Episode 1: Enter, Shining Pony

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“Greetings and salutations, everypony,” a voice said as a spotlight flared on, revealing a well-dressed earth pony stallion sitting on a stool, wearing a tailored black suit over his cream colored coat. As he turned to face forward it was shown that his right eye was covered by an eye patch and he had a well-kept mustache of the same black color as his mane and tail.

“My name is of little importance, but for the time being you may call me MR,” MR said as a screen slowly descended next to him and turned on to show the wonderful landscape of Equestria, all vibrant and healthy. “Now, let me give you a little history of the world as it is today. For countless centuries, the land of Equestria has been peacefully ruled by the princesses Celestia and Luna. Yet, as it is with any type of long winded rule, there eventually came dissenters and those who opposed the princesses’ rule over the land.” The screen changed quickly now as MR spoke, showing scene after scene of ponies and other intelligent creatures protesting the current diarchy. “Each year, more and more of the inhabitants of Equestria began to join this movement. Eventually, enough support was garnered that these inhabitants set out to create their own country, free of the rule of the princesses. But that was not to be, for the land outside the princesses rule was a harsh and unforgiving place, filled with all sorts of dangerous creatures and the like. As soon as the new country was formed, it fell apart and those who left Equestria seeking change wound up returning. This did not end the fight for independence though. Brilliant minds began to work on a new project. They brought in earth ponies and tested the materials that they could find on Equestrian soil, they brought in pegasi for their knowledge of weather manipulation, and they brought in unicorns to work through the process of making things run the way they wanted; and soon enough, the first habitable colony was launched into orbit about the planet.”

“This colony was named Neo Manehatten, after the city where the technology was developed and where most of the inhabitants came from. Soon following came the launching of more space colonies as more and more of the large cities of Equestria saw the benefits of living outside of the rule of the princesses and came to develop the same technology.” As MR spoke, the screen flashed through the history of the colonies: The various leaders of the colonies meeting, signing peace treaties, and enjoying a time of rule, free from the princesses. “And for a time, there was peace again in the realm of Equestria; then came the launching of the colony that brought the capital city of Equestria, Canterlot, into space. This threw off the delicate balance the colonies had managed to create, as they saw this as a declaration that the princesses were trying to assert themselves as the rulers of not only the Equestrian ground, but also the Equestrian space.”

“What followed this were a few years of strained acceptance and tolerance. But as the years passed, the tension grew until one day it finally came to a head. A terrible war broke out between the colonies. At first, the leaders were content with sending troops down to the ground and facing off against the forces of Canterlot, hoof to hoof. But technology continued forward in the face of war, and soon came the development of mobile suits of armor. With these new suits, one pony could fight with the strength of an entire legion. And soon enough, this technology also spread about the colonies, with each colony making their own distinct style. Soon allies turned on allies and the fight for supremacy turned into a free for all for rulership. The war raged on through the years with no colony gaining a distinctive edge over the other. Soon it became evident that this war was costing everyone involved too much in the ways of resources and ponies to fight. At a historic summit, the heads of the colonies met with the princesses and came to terms on how to determine the leadership of Equestria. After days of non-stop deliberation, it was decided upon that the rulership of Equestria, and thus the power to enact laws and rules that affected both Equestria and the colonies, would go to the city who won an annual tournament held every four years. A tournament fought with the very machines that they had created to fight the war, now dubbed as mobile pony suits. And thus, peace was once again achieved.”

“It has been sixty years since the summit. This year marks the beginning of the fifteenth tournament for the rulership. Today’s battle pits off Neo-Hoofington's Show Pony against Neo-Ponyville's Shining Pony.”

“Hey mister,” a pink earth pony mare with a poofy mane and three balloons as a cutie mark said, appearing out of the darkness. She pulled a picture out of a saddle bag and handed it to MR. “Have you seen either of these two ponies?” The picture showed three ponies. One was the pink one standing there but with her hair straightened out, the other two were colored purple and gray with similar hairstyles, most likely her sisters.

“Sorry miss, can’t say I have,” MR said passing the picture back to her.

“Oh, sorry to bother you then,” the pink pony said and vanished back into the darkness.

“Now, what this picture has to do with today’s battle, we’ll have to wait and see.” MR jumped off his stool and in one swift motion, pulled off both his suit and eye patch, revealing a bright pink shirt and bow tie and a perfectly normal working right eye. “Now, pony fight all set. Ready, go!”

Mobile Fighter G-Pony Episode 1
Enter, Shining Pony!

The night sky of Equestria was awash with stars as the moon gave a gentle glow to the land. If one looked hard enough into the night sky, it was possible to catch a glimpse of the soft, pulsing light that marked the passage of one of the many space colonies floating about up there. It was a night like any other night in Equestria. Then the meteor shower began. Those creatures that were awake at this time gazed in wonder at the majesty of the event as meteors sped all across the sky. But for many, this simple meteor shower was not just another natural event of the world. No, it was the start of something larger. Across the land, ponies, buffalo, griffons, even diamond dogs saw this as a sign and began preparations.

In the town of Hoofington, a blue unicorn mare with a moon and wand cutie mark and a flowing white mane and tail looked up at the sky as the meteors sped by and began to laugh. “It is time,” she said, turning from the window. “Time, for the Great and Powerful Trixie, to show the pathetic masses that she is the best of them all. They will rue the day that they ridiculed her, that they mocked her, that they had the gall to insist that she was nothing but a show boater and a bag of hot air.” Trixie’s horn flared white as she sent magic through it and picked up a telephone receiver. “Bob, Doof, Trixie requires your presence. Do hurry this time or she will be forced to find better henchmen.” As Trixie hung the phone back in its cradle, two stallions, one red and one orange, each with cutie mark of a wooden club, came crashing through the door to the room.

“Move it, Doof,” the red one said as he fought with the orange one to get into the room.

“No,” the orange one, Doof, replied. “You move it, Bob!”

“Will the two of you shut up!” Trixie shouted at the pair of stallions as she grabbed them with her magic and dragged them into the room. “Trixie did not call you two here to hear you bicker again. And if you don’t stop, Trixie will uphold her threat to find better henchmen after she gets rid of you two to make an example to the rest of the gang.” This shut up the two stallions real fast. “Now, the reason Trixie called for the two of you is that the signal has been cast.” The two stallions looked at Trixie, then to each other and each gave a shrug in confusion. “The signal that we have been waiting for for the last four years since we were banned from the tournament last time where Trixie was the pilot for Neo-Hoofington.” Trixie said as she became increasingly agitated. The two stallions once again gave a shrug of confusion. “The signal for the start of the tournament to decide the rulership of Equestria and the colonies!” Trixie shouted as she slapped the two of them about the head with her hoof.

“Oh, that signal,” Bob said as he recovered from the slap. “But what does it have to do with us?”

“You, along with Doof here, are going to rally the gang. Tonight we strike at the Hoofington colony embassy. We’re going to steal Hoofington’s mobile pony suit. We’re going to enter the tournament. And we’re going to win and show all the miscreants that the Great and Powerful Trixie is indeed great and powerful before we take over everything!” Trixie said as she released Bob and Doof from her magical hold. “Now get going. We need to strike tonight, before the actual pilot shows up.” With that, Bob and Doof scurried as fast as they could to their hooves and ran off to begin preparations. Once they were gone, Trixie returned to her window and gazed back out at the meteor shower. “Soon, Trixie will have her revenge against those who thought to stand in her way. Soon.”

“Pinkie, you sure this is the right way to Hoofington?” a purple unicorn mare with a mane of purple and pink and a cutie mark that consisted of a six-pointed star surrounded by five smaller stars said. “If I remember the map correctly, and I'm pretty sure I do, then we should have been there a few days ago.”

“Oh Twilight, you worry too much,” Pinkie Pie, a pink earth pony mare with a poofy mane and three balloons as a cutie mark, said, admonishing her partner. “If anything, at least we're getting quality time to try out this core lander that the technicians back at the Ponyville colony built.”

“Pinkie, this is not a toy,” Twilight said sharply back at Pinkie. “This is state of the art magic technology for the tournament. Now stop this thing at once. I'm taking over driving.”

“Oh Twilight, you're no fun at all,” Pinkie said, then followed Twilight's instructions and pulled over to the side of the road and jumped out. “Well, we may not know where we are at the moment, but at least the view isn't bad.” In the clear blue sky, the sun shone down on the landscape, showering the mass of rolling green hills with light. It was a beautiful sight that brought a big smile to Pinkie's face. “Oh I wish we could just hang around here for awhile, maybe build a nice summer home. I'm sure that this place is beautiful even during the winter. I mean, I can just imagine these hills covered in snow, and all the little fillies and colts out with their snow gear, sledding around and being all happy and—”

“Pinkie, get in the core lander,” Twilight said, cutting off Pinkie's sentence with a look that meant she would stand no back talk. “We were expected in Hoofington three days ago. We were to meet with the embassy there and set up a time and place for your first match in the tournament's preliminary round.”

“But,” Pinkie began, turning back to the green hills.

“No buts.”

“Okie dokie lokie,” Pinkie sighed as she climbed into the passenger seat of the core lander. Twilight gave the map of the area a quick glance, and after a moment of thought, turned the core lander around and began driving off in the direction which they had just came from.

A few hours later they found a sign pointing them in the correct direction. “Hoofington: 12 miles” it said with an arrow pointing east. After driving for some time, as the two got closer to the city, they began to see signs that something had happened to the city recently, something bad. Smoke was rising from the city proper and it looked like several of the buildings on the outskirts of the city had been damaged by something. But most disturbing was the numerous robotic parts strewn about. Twilight stopped the core lander and jumped out.

“What happened here?” she said in dismay at the sight of the carnage. “When did this happen? We were in contact with the embassy just the other day, I mean, this doesn't add up at all.” Pinkie jumped out of the core lander and gazed around at the destruction. She spotted movement in a nearby building that looked better off than the ones closer to the city and trotted over to it. The sign over the entrance stated the shop's name as the “Crimson Pie” pie shop and bakery. Pinkie poked her head inside the door.

“Hello? Anypony home?” she asked, not really expecting a response. She hoped that the ponies who lived here had managed to get away before whatever happened had happened.

“Hello?” She asked again, and this time she heard the soft shutting of a door, and someone crying softly on the upper floor followed by someone shushing. Pinkie made her way to the stairs of the building and proceeded to the second floor. “Hello? I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to help.”

“Go away!” a voice shouted from behind a door. “Leave us alone!”

“Nutmeg, what if whoever that is really wants to help?” another voice said, this one sounding older than the first.

“Where's mama and papa, Vergie” a third voice said softly with a small cry. “I want mama and papa.”

“Hickory, don't worry,” the second voice, Vergie, said, trying to calm Hickory, who sounded a lot younger then the other two. “They're fine.”

“Will you three come out?” Pinkie said to the door. “Let's get you out of this building. I have some food out in the core lander.”

“What's a core lander and why should we trust you!” the first voice, Nutmeg, said.

“Nutmeg, don't be like that,” Vergie said.

“Vergil, what if whoever's out there is part of the group that did this!”

“If they were they would have broken down the door by now,” Vergil said. There was a soft click as the door swung open, revealing three young ponies, two fillies and a colt. “Are you really here to help us?” the colt, Vergil asked.

“Yes, I am,” Pinkie replied giving them a warming smile. “Now come on outside. We need to know what happened here.”

“We?” one of the fillies, Nutmeg, said as she coerced her sister, Hickory, out of the protection of the room.

“You'll see,” Pinkie replied and started towards the entrance of the building.

“And that's all we know,” Vergil said to Twilight. The three ponies were from a family of bakers who were widely known for their pies. Their parents had been called to the embassy for a delivery before everything happened. According to the three, fires began sprouting up all over the city. Sirens went off and ponies were rushing about, trying to combat the blazes that were engulfing their city. And somewhere in the mess of all this, the embassy exploded, as a mobile pony suit broke out of the building and began running through the town, causing structural damage to the buildings. That was three days ago and the foals had been hiding in their house ever since. Twilight had a bad feeling about this.

“Pinkie, we should be careful from here on out,” Twilight said. “I'm not entirely sure on this, but I may have an idea of who did this. And if I'm right, she is a very angry pony. Angry at the colonies and especially angry at me.”

“What happened?” Pinkie asked as she handed out food and drinks to the children.

“I don't want to talk about it right now.”

“Okie dokie then. So what's the next course of action Twilight?”

“Well, I would say it would be to investigate the embassy. We need to confirm what happened over there. And we need to find these kids’ parents.”

“You hear that kids, we're going to look for your parents,” Pinkie said reassuringly to the three ponies munching away at their food.

“Pinkie, can you watch over them here. I don't think it's safe for them to go further into the city until we get to the bottom of this and deal with whoever is responsible.”

“Got it Twilight,” Pinkie replied. “I'll make sure nothing bad happens to these three until you come back.”

“I'll make sure to hurry as much as I can. I'll contact you when I get there and when I'm leaving,” Twilight said as she pulled herself into the core lander. “Keep safe Pinkie.”

“You too,” Pinkie replied as Twilight sped off towards the remains of the Hoofington embassy.

“Pinkie, this is Twilight,” Twilight said into her communicator. “I have reached the embassy. It doesn't look all that bad close up. A lot of outer damage caused by the pony suit breaking down a few walls most likely, but it looks like the structural support was not compromised at all. How are things holding up on your end?”

“Just fine Twilight,” Pinkie replied from the communicator. “The three here are asleep. It seems that they hadn't slept since the attack because they were to scared of what might happen. But so far all's been quiet. A bit too quiet if you ask me. And my right hip’s acting all weird. I know it has something to do with my Pinkie sense, but I've never felt this one before. Hurry as fast as you can Twilight. Pinkie Out.”

The communicator cut off and Twilight resumed her search of the rubble. It looked like a group of ponies had used the fires in the city as a distraction to mount a theft of the pony suit. Now Twilight was certain of who had caused all this. “Oh, when I get my hooves on her,” she began before she heard a cry for help from behind a door that had a large section of rubble blocking it. “Hold on, I'll get that out of the way.” Twilight's horn glowed purple as her magic went to work. The rock lifted off the ground as easily as a pebble and was tossed away. “The door's clear. You can come out now.” The door opened to reveal a dozen shaken ponies, most of which were wearing suits that marked them as part of the embassy, but two, a mare and a stallion, were dressed in aprons. As they exited into the open, Twilight addressed the two in aprons. “I take it you two own the Crimson Pie right?”

“What?” The stallion said. “I mean yes. Me and my wife here own that place. Name's Salt.”

“And I'm Pepper,” the mare said, then added more urgently, “Has something happened to it? What about the kids? Are they alright?”

“Don't worry,” Twilight said, assuring the two. “Your children are just fine. My partner is with them at the moment and she won't let anything happen to them.”

“Oh thank goodness,” Pepper sighed with relief.

“Now if you'll excuse me, I must speak with the ambassadors.” Twilight left the two bakers and approached the group of suited ponies. “Hello, I'm Twilight Sparkle. I'm a representative for the Neo-Ponyville colony for the tournament. Can you tell me what happened here? I have pieced together a theory of what happened, but I need to confirm some things.”

“Ah, Miss Sparkle,” an ambassador said. “I do believe we talked a few days ago. I'm Giornio, head of the embassy. As to what happened; it was the deplorable Trixie that caused this. She and her gang set the fires in the city to draw the guards and the other task forces that would have been guarding the embassy, then struck fast and hard, driving us into hiding before stealing the Show Pony suit.”

“I thought so,” Twilight said with a sigh. “Trixie, when will you let your grudges fade away?”

“You need to get the suit back. We fitted the Show Pony with a new experimental magic reactor hooked up to the weapons system. That thing has way too much firepower to be in the hands of a lunatic. It’s amazing that she hasn't leveled the city so far.”

"I understand Ambassador Giornio. Now, you should see to the others that were here when the attack happened. I need to get back to my partner asap.” Twilight left the group of ponies standing in the ruined embassy and jumped into the core lander. “Pinkie, do you read me. I was right. It was Trixie all along. Be on guard.”

“Oh, Twilight Sparkle,” a voice that was not Pinkie's spoke out of the communicator. It had a mocking tone to it that grated on the nerves.

“Trixie! What have you done to Pinkie and the kids!”

“That is the Great and Powerful Trixie to you. Oh, and don't worry about them. They're fine for now. That is, as long as you do exactly what Trixie says.”

“What do you want, Great and Powerful Trixie?” Twilight said with a mocking tone.

“All Trixie wants is for you to come to the eastern edge of the town. There you will find a large building. You are to enter this building and wait for Trixie. Nothing more.” The communicator cut off to the cackling laugh of Trixie. Twilight glanced around at the destruction caused to Hoofington. Trixie was going to pay for this, Twilight was going to make sure of it. Twilight kicked the core lander into gear and sped off in the direction Trixie wanted her to go in.

“Okay Trixie!” Twilight shouted as she entered the building. “I'm here, now what.”

“Oh that is easy Twilight Sparkle,” Trixie's voice flowed out of the darkness from all sides. “I just need you to watch what I am going to do to your friend and these three kids!” Lights flared on in the building, revealing Pinkie, Vergil, Nutmeg, and Hickory tied up and hanging from the ceiling in front of Trixie and the stolen Show Pony suit, its streamlined body design and countless missile pods along each limb and back now decked up with a large purple cloak and pointy hat and painted a gaudy blue color to match Trixie's coat. “You are going to watch as Trixie makes you feel like you made her feel all those years ago when you destroyed her life; helpless, pathetic, worthless!”

“I destroyed nothing Trixie!” Twilight shouted up to the crazed mare. “You brought it on yourself. During the last tournament you broke every rule during the last tournament and thought you could get away with it.”

“Trixie did nothing wrong!” Trixie shouted, stamping her hoof on the head of the stolen pony suit. “And you lead the investigation into Trixie. You brought her down!”

“You poor deluded fool,” Twilight said, shaking her head before turning her attention to Pinkie, swinging around from the rope she was tied to. “Hey Pinkie, how much longer are you going to hang around there? We need to put Trixie in her place and make sure that she doesn't do this sort of thing again.”

“Stop ignoring Trixie!” Trixie shouted. “Bob, Doof, deal with her!” Trixie's henchmen jumped out of the shadows and charged Twilight. Twilight's horn began to glow red and as the two henchmen were about to pounce on her, she vanished in a poof of magic and reappeared a few feet away, causing the two to crash into each other. “STOP IT OR TRIXIE WILL CRUSH YOUR FRIEND!” Trixie shouted in rage, then looked up to her captives. “WHERE ARE THEY!”

"Twilight!"" Pinkie shouted from the entrance to the building. She had managed to get herself and the three children free from the ropes that had been holding them. "Over here!"

“Good work Pinkie," Twilight said as she collected the three shaken kids and teleported away, leaving Pinkie standing off against Trixie and the Show Pony.

“NO!” Trixie cried out as she slipped into the cockpit of the Show Pony and activated the suit's control system. The suit instantly reared up, tearing through the roof of the building. “TRIXIE WON'T LET YOU ESCAPE!”

“You don't have a say in that Trixie,” Pinkie said as she jumped into the core lander. “RISE SHINING PONY!” She cried out as a bright light shown from outside the city. As the light faded, a pony suit came into view that was colored white, blue, and pink, with flared shoulders and a large mechanical representation of Pinkie's mane. Pinkie hit a few switches in the core lander and it zoomed off towards the suit.

“NO!” Trixie shouted again in rage as she tore through the wreckage of the building in pursuit of the fleeing Pinkie Pie. But she was too late. The core lander used a fallen building as a ramp and shot itself into the air over the Shining Pony. It turned and came down onto the back of the pony suit, activating it. “Trixie, for the atrocities you have committed, not just today, not just recently, but also during the last tournament,” Pinkie Pie said as the Shining Pony began the activation of its mobile trace system, a system that allowed a pony to pilot the suit as if it were herself. “You will be judged by the hoof of Pinkie Pie and it says that you are not fit to be a pilot of that suit you wear!” With that exclamation, the Shining Pony shot forward to meet the oncoming charge of the Show Pony.

The Shining Pony lowered its head and drove into the chest of the Show Pony, driving it of its feet and onto its back knocking its hat off as well. Trixie gave a loud cry as she retaliated from the prone position. Compartments opened along the limbs of the suit and rockets flew out towards the Shining Pony. With Pinkie's piloting, the Shining Pony was able to dodge most of the rockets, but the Show Pony kept firing. In the face of such an onslaught, a rocket caught the right hind leg of the Shining Pony, causing it to stumble. The Show Pony used this time to make it back to its feet and continued its rocket barrage on the downed Shining Pony.

“YOU‽ PASS JUDGEMENT ON TRIXIE‽” Trixie shouted as she continued to launch rockets. “DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH!”

“Laugh at this then! Fire the Pinkie Cannon!” Pinkie shouted as a panel opened on the side of the Shining Pony, revealing a cannon that then fired a large cannon ball towards the Show Pony. Trixie managed to dodge the attack, but in doing so had to stop her rocket barrage. The Shining Pony jumped to its hooves and pressed an attack on the Show Pony. Two machine guns began to fire from the head of the Shining Pony, driving the Show Pony to seek cover behind a half demolished building. As the Show Pony found cover, the Shining Pony ceased its attack, “You can't win Trixie,” Pinkie said calmly to the hiding Trixie. “You can't even pilot that suit fully since you stole it from the rightful pilot. Now come out, you can't hide forever.”

“SHUT UP!” Trixie shouted as she burst from cover to the side of the Shining Pony. “TRIXIE CAN NOT LOSE!” The shoulders on the Show Pony opened up to reveal an electromagnetic net generator. Caught by surprise, Pinkie was not able to escape as the net came down over the Shining Pony, rendering it immobile.

“Dang it,” Pinkie said as she tried to get the Shining Pony to respond.

“THEY MOCKED TRIXIE! THEY BERATED TRIXIE! NOW SEE WHAT HAS COME TO THEM!” Trixie shouted as she came closer to the captured Pinkie Pie. “NOW SEE WHAT TRIXIE IS CAPABLE OFF!” The cloak of the Show Pony was in tatters as compartments opened all along the back of the suit, tearing through the fabric revealing many more missile pods. “TAKE THIS! ULTIMATE ATTACK! SHIMMERING LIGHTS!” The missiles launched themselves at the captured Shining Pony as its front hooves began to glow. As the glow grew, the electromagnetic netting failed, allowing the Shining Pony to escape the attack of the Show Pony.

“Trixie!” Pinkie shouted as the Shining Pony stood, silhouetted by the explosions of the Show Pony's ultimate attack. The Shining Pony slowly raised one hoof off the ground and pointed it towards the Show Pony. “This hoof of mine shines with boundless laughter. Its loud cry tells me to grasp victory!” The hoof pointing towards the Show Pony began to glow a bright white, the same glow that had destroyed the electromagnetic netting. “Take this, SHINING HOOF!” An instant later, the Shining Pony launched itself at the Show Pony. Trixie began to turn in an attempt to dodge, but she slipped on pieces of debris her own attacks had caused. The Shining Pony barreled into the side of the Show Pony, pinning it to the ground with the glowing hoof placed right on its head.

“Trixie, you were once the pilot for Neo-Hoofington but your arrogance caused you to lose that title. So you took it under yourself to reclaim your position by stealing that suit,” Pinkie said as the head of the Show Pony began to crack under the glowing attack. “Trixie! Before I end this I need to ask you a question.” Pinkie brought up an access feed to the Show Pony's cockpit. She held up a picture showing three young fillies, one was Pinkie but with her hair straightened out, the other two were colored purple and gray with like hairstyles, her sisters, Inkie and Blinkie. “Have you seen either of these two?”

“No!” Trixie shouted. “Trixie has not seen them!”

“Then this is the end of your tournament Trixie,” Pinkie said and crushed the head of the Show Pony, bringing the fight to a close.

“The ambassador wasn't very happy was he?” Pinkie asked as Twilight drove the core lander off towards the next city.

“No, he wasn't Pinkie,” Twilight responded. “But it could not be helped. The only way to secure the Show Pony was to disqualify it from the fight. And as much as the ambassador may not like it, it was the only way. But look on the bright side Pinkie. Not only did you help with the capture of a dangerous criminal, but you helped to reunite a family torn apart by the attack.”

“You're right Twilight,” Pinkie said as she pulled her picture out of her bag. “I only wish I could have found a lead to where my sisters are.”

“Don't worry Pinkie, we'll find them. We need to find them for the sake of Equestria itself.”

Episode 2: Apple's Lament

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“Greetings and Salutations, everypony,” MR said as a spotlight shone down on the suited pony sitting on his stool. “I would like, if I may, to take some time to explain the pony fight tournament.” At that, a screen descended and settled itself next to MR and flicked on showing a video of several pony suits. “The pony fight tournament was decided to be a substitute for war between the colonies and Equestria. And as such, the fight has its own. The tournament is split into two different parts. There are the preliminaries, which take place all across Equestria. Then, there are the finals that are held in a different place each year.” The screen flashes as it shows off the various cities that had showcased the pony fight tournament.

“To gain admittance to the finals, all a pony suit pilot has to do is survive until the start of the finals with their suit's head intact and arrive at the place of the finals. Now what does a pony suit pilot do during this tournament you may ask. Well, the pilots fight, and they fight, and they keep on fighting until at the end of it all, one stands at the pinnacle, having bested all those who stood before them.”

“Today's pony fight match opponent is the representative from Neo-Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack, piloting the formidable Apple Buck pony suit. But there is something bigger going on here that neither Pinkie nor Twilight knows.”

“Hey, mister,” Pinkie Pie said, appearing out of the darkness. She pulled a picture out of a saddle bag and handed it to MR. “You sure you haven't seen either of these two?” The picture showed three ponies. One was Pinkie, standing there but with her hair straightened out, the other two were colored purple and gray with like hairstyles, her sisters, Inkie and Blinkie Pie. “I mean, really really sure?”

“Sorry, miss, can’t say I have,” MR said passing the picture back to her.

“Oh, sorry to bother you again then,” Pinkie said and vanished back into the darkness.

“What this picture has to do with today’s battle, we’ll have to wait and see.” MR jumped off his stool and in one swift motion, pulled off both his suit and eye patch, revealing a bright pink shirt and bow tie and a perfectly normal working right eye. “Now, pony fight all set. Ready, Go!”

Mobile Fighter G-Pony Episode 2
Apple's Lament

Twilight Sparkle stood on the edge of a cliff, magically floating a pair of binoculars in front of her eyes. As she scanned over the horizon, she saw an endless amount of apple trees as far as she could see. Every now and then there was the tell tale sign of a building. Here a broken down roof poking through the treetops. There a section of fallen wall. She soon found what she was looking for, a sign proclaiming “Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres. Equestria's number one source of apples.”

“I was afraid of this,” Twilight said to Pinkie, who was lounging around on a picnic blanket rummaging through a basket of sweets she had somehow come to possess. As Twilight watched, Pinkie pulled out a fresh cupcake and ate it in one bite.

“Just as I said last episode, Twilight,” Pinkie said, pulling out another cupcake. “You worry too much. Now come over here and have a cupcake, they're good.”

“Pinkie,” Twilight said as she wrapped the cupcake in her magic and floated it over. “We're at the edge of Sweet Apple Acre territory. Have you forgotten how they feel about Ponyville ponies?”

“Oh look!” Pinkie shouted, avoiding the question. “Something's going on over there.”

“What? Where?” Twilight brought the binoculars back to her eyes and began to survey the forest of apple trees again. “I don't see anything.”

“Try looking over there,” Pinkie said as she turned Twilight's head to face a different direction. There in the distance was a large clearing with a pony suit and a group of ponies.

“How did I miss that?” Twilight asked herself as she scratched her head. She gave up the thought a moment later and devoted her attention to what was happening at the clearing.

An orange earth pony mare with a blond mane and tail and a set of three apples for a cutie mark stood in the clearing in front of her family's home. Like the other buildings of Sweet Apple Acres, it was in a bad state of disrepair. One of the sides of the building was being held up by a few long pieces of wood, several windows were boarded up or missing, and the roof had more holes in it than swiss cheese. Yet, as she stood there, backed by her family; her sister, an earth pony filly, yellow colored with a bright red mane and tail and a large bow in her mane, her brother, a large red earth pony stallion with an orange mane and tail and half an apple for a cutie mark, and her grandmother, an ancient green earth pony, her hair gone pure white with age, with an apple pie cutie mark, she had a look of pride for her home.

“Applejack,” the other pony, an older cream colored mare with a big red mane and a pair of cherries as a cutie mark, said cheerfully as she strode away from her suit, which looked surprisingly similar to its pilot and had a pair of guns mounted on the shoulders and forelegs, and approached the orange mare. “So good to see you again. Have you thought anymore on that proposal to sell me the rights to Sweet Apple Acres and take up a job with me that I sent you?”

“It sure was a kind proposal, miss Cherry Jubilee,” Applejack said with a glance back towards her family. “But after talkin' with the family, I have ta say no thanks. It may be run down an' fallin' apart, but it's still mah home.”

“Is that how you truly feel about it, Applejack?” Cherry Jubilee asked.

“It's the honest truth, Miss Jubilee.”

“I'm sorry to hear that,” Cherry Jubilee sighed. “I was hoping if I asked nicely, eventually you would come around. But it seems that that's not the case.” She sighed again before continuing. “The colony heads really want this land. I'll just have to persuade you physically. As the representative of Neo-Dodge Junction, and pilot of the Cherry Pony, I challenge you to a pony fight match. Do you accept?”

“To defend mah home, you bet ah will!” Applejack shouted out in response.

“Then let's get this started then,” Cherry said as she went back to her suit and entered it, awaiting Applejack to do the same. Applejack turned away from the Cheery Pony and Cherry Jubilee and walked over to her family.

“You sure ya wanna do this sis?” her sister asked with wide-eyed concern.

"Don't you worry none, Applebloom,” Applejack said placing a reassuring hoof on her sister's head. “This is yer sister yer talkin' 'bout. When have ah ever lost when somethin' impor'ant was on the line? Now hurry on back to the house with Granny Smith and make sure ya brace that wall. We don't wan' it fallin' again.”

“Sure sis!” Applebloom said and grabbed onto the old mare, Granny Smith's leg. “Come on, Granny, let's get goin'.”

Applejack turned to her brother as her sister dragged Granny Smith to the house. “Big Mac, keep an eye on Applebloom. Ya know how she is, an' I don' want her gettin' hurt from this.”

Big Mac nodded to his sister. “Eeyup,” he said and turned and headed up to the house after Applebloom and Granny Smith. Applejack waited until she made sure they were holed up in the house before turning back to face the Cherry Pony.

“Ok, let's get this rodeo started, APPLE BUCK PONY!” she shouted as her pony suit arose out of the vast apple tree forest, likewise similarly designed after Applejack, with the hind legs distinctly larger than the forelegs, and a large cowboy hat. She ran and jumped up onto the entrance lift to the pony suit and a few moments later she was suited up and ready to fight. “Let's get this started, miss Jubilee,” Applejack said, pulling up a video link to the Cherry Pony.

“Whenever you're ready, Applejack.” Cherry Jubilee replied and charged at the Apple Buck. Applejack gathered herself, and with the added strength of the Apple Buck's hind legs, deftly jumped over the charging pony suit. Applejack gave a glance back and charged off away from the clearing and her house. Cherry saw this and gave chase, following as Applejack bounded through the forest to a large clearing with the remains of several worn out buildings.

When she reached the clearing, Applejack turned and faced the Cherry Pony and pointed a foreleg at the pony suit. A hatch opened up and a gun barrel snaked out as the Apple Buck sent a short barrage of bullets at her opponent. The Cherry Pony dodged to the side of the bullet barrage and opened fire with one of its shoulder mounted guns sending Applejack for cover.

The Cherry Pony took aim with both shoulder guns, driving the Apple Buck from cover to cover as the bullets tore through the buildings, demolishing them. The Apple Buck sent back a few retaliatory bursts when it managed to find cover that lasted for more than a few seconds, but otherwise stayed on the move. The video feed from the Cherry Pony lit up.

“Hey, Applejack, how about we make this fight more interesting,” Cherry said, cutting off the bullet assault.

“What do ya have in mind?” Applejack asked.

“If I win, you come and work for me. Seeing as Dodge Junction will be the owners of this land, they'll probably go through and demolish all the buildings to set up new ones.”

“And if ah win? What 'bout then miss Jubilee?”

“Hum, well. I guess you get to keep your little piece of Equestria with all its rustic glory."

“Well, ah guess it would be good ta have somethin' waitin' in the case ah actually lose. But no deal! Sweet Apple Acres means too much ta me ta ever abandon it!” Applejack replied and the Apple Buck sprang from behind its cover and charged the Cherry Pony, running right into its line of fire. The Cherry Pony let loose a barrage of bullets as the Apple Buck dove in. It grabbed its weapon as a beam shot out in the shape of a lasso which it swung round the Cherry Pony's neck. The Cherry Pony pulled at the lasso, trying to pull itself free, but the Apple Buck planted its large hind legs into the ground and stood firm. With a strong tug, the Apple Buck pulled the Cherry Pony into the air. Once it was airborne, the Apple Buck pulled the Cherry Pony towards it as it turned and drove both hinds legs into its head unit, cracking the head and sending the Cherry Pony to the ground. The Apple Buck reared up on its forelegs and drove its hind legs into the head unit of the Cherry Pony in a coup de grâce, destroying it.

“Regulation one of the tournament, miss Jubilee, a suit whose head unit is destroyed is disqualified. Ah win,” Applejack said as she exited the Apple Buck and surveyed the damage to it. It had bullet holes through the legs, and the chest and neck armor was badly pitted and burned. “Hoo boy, tha's gonna take awhile ta fix. Ya okay there, miss Jubilee? Sorry ah had ta get a little rough on ya there at the end."

“Just a bit of wounded pride, that's all,” Cherrie replied as she gazed at her pony suit. “But I can see how you feel about this place. Wasn't expecting you to drive in close so fast. The colony leaders aren't going to be happy about this, but, oh well.” At that, jets came into view over the clearing and dropped an electromagnetic net over the fallen pony suit. “And there would be my ride.” One of the jets had landed by Cherrie, she got in and gave a short wave to Applejack as it took off, following the ones carrying the Cherry Pony.

Applejack watched as the jets flew off into the distance, then got back in the Apple Buck and returned home.

“Did you see that‽” Pinkie exclaimed as the battle came to an end. “They were all like bangity bang bang, and whoosh, and then all 'oh noes', and—”

“I know, Pinkie, I saw it too,” Twilight said, shoving her hoof into Pinkie's mouth to silence the endless stream of exclamations. She took out a small notebook and levitated over a quill with her magic. “The Apple Buck Pony, Neo-Sweet Apple Acres pony suit, piloted by Applejack of the apple family, last family living on the Equestrian Sweet Apple Acres,” she wrote. “We should approach with caution, we've seen her skills, and... Pinkie?” Twilight turned around to see that Pinkie was no longer lounging about on her picnic blanket; in fact, the blanket and the picnic basket were also missing. “Where did you go?” Twilight brought the binoculars back to her eyes and scanned around. She found Pinkie over by the Apple family's house. Twilight gave a loud groan and smacked herself in the face with her hoof. “Pinkie, what have I told you about doing things like this.”

As Applejack arrived back at her house, she saw that standing outside was a strange pink mare that she had never seen before. As she stood there, the mare approached her.

“Hi, I’m Pinkie Pie,” Pinkie said with a big smile. “I was just traveling through the forest when I came upon this house. Is it yours? If it is, do you mind me staying for the night. It’s been a long day of traveling for me. I don’t have much money on me, but I can help around the place if need be.”

Assaulted by the endless stream of words coming from Pinkie, Applejack held up a hoof. “Ok, ok. Ah hear ya, Miss... Pinkie Pie was it?”

“Just Pinkie please,” Pinkie replied.

“Well then, Pinkie, ah don’ see why we can’t hole ya up fer the night. An if yer willin' ta do a bit of help around the house, then alls better. Hey all!” Applejack shouted to the house. “Come on out, we gots ourselves a guest fer the night.” The three members of the Apple family exited the house and gathered around Pinkie and Applejack. “Now Pinkie, this here's the family. Mah brother an' sister, Big Macintosh an' Applebloom, an' ol Granny Smith." Applejack's family greeted Pinkie in turn. "Now, we got ta get started on tryin' ta fix that old back wall before some errant gust of wind decides ta bring down the entire house. Granny Smith, how about you get some food cookin' fer when we're done with the repairs. Big Mac, yer with me. Applebloom, you show our guest around the house, then once yer done, bring her around back so she can help out.”

“Got it, sis,” Applebloom said and dragged Pinkie off on the grand tour of the Apple house, showing here everything from the bedrooms to the kitchen to the bathroom and cellar. After that, Applebloom dragged Pinkie off to showcase the barns of the Apple house. Soon, Applebloom had nothing left to show to Pinkie. “Um, an tha's all, Pinkie,” she said as she thought of what to do next.

“How 'bout we go and help out your brother and sister with the repairs,” Pinkie said, tossing a suggestion to Applebloom.

“Yeah, that sounds like a great idea. Let's go!”

A little while later, Pinkie showed up with Applebloom in tow. “Applejack, your sister wants to help with the repairs.”

“What? Oh sure,” Applejack said as she placed the hammer she had been holding in her mouth down on the ground. “Jus' grab a hammer an' some lumber. Applebloom, ya help Pinkie out by holdin' the wood fer her. An' try not ta put more holes in the wall then we're coverin' up this time.”

“Got it,” Applebloom said and pulled on Pinkie's leg. “Come on, the tools an' stuff are over there.”

A little while later, while Big Mac was out getting some more lumber from the fallen down houses, Applejack, Pinkie, and Applebloom were sitting around, resting after the work they had done.

“This thing finally looks like it'll last more than a few days,” Applejack said, admiring their work. “Applebloom, why don' ya go and see if Granny has any food ready.”

“Food!”was all Applebloom said as she sped off to the kitchen.

“So, Pinkie,” Applejack began once her sister was out of view. “What really brings ya to these parts.”

“It's as I said,” Pinkie replied with a wave of her hoof. “I'm traveling across Equestria.”

“An why're you doin' such a thing?”

“I'm looking for my sisters,” Pinkie said solemnly as her hair started to lose its poofiness.

“Oh, ah'm sorry ta hear that,” Applejack said quickly.

“Don't worry yourself with my problems,” Pinkie said as her hair regained its poofiness. “Now tell me, how'd you come to pilot that pony suit?”

“Oh, tha's a long story there,” Applejack said. “But it seems that Big Mac won't be back fer a while more, so why not.”

“Applejack! Pinkie! Ah gotsh sandwishes!” Applebloom shouted as she came around the side of the house, her shout muffled by a tray of food she carried in her mouth.

“Ah, good,” Applejack said. “Bring 'em on over here, Applebloom. I was jus about to tell the story of how ah came ta be a pony suit pilot to our guest. It all started jus after ya were born, Applebloom, when ah was jus' a little filly...”

At the edge of the Sweet Apple Acres forest, two cream colored unicorn stallions with red and white striped manes and matching blue striped shirts and bow ties stopped their vehicle and gazed at the old faded sign.

“So, brother, here we are,” The one with a mustache and a cutie mark of an apple with a slice taken out of it said.

“So we are,” the other with a cutie mark of a single apple slice said. “Let's continue then.” The two unicorns' horns glowed green as their magic was drawn into their vehicle's engine and it set off down the road way into Sweet Apple Acres.

“...and so, we lost our parents when their ships engines malfunctioned and exploded on reentry inta Equestria from the colonies.” Applejack said. “And ever since, the three of us have been raised by Granny Smith. Now, fer awhile I had a hankerin' to get away from all this. With a blessin' from Granny, I set out into the world and eventually found mahself at one of the spaceports goin' up to the colonies. A quick ride later and I was standin' in the Neo-Sweet Apple Acres colony gazin' stupidly around at the amount of ponies there. Soon though it started ta get ta mah head. Ah saw all the ponies and the wealth that they had and remembered what it was like back home and it made me angry. Ah created quite the scene up there all right. Got mahself arrested and came up to the colony heads. They gave me the choice to either waste away in jail up there or ta fight mah way to freedom against other convicts usin' some old pony suits in the arena. Ah took the second choice obviously, and ah won mah way from one prison inta another. This time ah was given the choice ta either continue fightin' in the arena, or become the pony fight representative for Neo-Sweet Apple Acres. Ah agreed to pilot the suit fer them, but ah made sure that ah took it with some of mah own terms. Ah said ah would fight fer 'um as long as ah could still see mah family every now and then and on the condition that they fix the original Sweet Apple Acres back to its former glory. So, that's mah story.”

“Wow,” Pinkie said, admiring Applejack's determination and drive. “You have a very special sister, Applebloom.”

“Ah know,” Applebloom said as she gave her sister a big hug.

“Oh shucks,” Applejack said, blushing slightly as Big Mac returned with a cart full of wood. “And it looks like Big Mac's back with some more lumber. Now we can get started on the roof.” As the three ponies rose, music began to float in from the front of the house. “Opportunity... Community.” Muffled as it was by the heavy tree cover and the house itself, few words were able to be heard over the heavy instrumentation of trombones.

“What in tarnation is makin' all that racket?” Applejack said as she ran out towards the front of the house followed closely by her brother, sister, and Pinkie. As the four of them reached the front, Granny Smith was coming out of the front door to see what was making such a commotion. There in front of the house was a crazy contraption of a vehicle. It looked more like something out of a parade, with bells, whistles, and a line of trombones set at the back of it and a podium and couch set at the front where two unicorn stallions lounged. Upon seeing that they had an audience, they sprang to their hooves and approached Pinkie and the Apple family.

“Greetings, ponyfolk!” one of the unicorns, the one with a mustache said as the music from the vehicle died down, then pointed to the other. “He's Flim...”

“He's Flam...” Film said as he pointed back to Flam.

“And we're the world famous Flim Flam brothers,” they both said in unison to a renewed blast of music.

“Uh huh, sure ya are,” Applejack said, eying the duo wearily. “And what do the likes of ya want here in Sweet Apple Acres?”

“Oh well you're in luck miss, uh...” Flim said.

“It's Applejack.”

“Miss Applejack,” Flim said. “Me and my brother here have a proposition for you.”

“That's right!” Flam chimed in. “We would like to purchase these lands to be part of the new Flim Flam fields and would like to know who owns them.”

“That would be the Apple family,” Applejack replied. “Us, right here.”

“Ah, good then, no need to travel any further,” Flim said. “Now, how much do you want for the land?”

“It's not fer sale.”

“How's five thousand sound?” Flim said as he threw out a number.

“It's not fer sale.”

“How's ten thousand sound?” Flam said as he threw out a larger number.

“It's not fer sale,” Applejack replied again, growing visibly more annoyed with the two unicorns.

“How's—” Flim began before getting cut off by Applejack.

“Fer the last time. Ah said the land ain't fer sale! Now get gone before I buck ya all the way to the entrance!”

“I see we aren't wanted here,” Flim said to his brother as they turned away from the Apples and Pinkie and stepped back onto their vehicle. “But, mark my words, you haven't seen the last of us!” Their horns glowed a bright green as their vehicle spun around and drove off back the way they came.

Once she had made sure that the Flim Flam brothers were gone, Applejack turned to Pinkie. “An'm sorry ya had ta witness that, Pinkie, but there ain't no way ah'm gonna' let anyone take away Sweet Apple Acres after all that's happened. Ah think we'll leave the roof fer tomorra. I need some rest after dealing with those two.” With that, Applejack walked off into the house, followed closely by Applebloom, who had a look of worry on her face.

“What was that all about?” Pinkie asked the remaining two members of the Apple family.

“Sweet Apple Acres has had a rough time since the colonies launched,” Granny Smith said in response.

“Eeyup,” Big Mac said as he turned and trotted towards the back of the house to return the wagon of lumber to the barn.

“Come on then, dearie, I'll tell ya all about it in the kitchen,” Granny Smith said as she made her way slowly to the house.

“So, back in my great grandpapies time, this whole land was unsettled,” Granny Smith said as she began to make dinner. “Not a single house stood, nor were there any ponyfolk livin' here. It was us Apples that cultivated the land and eventually built a small town here which we named Sweet Apple Acres. Soon after that, another town sprang up not that far away. The ponies there called the place Ponyville and with the two towns bein' so close ta each other, they developed a good amount of trade. We supplied Ponyville with food and lumber while they provided us with the basic necessities fer livin', like clothes and the like.”

