//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2: G-Day (revised) 
// Story: This is War 
// by The Avenger 
//------------------------------//

It was 5:57 a.m. Everypony in Canterlot had gathered in the field, waiting for their Princesses Celestia and Luna to lower the moon and raise the sun. Trumpets sounded, signaling their arrival. Up on the stand, the Princess of the Sun stood tall as she walked up to it. Her sister, the Princess of the Moon followed suit.

Their children soon joined them, as did Luna’s spouse, wearing royal attire. The clock struck 6. The time for Celestia and Luna to do their duty. As Luna lowered the moon and Celestia raised the sun, the crowd of ponies began to cheer.

“Mares and gentlecolts,” Celestia began. “Today marks the 25th year since my sister’s return. Much has happened since then. We’ve suffered losses, but we have grown stronger together. Today, to celebrate, all manner of festivities will be held. Please enjoy yourselves. And have a wonderful time!” The ponies all cheered as they began to go about enjoying the festivities.

As for the Royal Family and friends, they left for the School for Gifted Unicorn.

“I can’t wait to study this thing!” Twilight exclaimed.

“That makes two of us,” said Sunset Shimmer.

“You two are like little fillies getting their first dollhouse,” said Starlight, Twilight’s former pupil.

“Oh, here we go,” Rainbow Dash groaned.

“Princess Celestia!” A guard suddenly called out, running up to her. “I have terrible news.”

“What news?” Celestia inquired.

“Cerberus,” the guard replied. “He and an injured guard were found wondering the Smokey Mountains late last night. The guard’s injuries were severe, and he was incredibly shaken. He hasn’t said anything yet, but he kept rambling about some sort of giant and Changelings.”

“Changelings?!”

“But why would they attack Tartarus?” Princess Twilight asked the guard.

The guard shrugged in response. “We’re not sure, yet. All we do know is that they did attack the prison and caused its greatest guard to run away. We’ve already sent some guards to investigate. They should reach that pitiless place soon.”

“Okay, but we must keep this incident a secret,” Celestia looked out to the citizens, all of them blissfully unaware of what has happened. “If word got out it’ll cause a panic. Until we can deal with it, this must remain top secret.”

As they all began to head for the school, everypony else was having fun… or about to for one particular couple. Stella was waiting near the stands, waiting. She had brushed her mane longer today than she normally would have.

“Stella,” her date said as he trotted up to her. When he got a good enough look, he stopped and blushed a little. “Wow you look… amazing.”

Stella blushed in response. “Thanks, Marz,” when Stella looked him over, she saw that, while his mane was still the same, he was wearing a light yellow jacket. He normally wears it on special occasions. He was also carrying a bag and some roses with his magic.

“H-here,” Marz gave Stella the roses and bag.

“Why thank you,” Stella said as she took hold of the items with her magic. Opening the bag, the smell of homemade chocolate hit her. “Mmmmm, these smell really good,” she said as she took one bar and took a bit.

“Thanks. I made them myself,” Marz replied as Stella placed the roses and the bag of chocolate in her saddle bag.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“My sister says otherwise,” Marz glanced over to where Peachy and her coltfriend, ‘North Wind’, were at.

“Well, it doesn’t matter,” Stella said as she went right next to Marz, making the stallion blush again. “What should we do first?” she asked.

“Uh… How about we go on some rides?”





“Whoa! That thing’s huge!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed upon seeing the ice block.

It was unbelievable. Astounding. Inside, one could see the silhouette of something, and it was absolutely massive, easily the size of a dragon standing up on its hind legs. It had to be about 65 feet tall, at least. It was white, whatever it is. Next to the thing was some strange diamond shape. A shield, perhaps.

Twilight could only stare in awe at it. She had no idea what it was, but her scientific curiosity would inevitably force her to try and find out. She approached the enormous ice block. What was it? Where had it come from? How long had it been frozen? What was its purpose? So many questions ran rampant through her mind, with no answers in sight. This was discovery at its best.

She placed a hoof on it and felt a surge of magic power. Pure, untainted Ether was pouring out of this thing. That should be impossible. So much Ether was pouring out that Twilight’s mane began to float about. “Uh, Twi?” followed by a tap on her shoulder snapped her out of it. Her husband, Flash Sentry, and her friends were giving her a worried look.

“Uh, sorry,” a blushing Twilight said as she stepped away from the ice. “Guess I spaced out there for a second.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time, darling.”

“But it’s amazing! This thing is emitting pure Ether.”

“Really?!”

“But that’s impossible. Ether is only found in the atmosphere, and it’s impossible to create even a small amount of Ether.”

“ An' fo' those of us who don’t know fancy, thet means what?”

Twilight, Sunset, and Starlight blushed for a moment before Twilight answered. “Well, simply put, Ether is a strange substance that can affect magic. Ether can increase somepony’s magic to incredibly high levels. For example, if a Unicorn were to simply light their horn, the light would be so bright it’ll easily blind somepony. Nopony’s sure where it comes from, but its effects can be felt in certain places, like the Forbidden Sea.”

“Where many ships have disappeared without a trace over the years,” Celestia added. “And this thing seems to be emitting pure Ether.”

“I didn’t get that at all.”

“Uh, if it’s any consolation, me either.” said Fluttershy.

“As I said earlier,” Princess Celestia continued, “we don’t know what it is. All we do know is that it has been frozen for a very long time. It may even predate all of Ponydom by a great margin.”

“We have several scientists and scholars studying this… thing,” Luna continued. “From what we have learned so far, it has a vaguely similar shape to the ‘hu-mans’ through the mirror, but it’s obviously not one.”

“A human?” Sunset Shimmer asked. “But how? I thought they only existed in that other world. If this was made by them, then what’s it doing here?”

The royal sisters looked to each other, both clearly thinking on that query. “We’re not certain,” Celestia answered after several seconds. “It might be something completely different. The most likely theory is that it’s a statue of an ancient god. But for now, nothing is certain. All we have at the moment are theories.”

“But what are we gonna do with it? Use it as some new fancy statue for somepony’s garden?” Starlight Glimmer asked.

“I don’t believe so,” said Celestia. “I have a feeling that this new discovery may someday prove to be extremely beneficial. I would like to be able to share whatever we find in there with the rest of the world. Till then, we can’t do anything until the ice melts some more.”

“Can’t I just make the ice vanish with a flick of my fingers, Tia?” Discord asked.

“As easy as that sounds, since an incredibly amount of Ether is being emitted from it, we can’t use any magic near it or we could put everypony in the city in danger, let alone your chaos magic,” Celestia said to the spirit of chaos.

“Awwww!”

“How do we know it’s safe?” Rainbow Dash asked. She made a very good point. For all they know it was some extra-dimensional monstrosity that absorbs any living thing it comes across and then takes on its appearance.

With a hint of worry on her face, Princess Celestia answered. “We do not.”





