Armored Core: Mutare Ad Custodiam

by Zeroraid

7

“Sunset…

“Sunset…”

“Come on shuga you gotta get up!

“Sunset!”

The first thing she‘s able to process when she comes back, is the taste of smoke on her tongue. It’s a disgusting taste, probably the worst thing she’s ever tasted in her entire life. When her eyes start to open she finds that the entire world is on its side, the sounds surrounding her are muted and clogged worse than a drain…

‘What happened?’ She’s not too sure, one second she’s grabbing trash and the next, she’s on the ground, the worlds on its side and things are blurry.

On impulse she closes her eyes, rolling slightly to be on her stomach as she groans, using her arm to push herself up off the ground.

Celestia, her body hurts; feels like she just got trampled by a bunch of racing stallions.

“Sunset!”

“Sunset!”

“Sunset!”

Opening her eyes she tries to look around, unfortunately, everything’s still blurry - a mess of smudged shapes and colors that are slowly coming apart. Can still barely hear a thing though… but it sounds like…

“Sunset!”

“Get it together!”

Was someone calling out to her?

Whose voice was that?

“SUNSET!”

All at once, everything hits her, its like the world was bombarding her senses and forcing a restart. Her senses are back - in fact they feel like they're working better than before. She can see the world clearly, she can feel everything, she can hear the world screaming around her.

Applejack’s shaking her, her touch feels like needles on her clothes. She’s calling out to her, but it’s a single voice lost in a chorus of others. A chorus of screams and shouting and wailing sirens.

Goddess… what happened?

What’s going on?

What-

“SUNSET!!” Applejack stops shaking her, opting to instead grab ahold of her and force her to look at her. Force her to look at nothing but her. “Get ya shit together!” She shouts. “We need to move!” Applejack… she looked scared. She didn’t know the girl could make that kind of face. She was scared and dirty and trying her damndest to not panic.

“Apple…jack…”

“Yeah, that’s me shuga.” The girl muttered as she helped Sunset up, all but pulling her off the ground as she kept her gaze. “Come on, we need to move.”

“Move?” Sunset repeated the word as something caught her attention, something big and fast and shining in the sunlight.She could have sworn she recognized that thing… somewhere. “Move…” Her eyes widened. “MOVE!” Without warning she tackled the girl next her, pushing both of them out the way of a machine that nearly ran them over.

The machine that blew past them didn’t really seem to notice the two, just moving through the city with a pair of others.

“Thanks…” Applejack muttered as she got back to her feet, and saw the retreating machines. “Those are MTs…”

“MTs?” Sunset repeated the name as she snapped out of her daze. “Those aren’t Armored Cores?” She asked.

“Nah…” Applejack grumbled as she turned her attention to see a body on the ground… well, half a body, the rest could be considered red paste. “We need to go.”

“Go where?”

“Anywhere!” Was all Applejack gave as a response as she started pulling Sunset along, as what sounded like cannon fire drowned out the screaming.

---

Aria grit her teeth as she trudged forward, trying her hardest to keep her unconscious sister in her arms as she moved forward. “I swear on Lauren’s fucking tits!” Aria shouted, looking at Sonata’s form. “What are they feeding you?!” She didn’t get a response as she made her way down the hospital halls, trying to get to those floors buried underground. “I swear when you wake up I’m putting you on a fucking diet…”

“This way!” Noble shouted, directing people down hospital paths. “This stairway will lead you directly to the subfloors! Do not stop until you get there!” He ordered, repeating something he’d been told not that long ago. Gritting his teeth he turned, looking around to see if anyone needed help before starting to head off.

“Noble!” Hearing his name he saw Aria making her way towards him as his eyes widened.

“Aria!” It felt like the moment he stepped forward the world in front of him exploded. The wall collapsed, debris and rubble flying across the path as he covered his eyes.

“Fuck!”

“Aria!” Uncovering his eyes, he saw that the path between the two had disappeared. It was like the world had been ripped in two, forming a chasm between the two. “Are you ok!”

“I’m fine!” The girl shouted back, unwrapping herself from around the girl that she’d been shielding. “Sonata… please be ok…” She muttered looking her sister over for a moment before taking a breath. “Thank Faust…”

Sonata?”

“She’s fine!” Aria responded as Noble looked between the divide and saw the floors that had been torn through. This kind of damage… it wasn’t done by a MT - let alone an AC.

If that were the case, there’d be an iron coffin on the ground - or at the very least there’d be one picking itself up right about now. This kind of damage, this was done by a slugthrower. “”Hang on…” Noble grumbled before looking at the girl. “I’ll find a way over to you.”

“Don’t bother!” Arias looked outside as she saw the MT’s moving about. “Just get to Hanger 25.” Aria told him as she picked up Sonata again. “You’ll find my AC there!” She told him as she gave him a look. “Grab it and bury these assholes.”

