> Equestrian Rim
>  by Visharo
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Introduction
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Kaiju (Old Pony Dialect from Japony) Giant Beast
Jaeger (Old Pony Dialect from Germaney) Hunter






Eight years ago a rift in the Equestrian sea broke open. Giant monsters rose from the depths and attacked coastal villages and cities. The first one took the entire pony militia to take down, the Princesses even had to help. By the fourth Kaiju, ponykind started making monsters of their own. 

Countries besides Equestria were being attacked as well, so everycreatures banded together including the ponies to create the Jaeger program. Giant mechs that used a neurological system where pilot and Jaeger can be one. The strain however was too much strain for a single pilot, so engineers implemented a two pilot system. Right and left hemisphere.

After the first Jaegers were built, we fought back with everything we had and we were winning! Jaeger pilots became heroes and Kaiju became toys and jokes. Then everything changed when the Kaiju attacked...again.


***


"Warning! Kaiju, category III. Rangers Braeburn and Macintosh, you are needed on deck. Warning! Kaiju..."

Big Macintosh rolled out of bed and smacked Braeburn over the head, "come on, we got to go!"

"Alright, alright. Ah'm gettin' up!" Braeburn Apple fell out of bed and landed with an oomph. He jumped u and dusted himself off and grinned. "Let's get ourselves a Kaiju!"

Macintosh trotted forwards first with a smirk on his face, his red coat rippling with toned muscles. Half of a green apple was shown on his flank. Braeburn followed his cousin while chuckling, a pale yellow coat didn't show as much muscle as Macintosh, but still enough. A full shiny apple was presented on his flank.

"Don't get cocky, cuz!" Braeburn teased, bumping into Macintosh.

"As if!" A hard shove toppled the poor pale yellow pony to the floor, sending his yellow mane all over the place.

"Oh ah'm gonna get ya for that!" Braeburn tackled Macintosh, sending him to the floor.

"Hey! You messed up mah mane!" Macintosh rubbed his orange mane.

"RANGERS! GET A MOVE ON!" A loud voice boomed through the intercom making the two cousins wince. They sped up their pace quite a lot.


***


The two earth ponies galloped towards their Jaeger; Minty Revenge. The hanger bay contained a four legged behemoth of metal and wires. The entire Jaeger was solid iron with no alloys. A megaspell reactor was implanted in the chest, glowing bright and spinning around to produce enough power for the Jaeger. 

"Into the conn pod, rangers!" A loud booming voice echoed through the intercom. The two cousins flinched and charged into said conn pod. They stepped in their suits, dark green with red stripes around the joints. Macintosh on the right and Braeburn in the left. Then a machine got hooked up to their backs.

"Right hemisphere calibrated...left hemisphere calibrated. Neural bridge stable!" The robotic voice rang through the pilot's earpieces. Four helicopters grabbed the Jaeger and lifted it off the ground using extra strong steel wires and flew over to the Kaiju.

"Ok pilots, Kaiju category III. Nicknamed Spearhead as the most distinguishable feature on this Kaiju is the spear-like head." The booming informed the two pilots.


***


The helicopters released Minty in the ocean near the shore of Baltimare. They came down with a crash, sending waves all over the place. 

"Checking radar..." Braeburn didn't even get to look at the results as the whole Jaeger got flipped upside down. Spearhead had gotten under Minty and lifted upwards. The two cousins grunted with exertion as they lifted upwards, while the Jaeger copied their movements.

"Let's get this buckin' bastard!" Macintosh yelled and rose up on his back legs with Braeburn copying his moves. Their mind in sync as they both roared and brought down their two front hooves down in a fearsome blow. The two metal hooves connected with Spearhead, causing it to stumble around.

"Load the shock cannon! Hurry!" Braeburn shouted, preparing for another attack. 

Macintosh hit a switch with his left hoof and flicked a switch. "Shock cannon getting ready, 25 percent...30 percent..."

Spearhead shook himself out of it's daze and charged. It's speed caught the two pilots off guard and they shrieked in pain as the Kaiju's sharp head pierced through the chest. Because of the neural connection between the Jaeger, they felt the blow and all the other blows.

Braeburn and Macintosh raised their left hoof and smashed it downwards in an attempt to get rid of the pesky Kaiju while their right shock cannon is loading. "Ready."

"Take this, Kaiju!" Braeburn growled and they lifted their front left hoof which changed forms to a peculiar looking, hollow, pyramid. The blast hit the Kaiju backwards, shocked but looked relatively unhurt. 

The pilots didn't even hesitate and galloped forwards. The jumped upwards to avoid another attack from Spearhead and landed on top of it. Before the Kaiju could do anything, the cousins brought down their right hoof down, cracking it against the Kaiju's skull then bringing the left hoof, still a shock cannon, and fired two more times. After the third shot, Spearhead roared and and lifted upwards with all it's strength. The Jaeger flew away, crashing in the sea. 

Sparks flying everywhere in the conn pod, sweat pouring over the ponies brows, and water leaking in the small breaches that the computer was so fond of saying. Braeburn and Macintosh heaved upwards, getting the Jaeger to it's feet and charged again, but this time Spearhead was ready.

It dodged a badly timed strike and thrust upwards, using it's spear head it was named after to strike through the megaspell reactor. The agonizing screams of the pilots were deafening, then became silent as Spearhead lifted upwards, using it's head to slice through the metal sheets.

Braeburn reached out with a bloody hoof and touched a button before collapsing in exhaustion. The megaspell reactor flared brightly and blew outwards in a fire breath, baking the Kaiju alive. Before long, both Jaeger and Kaiju flopped downwards, sending tidal waves all around. 


***


"Ma'am, we're getting flatlines. Braeburn and Macintosh are dead, but they managed to take down Spearhead with them." A grey pony said to the Moon Princess who looked quite grim.

"Tell their family and put their pictures on the hall of the fallen."

"Aye aye, Princess Luna."
> Jaeger Training
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Pleaaaaase?!" Apple Blooms eyes stared deeply into Applejack's. Her sister shook her head again. "But whyyyyyyy?"

"Because! Yer brother and yer cousin went galavantin' off to war and got killed fer it! That's the reason ah left the Corps and fer the exact reason yer not goin' to Jaeger trainin', and that's final. Yer not goin' and we're gonna help Granny Smith with the farm!" Applejack put her hoof down with an angry snort. She stared at Apple Bloom for a bit longer before trotting away.

Apple Bloom harrumphed and trotted up to her room. She collapsed on her bed with a disappointed sigh. She's been asking Applejack ever since Big Macintosh and Braeburn died on the shore of Baltimare. She sighed again, and buried her head in her hooves; all she wanted was a chance for revenge.

Her room's walls were covered in posters of Jaegers and their pilots. She had a poster above her head of Griffonstone's Pride piloted by two of the greatest griffons: Gilda and Giselle! The poster on her door showed the largest Jaeger that's ever been built, around 150 meters in height and 100 meters in length. A red dragon called Razer and a green dragon, Gostir, pilot the massive behemoth; GEM. Apple Bloom was told that the Jaeger Corps spent forever trying to match the Jaeger to the dragons' preferences.

On Apple Bloom bedside stand, however, stood a picture frame of the graduating class from three years ago. Coloratura and Applejack, Big Mac and Braeburn; two yaks who Apple Bloom never got the names of, and two changelings who go by the names Pharynx and Thorax. The eight were standing in front of the Baltimare Shatterdome, a large complex that houses Jaegers and its pilots.

Apple Bloom sighed again and got up. She trotted over to Granny Smith, hoping for her approval at least. When she got there, Granny was sitting in a rocking chair, knitting something, and humming a tune.

"Granny?" Apple Bloom said once she was in earshot.

"Yes?"

"Why won't Applejack let me be a Jaeger pilot? Ah know she says it's because of Big Mac's death a year ago, but ah'm not convinced." Apple Bloom confessed, dragging a hoof around in the dirt instead of looking directly at Granny Smith.

"Look at me, child... ah said look. Applejack was there, she was watching the whole thing. She saw Big Mac's lifeline go flat. An' not to mention, yer parents died fighting a Kaiju in the first few waves. Not a day goes by when ah don't miss my son and daughter-in-law, but that's how life goes. Applejack didn't want ya to feel the heartache that she experienced, so she packed up, left her Jaeger and her co-pilot, just so she can protect ya. Ah say that's mighty respectable, but if ya really want to go, just remember, she loves ya and so do ah," Granny Smith smiled a sad smile and then fell asleep.


***


Apple Bloom stretched and climbed out of bed. A large yawn escaped her muzzle. She looked at her various posters and news reports before landing on the picture frame beside her bed. She smiled, she knew what she was going to do.

Apple Bloom trotted down the stairs, picked up a stack of apple pancakes, and sat down. She chomped on a few while waiting for Applejack to sit down as well. Apple Bloom's sister's orange coat looked fresh and her blonde hair tied with a red ribbon. Apple Bloom ate another pancake, planning her words carefully. She gulped down the last morsel and took a breath.

"Applejack, ah understand yer concern, but ah wanna be out there in a Jaeger fightin' Kaiju. All mah friends are already in Jaeger trainin' school, even Babs! Granny Smith told me about yer pain and ah understand, but ah need to do this." Apple Bloom finished her rant and held her breath.

"Alright." Applejack smiled sadly, "ah can't stop ya."

"Wait, really? Ah can go?" Apple Bloom stared in shock.

"Yes, really. Now git, the train is going to leave in a few minutes and promise ya won't do anythin' rash. Promise me!" Applejack stared at her sister with such intensity that she could only nod.

"Thanks sis!" Apple Bloom took another pancake in her mouth and galloped off to the train.

Apple Bloom double-checked that the train would end up at Van Hoover, bought tickets, then jumped on and gave the conductor said tickets. She couldn't hold her excitement down and couldn't stop squeeing. She got various confused and concerned looks from the other passengers, but she didn't care.

SHE WAS GOING TO BE A JAEGER PILOT!


***


Apple Bloom stood in front of the Van Hoover Shatterdome, swallowing at how massive the structure was. It was for sure, larger than Canterlot, but it still somehow fit next to Van Hoover. As the name suggests, it was a large metal dome with next to no windows and two large doors that swung outwards.

Apple Bloom was about to step forwards when she felt a hoof on her shoulder. She glanced back and saw a familiar sight, "COUNTESS COLORATURA!"

The whitish-light blue pony giggled and shook her head; her blue, two-toned, spiral mane shook about,  "Apple Bloom, you should know better, I don't like that name. You and everycreature should call me Rara."

"Sorry, ah just got excited. What bring ya here Rara?"

"I got transferred here and I've been told that I'm teaching you and the other students. Now isn't that going to be exciting!" Coloratura smiled, gesturing for Apple Bloom to follow her into the Shatterdome. A large gasp overtook Apple Bloom the moment they stepped inside.

"Is it that Winged Glory? The pegasus Jaeger piloted by Spitfire and Soarin? SWEET CELESTIA! That's Obsidian Fury! Muad Pie and Mudbriar pilot that one, they've taken down five Kaiju! And that's..."

"Yes yes, I think we get it. You know all the Jaegers, now how about we move to the barracks. The other Cadets are waiting." Coloratura smiled and trotted away with Apple Bloom scampering behind her.

They reached a large door with the label 'Cadet Quarters' a few minutes later. The moment Coloratura stepped in, a pony yelled something about a Ranger on deck, and soon everypony was standing with purpose. Apple Bloom's first thought was that why were there only ponies?

"Cadets, this is Apple Bloom. make her feel welcome. Later today, we'll continue training. Apple Bloom, you're going to have to train harder because the other Cadets have had training already. Oh, we're also getting a new Ranger, so be prepared," and with that, Coloratura flicked her ears and trotted away.

"Apple Bloom! Ya made it!" Said pony didn't have time to react before she got tackled.

"Babs!" Apple Bloom flipped a brown earth pony, with a red cut mane hanging on her right side, onto her back. Both of them were grinning.

"You know this newbie?" A gruff voice asked. Apple Bloom looked behind her, and saw a peachy, earth pony, mare with a light blue poofy mane. Her cutie mark was a half-eaten peach.

"Ayep. This is mah cuz! Apple Bloom, ah want ya to meet Peach Fuzz, Candy Pop and her sister, Mallow Marsh, Wind Sprint, and you know the rest." Candy Pop was a pink earth pony mare with a frizzy orangy-purple mane with a lollipop as a cutie mark. Her sister was a unicorn, had a white coat, and her mane was a strange palette of black, brown, and white. Mallow's cutie mark appeared to be a marshmallow. Wind Sprint was a purple pegasus with a blue and pink striped mane. Her cutie mark was a red horseshoe in a blue blaze.

The other ponies were, "Scootaloo! Sweetie Belle! Cutie Mark Crusaders forever!"

Peach Fuzz rolled her eyes at the trio giggling in the corner and sat down on her bunk.


***


"Alright Cadets, since we haven't paired you guys up yet, this'll be the test for that. every Jaeger needs at least two pilots, there are a few exceptions, like Crimson Typhoon who needs three pilots. There are eight of you, so that means four pairings. Pair up and fight, no dirty tricks. We will be using sticks, three hits is a win. Three wins and move on to another pony. Try not to use magic or your wings if you can help it. Now begin!" Ranger Pay Check yelled out. He was a black earth pony with a close-cropped red mane. His flank bore a paper receipt. He was one of the few remaining Mark I Jaeger pilots.

Apple Bloom found herself in front of Candy Pop, a wooden stick in her jaws. Apple Bloom grabbed a stick as well and took up a fighting stance. They both watched each other warily, then the pink mare lunged forwards. Apple Bloom barely had any time to lift her stick before she got whacked on the muzzle. She gasped in surprise and pedalled backwards to avoid another hit. The two mares circle each other again, this time with more caution.

Apple Bloom lunged to the right and swung the stick to her left, hoping to get Candy on her side. Instead, she stepped aside, let the stick hit nothing, then jabbed her stick at Apple Bloom. The latter fell over with a grunt, but quickly rolled away to dodge the second attack Candy lined up.

Apple Bloom was frustrated, she hasn't landed a hit, and Candy has struck her twice with relative ease. Maybe it's her inexperience, but she wasn't going down without a fight. This time, Apple Bloom stood in a single spot, her stick slightly raised. Candy narrowed her eyes, her ears flattened, and then snorted. She gripped the stick harder and charged. Instead of moving, Apple Bloom stood in place and watched.

Candy jumped up and brought her stick down for a devastating strike. In the very last second, Apple Bloom rolled to her left and brought the stick upwards, slipping past Candy's defense and striking her in the chest. The pink mare flew past Mellow and Babs. The two who were previously fighting stared at Apple Bloom in shock, then looked at where Candy Pop landed in horror. Apple Bloom just had enough time to hear Babs say, "run."


***


"Ah'm impressed. First day and yer already in the medbay. Beat mah record for sure, though ya didn't beat dad. Took 'im an hour, or at least that's what Granny says." Apple Bloom opened her eyes with a groan, then yelped when she saw her sister sitting beside her.

"Applejack... why are ya here? And why are ya in a uniform?"

"Ah'm the new Ranger here. Didn't Rarara tell ya'll?" Applejack puffed out her chest showing off her green army coat. She smoothed some wrinkles with a hoof before trotting over and looked at her sister with a concerned eye.

"Rarara?"

"Eyup. RAnger ColoRAtuRA. We had great fun back in our Cadet days. Now ah'll lay low if ah were ya, that Candy did a number on ya."

"Ah'm fine Applejack, just lemme sit u..." Apple Bloom gasped in pain; she fell back with a whimper. "When can ah be released?"

"Oh, you're awake. Good, this is not going to hurt a bit. Just lie back and you'll be back on your hooves." A bright yellow unicorn entered Apple Bloom's vision. Her horn glowed pink and in a few seconds, Apple Bloom felt a whole lot better.

"My thanks, Doctor Pura Vida. Come on AB, we're headin' back to the other Cadets." Applejack trotted away after waving goodbye to the doctor. Apple Bloom shook herself, leaped off the bed, and followed her sister.

"Why did ya come back? I thought ya didn't want to lose anypony no more... is it because of me?" Apple Bloom's ears wilted just a little.

"Oh sugar, ah was comin' anyways cuz Rarara needed mah help with the new Cadets and ah don't turn nopony in need. If ya need any help with anythin' ya know ah'm yer pony. Here we are." Applejack rounded a corner into the Cadet room.

"Ranger on deck!" Babs Seed yelled out. The room was filled with shuffling ponies.

"CADETS! Ah'm Ranger Applejack and ah'll be helpin' Ranger Coloratura and Ranger Pay Check. Ya'll might know me from bein' the Element of Honesty, part of the Friendship Council with Princess Twilight and the others, or maybe even from my Kaiju fightin' days. First things first, ah want Candy Pop to apologize to Apple Bloom here, then we can get to business." Applejack motioned with her ears for Candy to step forward. "Come on now, ah ain't gonna bite."

"I'm sorry Apple Bloom, it's just I've been bullied a lot, so I trained in zebra martial arts. I didn't break anything?" Candy lowered her head apologetically. Peach Fuzz just looked on with an expression Apple Bloom couldn't decipher.

"It's ok Candy, nothing too bad. I've had worse." Candy looked up with a cautious smile, her smile getting wider when Apple Bloom smiled back.

"Now that's done with, onwards to the training simulator!" Applejack barked out, trotting away without waiting for anypony.


***


"Why are there only pony cadets? Ah also haven't seen any other creatures around and their Jaegers." Apple Bloom asked her friends while they were marching to the training simulator.

"Yep! The Van Hoover Shatterdome is pony exclusive, isn't that awesome!" Scootaloo jumped up, her small wings buzzing about.

"We're not entirely sure why it's only ponies, but we haven't heard any disagreements between Princess Twilight and the other royals." Sweetie Belle added with a flick of an ear.

"Ah suppose, but ah also really wanted to see other Jaegers like Griffonstone's Pride or Brawling Carol. Guess we'll have to settle with pony Jaegers." Apple Bloom tried very hard not to feel disappointed, but it wasn't working.

"Hey, what's wrong with pony Jaegers? Did you see Winged Glory earlier? It's piloted by two of the best Wonderbolts, besides Rainbow Dash, they're totally awesome! They took down Scuttleback two years ago!" Scootaloo gushed over her heroes. "Though I admit, Brawling Carol is pretty awesome as well."

"You're stupid. Everypony knows that Onyx Titan is the best. It's taken down seven Kaiju all around Equestria!" Peach Fuzz butted in, looking indignant.

"Eh, doesn't really look that cool. What about that Daybreaker one? It's small, but it looks super cool!" Sweetie Belle jumped up and down, much to Peach's annoyance.

"Yeah, it's always with that darker one? Nightmare Moon I think it's called. They are super awesome when they fight together!" Scootaloo followed suit and started jumping with Sweetie Belle.

"But nopony knows where they're from, or who their pilots are. Ah also find it suspicious that the Jaeger's named after Nightmare Moon." Apple Bloom reasoned, she fell silent, deep in thought.

"Hey, as long as Princess Luna doesn't care, then it's fine!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, her hooves and Scootaloo's clanging on the metal floors from their jumping.

"Alright Cadets, this is the training simulator. Pair up with a pony the same race as ya, this'll make the drifting easier." Applejack paused, waiting for the ponies to pair up, then continued, "Now, ya'll go pair by pair and start off by fightin' a Category II."


***


"Launch the grapple hook! Apple Bloom! Are ya listenin' to me?" Babs yelled, struggling in her suit, trying to move the simulated Jaeger to fire at the oncoming Kaiju.

"Neural Drift unstable. Left Hemisphere disconnected." 

"SHUT IT DOWN! Apple Bloom followed the rabbit, didn't she." Applejack sighed, "training sim is over, ah'm gonna discuss what we've learned about ya'll with the other Rangers. Now git, get some..."

"Warning! Kaiju, category III. Rangers Applejack and Coloratura, you are needed on deck. Warning! Kaiju..."
> Slatemaw
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"WHAT THE HAY! RARA, AH THOUGHT AH SAID AH WAS OUT! AH AIN'T DOIN' NO MORE PILOTING!" Applejack's face was bright red, almost as bright as a gala apple, and Apple Bloom said so. "Hush AB, ah'm talkin' with Rarara here."

The two ponies stared at each other, one angry and one concerned. Seven Cadets were watching with wide eyes, with the exception of Peach Fuzz, who was watching with a disinterested look.

"What's wrong AJ? We need to help these ponies! That Kaiju is almost at Van Hoover! Please AJ, they don't have any other Jaeger pilots right now, if we don't do anything, all those innocent ponies will die! It might even reach the Shatterdome, endangering the Cadets." Coloratura sighed when she saw Applejack's stubborn look, then gasped when the orange pony started galloping away in silence.

"Warning! Kaiju, category III. Rangers Applejack and Coloratura, you are needed on deck. Warning! Kaiju..."

