The skies above Neo Canterlot bled with hailstorms of fire reigning down upon it. The streets became littered with Equusians whose lungs ached from screaming and sprinting for their lives towards a silver shelter. Machine fortresses on eight legs that stood the length of a harrowing tower stepped along the city’s roads, shattering them with their pointed feet.
Troops of alien soldiers emptied themselves from the black castles and slid down upon their legs. A teal-skinned female Van’Goth eyed a group of four Equusians that consisted of an adult chestnut-coated stag, a light yellow-coated unicorn mare, one periwinkle-coated unicorn colt and a dark-brown coated female fawn running down an empty road. She grinned and leaped off the leg towards the group.
“We can make it!” With her breaths burning and a hopeful smile forming along her face, the mare called out.
A drop shadow along her sight made itself visible within her eyes. The Van’Goth dropped before the four, dashing hope within their hearts and filling it with chilling despair. The soldier marched towards the family with slow steps. The stag’s blue eyes lit up with determination. He stepped forward and stood between the soldier and his family.
“Run! I’ll slow this invader down! Get the children and yourself to a safe place!” He instructed.
The mare looked into the stag’s eyes with pools of pained memories forming within her eyes.
“No. I’ve already lost my husband once before, and I don’t want to lose you. You go and bring the children to safety.” She responded.
The Van’Goth soldier laughed and held out her hand and opened her palm, where a black lance wreathed with blue electricity digitized into existence. She grabbed the lance and pointed it towards the family.
“Isn’t that sweet? Allow me to ease your pain by uniting you with your loved ones then.” She said with a voice that dripped with venomous honey.
A bolt of white lightning struck her back, tensing up all of the muscles in her system to immobility. The family of four took sprinted from the area with the speed of a cheetah. The Van’Goth turned her head around and looked into the sky, where Rainbow Dash hovered. A light purple rifle rested upon her hooves and her right eye glanced through the scope.
“A perfect shot.” Rainbow Dash mused with a cocky smile on her face.
“You know, I don’t like being interrupted.” The Van’Goth responded with a bitter tone. “You must be foolish enough to sign your own death warrant.”
Rainbow Dash landed on the ground and hoisted her sniper rifle onto her back. She fired a nasty glare directed to the Van’Goth in front of her.
“Does it look like I want to give this city away to you freaks? I’ll make sure that you will never take a step in Neo Canterlot again.”
Upon saying these words, she brought her right front hoof onto her left shoulder’s armor. The locking mechanism released itself. With a swipe of her hoof and a spin of her body, Rainbow Dash pulled out a red javelin cloaked in flames and aimed it towards the Van’Goth.
“Ah, so you wish to have a spear battle with me. Is that so?” With her voice piqued with interest, the Van’Goth asked.
“Are you going to deny it?” Rainbow Dash responded.
The Van’Goth spun her spear with the efficacy of an industrial fan. She snapped her hand’s grasp onto it and held it far to her right side.
“Lucky for you, I like mirror matches. En garde!”
Mono and Lith sprinted through the docking bay, where the lights flashed between pitch black and alarming red. The sounds of hooves sprinting along the floor and wailing sirens met with their ears.
“How did the Van’Goth come here with all of this weaponry? Blueblood said that they shouldn’t be planning a full-scale invasion like this for at least another month!” Lith wondered.
“I’m not sure, but I sense something off with these circumstances. We are going to have to be careful with this one Lith.” Mono suggested.
“Had we not had Applejack and Rondo inadvertently scout the invasion force sooner, I think this city may have already been in enemy hands. But, you’re right Mono. We have to proceed with caution.”
The twins stopped and looked towards the two exos before them; while both of them stood tall, the bulky armor of the one on the right lustered with an ebony color that contrasted against the ivory of the slender exo to the left. Lith hopped onto the black exo and smiled.
“So this must be the Ares Exo that Professor Pasque told me about.” She said with a confident tone.
Mono approached the ivory exo and touched its left shin with his right paw. A shock emerged from the armor of the exo and traveled into Mono’s heart. Mono’s eyes winced.
“It’s like it is calling for me. It says that its name is Hermes.” He said. “Lith, do machines have souls?”
Lith shrugged her shoulders and opened a hatch on the base of the exo’s left shoulder. She slipped inside. The exo’s visor lit up with a yellow light.
“Don’t know, but we should probably meet with the others who are fighting off the Van’Goth threat outside the city. As long as we have each other, there is nothing we can overcome.” Lith said.
Mono looked into the visor of the Hermes Exo with wonder sparking in his eyes. He nodded in silence and hopped onto the shoulder of the exo and opened the hatch. He slid down into the hole and landed within the cockpit. The Hermes Exo’s visor lit up with a teal green color.
A hologram of Lith’s view in the cockpit appeared before Mono’s vision. Reading the tense facial expressions on Mono’s face and the shaky nature of his body, her mouth formed a frown that welled with concern.
“Mono, are you okay? You look a bit antsier than usual. Is there something bothering you?” She asked.
“Being out here reminds me of a nightmare I had this morning.” Mono responded. “But, it’s vaguely similar to what’s happening now. I’m afraid it might become a reality.”
Lith shook her head and stared forwards with an understanding smile on her face.
“You shouldn’t worry about it, Mono. We will dispel any nightmare we face together.” She consoled.
Mono lowered his head and let out a sheepish smile. He looked into Lith’s eyes and the confidence within his pupils returned.
“Thanks Lith. Now let’s show these aliens never to mess with our city.”
Sophia and As wandered outside of the school and eyed upon the cityscape. The fires raged within the buildings, which became instigated through the continuous firestorms of ammunition from both sides. Exos swung their blades against enemy mechas with butter-slicing speeds, but the enemy mechas retaliated with swarms of missiles and lasers from drones that detached from their bodies. Witnessing storms of bullets dropping the Equusian and Van’Goth forces dead, Sophia’s jaw dropped.
“This is… this is terrible!” She said with a crestfallen tone. “So much carnage… I didn’t think it would be this bad.”
As looked towards Sophia’s direction and scoffed.
“You must still be pretty naïve if you didn’t think something like this would happen to this extent. This is war, Sophia. War doesn’t hold back with its level of brutality.” She said.
