Chapter 1

The titanic form of MechaCelestia loomed over the night clad Canterlot, taller than the city highest spires. Twilight and her friends watched in despair, knowing that with the impending sunrise, the robotic alicorn would have all the power it needed to enslave Equestria.

“How much longer do we have?” Twilight asked Princess Celestia.

Celestia took a deep breath. Having her powers stolen had certainly taken its toll on her, enough that even trying to judge the position of the Sun was a chore. “Seven minutes at most. It pains me to admit, but the day is lost. We must retreat to the Everfree, maybe organize a resistance. With some work, we should be able to find a weakness in that monster’s armor.”

“And leave all others to this fate?” Rainbow snapped back. “There are thousands trapped inside the mountain right now. What do you think will happen when she absorbs that much sunlight? Are you willing to let half of Canterlot just–”

Twilight’s hoof mercifully interrupted her speech. Celestia just couldn’t reply, tears barely held back in her impotent eyes.

“We should at least try something else,” Twilight said. “If we give it a last shot, it should be easier not to regret what we will have to do next.”

Willing to try anything, her friends got into formation, and magic old as time swirled around them. A mighty rainbow blast flew, as powerful as any before, striking the gigantic robot square on. It barely flinched, too busy in hastening the arrival of the sun to even spare a glance to the source of the annoyance..

Twilight sunk in despair. “We can’t do this, its magical defenses are too strong!” An idea instantly made itself clear on her face. “Of course, we need something physical! Maybe if we hit it with the Moon–”

A pink hoof touched her shoulders, breaking that line of thought.

“Pfftblt?” said Fluffle Puff.

“What!? Of course I can, but what good will it do?”

“Pbbffftlllt!”

“Maybe. But I can’t guarantee your safety.”

“Pffbblt,” she replied stoically.

Seeing no other alternative, Twilight cast a complex set of spells, each simple on their own right, but layered as to have a much larger effect. Her work done, she teleported herself and her friends to a safe distance. Meanwhile, Fluffle Puff’s fluffy pink coat had started growing uncontrollably, and in seconds she was little more than an enormous pony shaped ball of fur, enough to match MechaCelestia’s size.

Even the drastic transformation wasn’t enough to catch her opponent’s attention; she had the element of surprise. With no time to lose, she propelled herself high, aiming a flying kick at the enemy. She crashed into the unaware robot square in the back, sending it flying over a group of vacated buildings.

That would catch its attention.

She was still trying to regain balance, when MechaCelestia suddenly flipped itself up and, faster than thought, rocketed back with the aid of its wings, its body compacted into a tight, deadly ball.

Fluffle Puff didn’t even have time to brace herself, as the metal giant stuck her with the force of a meteor. But, instead of being sent flying, she stood her ground, her massive fur dampening the strike. the only proof that an attack happened was a depression in her coat, which quickly fixed itself. Laughing at this newfound ability, she tried a counter strike, but the robot dashed out of range, proving itself too fast for her.

They watched each other with intense concentration, trying to solve the stalemate.

With time against her, Fluffle Puff rushed forward recklessly, but before she could reach the robot, a ball of pure sunlight struck her dead-on, leaving a smoldering crater in her fur. It grew back slowly, but she was unable to do anything besides hide behind a building, a continuous barrage of spells pinning her down. Eager to finish, the robot charged its horn. Fluffle Puff had a split second to dodge, as a massive beam tore right through her cover, carving a gouge on the ground, and leaving a burning path in her fur.

“Are you ok?” Twilight said telepathically.

「はい。計画は考えた。次のストライクが俺を守るよ。」 Fluffle Puff answered back, the telepathy allowing her to communicate without her speech impediment.

“Shielding you from that will take a lot from me. Make it count.”

The pink pony charged, her footsteps shaking the earth. With clear disdain, MechaCelestia showered the crumbling city with powerful solar rays. Using all her agility, the furry dynamo bobbed and weaved through the barrage, occasionally throwing some of the rubble to intercept the attacks.

With great effort, she managed to close the distance, only to be met with a triumphant look from her foe. MechaCelestia charged an even more powerful spell in seconds, leaving her no time to dodge at this range. The thick beam flew, exploding in front of its foe with a massive fireball, but before the thing could even begin to celebrate, a pink form jumped unscathed from the conflagration.

Leaving no time for a reaction, Fluffle Puff hugged the robotic alicorn tight, trapping her wings. She jumped as high as she could, holding her helpless foe all the way up. She then twisted at the apex, forcing the robot to strike the ground horn first, leaving her stuck and stunned.

It was the perfect opportunity, but as she tried to stand up, her body faulted and collapsed, exhausted from the maneuver. She could only watch helpless, knowing that the first rays of would soon appear from the too-bright horizon.

Before despair could take hold, she felt her fur glow, strange patterns spreading through her body. She looked back, and saw the Mane 6 channeling their Rainbow Power into her, all their strength in this last gambit.