“Consider it done…” Noble muttered, nodding his head as he faced the gap and looked at the world outside.

It’s amazing how quickly the world can go straight to hell.

“Don’t die on me Aria.” He told her before jumping out the hole in the wall before landing in the streets.

Landing he reached into his pocket and pulled out an earpiece before fastening it in place. “Trixie, can you hear me?”

“Noble - fuck! Trixie is very busy at the moment!”

Came the response he was given.

“I know.” He grumbled. “You got your AC in town?”

“Trixie does not bring her AC with her when she is on vacation!”

“Find one then.” He told her. “If you head to Hanger 25, Aria’s got stationed.”

“Don- fuck!”

The sound of bullets tore through the line.

“Give Trixie five minutes!”

The line went dead immediately afterwards and Noble didn’t even care. “Wish Fluttershy was still in town…” He muttered as his vision caught sight of something coming his way.

Is that a truck? The vehicle turned on a dime, showing its side as Noble watched its rear pop open. “No~” He watched people start rushing out and lined up. “Oh for fuck’s sake~” He turned and moved behind a parked car before the opening salvo even warmed up.

Glass was ripped from a window as the car and the street were lined with bullets.

“They got guys in the street!”

“Trixie KNOWS!!’

“Just what we need.” Noble grumbled as he glanced across the car and saw the soldiers moving out. “MT’s, and armed riflemen… How the hell did these guys get past the front door?” He asked before falling silent.

---

It’s just a rumor, but someone said they saw the Breaking Dawn.”

---

He remembered Aria’s words from not even two hours ago.

---

“If he is in town, something bad is bound to happen soon.”

---

“This is your doing… isn’t it?” He muttered as he picked up shards of glass and spun them between his fingers. “You really are here…” He muttered before taking a breath. “Just what we fucking need.” He moved, around the same time a shadow fell on the edge of the car, and before its owner even had a chance to react, he was on them. The glass trapped between his fingers acting as makeshift knuckleduster as he punched the soldier twice in the chest and once in the throat. One down, but the others were already on him, aiming weapons in his direction as circled behind his already dead and captured hostage as flung the glass shards at the others.

Sure he’d always had a good arm.

One of the soldiers lowered their weapon and shot at the ground on accident, as glass was lodged into their bicep. The rest just continued opening fire as Noble used a dead body as a meat shield. He ignored the assault rifle, instead choosing to go after the handgun strapped to his meatshield's thigh. He ripped the weapon from its holster and planted two rounds in the first soldier, then two more in the next and the one after that. Two more rounds were fired; the first dropping to the floor as their knee was blown out right before their brains were blown out of their helmet. Four down, two to go; problem is he’s out of ammo. He moves the weapon upward, locking the spent gun in his teeth before he pulled a grenade pin from his meatshield's vest and kicked the body forward as he started to run off. The last two soldiers were two distracted by the body and the grenades going off to bother shooting at him, opting to get out the way before the imminent explosion triggered a chain reaction.

Noble didn’t blame them, he was already taking cover in an alleyway.

---

“Know that Trixie takes no pleasure in doing this.” Trixie remarked as she broke a soldier's neck before dropping the body and grabbed their weapons. “Ok Trixie takes some pleasure in this.” The girl admitted as she checked an assault rifle magazine before popping it back in place. Right after she got up, and started firing.

Spray and pray as some might say.

Or rather spray, sweep, spray then pray.

She took a breath before taking cover and listened to the bullets fly by, one ripping out a small piece of wall as they did. She returned fire for a moment before reloading, chucked a grenade and looked around. “Trixie never should have come here for holiday!” She grumbled before flinching, as a part of the wall was ripped out from overhead. Looking up she saw that a hole had gone through a building and nodded her head. Without much warning she jumped onto a dumpster and used it to reach the hole in the building before climbing inside. From her new angle she looked down at the streets, raining a few rounds on the city invaders as she watched them drop. Hearing something behind her she turned, only to find a fist in her back before a second followed and a third. The fourth was aimed at her head, something she was only aware of because they put a hand on her shoulder and started to turn her.

The fact that she grabbed that fist before it crushed her face was a miracle in its own right.

She followed with a shoulder shove to push them back before aiming her assault rifle at them with her free hand and pulled. Unfortunately for her, the rounds never hit as they grabbed her weapon and aimed it upward. Right after they planted a straight kick right in her stomach as she fell off the second floor of the building and landed on a car.

“Fuck!” Opening her eyes she rolled off the car, right when a knee was dropped where she’d previously been and made the dent she’s left behind even worse. Getting to her feet she just stared at the person before her and opened fire with her assault rifle again as they retaliated with their sidearm, blowing the weapon right out of her hands as she started stumbling back, reached for a grenade and lobbed it in the air with an underhand toss.