Sophia glanced down towards the ground and frowned.
“I know, but this fighting is getting too close to the school. The children won’t be able to make it out in time.” She said.
“…Leave that to me.”
Both Sophia and As turned towards the left, where Scary Story stood with determined eyes. Scary Story took a few steps forward and closed the distance between herself, As and Sophia.
“Scary Story? What are you doing here at the school?” Sophia asked with a confused tone.
“As soon as the Van’Goth forces breached the shield and walls, I rushed over here as quick as possible so that I help guide the children to safety. They are the future after all.” Scary Story replied with a serious tone. “Anyways, how good are your skills when it comes to routing away enemy forces?”
As smiled, shut her eyes and put her right front paw on her chest.
“I don’t mean to brag, but I am good with serving as a distraction and leading my victims to their demise. Sophia and I will take things from here. You round up the students and teachers so that you can bring them to safety.” Wrapping her left front leg around Sophia, she said with a confident tone.
Sophia looked towards As with a confused stare and blinked once. She opened her mouth with a slow speed and raised her eye with agitation.
“Really? You’re really going to put the two of us, who are not armored in any away, shape or form, against an army of vicious aliens whose weapons and technology can rind us all into dust? Really?” She said with a deadpan voice.
“Now now, Sophie~!” Stroking Sophia’s chest with her right paw, As responded with a buttery purr in her voice and a cat-like smile on her face. “We are merely going to just distract the forces here long enough so that the school can be safely evacuated.”
Sophia let out an upset sigh and stared daggers into As’s eyes.
“Fine. But, if I become Swiss Cheese, I’ll be haunting you for the rest of the afterlife.” She said with defeat and disdain in her voice. “And never call me Sophie again.”
“Aww, but why not? I think it sounds adorable on you.”
Hearing As’s reasoning on the nickname, a vein severed within Sophia’s forehead. Her paw itched with the desire to sock As across the face.
“Just… stop As. We’re in the crossfires of what appears to be Tel Megiddo here, and I really don’t want to spend this time wanting to hurt you.”
“Fair enough.” Shrugging her shoulders, As stated. “I’ll just tease you after we win.”
A pained groan emerged from Sophia. The two Pokémon rushed out into the horizon, leaving Scary Story behind at the school. Heading out into the streets, strings of bullet fire filled their vision. Amidst the line of fire, an armored Van’Goth soldier set its eyes on Sophia and As. It directed its gun towards the two Pokémon. Sophia arched her stance with a crouch of her front knees.
“Well, it didn’t take long for that to happen.” She muttered out.
“Let’s make quick work of this thug, shall we?” As asked with her voice welling with confidence.
Scary Story galloped into an alley with a group of foals trailing close to her tail. Listening to the noises of firearms and explosions behind them, their panting escalated into panicking. Their eyes glanced towards the entrance to the alley, where the steps of aggressive marching closed into the area with a claustrophobic noise. Scary Story swiveled her head to the right, where her eyes met with a green dumpster. She looked towards the foals with determined eyes and dropped to her knees.
“Get in!” she motioned for them to climb up.
Among the group, Diamond Tiara stared into Scary Story’s eyes and gave the midnight black mare a disgusted grimace.
“In the trash? You have got to be DONT YOU DARE PUT ME IN THERE!” She stated with repulsion. Scary Story rolled her eyes and grabbed the filly’s mane with her teeth and threw her into the dumpster.
“IN!” she ordered the rest of the foals, and not one of them hesitated.
Just after the lid closed, she heard the steps intensify. In her line of vision approached two Van’Goth soldiers flanked a transformed Van’Goth. The two Van’Goth foot soldiers carried what appeared to be red assault rifles, but the muzzles on them ended with sharp spines used for ramming. Unlike his partners, the transformed Van’Goth stood in place with a flowing cape and no weapons on him.
“It was a noble effort to hide the children, but I can see them through the metal, so I'm afraid that your final act was a waste.” the transformed Van’Goth told her.
“I won't let you do this.” Scary Story growled with a harsh tone.
“There is nothing you can do to stop me, and certainly nothing your people can do to stop us in the long run. The least I can do for you is to make your death painless.” Holding his hand out to beckon her forth, the transformed Van’Goth replied.
Scary Story took a step back from him, but then paused before walking to stand in the middle of the alley with slow steps. The light around them flickered with sudden animated shadows that seemed to follow her every move.
“I've done my best to keep the darker aspects of my heritage locked away.” Scary Story blinked and tears began to form in her eyes. “I just wanted to be a normal pony. I just wanted to live a standard life, make friends and make movies. But my destiny, unlike other ponies’, was predetermined by my birth. I have fought against it for as long as possible, but thanks to you, I am now in a position where I have no choice but to use the abilities from my demonic heritage.”
“You're being a little dramatic aren't you?” The transformed Van’Goth noted and gave his soldiers the signal to advance on her. “I promise that this will be over quickly.”
“Yes…”
Saying these words, Scary Story thrust her wings out and lowered her head. Her shadow exploded up behind her onto the back wall of the alley. The shadows of her wings became a pair of great curled horns, the shadows of her legs forming large fangs and two glowing read spots in the massive shadow matched her own glowing red eyes.
“It will be over quickly!” She said with a demonic tone.
The foals in the dumpster heard a fearsome roar that chilled their hearts to the very core. The noises of flesh gnashing against claws and teeth struck their eardrums. Among the group, Silver Spoon’s teeth began chattering and her chest wanted to explode with anxiety. Screams of pure suffering rang within the foals’ ears. Among the group, Pipsqueak’s eyes soaked themselves with tears.
“What’s happening outside?! Is Scary Story getting murdered?!” Silver Spoon shouted with little to no confidence in her voice.
The sounds of vicious carnage stopped. Rumble popped his head out from the pile of trash he dug himself in and pushed his right hoof against the lid of the dumpster. Sliding it up to where his eyes could peak into the outside world, he saw a mass of black liquid in the alley’s walls that originated from where the three Van’Goth soldiers once stood. He set his eyes on Scary Story, who took heavy breaths with eyes widened with exhaustion.
