> The Demon of Mars
>  by Mystic Sunrise
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

This late at night, Chryse Guard Security's base was quiet as very few wandered the hallways and those that were awake were mostly on patrol duty around the perimeter.

It was even quieter in the main power room, the only sound was a faint hum coming from the Ahab Reactors of the mobile suit that served as a power source for the whole base.

Some would question why a mobile suit was being used as a battery like this, but it was soon obvious why. The cockpit block was missing altogether, so it was useless as a weapon. What had happened to it, no one knew, and even fewer cared.

No one really knew what it was or even where it came from. It didn't resemble any known mobile suit design in use today. Maruba Arkay had found it out in the desert some years before, but even he didn't know much about it.

Only in the records of Gjallarhorn would something be found as to its identity and history. But no one here would dare ask them about it. Few liked the organization as it was.

Even among Gjallahorn's ranks, few knew about it at all. Only among the Seven Stars was more widely known of the mobile suit, but few really believed their family's stories of war three hundred years gone.

Even the family whose history was tied to the mobile suit now barely thought of it as any more than an old legend, or that it had never existed at all.

For the moment at least, the few in the room paid it no mind. They had grown used to seeing it by now, and few cared enough to look at it. To them, it was just part of the base, no different from anything else in this Earth-forsaken place.

Only one did, a young boy who looked back as he left the room with his friend Orga Itsuka. Something about the mobile suit always seemed to draw his eye, yet he could never explain why. But something about it seemed to call out to him.

He never talked about it of course. No one would believe him, and half the time, he didn't believe it himself. He didn't have many that he could call friends as it was on the base outside of Orga, and bringing this up would make him even more of an outcast than he already was.

And as much as he wanted to deny it, he didn't want that.

For a second, Mikazuki Augus felt something brush past him. But there was nothing there as he turned to look for it, so he paid it no mind.

"What is it?" Orga asked as he turned to see why Mikazuki had stopped.

Mikazuki shook his head as he turned around. "Nothing. Thought I felt something."





Cosmos smiled as she watched Mikazuki and Orga leave. Though no one here could see her, she had left just enough for one to feel her. It confirmed her thoughts as she turned back to look at the far wall.

Walking over to the mobile suit's foot, her smile faded as she placed a hand on it. "How far they've fallen. They don't even remember your name now. Let alone Sunset's. A power battery! This is a new low for any Gundam."

She looked up to the head. Cosmos could see the signs of neglect and no maintenance all over the body. It was sad, to say the least. How it had become so bad, she tried not to think about it. Mankind had not learned it seemed from its near extinction.

She smiled, for she knew that in some way, it could hear her. "They remember her in Equestria. Celestia remembers her still. Her friends made sure of that after the Calamity War." She chuckled. "For her, it's only been thirty years since that day, but she still grieves like it was yesterday."

She rolled her eyes. "Sunset would rip these idiots apart if she could see what they've done to you. It would be worth it to watch. None of the Gundam Frames deserve this fate. No Gundam does. They should all go out in a blaze of glory. Not left to sit here, abandoned and forgotten."

Cosmos looked back toward the entrance, and her smile grew. "Your time is coming again soon. I know it. Mikazuki knows it too, even if he doesn't fully understand it."

That seemed to provoke a response, for the head looked up at her slightly. But it was enough for Cosmos to notice it.

She frowned though. Events were even now hurtling toward the same conclusion as it had been in the Prime Universe in this corner of the multiverse. But no more.

Not if she could help it as she poured her power into her hands and laid them both on the foot before her. Only she could see the glow that soon covered the entire mobile suit.

In a moment, the glow faded and Cosmos removed her hands as her smile returned. Nothing looked any different after all that, but that wasn't the full story as she turned and walked away.

Things had been changed for almost everyone. For the better, she felt. Why she thought to leave this universe the same as the Prime Universe here, she didn't know, but that was of little consequence now.

She had changed just about everything about the future of this universe. Somethings would remain the same of course, but certain events would not follow what had happened before in another universe.

As much as Cosmos wanted to change the present for Third Group, some things had to remain the same. Otherwise, those involved would never become what they were meant to be.

That included not changing a thing about the attack on CGS' base by Gjallorhorn that was soon to come, as much as she wanted to. None of the children here deserved this fate.

The changes would begin not long after that though. Gjallarhorn would never know what hit it when McGillis Fareed launched his coup. And Mars would have its king. There were worse choices than Orga for the role she felt. But there were no better choices either.

She turned back once and smiled. "Good luck, all of you. Makes them proud," she whispered, before fading away completely. Nothing seemed to have changed in the whole room after all that.

But for the first time in over three hundred years, the Gundam Barbatos looked newer in some way. And now it only waited for the right time.

As the memories of a pilot, over three hundred years dead returned to its own memory. Part of Sunset's former magic had leaked into it during her time as its pilot, giving Barbatos more of a soul than what many had thought possible.

And now that soul had awoken from its long slumber.





While Cosmos knew that she had laid the groundwork for the characters in her brief stop with the Barbatos, there remained something that needed to be done to make sure things turned out like she wanted to.

Her first stop? Jupiter. Teiwaz had the knowledge to bring Barbatos back up close to where it had once been during the Calamity War. But they did not have what it needed to bring it back up to 100%

An easily solved problem of course as Cosmos made her way to where the Saisei was currently located. She again wondered how humanity had fallen so low. Sunset and the others had brought it back from the brink of extinction, yet they had fallen again.

It was sad, really. And not a little pathetic as well. Gjallarhorn was partly to blame of course. The organization founded to keep mankind alive had become no better than those from an earlier epoch.

But that would change of course. Even now, her earlier changes were already taking effect on certain individuals. On Mars, and across the entire Earth Sphere and Outer Sphere.

And those who were a complete waste of a character? Well, it wouldn't be like many would miss them in the end anyway. Stupid plot armor in the Prime Universe. But that was easy enough to fix. And she would enjoy watching them die.

Oh, how she would enjoy watching them die. Especially Julieta and Lok. A bigger waste of literally everything about them would be hard to find in many universes. Cosmos almost considered getting rid of them right here and now.

But where was the fun in doing that? It was more fun to watch them squirm as they realized they were about to die, and there was nothing they could do about it.

Cosmos chuckled at the thought as she finally came to where the Saisei floated. Quickly focusing on the task at hand, she wound her way around to where the mobile suit shops lay.

It wasn't too hard to find her way to the main computer room. When no one could even see her, let alone do anything to stop her, it was like taking candy from a baby.

And while she was in the right mood to do just that, Cosmos had more important things to worry about at the moment, as she came before the main terminal. Quickly setting to work, she soon had what Teiwaz had on the Barbatos, and several other Gundam Frames as well, up.

As she had suspected, these specs would allow engineers and technicians to bring Barbatos close to 100% of its original fighting capability and operational standards, but not all of the way there though.

It would never really be what it was when Sunset had been its pilot of course, and Cosmos had no intentions of that, but the modifications she was inputting at that moment, would allow Mikazuki to fight with it in his own way. One that would still be his own.

And at the same time, follow closely what Sunset's own piloting had once been. When the time came for Barbatos' upgrade to its Lupus and finally Lupus Rex forms, it would truly become the Devil of Tekkadan.

This was ironic in a way, seeing as it was named after the Eighth Duke of Hell from the Ars Goetia. Why all of the Gundam Frames were named after demons was beyond Cosmos at the moment, but their names were fitting.

How Teiwaz had this information was not something she could see, but there was little point in knowing that now. That they knew this much at all was all that mattered.

And, in a way, they were all carrying on the proud tradition of the White Devil of the long-ago Universal Century. Zeon might have even appreciated the irony of what was soon to come. Though it was hard to tell if that applied to all or just some.

Gjallarhorn's EB-06 Graze and its various offshoots were in some ways like Zeon's Zaku, but the organization was far more like the Earth Federation's Titans and the Earth Sphere Federation's A-Laws. While Mars and Tekkadan were more what all those who wanted to claim independence from Earth could have been.

But she could not change what had come in the past. Not here in this universe at least, as Cosmos finally finished updating Teiwaz's and Saisei's databanks. Her work here was done now. Now all that remained was to watch as the final drama played out.

She wondered briefly, as she left the room behind if the In-Between Inn had anything going on at the moment. She could use a strong drink after what she had done here, and Pinkie Pie was always up for a good story. Last she had heard from the pink pony, no one had ever come to the Inn from a universe like this before.

And if Rainbow Dash was also there, she would love it even more. She was always up for a good action story. All they had to go by was those fantasy mecha to go by. Time to change that.

They seemed to have a distinct lack of Gundam-related universes where they came from.  Why that was, Cosmos didn't know. The others didn't like to talk about why some universes didn't exist in their own multiverse.

If she had to blame it on anything, it was that many more like her had been born mortal, and still held many of their mortal morals and concerns. Cosmos was beyond that of course for she had always been as she was. Mortal had never been a part of her being. Not as the others knew at least.

But that was a whole other story, she chuckled, as she faded away entirely from this universe.
> A New World
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

With a thud, Sunset felt her journey through the mirror come to an end. Groaning, she took a moment as her stomach stopped doing flip-flops. She hoped the return trip would be more pleasant.

"Ow," she grumbled as she slowly opened her eyes. She was greeted by the sight of a paved street beneath her, and strange appendages where her hooves should have been.

Normally, this might have caused her to panic. But she was Sunset Shimmer, and she did not panic. Before she had left Equestria, she had been able to glean some facts about the world on the other side of the mirror.

1. Wherever this place was, it was not on Equus, nor did magic apparently exist here.

2. The dominant species of this world were called humans, and they were as different from ponies as anything could be.

And last, but certainly not least, she would not be able to return to Equestria for another thirty moons. Or whatever the hay that might mean here. Who knew what that could be in this world?

Sunset had originally meant to present all she knew of the World Mirror and this world as a sort of present to Princess Celestia one day. She knew her teacher had often wondered about the mirror, and Sunset had been more than happy to look into it.

But that was no longer a possibility. Not after their fight. Not after the Sun Princess had denied Sunset her right, her destiny. Just thinking about her old teacher got Sunset's blood boiling.

After a moment though, she shook her head, as she came to a sitting position. Getting mad about it now would do her no good. She was on her own for now, and she still needed a plan.

Looking down at herself, she found herself clothed in what could only be described as a punk look. It suited her, as she took her new look in, she thought with a grin. On her skirt was her cutie mark.

Sunset wasn't sure how she would explain that, as she stood and dusted herself off. But one step at a time. From what she could see, it looked like she had been dumped in an alley. It sure smelled like it, as she pinched her nose. Behind her was a brick wall, and to her front was a street corner.

Something on the ground though caught Sunset's attention, as she bent over to pick it up. But none of what it said made any sense to her. What the heck was a mobile armor? The crudely drawn picture didn't help either. It almost looked like something from one of those anime from Neighpon. Not that she ever watched those of course.

She shook her head as she threw it into a nearby dumpster. It didn't help her in the slightest, so she soon forgot about it as she came to the end of the alleyway. Luckily, no one was close by, so she was able to wander onto the sidewalk without attracting attention.

If it wasn't for the lack of carriages, Sunset could almost swear that it looked like Canterlot. That made her smile in a way she hadn't for a long time. But something stood out, something that didn't make any sense to her as she looked up and down the sidewalks.

Where was everyone? The streets were deserted. Not a soul in sight, and even the windows in the building fronts were closed up.

Looking back, Sunset could just make out the faint shimmer in the air that marked the location of the portal back to Equestria. Unless someone in this world was that lucky or had seen her come through, no one would likely find it.

And as much as she hated Celestia's guts at the moment, Sunset was glad of that. Whatever else she thought of her old home, she didn't want anyone in this world to find out about it or her. Not now, and maybe not ever.

But that could wait for the moment, as she felt her stomach growl. She hadn't eaten before she had come here, and it was showing. The trouble was, she had no idea what a diner around here looked like, and she had no way to pay even if she did. And she would die first before she even thought of stealing something.

Her pride would never allow it. But at the moment, the lack of life of any kind around her was unsettling in the extreme as Sunset walked down the sidewalk. Why was this place deserted?

A brush against her shoe caused her to look down. It was a newspaper. Bending down, Sunset picked it up and looked it over. She was shocked to see that this world and Equestria seemed to share the same calendar. It was March 27 on the other side of the portal, but this paper was dated the 12. But it was the headline that held Sunset's attention.

'Over six million feared dead as Los Angeles falls. Army divisions unable to slow the advance as Hashmal moves on the east coast of the United States.'

Sunset turned green in the face. She couldn't wrap her head around that number of killed. What could do that? Why would anypony ever do that? And for what?

She didn't know what the name meant either. Nothing in Equestria sounded like that or even close. Beneath the headline was what she could only guess was a picture of the city in question, in flames, and what might have been the army in question, fighting whatever this, Hashmal thing was.