“That was fun,“ Stella said as she and Marz exited the ‘Moon Ride’, a pendulum ride that spun at high speed.

“Yeah, except for the part where that one filly nearly hurled on us.”

Stella chuckled. “Yeah, that would’ve been gross. Now what?”

“How about we play some games, give our stomachs a minute to rest,” Marz suggested. “I'll try to win you a prize.”

“Alright,” Stella said. Marz led her over to a long row of game booths. There was one booth with flashy lights and racks of colorful prizes that caught Stella's eye; she steered Marz in that direction. The sign on the booth proclaimed it to be ‘Knock Down the Changeling!’. At the back of the booth, there was a stack of three wooden bottles with pictures of Changelings. Piles of rubber balls were stacked up on the counter.

The attendant smiled at them. "Try your luck, kid? Win your girl a prize?"

“Sure, I'm game,” Marz said.

"Three throws for 2 bits," the attendant said.

Marz placed the coins on the counter; the attendant slid three rubber balls in front of him. "Make one throw, get a prize from the bottom rack. Make two, get a prize from the middle rack or two from the bottom rack. Make all three, take any prize you want from the top rack, or two from the middle rack."

“Got it,” Marz said. He picked up the first ball, and then he just winged it.

It sailed right into the center of the stack. All three bottles went flying.

"Good shot!" the attendant said as he stacked up the bottles, adding three new bottles. "Try to get another!"

This time Marz looked at the bottles carefully. He was lost in thought for almost a full minute, then let fly, banking the ball off the wall of the booth and right into the bottles. All six flew.

The attendant's jaw dropped. "Incredible!"

Marz grinned. “Let's see if I can get the third one.”

This time there were 11 bottles, the one on the top having a picture of Chrysalis. Marz waited, figuring out how to knock down the bottles, tensed to throw...

He suddenly let loose with a throw that arced up, right at the base of the stake. All of the bottles up top insanely fell. One bottle on the bottom swung for a little bit before falling onto its side.

"I can't believe it!" the attendant said. “Hardly anypony ever makes the third shot!"

Marz grinned. “So, which prize do you want?” he asked Stella.

Stella scanned the top row. “That one,” she said, pointing to a large purple bear plush with stars all over it.

The attendant pulled it down and handed it to her. "Here you go, miss," he said. "Enjoy!"

Stella squeezed the plush tightly. “Thank you, Marz,” she said, nuzzling the stallion. Marz’s face immediately turned a bright red. “That was amazing! How did you do that?”

Giving his head a shake, Marz answered. “Lots of practice from whenever my parents throw one of their massive parties, especially during Nightmare Night,” he looked around. “Which reminds me… Want to try out apple bobbing?”





It was now getting pretty late. Celestia was beginning to set the sun, but the Celebration was at full swing. “Ugh, I ate too much pie,” Stella groaned. The two had participated in a Pie Eating Contest hosted by Mrs. Applejack. They didn’t win. They weren’t even in the top ten.

“Yeah, but eating 5 whole pies is pretty good,” Marz said.

Stella’s stomach began to gurgle. “Oh, I’m gonna throw up,” she quickly ran over to a nearby trash can, leaned her head over it and emptied her stomach.

Marz winced as he looked on. “Guess eating is on hold for a little while?”

“Please… don’t talk about food,” she said as her face turned pale green. Spotting a nearby bench, Marz helped the sick mare over and helped her sit down.

“Regardless, I'm having a lot of fun with you today, Stella,” Marz said as he sat next to her.

“Yeah, this is… nice,” Stella said, smiling. “I had a lot of fun…”





Up in the guard towers built into the gate, it was almost time for the Night Guards to take over. “Our hours almost up, old salt,” rookie guard said to an older guard. “Sure is getting lively down there,” he added, referring to the celebration down in the field.

“I just hope some of the booths will be still open when our shift is done,” said another guard as he scanned the horizon with his telescope. “I’ve been craving for carrot dogs for days.”

The oldest among them chuckled. “Don’t worry. Based on the smell they should still be open when our shift ends.”

“One of the advantages for being blind your whole life; you got the nose of a bloodhound and the ears of a bat.”

“Yeah.” The three guards then shared a laugh.

“I’m just glad nothing has happened this ye- Wait, what’s that?” the guard using the telescope asked.

“What’s what?”

“I see something, but it’s too dark for me to tell what it is.”

“Let me try,” the old blind guard stepped up and, using a long cone, sniffed the air. He grimaced. “Even from this distance, I can smell them. Changelings,” the other two guards grew worried. “And there are many!”

“I knew it!” the rookie screamed. “I knew those bugs were plotting something!”

“Sound the alarm!”





Stella and Marz were just sitting there, enjoying one another compony. Stella’s head was resting on Marz’s shoulder, half asleep when a siren began to wail. “Now what?”

“What’s going on?”

“Isn’t that the Royal Guards emergency siren?” A stallion nearby asked. He was right. This siren is usually only sound when there was a visible threat approaching Canterlot. And since the next drill was still three weeks away…

“We need to find my mom and the others,” Stella frantically said as she got up. Marz soon galloped after her.





A little later, most of Canterlot’s citizens were hidden away in shelters throughout out the city. But because of the many visitors due to the Summer Sun Celebration, most were hiding in either the schools or the castle itself. The Princesses and their spouses (with the Wonderbolts and Discord) were heading out to the city’s main gate to confront the swarm.

Their children, as well as their friends and their children, were all in the throne room, which had about 2 dozen guards standing watch. “Ugh! I hate feeling helpless,” Lighting groaned.

“We can’t do anythin’ till Twi and the Princesses need us ta,” said Applejack.

“Do you think they’ll be okay?” Autumn Breeze asked as she hugged her father tightly.

“They will be. I’m sure,” Princess Aria said in a reassuring voice. Though she couldn’t hold back her fear that this might be the last time she would see her mother.





The princesses were all wearing armor for the upcoming fight. After what happened with Tirek years ago, it was decided that it be best that they simply confront any potential threats before they get the chance to become too strong. And with an approaching army of Changelings, this was one of those times.

“Why is it that bad guys always attack during celebrations like this?” Rainbow Dash groaned.

“We’ll have to discuss that later,” said Princess Celestia.

The Solar Diarch looked to the guards behind her. All of them were ready and waiting, lances in hoof. Turning towards the gate, Celestia gestured to the guards at its lifts. They hastily opened the gates, while the other Guards and Wonderbolts were ready to fight.

When everyone began to head out, the Changelings began to emerge from the forest. Before the battle started, Shining Armor had erected his barrier to prevent any of them from entering.





In the castle gardens, all is quiet as the fighting rages on at the gate. But, for some strange reason, none of the birds or insects are making and sound. It’s been like that ever since the giant geode was placed here.

Suddenly the inconceivable happens: the gems on the geode begin to slide out one by one. When about 8 of the gems slam to the ground, Changeling soldiers began to crawl out of the geode. About a dozen Changelings emerged, all wearing strange, dark blue armor, carrying black bags with many pockets and wearing red-lensed goggles with flashing lights around the lenses.