"RANGERS! WHAT ARE YOU DOING! GET UP IN YOUR JAEGER. THERE ARE KAIJU THAT NEED TO BE SLAIN!" Pay Check's voice yelled through the intercom. Applejack paid no heed and continued her gallop with Coloratura close behind. Applejack halted once she saw the Jaeger looming beneath her.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Coloratura trotted up next to her with a small smile.

"Eeyup, Honest Riot." Applejack temporarily forgot about their arguement. The two trotted forwards to their awaiting suits. Dark blue armor padding with ivory straps between every padding. Applejack's mane was tied back into a bun while Coloratura's was braided so their manes wouldn't get caught on something and rip off. It happened once a long time ago, and now it's standard procedure. The two stepped into the conn-pod and the machine hooked them up to the Jaeger. Applejack on the right and Coloratura on the left.

Once they were settled, Pay Check's voice crackled over the speakers, "alright Rangers, Slatemaw will approximately reach the shore line in 20 minutes, so get your BUCKING FLANKS MOVING! The Kaiju's primary weapon is its massive jaw, it is recommended to attack from behind. Good luck!"

"Activating Drift...Right hemisphere stable...Left hemisphere stable...Neural bridge stable."

"My name is Countess Coloratura!"
"Soup's on, everypony!"
"Hoofsies!"
"Wait an apple-pickin' minute!"

"Time to buck flank!" Applejack and Coloratura took a step forward with determined expressions.


***


Four helicopters held Honest Riot suspended over the evacuated city of Van Hoover. The Jaeger itself was sleeker than your typical Earth Pony Jaeger. The four legs were reinforced with multiple alloys, with the back legs containing more than the front. The head of the Jaeger had a bright orange visor shaped like sunglasses, two mechanical ears sticking upwards on the side as per Coloratura's request. The entire thing was painted navy blue, with orange around the joints, breaking up the monotone color.

The helicopters released the Jaeger, Applejack and Coloratura bracing for impact. They landed with quite a thud, the pavement cracking. The two of them stood, facing the oncoming Kaiju; their shared memories flickered to the last time they did this.

A younger Applejack and Coloratura reared backwards, bringing their back hooves up for a buck. The Kaiju's chest cracked when the hooves hit, Riot shook, and both titans fell over. Both ponies yelled in shock, as wires all over the conn-pod started sparking. The Kaiju got up faster and lunged...

Back in the present, Applejack and Coloratura took a battle stance. Front hooves bent so their heads leaned forwards, while the back legs stood apart, allowing for the Jaeger to jolt in any direction if needed. "Slatemaw incoming in five, four, three, two..."

The Kaiju, a large behemoth on six stubby legs. Its red and green hide shone under the setting sun. A huge tail whipped back and forth, causing wreckage every time it hit. A tree uprooted, a chariot crushed, metal buildings creaking, crystal walls shattering, wooden structures completely annihilated. Spikes lined Slatemaw's spine, but it was its face that held the most power. Four beady red eyes on a pale gray face, underneath the eyes and nostrils lay a huge set of jaws. Easily ten meters across with teeth the size of small trees and sharper than spears. Blue veins crisscrossed everywhere, giving the Kaiju a foreboding feeling.

Applejack and Coloratura leaped to the right at the very last moment, metal joints creaking as the Jaeger crashed into a building, but otherwise not causing any damage. The Kaiju however, flew past its target and tackled a building head-on. Shattered glass filled the city, if only for a second.

"Ya 'member our old move?" Applejack shifted Riot out of the hole that they made in the building.

"How could I forget?" Coloratura moved in sync and lifted her front left hoof. "Activate Arc Whip!"

They slid under the Kaiju's belly, deftly dodging its attack. They rolled to their side, preparing to get up, but instead were met by a tail. Honest Riot was flung over several buildings before coming to a stop near a beach. The duo yelled out in frustration and got up. Applejack and Coloratura galloped forwards, passing broken buildings and shredded tarmac. Each hoofstep made debris bounce around. The Kaiju whipped around and charged...

A large snake-like metal rope unlooped from Honest Riot's front left hoof. Slatemaw shook itself from its daze, wheeled around, and stared at us, murder in its eyes. The whip activated, magical electricity danced along the whole thing. Applejack and Coloratura swung it around once, as if to test it out after all these years. Loud buzzing noises filled the air as the whip whooshed around, then they stopped waving it around and faced the Kaiju.

The titans stared at each other, waiting for the other to make a move.

"Ah don't like this Rara. Should we attack?" Applejack spoke after a while of inaction. Despite talking her to Coloratura, she didn't move her eyes off of Slatemaw.

"I don't know. All the other Kaiju have never done this before. Maybe they're learning?" Coloratura visibly shuddered, "oh Celestia, I hope not."

"What if it is?"

Instead of sliding under as the Kaiju most surely was expecting, Applejack pushed the Jaeger to the right while Coloratura raised her left hoof and activated the Arc Whip. The duo went onto their belly and twisted to the right so Coloratura could slash at the Kaiju's belly. Riot kept on sliding, but Coloratura's aim was true and wrapped around the Kaiju. Applejack heaved upwards, twisted, and landed the Jaeger on its four hooves again. Coloratura yelled and whipped back her front left hoof, the whip flying back to its holster, half of the Kaiju coming with it...

"Ah say we just attack it. Do we have anythin' else in our arsenal?" Applejack asked, her gaze steeling as if searching for any movement from Slatemaw.

Coloratura unsynced their movements for just a bit and scrolled through the Jaegers capabilities. She stopped on 'Anti-Kaiju Missiles,' "This good?"

Applejack broke contact and looked at the schematics and nodded briefly before turning back, then gasped. "RARA! GET BACK IN SY..."

Her frantic yell was cut off, but the sudden gravity shift inside the conn-pod. Honest Riot flipped over twice before stopping. The pilots barely had time to get up before they were tossed upwards again. Applejack grunted while Coloratura yelled.

"Warning! Multiple fractures in the midsection hull. Warning! Multiple..."

The second time they were lifted in the air, but Applejack and Coloratura were prepared and twisted so they could land on their hooves instead of their side. On instinct, the duo leapt upwards, dodging a powerful bite from Slatemaw, and whipped their Arc Whip around and attached it onto its tail.

Before the Kaiju could react, Riot's front hooves slammed downwards, causing it to buckle. Applejack and Coloratura stood up on their back legs and waved their front left hoof around. Riot copied every movement, causing Slatemaw to whirl around. The duo made sure that the Kaiju hit every building before releasing him to fly past a large building.

"Time to finish him!" Applejack activated the Anti-Kaiju missiles and prepared to aim. A great roar distracted her for a bit, and before she could realign the missiles, Slatemaw charged out from the destroyed building, murder intent in its four eyes.

"Applejack..." Coloratura's voice sounded strained, she was stuck standing in the same position because if she did something, the missiles would most likely miss their target. "When are you going to fire...Applejack! APPLEJACK!"

Applejack let loose the missiles mounted on the back of the Jaeger. Six rockets, easily the length of two ponies, flew straight past the conn-pod and exploded in the Kaiju's face. Unfortunately, Applejack was a bit late in her firing and Honest Riot was launched backwards.

"Warning! Conn-pod sustained damage. Wa..."

Flashing lights, warnings from the computer, and sparks sizzling everywhere annoyed Applejack to no end. She growled angrily, and pushed upwards, Coloratura copying her movements. Their Jaeger looked worse for wear, but still combat ready. The duo took up their fighting stance again, this time waiting for the Kaiju to attack.

And attack, Slatemaw did.

The Kaiju planted its six feet in a wide stance and stood still. Applejack and Coloratura strained their necks and saw what it was doing, which got them really perplexed. The spines on Slatemaw's back started splitting open and glowing blue. The duo shifted to a better defense position; blue with Kaiju always means bad news. It has strange properties with whatever it touches, it disintegrates.

Then the unexpected happened, out of the split spines grew leathery wings. The wings themselves were large and thin, the same color as its hide, and blue veins zagged everywhere.

"What the hay?" Applejack and Coloratura shared a scared glance before reequipping the Arc Whip.

Before they could activate it, however, the Kaiju leaped forwards and held onto Honest Riot. The duo tried to fend it off, but instead got a nasty bite. Half of the conn-pod ripped open and the Kaiju started beating its wings and slowly got traction. Inches turned to meters, and soon, Van Hoover turned into a tiny speck.

"We got to do something! Activate the Arc Whip! ACTIVATE, CELESTIA DAMN IT!" Coloratura yelled at the computer while simultaneously trying to hit the Kaiju with a non-activated whip. Blood shone visibly as it dripped down her muzzle.

"Rara, the computer's gone. Slatemaw somehow ripped it out, but the Jaeger still works. We can beat it to pulp using our trusty hooves!" Applejack smiled with grim determination and thrusted upwards with all four hooves. Honest Riot followed suit impacting Slatemaw in the belly. The Kaiju let go with a growl before tucking its wings and started chasing the falling Jaeger.

Applejack and Coloratura, in sync, twisted so they faced the incoming Kaiju. Wind whistled through the hole in the conn-pod, making it hard to think, but that didn't matter. Within seconds, Slatemaw reached Riot and tried to get a grip again. The duo however, saw it coming and twisted out of the way before the Kaiju could get a grip and wrapped the whip around its neck. Using the whip and the momentum of falling, Applejack and Coloratura swung onto Slatemaw's back and rode it down back to Equus.

Applejack and Coloratura stood in front of a wide audience with blushes on their cheeks. Aw shucks and thank yous were given that night before the duo could retire to their shared room.

"Quite the audience."
"Not as much as yer concerts, ah bet."
"They're just happy to be protected."
"Ah suppose. Well it's been a long day, gonna turn in. G'night Rarara!"
"Good night!"


***


"Now yer in the med-bay!" A filly's voice floated into Applejack's subconscious. It took a while for the words to process before she gasped and got up.

"Woah, easy now. You got multiple fractured ribs and your left back leg is broken. Should heal in a few weeks." Doctor Pura Vida came into Applejack's vision, her magenta eyes filled with concern and care.

"...R-Rara?" Applejack spluttered out, her throat burning from something she didn't even want to know from.

"Miss Coloratura is resting in the cot next to you. Don't turn your head, your neck is swollen, it'll make it worse. She's doing well..." Pura's voice shifted just a bit. Being the Bearer of Honesty, she knew when ponies were lying, and she stared at the doctor with a vicious glare, sparing her voice.

"Umm, soo..." Pura's ears wilted as the stare continued. "She hurt her head severely and won't be able to walk due to a really bad fracture in her front left leg!" She said breathlessly, before turning away in shame.
> The Manehatten Shatterdome
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two weeks have passed since the Slatemaw incident. Applejack has recovered fully and Apple Bloom is doing well with her training. The pony who wasn't doing well was Coloratura. Pura said that she has recovered as much as her body and medicine will allow. Coloratura didn't seem to mind that she wouldn't be able to walk and always had a smile. Applejack however...

"APPLE BLOOM, BABS, YA'LL GOTTA BE FASTER! EVERY SECOND IS IMPORTANT!" AJ's face was flushed, her muzzle showed a nasty frown, and her brow was dripping with sweat. Everypony in the room backed off from the clearly angry orange mare. Even Pay Check looked scared.

Apple Bloom shared a concerned glance with the other Cutie Mark Crusaders before turning back to the training simulator and beginning the trail run again. Together with Babs Seed, they swung underneath the simulated Kaiju and slashed upwards with a crystal sword, before ending above it and crushing the Kaiju underneath their hoof. Instead of checking for a pulse, the duo raised their front hooves and brought it down again for a second time.

"Kaiju defeated." The simulator computer said, it's monotone voice betraying nothing.

"Humph, could be better. BREAK TIME CADETS!" Applejack stormed out of the room, heading straight towards the med-bay. Though after she left, did the Cadets move.

"Where are you going?" Scootaloo whispered after Apple Bloom, who had decided to follow her sister.

"Something's wrong with mah sister and ah'm gonna help!" Apple Bloom didn't even wait to see if her friends were going to follow and followed the path towards the med-bay. She stopped in front of the doors that led in and wondered if this was a bad idea or not.

"...ah'm worried Rarara, about the fillies working with Jaegers and fighting Kaiju and..." Applejack's voice floated to Apple Bloom's ears, who twitched in response. The young mare pushed herself against the door to listen better.

"AJ, you can't protect them all. Praise Luna, you were in the same conn-pod and you couldn't protect me. Just train them as the best then can be and hope for the best, that's the best anycreature can really do. My injury won't change me for who I am, I'm still that Rara you know and love. So quit worrying and get those fillies in shape!" Coloratura's voice was filled with enthusiasm and hope. Apple Bloom could hear her sister take a breath, then all became silent.

"Apple Bloom! Get back here, we might miss lunch!" Sweetie Belle surprised Apple Bloom, finding her friend right next to her with an urgent look on her face. The yellow mare nodded and followed the unicorn to the lunch room where Scootaloo and Babs were waiting, food already on their plates.


***


"Alright Cadets, myself and Ranger Applejack will be taking you to the Manehatten Shatterdome. We will be met by Rangers Thorax and Pharynx. We will be learning about tag teaming and how other creatures use Jaegers. After Manehatten, we'll head on to the Griffish Isles and then we'll end our tour in Yakyakistan. What I want from you, is complete obedience!" Ranger Pay Check glared at the gathered Cadets who stood with their backs straight, hooves together, and tails completely still. Every eye facing forwards and muzzles wearing a single expression. Then Wind Sprint sneezed.

The eight Cadets and two Rangers, one of whom was reluctant on leaving, got on the train headed for Manehatten. The young mares smile excitedly and talk about who they might meet and what Jaegers they might see. They went on like that for half of the train ride before Pay-Check got mad and shushed us.

It was three hours past lunch when they arrived. The Shatterdome was larger than the one in Van Hoover; we stood there for at least a minute, just soaking in how large it was. The tallest skyscraper just barely made it past the height of the tip of the dome. The large doors opened and we went inside, mouths agape.

"IT'S BRAWLING CAROL!!!" The Cutie Mark Crusader's squees drowned out whatever Pay Check was going to say. Said Jaeger was a surprisingly large green and black Jaeger, similar to how Changelings looked pre-reformed. It was larger than the Jaegers in the Van Hoover Shatterdome, by at least another ten meters. Despite it being a Changeling Jaeger and it's colors, it looked nothing like a Changeling; in fact it looked more like an Alicorn. The painted metal glimmered in the sunlight that shone through the open door. The hooves were massive, easily larger, and wider, than a skyscraper. Carol looked like it had retractable wings and a unicorn horn.

According to the information Apple Bloom received from her various sources, the retractable ligaments were there because Changelings can shapeshift and if needed, they can shapeshift to help them in the fight and the Jaeger needs to accommodate for that. She told the group this fact and Applejack confirmed it. The other Cadet's eyes sparkled with awe as they gazed at the behemoth that stood a few steps away; however, Peach Fuzz wasn't at all impressed and rolled her eyes at her fellow student's reactions.

The group came to a stop next to two Changelings. Ranger Thorax, a bright green one with large orange antlers; his wings, tail, and eyes were a nice shade of purple. Ranger Pharynx, a dark bluish one with reddish antlers that match his wings. Both stood proudly as they looked down at the Cadets, who looked back in awe.

"So, has Ranger Pay Check told you what you're going to learn about?" Thorax asked, his wings shifting on his back. He faced the Cadets after greeting Applejack, nostalgia visible in his eyes after seeing her after many years.

"Something about other creatures and their Jaegers," Mellow said, her gaze still on Pharynx, who chuckled awkwardly when he noticed.

"And tag teaming!" Scootaloo jumped up, a big grin plastered over her face.

"Yes, we'll go over those in the week that you'll be here. Now if you'll follow me, I'll be showing you where you'll be sleeping." Pharynx smiled slightly and gestured for them to follow him as he trotted off.

The Manehatten Shatterdome beheld too many wonders for their young minds to compute, and it short-circuited the capacity for speech. Every Cadet, even Peach Fuzz, looked around in awe at the legendary Jaegers. Beside Brawling Carol, stood Celestial Advice. Considerably smaller than the former, but still magnificent. Despite it being a Mark II, it wasn't that bulky. Enchanted metal and wire lined the entire Jaeger, allowing flexibility but sacrificing strength and durability. There was megaspell reactor imbedded in it's chest similar to Minty Revenge.

On the other side of the Shatterdome stood a beast of a Jaeger; Broken Table. Easily the bulkiest Jaeger in the entire Jaeger Corps, weighing over 5000 tons. The thing was built for tanking hits and smashing down everything and anything. There's not much to describe. Apple Bloom tilted her head at how similar the Jaeger looks to a yak. Despite the metal, it could pass as a ginormous yak.

A griffon Jaeger that didn't look familiar stood next to Broken Table. It looked really sleek and shiny. Apple Bloom could even see magic steel shimmering around it. Magical metal wings were folded beside its black body, it's talons and beak gleaming with deadly intent. A visor-like window displayed the conn-pod, and a long barbed tail finished the terrifying look. Ranger Pharynx said that's the first Mark V; Enlightened Protector, and it's not completely finished.


***


"Apple Bloom!" Psst, Apple Bloom!" A voice drifted into Apple Bloom's consciousness, slowly waking her up. She blinked her eyes open and almost screamed at seeing a brownish-orange muzzle in front of her, but Babs' hoof prevented that.

"What the hay are ya doing awake!" Apple Bloom whispered loudly, her eyes flashing with alarm.

"We're going to explore!" Scootaloo's excited voice surprised the orange earth pony.

"Yer here too?"

"And me!" Sweetie Belle popped up next to Scootaloo, her green eyes bright.

"We can be the Cutie Mark Sneakers!" The orange pegasus whispered loudly.

"Are ya a chicken, Bloom? We're only walkin' about, maybe even see get inside a Jaeger." Babs nodded, seemingly proud of what they were going to do. Apple Bloom only sighed and got up and put on a Cadet jumper.

The four sneaked out of the Cadet dorms. Pharynx showed them earlier, and headed off to Jaeger Bay. Babs took the lead after blowing her mane out her eyes. A couple times they had to hide because of ponies talking or walking in the hallways. They took alternate routes to prevent running into a yak Ranger who looked very stern. They neared a lab, as a sign said so, and Babs stopped when she heard voices.

"...estria is doomed! Marshall, you gotta listen to me, to us! You've seen the math, the Kaiju are just going to come and come until there's nothing left!" An unknown voice shouted earnestly through the open door, effectively freezing the CMC from going any further.

"Babs?" Sweetie Belle's voice was shaking; fear showed in her eyes.

"Hush, ah wanna hear this." Babs gestured for the others to press against the wall, making them virtually invisible to any passerby.

"Dr. Lineage, we have no evidence of this, and if more Kaiju are going to pour out of the tectonic fissure, the Jaegers will push them back, as we always have." A deeper, richer voice replied.

"But this is proof!" A higher voice, different to Dr. Lineage, and the Marshall, answered back quite angrily.

"I need more then numbers Dr. Newt. If you two can find me hard evidence, then we'll do something about, but for now, we'll do as we have been doing for years," and with that, the Marshall trotted out, his hoofsteps heavy on the metal flooring. A black unicorn with a velvet mane passed the young mares hiding in a corner without even batting a glance, and continued on his way, steel in his gaze.

"What are we going to do Lineage!" Dr. Newt's voice was close to hysterical.

"I don't know Newt, I don't know." Both voices drifted away.

Babs waited just a bit longer before risking a glance inside. Sighing with relief, she continued to the Jaeger bay, caution displayed in her every move.


***


The four crawled along a cat walk that headed towards Celestial Advice's conn-pod. They were almost halfway when alarms started sounding throughout the Shatterdome. Apple Bloom's eyes widened as did the others. Kaiju attack.

"Warning! Kaiju, category IV. Rangers Goldenrod and Silver Platter, you are needed on deck. Warning! Kaiju..."

"Buck me!" Babs did the only sane option that was presented to them at the moment, run straight towards the conn-pod. Not knowing what else to do, the other three followed.

"Babs! We should leave!" Sweetie Belle sounded terrified as the four squished in a corner, out of the view of the pilot's eyesight if they were to step in.

"But we can't! This is Goldenrod's and Silver's Jaeger! We're screwed if we go back out!" Babs looked terrified, the first time that Apple Bloom had seen her like this.

"S-so, does that mean...we're going to be in a Jaeger fight?" Scootaloo's voice shook as realization dawned on all four.

"Oh buck..." The mares huddled closer together, trying to blink away the tears that started forming.

"Warning! Kaiju, category IV. Rangers Pharynx and Thorax, you are needed on deck. Warning! Kaiju..."

Apple Bloom's eyes widened even more... it's a tag team against a category IV...WAIT, A CATEGORY IV. She started hyperventilating. Scootaloo placed a wing on her shoulder, smiling reassuringly, hiding whatever must have been happening underneath.