Animalistic was the best way Sunset could describe the creature in question if that's what it was. It dwarfed in size everything around it. A long-tail swatted things like flies in several directions, and from what she guessed was its mouth spewed what looked like a beam of magic, one that vaporized anything it touched.

That the city around her was not in ruins at the moment told Sunset that whatever this thing was, it hadn't come here yet, and she hoped it never did. At least while she was still in the city.

"Ya look lost there sugarcube."

Sunset jumped at the unexpected voice behind her. Turning, she came face to face with a girl that looked to be about the same age as her. Blond hair and tanned skin stood out against the rather drab background.

She forced a smile. "You could say that," she replied.

The girl nodded. "Figured as much. Name's Applejack," she said as she extended a hand.

Sunset forced herself to be nice for the moment. "Sunset Shimmer." Her stomach growled at that exact moment, and she smiled sheepishly. "Um. You wouldn't know where a gal could get something to eat, do you?"

Applejack chuckled. "My family runs a place down the street."

Sunset's smile faded after a moment though. "I don't have much money though."

Applejack smiled. "That's okay. Apple never turns away a hungry customer, even if they can't pay. Ya can work, can't ya?"

Sunset bit back a scowl. Work was not something she enjoyed very much. At least not the kind Applejack might have in mind. But then she sighed as her stomach growled again. It was either this or go hungry. She could get back at her later, as she smiled again. "Yeah, I can work."





Sunset swore as she took another bite of the best salad she had ever tasted, that if this was heaven, or whatever the afterlife was called in this world, she never wanted to leave. This put to shame the best chefs in Canterlot Castle and then some.

The Apple Barn, as the restaurant was called, was nice in the homey sort of way. Nothing like the places she had known in the Upper District of Canterlot, but reminding her of her fillyhood in Baltimare. Whoever was the cook here, knew their stuff.

Applejack chuckled as she sat down across from her. "Lands sakes girls. It's like ya never had a salad before. This is just the basic Garden Meal."

Sunset swallowed before she answered. She didn't have to fake the smile that came to her at the moment. "Applejack, if this is what you call basic, I'm a beggar. This is the best thing I've had in a long time."

Applejack blushed as she pulled her stetson down over her face. "Shucks sugarcube, you're just saying that. Then again, the Apple Family has been here a long time. Been cooking even longer. Course we know a thing or two."

Her face soon turned serious, however. "That said, you're not from around here, are ya?"

Sunset shifted in her seat. "You could say that. I don't even know where here is."

"Don't know if it ever had a name, back before all this started," Applejack replied. "Few people still here just call Home. Rest ran east, trying to outrun those, things. Lot of good that did those out west. Killed more than I care to count."

Sunset winced. Her mind returned to the newspaper she had seen. Applejack saw her look and sighed. "Ya saw the paper, right?"

Sunset nodded. "What is that thing?" She asked.

Applejack shook her head as she sat back. "Don't rightly know myself. Don't know if anyone does know much about them. They just showed up one day and started killing everyone. Some said they're made for the war for the Ahab Reactors, and went rogue for some reason. I don't know. All I know is that nothing's been able to stop even a single one of them, and there's more than one of them."

Sunset processed this. It was a start at least. "Are they machines or what? Is there someone piloting them?"

Applejack shook. "Nope. The only thing most do know is that they're all machines. No pilot, no controls, nothing. And no ethics either obviously. We call them mobile armors. No idea who started calling them by the names some do, but they've stuck."

Sunset digested this as she took another bit. This was not what she had expected to find on this side of the mirror. Not by a long shot. There was still a chance she could get back to Equestria before Princess Celestia noticed that she was gone, but that meant admitting she had been wrong, and there was no way she going back like that.

Even if she wanted to, there was no way at the moment she could ditch Applejack without looking suspicious or out of place. She still had time though, but she had to plan it carefully. Her best bet would be at night when everyone would be asleep.

For the moment though she shook her head. "If everyone's left, why are you still here?"

Applejack laughed. "This is our home. We ain't abandoning it just like that, no matter what. My brother Big Mac joined the army to try and help people as much as possible. We haven't heard a word from him since. We promised we'd wait for him here, and Apple's don't break promises."

Sunset could respect that as she finished her meal. She wasn't one to break a promise either, and it had saved her flank more than once in her life, and gotten her into trouble more often than not. Not that she cared either way of course.

She had just taken another sip of her tea when her world turned white, and the whole room exploded around her. She and Applejack were far enough back that they survived the blast, but the front of the store was gone.

Sunset's ears were ringing as tried to pull herself up. From the corner of her eyes, she could see Applejack do the same, her calm expression gone as she stalked to the front of the ruined restaurant. Even as she came to what had been the front door, a distant siren began to wail.

Applejack saw someone she knew in the crowd of people running past. "Braeburn, what the hell was that?!"

Braeburn said only one word as he rushed past, but it made Applejack's blood run cold. "Plumas!"





Princess Celestia was not having a good day. Something that was very rare for the Solar Princess. But today was proving the exception. And it all had to do with her student, Sunset Shimmer.

The two of them had finally come to blows over Sunset's demands to be made an alicorn and a Princess of Equestria. Celestia, as she had before, had, of course, refused to do so. Sunset was not yet ready, nor did she deserve it at this time.

But something had changed now. Sunset's demands were the same, but her anger had grown from a mere temper tantrum to outright threats, and when Celestia had once more refused to do so, Sunset had attacked her.

The attack had no effect of course. Even at her worst, it would take a lot more than a unicorn with delusions of goddesshood to hurt Princess Celestia. But the beam of magic had another effect.

Never before, even when she and Sunset had dueled each other with magic, had Sunset done this. Her attack had meant to put Celestia out for some time, or outright kill her.

When the smoke had cleared, and she had seen her magic had no effect, Sunset had stormed off, the Royal Guard too stunned at what had just happened, to stop her.

Celestia had let her go and had given orders that Sunset was to be left alone. Her heart had broken at the sight. The mare who had once looked up to her with awe, who she almost considered her daughter, had attacked her. Not for play, but in anger.

Celestia had wept long into the night, wondering again why those close to her always pushed her away. First Luna, and now Sunset.

She had barely had the energy to raise the sun this morning, but she could not let her own anguish fall on those who didn't deserve it. And then, just as she was about to head down for breakfast, had come the news she didn't want to hear.

Sunset Shimmer was gone. Not only from the castle but also seemingly from Canterlot as well. No guards had seen her leave the main gates, nor even one of the side entrances and nopony matching Sunset had boarded a train leaving the city.

As much as Celestia wanted to deny it, that left only one possible place Sunset could've fled to. The World Mirror had become active the day before, and she knew Sunset knew that as well. Why she would flea through it was beyond her at the moment.

Right now, all that mattered was that they find her, and try to bring her home. Who knew what waited on the other side of the mirror? Celestia herself didn't, but it was possible Sunset did.

At the moment though, her current mood was even sourer as her Seneschal Kibitz once again tried to get her to move on to the day's agenda.

"If you stop this nonsense now, you will still have time to be ready for the Morning Session of Day Court. The Royal Kitchens have been alerted to the change of schedule for the day. I do not see why you waste your-"

A white wing blocked his path, and the heat of the corridor went up several degrees as Princess Celestia turned to look at him. Her eyes narrowed as she stood in front of him and lowered her head to his level.

"Kibitz. I suggest you think about how you plan to finish that sentence. I have put up with your obsession with a strict schedule with no thought of ever-changing it at the last minute because you have done exemplary work for so long," she said in a low voice, on that brokered no argument. "But I suggest you remember who you are speaking to. I am putting my hoof down on this, and I will not be argued with. Understood?"

Kibitz, for the first time in a very long time, nodded meekly. Even he knew that when the princess was like this, there was literally nothing anypony could say that would change her mind. 

Celestia nodded as she looked at the door they had stopped at. Opening it with a burst of magic, the group entered what looked like nothing more than a storage room, one with only one item, a large mirror against the far wall.

Only a few knew that this wasn't an ordinary mirror, but a portal to another world. As the group looked it over, Celestia sent a pulse of magic around the room, one that confirmed her worst fears.

Sunset had indeed come through here earlier that morning. Her magic trail leads right through the mirror. Celestia bowed her head. This was her worst fears confirmed. Sunset Shimmer had abandoned Equestria for whatever world lay on the other side of the mirror.

Kibitz looked at the mirror with some interest, while the Royal Guard showed no sign they even cared at all. "Where did this even come from?" Kibitz finally asked. He knew of the mirror only in passing, but it was still something.

Celestia smiled fondly at a long-ago memory. "Starswirl and I found it not long before the Pillars were formed. We only know for sure that it opens to another world, and that remains open for three days, before closing for another thirty moons."

"And Sunset Shimmer went through it?" One of the guards asked.

Celestia nodded. "Yes. But why she would flee to the other world, I do not know. I myself do not know much about it, and I fear what may happen if I follow her."

"So what is to be done now?" Kibitz asked.

Before Celestia had a chance to reply, a hot wind blew outward from the portal, blowing all of their manes wildly. On the breeze came another thing as well. A stench that made everypony cough and wretch at the sheer unpleasantness of it. Not even the guards could hide their sick looks. Celestia knew what it was, though it had been a long time since she had smelled it.

It was the smell of burning flesh.

"What. What is that?" One pony finally asked.

Celestia shook her head. "Death. The smell of death."

She bowed her head, as her tears flowed now. "Oh, Sunset. Please. Be careful. Come home. Please."





Sunset's ears were still ringing by the time Applejack ran back to her, her expression one of pure panic. "We gotta go. Now!" She yelled, pulling Sunset to her feet and dragging her to the back of the building.

As they came to the back room, Sunset finally pulled herself together and pulled herself out of Applejack's grip. "I can walk on my own, thank you. What was that back there?"

Applejack shook her head as the two of them came to the back. "Pluma. Darn varmint machines. One of them shows up, and you're in trouble. Run ahead of them mobile armors they do, and the momma machine ain't far behind usually. And there's never just one. One of them shows up in your town, ain't nothing living ever comes out of it."

Sunset tried to make sense of that, but even then, she could hear the distant sounds of further explosions and people screaming. "So, what then? We run? I've never run from a fight in my life Applejack."

Applejack chuckled. "I hear ya. But unless ya got some superweapon in that jacket of yours, running is all we got now."

That shut Sunset up. She didn't have anything tucked away like that. If this was Equestria, she'd march out there and teach that Pluma a thing or two herself. But this wasn't Equestria, and her magic might as well have been on the moon for all she could use it now.

But that didn't mean she had to like it, as Applejack pushed open the door and lead her out into an alley that ran behind the building. The stench of garbage was overshadowed by the smell of smoke and destroyed buildings, and something else. Something that made Sunset want to vomit right then and there.

The stench of burning flesh.

She swallowed, trying to keep her lunch where it belonged, but it was easier said than done. "So where are supposed to go then?" She asked as she steadied herself on a nearby wall.

Applejack shook her head. "I still have friends in the city. We all agreed to meet behind the restaurant. I ain't leaving without them or my family."

"Where is your family?" Sunset asked.

"Don't rightly know myself. Granny had knitting with some of her friends, and who knows where Applebloom ran off too," Applejack grumbled. "Darn kid gets into more trouble than she's worth."

"What about your parents?" Sunset asked.

Applejack shook her head. "Died a long time ago now. They were lucky I think. Didn't have to live through any of this."

Sunset bowed her head. "I'm sorry."

Applejack chuckled. "Nah. Don't be Sunset. Sure I miss em, but I ain't gonna waste time wishing for something that ain't gonna happen. I got my life, and I plan to live it. Not living in the past."

That got a smile out of Sunset. That was a way of thinking she could respect. Her own family was something she tried not to think about. She hadn't seen her parents in a long time, and that didn't seem to be something that would change any time soon.

Applejack gave her a look. "Ya got family Sunset?"

Sunset shrugged. "I'm an only child, and I haven't seen my parents in years. We didn't exactly get along the last time we met either. They all but disowned me after our last fight, and I never looked back."

Applejack looked appalled at the very thought, but a sound from down the alley stopped whatever she was going to say. Pulling Sunset down with her, the two of them hid behind a dumpster as something stomped by their hiding place.

Very carefully, Sunset stuck her head out and looked down both ways. She felt her breath hitch as what looked like a huge mechanical animal moved past the alley. To her horror though, the machine stopped, as if it sensed something was watching it. Slowly, it turned its head around and began to move their way.

Sunset pulled her back as fast as she could as the machine's head pushed its way into the alley. A red light shown from looked like an eye as it scanned the entire area.

Sunset and Applejack held their breaths as the light fell around their hiding place. For a moment, it held over them, before moving on. After a moment, the light winked off. A mechanical growl echoed off the walls as the machine pulled its head out of the alley and continued on.

The two of them sat there, holding their breaths for a moment more, hoping it didn't come back before they let out a collective sigh of relief. Sunset turned toward Applejack. "What was that?"