One of the soldiers approaches the last Changeling to exit the geode. “It was getting real rank in there, General Hardshell,” he said.

“A couple of days in that rock is nothing compared to what happened here over 2 decades ago, or what she will do to them,” General Hardshell replied. “Stealth Team, you know your orders. Execute!” At that, the changelings disperse. Half of them head to where the dungeons are, while the other half, Hardshell included, go to various points of both the castle and nearby buildings.

Within the dungeons, the Changeling soldiers tracked down and freed any prisoners they find. One Changeling came upon the cell of a Griffin. “What do you bugs want?”

“Potential allies to help bring down Celestia,” the Changeling replied.

The Griffin smiled. “Count me in, then.”

In response, the Changeling telekinetically grabbed the blade located on its back. But when the Griffin got a good look at it, it was completely different from any weapon he’s seen. For one, it was completely black, with a square-like pattern on it. Streaks of electricity occasionally sparked off, as well.

Then, with very little effort, the Changeling cut down the cell bars. It happened so fast that the bars actually stood there for a moment before falling down. The Changeling then re-sheathed the blade and gave it to the Griffin.

The Griffin starred at the magical blade in its claws. It was clearly a sword, one made by the greatest blacksmiths in the world. “Did the Musicas make this magic sword?”

The Changeling let out a soft chuckle. “No. It’s not a magic sword, it’s a high-frequency blade,” the Griffin stared at the Changeling in confusion. “I’ll explain later, c’mon.”

Outside, the other Stealth Team Changelings were placing small, thick black disks at various points both on and around the castle. Each time they place one, a green light flashed in the center. Hardshell places one such disk on a statue of Celestia.





Up above, the Wonderbolts and Pegasus Guards were using the clouds to fire lightning at the changelings. On the ground below, the Earth Pony guards were stabbing them with their spears while the Unicorn Guards all blasted them. So too were the Princesses. Discord, meanwhile, was having a fun time trapping the Changelings in clouds of cotton candy.

Soon the Changelings began to retreat. “Yes!” said Rainbow. “They're turning back.”

“Yes, but it won’t be enough,” Twilight said as she trotted towards Celestia. “We need to make sure they won’t harm anypony ever again.”

“Twilight, are you suggesting we… kill the Changelings? All of them?” the surprised Celestia asked.

“No. Not all of them, just Chrysalis. Without her, these Changelings will have no choice but to surrender.”

“Perhaps, but taking a life… It can never truly lead to peace. It’s just more senseless violence.”

“Tia,” said Luna as she walked up to her sister. “I understand, but I’m afraid Twilight is right. If we have any hope for peace with the Changelings, then we must eliminate Chrysalis.”

“Celestia, Chrysalis is far too dangerous to be left alone,” Twilight began. “Numerous cities have fallen because of her, and the only reason that they didn’t succeed here was because they underestimated the magic of friendship. I doubt she’ll take such miscalculations this time.”

Celestia sighed. Twilight and Luna had a point. If Ponies and Changelings are going to truly coexist one day, then eliminating Chrysalis maybe the only option. Otherwise, this cycle of hatred will continue. She turned to the guards, all waiting for her next command.

“Spread out and find Queen Chrysalis,” Celestia ordered the guards. “If you find her… terminate on sight.”

The guards all saluted in response. But, before any of them could act, a low, booming sound stops them all in their tracks. The guards, Celestia, Luna, Kujira, Twilight, Flash, Cadence, Shining Armor, Rainbow Dash, Soarin, even Discord all looked around, scared and confused about the sound.

Soon a new noise caught their attention; a rushing, whoosh sound. This one was lasting far longer and sounded like it was getting closer. Suddenly, a cylindrical object, leaving behind a trail of smoke, shot past them at incredible speed. They all looked on in shock and horror as it hit the barrier. The object easily broke through the barrier liked it was glass. It shattered in an instant as the object speed towards the castle.





At the castle garden, the only noise was the rocket and the beep sound from the disk on the statue of Celestia. The changelings had long since left. The beeping from the disk speed up as the rocket got closer. Soon the flash stayed on continuously as did the beeping. It was a homing beacon!

The rocket hit the statue, creating a defining noise as an explosion radiated out to the surrounding garden and part of the castle, incinerating anything in its path.





Seeing the explosion, the guards, Wonderbolts, the Princesses, Kujira, even Discord gasped in shock. It was then a horrifying realization hit Celestia: the rocket hit near the castle, and her daughter, Aria, and her friends were there! “No!” Celestia gasped.

She began to charge her horn, ready to teleport to the-

Whir!

Celestia stopped, surprised by the new sound, as did many others who were about ready to head back into the city.

Turning towards the forest, the source of both the rocket and now the whirring noise, everypony is due for another shock. There, emerging from the forest, ten giant… Honestly, Celestia and the others aren’t sure what they are. The things did have the coloring of the Changelings; black with green trim. The ‘skin’ and the sounds they make resemble some sort of machine, yet at the same time, they resembled giant spiders, only with 6 legs instead of 8. Each had an almost perfect circular body and easily stood over 115 feet in height. They all had a huge cannon on their backs, on the sides of which were large, black boxes.

Even the way they moved made them resemble both machines and spiders. Three of the legs would stay put (2 on one side, 1 on the other) while the other three moved forward. When they landed, the process would repeat for the other three. Occasionally the joints of the legs gave off a small amount of smoke or steam. On the front of each machine, there was a glass dome of some sort, which gave off a faint green glow.

“By Faust!” Princess Luna gasped. “What sorcery is this?” Nine of the machines launched more rockets from the black boxes, all heading towards different parts of Canterlot.





At the castle, everyone who was waiting in the castle had run out to one of the balconies to see where that large explosion had come from… only to see a horrifying sight. Several missiles all landing at various points around the city.

Death and destruction the likes of which none of them had ever seen was everywhere. The tenth and final missile struck the roof above the throne room, causing it to collapse. They should be considered fortunate that they weren’t anywhere near it.

“I can’t believe it!” Elatha said under breath. “How can this be happening?”

At the city’s outskirts, some of the giant machines were decimating the Royal Guards with laser cannons. A few of the machines have even breached the wall and are causing havoc in the city.

“No way!” a disbelieving Lightning Bolt said under breath as he looks around. Being a Pegasus, his eyesight was much sharper than the others. That enabled him to noticed something near the castle courtyard. “Changelings!” he was right. Two changelings wearing red armor were down near the shop district. One of them goes to an archway and pulls something out from its black bag.

It looked like a bar of clay about a foot long. The Changeling tears a small piece off and then smashes it onto the support column, and then attaches a strange device to it. After pressing a few buttons, a flashing orange light is emitted from the device as the Changeling flees. After 5 seconds, it explodes, decimating that part of the alleyway.

“Yikes!” Peach said, tightening her hold on Enigma.