“It all worked out fer a long time. Then came the assent of the colonies. Manehatten may have been the first colony to go up, but Ponyville soon followed. With that, the population of Ponyville here in Equestria slowly shrank 'till almost nopony was left. This drove Sweet Apple Acres into a drive to follow the other cities into space. It took years, but eventually, Neo-Sweet Apple Acres launched and the colony heads sought to reaffirm their partnership with Ponyville. But in the time between the launch of Neo-Ponyville and Neo-Sweet Apple Acres, Ponyville's leaders had changed too many times and they had forgotten the deal between the two towns.”

“Needless ta say, us Apples were not happy with that decision. We turned our backs on Ponyville, called them liars an' traitors an' the like. An' ever since, the kids have been taught ta always take pride in where yer from and how we got here, with our own hooves. Applejack's case is a bit heavier than others though. She was born here in Equestria, not on the colonies. An' her parents worked this very farm. So when they died in that accident, she saw it as another thing ta blame on Ponyville an' the other towns. That's one of the reasons she went ta the colony. Ta see if she could get any pony ta come back down here ta help revive this place. Ah know ya already know that tale. Now, Pinkie, can ya go an' call the rest of the family. Dinner's ready.”

“Sure, Granny Smith,” Pinkie said and wandered off to gather the Apples.

“We warned them, brother,” Flim said as he began the activation sequence for their pony suit.

“That you did, brother,” Flam replied through a video feed. “If they won't see reason, then we'll just have to force them to give up the land.”

“Like all the rest,” Flim replied. “Now, rise and shine, SUPER SPEEDY PONY SUIT 9000!”

As night descended and the Apples retired to bed, Pinkie slipped out of the house and returned to where Twilight had been waiting all day.

“Pinkie! What were you thinking doing such a thing!” Twilight shouted as Pinkie returned.

“Twilight, I think we should head on to the next town,” Pinkie said in a low voice. “I don't want to fight her.”

“What's gotten into you today? What's the matter?”

“Such a nice family,” Pinkie replied. “Applejack is fighting for the revival of Sweet Apple Acres. She is so driven to her goal that she would have faced death for it. She almost did in fact.”

“I know, Pinkie,” Twilight said. “I pulled up any records I could find on her. “She stormed the colony embassy and demanded to speak with the leaders. When they denied her, she struck out at them. She made it to the ambassador's room, leaving dozens wounded and dazed, then threatened them and held them hostage, saying that they would be let go once she got to speak with the leaders of the colony. The police force caught her and she was arrested and thrown to the arena up there to fight for her freedom. She got her meeting with the leaders when she manged to survive her ordeal, and she became the pony fight representative for them after proving her skill at piloting a pony suit.”

“She did it all for her family” Pinkie said as tears began to form in her eyes. “I can't take that away from her. I know how she's feeling. Wanting just to protect and provide for her family.”

“Pinkie, come on now. Don't cry,” Twilight said as she levitated a handkerchief to Pinkie's eyes. “You can't keep blaming yourself over what happened. We'll find your sisters, and we'll rescue your parents, I can assure you of that no matter what it takes.”

“Thanks, Twilight,” Pinkie said as she went and gave her partner a big hug. “I know that we'll find them someday. I just hope it's someday soon.” Pinkie gazed back towards the Apple's home and her eyes grew wide with what she saw. “Twilight! I gotta go! RISE SHINING PONY!” She shouted, then she was off, racing to the Apple family home.

A loud rumble in the distance woke Applejack from a fretful sleep. “What the hay was that?” she said as she sprang from bed and went over to her window. Outside in the distance stood a pony suit, a very gaudy pony suit. It was colored a striped red and white and it had a bow tie and boater hat on its head. As she watched, the pony suit slowly began to approach her home. “Oh no!” she shouted as she bolted down from her bedroom on the second floor to the outside.

“Ah, miss Applejack,” Flim's voice said as it was projected out of a megaphone on the pony suit's head. “So nice of you to greet us. Say hello to the Super Speedy Pony Suit 9000. If you don't want you or any of your family to be hurt, I would say that you give us the land right now.”

“I said ya ain't gonna get this land earlier an' ah still mean it!” Applejack shouted back to the pony suit as the rest of her family exited the house to stand with her. “We ain't intimidated by the likes of you! APPLE BUCK PONY!” Just past the edge of the apple tree forest, the Apple Buck Pony reared up and Applejack made a break for it.

“Tisk tisk, Applejack,” Flim said as he situated himself between Applejack and her pony suit. “You didn't actually think I would let you do something like that now would you?”

“YOU LEAVE THEM ALONE!” Pinkie shouted as she drove the Shining Pony into the Super Speedy Pony 9000, sending it to flying off down the road from the Apple house. As it picked itself up, the Shining Pony again slammed into it, knocking it back down.

“HOW DARE YOU ATTACK THEM DURING THE NIGHT LIKE COWARDS!”Pinkie shouted at the fallen Super Speedy Pony Suit 9000. “YOU DON'T DESERVE THAT PONY SUIT!”

“Deserve this!” Flim shouted as a pair of cannons rose out of the neck of the Super Speedy Pony 9000 and launched a laser blast at the Shining Pony. The Shining Pony simply ducked beneath the laser blast and kicked the Super Speedy Pony 9000.

“Get up,” Pinkie said coldly. “Get up so that I can give you what you deserve.”

“Brother,” Flam said though the video feed on the Super Speedy Pony 9000. “I think it is time to make a hasty retreat. We don't really need this land now that I think about it. There is a wonderful swath just on the other side of that river a good dozen miles south of here and—”

“No, Flam, not this time,” Flim replied as the Super Speedy Pony 9000 pulled itself to its hooves. “Not after being insulted and demeaned. There will be no running from this one!” The Shining Pony drove both hind hooves into the head of the Super Speedy Pony 9000, tossing it again to the ground. The Shining Pony spun around and pinned the Super Speedy Pony 9000's head to the ground with one front hoof.

“THIS HOOF OF MINE SHINES WITH BOUNDLESS LAUGHTER! IT'S LOUD CRY TELLS ME TO CRUSH YOU! TAKE THIS, SHINING HOOF!” Pinkie drove the shining hoof of the Shining Pony into the head of the downed Super Speedy Pony 9000 and crushed it. Pinkie then grasped beneath the fallen pony suit and lifted it into the air. “AND NEVER COME BACK HERE AGAIN!” She shouted as she tossed the pony suit off into the distance. Once Pinkie calmed down, she exited her Pony Suit and approached the Apple family slowly.

“What jus' happened?” Applebloom said, breaking the silence.

“Ya were a pony suit pilot!” Applejack shouted at Pinkie. “Where are ya from!”

“I'm from... Neo-Ponyville,” Pinkie said apprehensively.

“Ponyville!” Applejack shouted. “Were ya here just ta gauge our strengths and weaknesses then! Was all that ya said about travelin' lookin' for yer sisters a lie ta get us ta lower our guards! Were ya in line with those crooks!”

“No, I wasn't—” Pinkie began as she was cut off by Applejack.

“YOU BE QUIET!” she shouted. “Get back in yer pony suit. Ah'm goin' ta beat ya into yesterday fer all yer town has done to me an' my family!” Applejack turned away from Pinkie and made her way over to the Apple Buck Pony.

Pinkie gave a pleading look at the Apple family, urging them to do something to stop Applejack without actually saying it. All three shook their heads, signaling that there was nothing they could do to stop her. Pinkie looked over to the Apple Buck Pony as it began its start up sequence, then turned and ran back to the Shining Pony. As Pinkie reached the cockpit, the Apple Buck Pony charged towards her, smashing into the Shining Pony before she could fully reactivate it, sending it crashing away through the trees. As she managed to get it started back up and on its hooves again, she saw the Apple Buck once again barreling down on her.

“I don't want to fight you!” Pinkie cried out to the Apple Buck, hoping to get through to Applejack, but the Apple Buck kept its course. Pinkie dodged the charge and the Apple Buck turned and switched directions and continued charging towards the Shining Pony.

“Why won't you listen to me!” Pinkie cried out again in an attempt to reach Applejack.

“Ah won't listen ta yer lies anymore!” Applejack replied as the Apple Buck drew its beam lasso and whipped it about one of the Shining Pony's forelegs and began to pull it towards itself.

“Nothing I said was a lie!” Pinkie shouted as she struggled to free herself.

“BE QUIET!” Applejack shouted as the Apple Buck gave a mighty pull on the lasso, tossing the Shining Pony into the air. The Apple Buck then spun around and prepared itself to deliver a fight ending buck. As the Shining Pony hurtled through the air, its side opened up, revealing a large cannon, it took aim and fired behind the Apple Buck, the force of the recoil throwing it off its trajectory, causing it to land away from the Apple Buck. The Apple Buck tried again to lasso the Shining Pony and once again caught one of its fore legs.

“Not this time, Applejack,” Pinkie said. “I can't lose, I need to keep going. If you want a fight, so be it This hoof of mine shines with boundless laughter. Its loud cry tells me to grasp victory!” The Apple Buck reeled in the Shining Pony as its hoof began glowing. Its foreleg opening to reveal a gun. Once again the Apple Buck gave a strong tug at the lasso, pulling the Shining Pony in close. It placed the barrel of its gun right against the side of the Shining Pony's head.

“Ah win,” Applejack said.

“Think again Applejack,” Pinkie replied. “You pull the trigger, I drive the shining hoof through your suit's head. I don't want to do that. You're fighting for a good cause. But, you have to realize that I did nothing to harm Sweet Apple Acres! In fact, I helped you fix it up. I can't say much about the leaders of Neo-Ponyville, but I'm not an enemy. I want to be your friend!”

“Friend,” Applejack said as the limb of the Apple Buck holding the gun began to falter. “Friend,” she said again and dropped the limb to the ground.

Pinkie gave a sigh of relief and depowered the shining hoof. She exited her pony suit and met Applejack who had likewise exited.

“Friend,” Applejack said again. “Ah'd forgotten what that word meant. Why didn' ah realize that ya weren’t tryin' ta harm anythin' here. Why did ah let my hate drive me.”

“Don't worry, Applejack,” Pinkie said hugging her. “Don't worry, I forgive you. We all have things that drive us and will do anything to protect them.”

“Yer right, Pinkie,” Applejack said, pulling away from Pinkie.

“And it's true that I'm looking for my sisters,” Pinkie said as she produced the picture of herself and her sisters. “Have you seen either of them around?”

“Naw, can't say ah have,” Applejack said as she took a glance at the picture before handing it back.

“Thanks anyway.”

“Pinkie! Where are you!” Twilight's voice cried through the trees.

“And that would be my cue. Applejack, you get back to your family. I hope to meet you in the finals.” Pinkie turned and jumped back into the Shining Pony and set off in the direction of Twilight's voice.

“Ah feel the same, Pinkie,” Applejack replied. “Ah hope ya find yer sisters.”

Episode 3: Hurricane's Strike

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“Greetings and salutations, everypony,” MR said as the familiar spotlight shone down the suited pony sitting on his stool. “I would like, if I may, to clarify on the rules of the pony fight tournament.” At that, MR pulled out a metal pointer out of one of his pockets and a sheet of white paper unrolled itself down next to MR. On it were seven lines of text. “The Pony fight tournament has seven major rules that must be followed:

Rule one: Any pony suit whose head unit is destroyed is disqualified from the tournament.

Rule two: A pony suit pilot must never aim at the cockpit of an opponent’s pony suit.

Rule three: As long as the head unit is not destroyed, a pilot may repair damage to their pony suit as they desire.

Rule four: A pilot must take responsibility for their pony suit.

Rule five: All matches must be held as one-on-one.

Rule six: A pony suit pilot must not taint the honor and dignity of the city they are representing.

Rule seven: Equestria is the ring.”

As he said each rule, he pointed to it with his metal pointer. As he finished, he placed the pointer back in his pocket. “Failure to follow these, or outright breaking them carry the penalty of the pilots being removed from the tournament and barred from future ones. Now, onto business; today's pony Fight match opponent is the representative of Neo-Cloudsdale, who this is, is a secret.”

“Hey, mister,” Pinkie Pie said, appearing out of the darkness. She pulled a picture out of a saddle bag and handed it again to MR. “Are you really really truly sure that you haven't seen either of these two?” The picture showed three ponies. One was Pinkie, standing there but with her hair straightened out, the other two were colored purple and gray with like hairstyles, her sisters, Inkie and Blinkie Pie.

“Sorry, miss, still can’t say I have,” MR said passing the picture back to her. “But you know what, if I do see them, I’ll make sure to tell you right away.”

“Oh, thank you. And sorry to bother you again like this,” Pinkie said and vanished back into the darkness.

“Now, what this picture has to do with today’s battle, we’ll have to wait and see.” MR jumped off his stool and in one swift motion, pulled off both his suit and eye patch, revealing his bright pink shirt and bow tie and his perfectly normal working right eye. “Now, pony fight all set. Ready, Go!”

Mobile Fighter G-Pony Episode 3
Hurricane’s Strike

“Everypony! Run for it!” a cream colored earth pony mare with a red mane and a cutie mark of a single rose shouted to two other ponies trying to pull some things from a flower cart as she began to run down the road. “Leave the cart! It’s a lost cause!” The two ponies turned away from the cart and ran towards her.

“The horror,” one of the other two ponies, a pink colored earth pony mare with a yellow mane and a trio of lilies as a cutie mark and one stuck in her hair, said as she turned around and watched as a pony suit came into view and swiped away the cart. The pony suit was a pegasus model, fitted with wings and added stabilizers for sustained flight. This particular suit was also fitted with what looked to be additional armor, a breastplate and a helmet with a large plume. “The horror.”

“Lily, don’t you dare faint on us now!” the last pony, another earth pony mare colored light pink with a light green mane and a pair of daisies, said as she bumped into Lily, keeping her awake and on her feet. “Rose! We need to get back to Cloudsdale!”

“Daisy! Lily! Look out!” Rose shouted as she turned and saw the pony suit bearing down on the other two. “It’s right behind you!”

“AHHH!” Daisy and Lily screamed as the pony suit unfurled its wings and took to the skies, sending a wave of air that tossed the all three ponies around like rag dolls. Jets fired up under its wings as the pony suit flew off into the distance as the sound of triumphant laughter followed its wake. The three ponies picked themselves up and stared off in the direction that the pony suit had flown before they turned away and ran as fast as they could back to Cloudsdale.

“Ah, the cities of Cloudsdale and Landsdale,” Twilight said as she stopped the core lander in a clearing between a forest and a bluff overlooking the pegasus city, built entirely from a base of clouds floating high in the sky over top its ground level counterpart. “No matter how many times I see them, it still amazes me.”

“I know, Twilight,” Pinkie said in agreement while she stared out at the cloud city. “I always wondered how they built it. I mean, how does one use clouds as a building material?”

“While it's not as pronounced as with unicorns, the pegasi do have a form of innate magical power. They have always had a control over the weather here in Equestria, it's been well documented in reports and accounts that go back even beyond the beginning of the princesses' rule.

“Uh huh.”

“In fact, Landsdale started out as a small farming town of earth ponies. It stands as a testament to the bond of trust between the two cities. When the colonies were in development, the heads of the Manehatten colony went there to get help from the pegasi in developing a technology to regulate the weather. The ponies living there became effective ambassadors between the ponies developing the colonies and the pegasi. Since then, that small town has grown into this.” Twilight gestured to the city on the ground, with its large stone buildings and long straight streets filled with ponies and other creatures. “And become a central trade hub for not only all of Equestria, but the colonies as well.”

“Ah,” Pinkie said, nodding her head as if in understanding while she turned her gaze to the tree line. After a moment, she returned her gaze to the two cities. “I have no idea what you just said, Twilight, but it sounded all important like.” Twilight placed a hoof on her face and groaned loudly. “Anyways, let's get into town. Maybe we'll finally find the lead we've been looking for. Maybe I'll finally find my sisters.”

“You're right,” Twilight said, starting up the core lander and kicking it into gear. “Plus, we should see what we can find out about the Neo-Cloudsdale pony suit pilot.”

“Always the practical thinker, Twilight.”

“One of us has to be.” The core lander sped off towards Landsdale. A cloaked figure poked their head out from behind one of the trees at the edge of the forest and watched as the two ponies drove off before melding back into the tree cover and vanishing.

The streets of Landsdale were packed to the brim with ponies and other creatures hustling and bustling back and forth, here to there, and generally milling all about the place. Shops and stalls and merchants sitting on rugs lined the streets, hawking their wares and prices to passersby. Food, clothes, jewelry, even the odd magical trinket every now and then, were on display and waiting to be bought for the right price.

Pinkie and Twilight stood at the entrance to the city, awestruck by the sheer number of ponies and other creatures that managed to be packed into one place. After a moment, Pinkie's mouth curled into a large grin and she turned to Twilight.

“Look at them all,” she said, gesturing wildly at the scene. “I've never seen so many ponies in one place outside of the colonies!”

“I know, Pinkie,” Twilight said as she too recovered from the shock of seeing such a scene. “I know what you mean. I mean, I expected this somewhat, but still.”

“With so many ponies here, there has to be a lead floating around somewhere. I just know it. I can feel it in the very air!”

“Are you sure that's not just the smell of so many ponies in one place?” Twilight said with a short laugh. “But yes, I do think that there will be a good chance of you finding something about your sisters here.” Twilight reached into the saddle bag that she was wearing and pulled out a small pouch and tossed it to Pinkie. “Here's some money for you Pinkie. We'll be able to gather more information that way. How about we meet at the Cloudsdale embassy at sundown?”

“Okie dokie lokie,” Pinkie replied as she hopped away and melded into the crowd. Twilight watched as one of Pinkie's pink hooves waved above the crowd. “I'll see you at sundown.”

“She'll be ok,” Twilight said as she watched Pinkie bound off. “I'm sure that she won't get herself into too much trouble.” She paused herself for a moment then revised her thought. “I hope she won't get herself into too much trouble. Now, on to the information gathering stuff.” Twilight turned and headed off down a different street then Pinkie had gone.

“Oh, excuse me. Pardon me. Ah! Sorry about that sir, please forgive me.” Twilight kept apologizing to the ponies around her as she was jostled and pushed to and fro about the large crowd of ponies in the streets of Landsdale. She was not used to such large groups of ponies being in one place and as such had no idea how to manage moving in them. After awhile, Twilight was eventually pushed out of the mass of ponies and into an alleyway just off the side of the road. Twilight took a moment to catch her breath and looked out into the street and back to where she had ended up.

“How do any of them manage to move in such a mess?” she asked herself before returning to her present situation. “So, I've been pushed into an alley. Lucky me.” The alley was empty of any pony or other creature and led down to an intersection that had even more alleyways leading off of it in all directions. Twilight approached the intersection and looked down the various of shots.

“Huh, each path leads to more paths, which probably lead to even more paths. It's like this city is one big labyrinth.” Twilight sighed at the thought of getting lost in such a place. “I guess I'll just choose a path at random and hope that I get where I want to go. Now, I'll probably be able to find out things if I make it to the central plaza, and that should be at the center of this place unless the designers had an ill sense of humor, so, I should go this way.” Twilight picked the alleyway that ran in a parallel direction to the central street.

After a few more turns, subsequent dead ends, and wild mass guessing at which alleys would lead her where, Twilight finally sat down on the ground. After the first dead end, she had thought she'd managed to retrace her steps correctly, but it had seemed that she took a wrong turn somewhere and had wound up lost. “Ugh,” Twilight said with a groan of disgust. “How could I have gotten lost. Me! Who can read and memorize a book on the principles of translocation magic.” She sighed and sat her head on her hooves as she tried to think of someway to get out of this maze.

High above Twilight, situated on the roofs of the bordering buildings, sat four pegasi and a dozen or so earth pony colts and fillies. One of the pegasi, an orange filly with a magenta mane wearing a pair of goggles over her eyes who looked older than the rest, gave a signal with her hoof. The rest of the young ponies sprang into action. The earth ponies pulled out ropes with grapnels and repelled down from the roofs to the ground out of sight from Twilight. They set themselves up at the intersections of the alleys. Three of the pegasi, not including the orange one, took to the air and hovered over top of the intersections, keeping an eye on their companions below as well as Twilight. When they were all in position, they signaled back to the orange pegasus.

“It's show time,” the orange pegasus said as she took a rope and grapnel and set it up so that it fell behind Twilight.

“Now, did I turn left at that intersection? Or was that at the one before it and I turned right at that one?” Twilight was too caught up in her thoughts to notice the orange pegasus repelling down the wall of the building behind her. Nor did she notice when the pegasus crept up behind her and carefully stuck her head into Twilight's saddlebag. By the time she realized anything outside of her thoughts, the orange pegasus was slowly creeping away, her money bag held tightly between the pegasus's teeth.

“Hey! Get back here you little thief!” Twilight shouted as the pegasus bolted down the alley. She jumped to her feet and gave chase. As Twilight reached the first intersection, she gazed down the various alleys and saw someone fleeing down one. She immediately took off after it, which led her to another intersection where the same thing happened again. After several rounds of intersections, Twilight finally lost track of who she was chasing after and found she was still very lost in the maze of alleyways of Landsdale. “If the designer of this place is still alive...” she let that thought fade away as another took its place. “Wait, they took my money bag. That means that I can track where it is with my magic.” She paused again at her thought. “Why didn't I think of this earlier to solve me being lost! Curse you brain and your thinking too much on things.” Twilight concentrated on her personal belongings as her horn began to glow. “Now, where are you oh bag of mine? Ah, there you are.” With a flash of magic, Twilight vanished.

“Look at this score!” the orange pegasus said as she dumped out the bag of money onto the small table of a small rundown room. The group of pony children all gazed in amazement at the wealth displayed. “There has to be at least a few hundred bits here. We'll be able to live off this for a long time.”

“Oh, Scootaloo,” one of the earth pony children said. “You're the best.”

“Stop it,” Scootaloo said as a blush rose to her cheeks. “You're making me blush. And what did I say about my name.”

“That we are to refer to you as The Scootaloo?” another of the pony children, a pegasus this time, said.

“That's right. I am The Scootaloo. The ‘The’ is very important. Just like the Neo-Cloudsdale pony suit pilot, ‘The Dash.’”

As the children milled about Scootaloo and their new found wealth, setting up plans on how they were going to spend it, the air in the room started to crackle with energy as a flash of light was accompanied with a loud crack. As the light faded, there standing on the table was Twilight. The pony children all crowded behind Scootaloo as she stood her ground against the newly appeared intruder to their home.

“Found you,” Twilight said as she hopped off the table and looked around the room. “Now, where is here exactly?”

“What are you doing in our home‽” Scootaloo demanded. “How did you get here‽”

“I followed my bag, which you stole from me I might add.”

“I stole it fair and square.”

“Yes, you stole it,” Twilight said harshly to the young pegasus. “Why did you need to steal it from me?”

“Look at this place!” Scootaloo shouted and gestured around the rundown little room. There was one piece of furniture, the table, the floor was dirt and the only light was filtered down from a small window set high on one wall. “Look at us! Do we look like the kind of pony that would have money‽ Do we look like anyone cares about us‽” Twilight took a long look at the group of young ponies huddling behind Scootaloo. They were all dirty and malnourished and probably hadn't had anything more substantial to eat then a crust of bread or a half eaten apple discarded into a waste bin. “We're orphans! How else are we going to live!” Scootaloo had tears flowing down her eyes as she yelled the last part, giving weight to the pain and suffering that not only she, but the other young ponies in the room, had endured.

Twilight stood and stared at the young pegasus. She had no idea what to do in this situation. Orphans, poverty, and the like were not unheard of on the colonies, but they were very rare, with most of the time, the orphaned children being taken in by a relative or a well-to-do family. Twilight sighed and approached the young pegasus.

“Sorry,” she said as she grabbed Scootaloo in a hug and held her tightly.

“Wah! What are you doing!” Scootaloo shouted out as she tried to free herself from Twilight's grip.

“I'm sorry. I rushed to a conclusion. I should have known better.” Twilight let go of Scootaloo and stepped back. “Keep the money, you need it more then I do. I'm Twilight Sparkle.”

“The Scootaloo.”

“'The?'”

“Just like the Neo-Cloudsdale pony suit pilot,” Scootaloo said, puffing her chest out with pride. “She's my role model.”

“Really now?” Twilight said as she began put together a plan. “Say, you know your way around this part of the city right?”

“Yes, I know it better than anyone.”

“How about in exchange for the money, you take me to the central plaza?”

Scootaloo looked puzzled at this question. “But, didn't you said you'd give us the money?”

“Do you want me to take it back?”

“No!” Scootaloo and the rest of the pony children cried out. “No, we'll show you the way to the plaza.”

“Thank you, The Scootaloo,” Twilight said in relief. “And how about on the way you tell me all about this pony suit pilot you look up to.”

On the other side of the city, Pinkie was happily going about her business, trying out some of the local foods, gazing at the various trinkets and baubles that were being sold, generally having a good time. Every now and then she stopped a passerby or approached a shopkeeper and asked them about her sisters. So far she had had no luck on that front, but the general atmosphere of the city did much to counteract the news. Pinkie approached a street merchant selling fresh fruit from a nearby orchard at a stall on the side of the road. Pinkie pulled out her picture and showed the merchant.

“Have you seen either of these two ponies here?”

“Hmm, let me get a better look at that,” the merchant said, taking the picture to get a better look at it. “Hmm, can't say I have, but then again, I see so many passing by that I can't remember them all. I may have seen them but...”

“I see,” Pinkie said as she took the picture back and placed a few bits on the stall counter. “Thanks anyway. I'll also take two of those juicy looking pears there.” The fruit merchant took the money and tossed Pinkie the pears which she placed in her saddlebag for later and turned to head back into the mass of ponies in the street.

“You may find better luck at the central plaza,” the merchant said as she left. “Just keep following the road. Has a large fountain, can't miss it.”

“Thanks!” Pinkie said and waved her hoof at the merchant as she trotted off towards the central plaza. As she entered, she saw a large group of ponies crowding around the fountain. Curious, Pinkie approached and made her way to the front of the mass. There were three earth ponies standing on the edge of the fountain; a cream colored mare with a red mane and a cutie mark of a single rose, a pink colored mare with a yellow mane and a trio of lilies as a cutie mark and one stuck in her hair, and a mare colored light pink with a light green mane and a pair of daisies. The cream colored one was talking at the moment.

“And then, a pony suit came out of nowhere and attacked us!” She said to the crowd. “We just managed to get away with our lives, but the pony suit destroyed our flower cart, our livelihood.”

“What Rose said is right,” the light pink mare said. “Me and Lily here,” she gestured to the darker pink mare, “almost got crushed by it! And the worst thing is that once we got back here, we saw a picture of the very suit that attacked us. It is the Neo-Cloudsdale pony suit, the Hurricane Pony!”

“Daisy, how are we going to live now,” Lily asked the light pink mare with tears in her eyes. “How are we going to live now?”

“I'm not sure, Lily,” Daisy said as she gave her friend a hug. “But we'll find a way.”

“I've seen this rouge pony suit too!” Another pony in the crowd said. “The same thing happened to me. It attacked me as I was making my way out Manehatten way with a load of goods to sell.”

“Me too!” Yet another pony chimed in. “But I wasn't even carrying anything. It just showed up and chased me back to the city.”

“Has anyone told the mayor yet?”

“I did, but they didn't believe me. They said it couldn't be their representative doing these things.”

“How could they ignore something like this? Especially if it is their suit!”

“We need to make the mayor see this problem!”

Pinkie watched as a group of pegasi police descended near the back of the group. The police group then proceeded to disperse the crowd before they could do anything that could be constituted as a crime. Pinkie watched as the disgruntled ponies broke away and went their separate ways, several heading towards the mayor's office were cut off by more police and sent away. After the excitement of the crowd faded, Pinkie went around to some of the stalls set up in the central plaza to see if any of the merchants here remembered seeing either of her sisters. She ended up with no leads as she asked the last merchant and sat down on a bench by the fountain, her mind filled with thoughts on her sisters and the mysterious pony suit reeking havoc outside the city. She was so gripped in her thoughts that she did not notice Twilight standing in front of her with a large group of young ponies until one of them, an orange pegasus filly got close to her and made a silly face.

“Bleh!” Scootaloo shouted as she stuck out her tongue and shook her head back and forth. Pinkie let out a startled cry before falling into a fit of laughter.

“Oh, ha ha, good one,” Pinkie said to Scootaloo before she noticed Twilight standing there with the rest of Scootaloo's group. “Oh, hey, Twilight. How have you been? And who are they?”

“Meet The Scootaloo and her family,” Twilight said, introducing the orange pegasus filly and the rest of the children. “They are orphans living in the city. And they helped me get here.”

“You got lost, right?” Pinkie asked.

“I got lost. But not only did they help me, they told me all about the pony fight representative for Neo-Cloudsdale. Apparently it is a pegasus who goes by the name “The Dash” and is widely known around the cities and the colony,” Twilight said. “So, you find anything?”

“About my sisters, no,” Pinkie replied. “But I find out something else interesting. Apparently there's a pony suit rampaging about outside the town. It's targeted merchants as well as regular travelers and seems that the city governments either can't do anything about it or don't want to do anything about it. I think it may have something to do with the pony fight tournament.”

“What do you mean, Pinkie?”

“I mean it's the Neo-Cloudsdale pilot, this “The Dash”, who is doing this or so the reports go. I think they've gone rogue and are using the suit to terrorize the city and further some plan of their own. Ponies have seen the suit with their very eyes.”

“No!” Scootaloo shouted at Pinkie's accusation. “The Dash would never do something like that. She’s the bravest, loyalist, and best hero to Cloudsdale. There's no way that she could. No way at all!”

“Heroes fall eventually,” Pinkie said softly, her thoughts filled with images of her family. “Twilight, you go and talk to the embassy. I’m going to do bit more searching around for any news on my sisters. There's an inn just over there.” Pinkie motioned to a building with a sign that just said “Inn” over the door. “I shouldn’t be gone more than a few hours. And Scootaloo, hold onto your image of your hero.”

“You sure you don’t want me to come and help?” Twilight asked with a hint of concern, she'd seen Pinkie act like this before and it never turned out good.

“I’m sure,” Pinkie replied. Twilight caught the tone of the reply and knew that she would never be able to talk Pinkie out of this nor convince her to allow her to accompany her. Twilight gave a sigh of resignation and turned to the group of young ponies.

“Thank you all for helping me,” she said. “Make sure you spend that money wisely.” The group ran off with a cheer, Scootaloo stood for a moment with a conflicted look because of what Pinkie said before following the rest of her group. Twilight watched them run off then turned back to Pinkie. “Stay safe, Pinkie.”

“Always,” Pinkie replied and walked towards the road that would lead her outside the city.

Night had fallen. Night had fallen and Pinkie was still outside the city, trying to draw out the rogue pony suit pilot. So far her brilliant plan to disguise herself as a traveling merchant pony had failed to do what she wanted it to do. She had used most of her remaining money to buy a small cart and fill it with trade goods from the city in the hopes to draw out the pony suit, but all it had led to was her being out in dark forest outside the city. Pinkie sighed as she unhooked herself from the cart and gazed around the dark trees.

“After all those attacks, you decide not to come out when someone is trying to find you,” she said. “Maybe I should head back to town. Now that I think about it, what was I going to do if I actually met this rogue pilot?” As Pinkie was about to re-hook herself to the cart, a shudder crept down her spine. She immediately set her gaze to the tree line. “Somepony's watching me, but where?”

Just inside the tree line, a cloaked figure watched Pinkie's every move. It had followed her ever since she had set hoof in the forest, but now it seemed that they had been found out. As the figure slowly turned to flee, a twig snapped off behind them, drawing their attention away from the road and Pinkie. They stared into the dark for a moment and saw nothing before turning their attention back to the road. Pinkie had vanished from where she had been. The figure began to sweat and panic as a foreleg draped across their shoulders, holding them in place.

“Hey there,” Pinkie said as she pulled the cloaked figure closer to her. “What'cha doing out here in the woods, at night, all alone, watching me?” The figure tried to free itself from Pinkie's hold, but Pinkie just tightened her hold. “Uh uh, first you answer the question, then we see if you go free or not.” The cloaked figure stopped struggling and sighed.

“Fine,” they said. “I was following you because I'm looking for the rogue pony suit that has been attacking ponies. They stole something important from me and I want it back. And you looked like the kind of pony that would be targeted.”

“Oh, is that all? Why didn’t you just come out and say hi then. We could've walked together and all that stuff and not have been alone all this time waiting for a violent attack to happen.” Pinkie let go of the cloaked figure. “Name’s Pinkie Pie.”

“Call me RD,” the cloaked figure said as they straightened out their cloak.

“That’s a strange name.”

“Yeah, I get that a lot,” RD said. “So... now what?”

“I don’t know. I was planning to head back to the city and try again tomorrow,” Pinkie said as she suddenly became all quiet and focused all of her attention down the dark forest road. “I heard something, down that way.”

“Maybe it’s who we're looking for,” RD said, but Pinkie was already moving towards the distant voices. RD stood for a moment then gave shrug and followed after Pinkie.

The sound of voices led the two ponies off the road and into the forest through a narrow trail eventually leading to the upper ledge of a large quarry.

“I see lights down there,” Pinkie said, pointing towards a cave system that had light spilling out of one of the entrances. “This is probably where the pony suit pilot calls home. When I get my hooves on this Dash character, I'm gonna give them a piece of my mind.”

“Dash? The Neo-Cloudsdale pilot?” RD asked.

“Yeah, the very same. Or so everypony thinks. They know that it's the Neo-Cloudsdale pony suit that's doing the attacking at least.”

RD stood staring down into the quarry. “I'll go on ahead, see if I can find something to use against them. Come down once I'm out of view.”

“Okay,” Pinkie replied. “I'll try to make my way inside then without being seen.” RD jumped and slid down the slope. Upon reaching the bottom, RD signaled up to Pinkie, then sped off into the darkness of the quarry floor. Once they were out of sight, Pinkie waited for a few minutes, letting RD set up what they wanted to do, before she followed suit, sliding down to the quarry floor and slowly making her way across the large empty span to the cave entrances. As Pinkie approached the largest cave entrance, lights sprang into being all around her, illuminating her as well as around two dozen earth ponies, a few pegasi, and an odd griffon or two standing around her.

“Hello, little pony,” one of the larger earth ponies as a pair of pegasi dropped a net on Pinkie, trapping her before she could act. “And welcome to your new prison. Haul her off to one of the cells and keep an eye on her, we'll deal with her come morning.” A pair of equally large earth ponies grabbed the ends of the net and hauled it and Pinkie off down one of the caves.

After a short, bumpy, miserable ride, Pinkie was tossed into a small dark cell carved out of the stone quarry and set with iron bars. One of the earth ponies that dragged her there slammed the door to the cell shut and locked it.

“What just happened?” she said as she freed herself from the net. She walked around the small cell, noting its furnishings, which included a pile of straw in one corner and nothing else, before sitting down to think. “Let's see, met strange pony on road. Then, followed sound of voices to a quarry. Then, let strange pony go ahead of me into quarry. Then, ambushed by gang in quarry and thrown into a prison cell. They couldn't have known I was here unless... no, no, what purpose would RD have to throw me to a gang? I mean, I just met them...” Pinkie smacked herself with her hoof. “Of course, what if they were a member of this gang all along. But, that would mean that these ponies are smart, and I don't think living in a quarry in the middle of a forest is a smart move. But, then again, what if they just had lookouts placed in the forest and knew we were coming? That would mean that RD was captured as well. But, if that is the case, why aren't they here as well?”

“Shut up in there!” one of her guards shouted as he came up to the cell. “Or else I'll deal with you right here, right now.”

“But didn't your boss tell you to leave me for tomorrow? You'd really want to get on his bad side? Hah, I don't think you have it in you to do anything like that. You're just a sniveling coward of a gang pony aren't you.”

“SHUT UP!” the guard shouted as he kicked down the cell's door and charged in at Pinkie. Pinkie nimbly dodged to the left of the large earth pony's attack and used the cell's rock wall as a platform to leap onto her assailant’s back. The earth pony reared back onto its hind legs in an attempt to throw Pinkie from his back, but Pinkie wrapped her forelegs around his throat and pulled back as hard as she could, throwing the earth pony off balance and sending him to the floor as she rolled away. As the earth pony struggled to his feet, Pinkie drove both of her hind legs into the side of his head, knocking him out.

“Ah,” Pinkie said as she watched her opponent slump to the ground. “Now, to figure out what's going on here.” Pinkie stuck her head out of the cell, no pony had come from the adjoining cave paths so far to investigate the sound of the cell door being kicked down. “Good.” She said as she slowly made her way away from the cell.

Twilight awoke suddenly and looked over at the second bed of the room she had rented out for the night. It was still empty. Pinkie had promised her that she would be back, and yet there was still no sign of her.

“I'm sure she's fine,” Twilight said hesitantly, then got out of bed and began to pace around the room. “She can take care of herself. I mean she was out training for all those years.”

“Hey,” Scootaloo said from her position on the open windowsill, startling Twilight out of her thoughts.

“You! How did you get here?” Scootaloo pointed to the rope hanging just outside the window. “Oh yeah. So what do you need, Scootaloo?”

“I was thinking about what your friend said earlier. What if it really is The Dash who is doing all these bad things? What am I supposed to do if my idol and role model turns out to be a thief and a bully?”

“I'm sure that everything will work out in the end,” Twilight said, trying to comfort the distressed filly and herself.

“She escaped! And she beat up her guard!”

“Be careful of her, she must be a lot stronger then she looks!”

“Wake everypony! She must be found before the boss finds out!”

“So, they finally realized I escaped,” Pinkie said as she ducked into an unused room in the cave system as the sound of running hooves echoed down the caves. Ponies were running all about now that the alarm had been raised, she had to be extra careful not to be seen or she would most likely wind up captured again with worse consequences. The sounds in the halls faded rapidly as the ponies scurried on past Pinkie's hiding space. She poked her head out to make sure the coast was clear and ran right into a familiar cloaked figure. “RD!”

“You! What are you doing here?” RD replied, recovering from their shock at seeing Pinkie.

“I was about to ask the same question. In fact, I am going to ask you the same question. What are you doing here? Did you get captured too?”

“Uh, hey look! Over there!” RD said, pointing behind Pinkie. Pinkie turned to look at what RD was pointing at, but when she turned back towards RD, they were not there. From down the hall, she heard RD's voice shouting out. “She's back there! Hurry before she gets away!”

“What?” Pinkie said as she watched as gang members charged down the hall she was in, perplexed at the turn of events. “What? WHAT‽ YOU DID NOT JUST DO THAT!” Pinkie shouted as she charged towards the group of ponies charging towards her. As she neared, she sprang into the air and drove her hooves into the face of leading pony and used it as a platform to send herself over the group, landing behind them. She gave a short glance behind her before she sped off after RD.

As Pinkie ran through the halls chasing after RD's calls for mobilization against her, between dodging the attacks from gang members and knocking them out, she noticed a change in the look of the cavern halls she ran through. As she progressed, the rock walls became smoother and more well kept in addition to the hallways themselves becoming larger and more expansive and darker. Pinkie slowed down her reckless pace as she noticed that no new ponies were approaching her. She gazed back and noticed that a large group had clumped themselves at the head of the hallway she was in, blocking any backwards progress. She turned back forwards and gazed into the darkening hallway and continued onward.

The hallway ended in a large room, the ceiling and the far walls encased in shadows from Pinkie's position. As she entered, a loud voice echoed throughout the chamber as a light flared on, blinding Pinkie.

“What do we have here?” the voice said as Pinkie's eyes grew accustomed to the light. There standing at the other end of the chamber was a the Hurricane Pony suit of Neo-Cloudsdale, recognizable by the armor it wore and the fact that it was a pegasus model pony suit. “A little pony come to take revenge on me for some wrong I've done to them? Or are you sent by the city?”

“I was right,” Pinkie replied.

“Huh? What are you talking about, little pony?”

“I said I was right. You have fallen, ‘The Dash'! To stoop to common thievery using your pony suit!”

“No, seriously,” the voice said. “What are you talking about? The Dash? Ha! Like I would ever call myself after that loser.”

“If you're not ‘The Dash', then who are you‽” Pinkie shouted at the suit.

“Simple,” the voice replied as the Hurricane Pony jerked to its hooves and spread its wings wide, revealing a large opening in the chamber wall behind it leading to another hallway. “I am your worst nightmare!” The Hurricane Pony lunged forward and Pinkie dove under it and ran for the opening. A loud crash sounded as the Hurricane Pony threw itself into the opposite wall of the chamber.

“Stupid pony technology,” the voice said as the Hurricane Pony pulled itself to its hooves and followed slowly after Pinkie.

Pinkie reached the end of the hallway and found that it lead to a canyon outside. Pinkie looked behind her and saw that Hurricane Pony approaching rapidly and ran out into the canyon. The Hurricane Pony exited the cave and slowly began to give chase.

“Stop running around so much!” the pilot shouted as Pinkie dove back and forth across the narrow canyon, avoiding the attacks of the pony suit. “I said STOP RUNNING!” The Hurricane Pony drove a hoof into the side of the canyon, dislodging rocks from the edge of the canyon high above. The rocks fell down and caused the Hurricane Pony's limbs to become stuck between the rubble. “Move you stupid pony suit!” the pilot shouted as the Hurricane Pony tried to free itself, failing in the end. “Ah, screw this.” The cockpit to the pony suit opened and from the hatch emerged a female griffon. “Little pony, you've made me very angry, now you will suffer!”

“I think not, old friend,” a voice said from the top the Hurricane Pony as the cloaked figure RD appeared. RD proceeded to pull their cloak off, revealing a cyan colored pegasus mare with a rainbow colored mane and a cutie mark of a cloud shooting a rainbow lightning bolt. A dark blue scarf tied around her neck fluttered in the wind behind her.

“You!” the griffon shouted as RD took to the air and quickly dove towards her. RD collided with the griffon before she could react and was tossed from the access hatch of the Hurricane Pony to the canyon floor. “How are you still alive, Rainbow Dash!” the griffon said as Rainbow Dash pinned her to the ground.

“Oh, Gilda, you should know better,” Rainbow Dash replied. “It takes more than tying up my wings, tying me to a chair, then throwing me off a cliff into a raging rock filled river to off me. I eat that kind of danger for breakfast.”

“Curse you, Dash!”

“Um, how about no,” Rainbow Dash said as she drove a hoof into Gilda's face, knocking her out cold. “Ah, I feel so much better now that that is dealt with.” She turned and saw Pinkie standing and staring. “And thanks, Pinkie, for your help. My old “friend” here thought it would be good idea to try and off me and steal my pony suit. And if it wasn't for you, I'd never have found a way to get at her. She was too paranoid to ever leave the suit for long, thinking if she did I'd show up and take it back. Which is totally what I did.” Rainbow Dash turned and flew up to the access hatch to the Hurricane Pony. “Now if you'll excuse me, I must really be getting back to the city heads saying that I've dealt with this problem.”

“You don't get off that easily, RD!” Pinkie shouted, stopping Rainbow Dash from entering her pony suit. “You set me up! You had me captured by those ponies. Did you even care to think about what they would do to me if I didn't manage to escape?”

“Uh, I guess I didn't think that far in advance,” Rainbow Dash said as she rubbed the back of her neck.

“Didn't think is an understatement! CORE LANDER!” The core lander of the Shining Pony came flying over the edge of the canyon wall and landed behind Pinkie. “RD, I mean, Rainbow Dash, representative of the Neo-Cloudsdale colony and pilot of the Hurricane Pony suit; I challenge you to a pony fight match! Do you accept‽”

“I'll accept any challenge!”

“RISE, SHINING PONY!” The Shining Pony reared out of the forest. A moment later, Pinkie had piloted the core lander to it and began the start up sequence for the pony suit. At the same time, Rainbow Dash began the Hurricane Pony's start up sequence.

“Pony fight match set!” Pinkie shouted as her suit's start up sequence finished.

“Ready!” Rainbow Dash shouted as her suit's start up sequence finished.

“GO!” the two of them shouted and threw themselves towards each other.

As Twilight sat with Scootaloo, sharing tales of her childhood with the filly, her communicator began to beep rapidly. Twilight looked at it and saw that it was responding to a call for the core lander to launch. Twilight's eyes grew wide as she realized the intent behind the signal.

“No,” she said, grabbing the communicator with her magic and rushing to the window. Yet from the position of the inn in the center of the city, she could not see anything dealing with the call. “Pinkie, what are you doing.” She turned to Scootaloo. “Scootaloo, something has happened, I need to leave now.”

