elise nodded. “I was born in Miyako, but I’m not a pegasus, see? They don’t take too kindly to non-pegasi. Even other ponies tend to get the short end more often than not.”

“Yeah,” Garrod answered, “But it’s like that everywhere. You’re a second class citizen anywhere you aren’t part of the group. Just regular in-group out-group stuff.”

Elise turned on him. “But not in the AE!” she formed a fist. “It wasn’t supposed to be like that there. My parents always talked about how great the place was and how nice the people were, but they didn’t grow up in a place where they don’t belong. It’s different for a kid like that.”

HD tilted her head. “But, couldn’t you say the same thing about Cavalisa?”

Elise frowned. “What, that island of leftovers? There’s no one group—”

I raised a hoof “Hippogriffs get priority from the government, and all the government positions are filled by hippogriffs. And on the island itself? There’s a majority in the less poor parts, and a different majority in the poor parts. Both have minorities, and neither side treats them any better. What are you even complaining about? The world being itself?”

She clenched her beak. “Yes!” Turning away, she ran a claw through her feathers. “It was supposed to be different there. AE was special in their minds. And when it came my turn, it was just the same as everywhere else I went.” She sighed and leaned back in her seat. “I hate this planet. You guys need to get that thing running and out of here so I can go to space.”

Garrod laughed. “It’s cute you think anywhere else is going to be different.”

She’d clearly had her feathers ruffled, but didn’t see any allies anywhere else in the personnel carrier. She went so far as to send a pleading look to Gallant, but he said something in Griffan with a confused look on his face. Elise let her head fall.

Garrod and I have known each other for a long time, and HD and I have survived together in Cavalisa for twelve years. It must be nice to be able to grow up thinking there’s somewhere better out there. When you’re stuck to the ground or trapped by an endless ocean, you learn to deal with what you have. And even if you were somewhere else, you’d still only have your own life.

The loud speaker came alive, “Get ready, people. Launch in T-minus fifteen.”

Buckling the seat belts, the mercenaries and Garrod gathered their gear. HD and I did ours, and then the titan came to life. A screen up front showed us the titan’s eyes. In front was Tendon in the other Heat Hawk, the sleek silver frame underneath reflective sky blue armor with glistening silver blades hiding just behind the forelegs. It wasn’t exactly what I’d call ‘stealthy’ but it’d be hard to see from the ground, and even harder from the sea. As long as we didn’t run into anti-air titans, this thing should be able to outrun anything. But what to expect otherwise was anybody’s guess.

The Mimic’s hangar door opened and Tendon moved his Heat Hawk to the launch deck.

“Five, four, three, two, one! Launch!”

Like being jettisoned out of a cannon, the Heat Hawks took off one after another, hopping into the air with magnet assisted thrusters and spreading those feathery blades at their sides. Gravity compressed us horrendously, forcing poor HD’s head down into her lap and the rest of us trying desperately to stay sitting up straight. The sky rushed by, the sea grew further and further below. The clouds flew closer, and further above, the blue darkened.

We reached a coasting altitude and both titans flew along at breakneck speed. In the distance, a mountain rose above the ocean. Even this high in the sky, the massive mound reached closer and closer like it might try to grab us if we got too far. With the reflective coating on the Heat Hawks the AE observatory there shouldn’t ping us, but there was still a chance. A flap of the massive metal wings, we soared even higher. The huge mountain fell away as we took a turn and headed south. Finally, our destination was in view.

A little speck of sand and jungle in the sea, far, far away from the rest of the island chain. In a high speed boat, it might take half an hour just to get there from the nearest coast. Sinew dove after Tendon, both Heat Hawks fell out of the sky like bricks from an air balloon.

Clouds rushed by, one threatened to block our path, but Tendon tore a hole in it and shot on by. Pressed into our seats, I was struggling to keep my eyes open. HD had passed out. Our descent slowed as the island came close enough to tell the trees apart.

HD snapped awake. “Ah! What happened?”

“They’re pushing it with a personnel carrier, that’s what,” Garrod grumbled.

Elise yelled at the screen, “Are you guys trying to kill us before we even get started!?”

“I know what I’m doing, you’re fine,” Sinew answered. “Landing in thirty seconds. Get your shit together.”

She rolled her eyes, but started to undo her seat belts anyways.

I followed suit, and then helped my dizzy HD do the same. She wobbled for a bit, but was back on her hooves in a moment. “Woah… that was a lot.” HD brought a foreleg to still her head. “I guess this is what it feels like without the gel, huh?”

“And these aren’t made to be super fast either.” I shivered. “You definitely can kill yourself in a Mercury III like that, and that’s with gel.”

“Ick.”

“Lovebirds, on me!” Elise shouted.

“Ten!” Sinew called.

Elise shot her eye at us both. “Stick close, do not fall behind!”

“Seven!”

“We find the machine, you get in, we bail!”

“Four!”

“We wait ten minutes before Sinew takes off! Any longer, you find your own way home!”

“One!”

“Move!”