They responded by shooting the grenade letting it explode between them in an eruption of gunpowder and smoke. By the time the smoke cleared through, Trixie had already retrieved her rifle and was opening fire.

They were already on the move by the time light started to leave her weapon muzzle.

“Fucking rabbit!” Trixie shouted, sweeping her weapon across the street as the figure ran a half circle around her and started closing in. “Stop moving, Trixie is trying to shoot you!” Emptying her weapon Trixie dropped it, her off hand going for her combat knife as she used it to block a swing from their own. They knocked her arm down as they followed by swinging at her, and she blocked with her free arm. She did the same with her knife hand as she blocked another strike, dropped her weapon and grabbed it with her free hand before making another swing, threw it back to her other arm and tried again. “Who the fuck are you?” She didn’t get a response, the soldier just jabbed forward with their knife as Trixie moved back on impulse. They lunged at her, grabbing the girl before attempting to stab her only for the girl to block with her free arm and proceeded to bite down on the one at her neck. They responded by pulling her forward and started kneeing her in the ribs before spinning around and throwing her towards a car, letting her impact leave a small dent as they rushed her.

Trixie didn’t even have time to spit the blood gathered in her lips out when they rushed her, but she did have time to get out of the way of the flying knee that shattered a window. Rolling to get to her feet, Trixie seemed to stumble for a moment as she looked at the soldier and watched them pull their knee out of the dent that they had made on the car. She took a few steps back as she raised her knife, and they just trudged forward. At least that was before a vehicle came into view, the breaks slamming so hard that they rubber started to peel off the tires and leave marks on the ground. Right after a group of people pulled out and started opening fire on the soldier.

They responded by turning towards the car and proceeded to rip the door off it, using the item as a makeshift shield as they were assaulted by bullets.

“Are you fucking…” Trixie didn’t finish that sentence, instead just grabbed her handgun as she opened fire, though the weapon itself did little good since the soldier turned to her and blocked the rounds she sent at them before retreating into the alleyway. Trixie didn’t even bother going after the individual as she continued firing into the alley before dropping to her knee.

“Surround the area!”

A soldier shouted as the group ran towards the alleyway as they started down it. One of them made a hand gesture, signaling some in their firing team to press forward as they headed into the alley. For a moment everythings quiet before a voice rang out.

“Clear!” Trixie didn’t say anything as the soldiers came back, opting to instead nurse her ribs.

“That’s cracked…” She grumbled. “That is definitely cracked.”

“Are you alright?” A soldier asked, pulling the girl out her thoughts. “Do you need medical attention.”

“Trixie will survive.” She grumbled looking at the soldier before her. “Trixie, thank you for your assistance.” She admitted. “But that guy - they were Human Plus.” She told them.

“Got it.” The soldier reached for comms as they spoke into it. “Fireteam 17, reporting in, the enemy have Human Plus in their ranks. Proceed with caution.”

Trixie winched slightly as she started turned away from the soldier as she looked around her attention being drawn to a piece of the ground being swept across by Sphere-aligned MT.

“Mam.” Trixie pealed her eyes away from the machines as she returned her attention to the soldiers with her. “You need to get to safety, if you head four blocks down this street, you should be able to reach one of our underground bunkers.”

“No need.” Trixie told them, ignoring the pain in her side. “Get Trixie to a machine, MT or AC matters little.”

“You're a pilot.” It wasn’t a question. Regardless, Trixie nodded her head. “Do you have a machine stationed here?”

“A friend does.” She stated. “Get me to Hanger 25.”

---

She wasn’t scared…

She wasn’t scared….

She wasn’t scared…

She wasn’t -

Sunset screamed as a bullet ripped through the building she and Applejack were hiding behind. The girl in question covered her, trying to shield the girl in some way before peaking out to see what was going on.

“Ah got you shuga…” She muttered as Sunset covered her head with her hands as she took a breath. “We’re gonna be ok.” The girl muttered as she heard the roof start to tremble as flakes started to fall from the ceiling. “We need to move.” Applejack muttered. It ain’t gonna be safe here for much longer.”

“And go where!?” Second time she’s asked that in the past three hours.

“Anywhere.” Second time she got that answer. A thunder-like boom echoed throughout the distinct and more parts of the ceiling started to crack and flake off. “This rate the ceiling’s gonna fall right on top of us!” Applejack told her as she pulled at the girl. “We gotta fine somewhere else to hide!” Sunset refused to move for a moment. “Sunset… I know you're scared of go’in out there, but we gotta. Otherwise…” Sunset started to tune Applejack out.

