//------------------------------//
// Awakening 
// Story: Battlemech Equestria 
// by Tau22 
//------------------------------//

A clash of wills. The sky lit up with energy. The scraping of metal against metal. She could remember these things vividly, even after... she could not tell how long it had been. Her slumber could have easily lasted years, but also just mere days. The dreams and visions that kept her company did not really make it easy to tell.

She was there again, on the hilltop, watching the battle rage in the skies above. Two metal titans danced a deadly waltz among the clouds, illuminating the sky with brilliant, colourful death. The final clash came, far more intense and terrifying than any other before it. The ground quaked terribly and gave way under her hooves without warning. The sacred duel had ended, one way or the other. And her consciousness soon followed.

And then... a new sound, unfamiliar and curious. The whirr of machinery, coupled with the hiss of air. She suddenly felt a light, cool breeze caress her skin. The visions and dreams faded, replaced by single, powerful urge.

To wake up.

Her eyes shot open and she gasped. Relatively fresh air sent a chill through her entire body as it entered her lungs. Instinctively, she sat up and immediately regretted it. Every single muscle in her body ached from the sudden movement. Her horn felt like it could burst. The bodysuit clung to her skin like a leech. She groaned and finally opened her eyes. Her sight was muddy and distorted for a good few seconds.

The chamber was a... no, mess was an understatement. The various devices and machinery around her seemed to have broken down due to disrepair. Entire layers of dust and debris covered every nearby item. She was sitting in some sort of pod, the only thing still operational within the entire area. And then there was the figure.

Standing tall on two hooves, they were an intimidating sight. Wrapped from head-to-toe in a sealed suit of armour, its design not quite like anything the sleeper remembered, a sizeable emblem in the shape of a three red apples rested on their shoulder pads. In her hands, a long, intimidating weapon was held, a rifle of some sort. The other spoke with a deep, but still distinctly feminine voice:
"Uhh, howdy. Can ya' hear me?"
She winced again as her muscles protested against any movement, but gathered her resolve. Her first attempts produced little more than grunts, but she finally managed to clear her throat and reply with just a tinge of fear:
"Y-yes."
"Are ya', by any chance, Lady Twilight Sparkle?"

The two words immediately jogged her memories. The answer was clear as day:
"Yes."
The other seemed to sigh with relief and she rested her rifle:
"Whoooowie, ya' can't imagine how good that is ta' hear," she spoke again, but it didn't seem that she was talking to her, "this is Honesty, Ah've found her," a brief chatter from the other side, "alright, hold out, we're comin'," then she addressed Twilight directly again, "listen, can ya' walk?"
She found that even moving her legs required a great deal of effort:
"No. Not yet, anyway."
"Right, thought that might be the case. Come on, Ah'll help ya'. We don't have much time."

Honesty extended her hand towards her and hesitated. They shared a look and Twilight finally asked:
"Why do we have to leave?"
"We need to get outta' here before any more find us."
"Any more what," she started, panic evident in her voice, "what's after us?"
"Move first, questions with long answers later. Ah promise Ah'll answer everything later, got it?"

Twilight wanted to protest, but there was something about the other's voice. Somehow she just knew Honesty was... oh, how fitting, actually. Was that how this pony had gotten her call sign? At least, she hoped it was a codename of sorts. It was a rather poor name in the generic sense.

She took the soldier's hand. The mare possessed remarkable strength and hefted her out of the pod as if she were a toy. Then, her apparent rescuer held her up as she hopped, rather than walked along, wincing as her hooves protested.

Together, they trudged through the facility. Each new corridor seemed more derelict and forgotten than the last. She couldn't but spot what looked like bones among the rubble, along with signs of battle damage. Most probably artillery. The thought sent a chill down her spine. Finally, a light appeared in the distance and the two redoubled their efforts.

They emerged on the surface. A powerful wind blew Twilight's long, violet hair into her face, even as her matching eyes scanned the landscape. Dry earth, rock and desolation. She gasped from the sight and asked:
"Where are we?"
Her companion looked down at her and spoke with a grim tone:
"Equestria. Former Principality of Crystal."

It was like a punch to the gut. She still remembered the majestic towers which had stretched high into the sky, visible for dozens of miles. The endless snow which had surrounded  them. It was all gone. Everyone was.
"H-how long was I...?"
"Too long, sugarcube," such a cute name for someone. Without warning, a mighty roar sounded above them. Twilight glanced up just in time to see a large, azure form pass overhead, its rocket boosters blazing with a wide array of colours. Three more forms, thin and frightening, followed, clearly in pursuit, "aw, hay. Come on, it's not far!"