“Ummm… surprisingly, Scary Story didn’t get murdered.” Rumble said. “But I can’t say the same about those aliens who chased us in here.”
Scary Story turned towards the direction of the trash bin, where her eyes caught a glimpse of Rumble before he dropped back into the dumpster. A tired frown appeared on her face.
“I really hope he didn’t see that…” She murmured to herself.
Breasel and Gordo charged into the line of fire, tackling into the Van’Goth with their impressive girth. Breasel unleashed a storm of pink petals from the flower on his back and swept the enemy forces with its floral gust. Gordo’s mouth opened forth, generating a sphere of orange energy that hummed with power. Gordo shifted his head forwards with open arms and released a wide beam that spanned a wide fan-shaped radius.
“Keep at it Gordo! We’re doing a good job!” Breasel praised.
Gordo’s Hyper Beam exhausted itself. Gordo glanced towards Breasel, who charged into a Van’Goth soldier with his head and smashed him against the building.
“No shit we’re winning. They’re coming at us with minimal effort.” He stated with a cheerful tone.
Rey bisected an enemy mecha with a single vertical slash. The halves of the machine fell onto the ground. Rey glanced behind him, where a graveyard of armored bodies and mechas rested. Setting his sights onto Gordo, a low growl emerged from him.
“I know that they are coming at us with everything they got, but this feels way too easy. They’re just rushing in with numbers without rhyme or reason. What could they be planning?” He asked with his voice hushed in suspicion.
Gordo socked a Van’Goth soldier across the face with his right claw. He turned back towards Rey with a smile of amuse curled over his lips.
“Whatever Rey. I was getting bored with all of this quiet activity. It’s nice for me to stretch my limbs out and fight in a massive battle again.”
“Lighten up Rey!” Breasel announced. “This is probably one of the few opportunities we can get at actually fighting in a massive battle. Enjoy it while it lasts and then drink the accolades later.”
Rey shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.
“Alright, but I’m doubtful about what’s going to happen.”
Twilight Sparkle and Applejack stood within the center of the battlefield outside of the city in the line of fire. A purple bubble surrounded the duo and a mass of the wall outside of the city. H.O.R.S.E. operatives fired out into the army with long-ranged weaponry and magic, striking any and all Van’Goth forces that approached near the barrier with a colorful maelstrom of explosions and gunfire.
“Keep firing! We can’t let any more of these aliens come into the city!” Applejack shouted.
“Applejack’s right. Just hold them off for as long as possible until we get more reinforcements. The rest of our forces should be clearing up the city as we speak. Keep firing and don’t lose your resolve!” Twilight Sparkle pleaded towards the direction of the operatives behind her.
In their line of sight, an enemy mecha that stood twice the height of the city walls dropped onto the ground before the Equusians; its armor pulsed with a light purple color and the shoulders and hips of the mecha formed spines that jetted out in a forty-five degree angle. The stances of all the occupants in the bubble faltered and their eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.
“What… in… tarnation is that?!” Applejack uttered out with phrasing that held itself together under fear.
“That’s a God-class mecha…” Standing within the awe of fear, Twilight Sparkle said with a voice of cracking hope. “It’s the highest class of mecha imaginable by any scale in the category. It has the power to obliterate anything within seconds.”
“Anything?!” Applejack screamed.
The God-class mecha directed its sights onto the barrier in its sight. It held out its massive right hand and opened it. Twilight Sparkle felt the energy around her horn give in to the dark waves of energy that erupted from the mecha’s hand. The barrier around the area dissipated. Twilight Sparkle’s eyes shimmered with primordial fear.
“A…Anything. It takes so much energy to keep one active, so this be a very important invasion for the Van’Goth forces.” She said.
“Without that barrier, we’re dead?” Applejack asked.
“Unless if we receive reinforcements right now, we’re dead.”
The Van’Goth forces kneeled and aimed their weapons towards Twilight Sparkle’s direction. The group of standing H.O.R.S.E. operatives looked onto the field before them. Twilight Sparkle shied her head away from the sight of the Van’Goth and shut her eyes.
“Twilight! Don’t give up now. What’s that about you saying that we shouldn’t give up and keep fighting to the bitter end?” Applejack asked.
“That was before the God-class mecha came and disrupted our ability to use magic, which leaves us vulnerable to being killed at an instantaneous pace, and I doubt that we will receive immediate reinforcements! They’ve already broken through at this point!” Twilight Sparkle responded.
“Not yet they have not!” Flash Sentry’s voice called out.
Twilight Sparkle’s eyes opened at the sound of Flash Sentry’s voice hitting her ears. A golden exo burst from the doors of the bay by her side and flew in the air space above the Van’Goth forces. Rods half the size of the exo jolted out of its shoulders and channeled a stream of yellow electricity. Thunderbolts filled the air and rained down upon the Van’Goth, shocking them until they became ashes.
“Flash!” Looking up into the sky with the glimmer of hope restored in her eyes, Twilight Sparkle called out. “Have the forces in the city been cleared out?”
Flash Sentry smiled and pounded his chest with the confident strikes of his right front hoof. The Ares Exo and Hermes Exo flew high above the sky with their visors directed towards the God-class mecha.
“Mono, it’s time we take this out.” Lith stated with a confident tone.
“I’ll distract it while you cut off its power source. Once that happens, it’ll be just a hunk of junk.” Mono responded.
The Hermes Exo descended from the atmosphere at double the speed, where the clouds became lines of light that zipped past Mono’s sight. The sight of Flash Sentry’s exo punching across the visor of an enemy mecha greeted Mono’s eyes. Mono pressed a button on the seat of his cockpit, showing him a screen of Flash Sentry’s face.
“How are you holding up Flash?” He asked.
Flash Sentry smiled and nodded.
“Not doing too bad. Just let me-“
Saying these words, Flash Sentry’s exo’s hands conjured tempests of silver blades that homed onto the enemy mecha, slicing off its arms and causing it to explode from the inside.
The Hermes Exo vanished from its point in the air and reappeared in front of an enemy mecha that stood twice its size. With a purple photon longsword in its hands, it slashed the enemy mecha with a flurry of cuts that penetrated its armor. Its body lit up with a blue aura and vanished from its spot. It reappeared behind another enemy mecha and bisected it with a swooping vertical slash.