“It's about your friend isn't it?” Scootaloo asked.

“Yes, it is.”

“Then it probably also has to deal with The Dash, right?”

“Most likely,” Twilight replied slowly.

“I want to come with you,” Scootaloo said suddenly. “I need to see this with my own eyes.”

“You sure about this, Scootaloo?”

“Yes,” she said without any hesitation in her voice.

“Ok, come here then. I need to triangulate on Pinkie's location,” Twilight said as her horn began to glow with magic as she searched for Pinkie. “There she is. Hold on tight now.” Scootaloo grabbed tightly onto Twilight's forelegs as the two of them vanished in a burst of magic. They reappeared on a bluff overlooking the fight between the Shining Pony and the Hurricane Pony.

The signal for the start of the fight was thrown and the two pony suit pilots threw themselves and their suit at each other. As the two suits closed in, the Shining Pony reached its head over to one of its shoulders and pulled free a handle which, once clear of the limb, burst into a long saber of energy. The Shining Pony swung the beam saber at the Hurricane Pony who took to the air with a burst of acceleration from the jets on its wings to dodge the attack.

From its aerial position, the Hurricane fired off a burst of gunfire from a pair of head mounted guns and caused the Shining Pony to drop its saber and scurry for cover among the trees. A retaliatory burst of similar gunfire sounded, aimed at the Hurricane Pony's aerial position. As the Hurricane Pony dodged about, it dropped back down to the ground and charged at the Shining Pony with one wing open, the edge of it glowing with beam technology. A side panel opened on the Shining Pony as its Pinkie cannon was activated. Pinkie took aim as the Hurricane Pony continued its charge and fired. The cannon shot hit the Hurricane Pony's wing and was cleaved in half, and before Pinkie could react, the wing jets of the Hurricane Pony activated and it rushed forward as it cleaved through the Shining Pony's cannon, throwing off the Shining Pony's balance.

“How do you like the wings, Pinkie?” Rainbow Dash said through the cockpit video feed. “Same tech as a beam weapon incorporated right into the frame of the suit. Pretty awesome, isn't it?”

“Awesome, yes,” Pinkie said as the Shining Pony righted itself and lifted the cleaved cannon. “Nice clean cut too.” The Shining Pony threw the cannon at the Hurricane Pony. The Hurricane Pony batted away the cannon with a wing and was knocked to the ground as the Shining Pony slammed into it. “But you're showing off too much.”

“It's who I am,” Rainbow Dash replied. “It shows that I'm the best at what I do. I must be the best, there's no other way.” The Hurricane Pony pulled itself to its hooves and launched itself into the air.

“What do you mean by “no other way”?” Pinkie asked as she watched for the next attack.

“I grew up as an orphan, with no hope for a future. So I had to prove not only to me, but to the entire city that I was no nobody. I crawled and scrapped and scrounged my way up. I took odd jobs to save up money. I joined a troupe of pony performers, practicing and performing dazzling aerial maneuvers. I joined the Cloudsdale police force, hoping to make it a better place for those like me. I took up the position as the Hurricane Pony's pilot in the hope that if I won the pony fight tournament, I could somehow do something to help those who were in the same position I was. Without this, all I've strived for, all that I have done will have no meaning.”

“I see,” Pinkie said. “You have a goal that you'll stake everything on. Well, so do I, Rainbow Dash. And nothing will keep me from making my goal come true!” Pinkie geared up for another charge at Rainbow Dash and the Hurricane Pony when another video feed opened on the Shining Pony's display.

“Pinkie! Stop!” Twilight shouted through the feed causing Pinkie to hold off on her charge.

“Twilight? What are you doing here?”

“What's going on?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Who are you talking to over there?”

“Oh, is that the Neo-Cloudsdale pilot? Good, I want to speak with them. Can you patch the video link through to them?” Twilight said.

“Twilight, kinda busy at the moment,” Pinkie said as she cut off the video link. “Sorry about that. Now, how about we finish this thing!”

“You read my mind, Pinkie,” Rainbow Dash replied. “I was getting bored with our little back and forth banter and all. But get ready, I'm bringing my strongest attack!”

“Ready whenever you are.”

“Well then, ready the Hurricane!” Rainbow Dash shouted as the wings of the Hurricane Pony extended fully with the beam edge activating while one of them rotating about so that the wing's jets faced forwards instead of backwards. “How about we get this show on the road?”

“You got it, RD!” Pinkie shouted as both of the Shining Pony's hoof began to glow. “These hooves of mine shine with boundless laughter. There loud cry tells me to grasp victory!”

“HURRICANE'S STRIKE!”

“SHINING HOOF!”

The Hurricane Pony began to spin rapidly, propelled by the wing jets, turning into a tornado of beam energy while the Shining Pony charged forward and leapt at the spinning vortex shining hooves first. The resulting clash of attacks produced a blinding flash of light. When the light faded, both pony suits were down and both pilots were out and laughing and hugging each other in the clearing caused by the attacks.

“Looks like the fight is over,” Twilight said. “Come on, Scootaloo, let's go and get them.” Twilight encased the two of them in her magic and teleported over to the two pilots. As they reappeared, they were grabbed by Pinkie into a big hug.

“Twilight!” Pinkie said excitedly. “RD's seen them! She's seen my sisters!”

“That's right,” Rainbow Dash said. “Or at least one of them. They passed out of the city heading towards Manehatten.”

“Oh, Pinkie, that's wonderful news,” Twilight said as she hugged Pinkie back. “Now we have a trail to follow.”

“We need to hurry and go,” Pinkie said as she noticed the orange pegasus filly with Twilight. “Oh, hey there, Scootaloo, what are you doing here?”

Scootaloo did not reply to Pinkie's question. She was staring in awe at the fact that her hero, The Dash, was right here in front of her.

“So, you're 'The Dash,' I presume,” Twilight said, addressing Rainbow Dash while Pinkie was waving a leg in front of Scootaloo's face, trying to draw her out of her stupor.

“Uh, yeah,” Rainbow replied.

“You weren’t responsible for any of the attacks on the ponies of Landsdale right?”

“No, I would never attack those from the cities.”

“Thought so,” Twilight said. “All the records and files on you stated that you were one of the loyalist ponies to Cloudsdale and Landsdale. I presume that your suit was stolen then and used by someone else to commit these crimes.”

“Yes,” Rainbow Dash replied. “A former friend.”

“Oh, good,” Twilight said with a sigh of relief and motioned to Scootaloo, who was still staring and had still not moved. “And I believe that there is someone else here who wants to speak to you.” She nudged Scootaloo on the back, pushing her slightly towards Rainbow Dash.

“The Dash!” Scootaloo shouted as she broke out of her stupor and through herself at Rainbow Dash, knocking her over with the force of a hug. “I'm The Scootaloo and I'm your biggest fan. Oh I knew you weren't attacking ponies, I just knew it.”

“Ah ha, always nice to meet a fan,” Rainbow Dash said as a blush began to rise to her cheeks. “But what are you doing out here, what about your parents?”

“I'm an orphan,” Scootaloo said softly.

“Oh, sorry kid. I know how it is to be in your shoes.” Rainbow Dash paused for a moment. “Hey, there's an idea. How about you come with me once this is all over and done with?”

“You'd really do that for me?” Scootaloo asked. “But, what about all the others. What about the other orphans that depend on me?”

“I'm sure I can work something out with the colony heads. I'll personally make sure they all find a good home.”

“This is so touching,” Pinkie said as she wiped away tears from her eyes from the driver's seat of the core lander. “I'm so happy for you, Scootaloo. And thanks for everything, RD. Make sure you make it to the finals. We need a rematch to determine who is the better pilot. Come on, Twilight, let's get a move on.” Twilight waved good bye to the two pegasus and pulled herself into the core lander.

“You bet, Pinkie,” Rainbow Dash replied and turned to Scootaloo. “Come on, kid, let's get back to the cities and get everything sorted out for you and your friends.” The four made their separate ways; Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo heading back towards the cities of Cloudsdale and Landsdale in the Hurricane Pony, and Pinkie and Twilight speeding off in the core lander towards the city of Manehatten and the next lead to Pinkie's missing sisters.

Episode 4: Diamonds are Forever

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“Greetings and salutations, everypony,” MR said as the familiar spotlight shone down the suited pony sitting on his stool. “I would like, if I may, to take some time to describe, with some detail, what exactly a pony suit is.” Another spotlight shone down next to MR, illuminating several posters on a stand. The first poster showed a picture of the Shining Pony suit of Neo-Ponyville. “What we have here on this poster, is a mobile pony suit, originally developed to be a weapon of war and later turned into a device for one-on-one combat for the Pony Fight Tournament. Now, what makes these suits different from a normal everyday robot or the like is the material it is made of.”

MR pulled the first poster off the stand, revealing the next. This one had a picture of a rock on it. “During the planning stage for the colonies, the scientists and engineers were looking for a type of material that could withstand the harshness of space. They soon discovered this,” MR pointed to the poster, “a new mineral they named ‘ponium,’ which held all the properties they were looking for; it held strong to extreme heat and extreme cold, it was very durable, and once shaped by magic, its shape could not be changed. Once the colonies were launched and the ideas for the mobile pony suits came about, they decided to make use of this strong mineral as the base for its structure as well as the reactors that power the suits.”

Once again, MR pulled off the poster to show the next one; this one with a representation of a type of engine. “Now, the standard pony suit uses a standard magical reactor engine made of ponium. The magic is contained within the confines of the unchangeable engine and is distributed to the limbs and various systems of the pony suits. That being said, this is the standard type of engine. Several of the colonies invested in creating their own engines to better complement the type of suit they were making such as Neo-Hoofington’s experimental engine that supplied much more power to its weapons systems then the normal, or such as the Neo-Sweet Apple Acres’ reactor that runs solely off of organic material such as apples in their case.”

MR pulled free this poster and revealed the next, showing a diagram of a pony suit cockpit. “Now after showing what the pony suit is made of and how it is powered, you must be wondering how they are piloted. The suits use a sophisticated neural interface system called the mobile trace system. The mobile trace system places the pilot into a skintight suit with transmitters which in turn imparts the moves of the pilot directly to the pony suit allowing for the pilot to directly control the suit in any situation. Though, this places a lot of stress onto the pilot’s body and requires extreme training to use meaning that the pilots themselves must be at the top of physical shape which in turn leads to more interesting fights.”

MR removed the poster and revealed the final one, showing various different types of suits. “As a last thought, the pony suit is a general term for the suits. They are not solely restricted to be pony shaped. In fact, there is some variance in suit design even within the pony society. There is the standard earth pony design, but there is also the less common designs for the pegasus and unicorn model. These are less used as that the suits are far too heavy for sustained flight by mechanical wings and that engineers have yet to find an active way to let unicorn pilots use their magic in relation to the suits. Now as I said, the suits themselves need not be pony shaped. In fact, there are several races, such as the buffalo, griffons, and diamond dogs, who regularly participate in the tournament in suits that resemble their own races.” The light faded away above the poster stand, letting it fade back into the dark.

“Now onto business, today's Pony Fight match opponent is the representative of Neo-Manehatten, the ever famous and popular member of high society, Rarity, and her pony suit, the Jewel Pony.”

“Hey mister,” Pinkie Pie said, appearing out of the darkness. She pulled a picture out of a saddle bag and handed it again to MR. “Have you heard anything about these two yet?” The picture showed three ponies. One was Pinkie, standing there but with her hair straightened out, the other two were colored purple and gray with like hairstyles, her sisters, Inkie and Blinkie Pie.

“Hum,” MR said as he took the picture. “Yes, I do believe that this time I have. Somepony said that they saw one of them heading towards Manehatten.”

“Really‽ That's great news,” Pinkie said as she grabbed MR in a hug. “But I already knew that. That's why I'm already on my way there.”

“Just doing what I can to help, miss,” MR said as he handed back Pinkie's picture.

“Thanks,” she said as she vanished back into the darkness.

Mobile Fighter G-Pony Episode 4
Diamonds are Forever

Manehatten, the city of dreams - where the streets are paved with gold and there is an opportunity for fame and fortune around every corner and down every street and alleyway. Long considered to be not only the cultural capital of Equestria but also the scientific capital of Equestria. Home of the brightest minds as well as the most important figures of high society outside of the royal family. The city where the technology for the space colonies was developed. The city for which the first colony was launched. The city where the mobile pony suits were first created.

That was years ago before the great war and the tournament. In truth, like many of the others, the once great city of Manehatten had fallen and lost much of its former glory. Many of the buildings of its once glorious downtown skyline had fallen to varying states of disrepair, the streets were all cracked and pitted, and every now and then there were villages of the homeless and downtrodden, either squatting in the shells of abandoned buildings or weathering the elements in tents in large empty lots. Yet even in the face of this, high society still managed to persist in the parts of the city that were held in better repair. Several large mansions and gloriously built towers sat separated from the low end of the city by a large, well-kept empty park with large lake at its center.

At this large park stood two mobile pony suits. Though in truth, only one could be called a pony suit. That one was of the rarer unicorn models, pure white with armor modeled off of the dress of high society topped off with a large wide brimmed hat. The other was distinctly not a pony suit. This suit was of a vaguely canine shape, with elongated forelimbs ending in claws, a short, compact snout on its head, and a collar set with a large array of gemstones. The pilots of these two suits stood between them, working out the terms and conditions for their battle.

“I can't help but feel that this is some kind of attempt at petty revenge on your part, Rover,” a white unicorn mare with a curled purple mane and tail and a cutie mark of a trio of diamonds said to the opposing pilot, a large bipedal canine from the race of jewel hounds known as the diamond dogs. “Coming after me as your first opponent. I mean, I know that we have had our differences and quarrels and butted heads repeatedly over the years about the jewel trade, but was it really necessary to single me out for a fight.

Rover, the diamond dog pilot, brushed off he unicorn's words. “It's not like that at all,” he said, managing to keep in check his temper at the off handed insult. “Manehatten was just the first city we found a pilot in.”

“You mean to tell me that you found no one between the Jeweled Hills and here? Quite frankly, I find that hard to believe.”

“But it is true,” Rover said, pointing back to his suit. “The Diamond Dog here got its final tune up and calibration after the tournament started. So we were a little late to start.”

“You sure it does not have something to do with that harebrained kidnapping ploy your kind pulled off at the trade meeting last year?” she retorted. “You remember that day don't you? Where you personally failed spectacularly to keep little old me captive? Where I managed to turn that kidnapping attempt into a linchpin that made you cede to our terms for the business of the jewel trade?”

“BE QUIET PONY!” Rover shouted at her as he lost his composure at being reminded about that extremely embarrassing ordeal. It had not been his fault that the whole idea had fallen onto his shoulders from his superiors, and that they had had no problem placing all the blame for it on him either. The unicorn shot him a hard look and he instantly regained his composure. “I mean, I beg your pardon, Miss Rarity.”

“That's better,” the unicorn, Rarity said. “Well, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt in this situation, Rover. I do not believe that you are here for something as petty as a revenge plan. So, as representative to Neo-Manehatten, and the pilot of the Jewel Pony, I don't see any reason why I should dismiss your challenge to a fight.”

“Good,” Rover said as he held out one of his hands in an attempt at civility. When Rarity did not move to accept his outstretched hand, he remembered that ponies did not have hands and retracted it before turning and heading to the Diamond Dog and initiating its start up sequence. Rarity stood still for a moment and stared at the dog suit, her mind working through the best ways to go about fighting such a vastly different suit from her own pony suit. Once she believed that she had a workable plan, she too turned and entered the Jewel Pony, beginning its start up sequence.

“Pinkie, you sure this is a good idea?” Twilight said to Pinkie through the Shining Pony’s com link. “I mean, I know that you got a lead from the pilot of Neo-Cloudsdale, but that does not mean that all the pilots will have a lead. Remember Trixie and Applejack? Also, I think this could still be seen as breaking one of the tournament regulations. You listening Pinkie, this could be seen as tainting Ponyville’s honor and disrupting a one-on-one fight.”

“Don’t worry, Twilight,” Pinkie replied as she watched the scene between the two pilots play out above the water. “I’ve got my timing down and I’ll be able to get in before the fight starts. I’m sure that I can make it so that the Neo-Manehatten pilot challenges me instead of the dog suit’s pilot. And once that happens, I'll have a battle with their pilot, then the fight will come to an end in a spectacular way, then we'll become friends, and I will find a new lead!”

“I still don’t like this plan, Pinkie. Also, where exactly are you?”

“Oh, I’m hiding in the lake,” Pinkie said. “Gotta go, Twi, they’re getting into their suits.”

“Pinkie, wait a—” Twilight started as Pinkie shut off the com link and readied the Shining Pony.

“Young miss,” an old gray unicorn stallion with a short cropped mane and tail and wearing a black suit said. “Do be careful. We don't want you falling off the balcony, again.”

“Oh don't worry, Raymond,” a young white unicorn filly with a curly pink and purple mane and tail and dressed up in a simple but elegant light green dress said as she tried to hoist herself up to the railing of the balcony. “You know how Rarity gets when she wants me to look sophisticated. I can hardly move in this thing, so there is no way I'd be able to climb onto the railing. This time she was all like 'Sweetie Belle, you need to look and act more like you are a pony of the Manehatten elite and less like the common pony.' Ugh, I wish she would try to be a little less prim and proper sometimes.”

“Of course, young miss,” Raymond said and gazed over to the Manehatten park. “I do believe that your sister's fight is about to begin.”

“Really‽” Sweetie Belle said as she tried to pull herself up to the balcony railing again. Failing that, Raymond produced a suitable stool for her to stand on to see over the railing. “Thank you, Raymond,” she said as she turned her attention to the two suits in the park, the Jewel Pony and the Diamond Dog. “You can do it sis!”

Rover sat and watched Rarity staring at the Diamond Dog suit as it finished its start-up sequence. After a moment, Rarity turned away and entered her own suit. Rover watched as the Jewel Pony began its own start-up sequence and began to formulate his own plan for the fight. The more he thought on it, the more his nerves began to fray.

“Worthless pony,” he spat. “Dares to mock me. Dares to insult me! Dares to make it seem that the diamond dogs are prone to fits of vengeance! Well, if she wants vengeful, I'll show here vengeful. I'll show here vengeful!”

“Oh, Rover,” Rarity said with a light musical tone as a video link popped up on the interface screen of the Diamond Dog's cock pit, startling Rover out of triad. “I do so hope that I am not interrupting some form of pre-battle screaming ritual of yours, but I am ready to start this fight whenever you are.”

“Oh, oh yes,”Rover said as he recomposed himself. “Whenever you're ready to go then.”

“Ok,” Rarity said as the video cut out and her voice echoed directly from the Jewel Pony suit. “Pony fight match all set!”

Before Rover could respond to the signal thrown by Rarity, a blast shook the air as a geyser of water burst from the lake and the Shining Pony jumped free of the water. “Ready, GO!” Pinkie's voice resounded as the Shining Pony landed between the Jewel Pony and the Diamond Dog. “Rarity, pilot of the Jewel Pony and representative of Neo-Manehatten; I, Pinkie Pie, pilot of the Shining Pony, challenge you to a pony fight match!”

“Huh?” Rarity said, dumbfounded at the recent turn of events. “What?”

“I said I challenge you, Rarity!” Pinkie shouted.

“NO!” Rover shouted. “NO! This is my fight, pony! You stay out of this!”

“I'm sorry, pilot of the Diamond Dog, but could ya please leave. This is between me and Rarity. It doesn't concern you at all.”

“NO! I am sick and tired of being ordered around! I am sick of ponies telling me what to do! This is my fight and I will get rid of you!” The Diamond Dog launched itself straight towards the Shining Pony, clawed limbs fully extended with the intent to rend it limb from limb.

“A pity,” Pinkie said as the Shining Pony dodged between the outstretched arms of the Diamond Dog and slammed into its chest, halting its charge. “You should have just left when I told you too,” Pinkie said as the Shining Pony pulled free a beam saber handle from its shoulder holster and held it to the Diamond Dog's head unit. “If you had, then you would still have had a chance at winning the tournament.” The beam saber activated, sending a the beam blade through the Diamond Dog's head unit, destroying it. The beam retracted and the Shining Pony replaced the beam saber back into its holster and turned to face the Jewel Pony.

“So, as I said, I challenge you to a pony fight match!” Pinkie shouted as the Shining Pony stood on its hind legs and pointed dramatically at the Jewel Pony.

“What‽” Rarity said again.

“I said I challenge—” Pinkie began before she was cut off by Rarity.

“How dare you!”

“What?” It was Pinkie's turn to be dumbfounded at the turn of events. “How dare I what?”

“How dare you interject yourself into a fight that does not concern you in the slightest. How dare you attack someone's opponent like that. How dare you demand a match in such a way!”

“But—”

“No buts! Look what you did to poor Rover,” Rarity said as the Jewel Pony motioned to the immobile Diamond Dog suit missing its head. “Not that he stood a chance against someone of my prowess and fame, but it was still my duty to fight him.”

“So that means no fight?” Pinkie asked.

“Why would I ever even deem it worth my while to fight someone such as yourself. Someone who obviously has no sense of manners nor proper sense. I mean, where were you brought up? Under a rock? On a farm? On a rock farm?” Rarity ranted with an ever increasing haughtiness to her voice. “That would explain things. I'm sure that it is the fault of your parents here. They probably never thought it wise to teach you manners fit for somepony in the position of a colony representative and tournament pilot.”

“Don't talk about my parents like that!” Pinkie shouted as the Shining Pony charged forward at the Jewel Pony with reckless abandon, all traces of strategy and planning lost. The Jewel Pony dodged the charge and deftly backed further and further away from the Shining Pony.

“I do believe that it is time for me to leave,” Rarity said. “I bid you adieu.”

“Wait!” Pinkie shouted as the Jewel Pony bounded away. As the Shining Pony began to chase after the fleeing pony suit, a trio of blows struck one of the Shining Pony's hind legs, throwing it to the ground. Pinkie gazed at the limb and saw that there were three holes bored right through the limb, with one of the holes still housing whatever caused the attack, a large pointed gemstone. Pinkie turned her gaze back to the direction of the Jewel Pony. “Twilight,” she said as she established a com link. “My plan failed. And the Shining Pony got damaged.”

“I told you I didn't like the plan,” Twilight replied with a sigh. “Don't worry, I'll call for transport for the Shining Pony. I'll be there soon.”

As Sweetie Belle and Raymond watched on, a strange pony suit colored white, blue, and pink burst out of the lake in a large torrent of water and landed between the two other suits. “Is this supposed to happen, Raymond?” Sweetie Belle asked as the Diamond Dog rushed the new pony suit and ended up with a beam saber through its head. “Hey! That was my sister's opponent. You can't do that. Raymond, what's going on over there?”

“I'm not quite sure, young miss,” Raymond replied. “But I think that whoever is the pilot of the suit has made your sister rather angry.” Their attention was drawn back to the two pony suits as a loud shout echoed across the park. The intruding pony suit had thrown itself headlong towards the Jewel Pony who easily dodged away. As the intruding pony suit turned and charged again, it suddenly went crashing to the ground, allowing Rarity and the Jewel Pony to escape.

“What do you think that was all about?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“No idea,” Raymond replied as his communicator began to sound. He floated it out of his suit and held it to his ear and spoke quietly into it.

“But that was still a cool fight.”

“Young miss, I do believe it is time for us to be going. The fight is finished for all intents and purposes. Our ride will be here shortly to take us back to the manor.”

“You okay, Pinkie?” Twilight asked as she drove the core lander through the lower end of Manehatten. “I mean, after what happened back there.”

“I’m fine ,Twilight,” Pinkie replied as she stared out the passenger's window at the passing scenery, her bright pink poofy mane having darkened and straightened itself. “Just fine.”

“You sure? You don’t sound like your normal cheerful self. You know that I’m here for you if you ever need someone to spill out whatever’s on your mind.”

“I said I was fine!” Pinkie snapped as she turned to face Twilight. After a moment, she realized what she had said and turned back to stare out the window. “Sorry about that. I know you mean well, but this doesn't concern you.”

Twilight gave a sigh as she resigned herself to Pinkie’s silence on the question at hand and brought all of her attention to navigating the streets of Manehatten to the base they had established. After some time, they arrived at one of the many desolate an empty buildings of lower Manehatten. As they exited the core lander, the airship that had carried the incapacitated Shining Pony to the temporary base was just heading off, meaning that their pony suit was safe and sound inside. As the two of them entered the base, Twilight immediately set about getting a better look at the damage the Shining Pony had incurred during its altercation with the Jewel Pony.

“So what exactly did happen to cause this, Pinkie?” Twilight asked a she looked over the holes in the Shining Pony’s hind leg. “What managed to punch all the way through the leg armor? That is one of the most armored places on the entire suit, next to the chest. Well, whatever it was must have been pretty powerful.”

“I think it was some kind of proximity mine, made of large gemstones,” Pinkie said, her disposition and mane having regained some of its normal brightness and poofyness. “Didn't even notice when she had planted it.”

“Mines, definitely looks like it,” Twilight said as her horn glowed brightly while she had her head placed in one of the holes in the Shining Pony's leg. “And from the looks of the damage in here, not a normal one. There is an extensive amount of structural and wiring damage. My guess is that once it punches through the armor, it shattered, tearing apart everything inside.” Twilight pulled her head out of the hole and turned to face Pinkie. “But nothing that can't be fixed with a good dose of magic and ponium ore. Shouldn't take me more than a few hours to patch this up.”

“And that is why you are best mechanic, Twilight,” Pinkie said as she gazed up at the Shining Pony. “I guess I was a little too impulsive this time 'round. Got ya all hurt didn't I Shining Pony. But don't worry, next time we face off against that Rarity, I'll be ready for that mine trick of hers.”

“So, Pinkie, you going to tell me about what set you off during your little escapade and caused you to do a full out charge on the Neo-Manehatten pilot?”

“I said that didn't concern you,” Pinkie snapped back as her hair began to deflate again.

“It does concern me if it causes you and the Shining Pony to end up like you are now,” Twilight said firmly. “Something is definitely going on with you, and I want to know what it is before you end up destroying yourself, or your suit, or both.”

“But—”

“No buts, Pinkie! Don't make me use the tickle spell to force it out of you like the last time you tried to keep something that I should know from me.”

“Fine,” Pinkie said as she resigned herself to the fact that she had lost this argument. She still had bad dreams about Twilight's tickle spell. Twilight had used it on her once before, Pinkie had not known that laughter could become so painful. After that ordeal, Pinkie had asked Twilight where she had learned the spell and she had told her that it was used back during the great war on prisoners to get information out of them. “The pilot of the Jewel Pony, Rarity, she insulted my parents. I would have been fine if she had just kept it to being about me, what with her saying that I was unmannered and unsenseful, but she had the gall to make it seem like it was my parents fault that I was like that.”

“Pinkie—”

“No, Twilight!” Pinkie shouted. “Whatever you say will not change my mind on that. My parents were two of the greatest minds of Equestria. They worked on all the new technologies that the colony ponies take for granted on a daily basis. Her insulting my parents like that goes even further. Those insults insult my great great grandparents who managed to find the first source of ponium ore on their rock farm.”

“You can't keep beating yourself up over what happened to your parents,” Twilight said, trying to calm her friend down.

“Can't I! Do you know what it's like to be the daughter of someone who has been labeled a traitor to Equestria and the colonies‽ Well, do you‽” At Twilight's silence, Pinkie continued. “No you don't, Twilight. You have no idea what it was like for me. What it is still like for me now. Why do you think I took up the position of representative for Neo-Ponyville? To clear my parents names of their crimes!” With this, Pinkie turned and ran out of the base.

“Pinkie, wait!” Twilight called out, but it was too late, she was already gone. She shook her head and sighed. “Why must you insist on confronting your problems on your own. Why can't you let those around you help.” She sighed again and turned back to the Shining Pony. “Well, if you won't let me help with your problems, I can at least make it so that you can face them without your suit failing.” Her horn began to glow again as some tools and a few chunks of ponium ore floated over to one of the holes in the Shining Pony's leg as she began her repairs.

“Rarity! You said that you would take me on a trip into the city today,” Sweetie Belle said as she paced about her sister’s room in their family’s manor in uptown Manehatten. “You promised.”

“Sweetie Belle,” Rarity said as she used her magic to make a few alterations to an extremely fancy looking dress made out of a silken fabric. “I know that I said I would take you into the city, but something more important has come up. A grand party is being hosted tonight by the heads of the city for Prime Minister Fancypants. And I absolutely can not miss it. All the important ponies from the city will be there. All the important ponies of the colony will be there. As the representative for the colony and the city in the pony fight tournament, I simply must be in attendance.” Rarity let her magic fade and set down her dress and sewing equipment before turning to face Sweetie Belle. “I’m sorry, but we’ll just have to reschedule our little sisterly outing for another time.” Rarity turned her attention back to her dress. “And this thing simply won’t do for such an important event filled with such important company. Maybe if I change this here and add some more lace or ribbons.”

“But you’ve already rescheduled five times already!” Sweetie Belle said as he stopped pacing and faced her sister. “I don’t want a reschedule! I wanna go today!”

“Sweetie Belle, not now.”

“No! I’m tired of you putting high society above your family! Why can’t you reschedule your fancy party thing for another time instead‽”

“This is not something that can just be put off!” Rarity snapped back. “We are ponies of the upper Manehatten society. And as such, we must hold ourselves to a higher standard than the general rabble living in the downtown area.”

“If it means acting like you are right now,” Sweetie Belle said as she tried to keep tears from her eyes. “Then I would rather be from downtown, or better yet, not from Manehatten at all!”

“Watch what you say, Sweetie Belle. Our parents worked hard to raise our family from our humble origins to where it is today. You should not squander that gift.”

“Mom and dad aren’t here anymore!”

“All the more reason why we must uphold their legacy as high society Manehatten ponies!”

“You can keep your high society for yourself!” Sweetie Belle shouted as tears fell from her eyes. She turned and ran out of her sister’s room and didn’t stop running. Her hooves eventually brought her to the door to her family’s manor and she ran out and towards the city, alone.

“Miss?” Raymond said as he poked his head into Rarity’s room a short time after Sweetie Belle had stormed off. Rarity had resumed her work on her dress for the party. “I heard shouting; is everything alright?”

“Everything is fine, Raymond,” Rarity said, dismissing Raymond. After he had left, Rarity gazed out her window at the lower Manehatten skyline. “I’m sure everything will be just fine.”

Soon after Pinkie had stormed out of the Neo-Ponyville Manehatten base, she came to realize just how childish her actions towards Twilight had been. She was just trying to be helpful, just trying to give her a place to let out her fears, her doubts, and what had she done, she had taken what Twilight had offered and thrown it back into her face. Pinkie wanted to kick herself in the flank over it. Yet, even with that realized, she could not bring herself to return to the base and ask for forgiveness from Twilight. She sighed and resigned herself to her current situation and continued on her way into downtown Manehatten. As Pinkie came to an intersection, she was knocked off her hooves by a unicorn filly running headlong down the intersecting street.

“Wah!” both ponies cried out as they hit the ground in a tangle of hooves. After a few moments of rolling around, trying to sort things out, Pinkie managed to get back to her hooves and reached out a leg to the filly to help her up.

“Hey there,” Pinkie said as the filly reached out her own leg and Pinkie pulled her to her hooves. “Where ya off to in such a rush?”

“I'm sorry,” the filly replied, her head hanging low. “I wasn't watching where I was going. You're not hurt are you?”

“Eh, don't worry 'bout me, it takes a lot more then getting knocked off my hooves to hurt Pinkie Pie. By the way, that's my name, I'm Pinkie Pie. What's yours?”

“I'm... my name is Sweetie Belle,” the filly replied as she wiped some tears from her eyes. “And I must be going. There is still a lot to see in the city before night falls.”

“Hold on,” Pinkie said, stopping Sweetie Belle's retreat. “Is something the matter? Is it anything I can help with?”

“No, no, everything is fine, just fine.”

“Things don't sound fine to me, not from the way you're acting right now. You know, a good friend of mine said that it's always better to let things that are bothering you out instead of letting them be bottled up inside you. So how about you tell me all about what's troubling you? I'm sure there's a nice place somewhere around here to sit and talk, how's that sound?”

“I... I guess that sounds fine,” Sweetie Belle said.

“Alrighty then, on we go to find someplace to sit and talk. Oh, and how about some place that also serves food? Quite frankly, I'm famished. I haven't eaten anything at all yet today and I was doing all that stuff earlier and...”

“Here you go,” a unicorn waitress said as her horn glowed with magic and two plates floated down onto the table Pinkie and Sweetie Belle sat at. “A lettuce, tomato, and cucumber sandwich,” which was placed in front of Pinkie, “and a daisy and daffodil salad,” which was placed in front of Sweetie Belle, “enjoy your food.” With a smile, the waitress left the two ponies at the table alone.

“I'm sure we will,” Pinkie said as she brought her sandwich to her mouth and took a large bite from it. “Tasty.” She gazed across the table at Sweetie Belle. She was just sitting there, staring off into the distance, ignoring her salad. “Come on, Sweetie Belle, eat up. It'll make ya feel better.”

“Really?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Oh, sure it does. Well, at least for me. It always makes me feel better when I'm down to eat something.” Pinkie took another big bite of her sandwich. “So, why don't you tell me why you were running around the streets of downtown Manehatten alone. You don't look like a pony who grew up on the streets.”

“I... I ran away from home,” Sweetie Belle replied. Pinkie gave a startled gasp at this then fell into a fit of coughing as part of her sandwich got stuck in her throat. She gave her chest a few thumps before coughing up the offending sandwich.

“Why would you do such a thing?” Pinkie said after she had taken a drink from her glass. “What about your family? They must be worried sick.”

“I doubt that.” Sweetie Belle puffed out her cheeks and pouted for a moment. “It's only me and my sister now anyways. And our butler, Raymond. Oh, he'll probably be worried about me running away from the manor. But sis is too worked up over her stupid high society thing to notice. Stupid Rarity, stupid high society.”

“So, sister problems is it, I can relate... wait, butler? Manor? Rarity?” Pinkie stopped talking for a moment as her thoughts made connections. “Your sister's Rarity, pony of Manehatten high society and the pilot for the Neo-Manehatten colony.”

“Yeah, and I wish she never said yes to those colony people who offered her the position. But she couldn’t refuse the offer. Did you know that she has been at the top of every single competition that Manehatten has held? Top at swimming, top at archery, top at running, at chess, gymnastics, spelling...”

“I think I get it, Sweetie Belle,” Pinkie said, trying to stop Sweetie Belle’s rant.

“It wasn’t always that bad though,” Sweetie Belle continued. “She used to be less focused on herself and used to hang out with me more often. But then the accident happened. We lost Mom and Dad.” Sweetie Belle paused for a moment to wipe away tears that had begun to drip from her eyes. “After that, Rarity changed. She took over our family’s business in the jewel trade and she pushed herself more and more to be a... a... something of high society. She began to ignore me more and more, and I hate her for that, but I still love her. She's the only family I have left.”

“Sweetie Belle,” Pinkie said as she moved to the other side of the table and pulled the troubled filly into a big hug. “I know how you're feeling right now. Trust me, I really do. And it's because I understand that I know that your sister is doing what she is doing for your sake.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I mean that she's upholding the air of high society for you. Ponies are cruel to those families who have fallen in some way. Just think of how you and your sister would've been ostracized by those who you call friends. It's not something that any pony should have to face.”

“How do you know these things?” Sweetie Belle asked before abandoning the thought as she noticed that Pinkie's mane and tail had begun to straighten. She gave the pink pony a big hug in return that seemed to raise her spirits a bit.

“Thanks, I needed that,” Pinkie said as she pulled away from the hug. “Now, how about we go and give your sister a good stern talking to?”

“Yeah,” Sweetie Belle replied and jumped to her hooves. “I'm going to go and tell Rarity just how I feel!”

“How dare that pony do that to the Diamond Dog!” the Diamond Dog suit's pilot, Rover ranted as he and two fellow diamond dogs walked along the streets of downtown Manehatten. “How dare that pony take my fight away from me!”

“We know boss,” one of the other two diamond dogs, a short one that barely came up to Rover's waist, said. “You keep saying it over and over and it is driving me crazy. It is almost as bad as pony whining. And you know how bad that is.”

“Fido, you take that back! I am not as bad as the ponies! Right, Spot?” Rover addressed this question to the third diamond dog, a large, brutish looking one.

“Just a little,” Spot replied as he held two of his fingers close together.

“Gya! Why do I even have you two with me!”

The three diamond dogs continued on their way through Manehatten and eventually passed by a little roadside cafe.

“Now, how about we go and give your sister a good stern talking to?”

“Yeah, I'm going to go and tell Rarity just how I feel!”

“I know that voice.” Rover stopped walking and turned towards the cafe. Standing there was a white unicorn filly who had just stated that she was the sister of the terrible Rarity and a pink pony whose voice he remembered coming from the Shining Pony suit who seemed to be watching over her for the moment. The gears in Rovers brain began to quickly turn as a plan bloomed. He grabbed the arms of his fellow diamond dogs, halting their movement. “Fido, see that white unicorn over there.”

“Yes, boss,” Fido replied. “What about her?”

“Me and the big guy will distract her guardian, I have a bit of unfinished business with that one. While she's distracted, you grab the white one and return to base.”

“And why are we doing this?”

“She is the sister of Rarity. I intend to get my revenge on that horrid pony. Now get to it! Come on Spot, let's do this.”

“Well, let's get going, Sweetie Belle,” Pinkie said as she left some money on the table for the food and a tip for the waitress, and walked out of the cafe only to be stopped by a pair diamond dogs.

“Hello pilot of the Shining Pony,” one said. “I have some unfinished business with you.”

“Hey, aren't you that mean old pilot of the Diamond Dog, Rover.”

“Yes, Spot, get her!” The large diamond dog charged towards Pinkie and swiped at her with his large arms. Pinkie deftly dodged the swipes and jumped over him when he tried to grab her with both arm. As Pinkie landed, Rover through a flurry of punches which pushed Pinkie away from the cafe as she dodged them.

“Hey, can't we talk this over?” Pinkie said as she dodged the attacks. Rover's response was to attack more fiercely, throwing punches and kicks as Spot again joined the fray with heavy swings of his massive paws. The two diamond dogs attempted to perform a pincer maneuver, each attacking from a different direction. Spot threw another heavy attack, Pinkie dodged inside the attack and delivered a sweep too his legs and sent him skidding along the ground. Rover then attempted a grab for Pinkie's pink mane but missed as she dodged to the side, overbalancing himself. Rover caught himself as he placed his hands on the ground and swung himself around and delivered a kick towards Pinkie as she recovered from her dodge. Pinkie had not expected such an attack and braced herself for it by raising her forelegs up in a guard. The attack connected and sent her skidding back a few feet.

“Hah! That all you got?” Pinkie said as she heard Sweetie Belle cry out in distress. She turned her head in the direction of the cry and saw that Sweetie Belle had been tied up and captured by a third diamond dog, much smaller than the other two. The diamond dog proceeded to run off with his captive. As Pinkie turned to give chase, Spot wrapped his arms around her, pinning her legs to her body.

“Got you, pony,” he said as he lifted her off the round. Rover approached Pinkie and brought his face close to hers.

“No, no, pony,” Rover said with a laugh. “No chasing after Fido and our hostage. No, you are to get and get that detestable Manehatten pilot and bring her and yourself to the old sports stadium .”

“And why should I do what you say,” Pinkie growled.

“You don't want anything bad to happen to the small pony now do you?” At that, Pinkie's eyes went wide with horror. “I see, then you will do what I say. Good. Now you will let me and Spot leave peacefully. Spot, let her down. We're leaving.” Spot unceremoniously dropped Pinkie to the ground and turned to follow his boss as he strode off in the direction Fido had ran off.

Pinkie watched as the two diamond dogs ran off and once they were out of view ran as fast as she could back to the Neo-Ponyville base.

“Pinkie! You're back,” Twilight said as Pinkie charged into the base and grabbed her shoulders with both her front hooves.

“Oh, Twilight, it's horrible! Just horrible!” Pinkie said as she shook Twilight back and forth. “And there was nothing that I could do about it. Oh I feel so ashamed at myself for that.”

“Pinkie... stop... shaking... me!” Twilight said. At that Pinkie let go of Twilight and took a step back from her.

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry,” she apologized. “I'm sorry about what happened earlier, I know I was wrong but something else has happened and I need your help!”

“Ok, calm down and tell me what's going on.”

Pinkie stopped her apologies and took a deep breath. “Well, after I ran out, I realized how badly I'd acted and thought about what you 'd said and then I realized that you were just trying to give me support when I was in a bad place but I just hadn't realized it at the moment. With that, I just couldn't come back into the base and say I was sorry because it wouldn't have helped at all because it would have seemed that not enough time had passed for me to think over all my thoughts on that. So, I decided to go and wander around the city to set my mind more at ease. There, I ran into a young unicorn named Sweetie Belle running the streets in tears who I then took to a nice little cafe that I found and, over food, I found out that she was the sister of Rarity, the Neo-Manehatten pilot, and that she'd ran away from home and I helped her realize that what she did wasn't the right thing to do. Then, as we decided to go and take the conversation directly to Rarity, that diamond dog from earlier showed up with some lackeys and started a fight with me. Then, I got caught by one of them and then one of the lackeys ran off after capturing Sweetie Belle and then they told me to find Rarity and bring her to the old stadium. Then, I was forced to let the others flee because they threatened Sweetie Belle and so I came back here to talk to you and to figure out what I should do!”

“Ok, let me get this straight,” Twilight said after Pinkie had stopped ranting. “The sister of this city's pony suit pilot got captured; and they want you to find Rarity and bring her to the old Manehatten stadium for some reason in order to stop the hostage situation?”

“Yeah.”

“So, then what do you need help with?” Twilight asked.

“I need your help in finding where Rarity is,” Pinkie replied. “Sweetie Belle said something about a big high society party event thing happening tonight.”

“Uh huh, big high society thing.” Twilight went over to a computer terminal and began pushing some buttons. A few moments later, the terminal chimed as the requested data popped up. “Here we go, 'Prime Minister of Neo-Manehatten, Fancypants's welcome to Manehatten city' party'. It's being held at the manor of the mayor of Manehatten, one Mr. Bloomberg.” Twilight walked away from the terminal and back to Pinkie. “In other words, it's the largest house in uptown Manehatten. So was there anything else you needed?”

“Um... are the repairs to the Shining Pony completed?”

“Yeah, everything is up and running. You're not expecting a fight with these diamond dogs are you?”

“I hope not,” Pinkie said as she looked at the Shining Pony. “But if it comes to that, then I'll have no choice.” She returned her gaze to Twilight. There was a strange hardness that Twilight was not used to seeing in them. “Twilight, I may need your help in this coming meeting.”

“You think it will be that bad?”

“I have no idea. But Rover, the head diamond dog, seemed to have something against Rarity. And me doing what I did earlier also put me on that list in his eyes. I have no idea what he has planned for us.”

“Pinkie,” Twilight said as she placed a hoof on Pinkie's shoulder. “Please be careful.”

“Always, Twilight,” Pinkie replied as she placed a hoof on Twilight's. “Always.” As Twilight brought her hoof back to the ground, Pinkie turned and left to find Rarity.

The party for Fancypants was in full swing as Rarity was announced to the rest of the guests by a herald. As she entered, she was mobbed by a group of high society ponies who wanted to learn of the life of their city's pony suit pilot. They surrounded Rarity and began to bombard her with questions.

“What's it like? All that fighting I mean.”

“How did you become a pilot?”

“How do you find to come to these things my dear?”

“Where did you get that dress? It is absolutely stunning.”

“Would you like to meet my son? I'm sure the two of you would hit it off great.”

Overwhelmed by the questions, Rarity didn't know what to do. She began to back away from the group asking questions and backed up right into another pony.

“Oh, I beg your pardon,” she said as the pony she had bumped into turned and faced her. He was a white unicorn stallion with a regal blue mane, tail, and thin mustache on his upper lip. He wore a well tailored black tuxedo that cut off on his flank just before his cutie mark, a trio of golden crowns as well as a monocle over his left eye. “P-P-Prime Minister Fancypants.”

“Ah, no problem my dear. No harm done,” the Prime Minister said. “And as a matter of fact, I was just about to search for you. Come, walk with me, we have much to discuss.” As he left with Rarity in tow, the rest of the guests stared dumbfounded at the scene, their minds working to make sense of it.

