Shulk, Reyn, Twilight Sparkle and Applejack walked out of the mouth of the cave. They were greeted by open air and a meadow cliff that overlooked the ocean below. The dawn of day broke across the sky.
The group looked up to the sky and gasped at the sight; two bipedal titans had their battle positions cemented within the flow of time. The titan that they were on had a sword the size of a country plunged into its right arm while the titan across had carried the hilt of it.
“Wow! No matter how many times I see this, I never get used to it.” Reyn stated.
“You weren’t kidding when you two said that your world is made up of two titans… This is unbelievable!” In astonishing awe, Twilight Sparkle shouted out in excitement.
“This makes me wonder if our own world was a titan.” Applejack commented.
The group of four looked out towards the black titan in the distance. It had piercing red eyes behind a fenced mask and a metallic appearance when compared to the natural appearance of the titan they were on.
“On the other side of those clouds…” Shulk began to say.
“Yep. It’s our enemy. Mechonis.” Reyn finished.
Looking towards the Mechonis, Shulk tightened his hand into a fist.
“Our enemy…”
“The Mechonis looks frightening, but looks do not equal their fortitude. We will destroy them.” Twilight Sparkle commented.
“To think that, within that titan, a world exists.” Applejack stated.
“It’s a wonderful view, isn’t it?”
In pure reaction, the group of four turned to the source of the voice. Right next to Twilight Sparkle was Queen Chrysalis, who eyed the Mechonis with a gazing passion. Twilight Sparkle scrunched her face in anger.
“You! What are you doing here, Queen Chrysalis?! I thought I saw the last of you at my older brother’s wedding!” She shouted.
“I suppose you still are angry about how I brainwashed your brother, locked away the princess and invaded Canterlot, are you?” Calmly turning her head towards Twilight Sparkle, Queen Chrysalis asked.
“You have a lot of nerve to appear before us, Chrysalis. Tell us what you are doing here or else I will make you regret attacking my family!” Her Monado unscrewing itself and forming into a laser, Twilight Sparkle demanded.
Queen Chrysalis simply placed her right leg upon the tip of the blade and pushed it back in, eliciting a shocked gasp from Shulk, Reyn, Applejack and especially Twilight Sparkle.
“First of all, I wish to thank you for your bravery. Though you did not intend for it, you ensured my changelings a chance at survival by exterminating the Arachno Queen. When I found out that it was you four-“Chrysalis glanced towards Twilight Sparkle and Applejack specifically. “-especially you two, I just had to see for myself to believe it. And, you know what? I believe it.”
“Just who are you? You look uglier than a Brog!” Reyn asked.
“Ah, forgive me for not formally introducing myself. My name is Queen Chrysalis, monarch of the changelings from Equestria.” Queen Chrysalis introduced. “And while I do not know what a Brog exactly is, I have some guesses as to what they could be. You better hold your tongue there, Reyn.”
“What?!” Shulk shouted. “But we didn’t even introduce ourselves to you! How do you know his name?”
Queen Chrysalis chuckled at the nature of his question. She seductively walked towards Shulk.
“As a changeling, I have the power to sense emotions. As a queen of them, I can read your hearts and determine your identities and other miscellaneous details from there. For example, Shulk, I can read the emotional distress in your heart. Somebody close to you seems to have perished.” Smiling, she became wreathed in green flames. With the flames subsiding, an exact replication of Fiora, clothes and accessories, appeared before everyone. “Does my form bring you memories?”
Shulk clenched his teeth and pulled out his Monado and pointed it towards her.
“Change back, now! You will not insult Fiora by mocking her form!” He shouted.
Queen Chrysalis smiled nonchalantly. Fiora’s form vanished in fire, returning back into her standard form.
“That’s to show that you cannot hide anything from me. You want to head towards the plains beyond this area, do you not?” Queen Chrysalis asked.
“We do. Are you going to prevent us from heading over towards there?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
“Why would I do that when you saved my kind from extinction, Twilight? I merely wish to tell you that, as heroes of the changelings, you will be free to come and go through Tephra Cave without any interference. In addition, I have a request to ask of you.” Queen Chrysalis began.
“What do you want, ugly bug?” Reyn sternly asked.
“It’s simple really; I wish for a partnership with your group. Be it weapons, armor and other resources, we changelings will assist you in any way we can. But, you have to find a place so that we may expand as a civilization in this new world. You will also have to find other civilizations with plenty of love, so that my changelings can go towards them and feed. Are these terms alright with you?” Queen Chrysalis asked.
Twilight Sparkle and Applejack growled lowly. Shulk raised his right hand towards them and looked into the eyes of Queen Chrysalis once more.