"We'll be fine, these ponies are top notch pilots. After the fight, we'll just sneak away while they are cheering their names!" Scootaloo nodded, proud of her plan. After the words sunk in, the others started nodding, relieved smiles plastered over their faces.

Then the door opened up and two earth ponies stepped in with grim expressions.
> Knifetail
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ranger Goldenrod's yellow face shimmered with determination. His bright red eyes glowed in the alarm lights. His cutie mark was hidden under a white Ranger battle suit with yellow highlights to match Celestial Advice's color scheme. Ranger Silver Platter appeared behind him with the same battle suit on. His ivory coat shone more brilliantly while his dark blue eyes betrayed no emotion as he stepped into the walking struts on the left. Goldenrod took the right one and helmets were plopped down on their heads.

"Initiating neural bridge...right hemisphere calibrated...left hemisphere calibrated. Neural bridge stable."

The young mares hiding in the back, far from the pilots' sight, felt the floor tremble. Apple Bloom looked through the conn-pod's visor and saw the ground leaving, and from the noise outside, she assumed that helicopters were bringing them to the Kaiju.

"Alrighty Goldie, another Kaiju. Do you think you can keep up with me?" Silver kept his eyes forwards, but a small smile broke out.

"Mighty talk Silver, do you really think you're better then me?" Goldenrod also smiled as the duo took up a stance while they waited for the helicopters to drop them.

"All Pilots! Advice, you are to take down Knifetail while Carol stands as backup. A bunker malfunctioned stranding civilians out in the open, so take down the Kaiju as fast as possible!" An unknown voice rang through the conn-pod, making the Cadets wince.

With an affirmative, the two Pilots braced for impact. A loud clang rang out as the helicopters disengaged Advice above the sea. Nothing happened for a few seconds; then a big woosh and thud caught the mares off guard, sending them tumbling around with grunts of pain. Thankfully, the water Advice threw about suppressed the noises in the back.

The duo took up a fighting stance, still oblivious to the four mares in the back, and waited for Knifetail to show. Celestial Advice mirrored the stance, front left hoof in front while the right a bit back and the two back hooves stood wide, allowing the pilots to dodge or attack if needed. Advice's legs were thick, and sturdy, made out of multiple alloys, allowing for easy but powerful bucking. The head fits snugly in the broad shoulders of the midsection, both made out of harder materials than the legs, increasing their durability. The visor took up most of the head, allowing for increased vision for pilots if the magical holograms were to fail.

The six ponies waited with bated breath; then the sea shook. A terrifying beast, thick scaly skin that dripped with salty water, 10 meter spikes lining it's spine, but most terrifying of all; a 20 meter tail that could pierce through enchanted metal. In height, it stood larger than Celestial Advice. Knifetail charged out of the water and tackled Advice, sending all the ponies to the floor. Before anypony could do anything, the Kaiju gripped one of the Jeager's hooves in its jaw and spun around in a circle before releasing. Advice flew through the air before crashing into the water again.

Goldenrod and Silver stood up, panting and gritted their teeth with determination. Advice followed their movement, step after step, then a gallop. One hoofstep caused water to splash everywhere; another causing tremors, and the third crashing into the Kaiju's jaw. Knifetail fell back, temporarily stunned. It tried to open its jaws before it got hit again and again. By the fifth hit, the Kaiju's head was submerged in the water, slightly bleeding, letting its blue blood mix with the ocean's.

Advice reared backwards, trying for a devastating stomp, but Knifetail whirled around, sending its tail forwards. The Cadets gasped as they saw a hologram of the Kaiju's tail pierce through the Pilot's bodies. The duo collapsed on the ground, gasping in pain. Sweetie Belle tried to trot over to offer some encouragement, but Babs pulled her back before the duo could see her. When she protested, Babs argued that if they knew there were Cadets aboard, they would immediately head back to the Shatterdome. Scootaloo opened her mouth to say that's exactly what they wanted before a loud crash resounded through the conn-pod.

Brawling Carol launched itself on the Kaiju's back. Thorax and Pharynx reared backwards and thrust downwards with an added boost from the rocket boosters on Carol's back. The pressure forced Knifetail under the water. The folded wings sprouted outwards, sharp points that glistened in the sunlight. When the Kaiju heaved upwards, the changeling duo flipped backwards, using their newfound wings to balance themselves. Knifetail threw it's namesake at Carol, but they ducked under it and galloped forwards. The Kaiju tried it's tail again, but before it could recover from another failed attack, the changeling Jaeger raked its sharpened wings along the Kaiju's side, drawing blood.

But not enough. Knifetail recovered quicker then anycreature expected and charged. It knocked Carol to it's side and proceeded to rip off one of the wings and tried to do the same with the second before it got tackled by Advice. While the changelings screamed out in pain from the magical feedback, Goldenrod and Silver were beating Knifetail to a pulp.

At least that's what they thought.

The earth pony duo lifted their front hooves and brought it down. It never landed. The Kaiju lifted upwards and hurled Advice away. It then deflected a blow from Carol, who recovered enough to fight, wing retracted, and headbutted the Jaeger. Before Thorax or Pharynx could do anything, Knifetail opened its jaws and spewed out a blue liquid.

"What the buck is that!" Pharynx lifted a hoof to prevent the liquid from spraying all over the green visor. Then the duo gasped when they saw the liquid eating through the metal everywhere it touched.

"IT'S BUCKING ACID!!!" Thorax hit the eject, sending himself and Pharynx out of the walking struts and onto the floor before the acid ate through the visor. Through the new holes, the changelings saw Advice leap forwards and dragged Knifetail away from the crumbling  Jaeger. Thorax took the chance and dragged Pharynx away from the pooling blue acid to a hatch. Once outside the conn-pod, they turned into unicorns and teleported to the beach where they collapsed from the sheer amount of magical, physical, and mental energy they expended.


***


Applejack wandered the halls with a look on her face. Anycreature who were still in the hallways, quickly steered clear of the mare. She looked high and low for the missing Cadets. Her Cadets! When the alarms sounded, the orange mare quickly rolled out of bed and took stock of the situation. She counted four missing and then immediately interrogated them. It got so intense that Pay Check excused himself and left with a hurry.

After some intense eye staring contests and hoof slamming on tables, which hurt, Candy confessed that she saw the four trotting away sneakily in the dead of night. Applejack brought the young mare to tears trying to get her to fess up where they went. It took Peach Fuzz to drag her away to make her see that Candy knew nothing.

During the whole fight, she searched the whole Shatterdome and only came out of her stupor when the alarm sounded for a fallen Jaeger. Applejack rushed to the command center located in the middle of the Shatterdome, overlooking the hanger bay for Jaegers and the sort.

The moment she trotted onto the bridge, heads turned. Ranger Pay Check was already there as well as Marshall Rack. A large unicorn, known for his legendary fight against the first ever category III; Breacher. His co-pilot; Whey died during the fight, and he had to finish the fight alone. After the fight, he collapsed sustaining heavy mental damage. The doctors recommend that he should never enter a Jaeger ever again, or else his mind will turn into sludge.

"Ranger Appl..." The Marshall began to say before getting silenced.

"Shove it Rack, ah've lost mah sister and her friends, a Jaeger out there is dead in the water, ah am not in a fine and dandy mood. Are the Pilots dead?" Applejack pointed her question to griffon who keeps track of the vital signs. He shook his head and showed her the electrocardiogram. She nodded then looked back at the Marshall, "how are the others farin'?"

"Badly. Our scanners show Carol is completely melted, there's no saving that one, and her pilots are passed out on the beach. Our medstaff should be arriving there shortly. Advice is sustaining heavy damage, we're contemplating on sending another Jaeg..." Marshall trailed off when everybody in the command center heard an extended beep.


***


The Cadets stared in horror at the lifeless body that was Goldenrod. Silver was sent to the ground under the overwhelming weight of a Jaeger. He gritted his teeth and heaved upwards. He lifted a hoof and brought it straight down on the tail that ended his partner's life. The sudden pain forced the Kaiju to extract his tail, leaving a jagged hole through the visor, leaving nothing to the imagination for the young mares hiding in the back.

That single Ranger who held his ground, finally saw the terrified stowaways. His face alternated between emotions, flickering from surprise to anger to determination. He pushed up straighter and yelled out a battlecry and charged. The entire weight of the Jaeger on him, blood dripping from one nostril, he turned tail and bucked as hard as he possibly could. The blow connected so painfully hard that the ponies inside the conn-pod could hear its jaw snap.

"You...should leave...please. Take the...ejection pods...I can't..." Silver gasped before collapsing. He struggled to stand, still, looking at his unexpected passengers, his eyes pleading. A loud crash tore the Ranger's gaze. He groaned and twisted sideways, the Jaeger awkwardly following his movements. Too slow.

Apple Bloom watched with stark horror as the flickering magical hologram showed a snaking tail coming straight at them. The hologram disappeared as the young mare's eyes could only focus on the real tail as it pierced Silver right through the chest. Before anypony could blink, the tail disappeared, taking Ranger Silver Platter with it. With no one to pilot, Celestial Advice tilted to its side, before falling into the water.

The Kaiju outside roared, its beastly screams hounding all reason away from the Cadet's hearts as the wrecked conn-pod started filling up with water.


***


"BUCKING HAY! Marshal, ya better give me a Jaeger and a co-pilot or imma whoop yer ass into next moon." Applejack's eyes bore into the unicorn standing before her. Her green eyes slowly turning an unhealthy shade of red, every creature in the room backed away in case her mane caught on fire or something. The Marshall however, did not back down and stared right back.

"Shade, call the Winged Glory team." He never broke eye contact, nor did she.

"...Aye sir!" A young pegasus saluted and pressed a button.

"Warning! Kaiju, category IV. Rangers Soaring and Spitfire, you are needed..."

"Umm sir?" The griffon shrunk back considerably when the two ponies glared at him, "...Advice is moving..."

"W-wha...how?" The fire died somewhat in Applejack as she trotted over to look at the electrocardiogram, then her eyes turned pure red and her mane caught on fire.


***


Cadet Apple Bloom and Cadet Babs Seed stood in the struts of the Jaeger; Celestial Advice. 

"Initiating neural drift...right hemisphere calibrated...left hemisphere cali...error...left hemisphere is out of alignment"

Apple Bloom stood watching as Ranger Silver Platter got taken away...except it wasn't Silver. It was Applejack. She did nothing to help or did anything to prevent what happened...what was going to happen. The scene went back to where Applejack stared straight at her. Straight at Apple Bloom, love and desperation in those green eyes, pleading for her to leave, to flee. But Apple Bloom did nothing and watched as the snaking tail came and stabbed her sister right through the chest. It retracted right back from where it came from, leaving a jagged hole in the visor, exactly like the one in her heart.

"Apple Bloom. Ah know you can hear me, don't go down the rabbit hole. Remember yer trainin'. We need to defeat this here Kaiju and go brag 'bout it to Peach Fuzz and the rest. Come on Cuz, howabout it?"

Apple Bloom looked at Babs. The young mare smiled at her cousin, her bangs covering one side of her face, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was the determination and love Apple Bloom could feel from Babs. Then the yellow mare smiled.

"...Left hemisphere calibrated. Neural bridge stable."

"Let's do this thing!" The cousins stamped their front hooves in sync before leaping after the Kaiju that's making its way to shore. Before either could reach their destination, a large winged shape came hurtling out of the sky. Apple Bloom gasped as she recognized Winged Glory as it did its signature move where Soarin and Spitfire grab a Kaiju by its neck and haul it over Glory's back.

Knifetail fell on its back, its four legs waving in the air as Glory leaped upwards and slammed their hooves on the stomach. The Kaiju, mistake or not, released an excess amount of the blue acid stored in its mouth. The pegasi pilots had to flap their wings backwards to avoid the nasty liquid. Knifetail tried to get up but was pinned by the cousins.

Apple Bloom grinned as she and Babs lifted Knifetail by its tail and slammed it back down. She felt like she could take on a hurricane! The Kaiju whirled around and opened its mouth, no doubt trying to spray its acid. Before it could get a chance, the Apple cousins flicked a hoof straight towards the already broken jaw, shearing it off its head.

The mares just stared in shock at the now jawless Kaiju staring back at them through the broken visor. Their hesitation would've been their downfall if Glory had not headlocked Knifetail and brought it downwards. Kaiju and Jaeger wrestled for a minute before Glory got launched backwards, crashing through a building. It didn't hold them down for long, though, as they came rushing back out, their razor-sharp wings spread out.

Apple Bloom and Babs knew exactly what to do and as if rehearsed, they grabbed the tail that almost skewered them and heaved forwards. The duo braced and stood on their back hooves as they whirled the Kaiju around and around before releasing it towards Glory's open wings. In a split second, Knifetail went from jawless Kaiju to a lifeless, shredded, corpse lying on the Manehatten beach; it's blue blood spilling everywhere.

With a tired sigh, Apple Bloom and Babs trotted forwards before crashing into the beach themselves, sand spraying everywhere and unfortunately as well as the conn-pod, much to Sweetie Belle's displeasure. With help from Scootaloo, who couldn't stop grinning, the cousins unhooked themselves from the Jaeger struts who somehow survived the spear tail attacks. Then the four mares gulped at the sight of a very angry mare staring straight at them.
> At a Loss
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ah can't believe it! Sneakin' on a Jaeger in the middle of the night, filled to the brim with high-tech weapons, ya could have set the Shatterdome on fire!" Applejack's face was red; the tips of her mane were sparking with embers, and her green eyes filled with pride. Wait... "But Ah'm proud of ya. Of ya all. Instead of runnin' in the face of danger, ya stepped up and fought that beast with honor. Don't ever do that again, ya hear? Not without the proper trainin'."

"Ah'm sorry AJ, we didn't mean to be a part of the fight." Apple Bloom lowered her head in shame, but secretly she was bursting with happiness from hearing that her sister was proud of her.

"Yeah, it was really scary but awesome!" Scootaloo bounced up, and down, her wings buzzing in excitement.

"Are Thorax and Pharynx okay?" Sweetie Belle looked up at the Ranger with some tears in her eyes.

"Yer darn right they are. Thanks to you fillies, I lost a good team and a slain Kaiju on Manehatten's beach, but Carol's Pilots are doing alright. Exhausted, but alright." Marshall Rack came up behind Applejack, causing the young Cadets to snap to place in the proper fashion when a Marshall was nearby.

"Don't let this win go to yer heads, ya hear me?" Applejack stared at them for good measure before trotting after Marshall.

"So what should we do?" Babs turned to face the other Cutie Mark Crusaders. The silence was deafening; the four kept on glancing at each other, as if daring each other to say what they were all thinking.

"I'm thinking food, we haven't had breakfast yet." Scootaloo broke the staring contest first and headed off to tackle some croissants. The other three hesitated for a minute, knowing perfectly well that this was just a distraction, then scampered after the orange pegasus.


***


Applejack trotted to her room and closed the door. She closed her eyes with a sigh and rubbed her head with her hooves. What is she going to do about these fillies? Sure, they took down a Kaiju, but they snuck out, and stowed away on a Jaeger in the middle of battle!

She was proud of her sister, who wouldn't, but the fact that she went behind her back to go do something so dangerous made Applejack mad. She groaned in frustration, not sure what to do, when a knock on her door came out of nowhere. The orange mare stumbled to her hooves and dusted some of the dirt off before she opened the door.

"Miss Applejack? I've got a message from a Pinkamena Pie." A blue pegasus grabbed an envelope from his saddlebag and hoofed it over. Applejack looked at him quizzically, wondering what Pinkie would send. She thanked the courier and went back into her room. Door closed and comfortable on the bed, Applejack opened the letter.

Dear AJ,
I hope this letter will reach you well, as this letter contains unappealing content.

Applejack paused and scrunched her muzzle in confusion. Didn't the stallion say this came from Pinkie? But why does this sound so... so posh? She shook her head, hoping that there's a reasonable explanation, and continued reading.

Rarity's gone missing. It's been days, and nopony has seen or heard where she's been. After that Manehatten attack, she has been snappy and aloof.
A REAL PARTY POOPER!!!
We were wondering if you know anything about this, or where she could possibly be?
Thanks,
Twilight.

Applejack was now even more confused. The Kaiju attack happened just a few hours ago; how can it already be days? Then again, it is from Pinkie and she's known to do weird things. Rarity...Applejack thought, why would Rarity of all ponies, suddenly leave without telling anypony anything. Something doesn't add up.

The orange mare shoved open the door, and stepped out, complete with a bag slung over her back filled with her essentials. She stopped and thought for a moment, then decided, and headed off. She passed by Marshall Rack, and told him about the situation; he wasn't happy, but Applejack wouldn't take no for an answer. After the talk, she headed to the nearest train station and bought a ticket for Ponyville.


***


The four Cadets that snuck upon Advice sat still, chewing slowly, while being cornered by the other Cadets.

"Come on, tell us!"
"Yeah, tell us what happened there!"
"How did it feel to be in a real Jaeger?"
"I bet you didn't do anything."

That last comment was from Peach Fuzz, who looked very snooty. Babs slowly turned to face the peach-colored mare and looked at her dead in the eye. Everypony went silent, trying to guess what would happen. Instead of a fight like everypony wanted, Babs brushed, passed Peach, and trotted away.

"Coward!" Peach spat after the retreating mare. She would've done more if Scootaloo hadn't tackled her. What was supposed to be a match between Babs and Peach turned out to be a beatdown by Scootaloo. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had to drag the orange pegasus off the bleeding, yet grinning, Cadet.

"You have NO idea what happened in there!" Scootaloo yelled, giving them all a glare that rivalled Fluttershy. They all shrunk back.

"Come on Scoots, let's go cheer up Babs." Apple Bloom took the lead. Her thoughts whirled around, no doubt thinking of the same thing that the other Cutie Mark Crusaders were thinking of.

"Guys, I think we should talk about this. Staying silent isn't helping anypony." Sweetie offered gently.

"Yeah, okay."

"I heard from Rainbow Dash that holding things in is never good. I don't want to fail her like this!" Scootaloo's wings buzzed angrily, her hooffalls more heavy.


***


Applejack reached Ponyville, well past the afternoon, and rushed straight to Twilight's castle. There she met the rest of her friends outside the door, sans Rarity.

"Do y'all know what's happening?" Applejack panted, her bag weighing her down.

"Rarity's gone missing! I was planning a surprise party for her, but when I went to her house to deliver the invitation, she wasn't there!" Pinkie pouted, tears shimmering in the corners of her eyes.

"Does anypony know why though?"

"Nope, nada, zilch. I haven't done a lot with Rarity recently, there is this Wonderbolt showing that I need to attend, so I've been practicing." Rainbow said while hovering a few centimeters off the floor.

"A-and I've been busy with my animals. Oh dear, I really hope that Rarity is okay. She seemed shaken after the news from Manehatten. Oh dear, those creatures there! They must be terrified!" Fluttershy was close to having a meltdown.

"It's alright sugarcube, the Jaegers took the Kaiju down before it destroyed any more." Applejack tried to smile reassuringly.

"Not to burst your bubble AJ, but statistically, the Jaegers do the same amount, if not more, of damage then the Kaiju." Twilight popped in.

"Twi, ah didn't need to hear that now. Mah sister was in one of those Jaegers and it would help a mighty ton if you could spread some good facts. Not to mention, Rarara's crippled and unable to work a Jaeger. Celestial Advice and Brawling Carol is wrecked and beyond repair. Goldenrod and Silver Platter, didya know that they died? On top of all this, Rarity's gone missin.' Ah need good news Twi!" Applejack gulped in oxygen, her rant taking more out of her, then she realized.

Her friends looked at her with shock. Twilight's mouth was opening and closing as if trying to find words while Fluttershy, bless her soul, was hiding behind Rainbow Dash. Even Pinkie Pie had a frightened expression.

"Right, ah'm sorry y'all. This past week has been stressful as hay! Now, Rarity, does anypony know where she is?"

"Umm...no, as of right now, no, we don't know where s..." Twilight's voice drifted off, her gaze caught on something glowing. Five glowing things to be more accurate. To be even more accurate, the cutie marks of the gathered ponies were glowing.

"TO THE CUTIE-MAP!" Pinkie bounced away, heading straight to the castle.
> Dodge City
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The girls rushed inside and and only stopped when they reached the table containing a magical map. Said map currently had five cutie marks floating above a location.

"Dodge City?" Rainbow cocked her head to the side, slightly confused. "What's there?"

"Um, ah think a Jaeger factory and a branch of the Apple family. 'Sides that, I dunno." Applejack looked at the map more closely. 

"Hold on girls! Something incredible has happened!" Twilight received four blank stares. "The Cutie Mark called on five of us. Not Rarity. This has been the first time this has happened! I gotta take notes...Spike! Grab a notebook and a quill..." The alicorn started muttering to herself.