Applejack shook her head. "That's a Pluma. Luckily it didn't see us. Don't think this dumpster would've done us a lick of good against it. Except maybe to make it mad."

Sunset couldn't argue that as the two of them stood up. Both ends of the alley were clear now, but off in the distance, the sounds of screaming went on as before. They seemed to be getting louder as well. 

Sunset looked back to where the Pluma had stuck its head in the alley. "I say we don't go that way."

Applejack nodded. "Good idea. Come on," she said, as she ran off in the opposite direction, Sunset soon right on her heels. Coming to the end, they looked in both directions. Nothing was in sight but for a few left behind pieces of luggage, people had dropped in their flight. 

Smoke still rose in the distance from burning buildings, and the stench of burning flesh was overpowering now, so much so that Sunset had to steady herself again the wall for a moment.

Applejack too looked green in the face, but she was able to keep a stoic expression. "Yeah. I don't blame ya. That's a smell I never wanna smell again."

Sunset couldn't agree more as she swallowed heavily. After a moment, her stomach settled as much as it ever could and she pushed herself from the wall. "So now what do we do? I don't think we can avoid those things forever."

Applejack nodded as the two walked onto the main street. "I reckon we just gotta avoid them till we get out of the city. Come on. Rarity's place is-"

The building behind them exploded, masonry and debris flying everywhere. Yet somehow, none of it hit the two of them, though the building behind them was torn to pieces by the rubble. But that would've been a mercy compared to what loomed out of the smoke.

The mobile armor seemed to look down directly at the two of them. There was pure malice in its gaze as its beak opened, and its mono eye glowed brightly as it gathered its power.

Sunset watched the attack that would end her life, as a million thoughts ran through her brain In that last moment though, one thought was clearer than the others, as she clenched her eyes shut and felt her tears fall.

"Princess. I'm so sorry."

...

...

An explosion rocked the mobile armor's head, but only enough that it turned its attention away from Applejack and Sunset to look at whatever had shot it. Which was more than enough for the girls at its feet.

Applejack grabbed Sunset and pulled her away, even as another shot rang off the machine's armor. It let out an all too real-sounding screech as it fired its beam weapon up the street at something neither of them could see.

The shock of almost dying, and then being saved, was enough to knock Sunset out of her addled state, and was soon running alongside Applejack on her own two feet. Looking back as the two of them passed down another street, Sunset felt her heart drop.

The mobile armor wasn't even slowing down and showed absolutely no signs that it had been hit in the head. There wasn't even a scratch on it. It seemed to be after something other than them, and Sunset thanked her lucky stars it seemed to have forgotten about them for the moment.

Over the sound of further hits, she could just make out the loud rumble of engines coming back from where that first shot had come from. Whoever was shooting that thing was either very brave or very stupid.

Sunset liked to think it was the former.

Applejack must have thought the same thing for she shook her head. "I give my hat off to them. They're brave to fight that darn thing with just tanks. Lota good that'll do them though."

Sunset gave her a look. "At least they're fighting. I've never run from a fight in my life."

Now it was Applejack's turn to give her a flat look. "Unless ya got something underneath that jack of yours that'll take that thing down." Sunset's silence said it all, and Applejack's look softened. "Look. I ain't more fond of running than you, but what else can we do?"

Sunset sniffed, all of her adrenaline rushing out of her as she slumped against the wall and the realization of how close she was to death. "I hate this. I've never felt so powerless in my life. I don't even know why I'm here now."

Applejack smiled slightly. "Not exactly what ya thought it would be?"

Sunset shook her head. "No. I don't even know what I thought it would be. I can't exactly go home, and I have no place to go here."

Applejack winced, as another explosion went off in the distance. "Least you're alive. Has to count for something."

Sunset laughed, but there was no mirth behind it. "Yeah. For how much longer though? We can't run and hide forever. That thing won't stop, and they're just pissing it off."

Applejack nodded, no matter how much she hated to. Luckily, she knew where they were. "Lucky for us then, Rarity's place is just over there," she said, as she pointed at the next house down the street. It didn't look any different from the rest of the houses.

Applejack though didn't care as she ran up the front steps and pounded on the front door. "Rarity! Get your prissy rear end down here! We gotta go, now!"

Sunset wasn't sure what she was expecting when the door opened, but the ivory white teenager, whose accent was so fake that even Sunset could see through it, was not what she thought Rarity would be.

"Goodness Applejack, you look a mess. And what's all the commotion?" Rarity asked as she stepped out of the entryway. "It sounds like a warzone out here."

Applejack rolled her eyes. "Whadya think's going on?" She asked, pointing at the smoke rising a few blocks away.

Rarity's eyes shrank in horror. "But. But they can't be here. No one said a thing about a mobile armor this far east. How did they miss it?"

"Ya wanna go tell it that?" Applejack asked with a hint of annoyance.

Rarity rolled her eyes. "Fair point." Here she finally noticed Sunset, who had stayed out of their way so far. "And who is your new friend?"

Sunset tried to smile, but it came out forced. "Sunset Shimmer." She winced as another building exploded not far away from them. "And I really don't feel like dying today if it's all the same to you."

That at least got a chuckle out of Rarity. "I could not agree more darling. Luckily mother and father took Sweetie Belle out of town for the weekend, so they should be safe."

"What about the rest of the girls?" Applejack asked.

"I'm here," came a new voice, a girl that looked to be just a bit older than the rest of the group, her pink hair standing out next to the others. "Rainbow Dash said she was trying to find Pinkie and Scootaloo, but that was the last I heard from her." 

Rarity tossed her hair. "And some people wonder why they don't allow Ahab Reactors in cities like this. Then again, mobile armors don't seem to care much about such things."

There was that name again. Something told Sunset that whatever an Ahab Reactor was, it was important in some way for this world. But that was something she could wonder about later, as the immediate problems came to mind. "Shouldn't we worry about getting out of here?"

Rarity nodded. "Indeed. We can't stay here. This is not how I wanted to spend my weekend, but a lady must make do with the situation at hand," she said as Fluttershy joined the girls on the walkway. "Normally I'd lock up. But I somehow don't see the need at the moment."

"Then we need to leave," Sunset said, pointing down to where the sounds of battle had ended. None of the girls thought it meant anything good, and the same metallic screech from the mobile armor only confirmed their worst fears.

Applejack shook her head. "I ain't leaving without Granny or Applebloom."

Rarity placed a hand on her shoulder. "Darling. Granny Smith is too stubborn to let a little something like this get in her way. She'll be fine. And if Applebloom is anywhere, she'll be with Scootaloo. Those three are inseparable."

Applejack didn't look fully convinced, but she did relax and tried to smile. "You're right Rarity. Just worried about them is all. I can't help it."

That got a chuckle out of the group as they began to leave. But Fluttershy looked back one last time with worry. "What about Rainbow and Pinkie?"

Applejack's smile grew. "If they're smart, they're already trying to get out of the city." She placed a hand on Fluttershy's shoulder. "We'll find them sugarcube. Dash is too stubborn and pigheaded to let this beat her."

Fluttershy did smile a bit at that, but the booming footfalls of the mobile armor put an end to any further talk. Without a backward glance, the girls ran, never once looking back the way they had come. Further down the street, they cut through a side alley and kept going.

They didn't stop running for a long time.
> Dead Earth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow was seething as she slammed the door to the girls' hideout shut. That she was alone closed down any arguments from the rest of the group. "I hate this! We run, we hide, and they still find us! What happens when we run out of places to hide? I'd rather die fighting than hiding like this."

Applejack gave her a sour look, even as she added another stick to the fire. "Fight em' with what Rainbow? Sticks and stones? Be our guest. Then we won't have to listen to ya bellyaching."

Rarity shot the farmer a curt look. "Honestly Applejack. At least Rainbow is doing something. You haven't gone out ever since we lost Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Big Mac. I miss them as much as you. But you can't keep blaming yourself for what happened."

Applejack looked like she was about to argue, but the fight melted out of her even as her shoulders slumped. "I know that. I just miss them. I was supposed to protect them. I promised ma and pa that."

Pinkie was quick to pull her into a hug, one that Applejack, though hesitant, returned. "At least Granny Smith didn't have to see this. I think she was the lucky one," Pinkie whispered.

As the two sat there for a moment, Rainbow joined the others around the fire. Where once it had once been a sizable group that had banded together, only Fluttershy and Sunset were left now.

Sunset sat staring into the fire, seeing things and a life that felt a lifetime ago now. Her life and memories of Equestria were a distant memory now. Now the only things she remembered were things that even in her worst nightmares, she had never imagined.

Her swagger, her pride, even her arrogance, had been burned away by the horrors they had all seen. Horrors that would remain with her for the rest of her life. For however long that was.

Fluttershy threw a blanket around Rainbow's shoulders as she joined them. "Anything?"

Rainbow shook her head. "Nothing good that's for sure. Venus went dark a week ago."

Sunset's heart dropped. "That's it then. The Inner Sphere is dead. Whatever's left on Earth isn't going to rebuild, even if they went for the Outer Sphere next."

Rainbow nodded. "Yeah, and there's something else." She looked at Fluttershy, and couldn't help but feel her heartache. "I found Wallflower's group. What was left of them."

Fluttershy's hands shot to her mouth in horror. "You mean?" She whispered, hoping against hope.

Rainbow nodded. "We're the only ones from Canterlot High left alive. She even had some of those snot-nosed brats from Crystal Prep with her. Didn't save them."

Fluttershy whimpered as Rainbow pulled her close, letting her friend cry as much as she needed. She looked at Sunset, who only shook her head sadly.

Sunset laid back against the ruined wall that formed part of what could laughably be called their shelter. Just a few pieces of broken buildings and two walls that they could all hide underneath for the night. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. All around them was a flat empty plane. Why this of all things was here none of them knew. But no one was complaining.

Sunset watched her friends hold each other, her hands balling into a fist at her sides. She hated this as much as Rainbow Dash did, though maybe for different reasons. She hadn't known any of the names the rainbow-haired girl had told Fluttershy, but it made her blood boil all the same.

It had been the same thing now for five years. Running and hiding, trying to stay one step ahead of the mobile armors and their Pluma drones. For a while it worked, but something always went wrong, and now from a staring group that had numbered over forty, only the six of them were left.

But what Sunset hated the most was that she considered all the girls here her friends, and she hated that there wasn't something she could to help them. Something that at one time in her life, she never would've believed possible. But that was the old Sunset Shimmer.

Pinkie, Applejack, and Rarity soon joined the three of them, and for a time, they all sat in silence. Rarity finally asked Sunset the question they were all thinking. "Where are we exactly darling?"

Sunset pulled out an old and ratty map, but it was legible as she unfolded it and looked it over. "Florida if we're lucky. One bit of empty plain looks like any other patch of empty plain to me. If we're lucky, Kennedy is still there and evacuating people off-world."

The girls shared a look. They had come this way based on the rumors the old Kennedy Space Center was still there and launching as many people off-world as they could. For a while, they had even been able to pick up radio broadcasts to that effect. But they had lost their last working radio a month ago. And even those had begun to become frantic.

No one wanted to think about why that might have been, but the worst-case scenario was never far from their minds. And so, they had turned their steps south, hoping against hope that a chance for rescue and escape was possible. During their journey, they had also been able to contact several other groups of survivors, and they had planned to meet as soon as possible to try and get there together.

That was no longer an option it seemed. But that didn't stop the girls from hoping that they were only a few days away from safety. Or so they hoped. That the radio had worked as long as it had meant there was no Ahab Reactor close by to render it useless, as the reactors did to all electronic devices.

Sunset gave Rainbow a look. "How long had Wallflower and her group been like that?"

Rainbow shook her head. "A while I guess. I ain't no doctor, but they'd been dead at least a week. Maybe longer. I didn't stick around to find out."

Pinkie gave her a look. "Was there anything at all left worth taking?"

Rainbow shook her head. "Nope. Kinda surprised they lasted as long as they did with what they had."

Rarity smiled slightly. "We're all on our last legs darling. That they made it this far says something for their determination and the human spirit."

Applejack nodded, before looking at Sunset. "How far ya reckon we gotta go before we get there?"

Sunset shook her head with a sigh. "I have no idea. It could be tomorrow. It could be another week. I have no idea where we even are at the moment. I'm just hoping we're on the right track."

Fluttershy nodded, trying to smile. "I say why all try and get some sleep then. We're not getting anywhere like this."

No one could argue that, and with Applejack taking the first watch, the rest of the girls soon turned in for the night.





As it turned out, they were a lot closer than Sunset had thought they were. They had only gone a few miles the next morning, pausing every now and then to listen for any signs of pursuit, before they came to what they had hoped to find.

They had been following the map called the Indian River but was now nothing but a dried-up watercourse that seemed to go nowhere. Somewhere along the river was Merrit Island, on which the space center was supposed to be located. Whether it still existed was another question of course. But the girls had no other ideas.