“We don’t need you, MechaCelestia,” the real Celestia’s voice boomed. “Ponykind has always survived through love and harmony, and nothing you do will ever change that. Your alien masters will have to learn that ponykind will move into the future, but that future won’t include you!”

Fluffle Puff felt fully charged, all her strength renewed and more. She drove her front hooves into the ground, before loudly calling her attack. “Pfftbbl, pffblt!”

Her hind legs lashed out, all the hopes and dreams of Equestria powering them. They connected, a rainboom accompanying each, a strike that shook the robotic frame. Its midriff took the brunt of the force, leaving deep dents in the metal plating. It twisted and creaked, the solid frame doing a formidable job of keeping the whole together, until with a sickening crack, the horn broke off, sending the robot to crash against the mountain side.

Her body slumping, Fluffle Puff allowed herself a little rest. Looking back at her friends, she could see they were clearly spent. She slowly looked up to her fallen opponent, who had landed over a kilometer from its broken horn. The robot was severely beaten up, its wings bent in an awkward shape, its legs folded in a way unsupported by pony anatomy.

But, despite it all, it started to twitch. The legs suddenly stood right up of their own accord, before the rest of the body followed, the robot standing fully erect. With the added height, the monstrosity towered over Giga Fluffle Puff, its head almost as tall as the mountain top.

“Now you did it,” MechaCelestia said, its voice full of hatred. “Insignificant little pony. You grow a little bit, land one hit or two, and think yourself my equal? Pathetic fool, your power is nothing for one who has walked amongst the stars, more ancient than your minds can ever comprehend! Behold, this is my true form!”

The robot walked slowly, casually crushing houses on its wake. Fluffle Puff stood guard, desperately trying to find a solution after her energy expenditure. Finally, her enemy reached the fallen horn, buried deep into Canterlot’s foundations, and removed it with a single swift motion. In its grasp the horn extended, flattened, its spirals looking wicked sharp. Almost dismissively, it swung its new formed blade, cleanly cutting a nearby building in half.

“No amount of fur can save you now, you stupid animal!” MechaCelestia lunged at Fluffle Puff, skewering her right through. With unparalled savagery, it proceeded to quickly and ruthlessly chop the fur ball into increasingly smaller segments… until a pillow broke its concentration.

“Pff~blt!” said an unscathed Fluffle Puff, happily bouncing away while throwing pillows at her foe.

“Stand still, you aberration!” said MechaCelestia, hacking away wildly at the flying pillows. A few hit, but despite its reaction, the pillows did little but annoy, being barely enough to even block its view.

“Enough!” bellowed MechaCelestia, its voice triggering an avalanche. With a swift motion, a wall of pure energy surged from its horn-blade, incinerating all pillows on the way. Leaving no time for reaction, the magic then focused on a single bean, which pierced through both Fluffle Puff and the mountain instantly. However, she quickly noticed that she had hit just one of many, whom all proceeded to simultaneously pounce against the robot.

“Well,” said Rainbow Dash, “looks like she got all under control.”

“No, Rainbow,” replied Twilight Sparkle, concern clear in her voice. “That is pure desperation. She knows that, no matter what she does, she can’t even dent that armor! I doubt that any power in Equestria is great enough to face that thing.”

Meanwhile, MechaCelestia had burned through the army of clones, its body incandescent, hot enough to warp the air around it. The real Giga Fluffle Puff kept her distance, using her fur to grab and propel as much of the rubble as she could reach, but it was to no avail. The flying rocks were like gnats to an elephant. Suddenly, the robot charged, colliding with Fluffle Puff, but other than some singed fur, the attack did nothing: her natural barrier was still effective.

“I will turn you into a rug!” it bellowed, hacking away at the evading pink ball, who morphed and escaped in unpredictable patterns. The attacks grew more and more frantic, the swings wider, until Fluffle Puff found the perfect opening, and with a precise hoof, she booped the robot’s nose, so hard that she was sent flying.

But that didn’t even earn her a respite, as it instantly stood up. “You think you can handle me? You dare to challenge one who rules the skies!” Its great metallic wings unfurled, and with a single flap the robot was up, a colossus twirling amongst the clouds.

Fluffle Puff scampered for cover, but was quickly stopped, barely sidestepping a swing that came out of nowhere, accompanied by a blast of air. She turned to look at her foe, but soon only felt a searing pain, as a clump of her fur fell to the ground. She tried to jump, twirl, deform, but it was to no avail, she simply couldn’t keep her foe in sight. Soon her new body was riddled with uneven cuts, her fur strewn amongst the ruined streets. Each gash smoldered, as to impede regrowth, and soon even movement started to prove itself almost impossible.

Suddenly, the attacks stopped. Fluffle Puff looked up, and found the robot hovering above the town, its blade pointed up and emitting a blinding light.

“Such a worthless foe. Be consumed by sunlight!” MechaCelestia pointed its blade towards Fluffle Puff, but before the thick beam could vaporize her, it was interrupted by a shield. She spared a look to the side, to see Twilight and Celestia fall unconscious, the dregs of their considerable magical might spent to block this single attack.