Applejack looked to Rarity and the others. Though Fluttershy looked to be a little hesitant, she nodded along with Pinkie and the fashion designer. Applejack then looked to her husband, son, and daughter and hugged them. The other Elements did the same. “We’ll be right back. Stay here, y’all.”

At that the Elements of Honesty, Laughter, Generosity and Kindness ran out the room, their families and friends looking on in worry.

“I hope they’ll be okay.” said Mrs. Glimmer.

Stella worried out of her mind about her parents, looked to Hope, Flare, and the others. They, too, were worried. As much as she hated to admit it, but whatever the Changelings got their hooves on just might be more powerful than the Tree of Harmony.

Even if they weren’t as powerful, the Changelings have clearly become far more dangerous than ever before, and they probably won’t let Mom or the others anywhere near the Tree. Stella looked at her friends again. Each looked to her and gave a nod. She nodded back. Quietly, the 11 friends left the room, making sure that the adults didn’t hear them.





To describe the situation Celestia and the others were in right now would be hard. You need a word that means ‘worse than horrible’. In addition to the giant machines, the Changelings that are coming at them now are wearing dark blue armor and red-lensed goggles with flashing lights around the lenses. They were also carrying long, strange-looking metal tubes that Twilight had identified as firearms, something she had seen being developed during her last visit to Griffonstone.

How the Changelings got such an advance version wasn’t on her mind, though. Bugbears, dragons, golems, demons, and even Star Beasts have joined the fight. Between all of them and the armored Changelings, Celestia and the others don’t have much of a chance.

“Quickly! Behind the wall! Behind the wall!” Shining Armor bellowed. Right now he, the Princesses, Kujira, and Discord are doing everything they can to hold off the invaders while the guards escape into the city, where they have a better chance.

But before any of them could cross the bridge, they stop. Turning around Shining Armor and the others see more of the armored Changelings at the gate. The one in the center was slightly larger and bulkier than the others and had the same eyes as Chrysalis. It was General Hardshell. “How quickly things can change for the Equestrians,” he said in a mocking tone. He then opened a small hatch on his left leg armor, showing a few flashing lights and some buttons. “From the greatest civilization in the world to a bunch of primitives, in a single day!” He pressed a red one on the gauntlet, and the bridge exploded. All of the guards on it were killed instantly.

Anyone off the bridge got hit by the ball of fire, burning them severely. Celestia and the other Princesses had managed to create a shield out of instinct, and the Wonderbolts had managed to avoid any serious injury.

“No!” Celestia gasped. She was beginning to lose it. She had failed her guards. She likely had failed her subjects. And she has potentially lost her daughter and son.

“How does it feel Celestia? To know you have failed both yourself and your people?”

Celestia gasped as she and the others turned their attention upward. There, standing on top of one of the machines, was the very Queen of the Changelings herself: Chrysalis. She still wore her stolen crown, but now she was wearing a strange dark green suit as well. “Chrysalis!” Cadence hissed.

“And don’t forget me,” if they weren’t terrified before, they sure were now. Walking out of the army beneath the machine Chrysalis was on, was Tirek. He had obviously stolen a lot of magic, being about Discord’s height now.

“Tirek?!” Twilight and Rainbow both gasped.

It can’t be…! “You’ve joined forces?!” Gasped Celestia.

“Indeed. The Changelings and I have formed an alliance, with one singular goal. Not only have they given me freedom and a way to control these beasts as my own personal army, they also gave me this,” as Tirek spoke, two Changelings give him a giant, rectangular mace. “A new form of power,” the mace suddenly segmented into 3 pieces, now generating what looked like electricity. Without warning he fired a bolt at a nearby statue, destroying it. “And now that I have this power, I will take what I want.”

“Uh, Discord,” Rainbow whispered to the self-proclaimed Spirit of Chaos. “Aren't you forgetting something?”

“Oh, right!” Discord had forgotten that he could get them out of there instantly. He snapped his fingers and, in a flash, he, the remains guards, Wonderbolts, the Princesses, and Kujira vanished.

“Curse that chaos bringer,” Chrysalis hissed. “Spread out and find them! Or you’ll have to deal with her. But if you find Starlight Glimmer or her family, let me know. I want to take my sweet time with her.”





Within the city, the other Elements of Harmony were running through the mayhem. All around them, buildings were on fire and ponies were running for their lives. “How awful!” Rarity gasped.

“How th' hay did Chrysalis an' her Changelings do all this?” Applejack asked as they moved by some apartments… Or what’s left of them.

“Those meanies!”

Suddenly, Pinkie began twitching, making the other three stop. “Uh oh, feels like a combo!” said the pond pony. “Twitchy tail, achy knee. That means someone’s going to teleport in front of us!” At that moment a flash of light gray light appeared in front of them. Stopping, they stopped as Discord appears along with the Princesses, the guards, and Wonderbolts, Flash, Shining, and Kujira.

“Sometimes I hate that Pinkie Sense, and sometimes I love it.”

“Oh, good! There you are!” a clearly distressed Twilight said when she saw her friends.

“We got a big problem!” said Rainbow.

“Chrysalis and Tirek have joined forces,” Twilight finished.

The others were jaw dropped. That is a problem. “Ya serious?” Applejack asked.

“Unfortunately,” Twilight looked to her husband. “You’ll need to help as many ponies evacuate the city. We’ll head to the Tree of Harmony. We’re gonna need the Rainbow Power if were going up against both Tirek and Chrysalis.”

“Okay, but please, stay safe,” he said.

“I was gonna say the same thing,” Twilight said as she gave her husband a quick peck on a cheek before she teleported herself and her friends out of the city.





In an instant, the six friends appeared in front of the cave where the Tree of Harmony was hidden. “Quickly girls, let’s hurry!” said Twilight as she ran into the cave… only to meet with herself. For about a second, Twilight was utterly confused, until the other ‘Twilight’ was engulfed in green flames.

Jumping back, Twilight and the others saw a Changeling, wearing that strange, new armor and carrying a firearm, emerged from the fire. Other Changelings exited the cave as well. “You have got to be kidding me!”





At Canterlot’s downtown, Changelings and the beasts were rounding up any ponies they find. Some of the buildings were set ablaze, while a few others have remained relatively intact, acting as a sort of hiding place for anypony who hasn’t evacuated yet. Two Changeling soldiers came out of one such building, tossing a family of ponies at the ground before squad. The first was a Unicorn stallion, with his wife, an Earth Pony mare, and lastly, two foal fillies, both looking terrified at the sight of the Changelings and the monsters. The Earth Pony mare made her children stay behind her, while the stallion stood in front of them, acting as a shield between his family and the Changelings and beasts.

“Stay away from my family!” The Unicorn threatened.

“My, oh my. Aren't you a brave little pony,” Tirek chuckled as he walked up to the family. “You honestly think you can take on the ultimate army? How amusing. Pathetic, but amusing.”





