//------------------------------//
// λ. [Redacted] 
// Story: Magic Fortress 
// by AppleTank 
//------------------------------//

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A pony in goggles and a lab coat inspected a vial of blood. Tiny purple flakes float through the liquid. His horn glowed slightly, imparting a similar aura around the vial. After a moment, he grunted. He pulled out a magenta sticker and stuck it on top of the vial. He picked up the vial and put it within his saddlebags, tucked in between much packing peanuts. He walked to the back of the blood bank; a portal opened up in front of him, which he stepped into without hesitation. 

The portal led to a long hallway, lined with a multitude of doors labeled with things like Lone Wolf (5), Shock and Awe (2), Lucky Three (9), Super soldier team [6] (2), Mercenary 9 (2). Along the way, he passed by a large assortment of different creatures, including bipedal cats, wolves, other ponies, and even a few sapiens. 

He stopped in front of a door that looked polished and new, labeled “Magic 9 (1).” Inside were nine cryo tubes. One was filled with a sleeping pink pegasus. He stopped at a table with five other blood vials held in a pentagon shaped holder. They were marked with Purple, Pink, Blue, Red, and Orange stickers. The magenta marked vial was placed in the middle. He stepped back an allowed other creatures to step forwards.

Various mages of various species stood in a circle around the blood vials. A bipedal dog secured a transparent gem into the center of the vials in an upright position. The mages waited a moment for the geologist to leave the circle than began gathering their magic. First, the vials gave no reaction. As the magic began to seep into them, however, they began to boil. Multicolored smoke wafted through the vials and into the crystal. The different colors swirled, battling each other for dominance. In the end, magenta reigned supreme.

A humanoid in a biohazard suit stepped into the circle and removed the slightly glowing gem. He pulled down a lever, which lowered a metal equinoid skeleton. It had a golden necklace, which clashed somewhat with its dark grey structure. The gem fitted into the center of the collar perfectly. Black smoke crawled out and wrapped around the frame. Black skin formed along an invisible surface, pulsing with non existent veins. Tiny strands of purple hair poked their way of the of the bare skin.

Mana sparked across the circuits underneath. A dull lavender glow shown from deep within its eye sockets. The chassis lowered until its fore hooves touched the ground. Its legs bent a bit as a small caliber cannon was lowered into its back, collapsing into itself to fit in the cramped space. 

“Rise, Mecha Echo-Howard 6"