“Nice strike Mono!” Flash Sentry exclaimed.
No sooner than he said that, the God-class mecha laid its sights on the combating exo of Flash Sentry. Its fingertips transmuted into ebony blades. It held its arms behind him and kept its sight on Flash Sentry’s exo. Seeing the exo not moving and its back turned towards it, the God-class mecha thrust its bladed fingers into the chest cavity of the exo and through the other side.
Twilight Sparkle glanced upon the blades of the mecha with her breath robbed of speech and her eyes widened in shock. Her eyes picked up a trail of blood that ran down the central blade, wringing her eyes for tears.
“Flash!!!” She shouted.
Flash Sentry sat within his cockpit with the blade of the mecha stabbing through his chest and his cockpit. His body trembled from the strike through his heart. With the pained movement of his right front hoof, he touched a button on the right arm of the chair’s dashboard. A hologram screen of Twilight Sparkle appeared before him.
“T-Twilight?” He asked with a weak and out of breath voice.
“Flash! Please tell me you are alright. Please!” Twilight Sparkle pleaded.
“Sorry… to disappoint, but my strength is fading very quick Twilight.” Flash Sentry responded with a forced smile. “As we speak, my vision of you is blurring and I can’t hear your words too well. But… thank Deus that I can still talk with you.”
Twilight Sparkle frowned, but nodded with an air of understanding around her.
“It is common for a dying organism to lose their senses, and hearing is usually the first to go out. I don’t want to accept losing you Flash, but… it’s inevitable at this point.” She said.
“Good… girl. Don’t feel sad… but use that grief to power your resolve. You were always a strong mare Twilight. I kind of regret… never telling you how much… I… loved…”
Flash Sentry’s breathing gave out. He slumped forwards and fell off of his seat. The God-class mecha pulled out its claws, allowing Flash Sentry’s exo to fall face-first onto the ground. A maelstrom of fear and anger clouded Twilight Sparkle’s mind. She looked towards the Hermes Exo and the rest of her peers, where shock embodied all of their faces through wide eyes and open mouths.
She looked away and felt her heart give away to the fires burning in her heart. She looked down on her chest, where an emblem that depicted an image of a rainbow-colored strand of DNA rested on her suit. She shut her eyes and clasped her right front hoof over the emblem.
“Flash… I promise you that your death will not be in vain. I will make sure that all of these miserable aliens will meet an end befitting of their kind; total annihilation!”
Shouting these words, she pressed on the emblem on her chest. A spherical shell formed around her, closing her in from the world around her. Within the confined space of the shell, her body flashed with light. Two mounds grown upon her shoulders and sprouted into wings of white light bound with blue lines. Her hooves sparkled with purple, pink and yellow stars. Finally, the pink stripe in her mane and tail expanded in width and a yellow stripe formed its way upon its center.
The shell around her broke, revealing her new form. She stood taller than her previous form, and her horn extended by a third of its original size. Energy welled within Twilight Sparkle’s heart, transferring into her horn in the form of a rainbow aura. She pointed the tip of her horn towards the God-class mecha’s right hand and blasted it with a wide beam.
“Woah!” Leaping away from Twilight Sparkle and diving into the ground, Applejack shouted. “When she’d learn to do that?!”
A holographic screen of Mono’s face formed in front of Applejack’s eyes, where the Meowstic wielded a proud smile.
“It seems that the Artificial Mega Evolution field test is a success so far. Twilight’s Mega Evolution is stabilizing nicely.”
“Is that what you’ve been working on all this time Mono?” Applejack asked with a voice stained with curiosity.
Mono shook his head and looked towards Twilight Sparkle, whose aura permeated into the atmosphere and increased the pressure of the surrounding area.
“I’ve sweated tears and blood over this project with just a handful of helpers, but it seems to be paying off. But Applejack, I really think we should fight too. This threat isn’t going to stay still.”
Applejack smirked and leaped forwards. The armor on her right front hoof spread into a dual wing-shaped shield. She ran forwards, blocking the bullets that sprayed towards her. Mono gazed onto the God-class mecha, who took a large step backwards and stabilized its footing. An anxious frown formed on his face.
“I believe in you Lith… I know you can take out this mecha. But please, be aware that we are at a time limit.”
Fei’s whip-like appendages smacked and swatted away multiple flying drones the size of soccer balls from his vicinity. His whips channeled a blue energy that transferred into the black drones, making them explode from the inside and out. Towards his right, Rarity hopped from drone to drone, leaping off of them and leaving behind crystal stalagmites piercing their bodies.
“How are you holding up Fei? Are you getting exhausted by these waves?” She asked with a confident tone.
“I have trained under harder circumstances. This is just sparring.” Forcing a smile on his face and leaping away from a swarm of lasers that trailed him, Fei responded.
Rarity’s eyes drifted towards Keldeo, who slashed apart the drones before him with single swoops of his glowing horn. A serpentine being wrapped up in steel and machinery rolled up from behind Keldeo. The young stallion turned around. His eyes widened upon the quick coil of the snake forming around him. Feeling the metal muscles constrict him, he let out a pained groaned.
“A… A little help!” He blurted out with an out-of-breath tone.
Rarity threw her right hind leg against the head of the mechanical serpent with the force of a meteor’s impact. The serpent’s head snapped and it fell onto the ground, freeing Keldeo from its bindings.
“Wow… thanks Rarity. When did you get to be so strong?” Rubbing his neck and smiling with a sheepish demeanor, Keldeo asked.
“I’ve learned some tricks with my earth-based magic. But, we have to make sure everyone else is alright.” Rarity responded.
“How is Fei doing?” Keldeo questioned with a cocked head and a glimmer of curiosity in his eyes.
Their eyes drifted towards Fei, where the whips on his arms struck all of the Van’Goth forces that approached him with explosive blows dealt at their tips. Their pupils shrunk at the sight of the effortless brutality from the Mienshao.
“I think he’s fine.” Rarity said with a shaken tone.
The battle couple looked towards their right, where a handful of armored Equusians stood in the center of concentrated firepower brought forth by the Van’Goth.