Nearby, a lone Changeling looks on as Tirek begins to steal the magic from that pony family. He laughs to himself, immensely enjoying the sight. “I can’t wait for Queen Chrysalis to turn on Tirek and that Unicorn. Even if he steals all of the magic from everypony in Equestria, he’ll be no match for-” Before he could finish, a hoof suddenly covered his mouth.

He tried to remove it, but the hoof’s owner slammed him into the ground before he did. Unable to breathe, everything went black for the Changeling. “Don’t ya think that was a li'l excessive, Lightin’?” Honeycrisp asked as the Pegasus in question.

“Giving the current circumstances: No,” the Pegasus stallion replied as he took a large firearm that was wrapped around the Changeling. The end of it had some kind of large teardrop-shaped ball on it.

“Be careful with that, or you could blow us up to Kingdom Come.”

“Relax, Dreads. How dangerous can it be?”

“We’re being serious, Lightning,” said Stella. “You don’t even know how to use that thing.”

“Ah, what could possibly go wrong?” Lightning asked as he pulled the trigger.

The teardrop exploded off of the firearm at high speed. They were all lucky that Lighting had pointed the thing away from them as it hit the side of a building. A fireball erupted, and a giant, gaping hole was left behind.

Lighting, dropping the weapon, sheepishly turned to looked at the others. All of them, especially Honeycrisp, were glaring angrily at him. “Oops!”





Tirek has just finished stealing the magic from the family. Now he was easily 5 feet taller than Discord. I cannot make the same mistake twice, he thought. By now that purple Alicorn mare and her friends have that strange magic. If I can find those whom they care for the most, then they’ll have no choice but to surrender that magic to me. Now then, where do I begin the search-

Suddenly, a loud pop-like sound ranged out. A second later a Changeling falls down to the ground, dead. Two more pops sounded out, followed by two more changelings. Tirek glared to where the sounds came from… and smirked.





“Whoa!” Lighting Bolt gasped. He looked at the firearm again and smiled. “I can get used to this.”

Lighting didn’t admire the gun for long, though. Two bullets flew passed him and the others, just inches from their heads. The Changelings, beasts, and Tirek had noticed them, and more Changelings are taking aim. “Time to go!”

The two quickly bolted, with Lighting holding onto the bag. Tirek, though never having seen them, recognized their blood right away. “Perfect.”





At Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, several students, faculty members and some scientist who were studying what was in the block of ice, as well as some civilians who weren’t able to get to a shelter, are all hiding in the building where the ice block is being kept. Things have been mostly quiet since the battle started… that is until something began to break down the door. All of the ponies began to huddle together, terrified out of their minds. Whatever was breaking down the door was big.

Meanwhile, within the center of the object of interest, something has begun to stir. After centuries of sleeping in the ice, Ian O'Connell is beginning to awaken. I… I can hear them. He thought. Their screams. They need help. They need… “My help,” He opened his eyes. The cockpit was dark, but he can see just enough to tell that it was still the same, except for the few patches of ice.

He leaned down and pulled the emergency startup switch. A whirring noise, followed by images from outside appeared all around him. The sudden light blinded him for a moment. It took a couple of minutes for his eyes to adjust to his surroundings. He’s in a block of solid ice, but he can sense that a war or a battle was happening outside.

“Bai, you okay?”

At first, there was no response. It wasn’t until all of the systems came back online that he got one. “Damn, what a crash! Other than the fact we’re currently frozen in ice, I’m fine.” The voice had an electronic tone to it.

“Yeah, nice to see you too. Anyway, are the systems okay?”

“Let’s see… The Aether Reactors are still operational, so that’s good.” An electronic, dull female voice responded. “The katana, beam sabers and beam magnum are fine. The joints are slightly damaged, though. And some ice is blocking the main motors. I’ll have the NRS work on that right away.”

Ah, the NRS. Nanomachine Regeneration System. Able to restore the Alicorn to fighting condition in a few hours, as long as the damage isn’t too severe. That, combined with his suits life support systems, must’ve kept Ian alive while he was frozen. Though he still couldn’t feel his legs or arm yet. Probably a side effect from being frozen in the Arctic Ocean, which reminded him. “How long have we’ve been frozen, Bai? And for that matter, what year is it?”

“Let me check,” the AI waited for the atomic clock to finish its calculation before giving its answer. “Oh, you’re not going to like this.”

“Why…?” Ian asked, already not liking this.

He was in for a shock.

“According to the atomic clock, the year is SA 52,300. We’ve been frozen for over 50,000 years!”

“Fifty what?!” Ian sat there for a moment. He didn’t hear Bai talk to him as he let the implications sink in. How the hell was he still alive after being frozen for over 50,000 years?! Hell, the Alicorn’s electronics shouldn’t have survived for this long, either. Is the NRS that powerful?!

Ian slumped down. If what Bai said was true, then he’s likely… The world he knew, the people he loved, they’re all probably gone. He sat there, not sure what he should do. He was contemplating if he should just shoot himself, or go look for anyone who might be out there.

“IAN!!” Bai yelled at top volume. Ian’s eardrums nearly bursted as he sat up in attention. He groaned and curse under breath as the ringing in his ears began to die down. “Oh, I got your attention now, eh?”

“Yeah, you did. Thanks. What is it?”

“Listen.”

Ian did so. At first, he didn’t hear anything as his ears were still recovering. But soon he heard it. Screaming.

Somewhere out there, people were scared. The familiar sounds of warfare were faint, but there was no mistake. People needed help, his help. Like any battle, people were getting hurt or, worse, killed. And here he was, sitting there, doing nothing. Knowing that, even if he’s the last human, he still had his mission in life. To protect anyone who can’t protect themselves. It’s what Sarah, Dr. Jerold, and the others would want him to do.

“Ian, you’re the pilot. I’m just an artificial intelligence designed to help you control this thing. What do we do?”

Wherever he was, whenever he was, there was still a battle going on outside. “Can we break out of the ice?”

“No, I was too busy ordering a triple cheeseburger with everything and a chocolate milkshake.”

Annoyed, Ian looks at the display monitor, makes the minimum level of checking, and finally grabs the control joysticks. “Then let’s go!”





Outside the block of ice, the now adult Garble and his gang have broken down the door and have cornered the ponies near it. “If any of you try to fight back, you’re lunch,” said Fizzle.

“Lord Tirek is going to like this,” Garble began, “When he sees how many ponies we caught, he’ll surely reward us with-” he stopped mid-sentence when he heard a faint, cracking sound. “You hear that?”

“Yeah. What is that?” asked Vex. Then, much to the astonishment of all present, the source of the sound became evident; the ice began to crack! Suddenly, the giant block burst open, sending chunks of many sizes flying. The ponies and Garble’s gang all did their best to avoid the ice blocks. After a few long seconds, the shower of ice stopped.