“We accept your terms and conditions.”
“Are you crazy?! Why should we trust her?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
“If her words ring true right now, then there isn’t much she can do against us right now. Our fight is not against the changelings; our fight is against the Mechon and the race against time to find your friends. We need every single form of help we can get, because it’s going to be a long journey.” Shulk explained.
“Wise choice, Shulk. I’m sure that with our combined efforts, we shall quell any threat that comes your way.” Flying into the air, Queen Chrysalis stated.
“Can we really trust her? She has a tendency to be deceptive.” Twilight Sparkle skeptically stated.
“She has an air of trickery around her. But, if she’s living on the Bionis, then she will also be under attack by the Mechon as well. Stabbing us in the back will not do her species any good whatsoever.” Shulk reasoned.
“I know that Queen Chrysalis is a natural born liar, but I agree with Shulk in this case. She has a lot more to lose than gain with attacking us.” Applejack complied.
“Talking with a royal bug is great and all, but I think we should hurry into the Gaur Plains now. Every second we take waiting out here is another second when the Mechon could be attacking.” Reyn impatiently said.
“There’s not really any use in thinking this over. Let’s just take this as a blessing for our journey by the Bionis.” Shulk stated.
The group of four walked up the path, but Twilight Sparkle looked back towards the mouth to the cave with a skeptical eye.
The group walked beyond a narrow path in the cliffs. Before their very eyes was a large, open set of plains with high cliffs and green grasses. The blue skies and the scale of the place caused Twilight Sparkle’s jaw to drop and Applejack to grin widely.
“So this is Gaur Plains? Much bigger than I thought it’d be.” Applejack commented. “Uhh, Twi, you might want to pick up your jaw from the ground.”
“I knew that your world would have been fantastic, but I never imagined something like this being on a titan. I just have to stu-“In the midst of her excitement, Twilight Sparkle eyed a pack of Timberwolves walking in the distance. “There are Timberwolves here as well?! Just how many creatures came from Equestria?”
“It’s safe to say that, at this point, everyone from Equestria came over here. That includes the fauna.” Applejack stated.
“But, these Timberwolves look a bit different than the ones from home. For example, one can clearly see that their bark is green with moss and they have a more rugged texture than the ones at the Everfree.” With a shine in her eye, Twilight Sparkle monologued.
“Timberwolves?” Scratching the back of his head, Reyn asked.
“Timberwolves are wolves made of wood and have some of the nastiest breath you will ever smell. They also have some fusion capabilities that allow them to transform into Alphas.” Twilight Sparkle explained.
“So they are more like the Volff’s around here then? And, based on your reaction, I can assume that they have never been out of the Everfree Forest? It seems that Timberwolves can adapt very easily to their environments due to their plant-structures. For now, these Timberwolves will be called ‘Leg Timberwolves’ if that’s okay with you.” Shulk stated.
“Seems good. These do appear to be a subspecies of Timberwolves.” Twilight Sparkle complied.
Applejack peered out into the distance and saw a black pipe-framed vehichle.
“Hey! Something interesting is over there!” Running over there, Applejack called out.
Shulk, Reyn and Twilight Sparkle followed her with a similar pace.
“It’s a buggy!” Reyn stated.
Shulk approached the buggy and touched it with his hand.
“It’s still warm. It seems like whoever left this here recently did so.”
Saying this, his eyes flashed in a blue color. Within an area next to a bed of water, a slightly dark-skinned boy wearing a shirt, shorts and a vest alongside a earth pony filly with a large bow were surrounded by two large Armus, both of which were angry. They hugged each other with fearful stares directed at their oppressors. Reyn glanced towards Shulk after his eyes dimmed down.
“You had another vision, Shulk?” Reyn asked.
“Yes. Somewhere in this area, a young boy and pony are surrounded by Armus. Though I couldn’t make out the exact location, it is by an area with water.” Shulk said.
“What did this pony look like?” Applejack fearfully asked.
“The colors weren’t really shown, but I could definitely tell that it was an earth pony girl with a large bow on top of her head.”
Hearing Shulk’s words, Applejack gasped deeply.
“That’s gotta be Applebloom! And she’s in danger?! Hold on tight, Applebloom!” Running out into the expanse of the plains, she shouted.
“Applejack! Wait! We don’t even know where she is!” Following after her, Twilight Sparkle stated.
“Great. Those two ran off.” Lifting his arms in disbelief, Reyn said.
“Well, there’s no use in staying here, Reyn. We have to follow them and hope that they go to where the vision is.” Shulk reasoned.
A tan-skinned boy with red hair and brown eyes fearfully embraced a pale yellow-coated earth pony filly with a bright red mane and red bow. They were next to a spring, being stared down by two angry Armus.