Fancypants led Rarity out of the ballroom and out onto a balcony that overlooked Manehatten. While Rarity continued to the balcony railing, Fancypants turned and shut the balcony door to make sure that their conversation would not be overheard by anypony.

“How have you been holding up, Rarity,” he said as he walked over to the balcony and stopped next to Rarity. “I know all this must be hard for you.”

“Oh, you know,” Rarity replied solemnly. “It's getting harder to keep up with everything. I don't think I can keep this up for much longer. The high society, the pony fight tournament, Sweetie Belle; I just feel like it's only a matter of time before everything starts falling apart. You know I am grateful for all the help you have given my family since, you know, the accident.”

“I know, and on the subject of your sister, where is she? I thought I extended an invitation for the party to both of you?”

“Sweetie Belle ran away earlier today, before I could tell her that she was also invited to the party. It really is my fault though. I have been ignoring her more often since the tournament started with all the fights and the parties where the ponies of Manehatten want their city's pilot as a guest of honor. And I should have seen what she was going through, but I was too blinded to see it! And now I don't know where she is or what to do about it.”

“What did I tell you about your priorities?” Fancypants said as he placed a leg on her shoulder. “Family is the one thing that you can not replace once it is lost.”

“I seemed to have forgotten that,” Rarity said and let out a deep sigh. “What am I even doing here? I should be out searching for Sweetie Belle.”

“Then you should get going. Don't worry about the other guests, I'll handle them.”

Then there came a knock at the balcony door. Fancypants and Rarity turned to see a guard waiting anxiously.

“Mr. Prime Minister,” the guard said. “I'm sorry to intrude, but there is a pony making a ruckus at the front door. She is demanding to see Miss Rarity and is very adamant about it.”

“I should go and see what this is all about,” Rarity said. “Excuse me, Prime Minister Fancypants.” Rarity followed the guard to the source of the commotion.

“Let me in!” Pinkie shouted at one of the guard ponies that stood outside the Mayor's manor's front door. “Rarity is in there, I'm sure of it. I need to talk to her immediately!”

“What is all this commotion?” Rarity asked as the door opened and she stepped out of the manor and laid her eyes on Pinkie. “Oh, it is you. That ruffian pilot of that detestable Shining Pony suit. What are you here for, to challenge me to another fight?” Pinkie took this in, then strode up to Rarity and smacked her across the cheek with a hoof.

“What did you do that for‽”

“That was for your sister,” Pinkie replied. “How dare you do that to her!”

“What do you know about my sister‽”

“I know enough to wonder if you do truly love her. And after I said all that stuff to her about you being worried about her, here you are, looking like you are having the time of your life!”

“How dare you speak to me that way!” Rarity shouted. “You know nothing about me. How you dare make judgments!”

“Then why aren't you out searching for your sister!” Pinkie shouted back. “If I was in your shoes I would not allow myself to do anything else until I knew she was safe.” Rarity was taken aback by Pinkie's shout, it was as if she knew this kind of situation first hand. “Look, I don't care what you think of me, but I was with your sister after you two had your little incident. We were attacked by a trio of diamond dogs, one of which was the pilot of the Diamond Dog. They kidnapped your sister.”

“What!” Rarity shouted out. “How did this happen! Where are they keeping her!”

“They ambushed me at a cafe that I took your sister to to calm her down. There were three of them, two attacked me and while I was busy with them, the third one captured her and ran off. I couldn't chase after them. They threatened to do something bad to her if I didn't get you. They told me to bring you to the Manehatten stadium. We need to get going.”

“You're right, Pinkie Pie, was it?” Rarity asked as Pinkie shook her head in agreement. “We must head to the old stadium post haste.”

“Ok, Rover!” Pinkie shouted into the darkness the permeated the stands of the old Manehatten stadium. “I'm here, and so is Rarity. Now show yourself!”

“So you are, pony,” Rover's voice echoed out from the darkness. Bright lights flared on as a large video screen turned on, showing the face of Rover, blinding the two ponies for a few moments as their eyes adjusted to the light. There, standing up on top of the video screen, where the three diamond dogs and Sweetie Belle. “Aha ha, welcome, ponies.”

“Rover, what is the meaning of all this!” Rarity shouted out to the diamond dog pilot. “Why did you kidnap Sweetie Belle? Why are we here?”

“Yeah, that,” Pinkie chimed in.

“Well, let's see,” Rover said as he rubbed his chin with one of his large clawed hands. “Yes, that's it. That will solve both problems.”

“What are you talking about, Rover?” Rarity asked.

“Yes, you two will fight now. Summon your suits and fight!”

“And if we refuse?” Pinkie asked.

“You want something bad to happen to the little one?” Rover said as he motioned to Sweetie Belle, still tied up and flanked by the other two diamond dogs.

“We have no choice then,” Rarity said as she turned to face Pinkie.

“Seems like it,” Pinkie replied.

“LET'S GO, JEWEL PONY!”

“RISE, SHINING PONY!”

Back at the Neo-Ponyville Manehatten base, Twilight was busy going over a few last minute system checks on the Shining Pony. “Pinkie, I really hope you manage to resolve this situation peacefully,” she said as she typed away at her computer terminal.

As if spurred on by her thought, the Shining Pony activated and quickly leapt out of the base through the roof opening.

“Me and my big mouth.”

The two pony suit pilots had entered their suits and initiated their start-up sequences as Rover stood watch, his gaze on the video screen cold and calculating while his mouth drew up in a large grin. Soon he would be rid of two big problems. “Heh heh, have at it ponies, fight, fight for the sake of the young one!”

“You just have to bear it, Rarity,” Pinkie said as a video feed popped up in the cockpit of the Jewel Pony. “Remember who you are doing this for.”

“I know that, Pinkie,” Rarity said. “But that does not mean that I have to like it. But, if it will save my sister, we have no choice.”

The two pony suits charged at each other and as they drew near, both veered off in opposite directions. The Shining Pony spun around and began to fire at the Jewel Pony from its head mounted vulcan machineguns. As the Jewel Pony dodged too and fro, avoiding the Shining Pony's attacks, hatches in the bottom of the Jewel Pony's hooves started depositing jewel mines into the ground with each step it took.

Pinkie let out a roar as she sent the Shining Pony charging again towards the Jewel Pony, dodging as the mines it had lain began to pop out of the ground as the Shining Pony passed over them. The Shining Pony jumped into the air and attempted to tackle the Jewel Pony, but the Jewel Pony deftly dodged to the side and delivered a strong kick to its side sending it reeling away.

As the two suits fought, Rover was laughing hysterically atop the video screen.

The Shining Pony recovered from the Jewel Pony's attack and staggered to its hooves. “Ok Rarity, time to test out the new and improved Pinkie Cannon Mk. II!” The side panel of the Shining Pony opened up and revealed a large cannon. As Pinkie took aim, the Jewel Pony began to jump and move all across the stadium floor to try and throw off her targeting. “Nice try, but that won't work with this one.” The cannon fired a large laser blast at the ground of the stadium, throwing up a large cloud of dirt and dust, blinding both pilots as well as not allowing Rover or the other diamond dogs to see what was going on.

“Rarity, you hear me?” Pinkie said as the Shining Pony retracted its cannon.

“Yes,” Rarity replied. “What is it? You have a plan to deal with everything?”

“As a matter of fact, I do. But you’re going to have to trust me on this.”

After a moment of contemplating, Rarity replied, “I trust you.”

“Ok, I need you to attack me with your strongest attack, aim for the side of the Shining Pony. I'll do the same, attacking you with mine. We need to make it seem like we took each other out, that will put Rover and the other diamond dogs on low guard. With that, my partner will make sure to rescue your sister, then we can deal with Rover. Quickly, this cover is fading quickly.”

“I understand,” Rarity said as she began prepping her ultimate attack. “Preparing for rapid fire jewel launch.”

“WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!” Rover shouted down to the two pilots. “HOW DARE YOU DO SOMETHING THAT DOES NOT ALLOW ME TO WATCH YOUR DESTRUCTION!”

“Twilight, do you read me?” Pinkie said as she opened a communication channel.

“Yes, Pinkie,” Twilight replied. “What do you need?”

“I need you to get here as soon as you can. We're going to provide a distraction to put the diamond dogs off their guard, we need you to grab Sweetie Belle and go before they can react.”

“I'll see what I can do.” Pinkie cut the communication link and began prepping her ultimate attack. “These hooves of mine shine with boundless laughter. There loud cry tells me to grasp victory!”

As the dust and dirt settled, the two pony suits charged towards each other and leapt into the air.

“JEWEL STORM!”

“SHINING HOOVES!”

The pair of attacks each struck the sides of the pony suits squarely, the Shining Pony attacking with both shining hooves and the Jewel Pony sending off a barrage of jewel mines, sending each one flying off to opposite sides of the stadium. Neither suit moved or showed any sign of motion. Rover gave out a cheer as he saw both suits taken out.

“Yes! Yes yes yes yes!” he shouted to the sky. “Ha ha, those who dare to insult me will always meet such an end!”

“Uh, boss,” Spot said as he snapped Rover out of his reverie. “What are we supposed to do with the small pony?”

“Yeah, boss,” Fido piped in. “What about her?”

“Oh, we'll take her back to the Jeweled Hills and ransom her off to Manehatten.” Rover grabbed the shoulders of his fellow diamond dogs and began to laugh again. Fido and Spot were drawn into their boss's cheery mood and began to laugh as well.

As the three diamond dogs were distracted by their laughter, Twilight silently appeared behind Sweetie Belle. After placing a hoof to her lips once Sweetie Belle realized she was there to get her to stay silent, Twilight began to work on untying the ropes that held Sweetie Belle. As the ropes finally fell away, Fido turned his gaze to them and let out a startled cry.

“Boss! The hostage is free!”

“WHAT‽” Rover shouted as he spun around and saw Twilight standing next to a free Sweetie Belle. “Spot! Get that Unicorn!”

The big diamond dog threw himself into action, charging towards Twilight as her horn began to glow. Suddenly, Spot found himself hovering a few feet off the ground with his arms and legs held to his body by magic.

“I wasn't in the rogue pilot police force for three years for nothing,” Twilight said as she launched a similar attack on Fido, rendering him helpless. Rover watched as the strain of the magic keeping his fellow diamond dogs in check spread across the unicorn's face and smirked.

“You can't hold three at once can you?” he asked. The only response Twilight gave the diamond dog pilot was to glare at him. “It seems I'm right then.” Rover began to slowly walk towards Twilight when he was hit from the side by Sweetie Belle.

“Sweetie Belle attack!” she shouted as she threw herself into the diamond dog's side, knocking him off balance. Unfortunately, the attack also carried Sweetie Belle over the side of the video screen and out into the open air.

Sweetie Belle's terrified scream echoed across the stadium as the Jewel Pony jumped to its hooves. “Sweetie Belle!” Rarity shouted in terror as the Jewel Pony galloped towards the falling filly. As it neared, the cockpit opened up and Rarity threw herself out of the suit and grabbed Sweetie Belle as she fell. Rarity's horn flashed bright as magic surrounded the two sisters slowing their descent towards the ground to a crawl. “Oh, Sweetie Belle, I'm so sorry over how I have been acting. You are my one and only sister and I have not been treating you as I should be.”

“Rarity!” Sweetie Belle said as tears poured down her cheeks. “Rarity! I missed you so much!”

“I just love happy endings,” Pinkie said as the Shining Pony hoisted itself into the stands of the stadium and came to level with the top of the video screen where Twilight and the diamond dogs were. Rover was staggering to his feet after being hit by Sweetie Belle's surprise attack and turned and wound up face to face with the Shining Pony.

“Hello there, Rover.”

At the sight of the Shining Pony so close to him, Rover let out a scream then passed out.

“Well, that worked out better then I would have guessed,” Pinkie said as the Shining Pony placed its front hooves on the top of the video screen and the cockpit opened, allowing Pinkie to exit. “You ok, Twil?”

“Hey... Pinkie,” Twilight said as she struggled to keep her magic running. “Could you... do something...about the other two please.”

“Oh yeah,” Pinkie said as she walked over to the two diamond dogs held by magic. “Hey there. Guess what, your boss is passed out, right over there. You lost, we won. You gonna give up? Or do we have to do it the hard way?”

“We surrender,” Fido and Spot said in unison as Twilight let her magic fade out, releasing the two diamond dogs.

“Good. Twilight, let's call the authorities and make sure Rarity and Sweetie Belle are okay.”

“First off, Pinkie,” Rarity said as she invited Pinkie and Twilight into her family's manor. “I must ask for your forgiveness. I said all those hateful things to you earlier and I had no idea the situation you were in. Had I known of it—”

“Rarity, it's fine,” Pinkie said. “I forgive you. You had no way of knowing anything about me, and I was rather rude and impulsive earlier. But anyways, thanks for inviting us to your home. Right, Twilight?”

“Yes, thank you very much,” Twilight said as she gazed around. “This is a very nice place you have. And it's just you and your sister that live here?”

“Oh, no,” Sweetie Belle replied. “There are the servants that help with the cleaning and the cooking; and there is our butler, Raymond. He's been around forever.”

“Did someone call for me?” Raymond said as he entered the entrance hall. “Ah, I see we have guests today. I'll inform the kitchen staff to prepare something.”

“Thank you, Raymond,” Rarity said. “But that won't be necessary. These two were just seeing us home and will be on their way.”

“As you wish,” Raymond replied as he exited.

After Raymond had left, Sweetie Belle spoke up. “Pinkie, Twilight, you sure that you can't stay a little while longer?”

“Sorry, Sweetie Belle,” Pinkie said. “But your sister's given us a lead on where my sisters have gone. She said that there were rumors among the high society that a pair of earth ponies matching my sisters were seen heading west towards Las Pegasus. Right Rarity?”

“Yes,” Rarity replied. “I'm sure that we'll meet each other as the tournament continues. Try not to lose to anyone before we manage to get a proper fight.”

“You got it!” Pinkie said and pulled Rarity and Sweetie Belle into a big hug. “Aw, even though we've known each other for a short time, I'm gonna miss you two.”

“Come on, let's get going,” Twilight said as Pinkie let the two sisters free of her hug.

“Till next time!” Pinkie and Twilight left the manor of Rarity and Sweetie Belle and began their journey westward, towards the city of Las Pegasus.

Episode 5: Raging Heart

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“Greetings and salutations, everypony,” MR said as the familiar spotlight shone down the suited pony sitting on his stool. “For the moment, I have no new information to pass on to you all. Now onto today's business.” MR stood up from his stool. “Today we shall meet the formidable pilot of Neo-Las Pegasus and their pony suit, the Heart Pony.”

“Hey, mister,” Pinkie Pie said, appearing out of the darkness. She pulled a picture out of a saddle bag and handed it again to MR. “Have you heard anything new?” The picture showed three ponies. One was Pinkie, standing there but with her hair straightened out, the other two were colored purple and gray with like hairstyles, her sisters, Inkie and Blinkie Pie.

“Hum,” MR said as he took the picture. “Sorry, but I haven't heard anything new since last time.”

“Really, well thanks anyway,” Pinkie said as she grabbed MR in a hug. “I just hope I find a solid lead soon.”

“Don't worry,” MR said as he pulled away from the hug and handed back Pinkie's picture. “I think you will find what you're looking for soon.”

“Thanks,” she said as she vanished back into the darkness.

“Now, what this picture has to do with today’s battle, we’ll have to wait and see.” In one swift motion, MR pulled off both his suit and eye patch, revealing his bright pink shirt and bow tie and his perfectly normal working right eye. “Now, everypony, say it with me; pony fight all set. Ready, Go!”

Mobile Fighter G-Pony Episode 5
Raging Heart

“Twilight,” Pinkie whined weakly as she hung her head out the window of the core lander as it sped down a desert road. “It's hot. Why is it so hot?”

“We're in a desert,” Twilight replied as she tried to get the cooling spell in the core lander to work with no avail. “Las Pegasus was built in the Mareave Desert. That's why it's hot.” Twilight smacked the counsel of the core lander with a hoof. “That and the stupid cooling spell compressor seems to be on the fritz again.”

“Why would anypony want to build a city in the desert?”

“Well, the city was founded back before the colonies lifted, so all I can think of is that this was one of the bright attempts to find a place that was free from the princesses' rule. Apparently, they thought building a city in the middle of a desert was as good a place to try.”

“Ug,”Pinkie said as she continued to hang her head out the window in an attempt to coll herself. “I can't wait 'till we reach the city. You said it'll be cooler there right?”

“Yep,” Twilight said as she finally gave up trying to get the cooling spell active. “Built with the very best weather controlling technology developed in tandem from all three pony races.”

The two ponies went silent as the core lander continued its course through the harsh heat of the Mareave Desert towards Las Pegasus.

“Welcome to Las Pegasus!” an automated voice shouted out from a speaker next to a video screen as it lit up to show the face of a cartoony earth pony in a pristine white suit a hat with a cutie mark of a stack of poker chips and a pair of cards, a king and an ace. “How you two doing today? Welcome to the Las Pegasus entrance checkpoint, my name is Lucky Streak, and I'll be your guide to the city.”

Twilight and Pinkie stared at the cartoon pony on the screen. They had not expected such a spectacle when they had entered the checkpoint. They had expected to meet actual ponies at the very least.

“Come now, you two,” Lucky Streak said. “We have much to see. Now if you could just step through the sensor right over here to make sure you are not bringing in anything illegal or prohibited.” The cartoon motioned to a large device covering the entirety of the hallway just past the video screen. Pinkie and Twilight looked at each other, then shrugged before they walked through the sensor. It did not go off.

“Ah good,” Lucky Streak said as he popped up on another video screen. “Now come on. Much to do, much to see, before you get to the city.”

“Is this necessary?” Twilight asked the cartoon as she gazed around to see if there were any actual ponies around. Unfortunately, it seemed that the checkpoint was completely automated.

“Oh yes, miss. It is absolutely necessary. If it wasn't then I'd be out of a job wouldn't I? Do you know how hard it is for someone like me to find a job in today's society? Virtually impossible!” The cartoon pony let out a laugh before he walked off the screen and appeared on one further down the hall. “This way please.”

“Uh, was that a joke or something just now?”Twilight asked a giggling Pinkie. “I don't get it.”

“Oh Twilight, you know that you can't explain a joke,” Pinkie replied as she followed after Lucky streak. “It loses the funny once you explain it.”

Twilight gave a sigh before following. As she rejoined Pinkie, Lucky Streak was already into an exposition on the founding of the city of Las Pegasus.

“As you may already know, Las Pegasus was founded back during the times of unrest in Equestria, when the populace were growing more and more restless over the princesses' unending rule. So, many ponies set out to find places where they could live free of the the princesses' rule. Many failed, such as Old Stalliongrad to the far north, as the elements of nature proved to be much harder to contain and control outside of Equestria. Yet here, in the harsh, unforgiving Mareave Desert, earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorn all pulled together their collective knowledge and powers and managed to develop a way to keep Las Pegasus from following suit to other failed cities.”

Lucky streak walked off the screen, and reappeared on another, prompting Pinkie and Twilight to follow. This next screen was flanked by another large mural, this time showing the building of several large towers around the city. “With the collective knowledge, the three races managed to develop special weather manipulation towers. These towers are able to produce their own source of water, allowing for the creation of clouds and subsequently, rain in our little part of the desert. These towers also self regulate the overall temperature of the city so that is neither too hot during the summer nor too cold during the winter. But, as our luck would have it, soon after the city and its towers were completed, it fell back under the princesses' rule. So it came to no surprise that a colony was developed early on.”

Lucky Streak once again passed onto another video screen next to another mural, this one depicting the building of a colony. “In fact, we almost managed to beat the ponies at Manehatten in launching, but we had to settle for second. When the colony finally went up, like with other cities, the top brass and all the important ponies of the city went with it. This left in Las Pegasus, the unwanted, the outlaws, and the opportunists, who went on to take over. It was this that lead to Las Pegasus becoming what it is today.”

Lucky Streak again passed from this video screen to the next. This one was accompanied by a mural showing Las Pegasus as it was today. “Las Pegasus, the shining star of the desert, the city that never sleeps, the entertainment capital of Equestria. Currently home of a total of sixty seven casinos and game houses, forty two theaters and stages, and fifty three hotels and places of lodgings all of three star quality or better. Enjoy your stay and make sure to follow the laws of the city. You can pick up a copy of the law book right outside. Now, I bid you two farewell.” At that, Lucky Streak vanished as a door opened up just a bit further down the hall. Daylight spilled into the hall as Pinkie and Twilight walked to it and exited out into the city of Las Pegasus.

“Wow,” Pinkie said as she gazed around at the countless number of ponies and other creatures going about their business in the city. This place is even bigger than Landsdale was. How are we going to find anything here?”

“Well, Pinkie,” Twilight said. “I'm going to go off to the embassy like normal, see what I can gleam from the leaders of the city. You on the other hand are going to go and take the day off and relax. You've been through so much recently. You need a break.”

“No I don't, Twilight, I'm fine. I just need to keep myself occupied with my search.”

“Pinkie, trust me. You are not ok. You need to take your mind off this or it will drive you mad. Now here, take this.” Twilight tossed a bag of money to Pinkie who failed to catch it. The money bag clanked loudly as it struck the ground. “Go see a show and most importantly, relax.” She turned and headed off into the city, leaving Pinkie standing by the exit to the city checkpoint.

Pinkie stared after Twilight as her mane straightened, ignoring the bag of money at her hooves. “But, Twilight, I don't think I can relax anymore.” She looked down at the money bag and picked it up and placed it in her saddle bag as she turned and walked aimlessly into the city. As she wandered, her eyes were constantly drawn to the many colorful signs and advertisements for events and shows lining the streets. Deep in thought as she was, Pinkie paid the signs no need until she gazed upon on particularly obnoxious sign.

The sign showed the head and upper body of a blue minotaur with a black mohawk and beard wearing a tie striking a dynamic pose, flexing the muscles in his arms. “Don't be a doormat! Iron Will, famed self-help guru invites all to attend his last seminar at the Central Metropony theater in Las Pegasus, right next to the Hoofstead inn,” the sign said.

“Self-help guru, more like bag of hot air,” Pinkie said as she turned her gaze from the sign and continued her aimless wandering.

The Central Metropony theater, one of the largest and most extravagant theaters in Las Pegasus as well as one of the most well known, was packed to the brim with ponies and other various creatures all awaiting the start of Iron Will's final seminar. Though, ask anypony who had attended one of Iron Will's seminars before, and they'll tell you that it is more like attending a large concert for some bug name musician than anything, with the sheer amount of pyrotechnics and fireworks as well as the overbearing mannerisms and personality of Iron Will himself.

At the entrance to the theater stood two goats, one white and one gray, each wearing a black tie and a headset. The two stood by as the last of the seminar attendees entered the theater.

“Boss,” the gray goat bleated into its headset. “The last one just entered. We're closing the doors.”

“It's showtime!” the white goat said as the two entered the theater, shutting the doors behind them.

A feeling of anticipation began to flow throughout the attendees as the lights of the Central Metropony theater began to dim. Smoke began to flow from the sides of the large curtain on the stage as loud rock music started to play from speakers all about the theater. The curtain quickly opened as colored lights flooded the stage, showering it with color. There, standing at the center of the stage was a large blue minotaur with a black mohawk and beard wearing a large, fancy red and gold cloak, a black tie, and a headset. The minotaur slowly raised his arms in time with the music, and once they were parallel to the ground, the minotaur grabbed the edge of his cloak with one hand and threw it away as the music began to grow louder and pyrotechnics went off, great bursts of fire came from the stage and fireworks launched out over the crowd to burst among the high ceiling of the theater. The crowd erupted in cheers as the minotaur began to throw punches to the side before executing a pair of back flips that brought him to the edge of the stage.

A pair of spotlights lit up the minotaur as he brought himself to his full height and flexed his massive upper arms before he addressed the crowded theater. “Welcome friends,” the minotaur said as his voice was amplified and heard through all the theater's speakers. “My name is Iron Will and welcome to Iron Will's last seminar and the first day of the rest of your life!” The crowd once again exploded with cheers as the ponies began to stomp their hooves on the ground.

Iron will turned to the side and spun his arm a few times before bringing his hand to his ear. “Now, let me hear you stomp if you're tired of being a pushover!” The cheers and sound of stomping hooves grew louder as Iron Will ran to the other side of the stage and repeated the gesture. “Stomp if you're tired of being a doormat!” Somehow, the cheers managed to grow even larger as Iron Will returned to the center of the stage. “That's right, now I'm sure there are those out there who are asking themselves 'what does this minotaur know of self-esteem issues?' Well, Iron Will used to be like you once. Weak, scrawny, a doormat. But one day, Iron Will said to himself that he would no longer stand for it. He developed a list of sayings that he acted on and repeated day after day until he had become what he is today. Iron Will had seen the tops of the mountains and now he stood there. That is why Iron Will knows what he's talking about, and I pity the fool who doubts Iron Will!” As Iron Will regaled his tale, he interjected in movement, throwing out kicks and punches to emphasize his points. As he ended the crowd once again roared in cheers with many of them joining in in saying his famous 'pity the fool' line.

“Now settle down everyone, for Iron Will has something important to say regarding his temporary retirement.” The music died down and the lights dimmed down, leaving Iron Will illuminated solely by the theater's spotlights. “Iron Will has been offered a once in a lifetime chance. The leaders of the Neo-Las Pegasus colony, the colony for this very city has offered Iron Will a place within the Neo-Las Pegasus pony suit team as both the trainer and motivator for its pilot. Now I know that many out there are wondering if this is in fact the very last Iron Will seminar, and for you all I give you this answer. Iron Will will be back! Now, let's get this thing started!”

At the back of the theater, watching the spectacle that was Iron Will on stage with an expression of leaning on boredom, stood a gangly white unicorn stallion with a short cropped jet black mane, tail, and mustache and a cutie mark that was a piece of parchment sitting beneath an ink well. He let out a yawn as Iron Will turned his attention to him.

“You there! In the back,” Iron Will shouted.

The unicorn looked around before he returned his gaze to Iron Will, raising a hoof to point at himself.

“Yes you. It seems that Iron Will is boring you. How about you come up on stage to demonstrate Iron Will's teaching.” The unicorn looked around again and gave a shrug as he walked up to the stage. Under the light of the stage, the unicorn's coloring somehow managed to look even paler than a normal white pony. “Now there little pony. What is your name.”

“My name is Edgar,” the unicorn said in a disturbingly off kilter voice, one that was just a little too deep for somepony of his gangly stature. This had a noticeable effect on the audience as those in the front row backed away slightly from the stage. “And I doubt that I need your teachings.”

“Oh? And why is that?”

“Well, it is because I am a pony suit pilot. From the colony of Neo-Baltimare.”

“Did you hear that everyone?” Iron Will said, addressing the audience. “We have a big time pony suit pilot in attendance. Well, I guess that we can call the seminar short because I am sending out a challenge to you, Edgar. You, the Las Pegasus's pilot, pony fight match, one hour!”

“I accept,” Edgar replied as he turned and left the stage.

“I'm sorry to you all for cutting this seminar short, but I got a pony fight match to attend and a pilot to rile up!” Iron Will turned and walked behind the stage curtain as the theater lights turned on and the seminar attendees began to file out of the theater.

Pinkie wandered aimlessly about the streets of Las Pegasus deep in her thoughts, her mane still retained its straight, deflated look. She couldn't relax, she couldn't afford the time. How could she relax when she should be out there looking for her sisters. As Pinkie's mind began to run these thoughts over and over, Pinkie came to a sudden realization.

“Maybe Twilight is right,” she said as she stopped dead in the middle of the street. “Maybe I do need some time off to set my mind at ease.” She gazed around to see if there was some place nearby where she could get off her hooves and rest, but her eyes fell onto something she would rather not have seen. Her eyes fell onto a family of donkeys that were walking down the road towards her; a mother, a father, and three children. A normal family, aside from the father's crazy blond pompadour, that reminded her too much of her own family and caused her resolve to relax and set her mind at ease to waver.

“No,” Pinkie said as she turned her gaze away from the donkey family. “Why do you show me things that remind me of what I have lost!” Pinkie began to run down the streets of Las Pegasus heedless of those around her as she tried to outrun the memories of her past. Eventually, her running brought her to a large park filled with green fields and large groups of trees. In spite of Pinkie's mindset at the moment, the scene managed to bring a smile to Pinkie's face.

“A desert surrounding the city, and here we have green grass and trees in bloom,” She said as she found a place to lie down in the shade of a tree. “Maybe this place will help to ease my mind.”

After awhile, Pinkie managed to fall asleep in the peace of the park; the combination of the wind rustling through the trees, the sun filtering through the leaves, and the sound of ponies playing managed to set her at ease for the moment. Then she was awakened when she felt something bounce into her side. She opened her eyes and saw that what had hit her was a brightly colored ball. She lifted her head as the sound of voices grew closer and watched as a trio of earth pony children approached her.

“Um, excuse me, miss,” one of the children, a tan colored colt with a wild bright red mane and tail. “Could we have our ball back? Please?”

Pinkie looked from the children to the ball then back. Here's something else that'll help me ease my mind she thought as a smile grew on her face. She stood and kicked the ball into the air and began to juggle it between limbs while performing cartwheels and flips as the children stared in awe at the spectacle. One final kick sent the ball high into the air as Pinkie turned and ran at the tree she had been under, jumped off of it, and caught the ball as it was descending while executing a front flip that set her right in front of the kids.

“Wow,” one of the kids, a light orange filly with a curly green mane and tail, said. “That was awesome!”

“Amazing!” the third kid, a gray filly with a long straight black and white mane and tail said. “Stupendous even!”

“Who are you miss?” the kind, the colt, said.

“I'm Pinkie Pie,” Pinkie replied. “But you can just call me Auntie Pinkie. Now how about you three?”

“I'm Rocket,” the colt with the red mane said.

“Carrot,” the orange filly said.

“And I'm Peppercorn,” the gray filly chimed in.

“Well Rocket, Carrot, Peppercorn; how about I show you how how to bounce a ball like I do?”

“Yay!” the three kids shouted as they ran out into the field followed closely by Pinkie.

Just outside of Las Pegasus, Edgar, the pilot for Neo-Baltimare stood next to his pony suit, the Raven Pony, as he waited for the Neo-Las Pegasus pilot to show up. A cloud of dust coming from the direction of the city signaled the arrival of he hoped, the pilot. Instead, it was Iron Will driving a vehicle with a yellow pegasus stallion with a short cut orange mane and tail and a cutie mark of what looked like a computer. The pegasus was dressed in a white lab coat and had stubble growing from his jaw. Edgar assumed that the pegasus was part of the Neo-Las Pegasus team. Iron Will stopped the vehicle and jumped out before approaching Edgar.

“So, you're here,” Iron Will said as he looked at the Neo-Baltimare pony suit. The suit was of a deep purple color, making it seem almost black and its design was as strange as its coloring. The suit had small wings on its back despite its pilot not being a pegasus, the head unit looked like the head of a bird with its beak open, showing the face of the suit in its mouth, and on each hoof, were a set of claws that were folded up against the legs. “And I take it that this is the Raven Pony of Neo-Baltimare.”

“Where is your pilot?” Edgar asked, ignoring Iron Will's statements. “The hour has passed.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Iron Will said. “They're on their way.” Another plume of dust announced the arrival of the Neo-Las Pegasus pony suit, which also had a rather unorthodox design. It had large rabbit ears on its head unit and a rabbit's tail and was colored in an unassuming yellow with pink highlights. “And here it is, the Heart Pony.”

“So it is time then,” Edgar said as he entered the Raven Pony and began its start up sequence.

Iron Will looked at the strange Raven Pony for a moment before he turned to the pegasus that had come with him. “Professor, when the fight starts, initiate the Berserker system.”

“But that hasn't been fully tested yet,” the Professor replied. “We don't know what kind of reaction the pilot will have to it.”

“Who was brought onto this team to make these decisions, Professor?”

“You?”

“That's right,” Iron Will said as he grabbed the collar of the Professor's lab coat and hauled him off the ground and brought his face to his. “And when I say you activate the Berserker system when the fight starts, you activate the Berserker system when the fight starts. You got that!”

“Yes, Iron Will, sir!” the Professor said as Iron Will dropped him to the ground. He scrambled to his hooves and reached into the vehicle and pulled out a small computer. He pushed a button on the computer and it turned on. “The Berserker system is primed and ready.”

“Good,” Iron Will said as he flipped on his headset. “Pilot, let's get this match started.”

“Yes sir, Iron Will sir!” the pilot of the Heart Pony said through the headset as the Heart Pony approached the Raven Pony. “You ready?” the pilot's voice to the Neo-Baltimare pilot through the external speakers.

“Yes,” Edgar replied as the Raven Pony tensed up, readying itself for the start of the fight. “Pony fight match all set.”

“Ready,” the Neo-Las Pegasus said.

“Go!” At the signal, the two suits launched towards each other. As they closed in, both pilots had the same idea as the two suits reared up on their hind legs and grappled with their forelegs. After a few moments of back and forth struggle, the Raven Pony found itself being pushed back. The Raven Pony broke the grapple and jumped back from the Heart Pony.

“Powerful,” Edgar said as he opened up a com link to the Heart Pony. “Your suits rather powerful for such a silly looking thing.”

“Thanks,” the Las Pegasus pilot said as the two suits grappled once again. “The same goes to you. Your suit may look weird and more like a bird then a pony, but it is strong too.” Once again, the Raven Pony began to lose the test of strength and was being pushed back.

“You seem like a nice pony from the way you speak. I feel sorry for what I'm about to do to you, just so you know.”

“What do you mean?” the Las Pegasus pilot began as the Raven Pony's claws unfurled from its legs and dug into the forelegs of the Heart Pony and into the desert ground. Using its newfound leverage, the Raven Pony pulled the Heart Pony towards it and drove the beak adorning its head into the head of the Heart Pony and tossed it away. The Raven Pony approached the prone Heart Pony and reared back in an attempt to drive its clawed hooves into the head of it. The Heart Pony quickly rolled away to dodge the attack and regained its footing.

“Nimble too,” Edgar said as he praised the Heart Pony again. “Not only is the suit impressive, but its pilot is too.” The Raven Pony's wings opened, revealing several laser pods that began to fire at the Heart Pony which dodged back and forth, avoiding the attacks.

The professor stood enthralled at the action occurring in front of him, the counsel for the Berserker system sitting forgotten in their vehicle. Iron Will turned to the professor and smacked him across the face.

“Why haven't you activated the Berserker system yet‽”

“But it looks like she'll be able to win this without it,” the Professor said as he rubbed his face and motioned to the battle where the Heart Pony had closed in on the Raven Pony and was pressing attacks, setting it on defense. “We don't need to activate it!”

“If you won't do it,” Iron Will said as he grabbed the Berserker system counsel and pressed the initiating key, “then I will.”

A loud cry sounded from the pilot of the Heart Pony only to be amplified into an unearthly wail by its external speakers as the whole suit began to glow a bright red. Right before the eyes of all who were there, the Heart Pony began to change. The rabbit ears on its head folded down on themselves to resemble horns, spiked ridges rose from its back as the rabbit tail unraveled itself to become more lizard like, and claws unfolded themselves from its hooves.

“What's going on?” Edgar asked the Las Pegasus pilot through the com link as he watched the transformation of his opponents suit. “Are you ok over there?” What replied to him was another unearthly wail as the Heart Pony launched itself at the Raven Pony faster than it had before. Taken aback by the speed of the attack, the Raven Pony was not able to fully dodge the charge and one of its hind legs was caught by the Heart Pony. With a mighty heave, the Heart Pony lifted the Raven Pony into the air and slammed it to the ground. Before the it could react, the Heart Pony pounced on the prone Raven Pony and began to savage it with its clawed hooves.

The Raven Pony struggled to free itself and raised its forelegs in defense, but the Heart Pony's claws sliced through the leg armor like butter and tore the limbs from the suit, leaving it defenseless. The Heart Pony continued to attack, tearing through the armor and weapons of the Raven Pony. Its wings were ripped to shreds and spread across the desert floor as was its armor and its head was torn from its body and crushed. The attacks of the Heart Pony continued even after all this.

“Sir!” the Professor shouted as Iron Will stared at the carnage happening before them. “Shut the suit down! This is too excessive, we've already won this fight!”

Iron Will shook his head as the Professor's words penetrated past the battle in his mind. He looked down at the counsel in his hands and pressed a large red button labeled 'Emergency Shut Down.' The Heart Pony immediately stopped moving and slowly began to retain its normal look. The Professor took the Berserker counsel away from Iron Will and sat It back in the vehicle before continuing. “Call for a medical team. I'll get in contact with the pilots to see how injured they are.”

As the Professor picked up the headset for the communicator, the Heart Pony's pilot's voice peeped up on the communicator, “Professor, what happened?”

“Is everything alright with you?” the Professor asked. “Are you hurt? What about the Baltimare pilot?”

“No, I'm fine Professor, but the other pilot has not responded to anything.”

The Professor gazed over to the two pony suits. The Raven Pony was torn to pieces. Of course the pilot wouldn't respond to anything, he thought. And even if he's still conscious, it looks like the cockpit has been crushed. All the communication equipment is most likely destroyed and he can't get out. “Don't worry, we have a medical team on their way,” the he said as he gazed over to Iron Will who was also on a communicator.

“Professor, can I have the rest of the day off?”

“Yes, dear. You can have the rest of the day off. You deserve it after what you've been through today. Go and relax while we run through the data from the fight.”

“Thank you, Professor,” the pilot responded as the communicator cut off. A moment later the cockpit for the Heart Pony opened and the pilot flew off towards the city.

“Hey, where's she going?” Iron Will asked as he watched the pilot fly off.

“She's going off to relax after what you put her through,” the Professor said. “You stay here with the suits until the medical team arrives and treats the Baltimare pilot. I have data to compile and analyze and an apology to write to the Baltimare colony about this incident.” The Professor turned away from Iron Will and entered the vehicle and drove off towards the city as he stood and watched.

“Where are you, Rocket?” a tan earth pony mare with a mane of bright red mane said as she gazed around the Las Pegasus park. She spied Rocket playing with a ball with his friends and Pinkie over by a line of trees. “There you are. Rocket, it’s time to go. You were supposed to come back home awhile ago.”

“But sis,” Rocket whined as he let the ball fall to the ground.

“No buts, squirt. I was sent to get you three and I am not leaving here without you.”

The three young ponies grumbled at the fact that they could no longer play around with Pinkie and at the fact that they had to leave. The three of them turned to Pinkie and said their goodbyes.

“Bye, Auntie Pinkie!” Peppercorn said.

“Bye,” Carrot said. “And thanks for showing us something amazingly cool.”

“Will we see you again?” Rocket asked.

Pinkie gathered the three kids into a big hug. “Maybe,” she said, answering Rocket’s question. “You never know what the future will bring. Now get going you three, your families are waiting.” Pinkie let go of the three young ponies and watched as they ran off to meet Rocket’s sister. They turned once and waved goodbye to her before they all left.

Pinkie gave a small wave as they all left. Once they were out of sight, Pinkie laid back down in the shade of the trees and gave a small sigh as she sat he head on the grass. “I thought that would've helped me sort out these thoughts,” she said as she held her head between her front hooves.

“Um, sorry if I am interrupting something, but are you ok?” a soft voice asked from somewhere behind Pinkie. She raised her head and turned it to see who had spoken to her. Standing there in the shade of the tree, was a yellow pegasus mare not much older than Pinkie, with a long flowing pink mane and tail and a trio of pink butterflies for a cutie mark. Pinkie looked at the pegasus for a moment before turning away from her.

“Why do you ask?” she said as she placed her head back onto the grass between her front hooves and stared off into the distance.

“It's just that, to me, you seem to be depressed over something,” the pegasus said as she walked around to Pinkie's front and sat down. “I mean, it seems that way with all the sighing and the grabbing of your head and the lying about in the shade. It just seems...”

“Is it really that visible?”

“Why don't you tell me about it?”

“Um, I'm sorry,” Pinkie said as she raised her head and looked the pegasus in her eyes. “I don't mean to be rude and all, but why would I tell what's haunting me to somepony I don't even know?”

“Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Fluttershy,” the pegasus said, introducing herself.

“And I am Pinkie Pie. But you can just call me Pinkie. So why should I tell you my thoughts?”

“Because it is always a good idea to get whatever is troubling you off your chest. At least that's what the Professor always told me. And it always helped me. And I'm a good listener if that helps.”

Pinkie took a long look at Fluttershy. There was something about the yellow pegasus that made Pinkie want to tell her, to be held by her and comforted. Pinkie sighed. “Ok, you win, Fluttershy. Maybe spilling my mind to somepony who doesn't know me personally will help to sort my mind out.” Pinkie took a deep breath and prepared herself for her own thoughts.

“I guess I should start somewhere near the beginning,” Pinkie said. “My life hasn't really been what you would call normal for some time. My mother and father were scientists of some fame, and they had hopes that me and my two sisters would follow in their footsteps. But, unlike my sisters, I had no aptitude for the science stuff. I just couldn't seem to concentrate on it for any length of time, every time I tried, I got distracted by other things. So I decided to go on a journey of self discovery and was gone for the next six years of my life. But, during that time, something happened that destroyed my family. I can't go into too much detail as I wasn't there when it happened, and for the fact that it is a colony secret, but my sisters did something at the colony, something bad from everything I've heard of, and fled to Equestria. Before they fled, there was an altercation with the colony police and my mother was killed. Then to top off this already bad situation, my sisters were labeled traitors and my father was found guilty of being an accomplice and sentenced to a cryogenic state.” As Pinkie recounted her sad tale, her mane deflated, much to Fluttershy's distress.

“My life from there was horrid,” Pinkie continued. “I was treated as a pariah, an outcast. Shunned by those my family had called friends as the daughter of a traitor. I was angry at everyone. The colony, my family, myself for not being there when I could have done something. The only one who stood by me was Twilight, but even with her there, it still wore heavily on me. So when the colony heads approached with a chance for me to not only pursue after my sisters, but to have all the charges placed on my family and father dropped, I agreed to it without a second thought. At the time, I didn't even care for the conditions that the agreement had.”

“Turned out that the conditions were for me to become the pony suit pilot for the colony. It was all good at the beginning when I first touched down. I was enthusiastic to get started searching for my sisters and getting to the bottom of everything. And so, here I am now, after weeks of chasing after every little lead and fighting any pilot who got in my way. And it's all wearing on me. I don't know how much longer I can handle all the fighting, all the chasing, all the searching. I don't even know what I'm gonna do if I ever manage to find my sisters. I just set out without thinking things even that far in advance. Now I'm just tired of it all and I don't know what to do!” Tears began to form in the corners of Pinkie's eyes as she looked away from Fluttershy. “I'm sorry about this.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for, Pinkie,” Fluttershy said as she placed a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. “It is only natural for someone in your situation to end up with this kind of crisis. What is important though, is how you manage it.”

“What do you mean by that?” Pinkie said as she wiped away the tears from her eyes.

“Are you just going to abandon all that you have done so far over this, or are you going to press forward and continue on as long as you have at least some chance of success?”

“I just don't know anymore...”

“Are you just going to give up on your dreams!” Fluttershy shouted and startled Pinkie out of her thoughts as it was such a contrast to how she had been moments before, a quiet, meek looking pegasus. “Going to just slink back to the home where everypony hates you with your tail between your legs and hide from yourself? What would your friend, Twilight, think if she saw you like that? What would your family think?”

Those words struck Pinkie with the force of an attack from her own Shining Pony suit. Her thoughts traveled to her best friend, Twilight, who said that she would be there for Pinkie if she ever needed a shoulder to lean on and an ear to listen. Her thoughts traveled to those she had befriended over her travels so far as well. Of Applejack, arrested for following her truths and forced to fight in the tournament, but pressing forwards anyways for the sake of her home and family. Of Rainbow Dash, whose never wavering dedication to her home city presses for her to be the best, and whose past makes her try even harder for those who've fallen to misfortune. Of Rarity, who fights to uphold the dignity of her family and all of what Manehatten was. All of them were fighting desperately for their dreams and she knew that they wouldn't give up on them easily. Finally, Pinkie's mind brought her to thoughts of her family. How would they have reacted to the way she was acting if she just abandoned her hopes and dreams of clearing the family name.

“I don't want to give up,” she said finally. “I can't give up. But, I don't know what to do next. How do I go on if there is the chance that these thoughts will just return later?”