It was Pinkie Pie who finally broke the silence that cloaked the group. "I see something!" She said, bouncing happily and pointing away from them. Looking, the group could see what looked like a bridge that linked the mainland to what looked like an island. The bridge was run down to say the least, big chunks missing from the road, but it still looked like it was possible to cross.

Sunset grinned. "That must be the old NASA Causeway. I'm surprised it's still standing."

"But how are supposed to cross it? It doesn't look very safe," Fluttershy gulped.

No one could really argue with that. While it did look possible to cross over the bridge, it also looked like the whole thing would topple over in a stiff breeze, and none of them wanted to be on it if that happened.

But they couldn't see any other way across it, as they walked closer. The river bed, while as dry as the rest of it had been, was filled with rusting hulks and other trash. They weren't getting across like that it seemed.

Sunset's eye was drawn to what looked like the head of some huge robot. Mono eyed, and with what looked like a gas mask style mounting around its mouth, it stood out. It was as rusty as the rest of the trash.

At the foot of the bridge though, the girls came across the first signs of human life they had seen for some time now. A single tank stood guarding the end of the bridge, its engine running.

A single crewman was smoking on the engine cowling. He looked up in shock as the girls approached, but he soon grinned in relief. "Oh, man. You have no idea how great it is to see someone new! We thought we were the only ones left."

"What do you mean?" Rarity asked in concern.

The man shook his head. "We haven't seen anyone else come this way for six months. This is the last shuttle we still have. We've been waiting and waiting, hoping someone showed up. The last girl to arrive came all by herself. Said she was the only one left from her group. Never got her name though."

That was some relief to the group, small though it was. But it was soon cut short, as an explosion went off in the distance, followed by a wail that made their blood run cold.

The man's eyes widened in horror as he threw his cigarette away and clambered up the turret. "Christ."  He looked at them, a resigned look in his eyes. "Go! Tell them they have to launch now! They won't get another chance."

"What about you?" Sunset asked.

The man smiled. "We'll give you all the time we can. The bridge is safe enough. Just watch out for the holes, and you'll be fine." He slipped down the turret but said one more thing as the girls ran past. "Keep going, and don't look back. Don't worry about us."





By the time the girls made it across the bridge and into what they could only guess was the space center itself, the sounds of battle had already broken out behind them. That it was still going on said that the tank crew was giving as much hell as they were getting.

Fluttershy sniffed. "We never should have left him."

Sunset pulled her close. "There's nothing we could have done. Let's not waste the chance they're giving us."

That seemed to help the shy girl a little, as the group rounded a corner and came to a halt. In front of them, a small crowd of people was getting what looked like a plane with a booster rocket attached to its rear, ready for launch.

One looked up as the girls ran up to him. His gaze though fell as he saw how few they were. "Go on," he waved at the shuttle. "There's more than enough room on that thing for seven."

"Seven?" Applejack asked.

The man nodded. "I and the boys aren't going with you. The girl who showed up before you is already on board. You'll be the last ones to leave Earth behind. Everyplace else is already dead, or they soon will be."

"Why aren't you coming too?" Rainbow asked.

The laughed. "Kid. I've never been off-planet before in my life, and I don't plan to start now. I'm too old to be worth saving anyway. So are the boys," he said, as the rest of the crew around them nodded. He smirked as he pulled out a plunger-style detonator. "Besides, we have a little surprise for that thing in store."

Sunset couldn't believe what she was hearing, even as the sounds of battle behind them began to die off. "You're insane. That won't stop it. It'll be lucky to dent it."

The crew all shared a smirk before their chief responded. "Maybe. But it'll buy you enough time to escape. And that's all that matters." He turned serious a moment. "You'll be the generation that ends this nightmare. Don't make the same mistakes we did."

Something in his tone of voice finally got through to the girls. With a small smile, they all ran up to the base of the shuttle, but not before Fluttershy hugged the chief as tight as she could, crying even as she did. He didn't care at all, as he happily returned the hug. "Go. Don't let your friends wait," he whispered.

Fluttershy nodded, pulling apart, doing her best to smile at him, before she too joined the girls.

Sunset stood by the hatch a moment longer, watching the plume of dust in the distance get closer and closer every second. She locked eyes with the chief one last time. He smiled, and she couldn't help but smile, saluting him, one that he returned, before she too entered the ship and made her way up to the passenger compartment, the hatch closing behind with solid finality.

The engines had begun to rumble by the time Sunset found her friends. All were strapped in, none of them looking sure if any of this was a good idea. A seat had been left open for her, one she gladly took, and strapped herself in as well.

Across from them sat another girl, one about their own age. She and Sunset locked eyes for a moment before the girl looked away shyly.

Sunset rolled her eyes, as the engines ignited to full power, and everyone was pushed back in their seats, as the rocket sped toward space.

The shaking was something none of them had ever felt in their lives before, and the noise level prevented any of them from trying to say something to the others. After a few moments though, the roar subsided, as the blue of the sky outside their windows turned black, and stars began to come out.

Before any of them could say anything, a bright flash of light filled the window, before fading away. None of them had to say anything to know what it had been. Fluttershy began to cry once more, as Rainbow Dash pulled her close, her own eyes misty as well. They were all not much better it seemed, as each dealt with it in their own way.

Earth was gone, and they were all alone now.

Sunset punched her seat in frustration, even as her own tears fell. "Damn it all. Damn it."

The girl across from them hugged her legs, even as she too cried. She didn't know these girls. But a part of her felt like she should like they were meant to know each other. It didn't make sense, but it felt right all the same.

Sunset finally managed to get her emotions under control, as did most of her friends, though Fluttershy still sniffed. She smiled across the way to their companion. "Sorry about that. None of this is right."

The girl nodded, even as she dried her tears and cleaned her glasses. "Don't be. I don't like any of this more than you probably."

Pinkie bounced excitedly in her seat, even as zero-g began to affect all of them. "So. What's your name? I'm Pinkie Pie!"

The girl smiled slightly. "My name? It's Twilight Sparkle."

Rainbow nearly fell out of her seat when she heard Twilight's name. Her face lit up in a huge grin that made Twilight scoot back a little. "Oh. My. Gosh. The Twilight Sparkle? Agnika Kaieru's sister?"

Twilight gulped. "Um. Yes? And I'm adopted by the way." Her brows came together. "How do you know my brother?"

Rainbow scoffed. "Are you kidding? He's only the best fighter pilot in the Earth Federation. I saw him once. I've wanted to fly ever since." Her eyes had stars in them at this point. "He's so awesome."

Twilight giggled. "That's him. But he's nothing like that at home. He's the nicest man you will ever meet. He's part of the reason I have a family at all now. After mine was killed, he took me in and helped raise me like I was his own sister."

The girls all shared a look. All knew of what had happened to the Sparkle Family. Some called it an accident, while some called it sabotage (for what, no one could say), what had destroyed the family's shuttle. That the family's youngest daughter had somehow survived made her a minor celebrity.

Applejack undid her belts and floated over to Twilight, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry what happened to your family. It wasn't right that happened to them. Name's Applejack by the way."

Twilight's smile fell, as she sniffed. "Thanks. I was so young though, that I barely remember them. Agnika and his family gave me a home. He and my brother had been best friends. It was the right thing to do, he said."

That brought the mood in the cabin down even further than it had been. "But how were you on Earth?" Rarity asked. "Your family is one of the most important in the Earth Sphere. I am Rarity by the way."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Mother and father didn't want to send me to the schools on Jupiter, so I went to a school on Earth. Agnika wanted to send me to Canterlot High, but father insisted I go to Crystal Prep instead. All of my family had. Both of them, so he felt it was only right."

Sunset had a feeling of where this was going. "And then the horseapples hit the fan?"

Twilight squinted at the strange word but shook it off for the moment. "And then everything hit the fan. Some of my classmates and I were able to escape. But they never liked me. I think some of them even hated me, and I'm shocked they never left me behind when they had the chance."

"That wasn't very nice of them," Fluttershy added.

Twilight nodded, her gaze downcast. "I know. But it's probably what saved my life. They left me alone one day, said they were going to look for anything ahead of us on the road." She pulled her legs close. "They never came back. A day after they had left, I finally went after them. I found what was left of them a few miles from where they left me. A Pluma found them, most likely. I've been alone ever since."

That was too much for Pinkie Pie, as she propelled herself across the aisle and pulled Twilight into a hug. Once the shock had worn off, Twilight was soon to return the hug as well.

After a time, they parted, but Pinkie just continued to float around the cabin. In fact, she started doing laps around the whole area, causing Rainbow and Applejack to join her in an impromptu race.

The rest of the girls just rolled their eyes and stayed put for now. "I guess you guys have the same story?" Twilight eventually asked.

Sunset nodded, sharing looks with Rarity and Fluttershy. "Pretty much. I didn't know the girls until the attack that brought us together five years ago. We've been running ever since."

Fluttershy nodded. "I and Rainbow have known each other since we were little. We didn't meet the rest of the girls until Freshman year at Canterlot High."

Rarity nodded. "As much as they drive me crazy sometimes, I consider Rainbow, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie as dear friends." She pulled Sunset close. "Sunset may have been new to us at first, but she's now as much one of us as anyone."

Sunset nodded, but seeing the look in Twilight's eyes, she sighed. "I haven't had a family or a home to go back to in a long time. My parents all but disowned me after our last fight, and my teacher..."

Sunset's hands balled into fists, her glare hot enough to melt steel. "The less said about her the better. I haven't forgotten some of what she said to me, and I doubt she's forgotten either."

Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy all shared a look. They could feel there was more to this story than Sunset was telling them. But before any of them could say anything, an intercom buzzed to life.

"Coming up on the east coast of Australia now ladies. Get a good look. We break orbit in thirty minutes," a gruff voice said matter of factly.

Twilight's eyes widened in glee as she floated over to one of the many windows lining the cabin. "Oh. I've always wanted to see this. I hope we can see it," she squeed.

Sunset floated over to another window close, curious as well. "See what?"

Twilight only smiled knowingly. "You'll see."

A few moments later, the coast did in fact come into sight. It all looked the same to Sunset if she was being honest. Except for one, major thing. Something that didn't make any sense to her. "What is that? Why is there a chunk of the coast missing?" She asked.

The rest of the girls came around to see what Sunset was talking about. Indeed, a sizable chunk of Australia's east coast was simply gone. From this high altitude, it looked like a crater. But that didn't make any sense. Did it?

Twilight nodded. "That's the Sydney Crater. No one knows what happened, or why it's shaped like that. Some say there used to be a city there once, but that a colony was dropped onto it."

"Ya really think someone would ever do that?" Applejack asked, trying not to look green at the thought.

Twilight shrugged. "I don't know. But I wouldn't be shocked if it's true. It's not called The Black History for anything. Maybe it's better that we never know for sure."

Sunset shook her head in disbelief. "Mankind has a really stupid habit of trying to wipe itself out if someone was crazy enough to drop a colony on anything. Why do they even call it Sydney?"

Twilight shrugged. "Another question no one has an answer to. Old maps just have that name attached to where the crater is. Maybe there was a city called that there once."

The girls watched the crater for as long as they could, but it soon passed out of view as the shuttle reoriented itself. As they took their seats once more, Rainbow finally asked what they were all thinking. "So where's this thing going anyway?"

Twilight sighed, as she pinched her nose. "Mars. That's what I heard from the pilots anyway. Supposedly, there's something going on there. Rumors about how someone might have found a way to end this."

Rarity chuckled, but there was no mirth to it. "Twilight, darling. We've heard rumors like that before, and none of them ever amounted to anything. Or if they did, it didn't work out very well."

Twilight slumped in her seat. "I know. I really don't believe it either. But I also have family there as well. It's not much, but I'll be happy to see them even if there is nothing else going on."

"What about us?" Pinkie asked.

Twilight smiled a little at that. "You're more than welcome to join me. I won't make you of course, but I wouldn't mind if you did come. And," she paused, hugging herself tightly. "I'm jealous."

"Of what?" Fluttershy asked.

Twilight sniffed. "Of you girls. Of what you have. You girls have a bond that I've never had with anyone. I never had friends growing up. I see you, and I want to be a part of it. But I can't be. You barely know me. Why would you care?"

Pinkie floated over and pulled her into another hug. "Silly. I'll be your friend! I'm friends with everyone anyway."

Fluttershy soon joined them. "It isn't right to be alone like this. Especially now."

The girls all nodded. Sunset smiled as she placed a hand on Twilight's shoulder. "Maybe we still don't know each other all that well, but that doesn't mean a thing. The girls barely knew me when we all first came together, but they made a part of the group anyway."

Twilight brightened up considerably. "You mean?"

Applejack placed an arm around her shoulders. "I say we got plenty of time to get ta know one another." She paused. "Uh. How long till we get to Mars again?"

"Six months," Twilight replied.

Rarity smiled. "I say that is plenty of time darling. No time like the present."