“Yeah. We have to help the others.” Keldeo responded.
The duo left, leaving Fei alone and fending off the forces with his hands. He leaped into the air and spun around once, thrusting his foot inside of one of the drones. Standing up from the ground, he felt the muzzle of a rifle point against the back of his skull. His eyes widened and his muscles stiffened in panic.
“Stay right where you are, Pokémon.” The Van’Goth holding the rifle against him said.
Fei’s nerves relaxed and his eyes lowered. He kept his movement still and rolled his eyes towards the right.
“So… are you going to kill me?” He asked with a placid tone.
“You made it very easy to leave you vulnerable like this. We could lose all the troops we have in our reserves and our mission would still be successful if we captured one of you.” The Van’Goth responded. “For that reason, I won’t kill you. But, you will be wishing that I did.”
A whirring swish struck Fei’s hearing and the sensation of the muzzle lifting away from the back of his head released him from fear. He looked behind him, where his eyes laid witness to his fallen captor and a white-coated quadruped with a navy blue feline face. Her red eyes stared into the windows of Fei’s soul, and her sickle-shaped horn that jetted off of the left side of her head and her scimitar-shaped tail sent waves of fear down Fei’s spine.
“It seems that your grim fate has been averted.” The quadruped said with a calm demeanor.
“An… An Absol. What are you doing here?” Fei responded with his heart stricken with anxiety.
“I am here to make sure that fate meets with their destined targets and silence the changes against fate that would seek to ruin the world. Now, you should hurry and support your allies, Fei.” The Absol explained.
“How do you know my name?!” Fei shouted with surprise lingering in his tone.
The Absol eyes the horde of alien forces behind Fei. She leaped forwards and stared into adversity with tranquil fury burning in her eyes.
“If you want to change the ill fates of your friends, then I suggest that you do not idle and assist them now. I will take care of these forces in your stead.” She proclaimed.
Fei stared at the Absol in his line of sight and shook his head. He ran towards the opposite direction. The Absol shut her eyes.
“You will fall another day, Fei. But now is not the time.” She murmured to herself.
Rundas and Reine stood back to back. Their lines of sight flooded with the sight of mechanoids everywhere. Rundas drifted his eyes to his left and turned his head towards Reine.
“So, I heard Boreas taught you our technique. Want to put it into action here?” He asked.
Reine smirked upon hearing the words of Rundas.
“I thought you’d never say that.”
Both of the soles of the Weaviles’ feet encased themselves with ice. Both of them slid on the ground in opposing directions. They both synced their moves with each other’s movements, unleashing a wide array of slashes in different directions. They leaped and rolled towards their right and their right claws became cloaked in a dark aura. The sprays of lasers dodged their bodies and they thrust their Night Slashes against the opposition.
Both Weaviles flew high on trails ice spawned from the Ice Beams of their left claws. Their trails spiraled into a whirlpool pattern. Boreas dropped from high above the sky and looked into the center of the ice. Her body cloaked itself with an ice blue aura. She collided within the pool of ice, creating a freezing shockwave that engulfed the area. The trails of ice contained the shockwave, locking all of the Van’Goth forces in its reach.
“Nice of you to drop in on the action Boreas.” Rundas said with a witty smile.
“Rundas, that pun was incredibly painful.” Reine groaned out.
Boreas hopped out of the pile of ice and shook her head. She looked up towards the sky, where a transport helicopter hovered above. Joker stood on the floor of the plane’s hold with his feet held against the slanted surface. He peered out of the open double doors.
“How’s the air support?!” He shouted.
“Joker!” Reine shrieked with a smile on her face. “And you’re back to your old self again!”
Joker walked off of the copter with a casual gait, ignoring the rushing wind and gravity forcing his organs upwards. He fell onto the ground unscathed from the drop.
“Ever since I was dropped off in this story, I’ve always wanted to partake in a grand-scale epic battle against the Van’Goth. This is my shining moment! My purpose in the fic! I’m not going to let some daddy-daughter angst get the better of me! In fact…”
He ran off into the distance, where an enemy mecha that staved off its freeze crawled out of the frosty wall. He leaped onto the chest’s chastise and curled his right hand into a fist. He punched through it, shattering the cockpit door and revealing a Van’Goth covered in a dark red latex suit. He pulled out the pilot and threw him out. He slid into the seat and pulled out a black box from his pants pocket. Rundas raised his right eye with worry.
“What does he have there?” He asked.
Joker slammed the box into the cockpit’s dashboard, revealing a red button with the words ‘Save Neo Canterlot!’ written with white lettering. He slammed the button in with his fist, causing masses and piles of weaponry to shoot out of every inch of the mecha’s body. He squealed with delight and rode the mecha on a rampage through the city, stomping on all in his way.
“That’s bad… right?” Rundas asked with an unsure tone.
“He’ll save everyone in the city with that, but don’t expect the council to remain unfazed by the amount of destruction he will create.” Reine responded.
The Ares exo smashed its way into through an imposing wall lined with a black alloy. Beyond the hole in the wall, Lith gazed upon a sphere of violet blue energy that crackled with electricity. Walls lined with turrets and red walls with tongues of flames surrounded the core. The fur on Lith’s body stood up from the change of charge in the atmosphere. The holographic vision out of the cockpit blurred.
“So this is one of the cores of the God-class mecha. It’s definitely well-guarded.” Lith noted to herself.
The turrets pointed towards Lith and fired a spray of yellow lasers aimed at the Ares Exo. Lith manipulated the controls on her dashboard, moving the exo’s arms in front of it and exuding an orange barrier. Lith felt the blows shake against her exo. She looked forward and smiled.
“So that’s how you want to play? Then I guess it’s time to fight fire with fire! Or should I say lasers with Overheat?”
She gripped a black handle on the left arm of her seat and pushed it forwards. Two arched bars shot out from the shoulder blades of the Ares Exo and lit up with orange flames with an appearance of a phoenix’s wings. The Ares Exo flew above the surface and allowed for its wings to billow up and expand. The wings exploded into a tempest of flames, engulfing everything in its path. The core’s surface bubbled before bursting into non-existence.
“One core down… potentially many more to go.” Lith said in a perky tone.