The carrier’s door opened and slid down the laying titan’s back. The tail created a path into the sand, and Elise launched forward. HD and I followed close behind, Garrod and Gallant bringing up the rear. The hot sun, the sand, and the perspiring jungle were oppressive, but there was no time to mind it. Our Hippogriff mercenary led us into the forest and down a clearly marked path a few meters into the trees. Dark soil, soggy forest floor, but reflective tape along the trees. The seconds ticked away on the life suit’s HUD. We had three minutes before noon. We’re cutting it real close.

At 1159, we hit the base. Just like the pictures, it was mostly concealed from the air, but the driveway from the undersea channel had to come out somewhere. Trees were planted all over on top of the building, so from the air, it didn’t look like there was anything here at all. As we were told, there were no guards anywhere. Totally deserted.

“They sure do take their holidays seriously in the AE.” HD whispered.

“Well, if we make it out of this, we might see that ourselves.”

Elise gave a halt signal from the edge of the forest. We stopped. She darted forward, rifle at the ready, flapping quick and short to keep just above the ground. She scanned the door, and once she was satisfied, she waved us over. We bolted.

The HUD flashed green, 1200 hours.

Elise slapped an explosive to the corners of the door, pulled back behind the wall with us, then popped it. The big metal slab fell inward with a loud clang, but no alarms went off. After a second of waiting, we proceeded onward.

Inside, this place was like a space age tech center. Mirror walls, a white ceiling casting soft light, and a black floor so dark you couldn’t see a reflection anywhere. No alarm, lights are on. Something is wrong, even more so than I thought. There was a tingle at the back of my neck. I felt like I was being watched, but no matter where I looked while we ran, there was no sign of life. We followed Elise close behind, stopping once to avoid an automaton. It looked only as big as a cart you might serve food with, but it was filled with death. Barrels poked out of little windows at the base, and there were five on the long sides, and two on the short ones. It turned a corner, and then we went down where it’d come from. The hall opened up into a much larger one, trading mirrors for stainless steel plates to decorate the walls. A huge door with ‘Hangar 2’ written on it was slammed shut in front of us. To the side was a more conventional one, but with no apparent way to open it. We held by the small door, and after Elise touched it, it simply slid away into the wall.

This place has been awfully cooperative so far. And then I felt those eyes on me. I turned back to find them, but the hall behind us was empty.

“Zap? What’s wrong?” HD asked.

I looked at her for a moment. Whatever is going on, that titan is going to be the safest place to be. “Nothing, let’s keep moving.”

Elise charged ahead, and the rest of us followed, scanning and casing as we went, but now, we were in a large open space. A Wonderbolt IV, a Kelpie II, some variant of the TM series, and even an Arcane III. This was not just some random facility, they had every new titan of AE’s main lines here. And yet, nothing had been set off yet. Why? The automatons are on a schedule and haven’t detected any irregularities. That door should have set something off when we blasted it. Why hasn’t it happened yet?

Or, has it already happened and we just don’t know about it? We passed all the suits I recognized till we hit another hangar door. A staircase led up to a cat walk where the personnel door was. We raced up to it and passed through again without issue.

And then, I laid my eyes on it.

It took my breath away. In the time we took to prepare for this mission, they’d completely armored it. Like an ancient Equestrian royal guard with a razor sharp tri horn and golden edges with white paneling. A golden warrior. It was clearly completely armored and had vents for thrusters on its back and legs, but there were no wings. It wouldn’t make sense to build a titan that can’t fly, so how does this one do it?

Zap.

I turned to HD. “Yeah?”

“What?” She asked, hardly able to tear her eyes away from the idol of a titan.

Huh? “Didn’t you call me?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“You two!” Elise whispered, “There’s the hatch dock, get going!”

Just above the titan’s back was a catwalk with a ramp leading to the machine. HD took the lead and I followed close behind. What in the world? I can’t be hearing things, can I? I’m the one who needs to focus. It’s right there. We say all the words together, and it will take to the sky unlike anything before it.

“What’s up?” HD asked as we hit the edge of the ramp.

“What do you mean?”

She blinked. “You called my name, didn’t you?”

Did I? I know I needed to tell her something. “The password. We say it together.”

She nodded. “Right. Together.”

On the back of the golden machine were two slots for hooves. Together, we both pressed them, one hoof each, and then, it slid down and into the rest of the armor. I helped HD in, and then hopped down myself. This gel was a bit easier to maneuver in than most, and from what I could tell, this cockpit was an unusual size and shape. It was less a sphere and more like a hoofball. There were two harnesses, and four plug in cables.

But that was right too. It needed two pilots. Something about the password. A word that makes the titan start, but not just anyone can start it.

As if we’d done this a million times, I helped HD plug into her harness on the left, then I found mine on the right. They were already adjusted to our size. The monitor didn’t come up, nor did my senses enlarge themselves to match the titan like normal. There was one more piece.

We reached out for each other’s hooves. Somehow, I could feel her pulse. Our hearts were beating in tandem.