When they all looked back at where the ice block was, everyone gasped in shocked. A tall, white being with a long horn and wings was standing there. It bore a strange resemblance to an Alicorn. It was carrying an equally white shield on its left arm. In its right hand, there was a strange, black object. It looked like a firearm. In its left hand, there was a long, stick-like thing. On said arm was what looked like a diamond-shape shield. It turned its head, scanning its surroundings, bits of ice falling off as it did so.

Garble was the first to gather the nerve to finally speak to this thing. "Hey freak, what's the big idea of throwing ice chunks at us, huh?!" Garble shouted. All the dragons turned toward the white giant and glared at it.





Inside the cockpit, Ian just stared at them. The fact that these things looked like the dragons he’d seen in all of those fantasy movies he and Sarah used to watch was surprising enough, but the red and yellow one looked like it was threatening him in some weird language.

“Ian, check out the civilians.”

Ian looked down to his right and saw some weird, colorful horse-like creatures. Some, particular the youngest ones, were staring in awe at the Alicorn. The others were glancing between him and the dragons.

“Did we step into a fantasy series or what?”

“Yeah. I think they’re the ones who need our help.”

“What was your first clue? The fact they’re all cowering away in a corner? Or the giant lizards who will tear us apart if given a chance?”

The red dragon yelled again. It was clearly annoyed. The only response Ian gave was placing the beam magnum in its recharge port between the Alicorn’s wings, while he placed the katana in the hilt on the left hip.





Clump stomped right up to the giant and poked it in the chest. He didn’t notice the clanging sound made when he did that. “Alright, pal, I'm giving you ten seconds to start begging before I clobber you into next week!" he yelled and started to count. "1! 2! 3! 4... uh… hey, guys what comes after 4?" Clump asked.

Garble and the others face palmed, “FIVE, DUMBASS!”

"Oh, right! 5!”





Ian just stared at the dragon as it continued its count. At least, he thought it was counting. He wasn’t sure. “If we live through this, we’re gonna have to do a lot of catchup.”

“Yep.”

“How are the repairs going?”

“They’re 74% complete. We can now kick some giant reptile ass!… Do reptiles have asses?”





“6! 7! 8! 9! 9 and a half! 9 and three-quarters! Last chance to beg for-"

Before Clump could even get the chance to finish his sentence, the white giant suddenly grabbed him by the neck with its right hand. The other dragons and the terrified ponies looked on in shock and horror as the white giant actually pulled Clump toward it. Garble and the other dragons could only look on in complete and total shock. "The five of us together couldn't even move Clump! Yet this thing picked him up like he was a toy!"

What it did next was horrifying. Using its other hand, the giant grabbed Clump by the shoulder and began to pull. With a swift and sickening rip, the giant pulled Clump’s thought and dropped his body crashed to the floor. Blood pooled underneath the brown dragon as he died.

Garble’s eyes widened even further as he and the others stared at their friend’s dead body.

Vex’s horror slowly dissolved into anger as he glared at the monster that murdered his friend. “YOU KILLED CLUMP!” and with that roar, Vex charged right at the white giant full force.

"Vex, wait!" Garble yelled, but it was too late.

The white giant grabbed the stick-thing on its left hip, drawing it and wielding it like a strange lance.

Vex then realized that he had made a horrible mistake.

And it was too late.

With a swift swipe, Vex’s body was cut in half at the torso in less than a second. Then, to ensure that Vex was dead, the white giant sliced his head off. All before it hit the ground! Vex’s body parts dropped next to his dead friend. The adult ponies had, by now, covered the foal's eyes, but some did manage to see the carnage that unfolded, and will also see the carnage to come.

Garble was the first to recover from the shock. “We’ve got to get the heck out of here! Come on, guys, run for it!” Garble shouted. Fizzle, Fume, and Baff did not to be told twice as they followed Garble and made a mad dash towards the exit.

As they ran, the giant flew after them, and within seconds the giant was right behind the 4 terrified dragons. With a swift swing, it sliced clean through Fizzle’s body. It then decapitated Fume, his head and body falling straight to the ground. The giant then swings its blade at Baff and Garble, but they managed to dodge the swipe, but they lost most if not all of their wings.

The two still living dragons crashed to the ground just outside the building, now crippled. They were lucky. Garble knew that he and Baff can easily regenerate their wings in a few weeks, maybe. But they needed to get out of there alive first!

He then spotted one of the Changelings Crawlers. Thinking quickly, he and Baff run over to it. “Hey!” Garble called out.

The Crawler turned words them. “What is it?” one of the pilots asked.

“There’s a- a thing-!” Baff didn’t have much time to explain as the white giant was now running towards them.

In the cockpit of the Crawler, the two Changeling pilots looked on in shock and confusion. “Slash, is that a what I think it is?”

“Yes, Slice. It is,” the Changeling manning the weapons replied. “It’s similar to our Queen’s but clearly different. You two, fall back. We’ll deal with the enemy.”

“R-r-right!” The red dragon said before he and the other ran.

“Dragons. Just greedy cowards,” mumbled Slice. “Firing the beam cannon,” the giant cannon on the Crawler fired an incredibly thick, bright green laser beam at the white machine. The pilots thought that it didn’t have any time to react, but in the last few seconds, it raised the shield in its left hand to the front. The shield elongated and the magic beam dissipated over the shield.

“What!?” Slash and Slice gasped.

“We need to get some distance,” Slash activated the Crawlers hover mode. Five, small engines along the machine's legs and two giant propellers underneath it activated, causing the Crawler to float in the air. Slash then maneuvered the Crawler away from the white machine.

But it had taken flight and was now gaining on them. “Get him with the cannon!”

“It’s only at 20% power!”

“Use it!”

Slice did so and fired. It only had 1/5 the power of the previous beam, but it should be enough to at least slow the white machine down. But, like a nimble Pegasus, it moved to its side and dodged the beam. Charging forward, it used its sword to pierce the cannon.

Landing on the body, it now blocked Slash and Slice’s only way of escape. “Get him with the claws!” At that, Slice activated the claws. At the back of the Crawler, two giant arms unfold from the body, 3 claws at the end.

But before the claws could even touch it, the white machine generated a beam saber from its right arm. Using the blade and beam saber it sliced and diced the claws in an instant. “That’s impossible!”

“The cannon is gonna…!” Slice couldn’t even finish that sentence as the cannon overloaded, destroying a good part of the Crawler and the cockpit, incinerating the two as they screamed one last time.





Further down the street, Garble and Baff both stopped when they heard the explosion. Turning back they see the Crawler falling to the ground in flames. “That thing beat the Changelings Crawler?!” Baff said, when a piece of metal suddenly flew at him, moving with such force that it cut his head off.

Garble could only look on in horror as his last remaining friend was just killed before him. Looking to where the piece came from, he saw the white gain standing on the rubble of the crawler, having apparently thrown the shrapnel piece. It was looking at Garble. Its eyes were emitting a green glow, seemingly mocking him. Garble knew exactly what it meant; You’re next.