“I’m sorry I pestered you into searching for a cutie mark in monster hunting, Juju. Can you ever forgive me?” Applebloom asked.
“You don’t need to apologize, Applebloom. I wanted to leave towards Colony 6 without my sister. What a horrible decision that was.” Juju replied.
The Armus were so close to the two that they can feel the beasts’ breaths going down their necks. They closed their eyes until a voice echoed outwards.
“Hammer Burst!”
Applejack jumped high into the air and slammed the hammer on the ground, shaking up both Armus and causing them to lose balance. Juju and Applebloom looked towards her direction and widely grinned.
“Applejack!” Applebloom shouted.
The Armus shook their heads and directed their attention towards Applejack.
“Magic Cannon!”
A green bolt of magic shot down an Armu from the distance, causing it to topple onto the ground. Twilight Sparkle hopped over a cliff and ran towards Applejack, Juju and Applebloom.
“Thank goodness we found you Applebloom.” She stated.
“Twilight!” Applebloom shouted.
“So you know these ponies?” Juju asked.
“I’ll tell you later. But, right now, we have to make sure to keep away from those Armus.” Applebloom stated.
The Armu that was standing up charged after Applejack.
“Wild Down!” Jumping over the cliff and diving towards the charging Armu, Reyn shouted.
The Armu dropped onto its side and skidded along the ground. Reyn glanced over towards Juju and Applebloom and smiled.
“I take it that’s your sister over there, Applejack?” He asked.
“Yep! Now we just have to take care of these creatures now.” Applejack responded.
“I’m already one step ahead of you! Horn Spike!” Twilight Sparkle proclaimed.
She ran up towards an Armu and cocked her neck back. Thrusting her head out, she stabbed the downed Armu with her laser-bladed horn and pulled it back out, causing it to bleed.
“Now it’s my turn!” Applejack stated, running up towards the Armu and dive kicking into it. “Summer Rambo! Now let’s see how you two like my Hammer Smash!”
She lifted her hammer and smashed it onto the Armu’s skull. The resounding bash reverberated throughout the entire ground, dazing the nearby Armu. The Armu that was struck ceased to move.
“Nice strike, Applejack!” Reyn complimented. “Bone Upper! War Swing!”
He punched the Armu with a vicious uppercut, following up by extending his arm with the guarder and rotating it around, catching the creature in a vicious whirlwind of the spiked shield.
“Magic Spark!” Twilight Sparkle shouted, sending a lavender bolt towards the struggling Armu and causing it to stop moving.
Applebloom ran up towards Applejack and embraced her by her right front leg.
“I thought you were gone! I didn’t see you anywhere!” Crying, she stated.
Applejack smiled and stroked her mane with her left front hoof.
“Don’t worry, Applebloom. It turns out everypony made it out of that disaster alive. I saw Big Mac in this world the other day!” She stated.
“But what about Granny?” Frowning, Applebloom asked.
“I thought she was with you!” Panickingly, Applejack responded. “Then, if she isn’t with you, then it looks like she’s still somewhere in this world.”
“Applejack! Twilight! Reyn!” Shulk called out, running towards the group. He eyed Juju and Applebloom. He smiled. “It looks like the boy and pony in my vision are safe thanks to you three.”
“Excuse me, but who are you?” Juju asked.
“My name is Shulk, a Homs Engineer from Colony 9. You must be from Colony 6.” Shulk responded.
“You’re right about me being from Colony 6, but the colony was overtaken by the Mechon. My name is Juju.” Juju replied.
“That buggy we saw earlier belonged to you, didn’t it?” Twilight Sparkle asked, causing Juju’s head to shy away from her.
“Truthfully, it’s my older sister’s buggy. I kind of borrowed it from her without asking. I wanted to go to Colony 6 to fight the Mechon myself, and Applebloom said something about wanting to get her cutie mark in hunting monsters. She wouldn’t quit pestering me about it, so I brought her along.” He stated.
“You do realize how dangerous it is to go alone against the Mechon, right kid? Entire armies have been massacred by them. What’s a kid like you supposed to do against even a single Mechon?” Reyn chastised.
“That’s enough, Reyn. These two already had a difficult time with their current situation.” Shulk stated. “Juju, would you mind telling us where you are staying right now?”
“I’m staying in a cave not far away from here with the other survivors of Colony 6. We should go there now.” Juju replied.
“Juju! Applebloom!” Sharla stated, turning around towards the groups direction. “Where have you two been?” In a serious tone, she asked.