Fluttershy looked at Pinkie as she asked that question with a small smile on her face. That was the same question she had asked herself so long ago, back when she was in the same kind of situation that Pinkie was in. “You've already found your answer. The love you show for your friends and family must be very strong indeed. Use those memories when you find it hard to go forward.”

“Fluttershy,” Pinkie said as she grabbed the pegasus into a big hug as tears flowed freely down her cheeks. “Thank you. Thank you so much. I'm not very good at expressing myself to others, and I don't know what would have happened to me if it weren't for for you.”

“There there,” Fluttershy said as she patted Pinkie's back. “You're a big, strong pony suit pilot; should you be crying like that?”

Pinkie let go of Fluttershy and wiped the tears from her eyes again. “You're right, no more crying. I must be strong, for everypony.”

At that moment, Pinkie's communicator chimed up, throwing off the mood between the two ponies. “Pinkie, hey, Pinkie. You there?” Twilight's voice said.

“Yes, Twilight,” Pinkie responded softly as she turned away from Fluttershy. “What is it?”

“I'm sorry to tell you, but when I asked the colony heads, they consulted their records of enterings and leavings and it turns out your sisters nor anypony who looked like your sisters came to the city.”

“That's ok.”

“Uh, you sure?”

“Yeah, we'll find them soon, I just know it. I just gotta keep a positive attitude about it. Now is there anything else I need to know?”

“Ah yes. I got a message from Ponyville. They want us to come to the town for an event or something. Something about showing the ponies of Ponyville their colony representative.”

“Ok, I'll see you soon.” Pinkie cut off the communicator and turned back to face Fluttershy. “I've gotta get going, but I hope that we'll meet again somewhere down the line.”

“I'm sure we will,” Fluttershy said as Pinkie turned and ran off. “But I fear that next time we'll meet on opposite sides of the battlefield.” A pair of goats approached her as she watched Pinkie vanish into the crowds of the city. “I was told that I had the rest of the day off,” she said as she turned to face the two goats.

“The Professor who said,” one of the goats said. “Not boss Iron Will.”

“Iron Will says that it is time for you to begin your training regiment,” the other goat said.

Fluttershy sighed as she looked at the pair of goats. She didn't particularly like the new addition to the Las Pegasus team, but she had no say in the matter. It was all up to the colony heads and whatever they said went. “Lead on then.”

Episode 6: Shadows of the Past

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“How long has it been, Twilight?” Pinkie asked as she and Twilight neared the Equestrian Ponyville in the core lander. “Since we set out from the colony for this thing I mean?”

“A month or so,” Twilight replied as she stopped the core lander at the entrance to the town and got out, followed swiftly by Pinkie. “Give or take a few days.”

“Really? It seems like it's been a lot longer than that.” Pinkie looked deeply at the awaiting town. “Do you really think there's gonna be an event in my honor? I mean, do you think things have really changed at the colony and they don't see me solely as a traitor's daughter?”

“Pinkie, you had nothing to do with the events that happened,” Twilight said as she placed a reassuring hoof on Pinkie's shoulder. “I'm sure that the colony ponies have finally realized that and that's probably one of the reasons behind whatever's going on here with this event thing.”

“I hope so,” Pinkie said. “Anyways, so where is this big event thing being held?

“At a place you should know very well, Pinkie.”

“Do you mean what I think you mean?”

“If you think I mean that it's being held at Ponyville's bakery, Sugarcube Corner, then you're correct.”

“Oh that is exactly what I thought you meant!” Pinkie shouted as she hopped around Twilight in glee. “Oh I haven't been there in five years now. Oh I wonder how the cakes are doing.” Pinkie continued to hop as she made her way into the town. She stopped and gazed back to where Twilight was still standing. “You coming?”

“Oh I have something to take care of,” Twilight said. “Nothing big or anything. Go on ahead, I'll meet you there.”

“Okie Dokie!” Pinkie turned back around and continued to hop into Ponyville while she hummed a happy tune on her way to Sugarcube Corner.

Twilight watched as her friend merrily made her way into town and vanished into the crowds of ponies before she moved. She entered the town and swiftly turned down a side street. From here she made her way through the familiar streets of the town until she came to the Ponyville library, an impressive looking building built out of a large living tree. She pulled a key free of her bags with her magic and unlocked the door and as she entered, she took in the deep, rich smell of books.

“Oh, how I have missed you all,” she said as she meandered past the shelves of books, idly pulling one free with her magic and reading a page or two before replacing it only to repeat the process with another. She had not had the time to read since she was assigned to help Pinkie with the Shining Pony nor did she have the space to carry more than a few books with her in the core lander. Eventually, Twilight made it over to the staircase set along the back wall of the library heading up to the second story. She ascended quickly and made her way to an old wooden desk set in a small alcove set between two bookshelves. Her horn glowed softly, shedding a soft light over the desk. The thing was coated in a fine layer of dust marking that it had not been touched or used in awhile. Twilight reached underneath the desk and pressed a hidden switch. The top of the desk split open and a computer terminal rose up. Twilight thanked the stars that nopony had gotten it into their head to go snooping around a closed library as having hidden computers and the like lying around would have been rather difficult to explain to the ponies of Ponyville. Her horn glowed again as a communications headset rose from the terminal and set itself on her head. Twilight raised a hoof and pressed a button on the computer, turning it on. A few moments later, the screen flashed on with the words “Please wait while your transmission is connected,” before the face of an older tan earth pony with a gray mane and a pair of glasses appeared.

“Prime Minister Mare,” Twilight said into the headset. “This is Twilight Sparkle reporting in as per your orders.”

“Ah, Twilight,” the Prime Minister said. “So good to hear from you again. You know, we were so glad that you accepted this job from us; giving up your position as an investigator for the tournament regulations committee.”

“Don't think anything of it, Prime Minister. Pinkie's been a friend of mine for a good long time. I just saw this as a way to catch back up with her after the years she was gone.”

“Yes. By the way we have received the reports you sent on the status of Pinkie Pie's physical and mental conditions. We were troubled at first with some of the more recent ones, but it seems that she managed to pull through that. But unfortunately, because of those reports, there has been a case made that Pinkie is not the best pony to be the representative of the colony. Thusly, Pinkie needs to be brought back to the colony for some testing. And before you say anything in opposition to it, the plan has already been set into motion. She will be sent on her way back to the colony.” Twilight stared, her mouth agape, at the Prime Minister over what she had just said. The whole situation had turned out to be a large trap set by the colony. “Your presence is also required, Twilight Sparkle. There is another ship that is ready to head to the colony. You will be on that ship. We hope to see you soon.”

The terminal feed shut off, leaving the screen a blank gray and Twilight staring at it. How could she have let this happen? she thought as she pressed the switch beneath the desk, returning it to its normal look. She took a moment to wipe away the remaining dust from the desk before she hurried off to the town's space port.

Pinkie eventually wound up milling about outside of Sugarcube Corner. The building still looked as it had all those years ago. It still had the roof that looked like it was made of cookies coated in frosting and that large pink cupcake up on top. She stared at the familiar building while she muttered under her breath whether or not she should just go up to the door and knock and wait for someone to answer or if she should just barge on in like he always did. She hoped that the Cakes hadn't changed their opinions on her since she left. Pinkie finally managed to work up her nerves and approached the door.

“Hello, is anypony here?” Pinkie said as she slowly opened the door to the bakery, seeking the middle ground between her choices of entrance. In response, she was knocked off her hooves and back out onto the street by a flying mass of brown where she landed on her back. After her eyes stopped spinning from the hit, she looked at what had hit her and saw that it was a light tan pegasus colt with a mane and tail of dark brown.

“You're here! Pinkie's here!” the young pegasus shouted in glee. “She's back! She's back! She's back!”

“Aw, I'm happy to see you too, Pound Cake,” Pinkie said as she plucked the excited pegasus from herself and got back to her hooves. “You've gotten so much bigger since the last time I saw you. Are your parents home?”

“Yeah,” Pound Cake said as he jumped into the air a hovered a few feet off the ground. “And so is Pumpkin. We missed you Pinkie.”

“And I missed you all too.” Pinkie placed a hoof on Pound Cake's head and ruffled his mane. “Now, there is something that I need to talk to your parents about, do you think that you could go and get them for me?”

“No need to ask for that, Pinkie,” an older yellow earth pony stallion with a short orange mane and tail, an extremely pronounced jaw, and a cutie mark of a trio of carrot cakes wearing a simple white apron, a short white and red baker's toque, and a red and white striped bow tie said from the open door to Sugarcube Corner.

“Oh, Mr. Cake. How have you been?”

“Just fine, Pinkie. Now Pound, as Pinkie said, she has something that she needs to talk to me and your mother about. How about you go out and play with your friends for awhile.”

“But Dad,” Pound Cake said.

“Don't worry,” Mr. Cake said.” You'll have time enough later to catch up with Pinkie. Now, go and get your sister and take her with you. She's been cooped up in her room for too long practicing magic and needs to get out and play with her friends.”

“Aye aye pops!” Pound Cake raised a hoof to his forehead in salute before he flew into the bakery and up the stairs along the back wall to the Cake's rooms. A moment later, there was a loud cry from upstairs as Pound Cake reappeared, dragging his sister along by her tail.

“But I don't want to go outside and play,” Pumpkin Cake, a light yellow unicorn filly with an orange mane and tail, whined.

“Too bad, dad said,” he brother replied through a mouthful of tail as he continued to drag his sister across the bakery store front towards the door.

“Bye you two,” Pinkie said as the two passed by her and her father and headed out into the streets of Ponyville.

“Oh hi, Pinkie,” Pumpkin Cake said once she saw Pinkie as she was dragged along. “When we get back I wanna show you how far I've gotten with my magic, it's awesome. Bye bye!”

Pinkie waved as the two of them went off before she turned back to Mr. Cake. “Things seem to be going well for your family.”

“Yeah, and it is in part thanks to you,” Mr. Cake said as he entered the bakery. Mr. Cake removed his apron and hat and placed them on a set of hooks by the door and motioned for Pinkie to follow him. “Come now, we have much catching up to do. And Cup Cake has made something especially for you.”

“Was that Pinkie I heard earlier, Carrot?” a voice called from the bakery kitchen.

“Yes dear, she's here.” Mr. Cake walked up next to Pinkie and extended a foreleg in the direction of a side room just off the bakery's store front. Pinkie walked over and saw that the room was furnished with several comfy looking chairs and a low wooden table. “Make yourself at home,” Mr. Cake said as he left Pinkie to go and fetch his wife from the kitchen. Pinkie lowered herself into one of the chairs and waited for the Cakes to come. A few minutes later, Mr. Cake entered carrying a tray of tea cups in his mouth. Following closely was his wife, Mrs. Cake; a light blue earth pony mare with a curly mane and tail of two shades of red, one lighter than the other, and a cutie mark of three pink frosted cupcakes carrying a tray with a single pink frosted cupcake with a decorative candy representation of Pinkie and the words “Welcome Back” topping it.

“Oh, Pinkie, it's so nice to see you again,” Mrs. Cake said as she set the tray with the cupcake down in front of Pinkie while Mr. Cake set the tray of tea cups down and set them out before the three of them. “We heard about what happened to your family. We're sorry you had to go through so much without someone to comfort you.”

“Yeah,” Pinkie said as she took a drink from her tea and pulled free the picture of her and her sisters. “But I've managed to turn that event into the driving force behind me. But enough about me and my problems, you two seem to be doing fine. And Pumpkin and Pound look like they're growing up healthy and well. And this tea is absolutely delicious, is it a new blend?”

“Why yes it is, Pinkie,” Mrs. Cake replied. “As is the cupcake there.”

“You did have an influence on us, and in more than just baking,” Mr. Cake said. “The kids have been waiting for you to come back for years. They really missed you.”

“I'll make sure to visit more often once the tournament if done and over with. Now, I heard that there was supposed to be some big event thing being hosted here for me.”

“Oh, that's not for a couple more days,” Mrs. Cake said as Pinkie finished off her tea and took a large bite out of her cupcake. Pinkie smiled with delight at the delightful taste. “We're still preparing for it.”

“Oh, so we arrived early,” Pinkie said as she finished off her cupcake and licked her hoof. “That's good; we'll have more time to catch up on things.”

“By the way, Pinkie,” Mr. Cake said. “What's with that picture you pulled out?”

“Oh this, it's a picture of me and my sisters from back before I left the colony for the first time...” Pinkie's vision suddenly began to spin and she lost her balance, sending her off her chair and onto the floor as her picture softly drifted down next to her. “What's going on?”

“We're very sorry, Pinkie, but we had no choice in this. We hope that you'll forgive us for this someday.” Pinkie's consciousness faded away as she listened to Mr. and Mrs. Cakes apologies.

A familiar hoof reached down and picked up the fallen picture. “Greetings and salutations, everypony,” MR said as the familiar spotlight shone down the suited pony sitting on his stool as he looked at the picture. “It seems that today we shall finally unravel the mystery behind this picture. And why someone so trusted to Pinkie Pie would betray her in such a fashion. For today's opponent is none other than the ultimate pony suit ever created, the devilish Dark Pony.”

MR quickly stood from his stool and pulled free his suit and eye patch, revealing his bright pink shirt and bow tie and his perfectly normal working right eye. “Now, let's get this thing started! Pony fight all set. Ready, go!

Mobile Fighter G-Pony Episode 6
Shadows of the Past

“General Blueblood, you are sure that the tournament committee won't find out that we broke the regulations and brought our pilot back to the colony?” the Neo-Ponyville Prime Minister said to her traveling companion who was steering the vehicle they were in along a cliff-side road, a large white unicorn stallion with a well-kept blond mane and tail wearing a black suit covering his chest and forelegs leaving his cutie mark, an eight-pointed compass rose. The unicorn turned to the prime Minister, showing off the bright metal mask that covered half of his face, from his horn to the top of his mouth and back to the ear on the right side of his face.

“Don't worry, Prime Minister,” General Blueblood said reassuringly. “I've taken all measures to make sure that they won't find out.”

“So you keep telling me. But is this really necessary, General?”

“Quite so, this will have serious repercussions if it fails. We'll have to scrap everything we've done so far. ” The General turned his gaze to the surrounding landscape just outside the window of the vehicle. There was a large lake just at the bottom of the cliffs they were driving on that spread out into the distance where it met a large open field. “They must have really worked their flanks off to restore this place back to the way it looked after what happened,” Blueblood said as he turned his eyes back to the road. “Was it really just half a year ago that it happened?”

“Yes,” the Prime Minister replied. “That was a dark day for the colony. That monster of a suit rampaged about the countryside destroying everything in its path. We had no idea that it would be as strong as it was, if we did, we would have thought of some better way to deal with it. How's the wound by the way, if you don't mind me asking.”

“Still hurts like the very fires of Tartarus itself,” Blueblood replied as he raised a hoof to the mask on his face. “But I guess I was one of the lucky ones that day. We lost a lot of brave mares and stallions when that suit overpowered our lines. I just got this when my suit was destroyed. And in the end it was in vain. That thing managed to escape to Equestria.”

“We tried,” the Prime Minister said as General Blueblood started to slow the vehicle down as a pair of unassuming cottages just off the side of the road came into view.

“And here we are, Prime Minister,” he said as he stopped the vehicle and got out. He walked around to the passenger side and opened the door for the Prime Minister. As she stepped out, the door to one of the cottages opened and a light blue unicorn stallion with a messy dark blue mane and tail wearing a white lab coat quickly strode out to greet them.

“Prime Minister, General,” The unicorn said as he offered each a hoof in greeting.

“Prime Minister,” Blueblood said as he took the unicorn's greeting. “You remember Professor Midnight Shine. He was Professor Pie's assistant back before everything happened.”

“Yes, Professor Midnight; I remember,” the Prime Minister said as she also took the professor's hoof in greeting. “You're Twilight Sparkle's father if I'm not mistaken.”

“You are correct,” he responded as he turned back to the cottage he had come out of and quickly made his way to its front door. “Come now, it is almost time to begin.” Professor Midnight opened the door and disappeared inside.

“General, you are sure that this is absolutely necessary, correct?”

“Yes,” Blueblood replied. “I believe that Ms. Pinkie Pie is the best candidate that we have, not only for this task but also for the tournament itself. And if I have to prove it to the other colony bigwigs who want to change that, then so be it.” General Blueblood walked up to the cottage door and turned back to the Prime Minister. “Now, come on, the professor will explain everything inside.”

Prime Minister Mare followed behind as the General entered the cottage. Just past the door was a long hallway devoid of any kind of decorations or other doors save for one at the far end. The two governmental ponies made their way quickly to this door and upon opening, entered into a large circular room. Half the room was taken over by a myriad of electronic equipment; computers, video monitors, graphs monitoring various things. Professor Midnight stood over by the equipment as he fiddled with some switches and dials.

On the other half of the room, around a large circular table, sat three large couches and three ponies sitting on them. There were two earth pony stallions, one a light brown and the other a light green, and a light yellow earth pony mare.

Professor Midnight turned to face the three ponies sitting and the two new additions to the group. “Ah, and it appears that we are all here and accounted for. Now I believe that some introductions are in order just to make with the pleasantries,” the professor said as he motioned for the Prime Minister and the General to take a seat. “I'll start. My name is Professor Midnight Shine of the Neo-Ponyville colony Pony Suit research and development lab.”

“I guess I'll go next then. I am the head of the colony economics,” the brown earth pony stallion said. His expertly tailored dark green suit with a tie that had a dollar sign on it, large bushy black eyebrows, slicked back black mane, and well-kept black tail defined him as a pony who knew how to handle money even without looking at his cutie mark of three bags of money. “My name is Filthy Rich, but please, just call me Rich.”

“Well then, it's my turn now. Hello there, I'm Motor Mouth,” the light green stallion happily said. He, like Mr. Rich, was wearing a well-tailored suit, but in his case it was lacking the tie and of a deep red that almost matched the color of his curly mane and tail and left his cutie mark, a megaphone, clearly viable. “Ambassador Liaison.”

“I'm sure that everyone here knows who I am,” the light yellow mare said. She, like the two stallions was dressed for business, in a dark gray pinstriped suit and skirt, which covered her cutie mark, which complimented her lighter gray mane and tail. “I am the head of the Ponyville colony, Mrs. Aurora Streak. Now that concludes the introductions.” The Prime Minister began to speak up on this before she was cut off. “We know who the two of you are, Ms. Mare. You are the Prime Minister for the colony and the stallion you walked in with is General Blueblood of the colony military force. Now, would you be so kind as to explain to the rest of the group why we are here, General.”

“Of course, Mrs. Streak,” General Blueblood said and stood as Professor Midnight rolled a large monitor which had a video feed of a room similar to the one they were currently in aside from the lack of electronics towards the table the governmental ponies sat at. “I know that there has been several extreme reservations over the fact that the pony we have on the task of chasing after Professor Clyde Pie's last creation is none other than one of his daughters, Ms. Pinkie Pie. And I know that there have also been reservations about having Ms. Pie be the representative for our colony in the Pony Fight tournament. I know this by the sheer amount of paperwork that has filtered through the military's secretaries on looking for a replacement pilot. And yes, before any of you say anything, I am in fact aware that this is mostly due to some of the recent reports on the well-being of our pilot written by Professor Midnight's daughter, Twilight Sparkle.”

“Don't forget her fighting record, General,” Motor Mouth said. “Currently she has won only one fight in the time the tournament has been active, despite facing off against, at this time a grand total of four challengers. That means that there were three instances of no contest for Ms. Pie. You assured us that she was the best of the best that we could find; that is not what is shown here. We need a pilot that has both the strength and determination, not only for the task at hand, but also for the tournament as well.”

“And have you seen the expenses that she has managed to incur?” Filthy Rich chimed in. “She has taken too many risks in her fighting and has caused an unacceptable amount of repairs needed for the Shining Pony suit. Repairs cost money, General.”

“Mr. Motor Mouth, Mr. Rich, I can assure you that your thoughts are misguided. I can assure you that Ms. Pie is, in fact, the best we have for a pilot and that she would have had a good reason for taking such damage to her suit.”

“And what reason would ever be a good reason to damage such an expensive piece of equipment as a pony suit General?”

“Mr. Rich, I am sure you are aware that as a colony representative, pilots are privy to a myriad of details concerning the security of the cities, both those on the colonies as well as the ones on Equestria itself. And as such, of those easily approachable by another pilot, they would be the best place to ask for any information concerning the whereabouts of Professor Pie's creation. In fact, that is just what Ms. Pie has been doing, traveling from city to city following the leads given to her by the other pilots.” Blueblood turned and approached the monitor. “Now, we have set up a simulation for Ms. Pie in the other cabin through the combined efforts of Professor Midnight and his daughter. It is of what we know of what happened the day the two other Pie sisters turned on the colony. This will show you of the commitment and willingness that Ms. Pie has for this.” He turned his head to the professor and gave a short nod. “Professor, start the simulation; it's time for our guest to wake.”

Pinkie laid on a comfortable couch as she dozed soundly before her sleep was disturbed by the soft sound of a set of bells ringing in the distance and by the sound of a door softly opening and closing. Pinkie slowly opened her eyes as she stretched out her legs to remove the traces of sleep from her system. As her eyes finally adjusted to the light of where she had slept, two familiar faces came into focus right in front of her face. They were the faces of two earth pony mares about the same age as Pinkie if not a little bit older, one was light gray with a darker gray mane and the other was a light purple with a mane the color of the other’s coat.

“Hey look,” the purple mare said as she nudged the other’s shoulder. “I think she’s awake. Sleep nice, Pinkie?”

“Blinkie?” Pinkie said as recognition slowly crept across her mind.

“And not just her, Pinks,” the gray mare said as she thumped Pinkie hardily on the back. “Don’t forget about me.”

“Inkie? Oh it’s so great to see you two again.” Pinkie leapt up from the couch she was on and pulled both of her sisters into a big hug. “But why are you here?”

“Pinks, like we wouldn’t be here to see you after we heard that you got back,” Inkie said as she pulled herself free of Pinkie’s hug. “It’s been how long since we’ve seen you?”

“Five years, six months, and twelve days,” Blinkie replied. Her sisters gave her strange looks at her extremely specific number. “What, I missed you, Pinkie.”

“We both did, Pinks,” Inkie said as she grabbed Blinkie about the shoulders. “And so did mom and dad. They should be here anytime now.” A distant sound of jingling bells and an opening door signaled the arrival of somepony. “And that should be them right there.”

Two earth ponies walked into the room, a stallion and a mare, both wearing lab coats as if they had just come from a laboratory or something of the like. The stallion was a brownish-orange color with a gray mane with huge sideburns, a gray tail, and a large black wide-brimmed hat; the mare was of a very light gray color with a mane of a grayish green pulled up into a tight bun and a tail of the same color and wore a pair of glasses.

“Mom! Dad!” Pinkie shouted as she ran to her parents and gave both a big hug. “Oh, I missed all of you since I’ve been gone. But how did you all know that I was back in the colony? I don’t remember sending a message to the colony saying that I would be back and to have it sent to you saying that I was back.”

“That was me, Pinkie.” A door opened on the other side of the room and Twilight walked out over to Pinkie and pulled her into a hug. “Do you remember the last time we talked? You said that you might be stopping back at the colony for awhile to catch up with your family.”

“Oh yeah, but that was a few months ago. I didn’t think you would remember that.”

“Well I did. And when I heard that you had boarded a shuttle for the colony, I contacted your family and told them you were on your way back.”

“And when we got the message,” Pinkie’s father began as her mother produced a large basket filled with food, “we thought that we might surprise you with an old fashioned family dinner complete with all your favorite foods while you tell us of your travels over these past years.”

“Oh you know I can’t say no to a home cooked meal after I’ve been away from home for so long,” Pinkie said as she grabbed the basket from her mother and helped her family set out the food.

“So, we heard that you fell into the martial arts since you left,” Blinkie said as the Pie family finished setting the food out.

“Yeah, how'd ya manage that?” Inkie chimed in. “Last news we heard of ya was when ya left the Cake's bakery to wander around Equestria.”

“Well that's a grand tale to tell,” Pinkie said as she motioned for her family to sit. “I was out of Ponyville for about a week, wandering about the lands of Equestria looking for myself. I was traveling through an area of rocky fields when I was set upon by bandits. Bandits of all things, must have been that old cloak I was wearing. Maybe they thought I had something valuable on me. So anyways, I tried to defend myself, but I was outnumbered and eventually overpowered. Then, just as I thought that this was the end for me, a voice rang out over the entire area.” Pinkie leapt up onto a vacant chair and struck a dynamic pose, she held out a fore leg pointing straight up in the air and the other pointing downward while she balanced on her hind legs.

“'Vile wretches of the land! How dare you pray on those weaker than you! Prepare to face the wrath of the school of the undefeated of Equestria!' Standing there on top of one the large stones of the field, overlooking the area stood one of the largest ponies I had ever seen. She was a dark blue unicorn, like the color of the night sky dark, with a pale blue mane and tail that seemed to be made of moonlight. She wore a dark brown cloak over a pair of purple pants and a purple shirt held by a long white sash that covered her cutie mark, something that to this day I have yet to see.”

“Anyways, she had an air of authority about her that drew the gaze of everypony up to her at her shout. She jumped down from the rock and landed gracefully before the group of bandits. “Pinkie jumped off her chair in imitation. “Then, the bandits decided to attack the large unicorn, which I'm sure in hindsight they realized how very stupid that plan was. As the bandits closed in on her, she reached down to her waist and pulled off her sash with her mouth and whipped it at one of the bandits which wrapped itself around one of the bandit's legs and with a mighty heave, she sent the bandit flying into another, sending both flying into one of the rocks scattered about. Following that, she did it again, but after she tossed away the second unfortunate bandit, the rest of the group finally realized what was going on entirely and attacked her as an entire group.”

“They had her surrounded and slowly backed her up against one of the big rocks.” Pinkie backed her way up to one of the walls of the room. “Then she struck out with a hoof and hit a bandit square in the face and as the bandit was dazed, she followed that hit with half a dozen more. Soon, she was just a blur of movement as she struck one after another, sending bandits flying from her.” Pinkie imitated this, throwing punches and kicks with her hooves at a blistering speed. “Then as the last bandit fell, she approached me and asked me if I was ok. I told her I was fine and asked for her name. She smiled and told me to try and guess her name. I said either Hokey Smokes or Black Snooty. She laughed at those names and told me that I could call her Master Everfree. She then invited me to travel with her so that I wouldn't end up in another situation like this. Then one thing led to another and then I was her apprentice, learning her fighting style.”

“She said I was a natural, but then after four years of training with her, she told me that I needed to go off on my own to hone my skills and that the next time we met, she would have have something important to give to me. It's been a year since then and I still haven't found Master again.”

As Pinkie regaled her family with the tales of her journeys, Twilight quietly slipped away, moving out into the hallway leading to the front door of the cottage they were in. She stopped and gazed back into the main room, it was empty, save for Pinkie and the shimmering outlines of the magical marionettes that she had provided for this ruse. Twilight was furious at herself, how could she have taken part in this farce set up by her father. Twilight fought back tears as she chided herself. How could she have done such a thing to friend. How could she have allowed them to place Pinkie into a state where she couldn't realize what was and what wasn't real. As she heard Pinkie laugh, Twilight turned away back towards the door, tears now freely flowed down her cheeks.

Caught up in the simulated reality, Pinkie did not hear the cottage door slam closed.

“General,” Mrs. Streak stated as the simulation unfolded before the group of government ponies on the video screen. “ What does any part of this simulation have to do with the situation at hand?”

General Blueblood stood at the question from her and walked around to stand in front of the video screen at the head of the table. “I am glad that you asked that question Mrs. Streak,” he replied. “And I am sure that the rest of you here have the same question as to why the simulation we have starts with a joyful family reunion.”

“Yes General,” Motor Mouth said. “I, for one, want to know why.”

“Same here,” Filthy Rich stated.

“Well, the reason is rather simple. This particular part of the simulation is to show you all just how Ms. Pie held her relations with her family. As you all saw, she holds them to be important to her even after she was gone for a time period of six years. This is part of what justifies why I believe that she is the one we need to personally find her sisters and her father's creation.”

“So what you are saying, General,” Ms. Streak stated. “Is that you set her out on this because of her love for her family? I do hope that you realize how stupid that plans sounds. What if Ms. Pie decides to join in on whatever her sisters' plan are when she finds them?”

“For that answer, we have to move forward onto the next part of the simulation. I'm sure that the next part will be familiar to you all as it is contains the infamous event that shook the colony half a year ago.” Blueblood turned to face Professor Midnight, who had been standing over by a control panel on the other side of the room. “Professor, if you will.” Professor Midnight gave a short nod to the General as he flipped a few switches, causing the video on the screen to switch to one of a large pony suit hanger.

“So what was this thing that you wanted to show me?” Pinkie asked as she was led into a large hanger in the research and development wing of the colony's pony suit development lab.

“Just wait and see dear,” her mother said as she turned her head towards Pinkie. “Soon you'll be able to see the product of all the years your father, sisters, and I worked. Our greatest achievement.”

“I'm sorry that I couldn't help you at all with it.”

“Don't you worry, Pinks,” Inkie said as she turned towards Pinkie and placed a hoof over her shoulders, stopping the both of them. “Not everypony is cut out to be an egghead like us.”

“Inkie, really,” Blinkie chided as she also stopped and faced her two sisters. “We are not eggheads. We are scientists of the highest caliber and we should be referred to as such.”

“Oh you know I know that, Blinks. But what's the fun in a job if you can't go and make jabs at yourself about it?” Inkie finished this statement by breaking out into a loud laugh that Pinkie shared. After a moment, Blinkie too found herself pulled into the joke and began to laugh with her sisters.

“Girls, come on,” their father said from the edge of the hanger, where the hanger dropped down several stories to accommodate the pony suits just past a sturdy metal railing.

“Yes, dad,” the three Pie sisters said in unison and broke out in a chorus of laughter again as they made their way to where their parents stood at edge of the hanger. As they approached, Pinkie stopped abruptly as she saw what stood just beyond the edge of the hanger; it was the largest pony suit that she had ever seen.

“What is that?” she asked as she stared at the suit. She had seen a few of the standard model pony suits that were used by the colony's military and the police force as well as for construction and excavation purposes, yet this suit was far beyond those. It was somewhere on the line of being four to five times larger than the standard pony suit and from what she could see, it had two very distinct sections to it. The upper part of the suit looked similar to some of the other races suit designs. It had a large chest where the cockpit looked like it was situated with a pair of arms attached to it by large spherical shoulders. These arms ended in large claws more akin to those found on a griffon's or a diamond dog's suit. Yet the head unit of this was decidedly pony in shape, with a pair of golden fins adorning its forehead. And attached to the back of this upper section was a pair of wings similar to those found on the pegasus model of pony suits, yet these looked like they were for an entirely ascetic purpose.

The lower section of the suit was even stranger then the upper one to Pinkie. The upper section of the suit was attached to a small section at its front by a section of flexible material allowing for it to move somewhat independently from the lower section. Just behind this stretched the main body of the suit. It was large, with four pairs of short, strong looking legs that each ended in a large, stout metal hoof that looked like it could allow the suit to traverse over any type of terrain. All along the back of this section were many exhaust ports of various sizes as well as many more ports that contained who knows what. And rounding out the suit, was a short, stubby powerful looking tail.

“This, Pinkie,” her father began as he turned from the suit to face her, “is the Ultimate Pony. We developed it with the express purpose of being able to restore the damage that the pony fight tournament brings to the land of Equestria. That being so, we have equipped it with a powerful new artificial intelligence and nano-machine production that have been designed with three great principles: Self-regeneration, self-replication, and self-evolution.”

As Pinkie stared at the marvel of technology that her family had created, a loud ruckus came from the doorway to the hanger. As the Pie family drew their attention to the doors, they were thrown wide open, hitting the walls behind them with a loud crash, as a dozen armed unicorn guards wearing heavy riot armor stormed into the hanger.

“Men, surround them,” another unicorn said, this one in a fancy looking uniform and hat that placed him as a chief of the colony police force. The guards followed the police chief's orders and slowly made their way into a wide semicircle extending from the railing of the hanger around the Pie family. The police chief slowly approached as well, and when he was closer, his horn glowed faintly as a piece of paper floated from a pocket of his uniform to in front of his face. “Professor Pie,” he said, addressing Pinkie's father. “We are placing you, your wife, and your daughters under arrest on suspicions of high treason against the Ponyville colony. We have reliable sources that have led us to believe that your family intends to turn against us through the use of that pony suit behind you that you developed.”

“What‽” Pinkie's father exclaimed at the police chief's charges. “Why would anypony think that I would turn against the colony? Or any of my family for that matter? I've lived my entire life here. My family has lived their entire lives here. We've spent countless years working to make this a better place to live. Why would any of us want to ruin all that?”

“Looks like we've been found out,” Blinkie said as she sighed. “I do so wonder what it was that managed to tip off the colony heads though.”

“Blinkie, what are you talking about?” her father asked.

“Oh I'm terribly sorry about this father, but it seems that our plan must be moved forward.”

“What plan?” her mother asked. “What is this whole thing about? Is what they're saying true?”

Off to the side of the Pie family, there was the sound of a gunshot followed by a loud scream as one of the guard ponies was kicked over the hanger railing before it was suddenly cut off. Standing there, holding the guards dropped firearm in her mouth with another guard at her feet, bleeding from a bullet wound to the gut, was Inkie.

“Sorry, pops, mom. But we're taking the suit,” she said from behind clenched teeth.

“What are you all doing‽” the police chief yelled at his remaining guards. “Get them!” The guards were shook into action by their chief's words. Their horns flared as magic surged through them and they brought their guns to arms and aimed at the two Pie sisters. As she saw this happening, Inkie reached down to the fallen guard at her hooves and knocked loose a smoke grenade and kicked it over towards the other guards. As the guards finished lining up their sights, the grenade went off, throwing their aim off and sending their shots wide, missing their intended targets.

“Wait!” Pinkie cried out to her sisters. “What's going on? Why are you doing this?”

“Don't worry, Pinks,” Inkie said as she appeared out of the smoke next to Pinkie and pulled her into a hug. “You'll understand soon enough what our plan is. And I'm sure that once you do, you'll join us.”

Pinkie pulled herself away from her sister's embrace, a look of shock in her eyes. “What are you talking about? This is wrong. How could I go along with any plans that end up with ponies hurt, or worse, dead!”

“Inkie, hurry up already,” Blinkie cried to her sister from the back of the Ultimate Pony. She was just finishing attaching a length of rope from the hanger railing to one of the exhaust ports on the back of the Ultimate Pony. “Get over here before all the smoke dissipates and they're able to see you again!”

“I hear ya, Blinks. See ya, Pinks.” Inkie turned and grabbed onto the rope and slid down to the the back of the Ultimate pony.

“Confound this smoke!” the voice of the police chief shouted through the smoke. “Men, I see movement off to the left. Trail all firearms that direction and fire!”

“No, their not on the hanger anymore!” Pinkie's cry was drowned out by the sound of gunfire. There was a cry of pain and in the silence following the gunfire, a thud was heard as a body fell heavily to the floor.

“Looks like we got one of them,” the police chief said. Then there was a loud crash as the Ultimate Pony slowly rose on its legs, tearing through all the support walkways that were strung around it for the purpose of construction. “What‽”

The arms of the Ultimate Pony swung forward as it reached its full height and gripped into the side of the hanger, with a mighty wrench, it tore open a large hole in the hanger and began to move out into the colony proper. “Quick, send word to the military suit hanger. We have a rouge suit rampaging about the colony!” The remaining guards and the police chief quickly made their way out of the hanger and headed off to deal with the Ultimate Pony suit.

The rush of air that accompanied that tearing of the hanger wall blew away the remaining smoke. There, in the area where the guards had unloaded their firearms, lay Pinkie's mother, blood staining her white lab coat red. “Mom!” Pinkie cried out as she rushed to her mother's side. Her father had reached her first and was holding her in his arms.

“Pinkie, honey,” her mother said through ragged breaths. “I’m so glad that I was able to see you after you were gone for so long.” She gave one more ragged breath before she died in the arms of her husband.

“No!” Pinkie cried as she fell to the ground and slammed a hoof against it. “Why! Inkie, Blinkie, I will find you. And when I do, you will answer for what you’ve done!”

“You said that Ms. Pie was not at the colony when the event happened?” Motor Mouth asked as the screen faded to black. “Where was she when this was happening?”

“Ah, yes,” Prime Minister Mare said. “Pinkie was on the mainlands at the time. Wandering the lands, improving her skills as she told us herself. Though, she returned immediately once she heard of what happened. It was not a good time for her as you can probably imagine. Her mother was dead, her father was in custody, and her sisters were out and about as fugitives. She was ostracized and shunned by the majority of the colony. Yet, when she was approached with the chance to do something about it, she jumped on it.”

“Yes, yes, we saw her drive through that simulation that was shown to us,” Mrs. Streak said as she turned to face Blueblood. “You are certain that what happened in that simulation is what happened that day?”

“Unfortunately not, Mrs. Streak,” General Blueblood said. “We are not entirely sure of the events that took place in that hangar on that day leading up to the event. The team of guards that were sent there to apprehend the Pie family were part of the first wave of the attack against the Nightmare Pony, which is what we have labeled the suit that Dr. Pie created. Sadly they did not survive the confrontation.”

“Yes, and we know the rest of the story of that day,” Filthy Rich said. “The Nightmare Pony rampaged about the colony, destroying the landscape while our forces tried to do something against it. We eventually forces it from the colony and it crash landed on Equestria. All reports pointed to the Nightmare Pony being destroyed upon reentry.”

“Professor, I believe that this is where you come in,'' Blueblood said, motioning to Professor Midnight.

“Yes, General,” Professor Midnight said. “While you are not entire wrong, Mr. Rich, in your assumptions of the destruction of the Nightmare Pony, after the event, Professor Pie's research notes were passed onto his assistant, who at the time was me.” A folder of research notes floated over to the table as the Professor's horn glowed with magic. “Within these notes are detailed the amazing abilities of the suit that Professor Pie created. It was a new type of suit that was powered mainly through the use of nano-machines. It was these nano-machines that allow for the suits powers; self-regeneration, self-replication, and self-evolution. This means that unless the central engine is destroyed, the Nightmare Pony will be able to come back from mostly any damage it receives, including damage taken via reentry without added protection.”

“And this is why you sent Ms. Pie on the task of hunting down her sisters correct?” Mrs. Streak asked. “But if the suit is as powerful as you say it is, how can you be certain that she will be able to defeat the Nightmare Pony?”

“It is as I have said before, Mrs. Streak,” General Blueblood stated. “It is because of her drive to chase after her sisters and her piloting skills.”

“Yes yes, as you have said.” She turned and nodded to Motor Mouth and Filthy Rich. The two pulled communicators from their suits while she produced a controller of some sort. “Then you would not be adverse to a test of said skills and drive, now would you?”

“What are you getting at, Mrs. Streak?”

“You'll see, General. Is everything up and ready?”

“Yes, Mrs. Streak, everything awaits your activation,” Filthy Rich said.

“Ready when you are,” Motor Mouth replied.

“Ok then.” Mr. Streak pointed the controller at the video screen and it changed to show Pinkie in the Shining Pony, sitting on a bluff overlooking one of the major cities of the colony. Off in the distance, rapidly approaching, was what looked to be the Nightmare Pony. “You'll have to excuse, but I've been waiting for a to use the radio controlled pony suit since it was developed. When I said that I wanted to test Ms. Pie's skills, what better way then to have her go up against something that holds the very image of that which she chases after. I do thank you for your little application to Ms. Pie, without it we would have had to actually create another Nightmare Pony suit.”

“You can't do this!” General Blueblood shouted as he struck the table with one hoof.

“I can't, General? And since when has a General been able to tell the head of the colony what she can and can not do? I can assure you right this instant, Blueblood, that if you do not sit down, I will strip you of your rank and banish you from the colony.”

Blueblood gave her a long hard look, then sat down and stared at the screen in silence.

“That's better. Now, let's get this underway.”

Pinkie sat in the Shining Pony as an alarm was raised in the colony. It was the alarm that declared that there was a danger to the colony and for everypony to seek shelter in the designated areas. From her position overlooking the city, Pinkie could see all the ponies as they ran about seeking shelter. Then, off in the distance, there was a glint of light as the sun reflected off something metal. Pinkie turned her eyes towards it, and saw a very familiar sight, it was the suit that her father had created, the ultimate pony suit, the Nightmare Pony.

“So, you've finally come back,” Pinkie said to herself as she stood, causing the Shining Pony to follow her movements to it hooves as well. “Inkie, Blinkie, today is the day that I shall find out why you did what you did. Why you betrayed the colony and your family. Let's go, Shining Pony!”

The Shining Pony reared up onto its hind legs and launched itself off the bluff down towards the large empty fields at its base. It landed solidly on the ground as Pinkie raised her eyes to the sky to see where the Nightmare Pony was. It was still some ways off, but she was certain that it was heading right for her as she watched its flight jets increase their output, propelling it forward faster. As Pinkie watched, a port on the side of the Nightmare Pony's back opened and a cannon of some sort popped out and swiveled to face her. Then came a sensation that never meant anything good, her left knee became all pinchy. The Shining Pony jumped to the side just as a bright flash of light emanated from the Nightmare Pony's cannon and a laser scorched the ground where it had been standing black.

“Wait!” Pinkie cried out through the outboard speakers of the Shining Pony. “Inkie, Blinkie! It's me, Pinkie!”

As she stared up at the incoming suit for some kind of response, Pinkie once again felt a pinching in her knee, though this time it was much worse. As she watched the Nightmare Pony close in, she saw that several more ports on its back opened and more cannons appeared and began to fire on her and the Shining Pony. “Wait! Why are you doing this!” Pinkie cried out again, trying to get some kind of response that was not a laser as she dodged the barrage from the Nightmare Pony. But there was no other response. The barrage of laser attacks continued and increased in speed and accuracy to the point where Pinkie and the Shining Pony were just barely able to dodge them.

“Stop it!” Pinkie shouted as the Shining Pony was once again nearly hit by lasers. At that shout, the Nightmare Pony cut off its attack and dropped down to the colony ground not far from the Shining Pony. Pinkie stared at the suit, it was still as large as she remembered, completely dwarfing her own suit. “So, are we ready to talk?” Pinkie felt another pinch in her knee as she finished her question and jumped away from the Nightmare Pony, but she was just a bit too slow. The Nightmare Pony launched itself forward with alarming speed and swung a mighty arm into the Shining Pony, sending it flying into the bluff at the edge of the fields. The Shining Pony slammed into the rock face and slumped down to the ground.

A slow rumble of laughter sounded from the Nightmare Pony as more and more ports on its back opened revealing many more cannons that all swung around and aimed towards the prone Shining Pony. At the sound of the laughter, Pinkie raised her head and saw her sisters, standing on the shoulders of the Nightmare Pony, laughing at her as its cannons were all aimed at her. At that sight, Pinkie let out a loud cry and the Shining Pony jumped high into the air as the Nightmare Pony fired its laser barrage.

“Fine then!” Pinkie shouted, her voice noticeably shaking. “If... if that's how it's going to be, then fine. Vulcans... fire!” The pair of guns attached to the head of the Shining Pony began to fire down at the Nightmare Pony as it began to fall back down to the colony's ground. The Nightmare Pony nimbly dodged the attack and launched into the air and sped off away from the Pinkie and the Shining Pony while it fired a single cannon shot in their direction as if daring them to follow it.

Pinkie heard the fleeting laughter of her sisters as she sped off after the Nightmare Pony, following it as it flew over the cities and landscape of the colony off towards the edge of the colony, eventually passing through the colonies magical atmospheric shielding. The Nightmare Pony stopped some ways away from the colony and turned back to face the Shining Pony; Pinkie halted her suit well away from her opponent.

“Deploy... the Pinkie Cannon.” Pinkie's voice still shook as the order went through the suit and the Pinkie cannon emerged from the side of the Shining Pony. “I don't want to do this! Please, can't we just talk first?” In response, the ports along the back of the Nightmare pony all opened and every single cannon it possessed aimed towards the Shining Pony. “So be it.” Pinkie drew in a ragged breath as she prepared herself to once again face the attacks of the Nightmare Pony and fire upon her sisters.

“Pinkie, wait!” Twilight's voice shouted over a communications channel, snapping Pinkie's focus from the Nightmare Pony.

“Twilight?”