Rainbow Dash’s javelin clashed against the female Van’Goth’s lance, bringing forth clashes of incandescent fire and electrifying voltage onto the battlefield. Rainbow Dash leaped over a sweeping strike from her opponent’s attack and dived towards her with a falling kick. The Van’Goth blocked it with her left arm and pushed the pegasus away from her. Rainbow Dash flipped backwards in the air and landed on her hooves.
“Well well, it seems like this alien puts up a good one on one fight.” Walking towards Rainbow Dash with imposing marching, the Van’Goth praised.
Rainbow Dash pulled out her sniper rifle and fired a bolt of concentrated wind and lightning towards the Van’Goth. The Van’Goth smacked the projectile to her right with her hand and walked towards Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth and charged towards the Van’Goth with her javelin in hoof. The Van’Goth smacked the lance out of Rainbow Dash’s hooves with her lance and pointed the sharp edge into Rainbow Dash’s neck.
“A lot of fight in you… I like that. Unfortunately for you, you happen to be in my way.”
A searing Flamethrower struck the Van’Goth’s bare back. Her eyes winced and she gritted her teeth. She looked towards the direction of the Fire-type move’s direction and witnessed Thunderlane holding a cannon with fresh smoke pouring out of its muzzle. Her stare intensified with the burn that she felt.
“I am not one to resort to petty anger, but no one burns me like that and lives!” She screamed.
Thunderlane flashed a cocky smile and walked towards her with stride in his gait. He holstered his cannon upon his back and pulled out a knife with a pink double-helix shape in it.
“Well, you’re gonna have to fight me first.” He said.
The Van’Goth sprinted towards Thunderlane with her eyes screaming bloody murder towards his direction. Rainbow Dash grasped her Javelin on the ground with her right front leg and stood on her hind legs. Rearing her body backwards, she chucked her burning Javelin towards the direction of the Van’Goth, impaling her through the burn on her back and out her chest. She looked back towards Rainbow Dash with her mouth frothing in scorn.
“You miserable wench! Attacking me when my back is turned?! Where is your sense of honor?!” She shouted.
“What about your sense of honor?! Going after an innocent family just for the pleasure of the kill? If you’re gonna be a hypocrite, then at least pretend about having a sense of honor.” Rainbow Dash responded.
“Besides, you won’t need honor where you’re going.” Stabbing the Van’Goth through her abdomen with his knife, Thunderlane said. “I hear that honor won’t give you the light you need to endure the stygian depths of Tartarus anyways.”
The Van’Goth slumped down onto her knees and fell onto her right side. Both Thunderlane and Rainbow Dash pulled their respective weapons out of the corpse. Rainbow Dash smiled and rubbed the back of her neck.
“Thanks for the save back there Thunderlane. Had you come a moment later, then I would have ended up as a shish-kebob.” She said.
“So does that mean I can take you out on a date after this battle?” Thunderlane asked with a chuckle and joking tone.
Rainbow Dash set her pupils into the sky, hummed and rubbed her jawline with her left front hoof. She looked towards Thunderlane and smiled.
“I’ll think about it. For now, I’ll just give you this as a deposit for that question.”
She leaned towards Thunderlane’s face and planted a small kiss on his left cheek. Thunderlane’s face burned with a red blush. His eyes shot open and his ears stood on their ends, wiggling to the beat of his beating heart. He smiled and rubbed his left cheek.
“So if I don’t hear back from you after this battle, then I will just take this kiss for myself.” He said.
Rainbow Dash knocked her right front hoof into Thunderlane’s right shoulder and grinned.
“Just be sure to come back alive after this fight.” She said.
Sophia and As leaped with lithe steps across the battlefield, avoiding enemy fire and strikes from all directions. Seeing incoming fire heading towards their direction, they spun in the air and moved their bodies away from the line of fire. With no lag in their step, the duo retaliated with Shadow Ball and Night Slash and knocked away their opposition. The duo stood hip to hip on opposite sides, gazing upon the hordes of soldiers that stabbed through the last of the Equusian operatives.
“These soldiers don’t really let up in their assault, do they?” Panting between words, As complained.
“With the amount of fire on our backs at nearly every second, we don’t have much time to manage in between their cooldowns. We either take that time to rest so we can dodge or attack for the chance of reducing their enemy force’s attack intervals. Either way, we have to keep holding up to the assault until we either get reinforcements or the school is evacuated completely.” Sophia spurted out in a focused tone.
The streams of projectiles fired at the duo from around them. Both As and Sophia leaped upwards and brought their respective left and right upper and lower feet against each other. Seeing the line of fire approached them, the two Pokémon leaped off of each other from their feet and split into two directions.
As sprinted forwards with her body shimmering in a pink light. She lunged towards a Van’Goth soldier and began clawing and biting the soldier. A cloud of dust veiled the assault. The Van’Goth around the brawl began firing in the cloud of dust. The dust settled down, revealing the assaulted Van’Goth’s armor and body riddled with bullet wounds and As left unscathed.
“You all have terrible aim, you know that?” As taunted.
On the other side of the field, Sophia fired a Moonblast into the sky and leaped into it. Basked in its radiant light, her body became a black silhouette and she held her right front leg and left hind leg out with a graceful pose. The energy from the Moonblast dissipated within her, illuminating her with a pink energy.
“Now it’s time for the grand appearance of my Sylph Charge!” Sophia announced.
She sprinted towards the nearest Van’Goth who gunned her and leaped towards the soldier’s chest. She flipped half a revolution forward and slammed her hind feet square into the torso of her target. The Van’Goth’s feet slid back, but it slammed its assault rifle into Sophia. Sophia smirked and spun onto her feet. Her pink aura peaked in height three times its previous size.
A Moonblast filled within Sophia’s mouth, expanding by each frame of the second until it became the size of a planet. She threw it downwards, throwing all surrounding soldiers away. She looked behind her, where she saw a squad of enemy mechas the size of Neo Canterlot’s houses that marched into the battle. Her smirk undid itself and formed into a frown. Three of the mechas pointed their arm cannons towards the Sylveon.
“Ohhhh… those are some heavy guns that are coming from the enemy reinforcements.” She murmured with a muted voice. “This is going to suck.”