She wasn't lying. Just around the corner, a humanoid colossus awaited in slumber. Painted a vibrant shade of orange, the massive battlemech was easily two stories high. One of the biggest Twilight had ever seen, its armour plating alone was probably heavier than a lighter mech. Much to her surprise, it did not seem to possess any obvious armament. Hurriedly, they rushed towards the mechanical giant.
The plating on its torso was slid to the side, revealing the mech's cockpit. It even seemed to have an extra space for a passenger, conveniently enough. Honesty quickly helped her get inside, before assuming her own space in the proper pilot seat. Within moments, the mech's torso closed up again and they found themselves in darkness.

Lights blinked on, the whirr and rattle of machinery filled the area as the alloy beast came to life. A dozen tiny screens flickered into existence, each showing different readings. All she could identify was some sort proximity scanner, then something equal to a power readout, finally a status screen for the entire machine. Finally, the visuals came online and Twilight immediately gasped.

The mech's cameras narrowed in on the target. Standing on a quartet of legs, it was thin, tall and reminded her of some monstrous insect forged out of metal, with no obvious head. The alloys were grey, muddied, unpainted. Their foe was purposefully built. No flair, no aesthetic design choices. Just pure, deadly function. Its arms moved into a ready position and she could already see energy gather within its weaponry. The pilot cursed:
"Gosh darnit," in the blink of an eye, the enemy was bathed in a dazzling display of destruction, its molten husk collapsing to the ground soon afterwards, "wha-?!"
A high-pitched, energetic voice suddenly sounded in the cockpit:
"Party pooper pooped! All clear, AJ!"
"Am Ah the only who bothers with the call signs anymore? But thanks. Let's get outta' here, girls," four other voices confirmed the notion, before 'AJ' turned to her, "hey, sugarcube?"
"Yes?"
"Watch the scanner on your left there and strap yourself in. This is gonna' be a bumpy ride."

Twilight complied immediately. The metal giant stirred and the world trembled beneath its feet. The first few steps were slow and purposeful as Honesty got used to the terrain. Then, the mech's boosters kicked in and propelled them forward. Immediately, Sparkle glanced towards the indicated screen.

A handful of green dots could be seen, with words and numbers that indicated their status above. Laughter, Loyalty, Generosity, Kindness. All within three hundred metres, all with the status 'Operational'. Red dots liberally littered the remainder of the display, swarming the area in search of prey. Two were even heading for... she called out:
"Two incoming, 11 o'clock!"
"Roger," the mech's torso swivelled around to face the insect terrors, "let's play rough."

Her attention kept moving between the camera feed and the other screens. Power was being diverted to the arm actuators and the weapon systems housed within. They charged to meet the enemy and Twilight thought they would surely crash. Yet even as the bugs readied massive, scythe-like talons, Honesty struck like lightning. Her mech's fist thrust forward, crackling with energy. This power was released on impact in a mighty shockwave, tearing the attacker apart in a single strike and punting its friend aside as if they were made of paper. The pilot cried out:
"Take that!"
"Nice hit!"
"Serves 'em right!"

There seemed to be no end to the things, though. More and more appeared on the very edge of detection range with each passing moment. The five allies seemed to be grouping up over time in preparation for a dramatic escape. It was then that a massive new dot appeared on the screen. For a moment, the unicorn thought it was a mistake. Then, she looked at the visual and her jaw dropped.

A massive new form had dug itself out of the ground. Crab-like in appearance, the robot's central torso was little more than a housing for a truly titanic weapon. And by the detected energy signature, it was getting ready to fire. Honesty gave an immediate order:
"Spread out!"
Twilight glanced at the approaching hordes on the radar and disagreed:
"No!"
"What in tarnation ya' mean, no?!"
"That's what they want. Spread out and we're individually easy pickings. Group up and give me access to the deflector system."
"Deflectors? There ain't no asteroid or tiny debris in..."
"Please," pilot and passenger met gazes, "trust me on this one."
The gaze lasted a few more moments, before she called the other pilots again:
"Scratch that. Everyone, form up behind me," confused chatter could be heard, "our friend has a plan."