“Don't worry, Pinkie. I won't let them mess with your head anymore!” A spaceship zipped past the Shining Pony and flew directly towards the Nightmare Pony. Just before collision, a small escape ship detached itself and hastily retreated back towards the Shining Pony. The ship slammed into the Nightmare Pony and exploded; for a moment, the Nightmare Pony shimmered and faded away, revealing a group of five pony suits before the illusion reformed back into the Nightmare Pony.

“What was that?” Pinkie asked as the small ship drew close.

“It's an illusion,” Twilight replied through the communications line. “None of it's real. Nothing you've seen on the colony today has been. It's all just been a ploy set up by the heads of the colony to see if you had what it took to be the pilot of that suit.”

“Everything's been a lie” Pinkie said to herself as anger rose inside her. “Everything? They gave me the chance to see my family again, then showed me their darkest day and then set me up against a bunch of fakes posing as my sisters. All to see if I was worthy to pilot this suit!” At the same time, a change began to take place on the Shining Pony itself; parts of its armor plating began to rearrange itself, revealing a golden frame. The flared shoulders rose up, panels along all four legs popped open to reveal extra exhaust vents, and armor rearranged itself along the hooves of the forelegs to form a gripping device.

“I am ending this farce once and for all!” Pinkie shouted as the Shining Pony began to glow the same bright gold coloring as the frame beneath its armor. “Pinkie cannon, detach!” The Pinkie cannon detached itself from the side of the suit and the Shining Pony reached out and grabbed it with its front hooves and brought it about to face towards the Nightmare Pony.

“Never again will I allow myself to fall for such lies and illusions! These hooves of mine glow with boundless power, their loud roar tells me to defeat you! Now take this! My love! My anger! And all of my sorrow!” The hooves of the Shining Pony began to glow the familiar bright green of its shining hoof attack as the same glow began to appear deep within the Pinkie cannon. “Take this! SHINING HOOF CANNON! FIRE!” The cannon began to glow the same bright green as the hooves as a large blast of energy fired from it, speeding off towards the fake Nightmare Pony. As it struck, it tore away the illusion and destroyed the suits behind it.

As the small fleet of radio controlled pony suits were destroyed by the Shining Pony's final attack, the controller that sat before Aurora Streak exploded, startling everypony around the table but General Blueblood.

He turned to face the colony head with a smug grin on his face. “I told you that she was skilled enough for the task Mrs. Streak.”

“Blueblood,” Ms. Mare said as the shock of everything wore off. “What just happened?”

“Yes, General,” Mrs. Streak said as she glared at Blueblood. “I think the Prime Minister speaks for all of us. What just happened? What was that?”

Blueblood looked over towards Professor Midnight who gave him a short nod. “What you just witnessed was the hidden power of the Shining Pony suit, the Shining Pony super mode. It is a state in which the capabilities of the suit are pushed beyond their limits by the sheer willpower and drive of the pilot. When I said that Ms. Pie was our best choice for a pilot, this is one of the reasons why.”

“Hey!” Pinkie's voice came in through a speaker in the room as the video screen showed a close up of her face. “I know you can hear me in there. Let me tell you something, all of you. You try anything like this again and I will quit the tournament and force a loss, and I know how much you all want me to win this tournament so you can have sway over all of Equestria. Well, have a nice day. Come on, Twilight, let's head back to Equestria.”

The five government ponies all looked at each other as the screen faded to black. “Maybe we should leave her be from now on?” Motor Mouth said to the agreement of the rest.

Episode 7: Bushel of Problems

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"The sun rose up over the horizon, bathing the short spiky grass that covered land in a bright golden glow. Slowly it spread, sending shadows racing to the cover of the mountains in the distance and the various small rocks and boulders that lay, strewn about as if tossed by some large creature. Small animals soon rose from their sleep to—"

“Pinkie,” Twilight said as she cut her friend off.

“Yes?” she replied as she pulled her attention away from the land on the other side of the train tracks sitting next to a train station.

“You don’t need to narrate what you’re doing.”

“I know.”

Twilight groaned at her friends actions. “Pinkie, you’re sure that this is the right time to be doing this sort of thing?”

“Sure I’m sure,” Pinkie replied. “After that whole mind controlling incident and all that stuff, I decided that it would do the both of us good if we just took some time off of the whole pony suit tournament and took a small vacation. Don’t want either of us to break under the pressure… again. We just need to wait for the train to come is all.”

“So that’s why we’re out here in the middle of nowhere on a train platform. But wouldn't it just be easier to go wherever you want to go in the core lander?”

“And miss the fun of an old fashioned train ride‽”

“Ok, I see.” Twilight sighed. “I guess it would do the both of us good to travel without having to drive there ourselves. So, when’s this train of ours supposed to show up?”

“Any moment now.” In response to Pinkie’s answer, a loud whistle let off in the distance as a billowing white cloud of smoke signaled the approach of the aforementioned train. As it approached, its brakes squealed and the train came to a slow stop in front of the platform.

“Well hello there,” an elder earth pony stallion clad in a dark blue suit said as he hopped out of one of the train cars and approached Twilight and Pinkie. “Where’re two pretty young mares like yourselves off to?”

“We’re heading for Appleloosa,” Pinkie said cheerfully.

“That’s where we’re going?” Twilight asked but got no answer as the train pony cut in.

“Well then, hop right on board. It’s just a little more than a day’s travel from here to get there.”

“Thank you.” Twilight and Pinkie hopped on board the train and settled themselves into the seats of an empty train car, which when Twilight took a look up and down the train, seemed to be every car. No other passengers? Twilight thought, strange. “Hey, Pinkie, what did you do with the core lander? After you dropped me off at the station that is.”

“Oh I hid it,” Pinkie replied as she hung her head out a window.

“You sure it’ll be fine?’’

“Yep yep, I’m sure. I hid it in a great place where no pony will ever think to look for it. Why do you ask?”

“ALL ABOARD!” the pony who had greeted the two of them called out to the train’s conductor, giving them the all clear to start and cutting off Twilight’s response. The train lurched forward as the engine began to send steam through the wheel gears and slowly began to pick up speed.

“What were you gonna say, Twilight?”

“Oh, nothing, Pinkie. I was just making sure that it was safe. I’m sure that where we’re going we won’t need it.”

Mobile Fighter G-Pony Episode 7

A Bushel of Problems

The train slowly eased its way into the Appleloosa train station with the sound of squealing brakes and a train whistle.

The train ride had been uneventful for the most part for the train’s passengers, save for a slight hold up when a small herd of buffalo had caused the train to be held up for an hour while they crossed the tracks; they had apologized to the conductor for the hold up. Though, Pinkie and Twilight had made the most of the ride. Twilight had managed to catch up with some of her readings while Pinkie spent most of her time staring out at the passing landscape playing eye spy with herself. Eventually, the rhythmic rumbling of the train cars on the tracks had sent the two of them into a peaceful, needed sleep.

“Appleloosa station!” the elder train pony in the blue suit shouted to the train’s passengers. “All those leaving should exit accordingly. All those entering should wait 'till all passengers have exited before making their way onto the train. The train'll be departing in fifteen minutes.”

Pinkie and Twilight were awoken from their rest by the shout and sluggishly made their way off the train. They said their goodbyes to the train pony as he helped to direct the new passengers onto the train and made their way towards the town. As the exited the station, they stopped and took in the sights.

“Two-story buildings built of wood lined the dirt roads as ponies dressed in old-timey clothing with big hats and the occasional buffalo made their way—”

“Pinkie, you’re doing it again,” Twilight said as she interrupted Pinkie’s monologue.

“But it’s fun,” Pinkie whined.

“No, it’s annoying. I already know what the place looks like. I have eyes of my own.”

As Pinkie sulked and grumbled about Twilight not being any fun, a pony and a buffalo approached the two of them. The pony was and earth pony stallion, light gold with a brilliant orange and amber mane and a cutie mark of a single red apple. He was wearing a light brown vest with a shiny star badge pinned to it and a similarly colored Stetson hat that set him apart from the rest of the ponies of the town.

His companion, while smaller than the other buffalo, was still larger than the ponies of the town. Her bulky frame and long spindly legs were a dark orange color, similar to that of baked clay while her mane was of a brighter orange color. About her head, she had a simple purple and white triangle patterned headband with two large feathers sticking out of it from behind her head.

“Howdy there, new ponies,” the stallion in the hat spoke with an accent that reminded Pinkie of her friend Applejack. “And welcome to,” he reared up onto his hind legs, “Aaaappleloosa! Gem of the Equestrian plains. Mah name’s Braeburn an' mah companion here is Little Strongheart. She’s the daughter of the leader of one of the local buffalo tribes.”

“Nice to meet you,” Little Strongheart said after being introduced. “What brings you to our town?”

“We’re just here for some rest and relaxation,” Twilight responded. “Oh, and I suppose we should introduce ourselves as well. My name is Twilight Sparkle. And this is—”

“Hi there! I’m Pinkie Pie!”

“—Pinkie.”

“Well howdy then, Miss Twilight an' Miss Pinkie. And if rest an' relaxation is what yer lookin’ for,” Braeburn wrapped a leg about both of their shoulders and steered their view to the town, “then you’ll find that Appleloosa is jus’ the place ya need.”

“Though that wasn't always the case,” Little Strongheart added. “Would you two like to know a little history of the town?”

“Oh yes, that would be lovely,” Twilight said, her eyes sparkling at the thought of new knowledge.

“Eh, why not?” Pinkie said indifferently.

“Ok then, when this town was first founded, way back before even the great upheavals of the cities against the princesses, there were many conflicts between the settler ponies and the local buffalo tribes.”

“Yeah, the Appleloosans of the time managed to build the whole place in less than a year back then,” Braeburn piped in. “Unfortunately, they didn’t know that the plot of land they had chosen was part of the some sacred ancestral buffalo stampeding grounds.”

“But it looks like that all got settled out,” Pinkie interrupted. “I mean, the buffalo and ponies in the town all seem happy together.”

“Ayep, it took many years, but eventually the seeds of friendship were sown between the ponies of Appleloosa and the buffalo.”

“And legend has it that what finally did that was a simple apple pie,” Little Strongheart stated.

“Wow, that’s very interesting,” Twilight said. “Thank you for telling us about it.”

“So, Braeburn,” Pinkie started. “I was wondering. This town’s called Appleloosa. Is there any relationship to Sweet Apple Acres?”

“Ayep. Old Apple Acres is where the settlers came from. You can call us all one big family I guess.”

“Oh, then are you related to Applejack?”

At the mention of the name, Braeburn’s face contorted into a mask of disgust and loathing that startled both Pinkie and Twilight at how suddenly it had happened.

“Uh, did I say something wrong?”

“Never mention that name ‘round here, ever!” Braeburn spat in disgust and turned away from Pinkie, Twilight, and Little Strongheart and quickly headed back into the town.

“Who ya’ll talkin’ ‘bout?” a familiar voice sounded behind the group. As they turned towards the source of the voice, they saw a familiar orange earth pony mare with a brown stetson hat set over her ponytailed yellow mane and wearing a light brown vest.

“Applejack!” Pinkie rushed to her friend and pulled her into a big hug. “What are you doing here?”

“And where did you come from,” Twilight asked.

Applejack turned to face Twilight and stared at her for a moment before cocking her head to a side. “Do Ah know ya?”

“Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Twilight Sparkle. I'm Pinkie's friend.”

“Ah, well Ah'm glad ta meet ya, Twilight. As fer yours and Pinkie's questions, I came in on the train just like every other pony that comes here. As fer why Ah'm here, well, the colony heads said Ah had ta and ya know Ah can't say no to 'em.”

“Applejack, you can't be here,” Little Strongheart interjected as she moved to shield Applejack from any wandering eyes from the town. “You know what happened the last time you were here after your... little event.”

“Just call it what it is, Lil' Heart,” Applejack said as she sighed. “Ah remember what happened the last time. Ah'll try not ta get into another big fight with Braeburn. It's good ta see ya though.”

“Yeah, it's good to see you too, AJ. Not everyone here shuns you and we miss you. And thanks for trying to stay on Braeburn's good side, it means a lot to me.”

“Ah see, you still got yer eyes set on my cousin don't ya?” Little Strongheart's face flushed red as Applejack jabbed her side with a hoof and let out a loud bout of laughter.

“What's so funny over here?” Braeburn said as he returned. Little Strongheart bristled as she moved her body to further shield Applejack.

“Oh, nothing, Braeburn, nothing at all.”

“Ah, ok then.” Braeburn walked forward a bit more to address Pinkie and Twilight. “Look, Miss Pinkie, Ah want ta 'pologize fer how Ah acted before...” he stopped suddenly as his eyes caught sight of his cousin standing with the other three. “What are you doing here?” His voice dripped with hatred as his faced turned into a deep scowl. “Ah thought Ah told ya never ta come back.”

“'Twasn't mah idea,” Applejack snapped back.

“Then why're ya here? Somepony tell ya ta come here ta make more trouble fer us?”

“Braeburn, I don't think—” Little Strongheart began before she was cut off by Applejack.

“Ya make it seem like Ah have nothing better ta do then ta bring shame an' misfortune ta mah family. Look, the colony heads sent me here ta try and establish somethin' between the two towns.”

“Yeah sure, a likely story.”

“Well, it's true!”

“Oh course it is. Ya never do anything wrong or bring shame down on us,” Braeburn jabbed. “So, assaulted any colony heads lately?

“That's a low blow, Braeburn!”

“Applejack, maybe you should calm—” Pinkie began as she was cut off by Braeburn.

“Oh is it?”

“O' course it is! Ah haven't done anything like that since the first time.”

“And what a time that was.”

“Uh, how about we take some time to calmly talk things out civilly?” Twilight suggested.

“Me? Have a civil conversation with that?” Braeburn said as he jabbed a hoof in Applejack's direction. “Ha! Her idea of civil is beatin' the other pony senseless.”

“Aw that does it!” Applejack shouted. “Ah don't care about the orders that the colony gave me about not fightin' ya. Braeburn, you, me, right here, right now!”

“Jus' like Ah said, always comes down ta fightin' with 'er. Tomorra mornin', the outskirts of town. Meet me there and we'll deal with things then.”

“Ah'll be there!” Applejack and Braeburn shot each other looks of hatred as they backed away from each other without turning around. Then they turned away from each other and stormed off in different directions to the worried gazes of Pinkie, Twilight, and Little Strongheart.

“So much for that peaceful vacation, Pinkie.”

After the confrontation, Little Strongheart offered to show Pinkie and Twilight around the town as a way to take their minds off of what was going to happen the next morning. Unfortunately, none of them really had the mind to take in the sights of the town. Eventually the three of them found themselves sitting at a corner table in the town’s watering hole, the Salt Block. Each one wracking her mind to try and figure out some kind of plan to stop tomorrow’s fight from happening.

“So, any ideas on how to stop this?” Twilight asked the other two.

“Nope,” Pinkie replied.

“No.” Little Strongheart let out a sigh with that.

“Yeah, me neither,” Twilight admitted. “But we have to do something. We can’t just leave them be. You saw how they were, how they were at each other’s throats the whole time. I doubt that this little fight of theirs is going to follow the regulations of the tournament.”

“You don’t mean?” Little Strongheart asked anxiously.

“I’m sorry.”

“Hum, I might have an idea,” Pinkie said after a moment’s thought.

“What?” Both Twilight and Little Strongheart turned towards Pinkie.

“If they’re not gonna play by the rules, then I think I got the perfect idea.”

“Pinkie, you’re not thinking what I think you thinking, are you?” Twilight asked, a hint of reservation in her voice.

“What’s she thinking?” Little Strongheart asked, confused at the exchange.

“I promise I’ll be careful, Twilight, they just need a nice distraction and a common foe to face.”

“That’s what I was afraid of,” Twilight said as she brought a hoof to her face. “Try not to damage it too much this time, please.”

As the sun rose over the flat tops of the plateaus of the Equestrian plains that surrounded the land outside of Appleloosa to spill the bright light of the sun across the vast land, two ponies stood silently facing each other. Each wore a hard look upon their face as they stared at the other as a gentle breeze rustled their manes beneath their similar stetson hats.

“Ya showed up,” Braeburn said flatly.

“Ah ain't no liar,” Applejack replied just as flatly.

“Well, at least that ain't changed 'bout ya.”

“Yeah, an' yer still right uppity on justice, as always.”

“That sounds more like a jab at me then anythin'.” Braeburn looked up at the sun as it crested the tops of the plateaus. “So, are we gonna fight? Or are we jus' gonna stand around all day?”

“Ah was just waitin' fer ya ta start it.” Applejack turned away from Braeburn and walked a few paces away. “Don't go cryin' ta the tournament officials if ya break yer suit now.”

“I wouldn't think of it,” Braeburn stated as he backed away from Applejack. “Let the thunder of hooves be the herald for victory! Come! Raging Bison!”

“Let's get this Rodeo started! Applebuck Pony!”

From the top of one of the plateaus, the Applebuck Pony, with its bright orange coloring,and large stetson hat, rose to its hooves and stood casting a shadow across the land before it threw itself from its perch down to the ground below at Applejack's call. Off in the distance, a cloud of dust rose from the ground, signaling the arrival of something large and fast. As the dust cloud approached, the outline of the Appleloosan suit became clear. As the name Braeburn had called out stated, the Raging Bison was a suit modeled on the body frame of the buffalo.

Applejack stared with awe at the powerful looking Appleloosa suit. It was larger than her Applebuck Pony; it stood a full two heads taller than it at the withers, with similarly sized muscular limbs coated with armor and ending in large iron hooves that tore through the ground like butter. It was of a dark brown earthy color with bars of red and white color running across its sides and down its chest. But what really drew her eyes was the pair of large horns that adorned the Bison’s head; gleaming white against the color of the suit itself.

“Ho doggie, now that there’s one powerful lookin’ suit,” Applejack said to herself as a smile slowly spread across her face. “Ah wouldn’t want ta have it any other way.” She turned away from her cousin and his suit and entered her suit and initiated its startup sequence. Braeburn watched her as she did then turned his eyes upwards to gaze at the Applebuck. He shook his head after a moment and turned to his suit and entered, following Applejack’s example and starting his suits startup sequence.

As soon as the suits were set to go, they threw themselves at each other, rearing up onto their hind legs and grappling with their forelegs. The Applebuck and the Raging Bison fought in a show of strength, slamming their heads into each other as they fought for control. Despite its formidable strength, the Applebuck found itself losing ground as it faced off against the Appleloosa suit. With a mighty push, the Raging Bison pushed the Applebuck back again, causing it to step into an unstable part of soil. As the Applebuck lost its balance and fell sideways, the Bison got its head beneath its chest and with a flick of its head, sent Applejack and her suit flying through the air to land several dozen feet away. After the toss, the Bison pawed at the ground and lowered its head as it surged after the Applebuck, intent on crushing it beneath its mighty hooves.

As the Applebuck landed, it tucked in its legs and rolled through the landing, coming back to its hooves. Once back to a vertical base, its left foreleg opened up, revealing the gun that was located there and it took aim at the charging Bison. It fired off round after round into the legs of the Appleloosa suit, but as the Raging Bison closed in, Applejack was forced to dive out of the way.

As the Bison slowed and brought itself around to once again face the Applebuck, Applejack saw that her shots had done nothing more to the armored legs of it then to slightly dent it.

“That little peashooter of yours ain’t gonna hurt mah Bison,” Braeburn mocked as he brought his suit into motion again, rearing up onto its hind legs and kicking the air. It landed back on the ground with a massive thud, its hooves leaving massive craters as they slammed into the ground before the suit once more stampeded forward towards the Applejack and her Applebuck, its head lowered and horns gleaming in the sunlight.

Upon seeing how slowly the Raging Bison was to change directions once it began its charge, Applejack rushed towards it and as she neared, she and her suit dove to the side as the Bison passed by. It landed on its forelegs as they spun to position the Applebuck perpendicular to the passing Bison as it drove its powerful hind legs into the side of the Bison. To her surprise again, the devastatingly powerful buck from the Applebuck barely pushed the Bison from its course, and the kick had reverberated up along the Applebuck, causing more damage to it than it had inflicted.

Applejack reached down and rubbed her legs as she watched the Raging Bison take another wide turn in preparation for another charge. “Darn thing’s too strong ta go head ta head against an too armored ta hurt in the normal way. Gotta think of a different approach.”

As the Raging Bison made its next pass towards the Applebuck, it jumped up as it passed and grabbed onto the large hump of its back, avoiding the brunt of the charge. Once it found a solid purchase, the Applebuck drew forth the handle of its energy lasso and activated it. It whipped its head back and tossed the lasso round the neck of the Bison.

“Ride ‘em cowgirl!” Applejack shouted as she pulled the lasso to the side, causing the Bison to change its direction to its side, right onto a path that lead into the rock face of a plateau. As it quickly approached, the Applebuck dropped down the Raging Bison’s back and watched as it plowed into the wall, dislodging rocks from above which rained down onto it.

“An that’s how we do it, Sweet Apple style!”

“Ya think a few rocks’ll stop us?” Braeburn said as the Bison pulled itself from the rubble, a little banged up, but otherwise unharmed. “The Bison was made to withstand these kind of things cous’.”

“What’ll it take ta keep ya down?” Applejack groaned as she wracked her brain to try and think of an effective strategy against such a powerful opponent.

“More than that,” Braeburn replied as the horns on the Raging Bison’s head split to reveal a pair of guns aimed at the Applebuck. As it began firing, the Applebuck dodged to the side only to be followed by the Bison’s guns with a turn of its head. The Applebuck managed to hunker down behind one of the large rocks that had been knocked loose from the cliff face.

Suddenly, a line of gunfire streaked across the back of the Raging Bison and the boulder that the Applebuck had been hiding behind. The two pilots raised their gaze up in the direction of the gunfire and saw a pony suit up on top of a near plateau. The new pony suit jumped off the plateau and slammed down onto the ground not far from the two opponents. This new suit was covered entirely in an earthy brown and green cloak that billowed in the morning breeze while attached to each foreleg were the guns that had fired down on the Applebuck and the Bison.

“An jus’ who the hay are ya‽” Braeburn asked. “Yer interuptin’ an important fight.”

“Who am I?” The voice that answered was deep and gravelly. “I am the pilot who’s gonna retire you two.” The new suit rose onto its hind legs and let loose another round of gunfire into the Bison and the Applebuck’s hiding rock.

“That does it!” Applejack shouted as the Applebuck jumped out from behind its cover and charged the new pony suit at the same time Braeburn and his Bison did. The two suits converged onto the new suit and began to throw out kicks with their legs and strikes with the heads and hooves. But, even with the ferocity and speed of the Applebuck’s and Bison’s strikes, the new suit dodged each one, flowing with each strike and causing them to miss by scant inches.

Another strike for the Bison led to the new suit striking out and hitting both the hoof it used to brace itself and its head from opposite directions, knocking it just enough off balance that its own bulk and weight pulled it off its hooves and sent it to the ground with a mighty crash. At the same time, the Applebuck tried to capitalize on the divided attention of the new pilot and lashed out with a pair of fore hoof strikes. But as the attack happened, Applejack found herself flipping through the air as she was thrown by her opponents counter attack.

As the two suits picked themselves off the ground after their failed attacks, Applejack and Braeburn saw that their opponent had begun to run off, away from them. The two pilots shouted out in frustration as they gave chase and raced out across the Equestrian plains. Soon, the three suits began to approach a vast canyon that had worn its way through the land and eventually, the rouge pony suit found itself caught between two very angry pilots and a sheer drop down to the canyon floor.

“We got ya now!” Braeburn shouted as the Bison surged forward in an attempt to send the interloper into the cliff. Unfortunately, the rouge suit employed the same tactic that Applejack had earlier and jumped towards the Bison, landing a hoof on its head to use as a platform that sent it soaring of the impressive bulk of the Bison. As the Bison came to a stop headfirst in the dirt, the Applebuck whipped out with its lasso and wrapped it around the rouge suit's forelegs and yanked it towards it. It spun and as the rouge suit neared, it drove both powered hind legs into the suit and sent it flying back towards the Bison, who had pulled itself back to its hooves and now had its horns in prime position.

The rouge suit twisted itself in the air and sent its trajectory off just so it missed the horns of the Bison. Though it did not miss entirely; the edge of the cloak it had been wearing caught and was pulled free to reveal the form of the Shining Pony as it sailed over the edge of the canyon, dragging the Bison along by the horns.

The Bison caught the edge of the canyon wall and began try and pull itself back up to solid ground. As it struggled, the Applebuck slowly approached until it stood directly over the Bison.

“Jus' go an' do it!” Braeburn shouted as he stared up at his cousin. “This is how you'd want it anyway, Ah suppose. Yer opponent helpless and such.”

“Braeburn, shut up.” The Applebuck reached down and helped to pull the Bison back up. “This isn't how Ah wanna win. This ain't even how Ah wanna fight.”

“What're ya talkin' 'bout?”

“What Ah'm sayin' is that you better make it to that finals ya hear.”

“Ah see,” Braeburn said after a moment's thought. “In that case, you better not go an’ lose a no pony either.”

“You got it!”

Down at the bottom of the canyon, Pinkie watched as the two cousins made their agreement to meet once more at the finals to settle everything.

“Hey, Pinkie,” Twilight’s voice chimed in over the intercom. “Is everything going alright over there? I know you said that you'd handle everything, but I know that even you can't prepare for everything.”

“Don't worry, Twi,” Pinkie replied. “It's all good. The plan worked. I got them to stop fighting and it looks to me like they are on the road to reconciling. Make sure you tell that to Little Strongheart, ok. I'm sure she'll be happy over that.”

“So, so much for our peaceful vacation then.”

“What're you talking about. The vacation's not over yet. Next stop, Stalliongrad!”

Episode 8: Dance of Steel

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“And what’s this‽” an announcer shouted into his mic as he watched the scene that played out before him. Two pony suits stood facing each other in an arena, one braced in front of a hole in the protective screen that surrounded the battle area to protect the spectators from harm, the other aimed a pair of back mounted laser cannons at the hole in the net.

“It seems as if the tide of the battle has turned in favor of Neo-Stalliongrad’s Spike Pony. Neo-Manehatten’s Jewel Pony has stopped moving and is doing nothing!”

The pilot of the jewel pony was livid as she held her suit in front of the hole in the net, protecting the innocent spectators. “Cold Iron!” Rarity shouted at the opposing suit; an angry looking pony suit which, unlike the Jewel with its appealing smooth white coat and rounded curves and edges, was a jagged and sharp deep red with spikes jutting out along each limb to ensure the maximum amount of damage was caused with each attack. “How dare you turn your guns deliberately towards the spectators!”

“Oh, have I made the little miss angry?” Rarity’s opponent, Cold Iron, replied with a small chuckle.

“Don’t patronize me! Is this how the representative of Neo-Stalliongrad acts? Like a cheat who would attack the innocent to ensure victory‽”

“Of course not,” he replied flatly as his suits cannons began to charge up for an attack. “Well, as long as you don’t move and try to dodge the attack.”

Rarity remained silent at that, but did not move her suit from the spot.

“That’s a good little pony.” Cold Iron took careful aim at the Jewel Pony and fired both cannons.

~~~

“Ah!” Rarity screamed as she woke from her rest.

“Miss Rarity,” her butler Raymond said from the front of the vehicle as he drove along through a light snow. A passing sign read: “New Stalliongrad, 10 miles.” “Is everything alright back there?”

“Yes, Raymond, everything is fine,” she replied as she remembered where she was and what she was doing. “Just an unpleasant memory rearing its ugly head. Nothing to worry about.”

“As you say, Miss.”

Rarity turned her gaze to the landscape outside the window as it sped by. Everything was coated in a fresh layer of white fallen snow; everything quiet, and somehow a little foreboding. Watching the landscape fly by, she could not shake the feeling that the memory’s timing meant something more than just a passing nightmare. She hoped that the trip to Stalliongrad wouldn’t turn out to be a bad thing.

Mobile Fighter G-Pony Episode 8

Dance of Steel

“Here we are, Pinkie,” Twilight said as the city came into view. She stopped the core lander on top of a hill overlooking the city. “New Stalliongrad.” Tall ornate spires of black metal rose high into the sky from behind a massive wall that spread out for miles in each direction.

“Why’s it called ‘New’ Stalliongrad again?” Pinkie asked. “What happened to old Stalliongrad?”

Twilight looked at her friend and let out a long sigh. “One of these days, Pinkie, I’m gonna get you to read up on the history of Equestria. And when I do, I’ll make sure that you learn it.” She paused for a moment to gather her thoughts on how to begin the tale. “Back during the days of unrest in Equestria, ponies everywhere sought out asylum wherever they thought that they could reasonably find it. One of these places was to the North.” Twilight swept a hoof around, gesturing to the surrounding landscape. “Unfortunately, they were not prepared for the sheer force of the nature and weather of the northern lands and the first Stalliongrad fell. The ruins of the city are not that far from here actually.”

“Well anyways, despite the failure of the first city, the ponies of Stalliongrad were undeterred and extremely stubborn. They managed to work out a magic similar to the one used at Las Pegasus; a weather manipulation magic. The wall of New Stalliongrad is enchanted with a sort of heating spell that can keep the city inside reasonably warm even during the worst blizzards so that the citizens don’t freeze to death nor have their crops fail.”

“Wow, that’s so morbid,” Pinkie said as she opened the door to the core lander. “Let’s go and see the city then! Onwards!” She dove out into a snowbank before she pulled herself back in, shivering uncontrollably.

“Pinkie, you are so random sometimes,” Twilight sighed as she helped her friend back into the warmth of the core lander. “If you’re going to play in the snow, at least put on a jacket.”

“Thanks, Twilight.” Pinkie reached into the back seat of the core lander and pulled out a bright blue jacket which she put on. “Where would I be without you?”

“Probably throwing a party somewhere with a group of inanimate objects or something.” The two of them laughed at the absurdity of Twilight’s statement as the core lander sped off towards New Stalliongrad.

~~~

After parking the core lander in a safe place, Pinkie and Twilight quickly made their way the snow-covered grounds surrounding the city and passed through one of the wall gates into New Stalliongrad. As it was with Las Pegasus, once they passed beyond the city wall, the weather became more pleasant, though it was still just cold enough to warrant the wearing of a jacket.

“So what’s first on the agenda, Pinkie?”

“Huh? Oh uh… I dunno?”

“You mean you decided to come here for no reason?”

“Yeah pretty much. Just wanted to come here because I hadn’t been here before. Now I can tell ponies that I’ve been here.”

Twilight sighed at Pinkie’s reasoning. “If you have nothing planned, then would you like to come with me? Stalliongrad has a plethora of historical sites as well as many museums and libraries.”

“Sure, why not,” Pinkie said as they started down one of the cities roads.

As Pinkie hopped along merrily, she did not see the very large earth pony that stepped out from a side street in front of her. The two collided and Pinkie bounced backwards and fell to the ground with a thud while the earth pony didn’t even move. As Pinkie pulled herself back to her hooves, she took a look at who she had bumped into.

Standing before her was a large earth pony stallion, fully the size of Applejack’s brother, Big Macintosh, if not even larger. His coat was a dull gray color, similar to the color of iron. His mane and tail were of a lighter gray color and cropped close to his body. He wore a light blue jacket that covered his chest and forelegs and left his flank uncovered, revealing a cutie mark of an anvil and hammer.

The stallion glared at Pinkie with cold, hard eyes. “Watch where you are going little pony,” he said as he stepped around her and continued on his way.

“Well that was rude,” Pinkie said once the stallion was out of sight. “I wonder what his deal was.”

“You know, that stallion seemed kinda familiar,” Twilight said to her friend. “But I can’t quite seem to place my hoof on why.”

“His name is Cold Iron,” a familiar voice sounded behind them. “He's the tournament representative for Neo-Stalliongrad.”

Pinkie and Twilight spun around to see who had spoken to them. Standing there was a familiar prim and proper unicorn mare bundled up in a fancy looking white coat, her purple mane and tail professionally curled and styled.

“Hello there you two,” Rarity said as Pinkie rushed to her and pulled her into a big hug.

“Rarity! I'm so glad to see you again.”

“As am I,” Twilight said as she moved closer to the pair. “How have you and your sister been?”

“Oh we've been just splendid, Twilight. I've been working on fixing the damage that was done to our relationship, and Sweetie has also been a great help with it as well.”

“So where is Sweetie Belle?” Pinkie asked as she still held Rarity in a hug.

“She's currently staying with a friend and his family. She's enjoying the company of fillies and colts her own age.”

“I see. So why're you here?”

“Yes, it seems a bit strange that we keep bumping into friends in such random places.”

“Oh that,” Rarity said as she managed to extract herself from Pinkie's embrace. “I'm here for various reasons. Some my own, some from the higher ups of the colony. How about we find a place to sit and catch up? I know this darling little cafe not too far from here.”

“Sure!”

“Sounds wonderful.”

“Ok then, just follow me.

“...so then, Sweetie tries to animate the mannequin, thinking it'll be easier to have it put the clothes on itself, and it just bursts into flames.” The three friends burst out in laughter at Rarity's story. They were sitting in the little cafe that Rarity had mentioned and led them too. She had even ordered some drinks and snacks for the three of them, regardless of how expensive they had been. “Oh, I do so love my sister, but I don't think she has the whole magic thing down yet, and I blame myself for that. I should have started teaching her how to use it years ago. But enough about that, how about we talk about why you two are here in Stalliongrad?”

“Well, we're on vacation,” Twilight said as she sipped from the fancy coffee that Rarity had ordered for her.

“You're taking a vacation during the middle of the tournament?”

“Yep,” Pinkie replied. “I kinda had a teensy weensy, little bit of a mental breakdown caused by various things. I managed to convince the colony heads that it would be in both our best interests to let me have some time to relax.”

“This had something to do with your sisters, didn't it?”

“Yes.”

Rarity leaned over to Pinkie and wrapped her legs around her friend. “I'm sure you'll find them soon, Pinkie.”

“Thanks, Rarity.” Pinkie gave her a big smile and hugged her back. “I realize that now and I won't let my hope in finding them leave again.”

“So, seeing as we've said why we're here,” Twilight began, trying to steer the conversation to a new direction. “How about you tell us why you're here, Rarity?”

“Oh right. I did say I'd say something about that.” Rarity pulled away from Pinkie and levitated her cup of coffee to take a drink from it. “Well, the main reason I'm here has to do with the disappearance of several shipments worth of jewels and gemstones that were sent to Stalliongrad by my families company. All the records point to them arriving on time here, but they never made it to the sellers. So I decided to come and investigate this issue, on my own if need be.”

“Why on your own?” Twilight asked.

“I'm going to first try to see if I can work with the heads of the city and the police before I try it alone. But you know how those can be.”

“Uh huh.” Twilight nodded in agreement, she knew just how they could be. “They do have a tendency to take an exorbitantly large amount of time.”

“So what's the other reason you're here?” Pinkie asked as she took a drink from the mug of hot chocolate she had gotten. “You said that there were personal reasons and colony reasons.”

“Oh right. The colony wants me to defeat Stalliongrad's pilot so we don't have to deal with him later. I'm actually looking forward to that less than having to deal with the bureaucracy needed to launch the investigation on the jewel thefts.”

“Why's that?”

Rarity paused for a moment to contemplate on what to say. “Me and Cold Iron, we know each other. And have for some years now.”

“Oh, you're not keen on fighting a friend at the orders of your colony then?”

“Cold Iron is most definitely not a pony whom I'd call a friend.” Rarity practically spat this statement out. “No, he's probably one of my biggest rivals.” She paused again and sighed. “I guess I should probably tell you two about it so you understand.”

“I've always been one who strived for the best. Everything I did, I threw myself headlong into it; whether it was academics, etiquette, sports, martial skills, or business. When I was younger, when I was rather more rebellious at that, I grew tired of learning how to be a proper upper class Manehatten pony and turned to sports to spurn my parents and teachers. I spent hours upon hours training myself to be the best I could. And I truly believed that I was. I'm not sure if either of you know this, but at each of the four solstices of the year, a large competition is held. A contest on sports that welcomes ponies and others from both the colonies and the mainland here. It was at one of these, the first one I attended, that I met Cold Iron.”

“He stuck out there just as much as you can imagine an extremely large earth pony could. He was the best Stalliongrad had to offer. He had natural talent, and the size and strength to back it up. Nopony else stood a chance against him, but that didn't stop me from trying. It was a test of natural talent verses sheer single-minded determination and training. That first competition, everypony was crushed in every event by Cold Iron save one, the last contest, the dash. Here, with nothing to lose, I ran faster than I ever had before and upset Cold Iron's winning streak. As I rose the trophy over my head, he declared to me that he would never again lose to anypony else, ever. So began our relationship.”

Pinkie and Twilight listened intently, caught up in Rarity's story.

“Well, the next competition, I managed to win a few more trophies from Cold Iron’s grasp. Unfortunately, this caused him to become even more hostile and a bit obsessed. He saw me as a threat to his very being and took my wins against him as a major affront to his supposed glory and reputation. Eventually, from what I heard, he suffered some kind of breakdown and after that he vanished from any pony’s knowledge.”

“Then, just half a year ago, after years of being gone, he resurfaced as the pilot prospective for Neo-Stalliongrad during an event being held that placed pilots from all over against each other, kind of a mini tournament in preparation for the actual one. This occurred right after I had finished with training after being named the pilot for Neo-Manehatten. I saw this as a way to get in some actual combat experience. But as luck would have it, I wound up facing Cold Iron in the first round.”

“We fought and were, for the most part, evenly matched. The strength of the Neo-Stalliongrad Spike Pony was offset by the agility and finesse of my own Jewel Pony. Then, he broke through the protective net around the ring that protected the spectators and deliberately turned his guns on the. Needless to say, I was put into a position where no matter what I did, I would lose. So I did what was right, I protected the innocent at my own expense. But what I didn’t understand was his motive for doing that. I mean, I knew that he didn’t particularly like me, but that was extreme even for that.”

“So the reason you’re not looking forward to fighting him is that you’re afraid he’ll try to pull something like that again?” Twilight asked.

“Yes, that’s right.” Then, a bell rang out across the city, telling the start of a new hour of the day. Rarity quickly pulled an ornate golden pocket watch from a pocket of her coat and stood suddenly. “I am terribly sorry to cut our time short, but I must be leaving. There is an important meeting that I need to attend. It was nice seeing you two. We’ve got to do this again at some point.” With that, Rarity sped off into the city as Pinkie and Twilight watched.

“Twilight.”

“Yes, Pinkie?”

“You think we should help her?”

“You can’t fight Cold Iron for her.”

“Aw…”

“But don’t worry, I have an idea.” Twilight leaned in closer to Pinkie and began to whisper something into her ear. “It goes something like this…”

Night came early to the city of New Stalliongrad. Most ponies sought out the solace and safety of their warm homes as the sun set, ye there were still some that braved the night's chill. Rarity stood in the shadows of an alley, clad from horn to hoof in black as she watched a short, shabby looking earth pony dressed in layers of worn clothing pace about the circle of light given by a light post. At the meeting she had attended earlier, she had met with the heads of the city and the local police force on the subject of the jewel thefts. She had been informed that there was a great chance that the missing jewels had been swept up into the illegal market and that for an official investigation to be conducted, it would take several weeks to complete. Since then, she had been out and about stalking the streets for a sign of that market; and she finally believed that she had found a promising lead.

Eventually, the pony she was watching was approached by another, more sharply dressed earth pony stallion who was gazing around constantly, as if he was afraid that he had been followed. The two of them spoke quickly and quietly and a bag was passed from the well-dressed pony to the one in rags. He looked into the bag and nodded before he stashed it in his clothes before pulling out another bag. This one he tossed to the well-dressed pony who quickly pocketed it. He gazed around again before slowly backing away from the shabby looking pony.

Rarity followed the well dress one as he backed off, there was something about him that looked familiar to her, but it was something that she couldn't quite place. She quickly turned her attention back to the other as he began to move away, melding into the surrounding shadows of the street as if he had been born in them. She quickly followed as swiftly as she could while staying hidden. More than once, she had to hide herself completely as the pony she was following turned, as if he knew that there was someone there. Soon, after several times of hiding, she lost track of him entirely as he darted down an alleyway.

“Confound it all,” she mumbled as she looked down the alley her quarry had vanished and saw that it branched off into several other paths. There was nothing, no sign at all of the pony she followed. As she moved down the alley, something caught her eye as she passed by an entrance to one of the side alleys, a faint glint of light. She stopped and turned her gaze to it; there, lying a few feet in, was a perfectly cut azure sapphire. Believing this to be some kind of trap, she reached out with her magic and grabbed the gem. Nothing happened. She breathed a sigh of relief as she floated the gem towards her right before a weighted rope net fell onto her from above.

“I knew it!” a voice sounded from above. “I just knew that I was bein' followed.” Rarity craned her neck about and caught sight of who she had been following up on a balcony above. “The boss'll wanna meet ya, I'm sure. Boys, bring her along.”

Several burly earth pony stallions appeared out of the shadows of the alleys and approached Rarity. Her horn flared for a moment before one of the stallions clocked her over the head hard enough to knock her out.

When Rarity came too, she found herself tied up and with a black bag over her head. She could hear a pair of voices not to far off.

“Hey look,” one of the voices said. “I think our guest is wakin' up.”

“Yeah, you're right,” the other voice piped in. “I'll go get the boss.” There was the sound of hoof moving quickly along a hard surface that told Rarity that the speaker had run off. When she was sure that there was only one other pony in the room with her, she addressed him.

“Untie me at once, you ruffian!” she shouted angrily, her cry somewhat muffled by the bag. “And take this bag from my head as well!”

“Oh, no can do little pony,” the voice sneered. “Well, at least not until the boss arrives that is.” The voice laughed then, loud and raucously, as if to mock Rarity. She ground her teeth and tried to funnel magic into her horn to pull the bag from her head and show the pony who was mocking her what she was made of. She was shocked to find that the bag didn't move and the laughing pony wasn't being tossed across the room. She tried again, and as before nothing happened.

“Oh, and don't think that you can use any of your fancy schmancy magic to free yourself either. We got a crystal seal infused with ponium on your horn. Thing'll suck up any magic you put into it.” The voice once again burst out into loud laughter before it was suddenly cut off with what could only be described as a squeak.

“What's with all the laughter here‽” a familiar voice shouted angrily.

“B-Boss! I was just telling our guest that it would be useless to try and escape and―” There was a loud thud that cut off the voice swiftly followed by another further off.

“You, remove that bag. I want to see who this is.”

The bag was swiftly removed from Rarity's head and she was struck blind for a moment as her eyes began to adjust to the light of where she was. She shook her head and gazed around. She was in a dingy room with a single naked light hanging from the ceiling and one door against the wall she faced. There were also three stallions in the room, two earth ponies and one unicorn; the unicorn was currently slumped against one of the walls.

The other two stood looking at her. One was the pony that she had trailed and had captured her, but the other surprised her.

“Cold Iron‽” she blurted out.

“Ah, I see that you have once again inserted yourself where you don't belong, little miss,” the huge stallion sneered as he raised a still jacketed leg to Rarity's head and brushed away a few strands of loose hair. “You're quicker than I thought you'd be.”

“What are you talking about? I demand you untie me at once!”

“Oh no can do. You see, I can't be having my little operation becoming public knowledge yet. You see, it'd be bad for those we deal with.”

“You won't get away with this!”

“Says the little pony tied up with her magic sealed. I don't think you quite understand what's going on here. You see, there are those in the upper class and the government that don't like your business. That's where I come in. I steal from you and sell to them.”

“This is no way for a pony suit pilot to act.”

“What do you know‽” Cold Iron backhoofed the subordinate who was still standing next to him, sending the poor stallion flying out into the hallway. “Do you have any idea what you've done to my life‽ I used to be a celebrity! I had everything; then it all came crashing down because of you! I became a nobody, wandering the streets of New Stalliongrad like the bums that live here. Then she showed up. Gave me something that she said would put me back on top and look where I am now. I own this city!”

“You steal the jewels and use them to buy power through the government,” Rarity said. “I knew I recognized that stallion from earlier. You even managed to get the Prime Minister into your pocket.”

“Why else would you have been invited here?”

“What do you mean?”

“What do you think I mean. I invited you here.” Cold Iron moved his face close to her's. “Better to take you out early on so you don't get into stride. Plus, if I beat you, it'll cement my status of being better than you.”

“I never realized that you were so petty,” Rarity said slowly and calmly.

“Petty!” Cold Iron reared back onto his hind legs and slammed his front hooves into the ground, cracking it. The force of the strike reverberated up along his legs, tearing through his jacket and revealing what was hidden underneath. At the sight, Rarity gasped loudly.