Seeing the cannon fill up with a purple light, Sophia sprinted away from the area with the fastest gait possible. The enemy mecha locked onto Sophia’s position and read her zigzag movements. The mecha looked towards its right, where a storm of missiles appeared in its line of sight. It disabled the energy within its cannon and held its right arm above its face. The missiles exploded, veiling its line of sight in a black smoke.
Beyond the smoke, Joker’s mecha and Inge rushed towards the group of mechas at a breakneck speed. Joker’s mecha socked another mecha across the face with a burning fist, knocking the head off and causing it to explode. Inge leaped into a mecha’s visor and vanished into its hardware. The mecha’s body became wreathed with electricity before slumping forwards and shorting out. Inge leaped out of the mecha before it exploded.
“Yeah! Two down!” Inge called out.
“Inge, you know what to do.” Joker said.
Inge’s eyes turned red and her pupils formed into crosshairs that locked onto a mecha. She fired a Zap Cannon towards the target in her sights, blasting it into the sky. The electricity made its way into the mecha’s joints, separating them into fragments.
Sophia looked behind her and saw all of the mechas focusing on Joker and Inge. She smiled with a sense of security hoisting itself upon her.
“Thank you for the assistance. I did not look forward to being a victim of overkill.” She said.
As leaped towards Sophia with her fur scuffled and a bruise over her right shoulder.
“Overkill is our specialty.” She said with a proud tone. “Also, it’s not a good idea to taunt the other soldiers. I forget that they can still hit me physically with their guns.”
One of the mechas fighting against Joker and Inge looked towards As and Sophia’s direction and sprinted across the battlefield towards their direction. A storm of missiles fired from its shoulders. Then, an orb of yellow electricity fired from a needle on its abdomen and aimed towards the two Pokémon. The missiles coordinated themselves into an arrow formation.
Fei, Rarity and Keldeo leaped from the horizon and sprinted towards the assault of projectiles aimed towards Sophia and As. Keldeo’s horn illuminated with a brilliant light and expanded to the size of a pole. He swung his head and struck half of the missiles with his horn. Rarity conjured a storm of crystal shards and collided with the rest of the missiles, destroying them in a storm of diamond dust.
Fei leaped in front of the electrical orb and curled his right fist. His right arm flashed with a blue light. With a loud roar, he struck the orb with the entirety of his right arm. The resulting friction sparked with a lightning storm. The power flowing through Fei’s arm forced the orb backwards and into the mecha, absorbing it within its power. Fei landed on his feet. Heavy breathing permeated from his mouth.
“I’m… never doing that again. My Spirit Beat isn’t even meant to reflect projectiles.” He said in between breaths.
“Fei!” Running towards the Mienshao, Sophia shouted.
Fei turned around and found his body wrapped around Sophia’s crushing upper legs.
“I’m glad you’re safe too Sophia.” He grunted out.
“So how is one of my favorite beings handling this battle?” She asked with a cheery voice.
“I got saved by a mysterious Absol, so I’m grateful for that. Then the three of us are here to provide reinforcements. Please tell me that there are more survivors.”
As pointed her head towards her left, setting her sights on the graveyard of fallen operatives. She shut her eyes and shook her head.
“Too little too late. Outside of Joker and Inge, we are the only other operatives that are alive here.” She said.
Keldeo frowned and stomped his right front hoof onto the ground. He clenched his teeth and looked away from the scene of dead bodies.
“These Van’Goths don’t screw around with their assault, do they?” He asked. “It’s almost… it’s almost like how the Pokémon of my world were wiped out by the hands of a prideful god.”
Sophia whirled her head to her right and cocked it with lowered eyes.
“A prideful god? It’s strange, but that feels awfully familiar to me.”
“Let us not talk about the Demiurge. I wish to clear my memories of such an awful being.” Walking away with a gait of displeasure in her step, Rarity announced.
Sophia’s eyes glanced towards Rarity, who ambled without a straight focus on the path in front of her. Sophia caught a glimmer at the corner of a nearby alley and saw three red-ended darts tipped with a black liquid. Without a step out of rhythm, she sprinted towards Rarity and pushed her flank to the side and knocked her away.
Rarity’s eyes bolted open from the sudden shove. She laid witness to Sophia’s eyes and mouth widening from the sudden stab of the three darts that struck the jugular vein in her neck. A silent gasp escaped from Rarity’s mouth.
“Sophia!” Running to her side, Rarity shouted.
Sophia’s vision blurred and her legs wobbled with a sudden wave of atrophy washing over her body. She fell onto the ground. As, Fei and Keldeo sprinted towards her side with light speed in their steps. Their eyes lit up with red danger sirens. Fei plucked out the darts in Sophia’s neck and brought his hands around Sophia’s shoulders. He began shaking her with a firm grip.
“Sophia! Are you alright?!” He shouted with panic running through his voice.
Sophia directed her eyes onto Fei’s face. She let out a weak frown and anguished cry.
“F-Fei? I… can’t feel… my body. It’s getting… a bit harder… to breathe. I don’t… want to die…” She whispered between labored breaths.
“Don’t die Sophia! You will make it! You just have to hold on until we get medical help for you!” Fei shouted. With tears pooling within his eyes, he let out a small grunt. “Damn you Arceus! Don’t take away another one of my family! Please!”
“She will be alright Fei. I can guarantee that.”
Fei’s eyes shot open and he turned his head around, where the Absol walked down towards the group with a calm demeanor on her face.
“You again… and you defeated all of the Van’Goth you faced?!” Fei shouted with surprise in his voice.
The Absol approached Fei’s side and took the darts on the ground. She examined the black liquid on them.
“These darts are tipped with a lethal chemical compound that quickly causes organ tissue to degenerate when injected into the bloodstream. Multiple organ failure occurs shortly after followed by death. Considering this young Fairy-type’s weakness to Poison, she will be experiencing the effects quicker than average.” She explained.
As’s stoic stance faltered upon hearing the words of the Absol. She bore her teeth, narrowed her eyes and growled. She walked up towards the Absol and stared into her eyes.
“How can you be so calm when one of my friends is suffering and dying here?! We have to get her to a hospital right now!!!” As screamed.