Juju and Applebloom looked away from Sharla’s eyes with nervous frowns. In that moment, Shulk’s eyes flashed once more. Within the vision, Juju and Applebloom were being held by robotic tendrils and Sharla ran towards them screaming their names. She was knocked into the air and eaten by a tendril, shrieking in fear. Then, the silhouette of the faced Mechon appeared.
“Don’t tell me you were…” Sharla began to say, looking at the buggy Juju was in. “I told you a thousand times. We aren’t ready to leave the camp yet.”
“But I thought…” Juju began reasoning.
“Juju!” Sharla snapped.
“Sorry, Sharla.” Juju apologized, looking down on the ground.
“I’m sorry too, Sharla.” Applebloom also said.
Sharla smiled softly and knelt down to both of their levels, gently placing her hands on top of their heads. She looked towards Shulk, Reyn, Twilight Sparkle and Applejack with peaked interest in her eyes.
“That gear! You must be survivors of the Defence Force.” She stated. She ran towards Reyn, hurriedly planting the palms of her hands onto his chest. “Is Colony 6 okay? Did Gadolt make it!?”
“Hold on. What’re you talking about?” Puzzled, Reyn asked.
“We’ve come from Colony 9.” Shulk replied.
“Colony 9?” Sharla asked.
“They saved me and Applebloom from some monsters. This is Reyn, Applejack, Twilight and Shulk.” Juju stated, pointing to each individual being as he called their names.
“Oh, so you’re not from Colony 6.” Despondantly, Sharla said. “Thank you for helping Juju and Applebloom. I’m Juju’s sister, Sharla. Applebloom is one of the many ponies that appeared here with us.”
“Applebloom is my little sis, Sharla.” Applejack happily said. “I’m glad to see that she’s safe and became friends with your little brother.”
“Juju said that your name was Applejack, did he not?” Placing her right index finger on her bottom lip, Sharla asked. “And he said your name was Twilight?”
“Umm, yes he did. Is there a particular reason why you took so much interest with our names?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
“I have a bit of a surprise for you two then.” Smiling, Sharla responded. “You two can also come with me. You saved Juju and Applebloom, so you can all rest here. It’s only fair that I do that.”
The group followed Sharla into the mouth of the cave.
Rainbow Dash hung around an indigo Nopon child with a red and white-spotted mushroom cap on his head.
“So, Pama, how are you enjoying that Juicy Broccoli that I got for you?” She asked.
“Pama love Broccoli! Pama like Bird Elk. Bird Elk kind adult to Pama.” Pama replied, causing Rainbow Dash to smile.
“I told you before, Pama; you don’t need to call me ‘Bird Elk’ since I’m not a bird or an elk. Just call me Rainbow.” She corrected happily.
“Pama knows, but Pama like calling Rainbow Bird Elk.” Hugging her leg, Pama stated.
Rainbow Dash gently stroked the top of the mushroom cap affectionately. Behind her, Sharla came into the room with Shulk, Reyn, Twilight Sparkle and Applejack. Twilight Sparkle and Applejack’s eyes raised and grins formed on their faces.
“Rainbow Dash?!” Applejack called out.
Rainbow Dash turned around and a wide smile appeared on her face.
“Applejack?! Twilight?!” She screamed with excitement.
Twilight Sparkle and Applejack sprinted towards Rainbow Dash. The three ponies embraced each other in a group hug.
“It’s nice to see that you’re alive and kicking, Rainbow Dash!” Applejack called out.
“Wait, this is Rainbow Dash?” Reyn stated in shock. “She looks fruitier than a bowl of Black Kiwis and Dance Apples!”
Hearing this comment, Rainbow Dash popped her head above to see Reyn and stared at him. She flapped her wings and flew in front of him.
“I look fruity? Says the muscular guy with a shirt that looks like it can pop off at any moment. Now that’s the definition of fruity.” She replied.
With Rainbow Dash and Reyn staring at each other, the tensions within the cave heated up. No side backed down, and each of those living in the cave awkwardly looked at each other. Sharla cleared her throat, shattering the silence in the cave.
“Rainbow Dash, this is Reyn. He saved Juju and Applebloom from some Armu along with your friends.” Sharla stated.
“Really? Then I hope you are taking good care of my friends while they are with you two. Otherwise, I’ll buck you where it hurts.” Rainbow Dash threatened.
“Ahem.” Shulk interrupted, dragging Rainbow Dash’s attention towards him. “My name is Shulk. And you can feel comfortable knowing that we are taking good of your friend while they are on the Bionis. Based off of the information Twilight and Applejack said about you, you must be a pegasus pony.”
Rainbow Dash flexed out her wings, closed her eyes and smiled nonchalantly.