Twilight's smile lit up the cabin. And even as they all felt the engines ignite, and the Earth begin to shrink in the window, the girls began to properly get to know one another.
> Its Name is Gundam
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

What should have been six months had never felt like six years to the girls. While they would say later that it had been a relatively quiet journey, it took far longer than Twilight had said it would, no matter how hard the pilots tried to make it faster.

The shortest route to Mars was traditionally along the Ariadne Network, a network of relays set along the most heavily used routes of the Sol System. With each beacon set one million kilometers from each other, and each beacon able to sense the Ahab Waves of the next beacon's reactor, ships could use this data to travel in relatively quick succession by following the beacons to wherever they wished.

Unfortunately, as the girls found out, that also made them sitting ducks for any mobile armor that sat along the routes. The machines had apparently left Earth behind and had moved into the Outer Sphere. And it was common knowledge that ships used the Network.

Twilight tried not to think about how many ships they had heard of going dead on the Network and what that meant. None of the girls wanted to think about what that meant.

Mankind was losing this war, and they were losing badly, with no end in sight.

So now, with the most direct routes a virtual death sentence for any ship crazy enough to try it, the shuttle had to take the long way around the Network. What should have been six months turned into almost a year, before the Red Planet came into view.

With not much else to do, the girls had tried to keep themselves occupied by getting to know each other better. Namely, Twilight trying to fit herself into the tight-knit group of six girls.

Something about Sunset though set her apart from the rest of the group, that piqued Twilight's interest. Not in a romantic way (neither of them liked girls like that, as Sunset had explained at one point), but there was something that was... Off, about her.

It didn't help that Sunset refused to talk about where she came from, aside from a couple of small details. She and her family had a falling out, and then Sunset had an even bigger falling out with her teacher and mentor, someone she saw as almost like a second mother to her. 

"My past is dead, Twilight. Even if I wanted to, I can't go back home. I won't abandon my friends. And I have no place to go home to. I and the princess didn't exactly leave on the best terms. I doubt she's mellowed out by now," Sunset had explained.

When Twilight had asked the others, they had said the same thing had been told to them as well. Fluttershy in particular didn't seem happy about what little they did know about Sunset and what she wasn't telling them about herself.

For the moment at least, they kept those thoughts to themselves at least. There were plenty of things they could all bond over, as it turned out. Twilight and Rainbow bonded over their shared love of science fiction and Daring Do, while she and Fluttershy gushed over their favorite animals.

While fashion had never been something she had looked into, she and Rarity could debate which outfits would look best on them when all of this was over. And while Twilight and Applejack came from very different backgrounds, both respected each other for their dedication to whatever they set their minds to, and family. Family especially.

Applejack was just old enough so that she remembered her parents before they died to an unknown sickness some years before all of this started. Twilight had been too young to remember her parents and brother to remember them. All she had, was the few photographs her adopted family had of them from various events they attended together. It wasn't much, but for Twilight, it was better than having nothing at all.

But finally, after far too long for all of them, Mars had finally come into sight in the windows. From here, they could see the faint gleams of light that came from the cities on the surface. It almost looked peaceful, except for the numerous gun platforms and warships that hung in orbit.

Twilight though didn't look all too happy, as she returned from the cockpit. "Well. I got good news and bad news. Which one do you want first?"

Rarity rolled her eyes. "Some good news would be nice, darling."

Twilight nodded, as she looked out at the defense fleet. "Good news is, that they're not going to shoot us down and that we have access to the surface."

"And the bad news?" Applejack asked, afraid to know the answer.

Twilight sighed, as she took a seat, as the fleet made a path for the shuttle to pass through. "We're the first shuttle from the Inner Sphere they've seen in eight months. And, if I heard right, we're the only shuttle from Earth that's made it here. In fact, I think we're the only shuttle that made it off of Earth before it fell."

Rainbow growled, as Twilight took her seat and the shuttle began to vibrate from atmospheric entry. "Great. Just bucking great. Can this get any worse?! When are we gonna fight back? We can't keep running forever."

The girls all nodded, even Fluttershy looking like she wanted to fight as well. Twilight though looked thoughtful about something, and Sunset could tell something was on her mind. "Come on, Twilight. What is it?"

Twilight shook her head, as she removed her glasses and cleaned them. "I heard there is something in the works on Mars. Something that could help end this war."

"What is it?" Pinkie, unusually calm for once.

Twilight shook her head. "They didn't say. They called it Project G. Most of Mars' resources and manpower have been diverted to help with it. They've even started looking for pilots."

Rainbow perked right up at that. "Where do I sign up?"

Applejack shot her a look. "Really, Rainbow?"

Rainbow though wasn't backing down. "I'm done running, AJ. It's time we fought back! Where else are we gonna run?"

Nobody could argue with that. "I'm with Rainbow. Where do I sign?" Sunset asked, trying to keep her cool at the very thought.

Twilight chuckled. "They didn't say. But someone must have put in a good word for us since they asked if we could go see them as soon as we could."

The girls shared a look at that. Who would know any of them all the way out here? Twilight saw the looks and rolled her eyes. "I don't know who it was. But they apparently asked for all of us by name."

That didn't clear anything up, but as the shuttle finally landed with a soft impact, the girls put it out of mind for the moment. They were safe, at least for the moment. That had to count for something.

A few minutes later, the girls stood on a tarmac, surrounded by frenetic activity, as the crew began to service the shuttle. Though none of the group could think of where it would go from here. What drew their attention though was the limo that seemed to be waiting just for them.

An elderly gentleman came up and bowed to Twilight, who blushed at the sight. "Lady Twilight. It is good to see you. We have been so worried ever since the news came that Earth had fallen."

The girls giggled at Twilight's look. She quickly pushed her glasses up and tried to remain. "It's good to be back, Alfred. Where is everyone? Are they alright?"

Alfred nodded. "Your parents are still on Jupiter. All in system traffic is strictly regulated now. They felt it was much safer out system. Master Agneika left for Olympus Mons some months ago. But that was while the Federation still existed."

Twilight's brows shot up. "The Federation is gone?"

He nodded. "All of the senior commands were killed when Washington fell. All that is left is what has been pulled together from the Outer Sphere Fleet, what could be saved from the Inner Sphere, and a few that ships that Mars has been able to produce. Hardly enough to call it a fighting force if I do say so myself."

None of the girls could argue that. Alfred though didn't seem to mind their presence. "All of you are more than welcome to join Lady Twilight at our estate. We have more than enough room for all."

That was a relief, and so the girls were more than happy to join Twilight.





The drive to the estate was a lot more relaxed than the shuttle journey had been, though more cramped. With no real threat at the moment, the girls finally relaxed a little.

Sunset watched the passing scenery with interest. Chryse reminded her of Canterlot in a lot of ways. Not perfectly of course. But it was odd how much of the city looked like her old home.

That feeling only shot through the roof when they came to Twilight's home. Aside from a lack of towers, and not being built on the side of a mountain, it was almost a carbon copy of Canterlot Castle.

Rarity's eyes sparkled as she took in the large home, as they all piled out. "You live here, darling?"

Twilight chuckled. "Yeah. It's not the Main House of course, though it probably is now after losing it on Earth. But it's home."

Sunset shook her head as they entered the Main Hall, once more putting her in mind of Princess Celestia's home back in Equestria. "Where did you even the money for all of this?"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "The Half Metal mines we own across the planet. And we did have a hand in developing the Ahab Reactor. That kind of thing makes a lot of money. For all the good it does now."

Alfred nodded as he joined them. "Despite what this might show, the family is also one of the honorable of the Old Families of Mars."

Pinkie giggled. "Aren't you just saying that because you work for them?"

He shook his head. "No. While I am loyal to them, of course, I have for one have seen the good they all possess. They have bad days of course, as do we all, but they are a rare thing."

Twilight nodded. "I was spoiled and never wanted for something if I really wanted it. But I was never any different from other kids, aside from all of this," she said, gesturing at everything around them. She turned to look at the butler again though. "Why is my brother at Olympus Mons?"

He shook his head. "I'm afraid I am not quite sure of it myself. He said that it had something to do with this Project G. Whatever that might be. But a fighter pilot with his skill would be something not to be wasted."

Excusing himself for a moment, Alfred disappeared into a side door, returning a moment later with a thick stack of papers. "Speaking of mysterious projects, this arrived not long before you arrived in orbit, Lady Twilight."

All of the girls looked at it. It was marked Top Secret, so it must have been important in some way. But what really threw them all for a loop were the names attached to it all. It was addressed to them, even Sunset.

Sunset blinked in confusion. "How do they know about me? I don't know anybody here, except you guys."

Alfred nodded. "Be that as it may, miss. Shimmer, your name is on it. Miss. Luna insisted upon it, though I cannot say why."

That brought everything to a screeching halt, as six of the seven girls looked at him in shock. "Luna. As in Vice Principal Luna?" Fluttershy asked hopefully.

He shrugged. "I do not know about that title, but that was the name of the lady who gave this to me. How she knew about you all arriving when you have, I could not say. But I cannot think it is a coincidence."

While Twilight didn't fully understand what was wrong with her friends, she had a feeling that there was something there she didn't know about. But that could wait a while longer. "So what are we supposed to do with these?" She asked.

Alfred shrugged. "Look them over, I suppose. That is what I was told at least. When you have rested for several days, there is a lift to Olympus Mons for all of you waiting. I pray that something good comes from all of this. We need a bit of good news."





Later that night, the girls had retreated to Twilight's room and things had turned into an impromptu sleepover. While Twilights' room was like most of what they remembered for their own, the row upon row of bookshelves added a personal taste to it all. Oh, and everything was done up in the most opulent style they could imagine.

"What can I say? I like to read," Twilight had said sheepishly when Rainbow had pointed all the books out.

With so much stuff around them, everyone had found something to keep them occupied. Rainbow had her head buried in the newest Daring Do book (now five years old), Applejack and Pinkie were at it in the latest fighting game, and Rarity and Fluttershy busied themselves sprucing themselves up after going so long without a spa date.

Sunset and Twilight meanwhile, were busy looking over what had been given earlier in the day. None of it made much sense to either of them.

Sunset rubbed her forehead as she lay one paper in particular. "Twilight, I'm no engineer, but none of this doesn't sound feasible. What could possibly need two Ahab Reactors as a power source? Why would it even need two? One is more than enough."

Twilight pinched her nose. "I don't know. It doesn't make sense to me either. And then there's this," she said as she picked up another sheet. "The Alaya-Vijnana. It's Sanscrit for "All-encompassing foundation consciousness." But they also call it a Man-machine interface. What does that even mean?"

Sunset shook her head. "I don't know. And I'm not sure I want to know. Machines have been kicking out butts for so long now, why would we want to do anything with them?"

Rainbow snickered. "And here I thought a couple of eggheads like you two could know everything. Guess not."

Sunset shot the rainbow-haired girl an annoyed look, while Twilight just giggled. "Come on, Rainbow. No one knows literally everything. No matter how much we may want to."

Fluttershy looked at the scattered pages. "So then, what do we do now?"

Sunset pinched her nose. "I say we go to Olympus Mons and see what all of this is about. If they're asking for us, it shouldn't be too much trouble to find out what's going on."

"Do ya think Vice Principal Luna is still alive?" Applejack asked.

Rarity nodded. "She's too stubborn to not be, Applejack. I'm not sure how she made it all the way out here. But I would be glad to see a friendly face once more."

That, if nothing else, the girls couldn't argue with.





A few days later, the girls were ushered through the heavily guarded Main Gate of Olympus Mons. It all looked like a military base from the outside, with heavily armed watchtowers and guard posts everywhere. There seemed to be a lack of buildings, but they could have been built into the cone of the volcano.

The volcano itself was covered in mechanical-looking things, none of which made any sense to the girls. A thin stream of smoke rose from the top of the crater, showing something was going on inside.

"I thought this place hadn't erupted in a long time?" Sunset remarked, looking far above the group to the crater.

Twilight shook her head, as she showed the group's pass to the guard on duty, who only smiled and allowed them to pass. "It hasn't. I have no idea what could be going on. None of this was here the last time I was here."

Fluttershy looked around. not a little unnerved at the activity around them. People went here and there on various tasks, some in groups and some alone. Few paid them much mind. "It looks like they're preparing for war."

Rainbow smirked. "About time then. This better be important if they have all this here."

The girls nodded, as a uniformed officer walked over to the group. He smiled as he saw Twilight. "Lady Twilight. It's been a long time. It gladdens my heart to see you alive."

Twilight gasped, as she recognized who the man was and rushed over to hug him, one he was happy to return. "Commander Coral! It has been way too long. I'm glad to see a friendly face. Is my brother alright? Where is he?"

Coral chuckled as they pulled apart. "Agneika is down in the Main Hanger. He wanted to be here to greet you himself. But duty calls."

Twilight sulked for a moment, as Sunset finally asked what they were all thinking. "What is all this for? You guys spent a lot of money on all of this. What is going on here?"