"No R-Rarity? Is she okay? W-what if she got hurt o-or worse?" Fluttershy stammered, clearly scared.

"Nah, she's fine! She is really sad though." Pinkie's ears drooped for a second before perking back up. "We can bring a party to her!"

Applejack watched as the pink pony started pulling random objects out of what seems to be thing air and then stuffing it in her poofy mane. "Ah don't know how she does it, never have, never will."

"Come on girls! We go to Dodge and then go back to finding Rarity. The map has never led us wrong!" Rainbow grinned, trying to get Twilight to stop writing things down. The two did a little tug of war with the notebook before Applejack snatched it away from both of them.

"Time to save Rarityyy!" Pinkie bounced out of the castle, a balloon tied to her back, making her jumps a little bit higher.

"Aren't we going to Dodge City though? T-the map doesn't tell us what the friendship problem is, why does Pinkie think we're going to Rarity?." Fluttershy asked, her eyes looking downward. Then she looked up, everypony was further ahead. Fluttershy flew to catch up, offering a timid apology.


***


The train ride there was uneventful, unless you count a shouting match over who the best Wonderbolt is. Twilight stopped Rainbow just before she was about to kick that pony's flank into Trottingham. After that incident, the car wisely stayed quiet.

"We made it!" Twilight smiled as she got off the train, which fell immediately. The town was a trash dump. Jaeger parts were scattered everywhere, ponies walking everywhere with tools in hoof or magic. There were even a couple of griffons with metal and circuitry.

 "Oh dear." Fluttershy shrunk behind Applejack, the only pony from the group who has actually seen the Jaeger workshop.

"I wonder if that pony knows that metal he is using is actually a really weak aluminum." Pinkie stated before stepping to one side. Her friends looked at her in confusion; then they noticed the twitchy tail. Twilight wisely followed the pink pony's lead right before a conn-pod smashed the surrounding metal to scrap.

"Right, follow me. Might as well show ya what's happenin' here." Applejack led the group past two earth ponies bickering about how to weave circuitry right. "Those two are brothers, own the second largest Jaeger manufacturing company in Equestria."

"Darn right we are. The name's Rivets, what'cha gals doin' here, all by your lonesome?" The brother with a red coat and a purple mane shook his hooves with Applejack before tipping his hat to the other four.

"We are looking for a problem, something friendship related. Have you noticed anything wrong in town recently? Maybe two friends no longe..." Twilight started before getting interrupted by Pinkie's random antics.

"GASP! My Pinkie Sense is tingling!" The pink mare took off, leaving the brothers staring with baffled expressions.

"D-Did she just say gasp?" The other brother, who had a brighter shade of red as his coat with a light blue mane. Applejack said his name was Bolt.

"Yes." Fluttershy tilted her head, her long mane flowing down in front of her eyes, as she looked at the direction where Pinkie took off in. "She's like that."

"Should we follow her?" Rainbow asked, unsure of what to do.

"Yeah, after her!" Twilight galloped forwards, her friends close behind. The two engineer brothers looked at each other, shrugged, then went back to work.

The four friends chased their pink friend through Dodge City, getting strange looks from workers and clients alike. The several times they lost Pinkie, Rainbow had to fly up and try to spot her, then resumed the chase. Applejack didn't have time to marvel at how Jaegers were being built right before her very eyes, though she would like to. Something about doing the work yourself makes her appreciate things more. It's why Applejack always hated it when Jaegers got destroyed.

She got snapped out of her musings when she ran full tilt at a cart full of green veggies. "My cabbages!"


***


Pinkie Pie dodged and weaved through various obstacles, ranging from creatures, workshop materials, and even Jaegers. She was aware of the others galloping after her, but she didn't dare stop. Her friend was in danger, and if experience has ever taught her anything, it is that she must always follow her Pinkie Sense.

A few moments later, Pinkie skidded to a halt in front of a warehouse. She did nothing but stare at the closed door as she waited for her friends to arrive. Something about this place made her feel sad; her will to smile was slipping. Minutes passed and Twilight and the others finally arrived.

"Where's Applejack?" Rainbow Dash asked, whipping her head around to see if she could see the missing farmer, but to no avail.

"She's busy with her own arc, don't worry. We have to go in quick! No time to waste, my Pinkie Sense is almost fading!" Without waiting, Pinkie trotted up to the door and opened it. The dark filled her with dread, but as Granny Pie always says 'Pinkie, you gotta stand up tall, learn to face your fears. You'll see that they can't hurt you, just laugh to make them disappear!'

The four stepped in with caution, one of which tried very hard to find something to laugh at, but failed miserably.

"I think I found the light..." Everypony in the room gasped when the light flicked on. Including the white unicorn standing on top of a Jaeger.

"Oh dear..." With a quick flash, said unicorn was gone.


***


Applejack groaned and rubbed her head with a forehoof. Soon, the farmer got to her hooves and surveyed the area. None of her friends seemed to have realized she had fallen behind. Applejack sighed and prepared herself mentally to ask othercreatures for their help before she heard something.

"...math checks out Newt! Equestria will be gone in a month! We need to do something, but what?" A voice echoed in Applejack's head. She stilled her heart and crept closer to the voices.

"The Marshall won't hear us out, Lineage! What do you want me to do? We need physical proof, not some hypothesis."

"But science is hypotheses!" Lineage sounded exasperated. Applejack nodded, knowing the feeling.

"I know! But army ponies don't care about guesses, how many times do I have to tell you this! The only idea I've got so far is to drift with a Kaiju, but where would we get a Kaiju brain..."

"And why, Newt, is this the only idea you have? The mental state you'll be in after the drift is, is... I don't know! Nopony's insane enough to do something like that!"

"But think of the knowledge we'd get!" Newt pleaded. A silence followed and Applejack assumed the two were staring each other down.

"Alright, fine. But first we need to get a Kaiju brain!" Another silence followed this one. This one contemplative.

Applejack made her move, "Ah know where y'all can get a brain of them monsters."
> Cadets
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Four mares stared at each other, eyeing each other, carefully, daring each other to make the first move. Not a single pony blinked, this was the battle of the ages. A white hoof raised up, deliberately slow to add some dramatic effect. All eyes immediately went to the hoof, watching it rise up. A door slammed open, causing the four cadets to jump up in shock.

"Come on! There's a Kaiju attack at Las Pegasus!" Mellow exclaimed, brimming with excitement. She hurriedly tried to wave the four friends to come watch with them. Babs and Scootaloo wrestled each other to the door, trying to be there first, while Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom trotted after them.

"About time you got here!" Wind Sprint waved them over to a spot next to her. The four took their spots and turned their attention to a TV mounted on the wall. "They named this Kaiju; Ragged, a Category III, and the Las Pegasus Shatterdome sent out Rising Honor."

Ragged, a Category III Kaiju, with the four vine-like appendages on its back. It's mottled scaly back, is tough enough to withstand a normal shock cannon. Rising Honor, piloted by Green Tea and his brother Black Tea. The brothers hail from Japony and are skilled in swordplay.


***


"Baka! This Kaiju respects nocreature!" The Tea brothers rose up on their hindlegs; their Jaeger custom built to their fighting style, and unfolded their katana. Forged from the finest bladesmiths in all of Japony, using heaps of metal, to create an arc of destruction.

Ragged roared, and charged, crashing through many buildings in the process. Glass shattering filled the entire city, as the large monster thudded closer, and closer, its vines whipping around, grabbing various objects. Car after concrete chunk after signpost, the Kaiju hurled at Rising. Like the samurai of old, the Tea brothers sliced through every projectile like it was butter.

When it was Ragged's turn, however, that was when Rising had some trouble. The four vines atop the Kaiju's back attacked without abandon, whipping one way, and slashing the other. The Tea brothers waved their sword about, trying in vain to block every strike. After a while, metal scraps started flaking off the Jaeger, no doubt resulting in much pain for the Pilots within.

Soon enough, Rising was forced back to the ground, its sword discarded. One of the hooves looked in critical condition, much of the metal completely ripped out, showing sparking circuitry. Doom seemed imminent for the Tea brothers, as they bowed their head down in respect to the foe that finally brought them down.

However, before the Kaiju could thrust its vines into the connpod, a bright yellow figure descended onto Ragged. Smaller than the usual Jaeger, the new attacker was small in stature, bright orange and yellow, and looked like an Alicorn. The camera zoomed in to see the name of the new Jaeger; Daybreaker, imprinted on the head. The style was simple, standard alloys that made up the outer shell of the Jaeger, plus some razors on the wings. The hooves were sturdy, but not bulky, allowing it to gallop more easily.

Daybreaker, smaller and thus faster, zoomed about the destroyed city, bucking and swiping at the Kaiju, damaging it slowly but surely. Despite the onslaught, Ragged somehow got a grip on one of Daybreaker's wings with its vines and threw it over the horizon. It roared in victory, but it was cut short by a tackle from a dark blue form.

Nightmare Moon, the sister Jaeger to Daybreaker, also an Alicorn. Similar in design, the key differences, however, were the colors; Dark blue, and black.

While Nightmare Moon distracted the Kaiju, Daybreaker was able to sneak behind Ragged, and together the sister Jaegers were able to distract the monster while Rising Honor stumbled to pick up its blade and finally killing it.


***


"Aw, that was awesome!" Scootaloo jumped into the air, her wings buzzing in excitement.

"Yeah, but we still don't know who the Pilots are for Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon." Sweetie Belle commented, her face thoughtful.

"It doesn't matter who they are, they've got awesome Jaegers!" The orange Crusader didn't seem deterred. "I wonder if we could build our own custom Jaegers. Imagine that, I totally would have crazy wing scythes that could slice through any Kaiju!"

"CADETS!" Marshal Rack's voice rang out, scaring the young mares half to death. After many shufflings about, and apologies, and some salutes, the Marshall continued, "time to get back to training. You are here to do tag teaming, and tag teaming is what you'll be taught!"

"Well ah'll be, they're actually continuin' the program." Apple Bloom muttered with wide eyes.

"Yer darn right Cuz, who's gonna teach us? AJ's just up and left, Pharynx and Thorax sure ain't well enough to teach us, Ah don't think the Pilots for Broken Table are qualified for teaching Cadets. That leaves Marshall Rack himself, Ranger Pay Check, Soarin, and Spitfire." Babs mused out loud. "Who d'ya think it'll be? Pay Check already is gonna teach us, cuz that's his job. Y'all think the Marshall will help?"

Marshall Rack lead the eight mares down a long corridor, where they finally found themselves in a large simulation room, enough to fit 12 ponies, all running magical programs at once.

"I don't know. Wouldn't that bring back painful memories? His partner died the last time he drifted, maybe it's not healthy." Sweetie replied, surprising the other Crusaders with her sudden wisdom.

"Alright Cadets, I'll be your co-teacher, and while we wait for AJ's replacement, let me tell you about what we are going to do today." Pay Check started rambling about how the eight of them will be split into two teams of four, and those two teams will face off against a Kaiju in a simulation. Of those four, they will split into two Jaeger connpods, and they will have to help each other defeat the Kaiju. The Jaegers and Kaijus will be randomly decided, giving the Cadets more of a challenge. Pay explained that it will help them react faster and help them overcome strange situations. Etc etc.

A loud bang made Pay stop talking, and everypony looked at the door. Another bang, and the door shook on its hinges. The Cadets, except Peach, started shivering in fear. Then the room went silent and the door stopped shaking. Pay Check shrugged his shoulders and opened his mouth to continue speaking, but before a word could come out, the doors exploded.

"PINKIE!?" The Crusaders exclaimed, their jaws on the floor.

"Hiiiyaaa! Who's ready to party!?" Pinkie's joyful grin turned into a sadistic smile. "Time to wreck Kaiju."


***


"Oooh, scratchy hoof. A clone's doing something important!"

"What's that Pinkie?"

"Nothing!"


***


"Ah can't take anymore of Pinkie's 'training!'" Apple Bloom complained as she flopped down on her bed, her muscles sore from intense drills this past week. The rest of the Cadets murmured in agreement, even Peach. The yellow mare twisted around in her bed, trying to get under the covers, and prepared herself to sleep. Before she could however, the door slammed open.

"Cadets! We're going to the Griffish Isles tomorrow, so prepare your personal effects and rain gear. Especially the rain gear." Pay Check's voice boomed out, scaring the mares out of their furs. Sweetie found herself on top of a groaning Scootaloo, Apple Bloom was hanging upside down, and Babs', somehow, mattress went flying across the room. The Ranger grumbled something about being unprepared, then slammed the door closed.
> Guilt and Rage
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"RARITY!?" Four shocked voices rang out, echoing through the Jaeger chamber. As the room lit up even more, the girls saw the Jaeger with clearer eyes. It was quite small, and Twilight could see that it was designed after the Alicorn Jeager sisters. The legs were small yet sturdy, polished white and had many intricate magic designs on it. Heavy metals and crystals fortified the hull and helm, protecting the conn-pod quite effectively. The horn atop the head was sharp and shone in the artificial light.

A purple and white head poked out of the conn-pod, looking guilty. "It seems you've caught me. What are you going to do now?" Rarity pulled herself up and sat down, her head drooping. There were many gasps once they got a real look at their friend. Her normally luscious purple mane was ragged and dirty; her usually pristine white coat was now stained with various liquids.

"What is this, Rarity?" Twilight took a tentative step forward. "Why go behind our backs? We were so worried about you when you weren't responding!" There were many murmurings of agreement with the other girls.

"I...I just had too! And...and...wait, you're not mad that I'm building a Jaeger?" Rarity looked up with her horribly sleep-deprived eyes that brightened with hope.

"I don't know about these guys, but yeah I'm mad!" Rainbow Dash flew up, leaving a rainbow trail, and stared directly into Rarity's eyes. "I'm mad you didn't tell me! This Jaeger looks awesome and I wasn't a part of it!"

"Jaeger building is fun! I should know, because I've built five!" Pinkie quipped. "It's not fun doing it all on your own though."

"Ignoring what Pinkie just said for a moment, do you know how hard it is to build a Jaeger on your own?" Twilight took a step forward.

"...and dangerous." Fluttershy squeaked when a spark crackled beside her.

"Does this mean that you'll...?" Rarity began.

"Of course we'll help you!" Rainbow Dash did a loop in the air, smiling broadly.

"Oh thank you darlings!" Rarity clambered down the Jaeger and tackled the girls, giving them big hugs.


***


Sweetie Belle stared despondently out the window of the train that was heading for the Griffish Isles. A somber sigh shook her body, causing Apple Bloom to stir beside her.

"Alright Sweetie Belle, this is the eight time ya sighed like that. What's wrong?" A few moments later, Scootaloo also looked at the white unicorn.

"It's just, I can't get rid of the image of Silver and Goldenrod getting killed out of my head." Sweetie shook her head, as if trying to dislodge the memory. "I knew being a Jaeger pilot was dangerous and I've heard many stories of creatures dying, but I didn't think it would be that horrible!"

"Yeah, it isn't as awesome as I thought it would be..." Scootaloo rested her head on her forehooves, stretched over a table. "Growing up with these stories of cool heroes and awesome mechs and epic battles, I felt like I needed to contribute. Do my part for Equestria."

"Ah get what ya mean Scoots. Mah family's always been in the Jaeger business, mah parents, mah brother and sister, and even some of mah cousins! It's like tradition for an Apple to help fight in every generation. Ah felt like it was mah duty, to mah family and mahself."

The trio fell silent, each in their own worlds, thinking about what being a pilot is really about and whether or not it's worth it. The meaning of life and the meaning of their lives. How much of it was worth it, all those pointless pursuits of their cutie marks. After much contemplations, Apple Bloom lifted her head, her eyes were bloodshot as if she hadn't slept in days.

"Hey Sweetie Belle? What made ya decide to become a pilot?" Scootaloo also looked up, interested.

"I don't know, actually. Maybe because I wanted the three of us together again, like we were back in the day. Trying out new things together and having fun. I miss that the most. The fun we had, doing crazy things." Sweetie Belle closed her eyes and whispered, "when did it all go wrong?"


***


"So Rarity!" Twilight gasped, straining with her magic to lift a huge piece of enchanted metal. "Why did you want to make a Jaeger? Also a Jaeger with only one seat! I didn't even know such technology existed."

"Revenge, darling." The white unicorn's voice went so cold, Fluttershy, who was standing outside the hanger, shivered.

"Revenge?" Rainbow twisted her head to look at her friend while simultaneously trying to weave two wires together.

"The latest Kaiju attack in Manehatten took poor Coco Pommel from this treacherous world. It is my wish, even if it's my dying one, to see these foul beasts dead and gone. I will do everything in my power to complete my goal, even if I have to work myself ragged." Rarity was panting by the end of her speech.

"Aw, don't worry Rarity! We'll get this Jaeger up and running in no time!" Pinkie giggled as she hopped from one beam to another, seemingly doing nothing, but from Twilight's experience with the pink mare, she was probably doing something important.

"Are you sure this will make you fell better? Revenge doesn't help and if you become too obsessed, you'll drown yourself!" Twilight argued, concern evident in her voice.

"I know full well what I'm doing, this is not only for dear Coco. This is for all creatures that inhabit Equus." Rarity smiled a ghost of one. "Besides, you girls will keep me in line, won't you?"

Uncertain nods and murmurs greeted her question.

"We'll try."
> Secret Deals
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Applejack stared mournfully at Dodge City as the last house disappeared over the horizon. "Alright, y'all owe me an explanation. Ah get that yer research is important and all, but ah'm gonna need some details."

In front of the cowpony, sat two scientists, Newt, and Lineage. After announcing where the two could get a Kaiju brain, Applejack was tackled to the ground and bombarded by questions upon questions. She tried to answer as best she could, but soon the duo dragged Applejack to the train station and boarded the soonest as fast as possible.

"You're right, of course. Explanation, yes." Lineage talked erratically, his gray head bobbing occasionally. "Yes, alright, so Newt here has figured out to drift with a Kaiju, and he did so!"

"Yes, yes, that is something that I have done." Newt perked up excitedly; his putrid green mane bounced upwards. "I figured out that the Kaiju are like a hive mind, like the Changelings. Basically they are all drones, controlled by their makers: The Precursors."

"From what Newt has told me, the Precursors is this ultimate race that wipe out worlds!" Lineage's red eyes gleamed with borderline insanity and yet, Applejack believed everything. There were perks to being the Element of Honesty, after all. 

"We must stop the Precursors before they destroy more of Equestria!" Newt spread his dirty white hooves in an explosion motion.

"However, the Princesses and the Marshalls both have shut down our research. We were so close to cracking how to beat them!" 

"So, what y'all are sayin' is that there is a queen that's controllin' them monsters?" Applejack leaned in, looking both of them in the eyes. "Don't y'all worry none, ah've got a cousin in Las Pegasus that's got everything Kaiju related. Don't mean ah enjoy his line of work, it can be handy at times like these." 


***


The trio arrived in Las Pegasus with no problem. The problem was getting to Applejack's cousin. When Lineage and Newt heard about this, they immediately rambled about haste, and the future of the world lies in the balance. Applejack could only sigh and lead the two scientists through the many streets and alleyways of Las Pegasus.

The orange mare would trot back and forth, checking every corner, and occasionally asking random buff ponies if they 'have any bushels.' The two could only watch with impatience as this went on, utterly baffled at this display. After what seemed to be the 20th time of checking a drainpipe, did Newt ask what she was doing.

"Ah'm looking for an apple, consarnit. Ah didn't expect there to be barely any!" Applejack huffed angrily, kicking over a street sign, much to the owner's annoyance. Lineage and Newt couldn't do anything but watch the shouting match that started between the two.

"Should we do anything?" Newt asked, taking a weary step back from the arguing mares.

"I think we should let the two hash it out." Lineage looked at the sign, "besides, we found what we were looking for."

"Applejack! We found the apple!" Newt called out, pointing at the little apple graffiti on the sign. Underneath was an arrow. Applejack huffed at the shop owner before trotting away. "Wait, hey! How do you know where to go!? You knocked over the sign!"

"Ah've got no need for them signs. That gosh darned mare told me everythin' ah need to know." The two scientists looked at each other and shrugged before following the farmer. The trio weaved through the city, taking the occasional twists and turns. The buildings were crumbling and dirty, creatures of all sorts looked weary as they did their everyday tasks, and the sky was filled with pollution from Jaeger factories. 

As they rounded a corner, the trio's jaws dropped. Before them lay a giant Kaiju ribcage, the pointy bits sticking upwards like a cradle. Scaffolding and cement was built around the humongous bones, holding them up high. The spine snaked along the ground, creating natural walls. Far off in the distance, a Kaiju skull was sitting in the town's center. Religious symbols were placed all over the bone, and a temple was even built inside. After regaining her senses, Applejack took off once again, leaving the two stallions scrambling after her. Soon she came upon a tea shop with a sign that depicted an apple.