“Loyalty, Honesty.”

“Laughter, Kindness.”

“Generosity, Wisdom.”

Like missing puzzle pieces, words filled my head that I knew HD would say right along with me.

“In the face of truth, the world once again faces a new dawn. To bring in the new age, together, we resonate.”

“Harbinger.”

And then, all was white. I found myself in a void, together, with HD. She looked around, floating a little to the side. “What happened?”

“There’s still a blockage.” A voice said. It wasn’t hers, and it wasn’t mine. Save us, however, there was nothing here but white space.

“Who are you?” I called.

“Hmm…” it was something like a sing-songy voice. A woman’s voice, but an older one. “You might call me your grandmother, with a few unusual circumstances here and there. However, that point is meaningless if you two don’t resolve this issue. It’s you, Zap. There’s something you haven’t told your beloved.”

I swallowed. I knew what it was.

“Is… this about this morning?” HD asked.

I felt a weight on my shoulders. “Y-yes…”

She moved closer, putting a wing over me. “You know, Zap, there’s something I’ve been thinking about.”

“Yeah?”

“It’s just that… the dream I always had… there’s an eye in it. And after this week of training, I think I know what kind of eye it is.”

My mouth was dry. “I-I didn’t know!”

She put a hoof on my lips. “I was on a ship of some kind. Somebody had it attacked. I was a victim. And whoever did the job was a tool. And if…” she tilted her head to the side. “that tool just so happened to be a boy with a particular skill who didn’t know any better, then I think I could forgive him.”

Oh, Goddess, she’s too good for me. “HD, you know I wouldn’t—”

“And if he suddenly found somebody still alive and tried to save her… then maybe I could even love him. And if he then devoted his life to her? Then I’d stay with him. Forever.”

HD brought her snout inches from mine and stole my eyes. “Was it… you?”

“It was me.”





“Zap! Helium! Are you alright!? Respond!”

My senses returned to me. And so did HD’s. We turned to Elise, her little hippogriff self on the catwalk yelling into her terminal to get our attention when she suddenly stopped.

“We’re okay. Get out of here, we’ve got control.”

She looked very confused, but didn’t argue. The ground team all fell back into the facility and headed out. The time was 1210, they still had enough to get out without being detected.

In front of us was the exterior hangar door. To exit, all we had to do was think about it. A magic aura lifted the door from the bottom up, completely smooth and controlled. We couldn’t think back to a time where magic was this easy to use. There was no strain on us at all. Like raising a hoof, it was the most natural thing in the world. One hoof after the other, the machine moved, we moved, as a cohesive unit.

Alarms flashed all over the building. Red lights, blaring sirens. Concern flooded us. “Elise? Garrod? What happened?”

No response. We waited for a minute, and then behind us, something tickled our hooves. A little box like a serving tray had barrels extended all over, firing at us. More and more filled in from behind. They all lined up and fired continuously, nothing more than a light touch to the skin. One had rolled in, trailing blood with its wheels. In a surge of anger, we raised a hoof and slammed as many as we could in one stomp. Crushed machines sparked and whined, leaking fluid caught fire.

“Zap, HD!” It was Sinew. “Are you guys alright? I lost contact with Garrod’s group!”

“They’re dead, fall back.” We answered.

“Dead!?” The comm paused for a moment. “Damn it! Alright, whatever. Meet up with us at the beach in two.”

And then, we felt it. Magic generators. A swarm of them. From Cavalria, we’d come north east. These were heading right for our location from south east. If it was AE, it’d be west.

“Don’t bother, get out now!” We ordered.

“What? Why? Are you guys alright? Why do you keep talking together?”

We took to the air. The wings we’d always known unfolded from our back. Long thin bars of gold emitted feathers of light that extended out and away in a wide arc. Just like our wings apart, these would bend and fold just like in a bird. Together, in the sky like this, we were free from everything.

Sinew whistled. “Is that it? Not very conspic—bogeys, west-southwest! High output generators, coming in hot!”

“We know! You and Tendon get back to the ship and haul ass! This isn’t just some random force!”

“What!?” Tendon shouted. “You’re the cargo, you get to the ship!”

We turned and looked at him in his Heat Hawk, through the machine and into the soul. “If you stay, you will not survive. We can deal with this. We’ll meet you back out at sea.”

“Sinew, is this creepy or what? You guys quit talking like that, and get the hell over here! That can’t be AE, it’s gotta be CLIF! We need to go, now!”

Raising a hoof to the side, we extended the blade hidden beneath the foreleg. There was nothing this sword wouldn’t cut. It glowed and shimmered in the daylight like a second sun. Like a white void in the sky, this would put these invaders to rest.

“You will not outrun a Mercury IV, and neither will the Mimic. But we can. Go.”

“Look, Tendon, this is weird and all, but I’m not about to sit here and get blasted away. My cargo is dead, I’m heading back.” Sinew’s Heat Hawk rose into the air and the opposite direction of the opposing force.