“What have you done to yourself‽”

“Terrifying to look at, isn't it?” Cold Iron chuckled as he pulled the rest of his jacket off, showing that all along both forelegs and his chest were scales, akin to those of a dragon's, of a dark gray color. “This is what I was given. And with this power, I am unstoppable!” He threw back his head and fell into a fit of hysterical laughter. Rarity stared at him with a look of mixed horror and sympathy.

“I've already had your suit acquired for the fight. It helps that I have some of those who work the hangers in my pocket too. Relax while you can, little miss.” He turned and walked out of the room, still laughing hysterically.

“And you're sure that Miss Rarity is in some kind of trouble?” Raymond asked again of Twilight and Pinkie. The two mares had arrived at Rarity's residence in Stalliongrad soon after she had stepped out for, as she had put it, a night on the town with some friends. Yet here were her friends, or at least two of them.

“For the last time, yes, Raymond,” Pinkie said, exasperated.

“We heard her talking about the whole issue with the jewel thefts and about how she'd investigate it on her own if the council couldn't do anything about it quickly,” Twilight explained. “So I've been keeping track of her magical signature since we parted earlier. It vanished not too long ago and there's also been talk about the Manehatten pony suit vanishing too. This could mean that either she's been captured and her horn's been sealed or...” she left her statement unfinished, not even wanting to think such things.

“Where did it vanish?” Raymond asked coolly.

“It was over in the industrial district, somewhere near the steel mill I believe.”

“I thank you for your assistance, Miss Twilight.” Raymond gave her a formal bow. “If you could go and verify the status of the Neo-Manehatten pony suit and then alert the proper authorities of this, I shall go to rescue Miss Rarity.” The tone of his voice left no room for questions. Twilight and Pinkie looked at the butler and nodded before they headed off. Raymond shut the door quickly and made his way to a nondescript bookcase. He pulled free a book which caused part of the wall beside the bookcase to recede and slide to one side, revealing a staircase.

“Miss Rarity, don't worry,” he said as he started down the stairs. “I promised your parents that I would protect you and your sister. This is the second time that I've let one of you get ponynapped.” He reached the bottom of the stairs as lights began to turn on revealing a pony suit. “I will rescue you.”

Sometime after Cold Iron had left, a group of burly earth pony stallions appeared at Rarity's room, telling her that it was time for the fight. They untied her, but once again placed a black bag over her head and lead her somewhere. When they finally removed the bag, she found herself in what looked like a waiting room. There was a door on the far wall, opposite from the one she had been brought through.

“Your suit is out in the arena already,” one of the large stallions said as the rest of the group began to file out of the room. “And don't try to escape, this room is guarded.” He left then and closed the door behind him, leaving Rarity alone. Her horn was still sealed, and even if it wasn't, she didn't think that she'd be able to take on all those who had brought her here. She sighed and did the only thing that she could, she turned towards the far door and entered into the arena.

She once again found herself in an arena similar to the one where she had been defeated by Cold Iron all that time ago. From the hard sand and dirt floor to the protective netting to the vast amount of spectators eagerly awaiting the fight to start, everything was familiar.

“There she is folks!” a voice echoed across the arena as a spotlight shown down on her and on her pony suit not too far from her. “Today's challenger! We have a special treat for you today for the challenger is none other than the Jewel Pony of Neo-Manehatten and its pilot, Miss Rarity!” A loud chorus of cheers and boos rose from the spectators at her introduction. As they went on, the boos slowly began to outweigh the cheers.

“And I'm sure that everypony here knows the reigning champ!” The cheers rose to a deafening level. “That's right folks! The 'Stalliongrad Giant', the 'Northern Destroyer', the great 'Steel Wall' himself, I give you, Cold Iron and his Spike Pony!”

Lights rained down on the other side of the arena, revealing Cold Iron, once again with his chest and forelimbs covered, standing next to his suit. The Neo-Stalliongrad pony suit, the Spike Pony was just as intimidating as she remembered it to be. It was larger and bulkier than the standard pony suit model and colored a deep dark red. All along its body and legs stood jagged spikes and sharp edges. She remembered just what those could do to a suit; they could tear right through the armor with a heavy strike. But there was something different about it, a feeling of menace, like the suit now wanted to do harm, to cause as much damage as it possibly could, to kill.

Cold Iron swiftly made his way across the expanse of the arena to come face to face with her. “I see you didn't try to escape,” he said as a smug smile crossed his face. In response, Rarity raised a hoof and struck him across the face.

“I wasn't given a choice.”

“Oh! Will you look at that! It seems that the sparks are already flying between the fighters!”

“It will taste so sweet when I defeat you again,” Cold Iron said as he burst into a fit of hysterical laughter. He motioned with a hoof, a quick slashing motion across his throat, before he turned and made his way back to his suit.

“You won't defeat me again,” Rarity said softly as she turned towards her suit. The lights in the arena dimmed as each pilot started up their pony suit, the excitement from the crowd heavy in the air.

“Let's get ready to rumble!” At the announcer’s cry, the lights of the arena flared back to brightness as the two suits went into motion, each speeding off around the arena's edge. Rarity believed that if she could only keep herself out of the Spike Pony's melee range, she had a good chance of pulling off a win.

The Spike Pony suddenly changed its course and turned its path towards the Jewel Pony's course, darting straight across the arena. As it closed in, Rarity held her suit to its path until, suddenly, it turned towards the arena wall and used it as a platform to leap over the Spike Pony as it barreled past and into the wall. The Jewel Pony landed away as a cloud of dust and sand covered where the Spike Pony had hit.

“And the Spike Pony slams right into the wall!” The announcer shouts. “What kind of effect will this have on the match?”

A pair of spikes soared out of the dust and forced the Jewel Pony to dive to the side to dodge them. Rarity jumped further away from the cloud as the Spike Pony emerged, unscathed by the collision with the wall save for two broken points where spikes had been on its side. As she watched, the spikes slowly regrew and her fears were proven true. The suit was different; and infinitely more dangerous than the last time she'd fought it.

“And to answer that question, no effect at all!”

“What's the matter, little Miss?” Cold Iron sneered. “You're not scared are you?”

Rarity didn't bother with a response as she sped off across the arena, leaving, in her wake, small indentations in the ground. The Spike Pony began to follow as the first of the gem mines rose out to explode against it, but just like with the wall, these did little more than to slow it down as the resulting dust cloud crossed the arena in pursuit of the Jewel Pony. More spikes flew out of the cloud, forcing Rarity to dodge more and more as they soared closer and closer to hitting their mark. Rarity began to drive her suit around the edge of the arena again when the Spike Pony burst out of the dust cloud and gave chase, quickly gaining on her even as she continued to lay down mines.

“And the Jewel Pony continues its barrage of explosive attacks, yet the Spike Pony continues to barrel through the attacks like a steamroller!”

Then, the Spike Pony once again changed its trajectory and dove back into the dust. Rarity slowed down her run as she tried to pick out the Spike Pony within the cloud. The Spike Pony exploded from the dust and landed right in front of the Jewel Pony and punched out a hoof. The Jewel Pony raised a leg of its own to block the attack and was rewarded with a chunk of the leg being sliced away.

“And the fight has finally moved into the area of expertise for the Spike Pony. How will the Jewel Pony's pilot react to this development?”

Rarity silently cursed at the announcer and the spectators as the cheers grew to an even louder level then they had been as they began to wear on her concentration. She dodged the attacks by scant inches, yet the spikes still scoured the armor of her suit, and when she drove her counter attacks, those same spikes managed to cause her suit more damage than she could deal. She leapt into the air, and with all four legs at once, fired down at the Spike Pony, forcing it back and allowing her a moment’s respite.

“Is that all you've got, little Miss?” Cold Iron voice practically dripped with enjoyment. “I'd have thought you'd provide better entertainment for me.”

“Shut up!” Rarity shouted back as the gem mines that she had set while dodging the attacks of the Spike Pony rose around it and detonated, sending it flying across the arena.

“And in a startling turn of events, the Jewel Pony has dealt a major blow to the Spike Pony. Sending it reeling to the ground halfway across the arena. What will Cold Iron do now‽”

As the Spike Pony lay on the ground, Cold Iron's voice could be heard as his laugh grew louder and louder. Its back opened to reveal a pair of large laser cannons. A moment later, the pair of cannons fired towards the Jewel Pony, but instead of hitting it, the shots passed by it and struck a generator for the protective net. Suddenly, there was a hole in it, right behind Rarity.

“Again, Cold Iron!” Rarity shouted. “Again you try to use the spectators as hostages!”

“Anything to win,” his response came. “Now don't move.” The Spike Pony made it back to its hooves as the cannons began to pulse with energy.

“And what’s this‽” the announcer shouted into his mic as the scene played out. “It seems as if the tide of the battle has turned in favor of the Spike Pony. The Jewel Pony has stopped moving and is doing nothing!”

“Not this time!” The Jewel Pony surged forwards, trying to reach the Spike Pony before it could fire. Yet, before it could strike, the Spike Pony swatted the Jewel Pony away with a mighty swing of its foreleg. The cannons fired, Rarity hadn't managed to prevent the attack from happening and she watched in horror as the shots flashed towards the spectators. Then, there was a pony suit there at the hole, a pure black suit fitted with markings that gave it the appearance of a suit.

“Leave this to me, Miss Rarity!” the voice of her butler Raymond sounded as the suits fore hooves began to glow, producing a field of energy that covered the gap in the net. The cannon shot of the Spike Pony slammed into the field and dissipated harmlessly.

Rarity took the opportunity that Raymond's sudden arrival had granted her and leapt into the air over the Spike Pony.

“This ends now, Cold Iron!” The bottoms of all four of the Jewel Pony's hooves opened in preparation for the attack. “TAKE THIS! JEWEL STORM!” Gem mines rained down on the Spike Pony, tearing through its head and limbs as they detonated on impact, ending the fight with a bang. The cheers from the crowd rose even louder as Rarity and the Jewel Pony stood over the fallen Spike Pony.

“And what an upset we have! Cold Iron and the Spike Pony have been defeated in the most explosive ending to a match that this announcer has ever seen before! I give you the victor! Rarity and the Jewel Pony of Neo-Manehatten!”

Following the fight, the police arrived and shut down the underground pony suit fighting arena, much to the disdain of the spectators in the stands. Cold Iron was arrested and carted off to a holding cell to await his trial and conviction on the charges of illegal trading and ponynapping.

Pinkie and Twilight arrived with the police and had immediately rushed to Rarity's side as she exited her suit.

“Rarity!” Pinkie shouted as she pulled the battle weary unicorn into a hug. “You're safe!”

“Yes I am, Pinkie,” she responded. “And Raymond's told me that it's because of you two that he and the police both arrived.”

“Yes,” Twilight said. “I, um... kept a track on you since we parted earlier after you said that you might take the investigation of the jewel thefts on yourself. And when your magic signature vanished, I just knew something was wrong. Raymond was the one who told us to go to the police though.”

“I thank you for that Twilight. I still need to get in touch with the council again about the issue. It seems that there's still a lot to do about this, but I think for now, rest is best. Raymond, can we go?”

“As you wish, Miss Rarity,” her butler said as he led her towards the exit. “There's a vehicle awaiting us to return you back to your residence.”

“We'll see you later, Rarity.” Pinkie and Twilight waved as their friend left under the protective hoof and watch of her butler.

“So, Pinkie, what's next for the agenda?” Twilight said as she turned to her pink friend.

“How about a nice drive? I mean, the city is nice and all, but it's too cramped and crowded.”

“You got it, Pinkie. Any place in particular you want to go?”

“Nope. Let's let the core lander take us somewhere.”

The two friends turned towards the exit of the arena and left for the city limits.

Episode 9: Skies of Glory

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“Pinkie,” Twilight said as she pulled herself from the mangled front of the core lander. “How did you manage to hit a tree? The core lander is designed with software to make sure that these things don’t happen.”

“Just bad luck I guess,” Pinkie replied.

“You sure you didn’t fall asleep again while driving?”

“Oh come on, that was just that one time—”

“Because I can’t think of any other way for you to have hit the only tree for miles in something designed to not hit things!” It was true. After leaving New Stalliongrad and the snowy northern lands, the two mares had made their way across the vast plains of Equestria where trees were indeed few and far between.

“I said I was sorry…”

Twilight sighed at her friend. It was getting the two of them nowhere to be complaining like this. “I know Pinkie. How about I drive for a bit when we get this all fixed up and you get some rest? I mean, we’re supposed to be on vacation, right?”

Pinkie brightened up a little and nodded her head in agreement.

“There we go then.” Twilight returned her attention to the front end of the core lander. “Can you get the tool kit out of the back please?”

“Sure, Twi.” Pinkie went to the rear of the core lander and retrieved the tool kit, and as she was bringing it back around to the front, a ringing coming from inside distracted her. She dropped the tool kit and found the source of the ringing: her communicator.

She picked it up and a pair of familiar voices came from it.

“Hey, hey,” the younger of the two said. “Do you think it went through this time?”

“Of course it did, kid,” the older said. “Rainbow Dash is an expert at technology.”

“So the past twelve failures are a sign of expertism?”

“Ok, so maybe I’m not an expert, Scoots.”

Twilight peeked her head around the side of the core lander at the fact that Pinkie had yet to return. “Hey, what’s going on over there?”

“I think RD and Scootaloo are on the communicator,” Pinkie replied as she picked said device up.

“They are? You should probably answer it then.” Twilight pulled herself back to the front of the vehicle but stopped and stuck her head back around the side. “And try to hurry please. This thing isn't going to fix itself.”

“You got it, Twi.” Pinkie placed raised the communicator to her face as Twilight pulled herself back to her job. There on the screen of the thing was Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo arguing about something. “Hiyas you two!”

Pinkie’s hello startled the two pegasi from their argument as they both crowded near whatever they were using to contact her.

“Pinks,” Rainbow said as she pushed Scootaloo away. “ How've ya been? What’cha been up to?”

“ I've been fine, RD. Just on a small vacation traveling ‘round Equestria.”

“That sounds like so much fun,” Scootaloo piped in as she forced her way back in front of Rainbow to get a better view of Pinkie. “All we've been doing over here is boring stuff like sitting in on meetings and going to school.”

“I told you that was how it was gonna be, Scoots.” Rainbow pushed Scootaloo away to the side again. “You gotta go to school so you can make your way in the world. I kinda wish I’d had the chance but let’s not go and get sappy. Anyways, great to hear you’re doing fine, Pinks.”

“Tell her about the thing! Tell her about the thing!” Scootaloo’s voice was filled with extreme anticipation and unrestrained joy.

Rainbow turned away towards where Scootaloo was. “You gotta give me a chance to tell her first.” She turned back to face Pinkie. “What Scoots is talking about is that there’s a big show that’s going to take place in Van Hoover and I—”

“Hey!”

“I mean, we, were wondering if you and Twi would like to come with us.”

“What kind of show is it?” Pinkie asked.

“The Wonderbolts!” Scootaloo jumped back into the frame and began hopping around happily.

“You mean Equestria’s number one flying team is holding a show again‽ I thought that they had disbanded after that horrible accident all those years ago?”

“Seems like the old team decided that it was time to push on and start back up.” Rainbow said over Scootaloo’s hopping joy. “Anyways, you in?”

“Hmm… give me a moment.” Pinkie set the communicator down and walked around to the front of the core lander. “Hey, Twilight?”

“Yes?” Twilight said as she pulled herself out from under the vehicle. “What is it?”

“RD invited us to see the Wonderbolts in Van Hoover. Wanna go?”

“The Wonderbolts? They’re back together‽”

“Yeah.”

“You tell Rainbow that we’ll be there, then get back up here so we can get this thing fixed. Van Hoover is some distance off.”

“You got it!” Pinkie returned to the side of the core lander and picked her communicator back up. “RD, we’ll see you in Van Hoover!”

“See ya in a week then! That is, the show’s in a week. Bye.”

“Bye, Pinkie!” The two pegasi waved at her as the screen cut off. Pinkie set the communicator back where it had been and picked up the toolkit she had dropped and hurried to Twilight and the fixing of the core lander.

Mobile Fighter G-Pony Episode 9

Skies of Glory

“Van Hoover is such a beautiful place isn’t it, Twilight?” Pinkie asked her friend as the two of them strode towards the city of Van Hoover. It was a large port city, set at the head of a bay leading out to the sea nestled nicely in a valley between a pair of snow-capped mountain ranges. Unlike many of the other large cities on the mainland of Equestria, Van Hoover had managed to keep itself prosperous due to being a valued tourist attraction as well as being one of the main hubs for trade by sea of the western coast of Equestria.

“It’s one of the most beautiful places in Equestria,” Twilight replied.

“And one of oldest, right? Founded just a few years after the start of the Princesses’ reign.”

“Why yes, that’s right, Pinkie.” Twilight stopped and looked at her friend with some pride in her eyes. “Looks like those history lessons are finally sinking in.”

“Nope, that sign over there says it.” Pinkie pointed towards a sign greeting all to the city. “See, ‘Welcome to Van Hoover, one of Equestria’s first cities. Founded 15 CL’. That’s fifteen years after Celestia and Luna right?”

Twilight shook her head and sighed before turning back towards the city. “One of these days, Pinkie, you’ll take your studies seriously.”

As Pinkie and Twilight continued on their way, their ears perked up as they heard a loud shout come from somewhere to their left.

“They’re here!” Then, swiftly following, an orange blur collided with Twilight and knocked her to the ground. “You’re here! You’re here! You’re here!”

“Hello to you too, Scootaloo,” Twilight said as she recognized the orange pegasus filly currently attached to her side. She looked to be doing much better than the last time she had seen her; relatively clean and not on the verge of starvation. Twilight gave the filly a bright smile and returned her hug. “How are you?”

“I’m just great!” Scootaloo replied. “Not only have I got to hang around with Rainbow Dash, but we’re here to see the Wonderbolts! Rainbow has told me all about them. Were they really the best fliers ever?”

“They were more than that, Scoots,” Pinkie said as she pulled her from Twilight and into a big hug of her own. “Best fliers, best acrobats, best stunt ponies; their shows were some of the most attended events ever.”

“So why did they break up?”

“Hey half-pint, how ‘bout we show Twilight and Pinks where we’re staying first?” Rainbow said as she walked up to the group, trying to steer away from that topic. “I’m sure that they’re tired of traveling and stuff.”

“Yeah,” Pinkie agreed as she freed Scootaloo and Twilight from her embrace. “We were way over near Stalliongrad when you called.”

“What were you doing over there?” Scootaloo asked.

“Well, that’s a long story. Wanna hear about it while we walk?”

“Yes!” Scootaloo ran off, followed shortly by the three mares.

“And then, that’s when I contacted them all directly and said that I was taking a vacation no matter what they said,” Pinkie said, regaling Scootaloo with the story of her return to the Ponyville colony. “And then I did just that, went on vacation!”

“Awesome!” Scootaloo said with wide-eyed enthusiasm. “What happened then‽”

“Well, after that, me and Twi decided to visit a town called Appleloosa…”

Twilight and Rainbow followed behind them, smiling as they watched the two.

“She seems to be doing a lot better than before, Rainbow,” Twilight said.

“Yeah,” Rainbow replied. “She’s acting more like a kid now and less like an adult since I managed to help her friends find families.”

“That was very generous of you.”

“I couldn’t just let them stay like they were. I saw myself in each of them and lent the hoof that I didn’t get.” Rainbow turned her attention back to Pinkie and Scootaloo. Pinkie had found a cloak from somewhere and stood atop a barrel illustrating some scene of her story. “And Scoots is a great kid, enthusiastic and hardworking. I’d be surprised if she didn’t manage to figure out how to make her own engine by the end of the month.”

“They learn so much when they’re that age.”

“So what were you and Pinks doing way out Stalliongrad way?” Rainbow asked.

“Just as Pinkie said,” Twilight replied. “A vacation to get herself back into shape for the tournament.”

“So, no word on her sisters then.”

“Yep.” The two turned their attention to Pinkie, and found that she was staring up at the roof of a nearby building. The raised their eyes and saw that Scootaloo had managed to get on top of the roof and was preparing to jump off.

“Kid, wait!” Rainbow shouted right as Scootaloo jumped, her wings flapping madly trying to give her the lift necessary to stay aloft. Then she fell. Before Rainbow could leap to her rescue, a streak of blue flew by and caught Scootaloo before she’d dropped too far.

“Whoa there, little one,” Scootaloo’s savior said as he gently set her down on the ground. He was a pale blue pegasus stallion with a dark blue mane and tail, his mane set into a slicked back style. He wore a blue formal shirt with three golden bars set on the sleeves and lightning bolt pins on the collar and a black tie that left his flank uncovered, showing his cutie mark, a yellow lightning bolt with a pair of white wings. “What were you doing jumping off that building? You could have gotten yourself hurt.”

“I’m sorry,” Scootaloo replied as she turned her eyes to the ground.

“Scootaloo,” Rainbow said as she flew over to the young pegasus. “What did I tell you about doing things like that? Your wings aren’t developed for flying yet.”

“I’m sorry...” Scootaloo replied, her words soft and on the verge of tears. “I just... I just wanted to show Pinkie I could fly...”

“It’s alright.” Rainbow pulled Scootaloo into a reassuring hug. “You’ll be ready soon. And then I'll personally teach you.”

During the whole transaction, the pegasus that had rescued Scootaloo stared dumbfounded at Rainbow. Then he found his voice. “Prism, is that you?”

“Huh?” Rainbow said as she turned to face him.

“No, it can’t be.” He took a good look at her. “And yet, the resemblance is uncanny... oh, I see”

“Who are you, and how do you know that name?”

“Oh, forgive me,” he said. “My name is Soarin.”

“Wait a minute,” Pinkie said. “You don’t mean Soarin of the Wonderbolts, do you?”

“I guess I do look a bit different when I don’t have the flying uniform on,” Soarin replied as a smile grew on his face and he let out a short laugh. “Yes, I am Soarin of the Wonderbolts.”

The four mares all froze up at that, Rainbow’s and Scootaloo’s mouths hanging slightly open in astonishment. After a moment of silence, Rainbow let out a fan girlish squeal and began to jump about.

“Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!” she shouted. “It really is Soarin of the Wonderbolts!”

“I take it you’re a fan then?”

“Oh am I!” Rainbow bounded right up close to him. “I saw all the shows I could when I was younger. You were the greatest, coolest, and most awesome fliers of all times!”

“And what about you three?” Soarin asked the others.

“I went to a few shows when you were still performing,” Twilight replied. “My parents took my brother and me.”

“Same here!” Pinkie said. “They were awesome. All the tricks and stunts and the dangerous things that you did made gasp at every turn!”

“Rainbow Dash’s told me all about you!” Scootaloo piped in. “I’m not old enough to have actually seen one of your shows, but I’m really looking forward to it! And thank you for saving me!” She moved quickly up to Soarin and hugged his leg before jumping back with a buzz of her wings.

“Nothing to it, little one, always good to meet fans.” Soarin gave the group another smile. “Hey, I have an idea. How about you four come with me to meet the rest of the group?”

“You mean it‽” Rainbow gasped.

"Of course, Rainbow Dash. And what about you three?” To that, Pinkie, Twilight, and Scootaloo all nodded in agreement. “Ok then, just follow me and you won’t be stopped by security.” Soarin began to wander off down the street followed by Pinkie and Scootaloo.

“Oh my gosh!” Rainbow said again. “I can’t believe I get to meet the Wonderbolts personally!”

“Um, Rainbow,” Twilight said, pulling her back to the present. “Did you ever tell him what your name was?”

“Um... no. No I didn’t.”

“Then how did he know it?” The two turned a wary eye towards the stallion.

“Hey, what's keeping the two of ya?” Pinkie called back from down the road.

“Yeah, hurry up!” Scootaloo shouted as well.

“Come on, Twilight,” Rainbow said, placing a leg around the unicorn's shoulders. “We can think on that later. We've got famous ponies to meet.”

Soarin led the group through the city to a large field resting just outsides it's limits between the sea and the mountains. Sitting at it's head was a large blue and white tent with the Wonderbolts' insignia, a winged lightning bolt similar to Soarin's own cutie mark, emblazoned on the entrance flap.

“Welcome to Casa de Wonderbolts,” he said as he waved a hoof in the tent's direction. “At least for the time we're here in Van Hoover. Come in, come in; no need to stand around outside when we can go in.” Without waiting for a reply, he flung open the entrance and strode in.

“Honey! I'm home! And I brought guests.”

A collective groan came from the ponies that were inside. As Rainbow and the others entered, they saw that there were ten other ponies, all members of the Wonderbolts.

“Soarin, what have we told you about coming back like that?” One, a light blue pegasus mare with a pure white mane and tail, styled in the same fashion as Soarin's, and a cutie mark of a winged horse shoe, said.

“Oh come on, Fleetfoot. Don't be like that, it's all in good jest,” Soarin replied, thumping the mare on the shoulder.

“You tell that to Spits when she gets back. You know how she can get.”

“She can be a real hot head,” another Wonderbolt, a white coated and fire haired pegasus stallion still wearing half his flight suit said jokingly.

“You're the real know it all on that, eh, Firestreak?” another mare, a pure white one with a curly blond mane and tail added in to a rousing round of laughter from the rest of those in the tent.

“Always the funny one, Surprise,” Firestreak said pulling her into a friendly hug.

“As you can see, we are a tight knit bunch here,” Soarin said, turning back towards Rainbow and the others. “Anyways, everypony! As I was saying, we have guests here with us today. Go ahead and introduce yourselves to ”

“Rainbow Dash! I'm your biggest fan. You all have been my inspiration for my life so far.”

“My name is Twilight Sparkle, I was a fan of your groups show back when I was a little filly.”

“I'm Pinkie Pie! And I'm also a fan. I remember some of the old shows where everything was all whoosh and zoom and kaboom as you used all those great tricks and acts to dazzle everypony!”

“And I'm Scootaloo. I've never seen one of your shows, but I've heard alot about them and really want to see one.”

“You hear that, even a little filly like this is excited to hear that the Wonderbolts are back!” A loud rumble of stomps followed that. “Now, make sure you treat them like you'd treat any one of us, ya hear.”

Following that, Pinkie, Twilight, and Rainbow moved out into the crowd to mingle while Scootaloo stuck close to Soarin.

“'Something wrong there kid?”

“No, I was just wondering about why you all didn't do anything for the past ten years,” Scootaloo said. “I asked the others, but they didn't seem to want to tell me.”

“That... is something that hits us all hard here. Back then, we were at the height of our fame, thousand upon thousand of ponies flocked to our shows from all across Equestria and the colonies.”

“So what happened?”

“There was an accident, a very very bad accident.”

~Ten Years Ago~

“So, as I was saying,” a pink pegasus mare with a blue mane and tail and a cutie mark of a pair of blue lightning bolts said as she was tinkering around with a pony suit engine. “You have to make sure that you set the proportions to the fuel and the 'special' fuel just right, else you'll fry out the engine. If you do that, there's a big chance that it'll go critical and explode!”

Sitting just beside her, was a young Soarin with a look of utter terror on his face. “Explode‽”

“Firefly, don't go scaring Soarin like that,” a large light blue pegasus stallion with a spiky rainbow colored mane and tail said as he walked into the hanger. “You know perfectly well that that engine is designed to contain any explosion.”

“You're no fun Prism. I just wanted to tease the kid.”

“Just don't do it too much, or he may develop a fear of the stuff. And we don't want that, he has a very promising career ahead of him I'd say.”

“Thank you, Mr. Prism Flash,” Soarin said after he calmed down.

“Don't worry about it. Now get going. The show's getting ready to start and you need to prep for your performance.”

“Aye aye, sir!” Soarin gave a quick salute before he ran from the hanger, leaving the two alone.

“What happens next?” Scootaloo asked as Soarin paused in his story.

“Impatient little one, ain't ya?” Soarin said with a laugh before returning to a more serious tone. “Well, I'm not entirely sure what happened directly after, and they were the only ones that were in the hanger at the time. So I'll just skip ahead to what I know.”

~Ten Years Ago~

“Welcome! Welcome, fans of all ages,” the Master of Ceremonies, dressed in a fine suit of Wonderbolt blue, addressed to the crowds. “We welcome you to experience the greatness that is Equestria's most daring, most extravagant, most awesome flight show ever!” The crowd roared with applause and cheers. “And we extend our thanks to the fine city of Manehatten for allowing us to perform here! Let's give them a round of applause!”

Soarin poked his head out from behind the flaps of the waiting tent and eyed the crowd that had come to see the show. “I can do this. I can do this,” he kept telling himself.

“Hey, Soarin.”

“Wha!” At the voice, he jumped back and fell over a yellow pegasus mare his age with brushed back mane and tail of two tones of orange. “Spitfire! What is it?”

“I was just making sure you were ready for everything,” she replied as she pulled herself out from under him. “We're on first, don't mess up out there.” She playfully punched him in the shoulder and left the tent, leaving Soarin to his own thoughts.

“I can do this, I can do this,” he said to himself again as he pulled himself back to his hooves. “It's just a performance in front of thousands of ponies...”

“Kid, you'll do just fine out there.” Firefly said, walking up with Prism.

“Yes, it's just as Fly said. You've been practicing hard for this show,” Prism added. “Go out there and inspire all those young pegasi to greatness. You're already a favorite of our daughter.”

“Yeah, our little Rainbow Dash just loves the shows. Go and show 'em the best you got!”

With a nod, Soarin turned and headed out to the show.

“Why is this story about you?” Scootaloo asked, stopping Soarin's story.

“Because I was there that day,” he replied. “And I'm the one telling it. Look, I'm trying to ease into what's about to happen. This next part was the end of the Wonderbolts for these past ten years.”

~Ten Years Ago~

The show had gone off without a hitch, everypony in attendance was in awe at the sights and delighted to be there.

“And now, for the grand finale, we have a pair that you all know very well, Cloudsdale's own Prism Flash and Firefly!” At the call, a rainbow streak flashed out into the center of the performance area and hovered at its center above the crowd.

“Hello Manehatten!” Prism Flash shouted to the cheers of everypony there. “Today, you get to witness a special spectacle not before seen in our show and quite frankly, I don't think it's been seen anywhere in Equestria or the colonies!”

He paused there and let the crowds cheer more before getting them to quiet down. “I’m sure that most of you ponies out there know what a pony suit is. And for those that don’t, well, this is a pony suit!”

He spun around and pointed to a bunch of large tents as smoke started to billow from beneath them. Then, a moment later, the tents burst apart as a pegasus model pony suit armored and painted in the fashion of the Wonderbolt flight suit launched itself into the air with a mighty flap of it wings aided by a torrent of thrust from jets lining the suit

“I give you the first prototype pony suit capable of sustainable flight! Built in tandem with some of the top pony suit designers and mechanics solely for your entertainment. Now, Firefly, kick in those afterburners!”

But whatever was supposed to happen at that point didn't. There was a loud explosion as several of the jets burst into flames, destabilizing the Wonderbolt's suit and sending it slamming into the ground.

“Firefly!” Prism flew as fast as he could towards the suit as the crowd ran in panic, fleeing the crashed suit as more explosions erupted from it. Then, the entire suit was engulfed in flames as the remaining jets went.

“Then what,” Scootaloo said, her voice low as her imagination worked to provide her images to go along with the story.

“That was the last time any of us saw Prism Flash or Firefly,” Soarin said after a pause. “It hit us all very hard. The two of them were the backbone of the group. They were like parents to several of us, like me and Spits.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow said, approaching the two. “That was the start of my life alone.”

“If we'd have found you after the whole thing, you wouldn't have had to live all those years alone.”

“It's all good,” Rainbow said, thumping her chest. “All that made me the mare I am today. See, just like I told ya kid, hard work makes ya strong.”

“Yes it does,” a new voice said as a yellow pegasus mare with a brushed back mane and tail of two tones of orange and a cutie mark of a three licks of flame in the shape of a wing. “Though some ponies here could use a bit more of that ideology.”

“Hey there, Spits,” Soarin said with a slightly nervous smile. “I, uh, brought some guests with me. Everypony, this is Spitfire, leader of the Wonderbolts.”

“Yeah, I could hear you all the way back in town. So who are these guests of yours?”

“Right, girls come on over here so I can introduce ya,” Soarin said, calling for Pinkie and Twilight. As they came over, he continued. “They’re all here to see the show, and in fact, three of them saw some of the old shows. Spits, meet Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, Scootaloo, and—”

“I’m your biggest fan!”Rainbow cried out as she rushed towards the Wonderbolt leader and through her legs around her.

Caught by surprise, Spitfire just stared out at the rest of the ponies there before coming back to herself. “Prism? No, can’t be.” She freed herself from Rainbow’s embrace and pointed a hoof at her. “Who are you, and why do you look so much like Prism Flash‽”

“I’m Rainbow Dash. Pony suit representative of Neo-Cloudsdale,” Rainbow said, rearing back onto her hind legs to thump her chest in a kind of salute. “Prism was my father. And it’s true when I say I’m your biggest fan. You were so awesome when I watched you during the old Wonderbolt shows. And after everything happened, I kept up with the stuff you were doing on the independent flier scene. Your drive and strength pushed me to never give up too.”

“Get out,” Spitfire said softly.

“What?”

“I said ‘Get out’!” Spitfire said again, much louder, cutting through the conversations going on in the tent, immediately silencing them.

“Spits,” Soarin said. “What’s gotten into ya?”

“Soarin! What were you thinking bringing that pony here‽”

“What are you talking about? What’s wrong with bringing someone who’s practically family here.”

“Uh—“ Rainbow began, trying to get something in.

“You be quiet!” Spitfire snapped. “Didn't I tell you to get out‽ Unless you want to put your reputation and career as a pony suit pilot on the line.”

Rainbow Dash stared at her with her mouth open for a moment before answering. “You're on!” she replied before storming out of the tent.

“Excuse us,” Twilight quickly said as she and Pinkie followed quickly after Rainbow. Scootaloo, looked around for a moment before also heading towards the exit, but stopped right before it and turned back to the others.

“What was that for Spits?” Soarin asked.

“Yeah, why'd ya go off on her like that?” Fleetfoot added in.

“She even went so far as to give us tips on how to do some new cool tricks,” Surprise and Firestreak said at roughly the same time.

“I'm sorry guys,” Spitfire said softly. “I don't know what came over me. I guess it was how much she looked like Prism.”

“There's a lot of Firefly in her too,” Soarin added. “You can tell by the way she holds herself. I wouldn't put it past her to be an ace with a pony suit. What made you challenge her like that?”

“I don't know. But I can't back out of this now. Come on everypony. We gotta get the Wonderbolt ready for tomorrow.”

As the members of the Wonderbolts got to work, none noticed as Scootaloo slipped away.

“I can't believe that she just did that,” Rainbow said as she stomped around a little ways off from the Wonderbolts' tent.

“I'm sure there's a reason behind that,” Twilight said, trying to calm her down.

“Yeah,” Pinkie added. “I mean, she can't really be such a meany pants all the time. So, are ya really gonna go through with this fight?”

“How can I back out after what I did back there?” Rainbow said as she stopped her stomping and sighed. “Hey, where's Scoots?”

“I'm here,” Scootaloo said as she trotted up. “And you wouldn't believe what I just heard.”

“No time, kid.” Rainbow said, cutting off whatever Scootaloo was about to say. “We gotta get ready for tomorrow. So much for fun times. Sorry, Pinks.”

“Don't worry, RD. We'll be there for ya tomorrow.”

“As she said, friends have to stick together,” Twilight added as the two of them began to walk off. “Be careful.”

Rainbow gave a short salute of understanding as they left. “Come on, kid. We have lots of work to do.”

As the dawn broke the next day, ponies began to converge on the large field set near the Wonderbolt's camp. As more and more ponies arrived, food stalls and vendors of all sorts began to spring up as well, all the while leaving a large area of the field at the center of the crowds open and untouched. Some ponies even took to placing up quickly made barriers to keep ponies out of this area. There was an air of anticipation flowing through the crowds, as if they were waiting for something spectacular to happen. Soon, the noise of all the ponies drew out the Wonderbolts from their hangar.

“Where's all these ponies come from?” Soarin asked, scratching his head. “The shows not until tomorrow.”

“Maybe they heard about the fight that's gonna happen,” Surprise said.

“How'd they know that?” Fleetfoot wondered. “I don't think any of us made that known in town.”

“I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for this,” Spitfire added. “But even so, we can't back out of this just because there's an audience now. In fact, we can use this as a way to hype our show. Right, Soarin?”

“You sure of that, Spits?”

“Maybe you're right. We should see what Ms. Dash has to say about this.”

As they were all talking amongst themselves, a voice piped in. “She says that this will make the whole thing a lot cooler and awesome.”

The Wonderbolts turned towards the voice, and saw Scootaloo standing there, next to them. She waved at them.

“Well, I guess that settles that issue,” Spitfire said, turning towards Scootaloo. “Kid, you go and tell Ms. Dash to get ready.” After she said that, she turned and entered back into the hanger.

Scootaloo gave a quick salute and ran off as Pinkie and Twilight approached the group.

“Hi there, everypony!” Pinkie shouted out in greeting. “This is some crowd, isn't it? Looks like they're all here to see the big fight.”

“It is that,” Twilight said. “The only question is, how'd they all learn about it?”

“That's exactly what we'd like to know,” Soarin replied.

“Oh, that was me,” Pinkie said.

“And me,” Surprise added in as the rest of the group stared at the two of them. “We thought it'd be a good idea to give the ponies of Van Hover a warm up show to ours.”

“And what better way to do that then to showcase a fight between two great fliers?”

“There's two of them,” Soarin and Twilight said, almost in stereo, drawing a collective groan from the rest of the ponies there.

“Come on Wonderbolts,” Soarin said, regaining his composure. “If the crowds are here to see a show, we better make sure they know what they are gonna be seeing.”

“And we should probably go and see how Rainbow is handling all this,” Twilight said as the members of the Wonderbolts took flight. “Let's go, Pinkie.”

“Aye aye, Twi.”

The Hurricane Pony was set up at the other end of the field, surrounded by a hastily made barricade of wooden posts and some rope. Yet, this was enough to deter the massive crowd that had swarmed around it, gazing in awe at the suit. But still, there was a gruff looking earth pony stallion standing watch just inside the fence to make sure that nopony got the idea to get too close.

When Pinkie and Twilight reached this point, Pinkie simply hopped right over and continued on her way towards the Hurricane Pony.

“Hold it right there miss,” the gruff pony said, quickly stepping into Pinkie's way. “You ain't allowed ta get any closer. No pony's allowed.”

“Oh, don't mind me,” Pinkie replied. “I'm a friend just here to see the pilot.”

“You an' half the crowd.”

“It's true, sir,” Twilight said as she crossed the barricade.

“Right, I ain't moving unless ya give me proof.”

“Pinkie! Twilight!” Scootaloo shouted as she ran towards the two. “We were expecting you at some point. Come on! Come on! Rainbow's almost done with the prep and stuff.”

“Told ya so,” Pinkie said as she and Twilight walked past the dumbfounded guard and up to the Hurricane. It looked almost exactly as it had before when she'd faced it outside of the Landsdale/Cloudsdale community. The armor had been slightly upgraded, more streamlined and aerodynamically sound then it had been. And it looked as if the jets and stabilizers set in the wings had been reworked.

“Hey! Rainbow! They're here!”

“What's that, Scoots?” Rainbow said as she popped her head out of the suit's cockpit. “Oh, hey guys. You ready for a great showing?”

“You know it, RD!” Pinkie said, showing her enthusiasm by hopping quickly around the area. “And I'm sure it'll be just that, great!”

“Be careful out there,” Twilight added. “Spitfire's been training for this sort of thing for more than the ten years that the Wonderbolts have been inactive. You are going up against a seasoned veteran.”

“I know,” Rainbow replied as she glided down to the ground. “And I'd have it no other way. You two go and find a good viewing spot. Scoots, go ahead with them. It's time to light the skies up and show these ponies a show they won't forget!”

As noon approached, the crowds grew even larger and louder in their anticipation. Finally, the sun rose to it's highest point, and there came a rush of smoke and noise from the Wonderbolts' hanger as a blur of blue shot straight up through the canvas roof and performed a series of aerial flips and spins before landing in the center of the open space of the field. The Wonderbolt, the pony suit designed specifically for the Wonderbolts' show was a suit unlike any other. It was sleek and stunning, lacking even the lightest of armors to provide it with unhampered movement and agility. In comparison, the Hurricane Pony looked like a flying brick as it flew steadily from where it had been set, yet for those that knew of it, that look belayed it's tremendous speed and agility. The fight was going to be one of speed.

“Greetings and Salutations, everypony!” Soarin said, his voice amplified through a hastily set up sound system. “And welcome, to the Wonderbolts pre-show!” The crowds exploded in cheers. “Ah, always great to hear the enthusiasm and excitement of the crowds. Now, for you entertainment today, we're bringing you a special treat. That's right, today we have a semi-official Pony Fight match between Neo-Cloudsdale's Hurricane Pony and its pilot, Rainbow Dash, and the Wonderbolts' very own Wonderbolt and its pilot, Spitfire! Now, let's give it up for the two fighters!”

The crowds broke out into more cheers and applause as Spitfire and Rainbow both made an appearance from their suits cockpits. They waved around at the mass of ponies before returning to the insides of their suits.

“You ready for this, kid?” Spitfire said as a comm link patched the Wonderbolt through to the Hurricane.

“With a crowd like this, who wouldn't be?” Rainbow replied.

“You sure? You sound a little riled up over there.”

“I'm just fine! And what's with the concern? Last night you couldn't stand me?”

“Look, Rainbow,” Spitfire began. “I'm sorry about that. I let my emotions get the better of me. I idolized your parents. They were like parents to me, seeing you just made everything come back and it hurt.”

“And I'm sorry for storming out like that,” Rainbow said. “Look, let's get all that outta the way after this thing.”

“Yeah, we gotta show to put on. Don't expect me to go easy on you!”

“Same to you!”

“Pony fight match, all set!” Spitfire shouted out, adding the external speakers of her suit to let the crowd know what was going to happen.

“Ready!” Rainbow continued, following the same vain of action.

“GO!” Both pilots shouted that at the same time as both suits took to the air with a mighty gust of wind produced by all the jets. The two soared straight up and both dove back down, away from each other. As the two of them neared the ground, they banked and set their suits on a path directly towards each other. The Hurricane Pony's wings began to glow the familiar glow of a beam weapon as it turned to place one in the direct path of the Wonderbolt. At the last second, the Wonderbolt performed what could best be summed up as a leap frog as it placed both front hooves upon the Hurricane's chest and flipped over it while sending it down closer to the ground.

The crowd let out a gasp as the Hurricane set its hooves and skidded along the ground before turning and launching itself back into the air after the Wonderbolt.

“Good move, kid,” Spitfire said over the comm link. “But you're gonna have to do a whole lot better than that.” Spitfire drove the Wonderbolt into an Immelman turn, flying it straight up before letting gravity take it to spin around to face the Hurricane as it flew up towards it. The Hurricane tried again to set its flight path to strike at the Wonderbolt with its beam wings, but the Wonderbolt swung effortlessly out of its way and let out a stream of fire and smoke from it hind legs as it passed.

The Hurricane gave a mighty sweep of its wings and rose above the smoke and flames, but that was exactly what Spitfire was expecting. The Wonderbolt slammed right into the side of the Hurricane, knocking it spinning away down towards the ground again. As it spun, stabilizers within the wings activated, righting the suit and bracing it as it landed hard on its hooves. Rainbow shook her head inside, trying to throw off the shock of the hit, causing the Hurricane to follow her movements.

“Gotta think faster,” she said as she gazed up into the sky, looking for the Wonderbolt. “Gotta act faster. I can't go down like this, without a fight!” The Hurricane, once again, launched itself into the sky.

“That's the spirit, Rainbow,” Spitfire said as she maneuvered the Wonderbolt into position and hovered in the path of the Hurricane. “Now, show me what you got.”

A pair of twin vulcan guns fired from the head of the Hurricane Pony as it neared, sending the Wonderbolt out of its hover and into a defensive strafe. The Hurricane flew after it, firing when it could, and trying to close in. In retaliation, the Wonderbolt let out another smoke trail in an attempt to blind Rainbow and the Hurricane. Rather than try to avoid the smoke, Rainbow drove her suit straight through it and caught the Wonderbolt by surprise as it burst free on the other side.

The two suits collided into each other, the heavier Hurricane sending the Wonderbolt sailing away to crash down heavily safely away from the crowds.