"Alright, y'all follow me and don't say a thing. Ah know mah cousin and it's best that ah talk to him." She waited for the scientists to nod, then Applejack pushed open the doors. It took a single glare at the griffon running the counter, to open the secret entrance. 

"Applejack! What brings you here?" A yellow stallion with an orange mane trotted up. A smile adorned his muzzle, but Applejack knew what a real smile looked like. His flank depicted an orange looking soup.

"Howdy Apple Chowder. Ah need some help." The farmer even lowered her stetson and held it over her chest.

"Of course, whatever you need." Chowder took the trio around the secret lab. Griffons were using their claws to slice up Kaiju meat. Unicorns were carefully levitating critters around. Yaks and Earth Ponies were grinding bones into dust. Pegasi were using clouds to keep several things Applejack was sure she didn't want to know, cool. The more the farmer looked, the more disgusted she became, but this wasn't the time for these sort of things. She had a job to do. 

"Ah need a Kaiju brain."

Chowder started laughing, doubled down even. Applejack's gaze just bored into him till he stopped laughing. "Oh, you're serious. May I ask why you need a Kaiju brain. Oi, get away from that!" Applejack whirled around to see Newt gushing over a pod filled with a green liquid and inside floated a weird fleshy thing. He immediately snapped to attention when Chowder outed him. Lineage went over and started to scold him. Applejack just shook her head. "And who are those two?"

"Kaiju scientists. S'pposed to help us win the war 'gainst the Kaiju."

"They aren't very good at it, I'm guessing?"

"Ya guessed right. Those two are quite the hooffull. But ah'm not here for that, ah need that Kaiju brain."

"That's a no go. Their skulls are too thick to harvest the brain in time. By the time we've broken through, the brain is just a useless rotting mush." Chowder chewed his lip, his gray eyes peering at his cousin closely.

"Ah know that! Don't ya think I don't know that?" Applejack snorted. "Ah need the secondary brain."

"That's doable, but I must ask again. Why do you need it?"

"That's none of..." Applejack began.

"We need it to drift!" Newt jumped up from behind. The farmer tried to throw him a withering glare, but the scientist was too wrapped in his excitement. Lineage caught Applejack's look and could only shrug. 

"Drift." Chowder paused, his eyes widened with realization. "Are you telling me that you actually drifted with a Kaiju. Are you insane!?"

"Yes, he is quite insane, but have no worries, for I shall be there with him!" Lineage trotted up as well with a self-satisfied smile.

"I'm not exactly sure how an extra scientist is any better. Anyway, doesn't matter, I don't have a secondary brain." Chowder hummed, his face looked almost apologetic. Applejack shook her head in disgust, she didn't recognize her cousin anymore. He used to be a fanatic about cooking, coming up with new recipes and the like. Now he was a black market dealer. 

"Come on Newt, Lineage. This pony ain't gonna help us." Applejack turned to leave.

"'This pony?' I'm hurt, truly." Chowder's voice cracked. It might've fooled anypony else, but Applejack was the Element of Honesty. It's funny how often ponies forget, especially her kin. 

"Ah'm sorry Chowder, under normal circumstance, ah would've stayed. Helped ya even. But this ain't normal circumstances. Either ya hand over the secondary brain or we leave, and since it seems that y'all ain't got nothin' of the sort, let us take our leave." Applejack tipped her hat, and ushered the baffled scientists out of the lab.

"You're making a mistake!" Chowder called after her, which she blatantly ignored.

Once outside, Newt whirled around on the farmer. "What about the secondary brain!? Where are we going to get one!"

"Don't y'all worry none, sugarcube. Ah know another way."
> The Griffish Isles Shatterdome
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Apple Bloom stared at the torrential rain that covered the entire island. Miserable griffons trudged or flew about as the train whizzed by. 

"Just a couple of minutes, then we arrive." Ranger Pay Check called out. 

"Almost there, girls." Sweetie Belle said. Her eyes droopy with sleepiness. "Then we can finally get a proper wash-up. Rarity'll have a fit if she sees me like this!"

"But she's not here, so why does it matter?" Scootaloo asked, looking equally tired. 

"Is it so wrong to look my best?" Sweetie shot back. 

"Y'all are fighting over nothing. Just tired nerves messin' with our minds. Best to not talk much." Apple Bloom mumbled. The other two murmured their assent. The CMC looked at each other, heavy bags under their eyes, as they slumped in their seats. Apple Bloom had no idea how long they sat like this, until Babs Seed tapped on the table, announcing the train ride was over. 

The trio stumbled after Babs, trying very hard to keep their balance. Ranger Pay Check led the group while Ranger Pinkie Pie hopped behind them, giggling occasionally to whatever was happening inside her brain. The rain beat upon everypony there; it was so bad that even Peach Fuzz complained, but Apple Bloom was too tired to comment. 

"Silly fillies! There is no need to be sad!" Pinkie suddenly popped in front of the group, spreading her forehooves wide as if preparing to give a hug. "The Shatterdome is right here!" And true to her word, a giant dome sat behind the pink pony. I could hear over the rain, her humming a little tune.

The young farmer's tiredness suddenly evaporated the moment she stepped hoof inside the Shatterdome. There were two finished Jaegers. A pegasus Jaeger looked to be a Mark III with its semi-sleek design. The griffon one was definitely a Mark II, its design more rugged in nature. There was another one, in the far back, but it looked to be still being worked on. Through her studies, Apple Bloom could make out various weapons and alloys. Her attention snapped back to the front when she accidentally bumped into Mellow Marsh. Pay looked like he was hugging a blackish griffon.

"Cadets, this is Marshall Gian. He will be showing us around and sometimes help with lessons." The griffon raised a claw, his beak curled into a smile. Something in that smile made Apple Bloom shiver. Behind her, she heard Pinkie giggle.

"Thank you Ranger Pay Check, if you'll follow me." The ten of us followed the griffon as he explained how their training program was going, stuff that nopony was particularly paying attention to. That changed however, when he stopped in front of the pegasus Jaeger. "This Jaeger is actually the only non-griffon Jaeger in griffon lands. It's name is Creamy Gorgonzola, its pilots are Wigmore and Somerset Brie. Both capable pegasi."

Creamy was an agile build, as is most pegasi Jaegers. Magic enhanced alloys lined everything, though Apple Bloom spotted some glittering crystals in a couple of spots. When she asked about it, Wind Sprint answered, "the crystals make a magical barrier, blocking some of the attacks. Its not that efficient though and most Jaegers don't bother with it."

"Huh, that's pretty neat. Say, how d'ya know that?"

"Qui...er, my dad, told me. He's such a nerd." And with that, the conversation ended. 

"Over here we have Paid Debt, a funny name to be sure." We followed the Marshall over to the griffon Jaeger. "Piloted by Gael and Gage, its sharpened wings are quite formidable."

The design was more rugged and dirty. Pieces seemed to be missing and its paint job needed to be worked on, but Apple Bloom could tell how strong it was. In the background, the yellow mare could hear Gian saying that Griffish metal was incredibly durable; even more so then enchanted alloys from mainland Equestria. 

"Alright Cadets, that's enough for now." Pay Check called out, getting our attention. "It's time to get to our bunks for a bit of shut eye."

"I call top bunk!" Pinkie gleefully bounced after the Ranger.

"Ya know, ah still can't believe Pinkie is a Ranger." Apple Bloom murmured, her gaze trained on the pink pony. "Ah'm pretty sure AJ would've told me if that were the case."

"But it's Pinkie we're talking about! You don't question it." Scootaloo shot back, Sweetie Belle nodding in agreement.

"But what if she's a changelin'?" The young farmer's voice dropped into a whisper.

"Now that would be unfortunate." Pinkie's fluffy mane popped into Apple Bloom's vision, causing her to scramble back. A yellow hoof clutching her chest as she heaved, gulping air like a fish. 

"Pinkie! You scared her!" Sweetie Belle scolded, trotting up to her fallen friend and rubbed her back. Pinkie just grinned and continued to bounce away like nothing had happened. Scootaloo glared at the retreating mare and grumbled about something.

"Ah think ah'm alright. Thanks girls." Apple Bloom stood up, albeit a bit shaky. Once they made sure she could walk, the trio followed the rest of the group.


***


"ATTENTION!" Marshall Gian squawked out. His shrill voice resonating in every cadet as they scrambled to stand and firmly in their positions. The group was currently in a dojo of sorts, a wooden floor and various sparring weapons being held on racks. There were two more griffons in the corner, fighting with swords. "Today we will be practicing martial arts, hoofticuffs in your case. Every good Ranger knows how to defend themselves, even against a normal aggressor."

The eight cadets were put into four groups of two, with Gian, Pinkie, and Pay Check watching over them. Apple Bloom found herself paired against Candy Pop. The young pink mare glared at the young farmer, her legs bent and spread out, keeping her low and poised to spring at any moment. Apple Bloom decided on a martial art she learned from Zecora, the Fallen Ceaser style.

The Marshall struck his claw against a gong, announcing the various matches to start. Candy took no time and launched herself straight at Apple Bloom. Doing a little twist, the farmer was able to dodge the attack and before Candy could react, Apple Bloom slammed a forehoof down on the other mare's shoulders, rendering it useless. Candy let out a cry of pain as she flopped down on the metal floor, her frizzy orange purple mane spreading around her head like a halo.

"Wow! You did quite the doozy, AB! Poor Candy won't be able to walk for a while." Pinkie 'mournfully' said, her blue eyes sparkling with mirth. It unnerved Apple Bloom to her core and quickly whipped her head around to stay away from those creepy eyes. A pair of medics came in under Pay Check's request and put the seething Candy on a stretcher. 

"Hrm, it seems that you no longer have a partner." Gian scratched his chin with a claw. "How about one of your Rangers takes Candy Pop's place."

Pinkie let out a squeal of delight, drawing some of the other cadets' attentions. "I would love to!"

"Oh um, no ah'm alright. Ah think that strike hurt mah hoof a tad." Apple Bloom winced; her lying skills really sucked. 

"I think you're fine." Pay Check answered. "Pinkie can be your spare partner."

Apple Bloom gulped nervously as she struck up the Fallen Ceaser stance again. In front of her, the party pony grinned and started to hop a bit. The gong was struck again and thunder crackled outside. Unlike Candy, Pinkie did not rush forwards and instead kept on bouncing on the spot, her manic grin still plastered on her face. Apple Bloom, uncomfortably irritated by her behavior, decided to end it as quickly as possible. Taking deliberate steps forwards, Apple Bloom inched ever so closer, Pinkie watching and still not doing anything.

Warily, Apple Bloom raised a hoof and struck as fast as possible, before her hoof could connect; Pinkie was gone in an instant. With newfound instincts, the farmer ducked and rolled out of the way, right before the floor of where she just was, split in half. Pinkie stood upright, a backhoof stuck in the floor. She looked up with a sheepish smile. Teachings from Ranger Pay Check allowed Apple Bloom to take this chance and deliver a powerful kick to Pinkie's midsection. The force sent the pink pony reeling; her stuck hoof got wrenched out, splinters and blood sprayed everywhere. By now, everycreature in the room was watching with mute fascination.

Before Apple Bloom could feel any remorse, Pinkie rocketed forwards, her bloodied hoof making prints on the wooden floor. In a blink of an eye, the young farmer found herself in the air and her gut reeling in pain from the huge uppercut Pinkie dealt out. The fascination quickly turned into horror, as everycreature realized that this match was getting too serious. Apple Bloom crashed back to the floor, her muzzle split open and warm blood started pooling around her. Ranger Pay Check tried to stop the pink mare, but found himself on the other side of the dojo with broken ribs.

"What's wrong, little filly?" Pinkie's voice somehow turned echoey and her mane deflated into long straight pink strands. "Cat got your tongue?" She threw her head back and cackled loudly, making the other cadets wince in fear. 

Apple Bloom gathered all the courage she possessed and heaved herself upwards and tried to get back into the Fallen Ceaser stance. Pinkie, no, Pinkamena stopped laughing and glared at the filly who dared. She got up real close to Apple Bloom's face, and grinned widely, her teeth somehow stained with blood. Apple Bloom didn't move. She could not. How could she? The only thing she could do was close her eyes and hope the end would be swift, but a guttural roar made her peek.

"NO ONE TOUCHES MAH COUSIN!" Babs Seed barreled straight towards Pinkamena; no doubt the thought of Apple Bloom dying snapped her out of her stupor. The reckless charge confused the pink mare enough for Babs to buck her, Apple-style. The moment she fell to the ground, Babs whaled on her, again and again, yelling and sobbing the entire time. 

When Apple Bloom finally came back to reality, Babs was sitting in a corner sobbing while Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle patted her back. The rest of the cadets were huddled together and Ranger Pay Check was nowhere to be found. Marshall Gian had a very beat up, bloodied Pinkamena wrestled in a corner. When Apple Bloom's gaze wandered to the pink mare's, she just grinned a bloody one and winked. "You're gonna need me later, trust me." A whisper made it into Apple Bloom's ear, sounding suspiciously like the pink monster walking out of the room. Before she could dwell on it longer, she felt a hoof on her shoulder. She whipped around and almost smacked Scootaloo in the muzzle.

"Come on, Babs needs us. We can worry about Pinkie later." Apple Bloom let herself be dragged to where her cousin lay in a puddle of tears. Together they wrapped themselves in one big hug and let out all the stress and sorrows out. It was safe to say, they were at it for an hour.
> Jaeger 101
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Oh Rarity, you should've come to us sooner." Twilight chastised her friend while trotting around the Jaeger that the white unicorn somehow built. Despite its beauty, it was not functional at all. The magical fusion core was barely working, one of the legs looked like it could barely lift a small dragon, much less buck a Kaiju. After checking the systems installed, Twilight concluded that Rarity had not thought of actually fighting with a Jaeger.

"I know I should have, but darling, I was so ashamed!" Rarity put a hoof on her forehead. "Revenge, no matter how just, does no wonders to the soul. Speaking of, I must thank you for the spa treatment yesterday! It was absolutely divine!"

"Thank Fluttershy, she thought it was the best way to help you." Twilight motioned a hoof at the still quivering pegasus in the corner. 

"Oh, the poor dear. Still having problems with the Jaeger-Kaiju war?" Rarity mused sympathetically. Something in her voice sounded a bit off, something that resonated deeply in Twilight, so deep that it forced her to look up from her work and squint at her friend. 

"Well, you know as much as we do, that Fluttershy lived a very sheltered life up in the clouds. Not to mention that Ponyville is nowhere near the coast." The Princess reminded her friend. Instead of looking back at what she was doing earlier, she peered closer at the unicorn's features. Her patience was rewarded with something that looked like a slight grimace before quickly switching to a bright smile.

"Quite right, darling. Now if you'll excuse me, I must thank her for such thoughtfulness." Rarity trotted down the maintenance stairs that led out of the connpod. Her coat and mane no longer dirty and unkept, and the dark bags under her eyes had all but vanished in the three days that they'd been here. Twilight watched her for a bit longer, then went back to checking the weapons.


***


"Whatcha got there?" Pinkie's voice suddenly intruded Twilight's thoughts, giving such a scare that it made her drop her pencil.

"Pinkie! You scared me!" Twilight clutched a hoof over her chest. After a few moments, she sparked her horn again and picked up the fallen pencil.

"Oh sorry Twi, just really booooored." To emphasize her point, she pulled out a wooden board out of nowhere and inexplicably stretched it like rubber. "Is there something I can do?"

"Wait, weren't you in charge of changing the weak leg?" Twilight looked up from her notes, confusion written everywhere.

"Yeppers, but I finished that." Pinkie grinned widely and threw the elongated board behind her. "And to make sure I didn't get anything wrong, I replaced the other legs too! So, you know, they're similar."

"Huba...wha...how?" Twilight just stared at her friend in utter bewilderment. A single leg alone should've taken a couple of weeks alone, but all four legs! "Show me."

"Aye aye, miss Sparkle! If you'll follow me." Pinkie giggled and started to hop out the connpod, a conductor hat placed upon her poofy mane. The duo made their way around the Jaeger; Twilight's jaw fell further and further the closer she got to the legs. The details, wiring, and plating were impeccably done. Joints and tendons were implemented with such precision, it looked like a quilt. Magical allows were also infused correctly, leaving no blemishes or dents, and still had room for weapons.

"Pinkie, how in Celestia's name have you done this!?" Twilight's screech drew everypony's attention, but once they saw who she was talking to, they went back to work.

"But I said three chapters ago that I've built Jaegers before! Silly filly, you should pay more attention to what ponies are saying around you!" Pinkie booped the alicorn on the nose before scampering off.

"Wait!" Twilight's call stopped the pink mare from disappearing altogether. "Which ones?"

"Which ones I've built?" Twilight nodded and Pinkie replied by putting a hoof on her chin like she was thinking. "Well, I built Obsidian Fury with my sister, Maud. That was really fun! Especially the part where she almost destroyed the Shatterdome we were stationed at the time!"

"She did what!" Twilight interrupted, and her panting increased. "Do you know how expensive those are!? The Jaeger program is draining millions of bits by the week! After Celestia and Luna retired, i haven't had enough time to manage the treasury!"

"Hold your horses Twi! It all worked out in the end!" Pinkie made a dismissive gesture with a hoof. "Now where was I? Oh yeah! Prince Rutherford had me build Broken Table! That one was really challenging because the yaks tested their strength on the metal. The amount of enchanted metal I used was craaazy! Almost as crazy as me! Now, isn't that crazy?"

"Pinkie, please don't tell me that was when we had to cancel three other Jaegers because the enchanted metal supply was low." 

"Okay! I won't!" Pinkie did a merry little hop. "Then I did Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon for...eep, sorry. Private. And then after that..!"

"WHAT!"

"Oh, would you look at the time! Limestone is waiting for me, bye Twilight!" Before Twilight could do anything, Pinkie was already out the door, a dust trial in her wake.


***


"Hey Rainbow Dash, what are you doing with that?" Twilight looked at a particularly heavy cloud that Rainbow was pushing.

"Oh nothing." Rainbow's grin said otherwise. 

"Rainboow..." Twilight let her voice drop a few octaves, letting her disapproval sparkle.

"Alright, fine! Jeez Twi, can't let a mare do whatever?" Rainbow Dash stopped pushing and hovered a bit closer to her friend. "I heard that Winged Glory uses clouds to help fight against Kaiju. I was thinking I could test it out!"

"Winged Glory, that's Spitfire and Soarin's Jaeger, right?" Rainbow nodded and Twilight mused. "Alright, be careful though!"

"Thanks Twi!" With a single beat of her wings, she dashed back to the cloud and proceeded to push, slowly moving across the sky.

"Oh...um, I don't think that's a good idea." A small voice whispered next to Twilight, but the sudden appearance of the voice made the alicorn jump in the air. "Oh dear, I'm sorry Twilight. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good 'Shy." Twilight pulled herself up with a small smile. "Why do you say that, about the cloud I mean."

"Oh, it's just that this particular metal conducts electricity really well." Fluttershy cast her gaze downwards and shuffled her forehooves a bit. "Winged Glory is made out of a cloudmetal that pegasi can only make."

"Oh right, Nimbus Metallum." Twilight's gaze floated up and watched as Rainbow finally pushed the cloud into the Jaeger. She opened her mouth to call out a warning, but then a thought crossed her mind. "Wait, how do you know so much?"

"Oh...um, it's just a side project of mine." The yellow pegasus blushed fiercely and tried to cover her face with her wings. But before her plumage could hide everything, Twilight gently eased it away with magic. A meep escaped Fluttershy's lips when she saw her friend's gaze. "Oh dear, well...um, so I just graduated from Jaeger academy. I was based in the Dragon Lands Shatterdome."

"...But you said it was a family trip!" Twilight was having trouble believing what she just heard. Fluttershy, the sweetest and kindest pony around, training to become a Jaeger Pilot. "Why...?

"Um, oh dear." Fluttershy's voice faded. It took a few moments for the pegasus to collect herself, and she opened her mouth to respond, but then a bright flash interrupted her. What came after was truly horrifying.

"RAINBOW!"
> Leatherback
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Apple Bloom, been a cadet for a month now, been to three Shatterdomes, and even fought a Kaiju, but she couldn't walk for a single moment outside and not slip. She, and the other Cadets, were galloping towards the Shatterdome for their daily lesson. Before they were called, they were hanging out at the dormitories that were built separately from the Shatterdome itself. 

"Why does this place rain so much!?" Sweetie Belle whined, her usually styled hair now a dripping mess.

"Yeah! This is so not cool." Scootaloo grumbled, her small wings buzzed furiously, trying to dry off her wings.

"We're so close!" Apple Bloom yelled and increased her speed. The other Cadets followed suit with their own mumbles and complains. It didn't take long for the mares to reach the Shatterdome door, but their fur was drenched. Within seconds, the Cadets were shivering, teeth chattering, and nose tips turned blue.