Coral shook his head, leading them all to an elevator. "It is not my place to tell you. We try not to talk about it too much, in case someone tries something. What we do here could help end this war. That is what I hope and believe in."

The girls shared a look, as the door closed and the elevator began to descend. "What could possibly help to end all this death and destruction though?" Pinkie asked, calmer than she had been in a long time.

Coral smiled, as a window on the far wall of the car opened, revealing a cavern beyond. "See for yourselves."

Curious, the girls crowded around the window and looked out. Nothing seemed to stand out until they looked toward the bottom of the cavern.

And their mouths dropped in shock at what they saw. Not at all of the activity. But at what was being built.

Laid out, row upon row, humanoid machines lay in various states of build. Some were almost a complete skeleton, while others were only a few parts that demarcated a body. All shared the same basic design, however.

"What in tarnation?" Applejack asked, giving voice to what they were all thinking.

Coral smiled. "The culmination of years of work and research. Digging into the Black History. A weapon that could help end this war. The rebirth of the mobile suit."

Sunset gave him a look. "Mobile suits? Those are supposed to be a myth. No one's ever seen one. I didn't even think they were a thing at all."

Coral nodded. "Be that as it may, miss Shimmer. That indeed is what you see before you. These are nowhere near ready of course, nor do we even have pilots for one, let alone all of them. But this is the beginning."

Twilight looked away from the window, even as the car came to a halt. "So what names do you call them? Please tell me you have some kind of name for them, not just what they are."

Coral chuckled, as the door opened, and the group walked out into a scene of frantic activity, with technicians bustling about here and there, or yelling orders at those working on the frames. "We do have names for some of them. Someone came up with the name, Gundam Frame, for what you see here is just the inner frame of the mobile suit."

Rainbow tapped her chin, as she looked at the nearest frame. "Why does that name sound so familiar?"

"It is said to be the name of a legendary mobile suit. One that helped to end many wars during the Black History," a new voice said, one that five of the girls knew, but never expected to hear again, as a middle-aged woman with blue skin, and even bluer hair approached them, a smile on her face. "And as much trouble you once gave me, I have never been gladder to see you, girls."

That was all Pinkie needed, as she rushed over and hugged the woman. Taken aback for a moment, she smiled as she returned the hug. "It is you, VP Luna!" Pinkie said happily.

Luna shook her head sadly. "That title has no meaning now. Nor has it for a long time. But I am happy to see you too, Pinkie Pie."

The rest of the girls were more restrained, but no less happy to see her. "What about Principal Celestia?" Rarity asked.

Luna winced, her good mood vanishing just like that. "Tia, she. She died saving me. She made herself as big a target as she could, and the damn Pluma went for it. I vowed to our parents, that I would make each and every one of them pay for that."

Sunset felt her heart clench. That was just something Celestia would do. No matter what world it was, she always put others above herself. She had never met this world's Celestia. But hearing that from her sister, she couldn't hate her like her pony counterpart.

For a moment, she and Luna met eyes, and something seemed to pass between them. Luna smiled slightly, seeing something there that Sunset couldn't see herself. "Enough with the sad though, this is meant to be a happy reunion. I managed to get here, and have been helping ever since."

Coral nodded. "Luna has been a great help. She knows how to motivate when the mood takes her. Rather harshly too, when she needs to."

The girls chuckled weakly, as Luna grinned evilly. Most of them could remember what it was like to be on her bad side in some way. Twilight and Sunset only shared a confused look and shrugged helplessly. 

Curious despite herself, and making sure not to get in the way, Sunset walked over to the nearest Gundam Frame. This one was one that looked almost complete, except for whatever armor would go on top of the inner frame. "So, do you just call them all Gundam? Or do they have their own names?"

Luna's smile softened as she joined her. "They each have their own unique name. This one here is the ASW-G-08 Gundam Barbatos." She pointed at the one they had first passed. "That one is the ASW-G-01 Gundam Bael." She gestured at the other frames that stretched into the distance. "And so on, and so forth."

Twilight tapped her chin. "Why are they named after demons from the Ars Goetia? I didn't think any copies of the book still existed."

Coral shook his head as he joined Sunset. "Your brother thought they needed a name that reflected what they will battle against. People, for some strange reason, have begun to give the names of the ten classes of angels in Judaism to the mobile armors. I cannot say why. They are nothing like them. But people are strange that way, I suppose. Whoever first created them never gave them a name as far as I am aware."

Rainbow ran over to another frame but made sure to try and stay out of the way. "And they're supposed to fight like this? There's no place for a cockpit. Heck, they don't even have armor."

Luna nodded, pinching her nose. "We are very well aware of that, miss Dash. The cockpit will be situated in front of the twin Ahab Reactors. Getting two of them to work together has been a major headache. The armor will go on after that."

Fluttershy joined Twilight, trying not to look scared at everything around her, but they could all see she was. "Um. Why would they even need two? If you don't mind me asking that is? I'm not an engineer."

Coral nodded. "Two is indeed more than is needed to power the mobile suit. The second is to help try and land a blow on the mobile armors. Very few weapons have been able to land a clean blow on even one of them. We have found that, somehow, their armor is all but impervious to beam weapons. That only leaves one option."

Applejack looked happy at the thought. "Up close and personal?"

Coral chuckled. "Indeed. It is however just a theory. All of this is. No one has any idea if any of this will even work. On top of that, we do not have any pilots yet. Few of the old Federation's pilots made it to Mars, and of those, all of them are assigned to the First Defense Fleet in orbit."

That was all Rainbow needed to hear though, as she ran up and saluted. "Where do I sign up?"

The girls sighed in exasperation, and even Luna looked annoyed. "Do you even know what you would be signing up for, miss Rainbow Dash? I have never once doubted your courage or resolve. But this isn't Canterlot High, anymore. This is life and death. There is no second chance," Luna said.

But Rainbow only shook her head. "I don't care. I'm done running." She looked at her friends, a pleading look in her eyes. "Look at us. None of us have a home to go back to. We're the closest thing any of us have to a family now. Where else can we go? What else can we do, but fight back?"

None of the girls could meet her eyes, for they all knew she was right. Their pasts were dead, and there was no way to bring them back. But they could still have a future.

Sunset was the first one to say something, stepping forward to stand with Rainbow. "I'm with Rainbow. I'm done running. It's time we fought back. There is no future if we don't."

One by one, even if Fluttershy came the slowest, the others followed, all sharing the same expressions. Luna and Coral shared a knowing smile. "Then let me be the first to welcome you all to the resistance. Today, mankind fights back against extinction," Coral said with a smile.

Luna nodded, her own smile growing by the second. "They may have won the first round. But we will win the war. Or die trying."
> Clouds of Revolution
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"... You are asking me a lot, McGillis Fareed. Gjallarhorn has protected the Earth Sphere for over three hundred years," Starlight Glimmer said, her fingers laced in front of her face. "If I had not seen it myself, I would say you are lying to me."

McGillis nodded, conceding the point. "I understand that, Lady Starlight. But we both know that Gjallarhorn is a shadow of what it was once was. The Seven Stars..."

Gaelio Bauduin could see his friend couldn't bring himself to say what was on both of their minds. His respect for the ruling elite of Gjallarhorn was still strong. But Gaelio had no trouble saying it for him. "The Seven Stars are a disgrace to their family names and legacies." He bowed his in defference. "I mean no offense to you, Starlight."

Starlight sighed. She knew he was right, as much it pained her to say. "No offense was taken, Gaelio. I have always valued your ability to not hold back on what you feel and think. I only wish more were like that."

Gaelio smiled slightly. "And the Dainsleifs? Only you or Rustal Elion have access to them and can authorize their use."

Starlight frowned. She and Rustal had butted heads over this more times than she cared to count. The weapons were illegal, and she had tried for years to get them all destroyed. But Rustal had talked her out of it every time, saying they were useful as a very last resort if it ever came to it. Which was true, as much as she did not like the idea.

Maybe it was time for her to stop playing nice. "I will personally see to it that each and every one of them is destroyed. Those who do not like it, or try to stop me? They can burn with those things."

McGillis was taken aback by the venom in the woman's voice. He had no love for them either. "Can that be done? Rustal Elion is a very powerful man. The Arianrhod Fleet is fiercely loyal to him. And whatever his faults, he is no fool."

Starlight smirked. "Leave that to me. When it comes down to hierarchy, I ultimately outrank him. The Sparkle Family name still means something to the others. I do not know where they will stand when the time comes. But I believe in what you are trying to do, Mcgillis."

Mcgillis began to smile, but he had to know for sure. "Then?"

Starlight nodded. "When the time comes, I give you full sanction to provide whatever aid and help you can. To Tekkadan. Any who wish to join you, have my full blessing. But it must be their choice. Gjallarhorn will change, and all of us must choose a side in this."

McGillis and Gaelio nodded their ascent, as Starlight disconnected on her end. Gaelio let out a breath he had not known he had been holding. "Well. That went much better than I thought it would. I still find it hard to believe everything we've seen."

McGillis nodded. He too had trouble believing all that Cosmos had shown them. But it felt too real to have been made up. And speaking of Cosmos. He turned to look at the young woman who sat to the side of the room. "Why not show all of this to those on Mars? Why us? And I assume, First Lieutenant Crank Zent, and Second Lieutenant Ein Dalton?"

Cosmos opened her eyes and looked at the two older men. "Because. Even if I had gone to Mars, I know that they would not believe me. They must choose this path themselves. Without my prodding."

Gaelio shook his head. "And of what of Lieutenant Zent and Lieutenant Dalton?"

Cosmos smiled. "If they are as smart as I believe and hope they are, then they will be more than happy to help. You saw how Crank reacted when he learned he was fighting children. It will be even more so knowing what blood will not be on his hands."

McGillis could not argue that, but there remained one thing. "And Lieutenant Dalton? He wasted his life on a pointless vendetta. Some kind of crusade in the name of a dead god. If there even is a god in this universe."

Cosmos chuckled. "There is no god here, Specialist Major McGillis. All religion is based on a false god of some kind. But that is beside the point, I feel."

McGillis and Gaelio shared a look. She had a point, they felt and decided not to press the issue for the moment. They had other things to think about, as the door opened and in walked First Lieutenant Crank Zent and Second Lieutenant Ein Dalton.





As the screen faded away, Starlight rubbed her forehead irritably as she looked over at the other woman in the room. The resemblance between her and Twilight Sparkle was astounding. Almost perfect in fact. "You are asking a lot of me, Cosmos. Not all will see the truth."

Cosmos only smiled as she opened her eyes. "Then they are fools of the highest order. An insult to what was lost in the war. If this is what humanity's protector has become? Then Operation Cleansing Flame and Operation Damocles should have succeeded."

Starlight blanched. Very few even knew those names, let alone what they were assigned to. "Do you think I enjoy watching this? I grew up on stories of the Calamity War. Not everyone believed them. But I did."

"Then where did it go wrong?" Cosmos retorted, though her voice never rose in anger. But it did not need to.

Starlight wanted to say something, anything. But there was not anything as she slumped in defeat. "I. I don't know. The Seven Stars are a joke. Only Gaelio and I try to be what they were. Rustal uses his connection to Sunset Shimmer as leverage against the others. All because of what happened at the Battle of Olympus Mons."

She sighed. "And I can't do anything about Lok Kujan and Juelieta Juris. As reckless and stupid as he is, Lok is still one of the Seven Stars. I would need more than this to do something. Julieta's only crime is being so devoted to Rustal. I will not punish her for that. She gets enough as it is."

Cosmos felt her heart drop in sympathy. Starlight was a woman at the end of her rope, fighting against the tide. But that was why she was here. "What of the Gundam Frames? You still have many of them."

Starlight smiled a little, as she brought up camera views of the hangars that held the remaining Gundams. Only twenty-six had survived the war, and Gjallarhorn had lost track of several of those in all the years since. "For all the good they can do us. The Alaya-Vijnana is a lost science. The Six made sure of that. All we have is a bastardized version of it."

She paused as her smile grew. "And thank you for pointing out where Barbatos, Guision, and Flauros were. I would hardly call the Brewers the best to get Guision. But Barbatos is exactly where it should be If I am being honest."

Cosmos nodded. "So you will not take them back if given a chance?"

Starlight shook her head. "No. What is the point? They deserve better than to be locked away like the others." She sighed wistfully. "I used to dream of piloting Bael. To feel that kind of power. If only for a little while at least."

Cosmos's smile only grew wider. And there it was. Bingo. "What if I told you I can help you live out that dream? Unless you plan to give Bael to McGillis?"

Starlight snorted. "As if. Maybe one of the others. But not my family's heritage. It is not like it matters either way. The Alaya-Vijnana is lost as it used to be. They will never be what they once were." She gave Cosmos a hard look. "Unless you are not telling me something?"