‘Scared?’ Sunset repeated the word in the recesses of her mind, letting it echo about as she looked at her hands. ‘I’m scared?’ Her hands were trembling. ‘I’m scared…’ She clenched her hands as her pride started to shout at her. ‘I… am not… scared…’ It told her. ‘I’m not…’ She clenched her fists. ‘I’m not!’ She took a breath to try calming herself down. ‘I am Sunset Shimmer.’ Her pride told herself. ‘I have crawled out of the dirt to become a unicorn of the highest level.’ Her pride reminded her. ‘I have faced trials brought forth by the Sun Goddess.’ She pressed her fists against her head as she took another breath. ‘I have touched upon the secrets of dark magic without fear.’ Her hands were still shaking. ‘I have faced the fury of the sun and I did not waver.’ It told herself. ‘I am Sunset Shimmer…’ She lowered her arms to her chest as she took a breath, held it and let it out in a manner reminiscent to somepony she once considered a rival for her mentor's attention. ‘And I am NOT afraid of anything.’

“Sunset?”

“I’m ok…” The girl opened her eyes as she got to her feet. “I’m ok.” She repeated as she turned her gaze to Applejack. “Let’s go, I’m ready.”

“Right.” Applejack didn’t bother trying to question new Sunset’s sense of strength, no time for that anyway. Instead she turnd, and the two looked out into the city to see the destruction being wrought before moving, trying to get as far away from the fighting as they possibly could.

She remembered this sight.

Sunset told herself.

It was the same sight she saw when she came out the portal all those moons ago.

War.

She remembers it well.

She remembers the screaming, she remembers the fighting, she remembers the dead.

She remembers the sense of powerlessness she felt at the time, and she remembered the allure she felt seeing those in iron warriors fight like fabled titans.

‘Those weapons…’ She muttered to herself, seeing that one was dead in the streets and proceeded to run past it with Applejack in tow.. ‘I need one of them.’ She told herself. ‘If I am to survive in this world… I need one of them at my disposal…’

In her mind she saw someone smile.

---

“Tell me, what is your wish?”

“My wish?”

“What do you want in this world?”

---

“I want to survive.” She whispered, as the world continued to descend into violence. “And if I am to survive in this world… I need one of them at my disposal…”

---

Noble slammed the cockpit to an MT shut as he held it down, only releasing it when a muffled ‘boom’ went off inside thanks to the grenade he’d lobbed inside not a moment earlier. The machine in turn started to shut down, the grenade doing its job in not just killing its pilot but also destroying most of its necessary components. It hunched over falling silent in the street as he balanced himself on it before his attention turned elsewhere. He looked around, his eyes taking in the battlefield that was still going on around him before taking a breath. Everything’s still pretty crazy right now, but that doesn’t really surprise him.

Still…

“What are you planning?” He muttered as a familiar face crossed his mind. “Just what the hell is all this for?”

He didn’t get an answer, and for the moment he didn’t really care. Instead he chose to hop off the MT and start making his way down the streets, taking a break from the fighting to try and help a few who needed assistance. Couldn’t do much without medical equipment, but he could at least do something.

‘You don’t need to do this…’ ‘Logic’ or Reason told him. ‘These aren’t your people.’ It reminded him. ‘And this isn’t your fight.’ It told him. ‘You could leave and no one would question it.’ He took a breath. “I know.” He remarked. “I’m just a merc, and there’s no coam to be made in this fight.” He stated. “But I made a promise to my grandfather to help those in need.” He admitted. “And I will never break that promise.” He told himself as crying broke through the streets.

Running towards it, he moved down the battlescarred street as he looked around, eventually finding a building with a little girl inside.

“Applejack! Applejack, where are you!?” The girl choked out as she covered her ears to try and drown out the noise around her. “I’m scared!”

She looked so small…

Noble was careful in approaching her, but he was still loud enough to get her attention. Something that caused her to jump slightly as she realized that someone other than this Applejack was here with her.

“Stay away!” She tried crawling back, but found the wall wouldn’t let her go any further. “Applejack! Someone, anyone!”

“Shh~ shh~.” He started by making a noise as he crouched down. “I’m not gonna hurt you.” He told her, noticing the tear stains and the dirt covering the little. “I’m here to help.” He told her, resting a hand on his chest. “My name is Noble. What’s yours?”

“A-Applebloom.” She told him between whimpers.

“Applebloom… that's a cute name.” He smiled a bit as he extended an arm. Applebloom, if you come with me, I can get you to safety.”

“Y-you will?”

“I promise, I will get you to safety.” He told her curling his fingers to a fist till only his pinky was out. “And I never make a promise I can’t keep.” Applebloom just stared at the finger before slowly doing the same with her own and connected it to his. His smile returned as he helped the girl up and started leading her off. “Stay close, and do exactly as I tell you. Ok?”

“Ok.”

“This is Trixie!”

A familiar voice broke through his coms.

“Trixie has acquired Aria’s AC!”

“Good to hear.” Noble muttered, resting a hand on comms.”I’ll leave things to you then.”

“Who are you talking to?”

“A friend.” Noble admitted cutting comms. “Come on, let’s hurry.”