"Cadets!" Marshall Gian's shrill voice rang out causing the mares to snap to attention, a hoof raised in the air in a salute. "You are needed in the training deck."

Apple Bloom waited for another second before releasing her salute. She sighed and started to trudge in the direction of the training deck. The three Jaegers loomed over everycreature stationed there. Creamy Gorgonzola looking agile and sleek contrasting with the bulky, aggressive Paid Debt. The unnamed Jaeger was still being worked on but with a careful look, Apple Bloom could make out griffon elements in the Jaeger skeleton. 

Long winding corridors led the Cadets to the big hall that is the training deck. A spot of pale red that stained the wooden floor reminded Apple Bloom of the beating she and Pinkamena received a couple of days ago. Standing in the back of the room, was Marshall Gian. The griffon that was in charge of Griffish Isles Shatterdome. The mares filed in the room and stood to attention.

"Good. Today is going to be another hoof to hoof session." He paused when everypony grumbled. Gian snapped his huge wings up and growled, the intended effect brought the mood down quite a bit. "There is a twist, however, and that is teams. You'll be separated into two teams of four and your goal is to claim that flag." The Marshall pointed with a claw to a red cloth hanging on the wall.

"Psh, that's easy! Just a bit of magic or flying, easy peasy." Scootaloo chuckled to herself, which died within seconds of receiving Gian's death glare.

"I said Hoof to Hoof, Cadet!" His anger brought out a peculiar accent. "There will be no magic or flying, this is an honest fight between teams! No dirty tricks or you will be expelled! Do NOT tempt me! Do I make myself clear?"

"Sir, yes sir!" Came the resounding response.

"Good, now get into teams."


***


Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Babs Seed stood shoulder to shoulder. Their faces smeared with red paint and nasty faces painted on their muzzles. In the other corner, Mellow Marsh, her sister Candy Pop, Peach Fuzz, and Wind Sprint. Peach was looking as mean as ever, while the other three were looking uncertain. 

"Right, now that we're settled, you may start when the gun pops." Before anypony could ask any questions, Marshall Gian pulled out a gun with his claws and raised it in the air. Apple Bloom saw an impish grin on his beak and fired. The resounding crack made everpony fall to the ground, screeching in pain. 

"Bucking hell, what was that!?" Peach yelled, her hooves clamped over her ears. 

"Language." Gian grinned, clearly enjoying their misery.

The first pony to recover was Scootaloo, she quickly got up and started galloping towards the flag, although a bit unsteadily. It was mere seconds after Wind Sprint chased after the orange Crusader. Scootaloo somehow stumbled and Wind easily caught up and delivered a nasty kick which made both participants wince in pain. 

Babs got up from the ground, an evil expression wore on her face. There was no galloping, but stomping was what happened. The Manehatten Crusader quickly came up behind the purple pegasus and gave her a buck worthy of the apples. While she was doing this, Babs made sure her eyes were trained on Gian's. Apple Bloom could've sworn she heard a gulp. 

She and Peach Fuzz both got up, their ears still ringing but that didn't matter. They both took off, glaring at each other as they galloped past the three mares and it seemed for a second that Peach was pulling ahead. Bunching all of her strength, Apple Bloom harnessed farm life and pushed with all of her might. She landed atop of Peach, sending both mares to the floor. The little tumble resulted with both of them kicking and hitting each other. 

Mellow Marsh, Candy Pop, and Sweetie Belle finally got out of their pain and also stood up. Sweetie took a single look at her now disheveled mane and growled with such ferocity, the two candy sisters started shaking like leaves caught in the wind. After she made sure the other two weren't going to be a problem, she chased after Peach and Apple Bloom. 

Wind Sprint was backed into the wall by Scootaloo and Babs, two grinning mares with sadistic streaks. The pegasus' ribs were bruised badly by the latest kick from Babs and she feared what was going to happen if she got bucked again. Thankfully she need not know. In mere seconds, the Crusaders were tackled by Candy and Mellow, angry at being tamed like a timberwolf. 

Marshall Gian looked at the overall carnage with a delighted grin. These ponies can be the most ruthless creatures on the planet but they've been trained in the art of friendship. The griffon spat on the floor. If he was going to train fighters, he needed them to act like it. As he watched Scootaloo and Babs fight back to back, hooves twirling about, deflecting and counterattacking the other Cadets' attacks, he decided that he had succeeded. 

Apple Bloom slid across the floor, her chest ached badly. She warily got to her hooves, stars danced in her eyes. Blearily, she saw Peach Fuzz slowly limp towards the flag and the Crusader made a whimper and tried to follow. It didn't last long. Before she could despair, however, it was when a white shape hurtled past her fallen form and tackled the offending peach-colored pony. 

Screeches filled the room as well as solid thuds and yells. It wasn't long before everypony just collapsed from sheer exhaustion. Marshall Gian looked at the fallen forms and nodded, this next batch of Cadets sure had grit, he'll give them that. He turned to go find a pail of water to throw over them when the sirens started wailing. 


***


Applejack led Lineage and Newt through the train station of the Griffish Isles.

"What are we doing here again?" Lineage grumbled. "If you don't mind me asking, but ever since we started following you, we've reached nothing but dead ends!"

"Trust me on this one, sugarcube." The farmer replied, her face grim. "If mah cousin wasn't goin' to help none, ah had a backup plan."

"And what might that be?" Newt asked, his nose twitching constantly.

"To go see the Butcher."

"Oh, of course!" Newt threw his hooves in the air. "Why not go see the creature called the Butcher, isn't that a fun idea!"

"Oh, do shut up Newt. If Applejack knows of a way, then she'll get it done. At least, I do hope so." Lineage muttered the last sentence, his eyes downcast and worried. 

Applejack frowned at both of them before trotting towards the Shatterdome in the distance. "Shut yer yappering. The Butcher is an acquaintance of mine. She's famous amongst the Jaeger Pilots. On whether or not that's a good thing changes dependin' on the pony."

The journey from the train station to the Shatterdome lasted not even ten minutes. In those past ten minutes, Applejack tried very hard to no buck these scientists into next week. The farmer sighed when they finally got to the front door but before she could open it, the door opened by itself. Her uneasiness shot past the roof when a pink head poked out of the doorway.

"Applejack! I've been expecting you!" 

"I didn't expect anything else Pinkamena." Applejack tipped her head to the pink mare then turned back to the scientists. "Gentlecolts, may I present to you, Pinkamena the Butcher."

Before anypony could say anything else, the sirens went off.

"Looks like the guests are here!" Pinkamena said with a smile that sickened Applejack.


***


"Warning! Kaiju, category IV. Rangers Gael and Gage, you are needed on deck. Warning! Kaiju..."

Apple Bloom got to her hooves akin to a drunkard. "Wha...what's happenin'?"

"Kaiju." Marshall Gian spat and quickly took off through the halls. 

The yellow Crusader was left with a nasty headache and seven other Cadets who were in similar conditions as hers. It wasn't long till the constant blaring of the Kaiju siren got everypony to their hooves. The eight of them stumbled towards the command center, the creatures they met in the hallways kept out of their way.

When they finally got there, Paid Debt was already out of the Shatterdome and heading straight towards the Kaiju. Nicknamed Leatherback because of it's tough looking hide on it's back. It also had heavy mace-like fists as well as protrusions all over its body that looked sharp enough to pierce a Jaeger's armor. 

Paid Debt, maybe the bulkiest griffon Jaeger ever built as well as the toughest. Sporting a heavy torso, layered with various alloys, both magical and Griffish, proved to be quite the combination. The conn-pod was protected with similar alloys in addition with crystals imported from the Crystal Empire not to mention the grim looking claws on the front legs and vicious wingslashers hanging from Paid's sides. 

"Activating Drift...Right hemisphere stable...Left hemisphere stable...Neural bridge stable."

"A'right lads! Let's light up this wanker!"

"Couldn't have said it any better, bruv!"

The two behemoths stood in the ocean, slowly circling each other. As per orders, Paid Debt is to distract Leatherback long enough for the population of the Griffish Isles to reach safety amongst the Kaiju bunkers. Thus they circled each other. 

Then it happened. 

Leatherback charged with a guttural cry and bounded forwards, it's thunderous steps making huge splashes. Gael and Gage reared back on their back legs and lifted upwards. They spread their wings and the Jaeger did the same. Taking flight, they were able to dodge the attack from the Kaiju and allowed them to access the situation from the sky. It didn't last long however as Leatherback seemed to be smart enough to pick up a building and throw it at the griffon Jaeger that sent them tumbling out of the sky.

Paid was not to be outdone so its Pilots hauled itself up and charged forwards, maniacal cackles could be heard over the earpiece and into the command center. Using their fine tuned senses, Gael and Gage managed to side step the first attack and deftly come up close when the second one pounded the ocean causing a massive wave, thankfully it shrunk enough to not do major damage to the island.

Wasting no time, Paid whirled around, using the steel blades attached to its wings to rake the side of Leatherback. The Kaiju roared in pain and tried to counter but the griffons were already gone. Warnings pinged all over the conn-pod, telling the Pilots of the stress they were putting on the old frame. 

Leatherback charged, its beady six eyes filled with malice. Paid couldn't side step in time and was thrown backwards, the left side taking heavy damage. Gael and Gage landed on a shoreline, spraying sand everywhere, but they quickly got up and rolled to the side before Leatherback could pound its heavy fists down.

Twisting to its side, Paid Debt got back up and faced the Kaiju once more, its left side sparking with punctured magical wiring. Leatherback glared back, its right side leaking out blue blood. As if rehearsed, the two titans charged forwards once again.

Deciding to take the high ground, Gael and Gage lifted themselves off the ground with a powerful kick and an equally powerful wingbeat. Leatherback rumbled underneath Paid and before it could do anything about it, The Jaeger dropped atop the beast and plunged its metal talons into the Kaiju's back. 

Letting out a guttural roar, Leatherback proceeded to buck and shake as furiously as one could when an 8,000 ton mech sits atop them. The Kaiju succeeded however, sending Paid Debt sprawling. The Pilots didn't have any time to react as they saw, through the magical hologram inside the conn-pod, Leatherback bearing down on them.

The two griffons let out cries of agony as Leatherback speared one of its protrusions into the gut of Paid and then proceeded to lift it up. The screams of both the metal alloys and the Pilots almost synced when Leatherback hurled them far into the island, buildings and paved roads all crushed and shattered under the weight of a flying Jaeger.

It took a while, but Gael and Gage got to their claws unsteadily. The looked up just in time to see Leatherback bearing down on them once again, but this time Paid was ready. Side stepping at the right moment allowed for the Kaiju to hurtle past them without having time to adjust. While the beast was running past however, the griffons were able to snap their right wing and plunge it deep into Leatherback's side.

The blood that poured from the wound was in the gallons. The Kaiju collapsed, the body sliding along the floor, breaking a few buildings as it slid by. Paid stumbled over and plunged its talons into the beast just to make sure it was well and truly dead.

After making sure it was a done deal, Gael and Gage collapsed, the adrenaline finally wearing off. Back in the Shatterdome, medical teams were sent out along with the Pilots from Creamy Gorgonzola. 


***


"That was a juicy fight!" Pinkamena grinned, her left eye twitching slightly.

"Right, well ah assume ya know why we're here and all?" Applejack placed her hat towards her chest, sympathizing with the owners of the destroyed buildings.

"Ayep! You need a Kaiju secondary brain. Well don'tcha worry, Aunt Pie has got you covered!" With a giggle tinge with a disturbing amount of malice, the pink pony cartwheeled out of the room.

"Can we trust her? I mean she's clearly deranged!" Lineage peered at the door where Pinkamena disappeared through.

"That she is, pardner. Well, ah wouldn't worry none, she's crazier then a bull in heat but she's reliable." Applejack put her stetson back on and started to march off. "Now if y'all don't mind, ah've gotta find mah sister."
> Scrappers
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight hurried after the makeshift stretcher, her breathing quick and short, and her eyes wide with worry. The two burly stallions who were carrying Rainbow Dash behind them took a sudden turn, causing the purple Alicorn to stumble slightly but she was soon after them again.

They finally made it to the medical center. Twilight gasped in shock once she saw the state of the building. Walls barely holding, pieces of the roof completely eroded, and vines wrapped around everything. The inside of the center was slightly better. With the floors slightly cleaner and vegetation was lacking considering the outside. The alicorn snapped herself out of her viewings, right now Rainbow needed her.


***



A few moments earlier


"RAINBOW!" Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle rushed forwards to where they heard their pegasus cry out. When they turned the corner, their panic increased tenfold. There on the floor lay a twitching body, fur completely blackened, and the air smelt like burned flesh. Twilight almost thought that Rainbow was dead but then the pegasus groaned weakly.

"Fluttershy! Go find the others! I'll try to find a doctor!" Twilight snapped off the orders and turned her focus back to her friend, not bothering to see if the timid pegasus actually left or not. Careful to not make the situation worse, Twilight slowly wrapped her magic around the burnt body and lifted Rainbow Dash beside her. The alicorn soon set off, wandering the streets asking creatures where the nearest doctor was, all the while casting worried glances at her friend.

Soon enough, after the fifth creature or so, Twilight finally received an answer. Twilight hurried as fast as she dared with the injured pegasus as she wove between creatures and scrap piles, garages and projects. When she arrived at the location, two stallions rushed out with a stretcher to meet them.


***


Twilight sat next to the stretcher off the newly patched up pegasus. Rainbow hadn't uttered a single coherent word since the accident, but she had been mumbling quite a lot. After a careful wash, Rainbow's fur looked less black and some color could be seen, but it was still hard to discern what hue her mane was. Twilight hung her head, cursing her lack of knowledge in Jaegers.

A small knock caught Twilight's attention and she realized that her eyesight was blurry of unshed tears. After wiping her eyes with her fetlocks, she saw Rarity leaning in the doorway. 

"Hi darling." Her voice forlorn. 

"R...Rarity..." Twilight choked a sob. The white unicorn murmured a comforting sound and trotted up and placed a comforting hoof on her shoulder. 

"It's alright darling. Rainbow's going to be fine." Rarity's voice, despite being soft and comforting, there was still a hardness to it that allowed Twilight to hang onto some hope.

"Yepperino!" Pinkie's voice interrupted. Twilight smiled slightly as she watched the pink pony pop into the room from a trash can. "Dashie's too awesome to die!"

Despite the cheerfulness of Pinkie, Twilight couldn't help but flinch from that word. A feathery embrace wrapped around her barrel, startling Twilight. She looked up and saw Fluttershy with similar wet eyes, but the butter pegasus smiled tentatively. 

"I...I don't understand...how can you be f...fine with this! Rainbow almost...died!" Twilight stuttered, her speech slurred by tears and grief. 

"Darling, we may seem calm and collected, but I assure you that we are anything but." Rarity tilted her head allowing her frazzled mane to tilt to one side and smiled softly. "We have just gotten better at hiding our grief in order to help those who need comfort more. In this particular case, it is you, darling, that we are comforting."

Twilight sniffled, "thank you girls."


***


Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship, roamed the streets and alleys of Dodge City. She looked at the various creatures who were working on similarly varied projects. However, whenever she got close to seeing what the thing they were actually working on, her vision would be blocked by some other creature or something else would catch her attention. After the seventh time of being misled, Twilight decided she had enough.

The next creature she would come across, she would interrogate them. It just so happened that they turned out to be Rivets and Bolt from earlier. 

"Lookie here, Bolt. Miss Twilight's back, now ain't that a surprise." Rivets, the red earth pony with a purple mane, grinned. The pony next to him, an another earth pony with a lighter red coat and a light blue mane. 

"That it would seem, Rivets." The two brothers trotted around the particularly large metal piece and stopped in front of the alicorn, still wearing their self-satisfied grins. "What can we, your most humblest of servants, for you for you, our most esteemed guest?"

Twilight frowned at the vocabulary but didn't mention it. "What is everycreature working here? As regent, I demand to know!" The two brothers cast each other looks that got the alicorn worrying. "Look, I just hate being in the dark. Can you please please please tell me what you guys are doing? I won't report you if that helps?" Twilight pleaded, making her violet eyes go wide.

"Oh, alright." Rivets muttered something incoherent before waving for her to follow. While he did that, Bolt saluted and went back to what he was doing earlier. "Yer lucky you caught me in a fine mood. So, my dear regent, let me take you on a tour of the crib!"

Twilight followed the younger brother as they trotted through the cluttered streets, awe was evident on her face as she beheld each new wonder. According to Rivets, creatures of all over started flocking to Dodge City because of the Jaeger manufacturing factories. Here, using the scraps of broken or unused Jaeger parts, they would build their own metal monsters.

Each creature, no matter their nationality, had similar stories. Stories of woe and tragedy originating from Kaiju. Their shared hatred for the beasts allowed for this community to grow and expand as it has done right now. Because of Rivets, Twilight saw another perspective of creatures and their sufferings. She finally understood why Rarity came here of all places.

"So can I see some of the finished Jaegers? If you have any?" Twilight asked, but before Rivets could answer, her eyes lit up. "Have any of you piloted your Jaegers before? What about fight a Kaiju? Is this considered illegal? Do you get arrested if authorities find out? How many creatures do you have here? What about..."

"Princess!" Rivets yelled, breaking off her rant. Twilight blinked, then blushed slightly. "S'alright to ask questions, but bless me, that tirade nearly wore my ears off! Anyhoo, I'll try to answer some of yer questions." The duo rounded a corner, nearing several warehouses and away from the larger scrap piles. "Aye, we have several finished Jaegers, more then you would normally guess, I assume. Yes, most of the completed and nearly finished have been piloted, but no, we haven't actually fought with them yet."

"Actually, that ain't entirely true, now that I think about it. There was a Earth Pony duo called Cherno ad Alpha, both from Stalliongrad, who participated in a fight many years back. Nocreature is entirely sure what happened to them after that." Rivets fell into silence, lost in thought. Twilight allowed for the silence because it allowed for her to process the new information. Suddenly her guide stopped causing her to stumble off of him.

"Wha..?"

"Ms. Sparkle, I present to you our mighty Jaeger army." Rivets grinned and bowed, his hooves slowly shuffling to one side so he wouldn't obscure the alicorn's view. 

Before her lay a marvel. Warehouse doors stood open, some didn't even have walls or doors, and some didn't even have a roof. But all of them contained a Jaeger. Although smaller then the crown-backed ones, they were still impressive in their own right. Twilight walked between the warehouses, her mouth slightly open as she stared in awe. Because of this, she didn't notice the workers also stopped and stared, after all, it isn't everyday you see the Monarch in the gritty parts of Equestria.

Twilight's gaze swooped from on Jaeger to the other. Warehouse #3 had an incredibly shiny unicorn Jaeger, a mounted cannon was on it's back, and the connpod sparkled with dark energies. Several Crystal Ponies caught her eye as she glanced at them. One of them even looked slightly familiar.

Warehouse #8 was another interesting one, holding a Jaeger that contained similar tech to the ones Changelings use for their Jaegers. A horn that split into two sharp points on the connpod gave the suggestion of being a Kirin Jaeger. Her suspicions were confirmed when two buff Kirin walked out of the backrooms with magical metal alloys in their magical grasps.

Twilight was surprised to see two residents of Ponyville in Warehouse #12. Vinyl Scratch and Octavia were blasting their uncharacteristic music for all to hear. What was even more surprising was that the speakers came from a Jaeger that looked like a combination of Earth Pony and Unicorn. Twilight took an hour or more to interrogate the two mares on how they achieved drift compatibility when they were two different species. The short answer, they didn't know. This frustrated the alicorn quite a lot and amused Rivets immensely. 

In Warehouse #17, Twilight saw a Jaeger that was piloted by eight different pilots. It was a engineering miracle and Twilight wanted to know how all of it worked. But just like Vinyl and Octavia, none of the pilots, not even the engineers, knew how it worked. They just knew it worked.

Several Warehouses housed more Jaegers of different creatures, from Zebras to Hippogriffs, from the tall Saddle Arabians to the even bigger Dragons. Several Yaks and Changelings were to be found as well. Warehouse #32 even housed a Sphynx, but it was just a Sphynx and not a Sphynx Jaeger. But it was interesting enough for Twilight to sit and talk for several hours. By now, Rivets had excused himself, saying he needed to help his brother. Twilight didn't even notice.

Night had fallen when Twilight finally came back to the medical center, a bright smile on her face as she recalled all the new things she had learned. Of how incredible a community can be if properly motivated. The closer she got to where Rainbow lay, the harder it got to smile, so she let it drop altogether. She made it to the cot within a few moments and saw Fluttershy sleeping nearby. Twilight smiled softly and levitated a blanket over to the yellow pegasus before looking at Rainbow Dash herself. The burn marks were slowly fading, allowing her blue fur and cutie mark to show up more clearly. 