“So, the ants still stir? No matter! You see this light? It is the sun. You shall be the first ones to be blessed by my new power. I will vaporize you alongside this whole mountain!” MechaCelestia started to glow, absorbing the incoming sun rays. Its armor seemed to fix itself, and soon it stood untouched, a pristine warrior of light, its blade burning brighter than the sun above. “For my first act as ruler of this land, I sentence Canterlot to destruction, and its Princess with it!”

Suddenly, a warbling voice boomed across the sky, distracting the robot from its grim task. “If you think you can beat a Princess, then try a Queen!” At this, a green fire ball crashed into Fluffle Puff, engulfing her in its warm glow.

“Nothing can hold this back!” screamed MechaCelestia. With a trust, the robot launched its powerful attack, a beam as thick as Canterlot Castle hitting Fluffle Puff straight on… only to be stopped by a single outstretched hoof, bristling with green energy.

“What? Impossible! No power in Equestria could ever match mine!” it said, not daring to believe the reality in front of its eyes.

“Pfftblt. Pffffblt, Pfffbltffbltp!” said Fluffle Puff, her wounds fixing themselves. She stood upright, and her legs, previous stumpy, were now long and riddled with holes.

“She is right,” said the voice from before. “There is a power in this world strong enough to rival any other.” At this, two pairs of gossamer wings exploded from Fluffle Puff’s back.

Queen Chrysalis’ voice rang clear for all Equestria to hear. “The power of our love!”

“It’s Giga Chrissy Puff!” screamed Derpy.

She rocketed towards the sky, her seemingly flimsy wings making short work of her great bulk. MechaCelestia swung, trying with all its might to cleave its foe in two, but to no avail: She was fast enough to dodge even the most unpredictable of swings. The two danced around the Canterlotian sky, fur and metal twisting in an ever more frantic ballet, dodges and strikes in perfect symmetry until, alas, one had to fail. Dodging a particularly large swing, Fluffle Puff managed to cripple one of its wings with a single, well placed punch.

“Gah!” screamed MechaCelestia, as a quick follow-up took care of its remaining wing, leaving the robot stranded helpless in the sky.

It aimed its body for a quick return to earth but no respite would come. Fluffle Puff grabbed one of the robotic legs, spinning and spinning ever faster, momentum gathering inexorably. The evil robot could barely comprehend what was happening to it, until finally...

“Pffblt!” MechaCelestia got launched, flying straight upwards, completely out of control in its path towards the stratosphere. Fluffle Puff then summoned a gigantic pillow, a pillow that carried with it all the hopes of Equestria. She cradled it in her front hooves, where it started glowing brightly with Chrissy’s green magic.

MechaCelestia, flying heedless through the sky, had only enough time to see that impossible pillow approaching, propelled with the purest love magic. A single thought, Fair enough, was all she could articulate before the end.

From all parts of Equestria a massive explosion could be seen, a bright flash high above Canterlot. Fluffle Puff had a front seat for the spectacle, but she couldn’t even appreciate it. All she could see is that she was shedding her fur, falling alongside an unconscious Chrysalis.

They had won.

She could finally rest.

She hugged the former Changeling Queen, and entwined, the two mares fell to the ground amidst a shower of feathers and robot parts.

Fluffle Puff slowly opened her eyes. She was in a white room, Chrysalis sleeping peacefully at her side. She wanted to dismiss all she had seem as a dream, but a quick peek out the window showed her the ruined Canterlot, busy with the aftermath of her battle. She had just returned to bed, when the door opened to reveal Princess Celestia.

“Oh, you are awake,” said the Princess. “I am glad to see you recovering so fast.”

“Pfffbtlt,” she replied.

“I see. Fluffle Puff, we are all indebted to you.” Without hesitation the Princess bowed before Equestria’s new hero, her head scraping the ground, the deepest gratitude etched on her face.

*Gasp!* “Pfftrbl!”

“No need to be so modest. And yes, I won’t give you a medal or anything. Let’s say we call you our silent protector? Like a Superhero!”

Fluffle Puff beamed at that, her infectious smile making the Princess giggle.

“Please thank Chrysalis for me. She won’t ever admit it, but she is a hero too. I have to go now, but at the very least, accept this small gift.” Princess Celestia had barely set the box filled with tacos on the ground and Fluffle Puff was already in it, swimming in her favourite food. She closed the door, leaving her to rest.

Canterlot was in shambles, and in the coming months, much work would be needed in order to set things right. There would be changes coming, Equestria wasn’t alone in the universe anymore, but for now, Celestia was only happy to partake in this beautiful day, brought in by the most unsuspecting of heroes. And despite all the reasons, despite all the pain, she could always take solace on a single, shining truth:

Equestria prevailed.

Author's Note:

Originally written for the October 2014 write-off, with the prompt "Just Over the Horizon"

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