“I’m glad you noticed. I take pride in my flight ability you know.” She stated.
“Applejack kept telling me about how you do that as well. In fact, the reason why Reyn made that comment was because Twilight said that he sounded like a combination between you and Applejack.”
“Me! Sound like him/her?!” Reyn, Applejack and Rainbow Dash called out at the same time, their voices perfectly matching up with each other. Their eyes widened.
“It looks like I really do sound like the two of you combined, just with a more masculine tone though.” Reyn admitted.
“So, anyways, Sharla and I have been teaming up and bringing much needed supplies to the camp. Also, please try to be soft around the folks here. They’ve been through a lot.” Rainbow Dash explained with a sensitive smile.
“I could see that. After all, Juju did say that Colony 6 was occupied by the Mechon and these are the only ones who made it out.” Shulk stated, causing Pama to cry a bit.
“Pama… all alone.” He stated.
Rainbow Dash frowned and walked towards him.
“You don’t need to feel alone, Pama. You still have others in here who care very much about you.”
“We’ll leave you four alone in here. Reyn, Sharla and I have a few things to talk about.” Shulk stated. Him, Reyn and Sharla walked out of the area and entered into a different portion of the cave.
Eyeing the Nopon next to her, Twilight Sparkle grinned widely.
“A Nopon! Didn’t see you here.” She stated with an investigative tone, causing Pama to shriek and turn around fearfully.
“Please, Twilight. Don’t try to interrogate Pama just because he’s a Nopon. He’s taken the events that happened to him the worst out of anyone here. The Mechon invasion orphaned him.” Rainbow Dash snapped back.
“Ohhh…” Her interest deflating, Twilight Sparkle worded out.
She softly walked towards Pama, knelt down to his level and had a soft smile on her face.
“Pama? I’m sorry that I scared you. I didn’t mean it.” She took out an orange book and gave it to him. “I want you to have this book, Pama. It was my favorite book when I was growing up. I never leave without it.”
Pama eyed the book with peaked interest. He saw many vivid pictures of two alicorns, one dark blue and one white, bringing forth the night and day. He saw how the dark blue alicorn grew jealous and kept the night eternal, but saw that the white alicorn used the power of six gems and sealed the dark blue alicorn into the moon, bringing order back into the world.
“Pama likes book. Pama thank Bird Horn for book.” Happily, he said. He walked away into the cave.
“That was the happiest I’ve seen him, Twi! It really means a lot to me to see you do that for him.” Rainbow Dash commented. “You see, I woke up in this cave after Sharla found me at Gaur Plains. I owe it to her and the rest of the Colony for taking care of me while I am unconscious. That’s why I’m willing to do anything for them.”
“Always the loyal one, Rainbow Dash. It makes me happy to see that about you.” Twilight Sparkle complimented. “So, seeing that you have been helping out, do you know how to fight monsters by any chance?”
“Yep.” Rainbow Dash responded, lifting her viciously-curved horseshoes on her hooves. “These beauties allowed me to take down anything standing in my way. Sharla also helped as well by providing me with healing aid with her rifle.”
“Then it seems like we are all in good shape, then. You see, Applejack and I have also learned how to use weapons in this world. We’ve been helping Shulk and Reyn fight monsters, like the Mechon.” Twilight Sparkle responded.
“Wait, you fought the Mechon?! When I tried fighting them around the Raguel Bridge, I couldn’t even lay a dent on them!” Rainbow Dash shouted.
“There are actually two tricks to fighting the Mechon. You have to topple them over so that they would be able to be hit. It doesn’t work when you are fighting many Mechon, though, as Applejack and I learned. Another way to damage the Mechon is through a weapon that Shulk wields which is known as the Monado. With his enchant, weapons are capable of damaging the Mechon.” Twilight Sparkle explained.
“That explains why you are here today. But, I don’t see a weapon on you, Twi. I see Applejack’s hammer, but what weapon do you have?” Rainbow Dash asked with one eye narrowed and the other raised.
“You see this ring on my horn? Apparently, it’s another Monado. That’s all I really know.” Twilight Sparkle stated.
“Now that we are alone, Twilight, I’ve been meaning to ask you something I wanted to ask you since we left for Tephra Cave. You’ve been acting pretty weird when you said you got a glare of the sun in your eye. In this world, the sun’s very mild when compared to Equestria’s sun. Now I want the truth on why you are acting so suspicious about it.” Applejack demanded.
“I didn’t want to talk about it, but I think that this Monado might be giving me visions as well. I only had one, but it was such a weird vision. I saw a station out in space that was filled with various people. I just don’t know what it means…”
In that moment, Twilight Sparkle’s eyes flashed purple once more.