Things were looking up, it seems.
> News
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Applejack stood in front of the doorway that led to the science lab of the Shatterdome. She had just checked up on Apple Bloom and was pleased to see that she and the other Cadets were doing well. The farmer was particularly pleased to hear that her sister was getting much better sim scores then a few weeks ago.

The orange mare was now supervising Pinkamena the Butcher carefully dissecting the secondary Kaiju brain. In the corner, two nervous scientists who go by Dr. Newt and Dr. Lineage were watching the pink pony work in fear. Applejack could agree and might've been trembling in horror, but she's seen too much. 

"Alright Pinkamena, when do ya think ya'll be done?" Applejack asked as she trotted over, covering her muzzle with a hoof. The stench was unbearable, not to mention all the sizzling blue Kaiju blood all over the floor. 

The pink pony giggled, her mane flat as a wet noodles, and did a flourish with her butcher knives, which she was somehow holding with her hooves. "Don't you worry none AJ! I've done this plenty of times, it should be done in a jiffy!" Pinkamena then proceeded to throw the Kaiju head upwards and she darted underneath. Before Applejack had a chance of blinking, the pink pony was crushed.

"Pinkamena!" Applejack hopped over the blue blood and attempted to buck the carcass over. "Celestia dammit, ya weren't s'posed to do that."

After the second buck, the whole head exploded, spraying the entire room and it's occupants with Kaiju gore. Applejack just simply wiped off the flesh and she could hear Lineage heaving in the corner. In place of the head, a blue and pink pony stood triumphantly with a secondary Kaiju brain. 

"Told you to worry none!" Pinkamena shook herself like a dog, spraying all the blood everywhere, making everything it touched sizzling at worrying levels. She then leaped, did a flip in midair, and landed on an operating table, all the while carrying a huge secondary brain. "I'll just leave this present here and leave you to it!" With that, she cartwheeled out with a sadistic grin.

"That filly goin' to be the death of us all." Applejack tipped her stetson before whipping to the two scientists. "Ya two! Ya said ya'll could drift with this here brain, so do it. Ain't got all day."

Lineage and Newt scampered up with various degrees of enthusiasm, and started prodding the organ. It took a glare from an impatient farmer for the two to finally get out the drift tech and initiate the thing. Applejack sighed, tipped her hat in front of her eyes and leaned back to doze.

She barely closed her eyes and Applejack was soon back up on her hooves. The two scientists were shaking uncontrollably, blood seeping out of their various holes. The orange ranger wasted no time and immediately hit the off button. The ponies collapsed in a heap, soft sobs could be heard from both. 

"Oi, y'all can't quite on me now. Ah need ya'll, Equestria needs y'all! So move yer bodies and get explainin'!"


***


"Marshall Gian, Marshall Pay Check, y'all need to hear this." Applejack stormed command with utter disregard for security or privacy. Behind her came the stumbling scientists, who clutched their heads and whined pitifully, occasionally they would twitch erratically. 

"Ranger Applejack, you dare interrupt an important meeting to show us two worthless ponies who look like they need to be in a ward! I would have you fired for insubordination!" Gian, the griffon, stood up, his eyes alight with anger. 

"Now listen here feathers, these two scientists did the impossible and drifted with a Kaiju." The two marshalls opened their mouths but the orange mare interrupted them. "Yes, they did. The information these two learned are mighty important so I suggest you shut yer traps and get to listenin'. Y'all settled? Good."

The ranger strutted to the whiteboard and grabbed a marker. She then drew a tube that got larger at the ends and shrank in the middle. "This here is the Kaiju tunnel on both sides of Equestria in the middle of the two seas, right? We know this, it is simple facts. Now we also know that we've tried to blow up the damned portal with little success. These two blubbering fools of ponies managed to find ourselves the jackpot of apple pickings of information. The Kaiju are allowed access because of their genetics. So what we need to do is strap a huge bomb to a dead Kaiju and throw it back down the tunnel. Two times, each for each portal. Any questions?"

"So you are saying that you got all this from those frothing lunatics?" Gian pointed with a claw and the two scientists were indeed frothing. Applejack pressed the button for medical before answering. 

"Marshall Pay Check. Ya know me. We've fought together on many occasions. Ya knew mah brother and cousin, ya knew mah parents, and ya definitely know me. When have ah ever lied?"

"Never." The pony stood up and nodded. "So let's get those bombs built! We'll need the strongest mages and weapons designers in all of the Allied Lands. Marshall Gian, you think you can get it to work?"

"You're believing this one pony? Over her word? She has no proof, no evidence!" The griffon rose up as well, his claws and beak shone in the light letting everyone know how dangerous a griffon could be. 

"Marshall, this pony's word means more to me, more to the Princesses, then anyone else's. Applejack cannot lie and that is fact. If she says this is what needs to be done, then Celestia help me, it will be done. Now are you with me or not?" Pay Check extended a hoof and after a few terrifying moments, the griffon accepted it.

"Fine, pony. We'll see how this will end." Gian agreed reluctantly.

"Now, wait a couple apple buckin' minutes. Ah never said ah was done." Applejack said before anycreature could go off. "In a week, the Precursors, the baddies we've been fightin' all along, is sending an army like no other. From what Lineage said, we'll be facin' 'round 20 Kaiju on each side of Equestria. Ah suggest calling all Shatterdomes to warn em."

The entire room was quiet for many minutes. Then Marshall Pay Check breathed a weary sigh. "All right Applejack, we'll call the cavalry." He muttered something about banishment and the moon.

Marshall Gian stayed behind and turned to face the orange Ranger. "Pony, if everything you have said is true, then let us meet on the battlefield as brother and sister. The day of reckoning is nearly upon us and rivalries have no place amongs creaturekind's last stand. So, sister, will you accept our bond?" The griffon marshall extended a claw. Applejack didn't hesitate for a second and grasped, sealing the deal.

"Till the glorious battle!" Gian saluted with a wing before flying off. 

"Till then."
> Preperation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Apple Bloom stared off into the distance, her gaze far away. Alarms were wailing all over the Griffish Isles Shatterdome. They harbored a doom that was yet to come. Bloom knew all this, she knew about the oncoming Kaiju, the rallying of the Jaeger Pilots, the evacuation of the civilians. This all happened around her as she sat and stared.

The young mare was in a strange state, one of quiet contemplation. Thoughts ran through her head at speeds she wasn't able to grapple. Apple Bloom was aware of her friends worrying, but she didn't have the energy to do anything about it. She didn't have any energy to do anything but sit and stare.


***


Applejack yelled out orders to the younger Pilots around the Shatterdome, getting them to a prepared state to beat back what was coming for them. It had been several days already since the announcement went country-wide and the Shatterdomes were all put on high alert. 

The old farmer chuckled darkly. She had promised to leave it all behind, leave the Piloting to the younger folk and let her work on her farm. She decided to take a break for now and sat down on her haunches. Applejack watched as workers of all jobs and races scrambled around the building, desperate for something to keep their minds off the incoming invasion. The orange mare sighed and tipped her stetson over her eyes. Would she survive this one?


***


Twilight Sparkle stood guard over Rainbow Dash's still unconscious body. She had sent their friends home, thinking there was nothing they could do right now. Then the announcement was dropped and it had the entirety of Dodge City on edge, the scrappers muttering amongst themselves. 

The alicorn couldn't help but cover her face with her hooves. This whole situation, alien beings coming and terrorizing the surface, forcing the peaceful folk of Equus into action. It was too much. Twilight reached out and gripped Rainbow's hoof tightly. They would survive, right?


***


The fervor Apple Bloom had put herself in with her training was awe-inspiring. And terrifying.

"Apple Bloom. You need to rest, you can't keep doing this to yourself!" Scootaloo interrupted AB's beat down session with the training simulator. It had already been her seventh one this night alone and the mental stress was shown. Her mane matted down with sweat, her eyes wide and unfocused, bloodshot and gaunt, while her beautiful yellow pelt was now a subdued mustard. To say the least, she looked horrible.

"Scootaloo is right, you look horrible. Rarity would get a heart attack if she saw you!" Sweetie Belle pitched in, her face filled with hope and sympathy, mixed in with fear. It was certainly an interesting combo.

"Ah miss mah cuz, cuz. Ya've been disapearin' on us. Come back Bloom, we need ya." Babs Seed's voice was uncharacteristically soft. 

"Ah don't have time fer freindships! Ah need to train! Ah need to be strong! Ah NEED to see all the Kaiju dead at my hooves! That is what ah need, and ah ain't backin' out now." Apple Bloom whipped around before anypony could stop her and before they knew it, the earth pony was gone.


***


The Shatterdome Applejack found herself in was quite busy, just like all the other Domes she had visited earlier. This one was special though, in fact, somepony special.

"Rarara, well am ah glad to see ya." Applejack smiled, if not strained, but it was enough for the pop singer to smile back.

"Same here. It's been agonizing AJ, I just feel so useless. Now with this stupid injury I wouldn't be able to set hoof in a Jaeger anymore. I'm dying of boredom AJ! It's horrible!" The orange mare just chuckled and hugged her longtime friend.

"Ah'm pretty sure ya'll figure somethin' out, ya always do."

"I do, don't I?" Coloratura grinned wildly. She was strapped to a wheelchair, her legs hanging uselessly, but that didn't seem to dampen her spirits, maybe even raised it. A large stallion, one whom Applejack recognized from her concert years past, was standing behind her, ready to push her around. 

"What're doin' here if ah may ask?" 

"I'm here to help! You always said I made the best combat moves, so I was hoping to teach other Pilots to get creative in their fighting styles." Coloratura smiled and nodded to herself.

"That sounds like a great idea! Thanks Rarara!"


***


Twilight was worried. Her thoughts flashed back to her friends she had sent away, told them to go evacuate Ponyville and maybe even other towns and cities. She didn't have much hope though, Equestria was just too big. Then her thoughts flicked to her ponies, the ones she was still learning to rule over. It's only been a year since she had taken the mantle as sole ruler of Equestria and she still wasn't very sure of herself.

Sure, all the help from her friends, Discord included, as well as the former Princesses, being only a letter way, helped a lot with her time ruling, but it still felt daunting. Especially with the Kaiju war going on. She had no idea how much of the royal treasury was sunk into the Jaeger program or how many resources they had mined up just to make those Jaegers. Not to mention the lives that were lost. 

Twilight sighed and lowered her head onto Rainbow's unconscious body. If only things were more peaceful, if she was only more confident in herself, if only the Elements worked on these terrifying monsters. Even Fluttershy, of all ponies, said they were scary beasts. 

"Princess?"

"Oh, yes. Dr. Pulse. Is she going to be okay?" Twilight asked, daring to hope.

"Yes, it'll be alright for her, Princess. Rainbow Dash will recover and she'll be in safe hooves." The beige stallion with a thick purple mustache wrote something on his clipboard. "Now, I don't mean to be disrespectful, Your Highness, but shouldn't you be ruling in Canterlot? And not be down here in dusty old Junction City? What with the oncoming invasion and all?"

"...you're right. I should get back. Plan strategies, have meetings, write papers. Yes, I need to do all of this." Twilight started muttering to herself of all the things she should do, before she snapped her back up and casted a worried glance towards Rainbow.

"Don't you worry Princess. We'll keep her safe. Go do what you need to do." Dr. Pulse bowed slightly before turning back to the prone pegasus on the bed.

"Thank you! I won't forget this!"
> Equestrian Rim (Finale Part 1)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Apple Bloom fell. She didn't remember falling, but she fell nonetheless. It was disorienting, falling without knowing you were falling. Perhaps she wasn't falling at all, perhaps she was drowning. Yes, that does seem to be the better word. Drowning in all the woes and worries of everypony, herself included. Sink or swim, that was the old adage, wasn't it? She decided, then and there, that she would thrash with all her might, on account of never really having to swim before.

"Bloom, ya in here?" Before the young Cadet could answer, her sister walked in wearing a worried expression. "AB, yer friends told me what's been happenin' with ya. Ah completely understand, but it ain't healthy pushin' yer friends away like this and bein' stubborn ain't helpin' nopony."

The tenderness from Applejack caught Apple Bloom but she recovered easily enough. She hardened her expression and turned to face her sister. "How'd ya do it? How are ya keepin' yer sanity?"

There was a pause. Then, without warning, the orange Ranger burst out laughing. Apple Bloom stared in shock and confusion and watched as her sister's laughter went an octave higher. It took a solid minute before Applejack recovered enough to wipe the tears out of her eyes. She took several breaths, chuckled one, twice, and then turned back with a small smile.

"Sanity, ya say. Oh, that's rich. Bloom, ah haven't been sane since mah first ride. That was an experience ah'll never forget. The trick, AB, is to be with friends and family. Now git before ah have to pull rank." Applejack was still chuckling when Apple Bloom left the room. She was immediately tackled by several ponies.

"Apple Bloom! You're alive!"

"Drat, I was sure AJ was gonna chew you out."

"Good to have ya back, cuz."

Apple Bloom giggled despite herself and pushed her attackers off of her. "Girls, ah'm sorry. Ah was bein' selfish and that ain't fair to ya'll."

"Don't sweat it, AB." Scootaloo chuckled while simultaneously discreetly giving a smug Sweetie Belle a bag that jingled slightly. It wasn't very discreet. She raised and eyebrow and what she got back in return was a desperate shake of the head. Apple Bloom decided to drop it.

"Alrighty cuz, let's find ourselves a Jaeger!" Babs grinned like made and ushered the other Crusaders forwards to the hanger.

"A Jaeger?" Sweetie asked, voicing exactly what Apple Bloom was thinking.

"Yes'm! Ah got the Marshalls to get us Jaegers! After all, it's all hooves on deck. That means the Cadets too." Babs Seed didn't wait for an answer and strutted forward like she owned the place. The other Cadets followed with a slight hesitancy. Apple Bloom even casted a look backwards, wondering if Applejack knew of this.

"Hold on a minute Babs, Are ya sayin' that we all are getting Jaegers? The other Cadets too?"

"Of course!"


***


The eight Cadets stood in front of the National Jaeger Museum in Manehatten. Ranger Pay Check brought them by train back to the Manehatten Shatterdome. They barely had any time before he forced them to go on a brisk trot to the museum. Halfway there, Candy Pop asked why they were going to the museum.

"Cadets, how long does it take to build a fully functional Jaeger?" It was his famous pop quiz voice.

"Four to five months," came the chorus. A second of silence was followed by a realization. 

"Yes, we don't have enough time to build you your Jaegers, so we're going to get the old ones. Shatterdomes all over Equestria and beyond will be doing the same. Decommissioned Jaegers and retired Pilots, they all are coming back. Fixing and upgrading the old war machines to last several punches is all anycreature could hope for. Your job is to be backup."

"What do you mean by that?" Mellow Marsh asked this time.

"You back up the more experienced Rangers. If, let's say, Ranger Soarin and Ranger Spitfire were grappling with a Kaiju and then there was another Kaiju behind them, you would help defeat the first Kaiju so the veterans would have tim to immediately turn and the new one. Never, EVER go attack a Kaiju by yourself, that is an easy way to get yourself killed. Trust me, I know."

The mood was solemn after that. Nopony spoke until they finally arrived at the museum. There were some excited glances that were thrown around, but apprehensive and scared looks too. Apple Bloom was certain she was ready when she walked out the door, but now, now she was terrified. She didn't want to do this! She wanted to have friends, Crusading around, helping buck the apple trees, have fun with Granny Smith. But she was here now, and only cowards would back down.

Together, the eight of them trotted in. They all split off into groups, the ones that they were going to Pilot with. In Apple Bloom's case it was Babs. The two cousins tried to reassure themselves with smiles and half-hearted jokes. None of them worked, but it seemed to be enough just by making them. The two made their way to the Earth Pony Jaeger hallway in hope of finding the perfect one. 

"Onyx Titan, Iron Giant, Fresh Grass, Mobile Suit, Chocolate Rain, ah'm not feelin' any of these. How 'bout you, cuz?" Babs looked back with an eyebrow raised in question, but the yellow mare wasn't looking at her. She was looking at a Jaeger, one she knew very well. She took a step forward and then another. Distantly, she heard Babs wondering out loud what was happening, then her voice stalled. 

"No..."

"Yes." The Jaeger Apple Bloom stopped at was a Mark I Earth Pony Jaeger. Not the original, that one was destroyed, but the replica was functional enough. It was the sleekest of the Mark I's, but still boxy. The legs were thick enough to put Canterlot towers to shame, the entire plating of the hull and connpod were reinforced with so many spells and enchanted metals and crystals, you could buck it with all your might and there wouldn't be a scratch. Right in the middle of the barrel was an old megaspell reactor but perfectly functional. Apple Bloom could even see several weapons attached to the forelegs and shoulders. "It's Gipsy Danger, Ma and Pa's Jaeger."


***


There was a single day left before the Kaiju Uprising, as the veterans started calling it, and everycreature was getting anxious. Alarms and warnings have been activated throughout the coastal regions telling the citizens to evacuate inland, get to bunkers and be safe. In the days until now, Pilots and Jaegers have been coming to the Shatterdomes and in the Manehatten one, where there were originally four Jaegers, there were nine of them now, five of which were retired ones. 

The Jaeger teams have been hard at work with engineers and architects to upgrade and fortify their Jaegers in order to survive the oncoming slaughter. No creature was under the delusion that there was a high chance of survival, but all Pilots were determined to hold out long enough for the payloads to get to the Kaiju openings and drop the bombs. That was the plan, the only plan. If they failed, civilization as they knew it, would be over.

Apple Bloom chuckled nervously. In less than 24 hours, they were going to war. It was almost surreal. She and Babs were leaning against the new and improved Gipsy Avenger, outfitted with state of the art weaponry and armor plating. Unicorns, zebra runecasters, kirins, and so many other magically inclined races were generating enough power to light up the entire face of the planet for several seconds. It all went into storage for the Jaegers.

"Babs?"

"Mmm?"

"Do ya think we'll be able to survive this?" Apple Bloom felt herself shaking. Babs noticed it, of course she did. The brown mare with scissors for a cutie mark trotted over and gave the biggest hug in earth pony history. 

"Of course we will, AB." Her voice was muffled through Apple Bloom's fur, but neither didn't care. "We'll look out for each other, ain't that right, Scoots and Sweetie? After all, Crusaders stick together." There was a chorus of affirmation and Apple Bloom recovered enough to peel herself off her cousin and turned around to see that her closest friends were there, unshed tears and small smiles. It was almost enough to break Apple Bloom's heart, but she was an Apple. Apple's don't break that easily.


***


It was midday when the sirens started. There was no time for chatter, for pleasantries, or bathroom breaks. Every single Pilot quickly and quietly, with all the solemnity in the world, got to their Jaegers. 

Apple Bloom met Babs halfway to Gipsy and they barely acknowledged each other's presence. There was no need. They would be in each other's heads soon and together they would be wading out into the ocean and standing guard with all the other Jaegers. This was the final stand of Equus and it all rested on them and their little shoulders. This all ran through Apple Bloom's head as she trotted up the stairs. It ran through her head as she strapped herself in and initiated the drift. 

"Activating Drift...Right hemisphere stable...Left hemisphere stable...Neural bridge stable."

It ran through their heads.

"See ya later, Cutie Mark Crybabies!"
"YOU TOUCH IT, YOU BUY IT! We take cash or credit."
"What am I, gonna miss out on spendin' time with my favorite cousin? Forget about it!"
"Maybe we'll get our cutie marks in stupidest ideas of all time."

The Shatterdome doors opened and the nine Jaegers that were inside filed outside. There was a radio crackle announcing that the Manehatten Jaegers were connected through the intercom. There was a deep breath, then another, and then another.

"Rangers. This is Ranger Pay Check. Jaegers will be pouring out of that hole in an hour an we are to hold the line. We shall fight on the beaches so everycreature behind us will survive to see another day. This isn't about us, it's about them, so this is where we stand. This is where we fight! WHAT ARE WE DOING!?"

"WE FIGHT!" Came the thundering roar. Then came the silence, the dreadful silence. Pay Check probably caught onto this as the radio clicked on again.

"Check in. It will better understand who we are fighting with. Our brothers and sisters, siblings of the battlefield." The Ranger's voice faded. There was a few seconds of silence then somebody spoke up.

"Rangers Pharynx and Thorax of Brawling Carol." Apple Bloom took note that it looked even sleeker and more powerful after it's destruction. They did a good job at repairing it.

"Soarin and Spitfire of Winged Glory." The former captain of the Wonderbolts sounded incredibly weary and Apple Bloom could only sympathize. 

"Leroy and Ingville of Broken Table. YAK SMASH!" There was a loud stomp for emphasis. There was some brief chuckles, but there was no warmth in them.