Cosmos only grinned.
> A World Left long Ago pt. 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

In an out-of-the-way spot in Olympus Mons, the air shimmered for a moment, before a portal swam into view. It could only be seen for a moment before it faded from view. But the portal itself remained.

Now it only waited for someone to find it.





For as far along as the Gundam Frames were, there was still much left to do to have them ready. And that did not even include finding those willing to pilot them.

Sunset and her friends had volunteered from the beginning of course, and even Luna had eventually volunteered as well. But there still remained more Gundams than pilots.

There was also the fact that there was currently no way to properly train people to pilot mobile suits. All they had were fighter jet simulators, and those could only do so much.

A fact Rainbow was more than happy to complain about as much as she could. And for once, none of her friends could really blame her for it. No matter how annoying it became to listen to on an almost daily basis.





Rainbow growled as she crawled out of her latest simulation. Her scores were improving, but that wasn't her problem. "This is dumb! You know this isn't how it's going to be out there. Assuming you can get them to work," she gestured at the mobile suits around them.

Agneika twirled a lock of his blond hair, his own mood not much better than Rainbows. "Then how would you do it, Rainbow Dash? No one has lived long enough to tell anyone how to do it."

Sunset shook her head, as she stepped out of her own simulation. "The reaction times are too slow. Even if you can get a shot off, the mobile armors just dodge it. Isn't there some way to make them faster?"

Agneika shook his head. "The Alaya-Vijnana is meant to make reactions instantaneous by expanding spatial awareness. In effect making everything move at much faster speeds. Assuming the surgery even works."

That caused the girls to wince, as they couldn't help but look at Agneika's back, and the mass of unhealthy skin that covered it. A sight that Agneika himself tried not to think about, though the pain and discomfort was his constant companion.

The Alaya-Vijnana was meant to be the trump card of the Gundam Frames and their pilots. The system consisted of two parts. One was installed in the mobile suit itself, and the other was implanted into the pilot's spine. The surgery created a pseudo-brain lobe in the pilot's spine using nanomachines, which would cause growth to sprout from their spine, dubbed a "Whisker".

The whisker interface would connect to the Gundam Frame's interface, allowing the pilot to directly process mobile suit data, instead of using a computer screen. The pseudo-brain lobe also governed spatial awareness, hence allowing the pilot's own to be enhanced.

In effect, the system would allow even a complete newbie to pilot the Gundam without having to read the instruction manual. Unfortunately, there was a downside to all of this.

Agneika had been the first to undergo the surgery, but because it was still a new technology, it had failed to take with him. From what the doctors had told him, he was lucky to still be able to walk or move at all, let alone still be alive. As it was, constant pain and irritation were what he had gained from it all.

Twilight still couldn't help but flinch every time she saw what had happened to her brother, and it tore her up inside. She was beginning to wonder now if this had been such a good idea at all?

"Ya sure there ain't another way?" Applejack asked as she and the rest of the girls joined Rainbow and Sunset.

Agneika shook his head. "Not in the time we have. We have had reports that the Asteroid Belt is empty of mobile armors. No one knows where any of them are. There haven't been any reported attacks by them in several months now. I don't like it."

That was a feeling they could all share. They too had heard the reports. What could it mean though? None of the girls were crazy enough to think that it meant the end of the war. That would have been too easy.

Sunset looked over at the Gundam Frames. Bael and Barbatos were now beginning to look like complete machines. Bael's head, chest, shoulder, and arms, armor had all been attached to this point. Barbatos, meanwhile, had its legs and waist armor attached, and even now the chest armor was being added.

The rest of the frames were also in various stages of having their armor added. Some were further along than others though, for no one ever said that this would be easy.

Agneika saw her look, and smiled. "On another note. Twilight and Sunset. You have been approved to try for the Gundam Bael and Gundam Barbatos respectively."

"And the rest of us?" Rarity added, looking with particular fondness on the Gundam Frame that had been designated Kimaris.

Agneika nodded. "You've all been approved to at least try. I can't say, for the moment, which ones though. Only a few are far enough along to consider this much."

The girls slumped a bit, but there was little they could do. Only Pinkie Pie looked somewhat happy at the news. It had only taken one look at the design, and she'd asked for the Gundam Gusion.

"It's a big, hammer-wielding, frog! What's cooler than that?" Had been her response when asked why she asked for that one.

Twilight pushed her glasses up her nose, as she and Sunset shared a look. "So what does that mean for the two us then?" She asked.

Agneika's smile dropped. "If the two of you really mean to do this, then we can try the Alaya-Vijnana surgery whenever you are ready. Give it several days thought, girls. This is a big step."





Later that night, Sunset found herself wandering the halls of the base. She just couldn't sleep. She had too much on her mind.

Was she really this committed to going through with this? She didn't want to think about what could go wrong. Agneika was a perfect example of the dangers of the surgery. Though from what she had heard, the doctors had learned quite a lot from what had gone wrong with him.

That still didn't mean she had to like it. He had gotten off lucky with what had happened to him. What if something went wrong with her, or Twilight though? They both knew the risks involved. They might not be as lucky as her brother had been.

So caught up in her thoughts was Sunset, that she didn't even notice where she was going until a light breeze blew through her hair. But it was the scent of cooked hay, that stopped Sunset dead in her tracks. She knew that smell, but that was impossible.

"It can't be. Not here," she whispered, before dashing around the corner, following the scent of something she had never thought she would smell again. Coming around the bend, Sunset watched as the air before her shimmered and rippled.

Knowing what it meant, but still hoping she was wrong, Sunset stuck a hand through the shimmer. Her face twisted in anger at what she saw it became.

A hoof.

"Are you bucking kidding me? Is this supposed to be a joke?" She hissed. "What the buck is a portal to Equestria doing here?! After how much I looked for one five years ago, and now I just find one?!"

Sunset could just make out the other end of the portal. It showed a rarely used portion of Canterlot Castle, though judging by the lack of dust and cobwebs she remembered, it was obviously being used for something now.

Sunset pulled her hand out of the portal, trying to contain her anger. If this was some kind of joke by Princess Celestia, then her mentor had even worst taste than she had thought she did. And her former mentor was known for having bad taste in just about all things if she was being honest. Or at least, that's what Sunset always thought of Princess Celestia.

Even before their fight, there were very few things that both of them liked at the same time.

Sunset shook her head, trying to calm down. She almost stepped through the portal. Almost went back home. "No. This is the easy way out. It would be so easy to just go through, go back to Equestria, and pretend like none of this ever happened. But I won't. I won't take the cheap way out. Not this time."

Turning away, Sunset tried her best not to let her tears flow. "I won't abandon my friends," she whispered before stalking back the way she had come. "And besides. I have no home to go back to."





Unseen and unnoticed, Princess Celestia had heard everything Sunset had said. It had taken all of her restraint to not drag her faithful student through the portal, and give her the biggest hug she could.

As it was, she was left with more questions than answers, as she sadly turned away from the portal, and returned the way she had come, a direction that went out of sight of the portal. All she could hope, for now, was that Sunset might find it in her heart to come home, if only for a little while.

"Please, Sunset. Be safe, and come home. I've missed you," Celestia whispered, letting her own tears fall now. "And never, ever, think you don't have a home to come back to."





"I hate needles," Sunset grumbled as she watched the technicians prepare their tools for the upcoming operation. "I don't care what it's for, I hate them. And no one is going to change my mind on that."

Twilight giggled from the other bed. "Oh don't be such a wimp, Sunset. You know they won't hurt us. I'm more surprised you're going to do this without anesthesia. Most people wouldn't even think of doing that."

Sunset only smirked. "Because I want to feel this, Twilight. If there's one thing that I've never been afraid of, it's pain. How bad can this be?"

Twilight rolled her eyes, as her brother entered the room. "Are the two of you ready?" He asked.

Twilight and Sunset both nodded. "So do we just lie here and do nothing?" Twilight asked.

Agneika nodded. "The operation is rather simple. These shots will go into your spines. If everything works as it is supposed to, the nanomachines will do the rest of the work. It will be several days before we know for sure if it's worked."

The two youngsters shared a worried look. "And if they haven't worked?" Sunset asked.

Agneika could only shake his head as the two were wheeled away. "You'll also know soon enough."





As Sunset tried to relax, she watched Twilight from the corner of her eyes. Her friend seemed just as nervous as she was. She smiled a little at that. At least it wasn't just her.

A technician looked down at her, a needle at the ready. "Are you ready, miss Shimmer?"

Sunset only nodded and tried to relax. "Give it to me, doc. Let's get this over with."

He nodded, before moving behind her. Another tech stood by to hold Sunset down if needed while the injection took place. Sunset closed her eyes as the needle came down.

At first, all she felt was a small pinprick as it pierced her skin, but then it started. A flood of ice-cold water rushed into her, followed by a pain that could never be properly described. Sunset just barely bit back a scream as her whole body felt as if it was burning from the inside out, even as blood began to flow from her nose and her body began to jerk wildly, one of the techs just managing to keep her hand or feet from hurting anyone.

Twilight fared little better, even with anesthesia, as tears fell in rivers from her eyes. Sunset reached out and managed to take her friend's hand in her own, which seemed to help.

After a moment, the burning sensation began to fade, as the doctor removed the now empty needle from both girls. Sunset let out a ragged breath. The burning was gone now, but now she hurt all over.

"How do you feel, miss Shimmer?" Her doctor asked.

Sunset shot him a dirty look. "Like one of the Gundam Frames just stepped on me repeatedly, and then kicked me for good measure."

He nodded. "That's good. It means the first step has worked. Now we will monitor both of you to see how this progresses."

"How long?" Twilight asked, wiping her eyes.

Her doctor shook her head. "Your brother took several days before his symptoms started. Right now, we must assume that the same holds true for the two of you as well."

Twilight shot her a look, fighting back her own pain. "That's not very comforting."

Her doctor could only shrug. "Very little of this is known for sure, miss Sparkle. All of this is still new to us. So we must take this as an unknown every time we do this. Look at what happened to your brother."

Twilight bit her lip. She tried not to think of what had happened to Agneika. "Then what happens next then?"

"Bed rest for the both of you. If all goes according to plan, we can proceed with the next step once we know for sure that nothing has gone wrong with both of you," Sunset's doctor replied.

Sunset sighed as she pulled her arms around herself "Great. Just what I needed. More laying around."





Sunset yawned as she stalked the hallways of the base with no destination in mind. "Stupid lack of sleep. Right when I need it to," she grumbled. "You'd think after all the times I did this in Canterlot I would know better."

And there it was again. Her mind kept going back to Equestria and the life she had abandoned. Sunset knew why that was of course. The portal she had found. Why it here was beyond her. All of her research on the mirror had said that it was a one-off thing. So why would another portal be here?

Shaking her head, Sunset turned a corner and stopped. Without really knowing it, she had found the portal once more, the scene it showed unchanged from before.

Staring at it, Sunset bit her lip. She knew what she wanted to do, but could she bring herself to do it? Now of all times? Sticking a hand through, Sunset watched her hoof seemingly float in mid-air for a moment, before frowning.

"Oh. Buck this all to hell!" She grumbled as she looked around to make sure she was alone. When she was sure she hadn't been followed, she jumped through with an annoyed sigh. 

Picking herself up, Sunset looked around. Behind her, the portal showed the hallway she had just come from. In front of her, the hallway stretched onwards before turning a corner. Only one door was visible.

Walking over to it, Sunset could hear the faint snores of somepony beyond it, but there was no nameplate, so she had no idea of who it might be. Whoever it was, she was a loud sleeper that was for sure.

Rolling her eyes, Sunset turned away and made her way down the hallway. "Hope I remember this damn place as much as I used to."





Unknown to Sunset, however, someone had seen her enter the portal and what it had done to her. It left her with more questions than answers though, and as Twilight turned away and went back the way she had come, she knew one thing for sure.

Sunset had a lot of explaining to do.





Sunset did her best to avoid the staff. She didn't know if any would recognize her, and right now she couldn't take the chance somepony would and rat her out. So for now, she hid when she could.

Luckily, the castle's layout had not changed since last she walked these halls. And as she passed down a little-known hallway behind the Throne Room, she could make out the sounds of Day Court letting out for lunch. Perfect timing.

"At least Sunbutt's consistent," she chuckled, as she heard the sounds of the magic that unlocked the secret entrance behind Princess Celestia's throne. Feeling a bit vindictive, she didn't bother to hide and stood in full view as Celestia entered the hallway. It must've been a particularly trying court session for she marched right past Sunset without even seeing her, her eyes somewhere else.

It only made Sunset's smirk grow. "Now that is just rude, princess. I'm not that ugly."

That stopped the Solar Monarch in her tracks, as she slowly turned. Her eyes widened in shock and surprise, But as Sunset's smirk softened into something close to a smile, Celestia's eyes watered.

Before Sunset could stop her, Celestia picked her up in a huge hug. "Oh, Sunset. It is you. How? When? Where have you been young filly?"