“Screw all of you! I’m supposed to protect the cargo! Get the hell to the ship!” Tendon flew up beside us, both of the heat hawk’s swords unsheathed and on, glowing with energy and vibrating at supersonic speeds.

We knew Tendon too well. But leaving now would endanger the ship and everyone else on it. Our power was far more than anything these titans could muster. There might be a chance we could protect him, but this was a large advancing force with a titan carrier not far behind. Sitting at the edge of the border, just beyond where these CLIF titans had launched was someone waiting for a pickup.

Now the cameras were picking up the incoming titans. There were fifteen of them. Five Mercury IV’s in front, two Jupiter II’s, three Venus III’s, four Mars III’s, and one titan we didn’t recognize. The Heat Hawk might be able to deal with the general titans, but the mercury’s would outpace it, and it has no anti magic coating for the Jupiters.

“Tendon, if you run now, there’s still a chance. This force will kill you, and we cannot protect you! Go, please!”

“It’s too late! They’ve seen me. If I go back to the ship… Goddess damn it, why didn’t you guys run!?”

“Stay behind us, watch our back. Don’t do anything stupid. We can take care of this, just don’t get shot.” We flexed our wings and moved to meet the hostile front, leaving Tendon in the dust.

The Mercury’s all locked their cyclops eyes on us and spread out. The closest one to Tendon was our first target. We darted after it, and it darted up at full speed. We shot through the air even faster, catching, passing, and finally slashing through the machine. Neck and torso parted, a bright orange glow through the clean cut, the titan still flying upward, not realizing it’d been slain just yet. We turned and flew back to the group, two other Mercurys had engaged Tendon.

The slower machines in the CLIF group were closing in fast, but there was chaos in their formation. We’d just out paced their fastest machine.

The two Mercury pilots harassing Tendon were good. They never got in range of him and kept firing small bursts of beam energy toward his thrusters. One of his legs had been shot and damaged. We saw he was about to catch one with his own skill and aimed for the other.

The poor CLIF soldier never saw us coming. The eye froze, stared at us. It blinked once as we pressed the beam through the torso and out the tail end. The eye closed as the ocean came to greet it.

“Damn it!” Turning back, Tendon had finally caught the Mercury, but the pilot had drawn a beam saber and was holding him off with little success. He caught the Mercury’s shoulder, but none of the major propulsion systems to slow it down. The Mercury pulled back and shot one of his wings.

Before it could do any more damage, we intercepted it. The pilot hadn’t seen us. There was no resistance, like a spoon into pudding. The Mercury had been bisected. The head section turned to look at us before its eye went dark. Another cyclops down.

“What are you guys?” Tendon asked, his damaged Heat Hawk keeping afloat as best it could.

“We are the Harbinger. Hide on the island. You’re just in the way here.” That was the wrong choice of words, and if he survived this, he’d reckon with us later about it, but for now, he knew better. Tendon fell back to the island and we remained in the sky, facing the enemy.

The two Mercurys still remaining had fallen back to their formation. Again they had spread out, the close combat Mars titans moving to the front with the unique one still in the rear. We couldn’t stay on defense, they’d overwhelm us like that, even in this machine.

Extending the blade on the other forehoof, we darted after the unknown. The Mercurys closed in from the sides, but couldn’t keep up with us. The Jupiters formed a wall in front of the unknown, then cast a large shield before them. That might pose a problem.

We halted right in front of the shield, then the Venus units opened fire. We protected ourself with our own shield, but let them spray the Jupiter shields as much as they liked. The damage would rack up on the pilot, and after a few moments, their shields would fail.

The commander called them to halt and sent the Mars and Mercurys after us. Beam blades all around, the mars units came in quick succession like a well oiled machine. Each one took a different angle of attack, but we were more than any one of them. Twisting and falling, we went under the closest Mars and jammed our wing into it. Pierced through like a kebab, we used the lifeless body of the mars to take attacks from two other Mars suits and caught a Mercury through the chest with our blades. Split wide open, the cockpit vaporized, it sank into the blue.

Fear took hold of a Venus unit. It broke rank and we chased and cut it down. In three pieces, the broken machine hit the water steaming.

Turning back, one jupiter had repositioned while the other retained its shield. Aligned, the heavy weapons CLIF machine began charging a cannon aimed at Tendon. We charged for it, but the Mars suits formed another wall and tried to keep us at bay. As we blocked saber after saber, the Jupiter charged its cannon.

“Tendon, get out of there!”

An opening presented itself in the form of the other Venus taking position to fire. We disabled one of our beam sabers, grabbed the closest mars and used it as a body shield. The Venus peppered its comrade, putting holes in the chest before it could stop. We kicked the dead Mars into the other machine and flew up and around the shielding Jupiter to get to the one behind it.

Light had formed at the edge of its hooves. We have to make it!

Pushing the wings as hard as we could, we slammed into it with both beam sabers extended. Even with glowing holes through its heavily armored barrel, the Jupiter fired.

The island went up in flame. All the flora burned. The wreckage of Tendon’s Heat Hawk was just outside the epicenter of the blast. Char and flame covered the beach.