Realizing that he can’t win, Garble does something that dragons hardly ever do: Scream, turn tail and flees to where Lord Tirek is.

After a hundred feet of running, Garble let loose a torrent of flames, setting the surrounding buildings on fire, thinking it’ll give him at least a few more seconds. Turning around, he sees Tirek just finishing stealing the magic of some ponies.





Tirek was laughing now. A little difficult at first, he had succeeded in stealing the magic of the eldest children of the Elements of Harmony, the Princesses, and Discord. He was now over 30 feet tall, getting closer to the height he had when he had stolen everypony’s magic years ago. “Now, what should I do with you all?” Tirek asked himself. That’s when stallions weakly got up, putting themselves in-between Tirek and the mares, ready to sacrifice themselves if it meant protecting their friends. “My, you’re all brave little ponies, aren’t you. Too bad it won’t be of much help here. Yessss.”

Tirek then encased each of them in an orange bubble, just as he did before. “Hey! Let us out!” Lightning yelled.

“Let us go, you monster!” Aria shouted.

“Now why would I do that?”

“Master Tirek!” Garble cried as he limped to the giant Centaur.

“What is it?” Tirek hissed, though he did took note of the dragons injuries.

“Wh… White Ali… Alicorn-”

“You were bested by an Alicorn? Was it Celestia!” Tirek hissed as he turned towards the direction the dragon came from.

“No, Master Tirek! It wasn’t an Alicorn, but it looked like one!”

“What kind of nonsense is that? What bested you!”

Garble turned around and shakily pointed a claw at the smoke. “Him…” he squeaked.

There, emerging from the smoke, a 65-foot-tall giant of some kind, wearing white armor, stepped out. It had a horn that was similar to a Unicorn’s, as well as two large wings on its back. Everypony that Tirek had trapped in his bubbles stopped struggling to escape when they saw the giant.

As Tirek starred, he noticed that the giant held what appeared to be a heavily damage cannon, like the ones the Changelings were using for their Crawlers. The large scrap of metal was dragged behind it, gripped in the giant’s hand like a 40-foot club.

Interesting. Tirek thought. I never heard of a metallic golem before. Is it even a golem? I wonder what kind of magic it has? “What are you waiting for, Garble?” Tirek as the dragon, who nervously looked to him. “Destroy it.”

Garble weighed his options. Tirek, or the monster that not only cut off his wing but also killed his only friends. The red monster, or the white one? Deciding that he’ll have a swift and, hopefully, painless death, he decided to confront the White Giant.

What the hell am I doing? Repeated in Garble’s mind as he walked towards the giant, who calmly did the same. Calm down, Garb. It doesn’t have that weird glory thing that burns hotter than lava. And it put that stick-thing away, too. What can it possibly do with a destroyed cannon? It’s not like it can still fire-

WHACK!

Garble’s train of thought abruptly stopped when the giant swung the cannon, the end of it hitting him right on his head. Even though his thick scales protected him from most things, he still felt the bone crushing force of the swing.

The giant then swung again, this time hitting his left eye. Garble screamed as he placed a claw where his eye once was, but that didn’t last long as the giant lifted the cannon into the air and swung it down. The shockwave created when Garble’s head and the cannon hit the ground destroyed a good portion of the street.

Tirek looked on in shocked. A dragon, one of the most feared creatures in the whole world, has just been killed before his very eyes. And the one responsible didn’t even used magic! The giant then turned to him, slowly making its way towards him, dragging the improvised club behind it.

“I’ll fall back for now. I need further preparation to take this one’s magic.”

Tirek fired at the giant’s club, creating a small explosion. With the giant now distracted, he teleported away, taking his hostages with him.





“What the hell was that?!” Ian asked.

“No idea. It was a lot like and Ether Particle Cannon, for whatever reason.” 

“Are any of the systems damaged?”

“No, all systems are fine. And what the hell was that horseman thing anyway?” Ian gave a shrug in response. Whatever that thing was, it was gone now. Tossing aside the piece of scrap, Ian thought for a moment. It strangely resembled a centaur, only it was red and had devil horns on its head.

“I’m not sure, but the dragon keep calling it ‘Tirek’. And the way it was intimidating it, despite being half the size, probably means he’s the one in charge.”

“Or she. I swear, if this Tirek guy is a chick-”

“Save it for when we find him, Bai. Send some drones to do aerial reconnaissance of the area. We need to find that thing before it does too much damage.”

“I’m on it. Launching the ARC Drones.”





Several Changelings looked at the mobile suit from a distance. Even from this distance could see the aerial reconnaissance drones being deployed from the hidden compartments in the machines wings. “This is bad,” one said. “If that is what I think it is, then we’re all screwed.”

“Then what are we waiting for? We need to tell Queen Chrysalis.”





Celestia was bringing to grow desperate. She managed to return to the castle, only to find that Changelings having overrun the place. While everypony managed to escape, her daughter and son, as well as their friends, were missing.

They had apparently left the castle unnoticed and went out into the city to help. She’ll have a stern talking to the guards later when this was all over. Assuming they all make it. Celestia looked through the destroyed city, searching for her children. Her family and friends were with her.

Suddenly, Tirek himself appears before them. Orange spheres of magic floated around him, each holding somepony. Celestia could only look on it horror as she recognized them.

“No…”

“Yessss.”





Ian was beginning to get mad. The ARC Drones were recording monsters attacking these little horses, but strangely not killing any of them. Apparently, they were more useful alive, for some reason. There were some strange, horse-like bugs as well, wearing armor and carrying gun’s not unlike that of the Republic Forces.

How and where they got that was a mystery. Right now he needed to find that Tirek guy. At least he thought that was his name. One ARC Drone near what looked like a castle soon spotted his target. Tirek was doing… something to some little horses. It looked like he was draining something out of them, getting a little bigger in the process. And he was eating whatever he was draining.

“What the heck?” was how Ian responded as the horses fell to the ground after Tirek was done. They seemed fine, a couple even got up. But they all seemed weak. One with a horn on its head, who Ian saw use magic minutes ago, wasn't using any now. “Did that guy block their magic or something?”

“You’re the Newtype, you tell me. All I know is that this just keeps getting weirder and weirder.”

Afterward, Tirek left the little horses and soon confronted more, only two of them were slightly larger than the others. Also, there was a small dragon with them, and a… He wasn’t sure. It just looked like some random mix of animal parts sewn together by a madman.

“I rest my case.”

Whether the goat, horse, dragon thing and the actual dragon were enemies or not will depend on how they treat those horses. But before that, he needed to get there.

“How far away is he?”

“Not far. About 2 klicks.”

Especially if he moved at top speed. Ian doesn’t want to take any chances with this guy.

“Is the MS Carrier still intact?”

“Unknown. Given how much time has passed it could be destroyed.”

“We’re still alive, aren’t we.”

“Good point. Contacting… … … … … I don’t believe it. I’ve reached the MS Carrier, and its systems are still mostly intact!”

