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// Could you guys please leave a comment? 
// Story: Invasion of the Machines (Comment Driven Story) 
// by The One and only One 
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...Meanwhile at the Castle of Friendship...

She couldn't stop.
No matter how loudly her brain shouted and cursed for her to do so, Twilight Sparkle just could stop reading.
She'd tried of course. From the very first book, she already read some of them before. At first she promptly slammed them face-first onto her desk, and walked away. Of course, pacing around them, picking one up, and reading it every ten minutes didn't help.
“Twilight…” she heard Spike mutter behind her. “You need to stop.”
Twilight lifted her sore cheeks off her hooves and rubbed her dry eyes. “Oh, hush, Spike. I've said it once, and I'll say it again: I can stop anytime I want,” she said.
It wasn't too long ago since Twilight became a princess. Since then, she was mystified about her future, and her place in Equestria. Thanks to her friends, and a very unlikely draconequus, she has now known her true destiny: to spread the magic of friendship throughout Equestria, keeping peace and tranquility in her homeland.
The reason she continued to read was because if she wasn't, she would sometimes think to herself. She would think about her new role, how that might affect the world she lives in. How others see her, how her friends see her, how the princesses see her, Twilight would spend hours on these assumptions until her mind drifted off into slumber. She was really glad Spike was with her from now on whenever she sat on that lone grassy knoll, thinking of the future, even if she didn't show it.
Twilight stood up from her seated position and looked back. “Spike, do you mind cleaning the-“
No need. Her number one assistant had already cleaned the entire library section of the castle. Spike stood proudly with a broom in his arm and the dustpan in the other. Twilight smiled, though it vanished when she noticed that Spike was trying his hardest to conceal a yawn.
“Come on, Spike,” Twilight said and slowly made her way over to him. She softly rubbed his scales while he willingly letting out a yawn, said to him, “You need to get some sleep. You can ride on my back on the way to your room.”
Before he could reply they both heard the echo of somepony beating on the castle doors.


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...Earlier...

Considering her occupation, Fluttershy should have been used to it.
It wasn't often her cottage was filled to the ceiling with pairs of every woodland creature in existence, but Fluttershy was nothing if not tolerant. And she was very tolerant. She'd always take every frenzied squeak, chirp, and roar in with a smile that could make any criminal turn himself in, and she'd soothe them with that voice that sang without singing.
Today, she panicked with them. Justified, of course. She was just informed by Applejack that she saw two giant metal dragons at the orchard.
There was a loud knock at the door, "Come on Fluttershy, we need to get going to Twilight's before we head back to the orchard!" Rainbow Dash yelled.
Fluttershy curled up into the corner of her cottage before she heard the sound of her door slamming open. With an agitated Rainbow Dash flying in.
“Fluttershy?!” Rainbow Dash shouted, gesturing to the blackened horizon. “Do you understand what we are saying?! We have to get going now!”
Applejack shoved the furious pegasus aside with a huff. “Sugarcube, what Rainbow is trying to say is that we have to get going in hopes of stopping those...things before anything bad happens,” she said.
“Indeed,” Rarity added. “ And judging what I've heard…”
Fluttershy blanched. “Oh, no! I-I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to…”
Applejack shrugged and said, “S’okay, ‘Shy. Ah understand how ya feel.”
Fluttershy turned back to Applejack. “But where’s Pinkie Pie?”
"Pinkie ran off ahead to get Twilight to save time. So lets get going." said Rainbow Dash before flying out of the cottage, with everypony else following.