“Damn you!”

We went after the shielding Jupiter, but before we could get there, we were intercepted by the unknown. It was fast. Maybe not as fast as we were, but this titan was some kind of custom.

The contact link started up. “Good Afternoon, mister AE pilot. My name is Chitin. Would you care to have a dance?”

The overflowing confidence, the absolute certainty, the sheer arrogance. And after everything we’ve done? What is this guy piloting?

We backed off. This isn’t just some useless commander. The other titans headed north west. Good Goddess, they found the Mimic!

We moved to out pace them, but the unknown caught us. He wasn’t fast enough to meet us, but his magic was strong enough to hold us back. “It’s quite rude to ignore your partner!”

Yanked down and out of the air, we were brought back eyes to eye with the unknown. He aimed a beam saber right for the cockpit, but we parried and went right for his head. A wall of green magic collided with our saber and pushed the enemy machine back out of reach.

If he’s using magic as a shield, we can use it as a weapon. We started to charge the horn. The unknown figured us out immediately and flew after us. We blocked one slash after another just managing to keep focus enough on the horn to continue the charge.

Getting desperate, he took his saber and tried to skewer us. We let it fly right beside us and used the opportunity to slice the foreleg off and kick the titan away. Free of him for a moment, our blast was at full charge.

Blinding light turned the sky white. A massive beam of concentrated light burned the very air on its way to the enemy formation. The lone Jupiter managed to bring his shield online to block, but it only lasted for a moment. His magic shattered, and his titan was consumed in daylight. We managed to tag half of a Mars before foreign magic gripped our neck. It was just strong enough to push the beam off course and into space.

“Aren’t you a little monster! Perhaps I can’t measure up, but that doesn’t mean I can’t take you down with me!”

A suicidal zealot. We broke from him and he went on full offense. Using his last remaining foreleg and all the magic at his disposal, he shot and slashed at us with every capable maneuver he could muster. We overpowered and pressed him, but then, a ring flew off from the chest of the unit. It divided into six pieces that flew individually. They darted in every direction circling us like a whole other troupe. Each one had a cannon attached to the end and fired high output beams at us from every direction. We chased one down to catch and destroy it, but then the unknown caught us again.

“The party’s only starting! Where could be better than here!?”

This isn’t going to work if we stick to one type of weapon. We can focus on two things at once. You fire, I’ll deal with him.

Splitting our attention, I went on offense as HD charged our horn. I came down for a slash and Chitin dodged. This, however, put his drone in the line of fire and HD shot. The blast of sunlight vaporized the little machine, taking one more weapon out of the sky.

The unknown machine backed off and recalled his drones. “Well. It seems I really am out classed here. Perhaps we’ll dance again some time?”

We charged to put an end to him, but just as we launched, his whole titan glowed with magic. Brighter and brighter, it flashed! And just like that, we were alone in the sky.

The ship!

We darted through the air toward the Mimic. Only, once the horizon had become wide enough for us to see, a cloud of smoke was burning on the ocean. The personnel container was floating just on top of the water, half intact. And those remaining CLIF titans were nowhere to be seen.

We… we were too late.

Warning alarms rang inside our heads. New dots appeared all around us, thirteen titans. Friendly codes, four AE Wonderbolt IV’s, two of that new TM line we saw in the hangar with the code TMX-I, four Arcane III’s, and another two titans I didn’t recognize labeled RG-I. And finally, one that was like a looking into a mirror. A sterling warrior. And whoever was inside it knew it well better than we did this Harbinger.

The leader came over the friendly comm system. “I suggest you stand down and follow me. From the looks of it,” The titan nodded its head to the burning sea below, “You have nowhere left to return to.”

Maybe the Chitin guy could’ve come close, but someone in a similar titan with more experience would certainly kill us. We’d just found life together, and we weren’t about to give it up. We disengaged the sabers and raised our hooves.

“Very good.” From above us, a shadow suddenly appeared. The sky filled more and more as a spaceship materialized. A hatch opened and the silver titan flew inside, then turned and motioned for us to follow. “Welcome to the Meteorite, children of the new age.”





It was a hard thing, the loneliness of being one individual again. Separated from the Harbinger, HD and I were no longer connected in the same way. If that morning, we’d been one in body and soul, the machine made us one in mind and body. Though, I can’t say I minded it too much. We could do a lot as a unit in some fancy titan, but there was so much more we could do together.

Perhaps I already knew it, but today, I learned about the aggressive streak in her. Normally, she’s just my little HD, but given power, she can be something else. Between the instincts to protect, the anger to lose comrades, and the threat of an enemy, the latter is what really drove us to kill all those CLIF soldiers. There was some desire to protect the home mixed in there too that I didn’t quite understand.

However, we didn’t have time to talk to each other. Removed from the titan by some huge soldiers, we were driven through this massive vessel to a chamber apart from the rest of the ship. It, like the facility we entered, was a high-tech marvel with a whole fleet of the latest in AE titans. There was something very different about the Harbinger’s silver twin, but what exactly I couldn’t tell. It was an older model that had clearly seen combat before, but other than a bit of regular wear from use, it didn’t have a scratch.