Access granted. The green dots moved together as she accessed the systems themselves. Technological progress was amazing, as evidenced by the metal monster they were currently inside. But no matter how advanced it was, there was always something beyond the realm of scientific theories and findings.

The Arcane.





She was back on the tiny balcony again, gazing at the stars with the Sun by her side. She could identify the various constellations in a heartbeat and her mind referenced information about the systems where the stars were situated. Her tutor spoke once again:
"Do you feel it? Magic permeates through everything. Every particle in the universe is intertwined with it. That is why it can have such powerful effects where technology falters."
"Only if you have the ability to use it, though."
"That is true," the monarch chuckled, "and only if you have control of such powers. I think you have more than proven you are capable of such feats, however."
"Thank you, Princess," she stared at the stars above, "I can definitely feel it. Flowing through everything. A little transfer of energy and I could... do so many things."
"And that's just the tip of the iceberg, my student."





"How's it comin' along?"
"One more moment."
"Don't think we got one!"

She went over the entire system again to make sure she understood it. She most certainly did. As energy crackled around her horn, she spoke to the pilot:
"Stay on course, right at the enemy," amplify the actual shield, make sure not to overload underlying systems, a few arcane failsafes... become one with the flow. Her voice became almost ethereal, "ready."
"Here goes nothin'!"

The massive robot unleashed its payload, a crimson ray of annihilation easily larger than any of the squad's mechs. She could hear Honesty recite a brief prayer to Equinox. Finally, they clashed with the beam. Her mind wanted to vividly imagine the effects the beam would have had, but she pushed such idle thoughts aside. Concentration was utmost important. Even after so many years of slumber, one thing remained the same. Magic was strong with her.

The mech shuddered as the ray impacted an invisible wall. Twilight cried out as she felt the raw power of the attack, but remained firm. The cockpit was bathed in violet energy as she gave it her all. The entire clash clash lasted mere seconds, but it felt as if hours had passed. She slumped down into her chair, exhausted, as Honesty declared:
"Yeehaw! Let 'er rip! Aim fer the gun!"

The last thing Twilight remembered before passing out was a display of overwhelming firepower that turned the crab's torso into a smouldering husk.





"Focus, Twilight," Celestia's voice spread through the small, chamber, spreading from speakers mounted on the wall, "feel the shift in the flow and react. Just as I taught you."

Twilight rubbed her aching knee, where the training drone had struck. Even now, the machine gazed at her with its lifeless stare, its weapon at the ready. A lower-grade elecrtical weapon, its purpose was simple. To teach through pain. She stoop up again and met the construct's gaze. After a deep breath, she spoke:
"Ready."

The robot attacked immediately and she defended herself, forming small, short-lived shields of arcane power in the way of the shots. Far more efficient than a simple, sustained barrier. The automaton tried to throw her off, aiming for different spots, but this time... this time she was ready.

Some time passed and she stood there, gasping for air, but unharmed.

"Excellent progress, Twilight."





She was being shaken, gently, but firmly. Slowly, her eyes opened and she looked at the faceplate of Honesty's helmet, once more:
"Hey there. You feelin' okay?"
She lied:
"Y-yes," her body ached again, but she smiled. The mech wasn't moving, "where are we?"
"Home," she clicked a button on the side of her helmet and it opened up, revealing a friendly orange face with a handful of scars and a pair of beautiful, emerald eyes, "come on, lemme' help ya' get out."

It wasn't a long jump towards the plating, but for her weakened legs, it might as well have been two stories. Her new friend supported her, thankfully. She glanced up at the strong, honest pony and asked:
"I'm sorry, but I never asked for your name."
"Heh, well, ya' know my call sign, but name's," she casually pulled off her helmet, releasing a mane of short, unkempt blond hair from its prison, "Applejack. It's an honour, Lady Sparkle."
"Same here," she glanced over the area and commented, "I see the cavalry has arrived, as well."

They were in a mech hangar. The sheer size of the facility, along with the numerous colossi in storage, clearly indicated as much. A quartet of figures stood out from the surrounding hustle and bustle of the hangar, though she did notice a small crowd was gathering around... her position. Oh, dear.