“How was that,” Rainbow said as she landed the Hurricane in the center of the performance area. “Bet you weren't expecting that.”

“No, not really,” Spitfire replied. “Good move, blindly flying straight into the unknown. Good, but reckless.” The Wonderbolt came flying from where it landed and slammed into the Hurricane. As the Hurricane struck out at it, the Wonderbolt jumped back, out of reach before diving in again to strike.

“Look who's being reckless now,” Rainbow said as she struck out again at the passing Wonderbolt, only to have it nimbly dodge out of the way.

“It's all in the way you go about it,” Spitfire replied as she landed another hit, this time, striking at the hind legs of the Hurricane. “I just gotta avoid getting hit.”

“Good advice.” The Hurricane lowered itself and struck out with a wing at leg level, only to have the Wonderbolt vault over it and land a pair of kicks onto its back.

“See, just like that.” The Wonderbolt launched itself into the sky, sending a stream of fire at the Hurricane in its wake. The Hurricane gave a mighty sweep of its wings and launched itself away from the fire, but not in time to avoid it entirely. The flames had lapped over the hind legs of it. As it landed, Rainbow set the Hurricane into another launch to send it into the sky, but it didn't work out as planned as it landed hard back on the ground.

“What's wrong, Rainbow?” Spitfire asked. “Something wrong down there? Can't fly?”

“You took out my flight jets!”

“Maybe, guess that means that the end's near. Let's finish this fight!” Up in the sky, the Wonderbolt began to rotate vertically, faster and faster as fire began to cover the suit in a flaming vortex.

“Yes! Let's! Ready the Hurricane!” One of the Hurricane's wings rotated to face the opposite direction as the wings jets fire up, sending the suit into a fast horizontal spin.

“Buccaneer's Blaze!”

“Hurricane's Strike!”

The Wonderbolt shot down towards the Hurricane in a fiery corkscrew spiral as the spin of the Hurricane lifted it towards the oncoming attack. The two attacks struck head on, each spin fighting to to gain an advantage over the other as the flames of the Wonderbolt began to get sucked away into the Hurricane's attack. With that, the Hurricane took an upperhoof in the attack and as the Wonderbolt's attack slowly came to a stop and was swept up into the brunt of the attack. The Hurricane's strike tore into the unarmored body of the Wonderbolt like a pair of scissors to a piece of paper and tossed it away.

“And there we have it ponies!” Soarin shouted over the silenced crowd. “In a upsetting move, the Hurricane Pony has defeated the Wonderbolt in a spectacular display of spinmanship. Let's give a hand to Rainbow Dash!”

That broke the crowd's silence as cheers rained out from everywhere. Rainbow Dash exited her suit and flew over to the downed Wonderbolt as Spitfire exited.

“Good show there,” Spitfire said, slapping Rainbow on the back. “Wasn't expecting for the Buccaneer Blaze to be defeated like that. Guess weight and armor do mean everything in a fight.”

“Not everything” Rainbow said. “If there'd been less armor on the Hurricane, I could have kept up with you and not taken as much damage.”

“Yeah, but you'd have been taken out earlier by the attacks that did hit.” Spitfire let out a laugh at that and thumped Rainbow on the back again. “You have your mother's skills, kid. And your father's reckless streak. I'll be looking forward to the rest of the tournament.”

“Thanks,” Rainbow said as a streak of orange plowed into her.

“That was awesome!” Scootaloo shouted as she held onto Rainbow's side. “That was the most awesome thing I've ever seen!”

“Glad you could see that, Scoots.”

“Glad you could see that, kid.”

Rainbow and Spitfire said that at the same time, then burst out into laughter.

“Well, I'll leave you two together, I have to figure out what to do about the repairs to the Wonderbolt.” Spitfire left the two alone as she went off in search of Soarin and the other Wonderbolts.

“She's right, RD,” Pinkie said as she and Twilight walked up. “That was the coolest end to a fight I've ever seen!”

“Did you know that you'd be able to throw the attack off like that?” Twilight asked.

“I had no idea. So, what's next for you two?”

“I think it's about time for us to get back into the swing of things,” Pinkie said.

“What she means, is that our vacation is over.”

“That's what I said, Twi. Well, after tomorrow of course. Can't miss the actual show, can we?”

“So, I guess that means the next time we meet, it'll be as opponents,” Rainbow said as she extended a hoof to Pinkie. “I look forward to that.”

“Same here.” Pinkie grabbed Rainbow's hoof with hers. “Now, let's show the world what Pinkie Pie and the Shining Pony can do!”

Episode 10: Nightmare Rising

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"Zippy zippy zippy," Pinkie said as she spun the Shining Pony around, trying to keep her opponent in view, lest they deliver some crippling attack to her suit. "Just what you'd expect from the Derbyshire colony." Her opponent, the pony suit of Derbyshire colony, the Derby Pony, continued it's speedy tactics. It was a slight thing, streamlined and aerodynamic to get the least resistance from the air. The earth pony design showing thrusters built into the frame of the suit completely devoid of any protective armor save for the standard chest armor meant to protect the pilot. The suit's mane and tail trailing behind it like a blur as it circled.

"But not fast enough. RD's suit was much faster, and could fly. Pinkie Cannon Mk. II!" The cannon unfurled from the Shining Pony's side and fired, hitting the ground well away from the Derby. A laugh echoed from the enemy suit at the attack, until the Derby ran right into the hole formed by the cannon blast and went skidding to the ground.

"Tsk tsk." The Shining Pony hopped over to the fallen Derby Pony, shaking its head. "You really should have been watching where you were going. Don't worry though, you'll be able to have another chance in four years." Both front hooves of the Shining Pony began to glow with a familiar light as it reared up and slammed both shining hooves into the head of the Derby. "It was fun though. We really should do this again. Ya know, when it's not for the right to rule and everything."

"Pinkie!" Twilight's voice cut through the cockpit of the Shining Pony.

"Eep!" The Shining Pony jumped several dozen feet into the air in response to its pilot doing the same. "Twilight, you startled me."

"Sorry Pinkie," Twilight apologized. "But we've got urgent news! Ponyville's been attacked. I just got a broadcast from the colony, they don't know who attacked, all they know is that it's a force of several dozen pony suits!"

"What!? Twilight, we need to get home!"

"Already ahead of you, Pinkie." Twilight blinked into cockpit of the Shining Pony carrying all of their luggage and equipment. "Get running, we need to get back as soon as possible!"

"Now, this is quite the situation." MR's voice echoed through the darkness as the familiarly pink clad earth pony was lit up. "Greetings and Salutations, everypony. It's been awhile," he said as a small video screen played a scene of the Shining Pony rushing as fast as it could go over the Equestrian wilderness to reach Ponyville. "'As you can see, the Ponyville Pony suit and its pilot are in dire straights; their hometown under siege from an unknown assailant. But is it really unknown? Today, we shall find the answers to many questions that have risen since this journey began."

The screen switched from the Shining pony to a cloaked pony overlooking Ponyville in flames, strange looking pony suits rampaging through the city.

"Now, who is this pony that watches? That, you will find out for yourself, for today's opponent will be the dangerous Nightmare army!" MR jumped off his stool and in one swift motion, pulled off both his suit and eye patch, revealing his bright pink shirt and bow tie and his perfectly normal working right eye. "Now, pony fight all set. Ready, Go!"

Mobile Fighter G-Pony Episode 10
Nightmare Rising

Dark smoke rose in the distance as Pinkie and Twilight sped towards their home, anxiety and dread hanging heavy as they hoped all those they knew and loved were safe and sound. As the core lander cleared a bluff, the full scale of the situation struck. Ponyville was in shambles. Fires raged along the streets, the remains of buildings devastated by fire and more sent massive amounts of smoke into the air. Those buildings yet untouched by the destruction were far and few between. Though, the city's governmental headquarters building was safe, the tall metal building sat in the distance, surrounded by Ponyville pony suits. With any luck, the ponied of the city had managed to take refuge there.

"Our home..." Pinkie's words trailed off as her hair began to deflate in the face of the destruction. She closed her eyes for a moment and turned her head away from the city before setting her face with solid resolve and jumping clear of the core lander and running full tilt towards her home.

"Pinkie!" Twilight called after her friend, but it was too late, Pinkie had already made her way down from the bluff and was quickly making her way to the city. She knew what Pinkie was feeling. She felt the same way: angry, confused, scared. Who could have attacked the city. The rules of the tournament didn't bar fighting in cities, but it did bar direct attacks, which this looked like. Twilight shook these thoughts away when she realized that Pinkie had run off into what could be an extremely dangerous situation alone. "Oh, horse apples!" Twilight jumped out of the core lander and ran after Pinkie.

The devastation of Ponyville was terrible. Pinkie had barely even reached the outskirts of the city and it was already looking worse than what had happened in Hoofington all those months ago, when the disgraced pony suit pilot, Trixie, had gone on a rampage. Buildings were reduced to rubble, familiar places were gone, smoke and fire filled the air, but that wasn't the worst of it. The worse thing was the silence. There was no sound, save for the crackling of fire and the groaning of those buildings that still stood. Where were all the ponies that had lived here? Had they all managed to make it out safely?

Then, a new sound pulled Pinkie's attention away from her thoughts, a very familiar sound. The sound of gears spinning, of pistons moving, of a magic reactor firing up. A twitch running through her tail saved Pinkie as she dove out of the way of a large mechanical hand smashing down where she had been a moment before. Out of the smoke rose a pony suit, but not a normal one, this was a grotesque, misshapen perversion of a pony suit. It had the body of a standard pony suit, though it was squat, with six powerful looking legs ending in spikes. Where it's head should have been was just another body, a torso like that of a diamond dog or a minotaur. Two mighty arms sat at it's shoulders, ending in large clawed hands. And, crowning the suit was a pony head with a single eye scanning the area. And topping all that off, it was a a dirty yellow in color, highlighted by dull greenish-brown armor along its torso, shoulders and hips.

The suit reminded Pinkie of something, and in that instant, she had an idea of what had happened to Ponyville. But, the suit raised its arm from the ground and turned its attention to Pinkie and raised both arms, poised to attack. As it swung its arms down again, Pinkie dodged the attack and drove both hind legs into the arm.

"My sisters would not do this to Ponyville! Who are you!? Come out and face me like a pony!" The pony suit simply raised its arms for another attack in response, sending Pinkie scurrying away to seek shelter behind a pile of rubble. "It can't be true... Inkie... Blinkie... you wouldn't do something like this..." A large shudder going though her was all the warning that she got as the pony suit sent one of its arms flying towards Pinkie's hiding spot, guided by a set of wires and thrusters. It struck the rubble pile, sending it and Pinkie flying. She landed roughly, and as she pulled herself up, the pony suit was on top of her and its arms already coming down swinging.

Pinkie closed her eyes, awaiting the strike, only to hear a loud crash, followed by a heavy thud. As she opened her eyes, she saw that she was surrounded by a magenta shield of magic, the pony suit's attack having slid away to the ground..

"Pinkie!" Twilight's horn blazed with magic.

"Twilight! Look out!"

"What?" The pony suit had switched targets once Twilight had blocked its attack and reared up on its back two legs and was readying to strike at her with its remaining legs.

"BE STILL, VILE VILLAIN!" A booming voice echoed throughout the area as a thin blue shine encased the pony suit. "HAVE AT YOU!" A blur of dark blue appeared from the smoke and drove into the pony suit, knocking it off balance as the magic sheen dissipated. Standing there, as the suit crashed to the ground, was the tallest unicorn Twilight had ever seen, fully twice her own size. She was a dark blue in color, as close as could be to the night sky without being black, and her mane was of a pale blue that reminded her of the light given off by the stars and moon. She could not see the cutie mark of her savior, as the unicorn wore both a pair of pants and a shirt of light purple held in place by a long white sash.

"Master!" Pinkie shouted as the fallen pony suit tried to crush the unicorn with one of its legs. She dodged quickly to the side and faster than the eye could follow, her sash was tied around the leg and she was already looping it around its head. A quick, sharp tug later, and the head of the suit was crushed from the strain of the sash.

"Master!" Pinkie shouted again, this time in joy rather than in warning, as she rushed over and dove into a hug. The unicorn took the hit without flinching.

"Pinkie Pie," she said. "It is good to see you again. And it looks like I was just in time. The two of you should know better than to attack pony suits bare-hoofed."

"Um... if I remember correctly, you are Pinkie's master, Master Everfree?" Twilight asked as she approached the two.

"Yes, that is I, but there is no need to use my full title." Master Everfree said. "You are a friend of my student, are you not? Then you may simply refer to me as Master like she does. It simplifies things greatly."

"Master, where have you been?" Pinkie asked, still holding onto her Master. "I tried to get in contact with you a bunch of times after you left."

"All in due time, Pinkie."

"Master, I have a question. How did you come to be here?" Twilight asked.

"That is a very good question to ask, but..." The sound of several large things moving closer to the trio put a damper to the conversation. "I believe that it would be best to take shelter with the rest at the government headquarters. These suits have yet to break the defensive perimeter. It will be safe to talk there." Pinkie and Twilight looked at each other and nodded as the three of them quickly made their way to the safety of the government building and the Ponyville pony suit defense.

"Halt! Who goes there!" A troop of Ponyville pony suits shown head mounted spotlights onto the approaching trio. These pony suits were different from the the suits of the pony fight tournament. They were plain, unadorned, none of them had any fancy effects or weapons. They were built to the standards of the pony suits, simple grey in color, marked only with the letters PFD for Ponyville Defense Force, and armed with a pair of shoulder mounted cannons. These cannons were currently swinging towards the trio as well.

"We're seeking safety!" Twilight called out.

"Yeah, we got attacked by some crazy pony suit out in the city," Pinkie said. "We managed to get away and make it here."

"We are not here to cause any trouble," Master Everfree chipped in.

"Commander, let them by, they're just refugees like all the rest," one of the pony suit pilots said.

"You're right," the commander of the troop replied. "You three move along quickly. Units 2 and 5, get back to the perimeter, we've got bogies on the radar. Prepare for combat!" As the defense force suits sprang into action, Pinkie, Twilight, and Master Everfree made their way to the safety of the government headquarters.

Inside the safety of the governmental headquarters, the ponies of Ponyville huddled together, blankets and necessities such as food and water provided to all. The building was a safe haven, built with the fortitude to withstand heavy attack, yet even so, there was an air of restlessness stirring, there had never been such an attack on a city since the start of the pony fight tournament. Murmurs of horror and paranoia wafted about.

"We've gotta do something," Pinkie said as she, Twilight, and Master Everfree entered. "Just look at them all..." A young pegasus colt turned his head towards them as Pinkie spoke and gasped when he saw them.

"Pinkie Pie!" he shouted as he flew towards her and crashed into her with a hug.

"Pound Cake!?" Pinkie said, recognizing him and returning the hug. "You're safe. How about everypony else? Are your parents and Pumpkin all right?"

"Yes! They're just over here." He began off and Pinkie turned to Twilight and Master. The two gave a nod and Pinkie skipped off after Pound to see the rest of the Cake family.

"So, Ms. Twilight Sparkle," Master Everfree began once Pinkie had vanished into the crowd. "You've known Pinkie for quite some time, correct?"

"There's no need to be so formal with me, Master," Twilight replied. "Just Twilight is fine. As for your question, yes, I've known her for almost our entire lives. Her and her sisters. Our parents worked with mine and we played together often."

"I see, Just Twilight." The two got a small chuckle out of that. "She did talk about her friends and family readily while she was learning from me. In fact, I can say that I know more about you and them then I should. I've never met another pony to be able to say so much, so fast."

"You get used to it. Pinkie's told me about you as well. How you two met, the training, the traveling, everything. If you don't mind me asking, why did you leave her?"

"That, unfortunately, is a conversation for another time. Though, I'm sure that you can help me with something. Those pony suits in the city, Pinkie seemed unnerved by them, as did you."

"That's..." Twilight thought of how to phrase her answer. "There's a chance that what's behind them and this attack is something that we've been hunting for several months now."

"I see." Master Everfree nodded her head at Twilight's explanation. "And it's something dangerous and near to her, correct? Something that would push for her to take up the mantel of a tournament fighter? It's good to see that my training helped out another onto my path."

"Your path?"

"She never said? I'm a pony suit pilot as well. For Neo-Canterlot."

"Everfree! Of course," Twilight stated as her mind connected the dots. "You won the last tournament."

"Yes, but I think there is something more important at the moment. I wonder if my student is done catching up with her foster family."

"Did somepony call for me?" Pinkie said, popping up behind the two.

"Yes, Pinkie. I have a plan to deal with this situation. How about we do like old times?"

"You mean?"

"Yes."

"All right!" Pinkie jumped up into the air, throwing one hoof high up. "We bring the fight to them!"

"Twilight," Master Everfree turned to her. "Can you work with the defense here to make sure that the enemy does not breach?"

"You can count on me, Master." Twilight nodded, already thinking of ways to better the defenses. "Logistics and strategy is right up my alley."

"Good, come Pinkie. Let's see how these ponies like the fight brought to them." With that, Master Everfree and Pinkie Pie, made their way from the safety of the government building and plunged headlong back into the chaos outside.

"You ready Pinkie?" Master Everfree had led her to the outskirts of the town safely. "From here, we fight our way back in with our suits and draw as many as we can. We're heading to the park, it's large enough for our needs."

"Then we launch the big attack, I hears ya." Pinkie gave a quick salute to Master Everfree. "Now, Rise! Shining Pony!"

"Come forth! Mare of the Moon!"

The Shining Pony burst out of the nearby forest and skidded to a stop right before Pinkie as she stood transfixed at the pony suit of Master Everfree. She had only seen it a few times before as she had not accompanied her master when she faced the tournament itself, yet it still awed her. It was a unicorn model of pony suit, though like it's pilot, the horn was built longer, and the color of the night sky. The soft white grey intermingled together with the dark, dark blues while the accents, the horn, and the hooves were all of a startling bright white. At this moment, it was covered in several armored pieces that mimicked the clothing of Master Everfree, but beneath it all was a suit built for speed and flexibility. And to top it, the mane and tail were made to mimic the fleeting light of gossamer.

"Pinkie Pie," Master Everfree said as the two pilots ran their start ups. "Let's get this started!"

"Yeah!" Pinkie replied as the two suits tore off into the city. As they ran, more of the strange pony suits rose out of the debris and smoke to chase after them. A few of the quicker ones even tried to sneak in an attack, though, these were met with quick counters by the Shining Pony and the Mare of the Moon. By the time the two suits made it to where they had planned, they had a crowd of several dozen enemy pony suits.

"That's quite a lot," Pinkie pointed out. "I didn't know there were that many."

"And they are all the same," Master Everfree chimed. "No variation at all." The hooves of the Mare of the Moon began to glow a bright white as it reared up on its hind legs, a trail of beam flowing from its hooves to the ground in a cloth-like fashion. "No time to think, ATTACK!" As the first of the enemy pony suits sprang forward, the beam cloth of the Mare of the Moon struck out, wrapping itself around the head of one. With a sharp jerk, the Mare of the Moon swung that suit around and into another, sending it into another and another before it unfurled itself and the Mare of the Moon lashed out against another pony suit that had charged. It wrapped itself around its fore legs, before tearing them from the suit, sending it crashing to the ground and slinging the severed limbs into the head and body of a nearby suit, incapacitating it as well. By now, the first of the suits to make it through the onslaught had reached the Mare of the Moon and began to attack. Or so it would have liked. The Mare of the Moon's beam cloth caught its arms as the raised above its head and the Mare of the Moon jumped up and over the suit onto its back, pulling sharply of the cloth, snapping the arms from their sockets before jumping and slamming down on its back.

All the while, the Shining Pony was fending off its own attacks. Ducking and dodging as it struck out with the beam saber held by its face, dicing the enemy suits into submission. Pinkie looked over towards her master and saw that the Mare of the Moon was surrounded.

"Master!" Pinkie shouted as the Pinkie Cannon sprung forth from the Shining Pony and began firing at the enemy suits. The attack allowed the Mare of the Moon to concentrate on the enemies in front of it and soon those were dispatched as the earlier ones had.

"Many thanks, Pinkie," Master Everfree said as a lull fell, the enemy suits falling back for a moment, watching the two pony suit, almost like they were planning a new form of attack from their previous frontal assault attack strategy. Off in the distance, the light of the eyes of reinforcement suits glowed ominously. " What say, we send them out with a bang?"

"You mean "that" attack?"

"I mean "that" attack." Steam began to emit from the Mare of the Moon as the armor fell off, revealing the sleek design of the suit. Its horn began to glow as beam emitters sprang forth all over the body, as a cone of beam energy began to spiral its way from the horn to cover the entire body as the Mare of the Moon lowered its head to place it horn first against the enemy pony suits. "Pinkie, give me the jolt I need to get moving!"

"You got it, Master!" The Shining Pony, drew back several paces before charging towards the Mare of the Moon and spinning to deliver a wicked buck with both hind legs. The strike gave the Mare of the Moon just enough momentum for its jets to take effect and send it flying straight towards the enemy suits.

"TAKE THIS!" Master Everfree cried out as the beam covered Mare of the Moon struck the first enemy pony suit, slamming through it and the ones behind it. "FLEETING MOONLIGHT!" The Mare of the Moon soared through the enemy suits, tearing them apart, leaving no enemy standing, as it continued its way to take on the reinforcements.

Pinkie took a moment to admire the attack and to catch her breath. Fighting like this was a lot different than what she was used to. And in that moment, something she could never imagine happened. It began with a gem rising from the ground right in front of the Shining Pony. Pinkie saw it and dodged out of the way as it exploded, but several more sprang up. Then, a squall rose around the Shining Pony, and a pair of beams snaked out to wrap around the leg of the suit.

"Well, lookie what we got here," a very familiar voice sounded through the wind.

"An' all trussed up pretty an' fancy. Jus' like a bundle o' hay or a bushel o' apples ready fer market." Another familiar voice said.

"Both of you are so drab and forth coming." A third familiar voice said. "It was my attack that allowed for you two to get into correct position."

"No..." Pinkie couldn't believe her ears. Yet, as the wind began to fade, her fears were shown true. Standing around her were the suits of her friends. The Apple Buck Pony, the Hurricane Pony, and the Jewel Pony, all ready to attack. "Applejack, RD, Rarity."

"Hello, darling," Rarity said.

"Howdy, Sugarcube," Applejack added.

"And Pinks, goodbye," Rainbow Dash said as the three suits sprang into attack.

~TO BE CONTINUED~

Episode 11: True Nightmare

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"Greetings and Salutations, Everypony," MR said as the spotlight lit above him, illuminating the ever familiar suited and eye-patched stallion upon his stool. "And what a pickle our intrepid Ponyville pony fighter has found herself in." At that, a screen dropped down out of the darkness and began to play footage.

"A fight well fought." Footage of the Shining Pony's defeat of the Derby pony played.

"An emergency call home." Footage of the Shining Pony rushing to Ponyville played.

"A city attacked." Footage of the strangely shaped pony suits laying waste to Ponyville played.

"And worse of all, friends betrayed." Footage of three familiar pony suits, those of Neo-Sweet Apple Acres, Neo-Cloudsdale, and Neo-Manehatten attacking the Shining Pony played.

"What could have happened to turn friends upon each other? Who is behind the attack of the Ponyville?" MR stood and the screen retracted back into the darkness. "That is for you all to see. For today's enemy is the mastermind behind all of this. Now," In one swift motion, pulled off both his suit and eye patch, revealing his bright pink shirt and bow tie and his perfectly normal working right eye, "pony fight all set. Ready, Go!"

Mobile Fighter G-Pony Episode 11
True Nightmare

"Hello, darling," Rarity said.

"Howdy, Sugarcube," Applejack added.

"And Pinks, goodbye," Rainbow Dash said as the three suits sprang into attack.

"No!" Pinkie cried out as the Shining Pony jumped to its hooves and sprung away from her friends' suits. "What's going on!? Applejack, Rarity, RD, what's gotten into you all?"

Rather than an answer, the three pony suits continued their attack. The Jewel Pony firing gem mines, the Applebuck taking pot shots with its pea-shooter, and the Hurricane getting in close, trying to use its beam wings to the greatest effect. All the while, Pinkie and the Shining Pony managed to keep up with the attacks as best as they could. But, it was a losing battle. Here were three mares that Pinkie had fought before, in Applejack's case, twice. And they had an understanding on how Pinkie's battle strategy went. As the fighting continued, it became harder and harder for Pinkie to dodge. A shot here and there from the Applebuck striking home on the legs of the Shining Pony. A gem mine detonating just a bit too close, sending shards into vital joints. The edge of the Hurricane Pony's beam wings slicing through the front curl of the Shining Pony's mane.

"Urg," Pinkie grunted as another gem mine from the Jewel Pony detonated near one of the Shining Pony's hind legs.

"Just give it up, Pinks," Rainbow said. "You can't keep this up for much longer."

"I have to agree with the brash one," Rarity said. "Your pony suit is looking a tad... how should I say, tattered."

"Well? Yer bein' all quiet like there, Sugarcube. Cat's got yer tongue?" Applejack prodded. "Well, if'n ya ain' gonna give in, looks like we're jus' gonna have ta take ya down hard!"

Pinkie watched as her "friends" drew closer. She knew they were right. All the sensors of the Shining Pony were going off. The damage was adding up and her suit couldn't handle much more before it gave out on her. She could only see one way to get out of this mess. "Pinkie Cannon!" In the split second before the three suits before her launched their attacks, the Shining Pony's side opened up, releasing the Pinkie Cannon turned down towards the ground and fired. As the dust cloud produced by the attack faded into the wind, Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow found themselves standing alone.

"She got away," Rarity said bluntly.

"Genius deduction," Rainbow replied. "Nopony would ever of guessed that."

"Well, I'm sure a lowbrow type of pony like you wouldn't have known with out somepony telling you."

"You wanna have a go!"

"You wouldn't stand a chance against me and my Jewel!"

"Will the two o' ya be quie' already!" Applejack shouted at the two. "We ain't here ta fight each other an' ya both know that. Pinkie's the target."

"And how do you propose that we go after her?" Rarity asked. "She's most likely gone back to that disdainfully heavily guarded building to regroup."

"So, no plan from little miss fancy pants," Rainbow jabbed.

"I don't see you offering anything to this conversation."

"Already got a plan." Rainbow motioned to the industrial district of Ponyville. "Pinks' here for something, let's show her where it is."

Twilight was going around to the various groups of ponies huddling in the governmental building, helping to provide what comforts she could with what little there was. Helping out tending to the injured and keeping the young entertained and distracted with displays of magic while helping a traveling puppeteer caught in town during the attack. It was after one of these mini shows that Pinkie stumbled back in.

"Pinkie!" Twilight shouted as she ran over to her friend, keeping her from falling to the ground. "What happened? You look terrible."

"They attacked me, Twilight," Pinkie mumbled. About this time, Twilight noticed Pinkie's mane had gone straight.

"Pinkie, this isn't about those strange pony suits, is it"

"They attacked me... and I don't know why... I thought we were friends..." Pinkie slumped against Twilight, having succumbed to exhaustion.

"Oh, Pinkie. What happened out there." Twilight placed her friend on her back and carried her to a nice cozy corner to wait for her to come back around.

Some time later, Pinkie slowly opened her eyes to find herself wrapped up in a course, itchy blanket. t took her a moment to fully come to her senses, but when she did, she realized that she surrounded by ponies with distraught looks on their faces. "Hey there, everypony. Is it time for breakfast?"

"Pinkie!" Pound and Pumpkin cake shouted as they threw themselves on her. "You're ok!"

"Pound, Pumpkin," Mrs. Cake said. "Be careful, we don't want to wind up hurting her after what she's been through, whatever that was."

"Don't worry, Mrs. Cake," Pinkie reassured as she pulled the two young ponies into a big hug. "It'd take a whole lot more than these two jumping on me to hurt me."

"On that note, what did happen? Your friend, Twilight Sparkle, came to us for help, saying that you'd passed out."

"Yes, and I'm sure both she and me would like to know the answer to that question as well, Pinkie." Pinkie's attention was drawn to her master's voice as she and Twilight approached. "You were fine when we parted out there."

"And what did you mean when you said 'They attacked me'?" Twilight added.

A long pause fell over the group at that. And it was that silence, coupled with the look on Pinkie's face, a look of anguish and betrayal, which prompted Mrs. Cake into action. "Come on you two," she said as she picked up Pound and Pumpkin and dragged them off to a chorus of groans and dismay. "Let's leave the adults to talk. They need some time alone."

"An astute one, she is," Master said, nodding in the direction of the Cakes.

"Yeah, she's great," Pinkie said.

"Pinkie," Twilight began, sitting herself next to her friend. "You want to talk about what happened out there?"

There was another pause, another silent moment for Pinkie to think and collect her thoughts. "It's like I said, they attacked me."

"Who? Who attacked you?" Master asked. "I was almost certain that we had dealt with all the enemies in the area that you were left in. There shouldn't have been anything."

"Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash."

"No!" Twilight gasped in horror, leaving Master slightly confused.

"Who are these ponies you speak of?"

"Friends... good friends," Pinkie replied. "Friends that would not attack me like they did. Something must have happened to them! Someone must have messed with their heads or... or... something!"

A soft beeping sound, a little ways off, pulled the attention of the three ponies. "That's a locator signal," Twilight said, turning to face the sound. "Why would something like that hit our communicator? Do you think that this could have something to do with all of this?" She turned back to face Pinkie and Master, but the two of them just shrugged. "I'm going to go and check on that." She walked over to Pinkie and gave her a strong reassuring hug. "Don't worry, Pinkie. Whatever this is, we'll figure this out." She released Pinkie and made her way over to the communicator.

As Twilight began to fiddle around with it, Master pulled Pinkie into another big hug. "Pinkie, I think it is time to pass on what took us apart, all that time ago."

"Huh?" Pinkie watched as Master's horn flared to life with magic and a small gem, light blue in color, the same color as Pinkie's eyes floated out of the folds of her clothing and came to a standstill right before Pinkie.

"This gem, is a very special gem," Master began. "It is known as a fragment of harmony. It is a relic of a long forgotten era, one where chaos ruled and hope was in short supply. Not many ponies know they exist, and even fewer have ever seen one. Pinkie, this is for you. Keep it as a reminder, that no matter how difficult something becomes, no matter how hopeless the situation looks, never give up hope for a better future." Master's magic cut out and the gem fell softly into Pinkie's hooves. It felt warm to her touch, and pulsed faintly with some kind of strange energy, but, it's presence did help Pinkie.

"Thank you, Master," Pinkie began. "I—"

"What!?" Twilight's sudden exclamation stiffed whatever else Pinkie was going to say and drew the direct attention of both of them. "Pinkie, it's here! Right here, in Ponyville!"

"Ugh... I was right then. I hate it when I'm right! Where is it?"

"The industrial district."

"Ok, ready the Shining Pony!"

"Uh... Pinkie, it's still out of commission." Twilight rubbed the back of her head with a hoof. "I've been doing what I can so far, but it's not ready yet."

"Ok, new plan," Pinkie put a hoof to her chin as if deep in thought. "Go at it without the Shining Pony!"

"Pinkie, you are not like Master," Twilight said, pointing to her. Master gave a small shrug. "You can't take on those pony suits on your own. How will you get across the city."

"Simple," Pinkie pointed to the ground. "I go underground."

Pinkie and Master found themselves walking through the unlit tunnels of the Ponyville subway system. All service had been suspended due to the attack on the city. The light from a simple light orb hovering over the pair conjured by Master was the sole light source for them. They had entered at the terminal held within the governmental building and had not found any form of resistance since.

"Ya know," Pinkie said, her voice echoing around into the darkness of the tunnels. "You didn't have to come with me Master."

"What!?" Master gasped. "And leave my most favorite student to combat the unknown alone?"

"But you know I can..." Pinkie's thought trailed off as she caught Master chuckling to herself. "You're just along because you wanted to travel through the tunnels and have fun, aren't ya?"

"Guilty as charged." Pinkie and Master shared a good laugh that echoed along the tunnels as continued on their way. Soon, they came to a split in the tracks. One tunnel leading straight forward, and the other barring to the left.

"Hmm..." Pinkie said as she looked at the branching paths before them. But Master just continued walking on, taking the path that barred left.

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained," Master said. "As they say." As soon as she passed the threshold of the tunnel, a large metal bulkhead crashed down behind her, separating her from Pinkie, leaving her alone in the dark of the tunnels.

"Master!" Pinkie cried out as she banged against the new metal wall. But she wasn't given much time to think on the issue at hand. A bright light illuminated the tracks down the tunnel the way that she and master had traveled. Pinkie turned her attention to the light and, before she saw it, she heard the approaching danger. A subway train car was on its way, barreling towards her.

"Oh, horse apples!" Pinkie turned from the sealed tunnel entrance and broke into a sprint the only way she could, further down into the tunnels. But this proved to be a losing battle. The subway car was coming towards her faster than she could run, and once she realized that, she stopped to face the obstacle head on. Behind the lights was a simple train car, a large, long box covered in windows set on wheels attached to an electric motor. She saw that at the front of it was a door, and that's from where Pinkie got her plan.

"Ok, I only got one shot at this," she muttered as the train drew closer. Once it was close enough, she jumped and aimed a kick square at the door, hoping that it would give. Luckily, it did, and Pinkie found herself lying on her back soaring forward down the tracks in style.

"Heya, Pinks." A familiar voice pulled Pinkie's attention right away to the other occupant of the car sitting at the other end. "Knew you'd be able to dodge this thing some way or another."

"Rainbow Dash!"

"What happened to just calling me RD like always, Pinks?" Rainbow stood from her seat and slowly approached Pinkie, a scarf wrapped around her neck. "Aren't we friends?"

"Friends don't attack you out of nowhere, not with a pony suit or with a subway car!" Pinkie jumped to her hooves and moved into a fighting stance, balancing on her hind legs.

"That's the spirit, Pinks, right to the fighting point!"

Twilight took a moment from her maintenance of the Shining Pony to gaze over what she'd managed to get done. When Pinkie had called her the "best mechanic" back in Manehatten, she hadn't been playing with words. In the short time since Pinkie had returned with the damaged Shining Pony, she had managed to reverse most of the damage with her skills. She'd replaced the damaged joints, inner frame, and actuators of the limbs damaged by the gem explosions, removed and replaced most of the damaged sensors along the body, filled in in the gouges and dents in the armor, and even managed to fix the Shining Pony's mane back to it's original shape. Now she was in the cockpit, checking the overall system.

"There we go," she said, wiping away some sweat off her forehead with a hoof. "The limbs sensors are mostly up, and it seems that there's no damage to the engine. Aside from the cannon's power supply, all that's left is diagnostics."

From outside the suit, Twilight heard the distinctive sound of an approaching pony suit. "Is everything all right over here, Ms. Sparkle?" As she walked towards the open hatch, she saw that one of the patrol suits had come over.

"Yes, everything is alright, sir. No problems here."

Another patrol pony suit lumbered over towards the pair. "Unit three, get back to your post. We can not have a lapse in our guard. You never know when the enemy will attack."

"Yes, sir," the pilot of the first patrol suit shouted as his suit saluted. "And good bye, Ms. Sparkle."

As the pair of suits wandered off, Twilight shut the hatch and went back to her task of checking the Shining Pony's systems. Not all that much later, she heard a faint popping sound coming from outside the suit. Curious, she activated the sensors, bringing up the panoramic visual and audio feed. The sight outside left her speechless. A dozen patrol suits were engaged in what looked like a losing conflict with a large force of the misshapen pony suits that were roaming around the city. Several patrol suits were already battered out of commission, the broken suits littering the ground while the rest didn't look all that good either, they all showed the damage of prolonged battle. Suddenly, from the smoke and fire of the town, a hail of gunfire shot out and struck one of the enemy suits, tearing through it like butter. The patrol suits took this distraction to mount a counterattack and surged forwards. But, then the gunfire turned on the patrol suits, tearing through one, leaving it incapacitated. The remaining patrol suits were set upon by the enemy suits as a hazy green light flared in the smoke, shooting out to land in the center of the melee. The resultant explosion sent suits flying everywhere and blew away the smoke cover. In the distance, Twilight saw wings, huge, black wings, and a large black horn set above glowing red eyes.

"Shining Pony," Twilight said, a hint of terror passing through her voice as she swallowed heavily. "Begin start up sequence. Temporary pilot, Twilight Sparkle." As the start-up ran, Twilight watched as whatever was out there slowly made its way towards her.

Pinkie ducked and dodged past a pair of swift kicks sent her way by RD and rolled under one of the subway car's seats.

"Come on, Pinks," RD said as she hopped into the air, hovering close to the roof, in prep for another attack. "Where's the fighting pep that I saw you have back in that bandits cave outside of Cloudsdale? Where's the fighting spirit ya had when we fought? I know you're better than this." She dove down, sending a kick at Pinkie in her hiding place, but Pinkie rolled away again, leading RD to crash right into the seat, breaking it from its bolts and sending it flying into the seat behind it.

"Surprised?" RD said as a short chuckle escaped her lips at the sight of Pinkie's stunned face, her mouth hanging wide-open in shock. "A 'friend' gave us all a little something, something to make us all better." She pulled the scarf from her neck to reveal what was underneath. Iit was a ring of hard, gray scales, like those of a dragons, completely circling her neck. "Faster, stronger, the whole shebang."

"RD... is this what changed you into this?"

Rather than provide a response, RD simply lifted up the broken seat and tossed it at Pinkie. As she dodged, RD caught her and pinned her to the car floor.

"Now I've got ya, Pinks." RD gave a small smile to her friend. Pinkie thought that she saw a hint of sadness pass through RD's eyes. "No hard feelings." She raised a hoof high in anticipation of a strike when the car's intercom system crackled to life.

"Ahem," Applejack's voice sounded out of the speakers. "Passengers o' this Ponyville express car, we are sorry ta inform ya tha' yer next stop is comin' up shortly, an' it'll be yer las'."

"AJ!" RD shouted at the speakers. "What the hay! We all drew straws and I won first pick!"

"That ya, Rainbow? Sorry, but ya was takin' too long ta do anythin'. Anyways, as I was sayin', ya should be seein' yer final stop right 'bout now." Applejack's announcement broke down into a fit of laughter as the lights of the subway car shined on an overturned car lying across the tracks.

"Oh, monkey trumpets," Pinkie and RD said as the two cars collided.

"Eeya!" Twilight cried out as a laser tore through the road at the hooves of the Shining Pony, forcing it to turn down a new road. She spun her suit around to face whatever kind of suit it was that was chasing her and fired off a round of gunfire from the Shining Pony's head vulcans, but this only brought retaliation. More lasers tore into the road at her hooves and through the buildings at her sides. Twilight backed away from the attacks, but they kept coming. She felt like some kind of animal, being corralled somewhere. She turned as more lasers struck at the road and began the chase anew. She didn't know where she was going, the frequency of the attacks didn't allow her the luxury of time to check her location sensors. For now, all she could do was to keep ahead of whatever was pursuing her and hope that wherever she was going, there'd be a chance for escape.

"Ugh..." Pinkie slowly opened her eyes to a heavy gray haze. Her entire body hurt, and whatever she was lying on wasn't doing her any good. It felt like a pile of rocks digging into her back. Why was she on her back? She couldn't remember at the moment, so she just shook her head to try and clear the haze as she slowly pulled herself to her hooves. The haze retreated from eyes and was replaced by a dull grey light surrounding a pillar of bright white light she found herself in.

"Ow... that hurt. But nothing seems to be broken." She looked around her surroundings as her memories came back. She and RD had been thrown from their subway car when it collided with the one that had been lying on the tracks. And, from the look of the hole above her, that crash had caused a break in the ceiling of this area and she had been thrown down, the light of the cars reflecting off of the ceiling of the tunnel above. A quick look around showed her that RD had not landed down here with her. What here was looked like another long tunnel, but not a subway tunnel. It seemed to be an access one built beneath the tracks for maintenance purposes. That was where the grey light was coming from, a row of dull lights lit the center of the tunnel's ceiling.

"I hope she's ok," she said as she looked down the tunnel and began walking in the direction that she believed she had been traveling in. After sometime, her path ended with a door marked with an 'authorized personnel only' sign. "As master put it, nothing ventured, nothing gained." She opened the door, hoping that there were no traps, or anything, behind it, but instead, was met with another tunnel. This one was far shorter though, and had a similar door set at its end. Pinkie quickly made her way to this door and slowly opened it.

The first thing to hit her was the noise. The sounds of grinding metal, of whirring gears, roared all around as the door opened up into what looked like a large, open factory. Pinkie walked out onto the metal catwalk beyond the door and made her way to the railing overlooking the work floor.

"No," she said softly. Sitting there, far below, was the Nightmare pony, severely damaged, but slowly working to repair itself as per one of its three great abilities, that of self repair. Also, there all around the suit, were those misshapen suits that had attacked her and Twilight and Master in the city. There was even an assembly line in the far corner, creating more of them from cast of materials of the Nightmare Pony.

"Took your sweet time to get here, Darling," Rarity's haughty statement floated down from above. "You see, I'm not like that brash feather head, or the dull country pony. Their plans for you were so... direct. Easy to counter as it's shown. They lacked finesse, pizazz... surprise." Several explosions went off below Pinkie, rattling the catwalks. "I would hurry, Darling. We don't want you to have another fall."

Pinkie began running as the crashed and explosions grew closer from below. She found a staircase up to the next level and did the same. Over and over, she ran as fast as her worn body could take as the catwalks below her fell into oblivion. Soon, she reached the highest level. There were no stairs, instead, there was a ladder, leading up to the ceiling and what Pinkie believed, was an access hatch. She ran towards that, but before she could reach it, an explosion tore through the catwalk before her, tearing it to shreds. Pinkie did not stop though, as she reached the gap, she leaped, pushing off and aiming for some of the larger pieces of catwalk that were now on their way down after being thrown up by the explosion. One final leap put her on the ladder. She let out a sigh of relief as she slowly climbed up to what awaited her above.

Twilight slowed to a stop as she neared the center of the industrial district of Ponyville. There was a large open space before her, and whatever had been following her seemed to have given up the chase. "None of this makes any sense... what's going on here?"

"Shining Pony?" Pinkie's voice got picked up by the Shining Pony as the visuals zoned in on her as she climbed out of a hatch on the ground. "What are you doing here?"

"Pinkie?" Twilight said as the Shining Pony lowered itself to let her out. "What's going on. Why are you here?"

"Twilight! It's right here! Right beneath us!"

"That is quite correct, Darlings." Rarity's voice echoed around them.

"Of course it is," RD's voice added itself to the mix. "Why else would we have lead you here? You didn't really think that all that happening was coincidence?"

"Took a lot o' finaglin' ta get ya inta tha' access tunnel, Sugarcube." Applejack's voice also found its way into the surroundings. "Glad ya made it too."

"Yeah, and lucky for you, your suit made it here as well." Rarity said as the Jewel Pony stepped out of the smoke and haze, followed by the Hurricane and the Applebuck. "Now we can continue our little game from earlier."

"No!" Pinkie shouted. "This is not who you all are! You are all being controlled!"

"So, you don't want to play?" RD said. "Then it seems that we'll just have to do this that way then. You won't be participating in anymore fights, Pinks. And you can't stop that suit down there without a suit." All three of the suits turned towards the Shining Pony and readied their weapons. When, suddenly, a loud voice cried over the area.

"FLEETING MOONLIGHT!" A cone of light soared straight at the trio of suits, sending them scattering back into the smoke and haze as the Mare of the Moon's beam coating dissipated. It turned towards the Shining Pony and Pinkie and Twilight once the three other pony suits had retreated fully. "Pinkie, I see that you are safe and sound."

"Master!"

"Good, it would have been bad had they started before I got here."

"Master?"

"Pinkie, you really were one of my best students." Cracks started forming all along the Mare of the Moon, a bright glow emitting from within. Bits and pieces on its back crumbled away as large black wings burst out from the suit, casting darkness all around. The entire facade of the Mare of the Moon exploded away, revealing a pitch black pony suit, accented with a deep, deep blue. Large black wings adorned its back, and the horn of the Mare of the Moon was larger, more dangerous looking as the head of the suit now sported glowing eyes of red and wicked looking fangs. The sleek look of the Mare of the Moon was nowhere to be seen, as this suit was clad in heavy looking armor, yet, it didn't seem like that would be a hindrance at all to the suit. Pinkie and Twilight looked on the new suit with terror as the Jewel, Hurricane, and Applebuck Ponies stepped back into view.

"Say hello, to the Master Pony."