Much like that strange CLIF model, this was something AE had hidden up their sleeve. I’m still not sure how the CLIF titan managed to warp away, or how it was controlling those drones in the middle of combat. Quite literally, the two of us sort of split off from our oneness to take separate roles and deal with him and the drones. How he managed to do both at once is another mystery.

The guards dropped us off, then stepped outside. “Sir will be with you in a moment.” And then the door closed.

“What do you think happens now?” HD asked. She was taking the losses a lot harder than I was. I’ve seen allies go down before and that’s just the nature of the job. I closed the gap between us and nuzzled her neck. Nowhere in this ship was really going to be safe to talk in, so I figured we might as well.

“I don’t know, HD. I really don’t.”

She sniffled. “They’re all gone, huh?”

“They are. We did our best.”

“Which, for all intents and purposes, was quite a feat.” A familiar voice came from the room beside us. The huge pony who’d given us this job in the first place appeared from behind a door beside us. The most interesting note about him now were the wings and the cutiemark. The former indicated he was something else, and the latter resembled AE’s current CEO to a familial degree. It was a comet in the shape of an apple burning through the night sky with three stars around it. I thought he was big before, but now that you could see all of him, he really was like some kind of massive bodybuilder. He flashed his horn and a pair of chairs appeared in front of his desk. “Please, take a seat.”

Comet was still wearing a towel around his neck and drying his mane off with it when he reached the chair in front of us. He crashed into it, stretched his wings, his forelegs, and popped his neck. Dude was a moving sculpture.

“What… are you, exactly, Mister Comet?” HD asked.

He waved her away. “Oh, people like to call me a momma’s boy. I take after her quite a lot.” He flicked his feathers out. “As you might could tell.”

“L-like AE’s CEO?”

“So you know her!” Crossing his forelegs, he nodded. “Good, good, that makes this easier.” Comet cleared his throat and continued. “Now, here’s what happens next. I promised to pay you for a job, and you two have done splendidly. I will pay you of course, but there is a bit of a catch.”

I frowned. “The kind of catch that says we’re not allowed to leave, right?”

“Sort of.” he nodded his head up. “You can leave, yes, but the place you’d be going isn’t exactly a comfortable one. You can have the money and move to a remote space colony which is in a developmental stage near Mars, but I wouldn’t call those accommodations great. And then there’s that… other problem.”

“What other problem?”

He sucked in air through his teeth. “You spoke with the CLIF soldier piloting their prototype Saturn unit. They have your voices on record. And now, they will be looking for you.”

No way. From two words? Could they really track us down from that small of a sample? I looked to HD, and she looked back to me, concern covering her face. We’re not dead. We made it through. There could be a tomorrow for us, but what’s worse? Being hunted and hiding in a remote colony, or… “And what are you offering us?”

The big stallion’s face brightened. “A career!” He stood from his chair and motioned toward the window. Down below, one could see the north Equestrian continental coast coming into view, or maybe we were ascending. It was difficult to tell how the ship was moving since there was hardly any inertia pulling us any one direction. “That machine you piloted was developed by… a unique individual. This individual believes that the world is on the brink of change. And to help facilitate that change, the Harbinger was developed. However, until you two found yourselves inside of it, we’d not had very successful test runs of it.”

“What about the silver one?”

“Oh, that’s my Forerunner. It takes a certain kind of pilot. And though it has tried, it just can’t seem to kill me. It’s a mean machine, but my family is notoriously hard to slay.”

And if he’s telling the truth, his own mother took down a titan on her own. The worst part is, I don’t think he’s lying either.

Comet went on, “Think of it like the brute force version of the Harbinger. It’s too much on any normal living creature, but a few of us in the world can fly them and live to tell the tale. It’s stronger, faster, and more capable than any other titan, but that doesn’t make it practical. Years of training to train pilots, years of development to create titans, and instants to destroy it all. We wanted something a bit more durable, and this is what that individual came up with. However, a few of these won’t protect AE’s interests alone. As you learned today, one impressive machine can’t save the world.”

HD’s ears fell. I put my foreleg around her and brought her close. “So why us? Did you send us there knowing that base was going to be attacked?”

“Again, sort of. As I told you a week ago, the picture you saw was from a CLIF spy. As much as I dislike it, Mother is insistent on keeping the Summer Sun Celebration more or less a military holiday, and that means most of our installations are undefended. There are treaties in place and all that, but those are just words on paper, nothing to really stop anyone from doing anything. Mother has a number of beliefs I’ve come to think need to update with the times. However, she’s fairly slow to do that. To bring her on board, I figured I’d kill two birds with one stone. Do you know what your cutiemark is, son?”

I looked down at my flanks. For the longest time, I never really even noticed the marks there. They were just a part of me like any other. I didn’t feel any different when I got them or ever understood why they showed up in the first place. “Not really.”