“Wow, that actually worked?” Ian asked himself, shocked that he was able to reach the MS Carrier, despite there being no way for him to contact it. As far as he knew.

“Have it lock onto the Alicorn’s coordinates and meet us here.”

“Roger that.”

Ian sighed in relief. Now he just needs to figure out how to beat that deviltaur. It wasn’t long until he got an idea just crazy enough to work. “And Bai.”

“Yeah?”

“Direct all power to the thrusters and the arm and leg hydraulics.”





Up north, the excavation team continued to whack away the ice from the Large Unknown, or LU, as they began to call it, blissfully unaware about what’s happening in Canterlot. They were months ahead of schedule. The weather had been kind and the temperatures were warm enough to make the excavation a little easier.

Easy enough to the point that most of the upper part of the LU free from the ice. The underside was still mostly frozen, but they had managed to remove enough ice to break free four, oval shaped areas on the wings.

Yes, wings. As far as anypony could tell it was some kind of flying machine. How it got there and where it’s from remains a mystery. “The excavation is coming along nicely,” said Sky Line as he and Stonewall did their patrol. “Almost makes up for freezing our tails off. Almost.”

Stonewall snorted at the small joke. “Oh, man I wish we were in Canterlot right now. The Summer Sun Celebration is my favorite time of the year.”

“Duty calls, dude,” Sky Line replied. Suddenly, they began to hear a cracking sound. “Please tell me that was just the ice breaking away from that thing.”

Another crack answered that. The cracks were coming from the ice surrounding the flying machine, but it wasn’t the excavation team. Fire shot out of the oval areas in the wings, breaking the ice apart. Soon it began to float up into the air.

“Oh. My. Gosh.”

Stonewall and Skyline looked on as the machine roared to life and flew south.

“We’re in trouble.”





Celestia was at a lost. Before her stood one of the deadliest enemies Equestria has ever faced. In his clutches was her daughter and son, as well as her niece and their friends. “Amazing how quickly things can change, huh princess?” Tirek said in a mocking tone. “A short while ago, I was in Tartarus while you and your little ponies carried on your lives, and now here I stand, just steps away from becoming a god, while you all look on in horror.”

Luna spoke out. “Tirek! You’ll never get away with this! You were defeated before, and you can be defeated again!”

“And don’t think for a second that any of us will listen to you. I learned my lesson.” Discord added.

Tirek just chuckled in response. “Maybe so, but I’ve taken precautions this time. I highly doubt the Elements of Harmony will risk losing their children.”

Celestia snapped. To her, the only thing worse than her subject being in danger, was her family being in danger. “You beast! I won’t let you!” She began to charge a spell, but Tirek placed his captives in front of him, stopping her.

“Mom, do it!” Aria cried out from her sphere.

“It’s our own fault for getting into this mess. Don’t listen to him!” Stella Nova added.

But not even Discord raised a finger in response. Liked it or not, Tirek had them cornered. Using their own family as a way to gain their magic.

Tirek smirked. “That’s what I thought.” He prepared to take their magic when something destroyed the building next to him. Time slowed down for everyone as a white giant bursts out of the building, grabbing Tirek by his shoulders, and continued on through the next building. The sphere holding Tirek’s hostages followed suit.

In a split second, the giant, Tirek and the children were all gone. Starlight was the first to speak after the event. “What the hay was that?!” She had said what was on all of their minds as they heard the sound of several buildings being destroyed in the direction the giant took Tirek.

The white giant, with thunderous force, pushes itself forward with Tirek in tow. With each building they passed through, Tirek screamed in pain. After flying through a fourth building, they arrived Canterlot’s outskirts. The giant then threw Tirek down onto the ground, creating a large crater where he hit.

Not wanting to waste time, Tirek teleported away. He reappeared nearby next to some dragons, who just looked on in shock. “What are you idiots waiting for!? Surround and destroy it!” Tirek barked. The dragons quickly did as told and surrounded the white giant. Soon, no matter what it might do, the giant would be intercepted by either a dragon. Its only option was to either go to ground level or fly straight up, where Tirek and the largest dragon in his army will be waiting. Mounting the dragon, the demon chuckled as he flew upward to finish it off.





As the physical sensors ranged, Ian can see the large reptiles and the demon all prepare to attack. He can feel their intense killing intent surrounding him.

Not like it’ll help them.

“Wide open space. No one for you to capture and take magic from, somehow. And no buildings to destroy either. Bai, do it.”

“Gotcha. Activating the AT-M.” The sound of metal clashing with each other echoes in the cockpit, and the all-view monitor that shows the CG space let out a glow. It’s not the monitor that is glowing, but the components of the cockpit themselves are glowing. There’s a luminescent light glowing from the gaps between the monitor, all of it a faint blue.

The display console immediately flashes the letters AT-M, as different parts of the chair began to move on their own as special clamps connect to Ian’s helmet on both left and right side as well as several other areas on the suit. A holographic display bubble then appears around him, displaying all of his vital signs. All of this is happening as the demon and its minions fired.





The flames all surrounded the giant while Tirek himself fires what he thinks will be the finishing blow. When his magic beam from Tirek goes through the convergence of the flames, he lets up. So do the dragons. He smirks… until the smoke clears.

“What?!” Tirek exclaimed when he sees that the white giant is completely intact, despite both him firing a giant blast of magic and the flames of six dragons. That is when he noticed the glow. The white giant was giving off a blueish-silver glow. But it wasn’t a magic glow.

Then the parts forming the shoulders of the giant break open from the gaps in its armor, and the sliding armor revealed a frame that’s giving off blue light. The same phenomenon happens with the legs, knees, and thigh. The front armor of the waist and the torso open up as well, causing the giant to look even bigger. The blue luminescent glow is becoming stronger, causing the bright patterns decorating the white giant to become clearer.

The wrists are sliding too. The wings then extended, with the glowing blue frame in them, making them resemble bird wings even more, as two handles emerge from the base of the wings. The one change that’s most obvious however is the head. The mask slides into the helmet, revealing the white giant's face, which was two black horizontal lines where the nose would be and a red goatee. The giant’s one horn then splits in half and becomes V-shape, showing a green rectangle behind it. The two eyes glow green, and it has a golden V-shaped horn on its forehead.

Using its right arm, the giant grabs the handle on its right wing. It then yanks it out, but instead of blood a pinkish light appears and takes on the shape of a sword.

Everyone who was fighting and anyone who wasn’t stopped and stared in awe. They were all speechless at the sight of the now blueish-silver glowing white giant.





Elsewhere, Chrysalis has also seen the giant transform. But instead of shock or amazement, she felt fear and anger. She had a feeling on what it was, but now she no longer had any doubts about it. It was something that can easily be described as a monster. Something so powerful that it can easily decimate an entire army in a single night. She let out a single, lone word while some of her Changelings all gawk at the sight.

“Gundam…”