“I have already alerted the medical staff at H.O.R.S.E. about this scenario. I gave them the instructions on how to treat Sophia’s particular poisoning.” The Absol explained.
“Wait, what?! You saw this coming? Just who are you?” Keldeo shouted.
“Perhaps it would be best if you do not interrogate me and bring your friend to the Medical Division at H.O.R.S.E. as quickly as possible?” The Absol responded with a hint of wit in her tone.
Fei lifted Sophia onto both of his shoulders and secured his arms around her shoulders and hips with a firm lock. He sprinted down the path alongside As and Rarity. Keldeo stared at the group running for a moment; his mind gravitated towards the Absol, but his legs shook with the urge of running towards the opposite direction.
“Fine, but you better tell me who you are after we are out of this crisis!” He demanded.
“I can uphold that promise.” The Absol said.
Keldeo sprinted ahead of the group with quick hooves and maintained a good distance away, maintaining the focal point of the spear’s point. The Absol looked towards the darts with a frown on her face.
“It seems that the wheel of fate is turning...”
Twilight Sparkle fired a myriad of large beams from her horn against the enemy mechas and forces, dropping them down to a mere fraction of their invading force. The Hermes Exo sprinted across the God-class mecha’s left arm, stabbing its way into the armor with its photon sword and tearing through the buttery steel with finesse. It leaped onto the other arm several miles away from the arm it was on with the blink of an eye and continued its assault. Coloratura looked upon the battle from a nearby watchtower and gazed in awe at the action before her.
“Wow… H.O.R.S.E. is much stronger than I thought it was. Despite the odds that we are facing against, they aren’t giving up in the slightest. They’re even staging a powerful counteroffensive against the enemy. I wish… I wish I could be that strong. I wish I could have the power to protect those precious to me.” She mused to herself.
Applejack and the other H.O.R.S.E. operatives continued their relentless use of assault fire, shooting down all leftover Van’Goth forces marching towards them. She smiled and looked back towards her team.
“Keep firin'! Shoot with all you have the moment the Van’Goth hit the whites of your eyes!” She declared.
The numbers of the Van’Goth dissipated, leaving only the God-class mecha standing. The giant mecha fired a storm of beams from its visor, lighting up the ground below with a rave of death. Feeling the pressure from the lasers hit her, Twilight Sparkle kneeled and turned her head away.
“Not even that can quell my rage! I’ll make sure that this metallic contraption and all of the enemy forces are crushed by my hooves!” She shouted.
“Woah Twi! Chill!” Applejack called out. “I’m not sure what that Mega Evolution’s doin’ to your head, but I ain’t liking it.”
Hearing Applejack’s words, sanity cleared Twilight Sparkle’s mind. She blinked and looked around her. She set her sights on Mono, who zipped across the titan in his Hermes Exo. She clenched her teeth and ran along the arm of the mecha. She aimed her horn towards its head, firing a storm of lasers from its tip. The mecha brought its opposite hand towards its face, blocking all of the lasers.
Twilight Sparkle eyes the glowing lines running through its body and saw them weaken in intensity. She slowed down and felt the God-class mecha’s body trembling. The Hermes Exo’s body stopped moving and hovered in place. Behind the cockpit, Mono’s eyes scanned the vibrations of the titan. The screen of the Hermes Exo picked up an influx of energy rising from the chest.
“It’s about to blow up!” Mono shouted.
“What?! Blow up?!”
Twilight Sparkle’s horn flashed. Her body vanished from the arm in an instant. She warped back towards the ground and looked upon the collapsing God-class Mecha. The Ares Exo burst from the left shoulder of the titan and flew towards the outskirts of the city. Debris rained from the sky with the finality of an apocalypse.
Twilight Sparkle and the magic users of the squad below erected a multi-colored barrier that covered half of Neo Canterlot. The rain of debris shattered underneath the force of the shield. The Hermes Exo and Ares Exo ducked and weaved along the debris, racing towards the ground at blurring speeds. Lith glanced towards Mono’s hologram and let out a focused stare.
“Mono, we’re going to have to prepare for a crash impact. We’re going to have to do an emergency evacuation.” She said.
“Are you sure? I mean, these exos are on a direct collision course with the shield.” Mono responded with a worried tone.
“Correction; your exo is on a direct collision course with the shield. Mine is aimed towards the western plain. It’s not too late to adjust your path.” Lith explained.
Mono tapped a series of button of the dashboard of his chair’s arm. His cockpit let out three beeps and loosened his seat. The back door of the cockpit opened. Mono’s seat flew out of the exo, ejecting him into the sky. A white parachute deployed from the back of the seat, allowing it to glide towards the ground. He glanced towards his right and gazed at Lith, who sat in her seat with a relaxed smile and had a white parachute deployed from the seat. She waved towards him.
“I see you are enjoying the ride.” Mono said.
“It’s not exactly skydiving, but it’ll have to do.” Lith responded.
Mono felt a burning ripple within the confines of his mind. He winced and brought his right upper paw onto his head. His eyes drifted towards the sky above Lith, where they met with a shadow that sprinted along the storm of debris and lunged towards the female Meowstic. His eyes sparked with determination and resolve filled his soul. He pressed on his seat’s buckle, releasing him from the seat. He leaped off of his seat and hopped across a falling bridge of debris.
Lith glanced towards Mono and felt her heart grip with anxiety. She pressed on her seat’s buckle and leaped out of her seat.
“Mono! You’re gonna get yourself killed!” She shouted.
“Get out of there Lith! It’s targeting you!” Mono screamed.
“What's targeting me?” She asked with a confused tone.
Mono pounced towards Lith and pushed her away with his upper paws. Lith let out a surprised grunt and clambered onto a stray sheet of metal. Her eyes set themselves upon a creeping shadow above Mono and formed into a claw. The claw gripped onto Mono’s torso and pulled him into the stratosphere. A frown agape with shock and eyes illuminated with worry filled Lith’s face. She held her right front paw out towards Mono.
“Mono!” She shouted.
She fired a Charge Beam towards the base of the claw, but it missed. The fire in Lith's eyes froze over and her heart broke. She looked away from the scene with closed eyes and her lips sealed into a frown.