Nodding, he stroked his beard. “It’s a neural link warning. Your body is perfect for piloting titans. It’s almost as if you were made for it.” Comet came back and sat down in his chair. “However, that didn’t solve the issue of the Harbinger’s unique system. It creates so much strain and backlash on one mind that it will kill a single pilot trying to operate it. It can be used by us of course, but what would the point be if normal ponies couldn’t use it? Then, this individual came up with the dual pilot system. By synchronizing the magical frequency of two ponies, this could split the difference and create a stable link to the system without killing the pilots. With these specs and all the money we poured into it, it could become the most powerful titan the world over for a generation. However, that synchronizing part was the issue. Our best couldn’t perform. They made the best use of their talents separately rather than together, like two different tools on the same belt you might say.”

He pointed a hoof at me. “Then, I heard about you. A stray who’d sometimes work as a pilot around Cavalisa. You could fly anything, and they had the records to back it up too. An earth pony perfectly fine using magic in a titan is a very, very rare thing, you know? So I wanted to find a way to get you in that machine. Those arrangements were made, and when I saw the two of you together, well… to those who’ve seen it, love is fairly obvious.”

HD and I colored a little. We’re going to have to get used to that but at least we have the chance to. He made the arrangements, huh? “So, what, did you have the other guys killed as soon as you saw we started the titan?”

Comet shook his head. “No, the automated systems are automated. We left the doors unlocked, all you had to do was open it. Did you really think that blowing a shutter off wouldn’t alarm the automatons?”

HD sighed. “It wouldn’t have mattered anyways. They got the island, then the ship.” She turned to Comet, “Who were those other people anyways?”

He pulled up a shot of the CLIF force we fought before we engaged it. “This is a long range capture we took from above the atmosphere. Before you accuse me of anything heinous, we didn’t expect this kind of advance force from them. They didn’t just send a few scouts to try and blow up or steal the machine, they sent a whole company after it. Until today, I’d never seen the Saturn, just heard rumors about it. It’s why I say what you did was a feat. Even I would’ve had a difficult time with those drones. I don’t know what kind of biological abomination they’ve come up with to do that. Maybe that’s their own answer to our synchro system. Regardless, you took down half a company on your own, and defeated an experimental unit with a new kind of weapon. I’d say that earns you high marks.”

“What about that Chitin guy?” I asked. “You have the audio records, don’t you?”

Comet pulled up another screen with some high profile CLIF operator on it. White suit, red tie, A very dark violet changeling with a shit eating grin. Just the picture is enough to make me hate this guy. “Charming, isn’t he? A loud mouthed CLIF ace who, unfortunately, has the bite to back up his bark. He’s a younger changeling who started making a name for himself during their SAST ‘purchases.’ They harass and slay main force units for a few months until SAST caves and sells territory. If you ever wonder why the oceanic conglomerate wants into space and out of earth, that’s why. They’ve been doing this for decades.”

“That explains a lot, honestly.” I suppose it’s not good for morale to have the news say they’re being pushed out and can’t afford or don’t have the strength to fight back.

“If they could, they would do it to all of us. Only, GII tends to have better pilots than machines, and CLIF doesn’t have the information network we do to surprise us. However, as today would show, we don’t know everything either.”

“So…” HD began, “What exactly are you offering us? We… we won’t be separated, will we?”

He created two terminal screens and passed them to us. It was a contract. “Like I said, a career. Under my direct supervision, you two will continue to pilot the Harbinger and do whatever I tell you to. You give me two years of your lives, and after that, we’ll see. Provided we figure out how to lower the requirements for synchronization, or perhaps perfect the system, you will be free to live in a highly protected area of the AE where CLIF could only dream of getting to you. My father’s family lives there, and they have done so for thousands of years.”

I sized up the huge stallion. “Your dad? How old are you?”

“Not a day over two hundred and sixty six. I feel like my looks have held up over the years, don’t you? But not to worry, I’m a special case, and I said my last goodbyes to him centuries ago. I had siblings, but not full blood ones.” He pointed out HD. “You’re in the bloodline somewhere out in the far reaches.”

“I am? You… you know who my parents are?”

“And their parents, and their parents, and so on and so on. We believed you dead, miss…” he pulled up another screen. “Helium Delight. I owe you some documents and there are a few legal things we need to settle later.”

“Oh, I… you know who I am? I get to know who I am?”

He reached across and put a hoof on her shoulder. “That’s right. There are ponies who’ve been holding out hope for all these years. They’ve been waiting for you. You’d still have to give your lives to me for a while, but we will reunite you with your family.”

“F-family?” She covered her mouth and tears filled her eyes.

So there’s someone still out there for her. That’s great. And yet I… The feeling didn’t have time to hit me. She wrapped herself around me and pressed her face into my chest. “Zap, they’re still out there somewhere! We can meet somebody who knows me! You’ll come with me, won’t you?”

“Of course. Forever, right?”

“Forever.” I held her in my forelegs, and would never let go. Together forever. I turned back to Comet. “And… what about me?”