Sunset's answer wasn't exactly forthcoming as she was trying to breathe at the moment. "Princess. Can't. Breathe," she wheezed.

Celestia finally seem to catch on, for she soon let her go, though she didn't seem to want to as she looked the unicorn over. "Sunset. Where have you been? We looked all over for you. I know you went through the mirror, despite my orders to leave it alone."

Sunset nodded. "Yeah, I know. Goddess above, I know. And I should have listened. Gods, I should have listened. I never should have found that damn thing," she sniffed. "The things I've seen. Everything we've lost. I see them in my nightmares. I see everyone we couldn't save."

Celestia was taken aback by this. Looking into Sunset's eyes, however, she felt her heart drop in sorrow. There was no life behind those eyes. Haunted and broken by the things Sunset had seen and lived through. Only those who had seen war and lived to tell their stories had this kind of look. But this felt different somehow. "Sunset. What has changed for you?"

Sunset snorted. "What hasn't changed is a better question. Everything changed when Earth was lost."

Celestia digested this as the two of them walked. She did not know that name. Perhaps it was the name of wherever Sunset had gone to. "We thought you were dead, Sunset. Some of the Royal Guard went after you. All they found was death and destruction on a scale that I have never seen before."

Sunset nodded. "They wouldn't have found anything else. We were long gone by then I reckon. I don't think the town ever had a proper name. Or at least that's what Applejack told me."

Celestia hid her shock at hearing that name well but now was not the time. "They found something else as well. Or perhaps it is best to say, something found them, and followed them back here."

Sunset shot her a look as they passed down another hallway before coming to a locked door that Sunset definitely didn't remember ever seeing before. "What followed them, princess?"

Celestia only shook her head as she unlocked the door with her magic, revealing a spacious laboratory space stock full of everything imaginable. "Perhaps you can tell us, Sunset. We've been studying this automaton for ten years now, and we still know very little about it."

Sunset's ears fell. No. It couldn't be. Not here. But as they passed various ponies going about their business, she felt her blood run cold in mounting horror at what hung suspended from the ceiling at the center of the room.

A Pluma drone.
> A World Left long Ago pt. 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Celestia didn't miss Sunset's reaction, or how she backed away from the automaton, a haunted look in her eyes. "Sunset? Do you know what this thing is?"

Sunset nodded, doing her best looking in the Pluma's eye. "Yeah. I know what it is. Way more than I ever wanted to." She bit her lip as her head bowed. "How many?"

Celestia blinked. "How many, what?"

Sunset shook her head. "How many died? How many did it kill before you could stop it?"

Celestia was taken aback. "Sunset. What are you-"

"Don't patronize me, princess!" Sunset shouted. "How many did it kill?! I've nearly been killed so many times by one of these! You want to know what this is? It's a machine with only one purpose in mind. To kill. And this is just a drone. One of who knows how many from a single source. You haven't seen the mother unit."

Celestia's ears wilted. "Fifty. And dozens more critically injured. Our best magic barely slowed it down. It finally seemed to shut down on its own for some reason. We have kept it here ever since."

Sunset's ears fell. That was still too many. But it also confirmed a long-held fear. "It went outside the command radius of its parent mobile armor. That's why it shut down. It fell back on a pre-programmed pattern to kill anything it came across. Not the first time either."

Celestia's brows rose. "I see you know something of where this thing came from?" Sunset nodded. "I see. I feel there is a story to be told there, Sunset. Will you humor me?"

Sunset bit her lip. This was not how she imagined this to go. But the look in the princess's eyes said far more than what was said. And a small part of her was still that Faithful Student from all of those years ago. "Yeah. I guess I got time for that. But not here."

Celestia nodded, as she led the pair back the way they had come.





Celestia listened with mounting horror and dread as Sunset told her story. From the time she first came to the other world, to the fall of Earth, and finally, to the possible hope and salvation offered by the Gundam Frames. It was much to take in. "If this came from anypony else, I would call them a liar."

Sunset snorted, taking a drink of her tea. "And I'd kick them where it hurts the most for calling me a liar. I have enough memories and nightmares to last a lifetime. All of us do."

Celestia nodded gravely. She was proud of her student for having found friends worth fighting for. If only it hadn't been in such circumstances. "Then come home, Sunset. This is not your war. I have seen too many lost in in this way. Don't be another. Please."

Sunset growled. "With all due respect, princess, you haven't seen anything like I have, or lived through what I have. When was the last time you fought someone who was out to exterminate you and your entire race? One you couldn't talk to or parley with? This isn't war. This is genocide. If Mars falls, then the Outer Sphere will fall soon after. Mankind is on its last legs." She sniffed. "I won't abandon my friends! If you don't like it? Too bad! You can't take your idea and shove it up your fat flank!"

Sunset panted heavily for a minute, while Celestia said nothing. After a moment, though, the princess smiled that motherly smile that always tugged at Sunset's heart. "And I could not be more proud of you for that, Sunset. Of everything that you have done."

Sunset blinked, her rage cooling. "Wait. You're not going to try and stop me?"

Celestia shook her head. "Now, Sunset. You should know me better than that. You have found something worth fighting for. I could not stop you now even if I wanted to."

Sunset pounded her head on the table. "Oh, I hate it when you do that, Sunbutt!"

Celestia only giggled. Before she could respond, though, another voice broke in. "Hey! Nopony talks to Princess Celestia like that!"

Sunset blinked and looked around to find a lavender unicorn giving her the stink eye. Except for the lack of glasses, she was a perfect copy of Twilight Sparkle. She smirked. "I can talk to her like that all I want. Comes with being the Personal Student to the princess."

Twilight frowned. "But you're not her student. I am. I've never seen you before either."

Sunset shrugged. "Former student then." She stood and stretched. "And as much as I want to stay longer, someone's bound to notice me missing sooner or later, and there's no way I can explain all of this to the girls."

Celestia nodded as she too stood, and swiftly pulled Sunset into a hug, one that Sunset found herself returning for all it was worth. "Then you come back, Sunset Shimmer. Come back, and I am sure you will have more stories to tell. Better ones I hope."

Sunset nodded, before turning to look at Twilight, who was visibly confused at what was going on. It made her smile only grow more as she threw a hoof around her fellow unicorn. "So you're Princess Celestia's new student, huh? What did you do to get her attention like that?"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "I hatched the dragon egg at the School For Gifted Unicorns."

Sunset's jaw dropped. "You gave her that test?!"

Celestia shook her head. "I did not. The examiners did without my knowing of it until it was too late. But so much good has come from it, that I have overlooked going over my head as they did."

Sunset could only shake her head in disbelief. "Well then, here's some advice. From one Personal Student to the other. Don't make the same mistakes I did, Twilight. Hold onto everything you have while you still can. I didn't, and I've been paying for it ever since."

Twilight blinked in surprise, wondering what in Equestria that meant, as Sunset pulled away and headed for the door. 

Stopping before it, though, Sunset sighed. "If you want my advice, Princess Celestia? Get rid of the Pluma. Bury it as deep as you can if you can't think of anything else. No good will ever come from it. Trust me."

Celestia didn't respond, but the thought had crossed her mind as she had listened to Sunset's story. And as Sunset left, the thought would not leave her alone.

Twilight, though, had another question. "How did she know my name? I never told her, and we just met."

Princess Celestia only smiled enigmatically.





Sunset would never admit to all but skipping back to the portal. But she felt far more energized than she had when she had first returned to Equestria. Maybe she and Princess Celestia weren't totally reconciled. But they were now back close to what they had once been. It was a good start at least.

As turned a corner and saw the portal shimmering before her, the mare turned to look at the single door. She still didn't know who it belonged to, but there was a faint whiff of powerful magic beyond. Whoever it was, she was not one to be taken lightly. Luckily, it seemed nopony knew about the portal.

Which was just perfect for Sunset as came up to it. It had been several hours now. Unless her sense of time wasn't as good as she hoped, she still had a few hours before she needed to be awake. Plenty of time to get back to her bed and catch some sleep. And maybe do something about this damn itch on her back.

Shaking her head, Sunset stepped through, her stomach doing flip flops as she did. Landing on her feet, she took a moment to reorient herself to being human again. She didn't think she would ever get used to the transition. Looking back, she watched in surprise as the portal shimmered before vanishing.

She sighed as began the trek back to her room. "Guess I'm not going back that way then. Just my luck."

"Or just our luck then," a voice said, making Sunset jump. In horror, she watched as all of her friends were revealed behind the now-vanished portal. They were all giving her heated looks, but it was Twilight who spoke first. "So, Sunset. Do you mind telling us what all that was about?"

Sunset had only one thing to say, as her heart sank. "Oh. Horseapples!"
> Busted
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunset tried to salvage as much of this mess as she could as she put on her best smile. "Um. This is all a dream we're sharing, and none of you saw what you think you just saw?"

By the girls' expressions, they weren't buying it. "Nice try, darling. But we all pinched ourselves the moment you went through that thing and became a unicorn," Rarity said dryly.

To prove the point, Pinkie pinched Twilight. who shot her a dirty look as she rubbed her arms. "See!"

Sunset's eyes twitched. Damn it. That would have been too easy. "Okay, fine. This is real. I'm not actually human. I come from a place called Equestria, and I am actually a unicorn."

Applejack still wasn't happy about the deception. "So why not tell us, sugarcube? Ya had five years to do it."

Sunset laughed with little humor in it. "How dumb do you think I am, AJ? What do you think you would have done if I had told you right after we met? You had no reason to trust me. I was going to dump you the first chance I got and... Well. You know the rest."

Fluttershy looked at where the portal once stood. "It looked nice, I guess. For a hallway that is."

Sunset smiled. "Yeah. It is. It isn't perfect, but it's home. Or at least it used to be. No matter what Princess Celestia said otherwise."

Rainbow threw her hands up in exasperation. "Can we please start from the beginning?! My brain hurts!"

Sunset giggled as she led the group back the way they came. "Get comfy, Rainbow. This is a long story."





"... And you girls know the rest of the story once we all met up," Sunset finished, rubbing her nose irritably at the memories.

Her friends were stunned, to say the least. Twilight, though, seemed fixated on something in particular. "I'm a unicorn, and a student to the ruler of a whole country?!"

Sunset giggled. "Looks like it. And if not for her mane being done differently and not having glasses, you two are twins."

Twilight's mind seemed to have fried at the very idea, as she fell back with a plop on her bed, while the others were still curious. "Do you think we all have twins over there?" Pinkie asked happily.

Sunset shrugged. "Possibly. I know I saw someponies I used to know five years ago as humans. So it stands to reason you all have a counterpart in Equestria. I would love to know, though, what happened to my counterpart. No one's seen her in either world it seems."

That was a good question, actually, now that the girls thought of it. None of them ever remembered seeing someone that looked like Sunset before they all first met. Not even Pinkie Pie, and she remembered a lot of people. Strange. "So when can we visit?" Fluttershy asked hopefully.

Sunset sighed. And there it was. She had been afraid of that question. "I don't know. If that portal works like the first one I used, it won't open for another thirty moons. And there's no guarantee that it will ever open again."

"What about that first one?" Rarity asked.

Sunset shrugged. "If I can find it again, and it's even open at the time, I don't see why not." She smirked. "Just let me do all the talking, okay? From what I saw, I think Princess Celestia does know your counterparts. I'm not sure how, but she does. I just know it."

"So why come back? Sounds like a nice place to live if ya ask me," Applejack asked. She was still annoyed but was beginning to calm down now.

Sunset snorted. "And leave my friends behind? As if. I'm going to see this through to the end or die trying. Preferably not dying, if it's all the same to you girls."

Her friends giggled. They couldn't argue with that.





This late at night, Watch Station Zeta was quiet. Very few were needed to watch the scopes or man the defense batteries in this sector this late, so few technicians sat manning the consoles.

One such was bored out of his mind as he watched the Inner Space Telescope aimed towards the Inner Sphere. There had been nothing for months now. Not even a faint blip, let alone something to worry about. He briefly wondered again why he had signed up for this job. The G-Project needed more now.

He had closed his eyes only for a moment before an alert on his monitor woke him with a loud beep. Suddenly drenched in a cold sweat, he looked at the data coming in. But this didn't make any sense. It wasn't coming this way. It was... "Sir," he called, gaining the attention of the Watch Commander.

Thunder sighed irritably as he walked over. "What is it, private? This had better be important."

The tech nodded. "I am reading a massive spike in activity in Sector Zero. Ahab Waves are rising in the Debris Belt."

Thunder frowned. "Earth? Are they coming this way?"

The tech shook his head. "That's just it. They are not. They are all aimed-"

Before he could say more, another alert flashed on a separate screen, and then another, then another. Soon, every screen was showing the same thing. Every telescope and scanner. Bringing it all up to the central monitor on the Deep Space Telescope as it turned towards the Inner Sphere. 

Thunder felt his blood run cold as he watched what was happening. "My god. Get Commander Agneika in here now!"