They walked in a line, chatting with each other, each clad in a similar sealed armour to Applejack's. One stood out especially, as she had a hole in her helmet for a long, snow-white horn. The operatives closed the distance and actually gave her a little bow. Immediately, she felt flustered, but bowed in return. The leftmost of the group chuckled at that:
"I don't think that's how these formalities work, heh. What you did back there? Pretty darn radical."
"Yeah," came the excited, high-energy voice of Laughter, "spectabulous!"
"T-thank you," Twilight smiled, "without all of you, I'd still be locked in... the ruins." thinking of it still made her uncomfortable.

"Well, we would have maybe become toast without you, so I think that makes us even. I think some introductions are in order," she removed her helmet, revealing a striking mane possessing every colour of the rainbow, a pair of dark pink eyes, and a sky blue coat. She saluted as she recited, "Rainbow Dash, call sign Loyalty, shock assault and hit n' run expert. An honour, Lady Sparkle."

The second was Laughter. As soon as she removed her helmet, an illogically large mane of hair burst out of its confines, bubbly and rather chaotic. A wide grin lay plastered on her pink face and she winked at Twilight with one of her azure eyes:
"Pinkie Pie, call sign Laughter, heavy assault laser dazzle! Super duper to meet you, Lady Sparkle!"
"That is not your official designation." Rainbow chuckled and shook her head.

The third was the other unicorn. She very carefully removed her helmet. Underneath, a well-groomed, short violet mane awaited, brushed to the side to cover her right eye. The other dark blue eye was nestled among a snow white coat. Definitely a mare with a certain pazazz:
"Rarity, call sign Generosity, heavy fire support and artillery. An absolute delight to meet you, Lady Sparkle."

Finally, and with a hint of reluctance, the last team member took off her helmet. She seemed fairly timid overall, only giving Twilight a side glance with one teal eye, but she was quite pretty. Her short, pink mane looked wonderful next to her creamy yellow coat:
"U-umm, Fluttershy," her voice was a whisper tickling the ears, "call sign Kindness. C-chief engineer and defender. P-pleasure to meet you, Lady Sparkle."

All this Lady business was making her feel nervous:
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet all of you. And really, the Lady part is not necessary."
"You sure 'bout that, sugarcube? Ya' were the student of Princess Celestia before she..."
"She what?"
"Tarnation," Applejack seemed frustrated, "forgot ya' weren't exactly from... now? Princess Celestia she, uhh..."
"For the interest of time," Pinkie was suddenly just closer, without any obvious movement, "both Princessess disappeared a loooong time ago when they didn't get along! Then we had a few centuries of chaos and now we're being invaded!"
"Dis...appeared..." Twilight seemed to stare into space for a moment.

"Listen, guys," Rainbow cut through everyone, "this has gotta' be a lot for her. Let's let her rest and bring her to the Commander. She'll know how to explain everything better than us. That sound okay, Twilight?"
"Y-yes. I think so."
"Good. Applejack, take her there. Rest of us, we need some R n' R."

They said their goodbyes as Twilight and her guide headed deeper into the base, under the watchful eyes of every other pony inside. Twilight's mind was filled with questions and demanded answers.





Elsewhere entirely, nestled within a heart of metal, among the roar of reactors the size of countries, a figure stood, absorbing countless amounts of information about Their realm. A holographic map was projected into the massive chamber, depicting an area encompassing more than a dozen star systems. A robotic voice fed Them a constant stream of information:

"The Yucathan rebels have declared unconditional surrender exactly fifteen minutes and twenty-three seconds ago. The Halikar shipyards report the completion of their production and request new orders."
"And what of the crusaders? How go their efforts?" asked the ruler.
"Forces assigned to the Changeling Crusade report numerous successful deployments. Admiral Dazzle estimates victory within weeks. Your forces may then rejoin the Equestrian Pacification Effort."
"Excellent. Estimated chance of ultimate victory?"
"Ninety-nine point five percent, accounting for all conceivable, if extremely unlikely, apocalyptic scenarios, Your Brilliance."

They looked over the map once more, cocky and sure of victory. Then, one final message came:
"Defeat reported within bounds of the former Principality of Crystal. Sixty-five frames and one crustacean sentry reported destroyed. Five hostiles managed to escape."
"How did this happen?!" Their voice boomed and echoed within the chamber.
"Reports from other frames are still being compiled, Your Brilliance."
"Inform me of any developments at once."
"Yes, Your Brilliance."

That left a foul taste in Their mouth and far too many questions. Why ruffle through that waste? What were the rebels after?

Somehow, They knew They wouldn't have to wait too long for an answer.