He looked away. “Your circumstances are unusual. We can discuss that another time. For now, sign these contracts, pledge yourselves to me, and then you can go rest. You’ve had a long day. I believe you’ve earned it.”

Still holding me, HD took the terminal, pressed her snout to it, and then gave it back. “I don’t care what happens as long as we get to stay together. Everything else is just a bonus, right?”

“Right.” I followed suit.

With our biological records confirmed, Comet dismissed the terminal. “With that done, my guards will take you to your room.” He coughed into his hoof. “It’s not necessarily against the rules or anything, but ‘wrap it up’ if you will. We don’t want any extra life signatures messing with the system while we test the Harbinger.”

Oh. That’s, uh. Okay. “Yes, Mister Comet.”

“Ah, right.” He shook his head. “That’s an alias. Oxford is my real name. But, as my employees, I expect you to refer to me as ‘sir’ from now on. Understood?”

“Sir,” we said together.

“Very good. Sleuth, Noise, you may take them to their room.”

The door behind us opened, and the two guards from the meeting last week stepped inside. “This way.”








Oxford








Moments after the children left, Aunt Celesta walked in from the other room where she’d been listening. “Unique individual, hmm?”

“You don’t exist and mother is a legend. That poor girl was having a hard time just with the things she’s done today. They can get a more comprehensive understanding when they’ve had some time to themselves.”

She sat next to me and looked out the window. “Yes, it should be good for them. You know, they both knew about the shipwreck.”

“What, really? And they still managed to synchronize?”

“Mmhmm. There’s no obstruction between them at all. With a few months of testing, provided we don’t find a third heart beat too soon, I should have all the data I need to work the system down to something manageable.” For the most part, she looked pleased with herself, but she wasn’t smiling in any genuine way.

“What’s wrong?”

She let go of the mask and bit her hoof. Like mother, like daughter. “It’s that Saturn. I don’t understand how they managed to make a working drone system. It’s obvious that CLIF stole Twilight’s project, but what they’ve done with it since I don’t know. And the boy? He doesn’t have any CLIF signatures on him. Rather, it’s the other signature I found in him.”

“And… do you know what that other signature is yet?”

She wrapped her forelegs around her barrel. “No. It’s familiar, but I can’t find anything on it. She’ll be very upset with me, but I’ll need to set Twilight on this.”

“In particular? She’s already looking into the boy as it is.”

Aunt Celestia nodded. “I know, she came to me about it a few days ago.”

That took me aback. “She did?”

A real smile filled her lips. “Oh, yes, and she felt oh so very guilty about what she’d done that she needed her mother’s love to console her for the first time in decades.” Then she sighed and let her shoulders sink. “But she hasn’t found what I’ve found yet. Her talent for magic is simply unmatched, but her mind likes to wander down too many avenues at once to focus. She needs to be pointed in the right direction, and that will take an invitation.”

“Why not have Dusk do it?”

“He’s still upset with me over the whole Underhoof incident. He would, but Twilight might be able to figure out who put him up to it, and at that point, it will only deteriorate our relationship more. I’d rather just take the hit.”

“I suppose that makes sense.” However, something about today was bothering me. I couldn’t help but ask. “Did you really have those other mercenaries killed?”

She sent me a cold glance. “Only so many people should be allowed to know about the Harbinger. They were not.”

“Right.” Too close to the sun. “What would you like to be done about the base?”

“Recover my toys and have the island replanted. Put up a hologram for a while to fool the onlookers. It’s not as if CLIF is about to broadcast what they’ve done. That would be an act of war, and give me an excuse to finally rid the world of them. Today’s little warning should give them something to think about for a decade or two.” She got up and came over to my desk. “Speaking of, are my diagnostics in yet?”

I passed her my terminal and she opened the file herself. “Those little flies pack quite the punch. The beam output on the Saturn itself doesn’t seem to be all that high though. It couldn’t properly grasp my titan either time it tried, but I suppose pushing it was enough. The anti-magic coating is working, but not enough to stop all disruptions. So long as we can get the synchronization system under control, we could lower the specifications and pump out a few of these for our commanders. Maybe she’d agree if I could show her we could do it…”

A chill ran up my spine. As warm as Aunt Celestia is personally, when it comes to her approach to politics, she’s ruthless, and even a bit of a war hawk. I suppose Twilight is there to keep her from going too far, but my fear is that this new guilt in Twilight’s heart might sway her to her mother’s side.

“A new era is coming, Oxford. And this time, we’ll be running right beside it instead of dragged into it. You’ve done well.” She kissed my head and then went to leave the room. “I’ll be in the titan bay. Keep me posted on any new developments with your new kids.”

I bowed. “Yes, ma’am.”

Left alone to myself, I finally relaxed. One charges headlong into the future. The other wishes to cling to the past. Their divider keeps them both from pulling too far one way or another. And we, the new generation, are forced to choose a path right as the lines begin to blur.

I pray to the Goddess that the path I’ve chosen is the right one.