"Galena and Gigi, Pilots of Enlightened Protector." It was the sleek griffon Mark V. Apple Bloom looked in awe at the finished design. There were no rough edges what so ever, the feathers from the wings were razor sharp as well as the beak, the claws looked like humongous butcher knives ready to slice and dice, and the fusionspell reactor in Protector's chest looked really intimidating.

"Marshall Rack and Ranger Curd with the Mystical Annihilator." From what Apple Bloom had heard, Curd was the son of Whey, Rack's old partner. She wasn't sure why they had paired together, perhaps it was an old promise.

"Peach Fuzz and Candy Pop with the Onyx Titan." The black and red Jaeger didn't match the pilots at all, but nocreature complained.

"Mallow Marsh and Sweetie Belle of the Sparkle Pie." Rumor has it Mallow held Sweetie captive and was going to keep her there if she didn't agree to use that Jaeger. Apple Bloom chuckled when she recalled the horrified expression her friend wore when the Jaeger was rolled into the Shatterdome. She couldn't blame her, it was bright pink and yellow.

"Scootaloo and Wind Sprint here, Piloting the Fluttering Chicken." Despite the name and Scootaloo's obvious reluctance, the Chicken was a war machine by all rights. A beast of a Mark II with bulky armor and heavy weaponry fit for the most agile of Pegasi.

"Babs Seed and Apple Bloom of Gipsy Avenger." The cadets' hearts were pounding. Just a few more minutes and then the Kaiju will come. Those few minutes felt like hours.

"Hey cuz?" Apple Bloom knew the question was coming, they were in each others heads, but it still caught her off guard. 

"Yeah?"

"We will make it out, ah promise ya." The steel that was in Babs' face slightly eased her worries, but it wasn't enough. They both knew it. After that, they distracted themselves by making sure the equipment and magical hologram was working just fine. Scrolling through their weaponry, she saw 'Anti-Kaiju Missiles,' 'Gravity Sling,' and 'Chain Sword.'

Outside, the other Jaegers positioned themselves so they were in a line, protecting the shoreline and by extension Manehatten. Through the magically enhanced vision of the connpod, Apple Bloom and Babs saw a similar lineup of Jaegers by Fillydelphia. Further down, there would be more Jaegers standing in front of Baltimare. In front of them, past the ocean, Trottingham, the Griffish Isles, Griffonstone, and Dragon's Lair all had their own defenders. Far behind them, on the other side of Equestria, the Jaegers of Van Hoover, Tall Tale, Los Pegasus, and Yakyakistan were preparing for their own battles. The sheer amount of creatures willing to lay down their lives for creaturekind to thrive was heartwarming to the cousins, and in that moment, they knew, they were going to beat back the Kaiju and save the day.

Then the sea erupted and the bellowing started.


***


The veterans rushed out, leaving Protector with the Cadets. The ocean churned with heavy and sudden movement as titans, both natural and not, clashed. The first Kaiju, a category IV, that came out looked like a scaly turtle with heavy shielding on its back and had a small sharp head. It wasted no time and charged forwards. Winged Glory was the first Jaeger to reach the Kaiju, which the Manehatten Shatterdome had already nicknamed 'Pointhead,' and slammed their wing razors down into its back. Pointhead released a pained roar and thrashed, sending high waves to the shore, but Glory wasn't to be deterred. 

Brawling Carol sent a heavy hoof slam against the Kaiju's head, sending it reeling. Before any Jaeger could do anything, the ocean erupted once again and an even larger Kaiju charged in. Before it could collide with a helpless Carol, Broken Table slammed into it, forcing it back. Mystical Annihilator was close behind and followed up Table's attack with a buck of their own. The two Kaiju were swarmed by the four Jaegers, working in tandem and beating them to near submission. 

Then something erupted from the second Kaiju, a Category V, nicknamed Cindereye for its glowing orange eyes. Annihilator was thrown back and Table skidded a few hundred meters. Carol and Glory were too far away for the blast to do anything, but even they felt a little force. Before a recovery could happen, a second Category IV Kaiju erupted. Bonecrest, after the large protrusion out of its head crest. There was no time to react before the same protrusion pierced through Table. 

The Pilots of Enlightened Protector screeched a war cry and flew straight towards Bonecrest. While that was happening, Carol had heaved Pointhead above them and threw it towards Glory who made quick work of its soft underbelly. The two Jaegers dropped the carcass and came as quickly as they could to Bonecrest and Cindereye. 

Annihilator was up and running, charging directly for Cindereye, determined to get it at least crippled. Before they could collide, Protector sliced through Bonecrest's thick hide with their sharpened razor wings and let the blood pour out. The Kaiju screamed and threw Broken Table off of its protrusion towards Annihilator, who managed to dodge just in time, and even had enough time to tackle Cindereye. Carol and Glory nearly made it to the other Kaiju before the water spat out another Kaiju. Shiv, a category V and had large shivs instead of legs.

The new Kaiju bolted towards Annihilator and stabbed through their back, twin screams of pain were heard over the radio. Chicken took a step forwards but Pie shook their head. Carol rammed their newly acquired horn into Shiv while Glory slammed into Cindereye. Protector was slashing again and again, making horrible looking cuts on Bonecrest's hide. Table came back into the fray with a vengeance, headbutting Cindereye. 

By the time the 6th Kaiju had arrived, Bonecrest was shredded into paste and Cindereye looked injured enough to not be a nuisance. Then it displayed that it was still dangerous with another shockwave, sending the Jaegers back. While they struggled to rise back onto their hooves, Shiv darted forward and made another jab at Annihilator but was sliced at by Glory. The new Kaiju, Reckoner, a category IV, charged, followed by Cindereye. Glory deflected and sliced, all the while keeping them at bay while the other Pilots recovered. 

They weren't fast enough as Glory was pierced by Skiv before Table managed to ram into Reckoner. Carol and Protector were next, slamming and whacking. Annihilator heaved upwards and bucked Cindereye, crumpling its face. There was a whirlwind of metal and tough skin and water for several minutes, Apple Bloom barely could keep track of every hit, and then there was another surge.

A large serpent like Kaiju whipped its tail which caught Glory and sent the Jaeger flying over into the city. Weaver, as it was nicknamed, whirled around in the water like it was born there and slithered up Annihilator and squeezed. The other Jaegers were occupied with the other Kaiju, Cindereye proving to be tougher than anycreature thought. Chicken took another step and this time they didn't wait. That step turned into another and soon, they were charging into the fray. 

Before Fluttering Chicken could deploy their missiles, another Kaiju crawled out and then to everycreature's horror, a second Kaiju came out after the first one. Named Pisces and Gemini, the two Kaiju looked virtually the same, but they both were categories III. Table's Pilots roared and smashed their way past Shiv and slammed with all the might of a Yak into Pisces, sending it sailing over the water.

Carol was hacking away at Cindereye and Weaver simultaneously while Annihilator struggled to get out, the metal creaking. Protector was grappling with Shiv and was trying to burn it with a giant torch built into their claws. Chicken snapped out of their shock and released their payload, most of them exploding against Gemini's hide. This was incentive enough for Gipsy to start moving. 

Apple Bloom and Babs moved as one, their steps echoing their heart beats as they got closer and closer. Thinking together and quickly, they activated their Chain Sword and plunged it right into Cindereye, being the closest Kaiju. Carol saluted and focused on their efforts of getting Weaver off of Annihilator.

There was a large shadow as Glory sailed over, their hull badly damaged and leaking out some sort of liquid, before dropping  directly onto Shiv's back, sending the beast down to its knees. Table pivoted violently and slammed their backhooves into Gemini's side, screeching in agony after receiving two deadly blows. Protector ducked underneath a slash of Shiv and rammed their shoulder into its chest, sending the Kaiju backwards, letting Glory full access to its belly. 

The whole battle lasted around an hour and soon the nine Kaiju sent to demolish Manehatten were defeated but not without casualties. Glory was barely standing and Annihilator's hull was completely crumpled and deformed, but all in all, it was a miracle all of them escaped the grips of death.

The radio crackled on. "Marshall Rack is collapsing, his eyes are streaming blood!" Curd's panicked voice shocked the backup Cadets into action. Pie and Titan grabbed onto Annihilator and heaved the battered Jaeger back to shore where Bleeding Heart waited with her team. The other Jaegers trudged back to the shore for emergency repairs and restocking and got back into line.

"The BUCK was that!" Pharynx yelled, his voice sounded strained. Apple Bloom was sitting down, breathing heavily. Babs wasn't looking to great either.

"Yeah! There wasn't supposed to be that many!" Thorax chorused, sounding just as weary.

Leroy's gruff voice spoke out. "Yak smash Kaiju. Leroy happy, but too many Kaiju, Yak not happy."

"Leroy's right, the Kaiju are learning, the precursors or whatever know about us." Spitfire sighed, there was a heavy clang followed by a curse. The radio crackled out and Winged Glory slumped downward indicating the power cut.

"Winds," Galena cursed, "I'll go deal with that." From the head of Enlightened Protector came a small form. Apple Bloom watched as the griffon landed on Glory and went inside. She turned off the radio and her cousin raised an eyebrow in question.

"Sorry Babs, just couldn't listen no more."

"S'okay, ah understand."

The two Apple cousins sat in the corner, their backs resting against the wall, as they took little catnaps, trying to regain their energy, despite them not doing much in the fight. As the second hour passed, Apple Bloom decided to do something. Rolling over so she could face her cousin, she asked, "Applejack's plan was to bomb the entrances using a dead Kaiju, right? So who's doing the bombing?"

"Prince Rutherford and whoever his copilot is is taking the west portal and uh..." Babs paused and glanced guiltily to Apple Bloom.

"What? What are ya not tellin' me?" There was a pause and the longer the yellow mare stared, the more guilty the brown one looked. "...no. NO!"

"Ah'm sorry, AB! She told me not to tell ya!"

"We're gonna save her. Where is she!?" Apple Bloom launched herself at Babs and put her hooves on her chest. "Which Shatterdome is she located at?"

"Ah ain't sayin'. Don't do this, this was exactly why she didn't want ya to know!" Her cousin looked frantically into her eyes, hoping and pleading. Apple Bloom raised a hoof, fully intending to strike Babs, but before the hoof connected, there was a loud crash. Immediately, Kaiju warning sirens went off. The radio sparked back on and there was shouting.

"RANGERS, GET BACK TO YOUR POSTS. THEY'RE BACK!"

Their fight forgotten, the Cadets ran to their walking struts and strapped themselves in. Hurrying to make sure everything was in place and then activated the spell hologram. What it depicted made the two cousins blanch at the sheer size of the army. 

The Manehatten Shatterdome reported to the Pilots that there were eight of them total, one of which was a category VI. After that bombshell was released, they also reported that Honest Riot was up and running towards the portal. All Eastern Shatterdomes are to send half of their battalion to clear a path for Applejack and Coloratura.

Apple Bloom's gaze hardened.
> Uprising (Finale Part 2)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Princess Twilight! Where have you been? I've been worried sick!" The purple alicorn felt a twinge of regret in her heart as Raven Inkwell burst out once she saw her flying back. Angling her wings, Twilight came down in a controlled descent before landing gracefully. 

"I'm so sorry, Raven. How is the castle? Has anything bad happened?" The face on the mare was pure anguish and that made Twilight feel even more ashamed. 

"Oh, it's been terrible! These Canterlot nobles are going to be the death of me! Fleur de Lis and Fancy Pants have been trying their very best but even they couldn't handle them." Raven started pacing around nervously, her horn sparking in angst. Twilight hugged her and murmured her apologies into her ear. It took a while but soon the two of them were off to the throne room where the bloodthirsty nobles waited.


***


Twilight immediately regretted it the moment the doors opened with her magic. Her eardrums were pelted by entitled angry socialites with nothing better to do than complain about their welfare. She was so tempted to snap at them, but a princess wouldn't do that. Ignoring them for the time being, Twilight held her head up high and trotted carefully to her throne. Before sitting down, she made eye contact with Fleur and Fancy and nodded. The two shared tired grins before slipping away.

"Now, wha..."

"You have a plan for this, do you not?"

"There are so many Kaiju now! What if they come to Canterlot?"

"When Princess Celestia and Luna were ruling, the Kaiju were taken care of quickly."

"Yeah! Since you've ascended the throne, everything has gone wrong! Actually since the Elements were found!"

"It's been disaster after disaster!"

"Go home!"

"We don't want you here!"

"My cabbages!"

"ENOUGH!" The royal Canterlot voice slipped out and immediately everypony shut up. Expressions ranged from pure shock to unbridled rage to smug indifference. She was visibly shaking, Twilight could feel it. Her friends were out there, protecting Equestria from those...those monsters, and these sorry excuses of ponies were concerned for their own safeties and legacy. They dared to question her worth to the throne and Equestria even after all these years.

"If you have nothing worthwhile to contribute, I would kindly ask you to leave. Now." They all filed out, many grumbling, but nopony dared to straggle. After the last tail disappeared behind the doors did Twilight sag back down into her throne. If only Canterlot didn't need those pests.

Raven placed a comforting hoof on her shoulder and blinked, knowing full well how annoying these ponies are. It was the older mare's turn to comfort her and she let her. Soon enough, the alicorn was back on her hooves, determined to get back to her job. 

"Raven, is there anything else?"

"Besides the Kaiju apocalypse, oh, I suppose not. Most of the population are down in the bunkers all over Equestria and beyond, which is a relief. Oh, and Discord wants to see you."

"Discord?"

"He's waiting at the main hall." Raven took a step back as the furious look came back. The aide swore she saw her mane turn slightly red, but turned around and trotted away before she could confirm what she saw.

"Oh, I'm going to have words with him!" Forgoing slamming down the doors, Twilight decided to teleport with the flashiest entrance she dared. How dare the draconequus not help with the war effort! His powers could be used for good! There was a crackle and within a blink, Twilight was somewhere else and was greeted with a familiar squeak.

"Twilight!" Fluttershy bounded over, her wings fluttering around anxiously and her face completely drenched in tears.

"Fluttershy! What's wrong? Tell me!" The two quickly embraced, the guards around them stood at their posts like they were trained.

"It's Disco...Discord!" The yellow pegasus wailed and buried her head back into Twilight's chest. It was getting really uncomfortable and damp, but anything for a friend. Taking the initiative, the alicorn lifted her head and gasped at the sight of the creature. 

What was Discord now looked like a bloated shell of his former self. Everything was disproportionate and off-looking, even more than usual, and he looked deathly pale. His legs and arms wobbled as he tried to do something, anything, but nothing seemed to be working.

"Discord?" Twilight slowly came over with the crying pegasus in tow.

"If it isn't my favourite princess! How are you doing, your highness?" His voice was crackly but sounded coherent enough.

"Cut that out Discord, is this another joke? Please tell me this is another joke." Twilight pleaded, her eyes telling everything that she could not say.

"No joke this time. The world has gotten too chaotic for me, or maybe I'm becoming less attuned. Whatever the case is, I am this now. Can't even snap my fingers." He raised a pudgy paw and claw and grinned a sickly one before it turned into him gasping for air. Fluttershy was by his side in an instant and hugged him as tightly as she could. Twilight also trotted over, her face portraying every single worry of the past month.

"Is there anything we can do? There's something we can do!" She asked quietly and hopefully. Some small part in the back of her head asked her who she was trying to convince.

Discord merely shook his head with a cocky little grin. His expression softened at the sight of the weeping pegasus and hugged her as well. He looked back up and Twilight did a double take on how serious he looked. "Go beat them back, Twilight. We're all counting on you."


***


Twilight was lost. After her talk with Discord, she turned tail and trotted around. It took several hours of extreme anxiety for her to realize what she was doing. It didn't help that her usual stoic guards were casting anxious glances at each other. With a huff she galloped for her war room. 

The Shatterdome Head Command as Celestia called it, was a giant war room with several magical monitors attuned and enhanced by several magical alloys and crystals from all over the world. It allowed her to contact any Shatterdome within moments. It was much more efficient than letters but this technology was only to be used for military reasons. 

It took several minutes, too long, for the first one to answer the magical call. A hologram of the pony answering took shape. It was Marshall Insomnia of the Baltimare Shatterdome. He looked really battered. Several cuts crisscrossed all over his body, his left forehoof was in a cast, and his left eye was gone, but at the sight of the princess, he grinned.

"Princess Twilight, what do I owe the pleasure?" Insomnia, or Sommy as he liked to be called, always the gentlecolt, tipped his head in a bow.

"No need to do that if you can help it, your injuries look severe Marshall, is everything going alright there?" Despite her even tone, Twilight was freaking out on the inside. Everything was going wrong, why were so many of her ponies dying, why were the Kaiju attacking, why was any of this happening!

"Nothing to worry about, Princess, I've had worse." She rose her eyebrow. "No, seriously. A buddy of mine threw me in front of a Jaeger rocket and it blew up. I was in the hospital for a full year. I actually just recovered a month ago." He grinned as if nothing he just said was concerning. Twilight just stared at him and the stallion sighed before relenting. "Alright, we lost two Jaegers. My Jaeger was one of them. We have one Jaeger left defending Baltimare while the rest are running ahead to run point for Honest Riot. Sweet Celestia do I wish to be there with them."

"My condolences." She bowed and he returned the gesture. He smiled sadly before doing a little wave before disappearing. It was another ten minutes before the next Shatterdome answered. A pony she didn't know showed up, but her uniform said she came from Los Pegasus.

"Acting Marshall Rose Garden Ma'am." The mare snapped a smart salute while trying not to look tense or terrified. She almost fooled Twilight if Twilight wasn't an expert on feeling exactly that. What caught the monarch's eye was the fire raging in the background.

"Garden, is that fire a problem?" 

"No, Ma'am. We've got it under control." As if coming to her aid, several creatures came rushing into the scene with fire extinguishers and water buckets. As the fire died down, Twilight saw that the thing on fire was a Jaeger hoof.

"Are you sure? Do I need to send backup?" Twilight felt her heart plummet as her imagination ran rampant. Perhaps the city was completely gone and they were the only ones left! Or maybe they pushed back the Kaiju but the entire Jaeger force was wiped out!

"No need Ma'am, that hoof you see was the only casualty. The lucky bastard sheered it off and it came and crashed through the Shatterdome. The Pilots and the Jaeger itself are fine. Two of ours have joined up with Prince Rutherford."

"Sounds like you are handling things quite well over there. Is there any reason you are here as Acting Marshall and not the actual Marshall?" Twilight waited with bated breath, she was very close to the Marshall of Los Pegasus and hoped nothing had happened to him.

"Oh no, Ma'am. Marshall Sentry was one of Pilots that went with Prince Rutherford. Is that all Ma'am?" Rose asked, fear showing in her eyes, despite her crisp and calm delivery.

"Yes, you are dismissed. Good work." The connection cut.

Twilight had to wait a full hour before the next one chimed. The connection opened up and was greeted by a panicked Yak. Before she could open her mouth to ask what was wrong, another magical channel opened. This one left nothing to the imagination. Tiny Kaiju were running through the halls of the Shatterdome with techponies and Cadets were fighting them off. Before she could witness more, a third opened, then a fourth. Soon all of them were opened and all portrayed visages beyond belief. All of them were asking for help. It was too much. Sending a quick prayer to whoever, Twilight apologized and turned the whole system off. 

She needed backup and she knew exactly where to go.


***


Arriving in Dodge City once again, she rushed forwards to a large scrap pile. Her presence caught a few glances but there wasn't enough. Preparing herself, Twilight casted a spell and spoke.

"Citizens of Dodge City! I am Princess Twilight Sparkle and I am asking for your aid. You have Jaegers of your own with capabilities that only you know. Please, I am begging you. Please and help defend Equestria, help defend your home! The Shatterdomes have been breached and you can help them!"

She was expecting resistance, maybe even a rotten tomato or two, but was pleasantly surprised to see everycreature immediately drop what they were doing and went to their garages. Twilight expressed her gratitude before gliding downwards into the medical ward. Doctor Pulse was waiting for her and assured her that Rainbow had been healing quite spectacularly. She thanked the doctor before taking off, once again.

She went around Dodge City, helping them figure out the harmonics to communicate with the other Jaegers and Shatterdomes. She helped outfit weapons and screw on hooves. She even fished out a colt who fell into an oil vat. The thing that surprised her the most was that it only took a single hour and then everycreature was moving. 

Twilight split the group in half, one half going to the west and the other, the east. One of the Pilots, Disstrack, said that he would hack into Equestrian Radio and announce the uprising. He knew of other garages and scrapyards like Dodge City with more Jaegers that would be willing to join the fight. He nearly dropped his headphones when Twilight gave him a huge hug and a thank you. He mumbled and nodded his thanks and Twilight ignored his red cheeks with a small smile. Happiness in times like these are a commodity and they should be taken when given. 

Princess Twilight flapped her wings and off she went, towards the fighting. Despite not being in a Jaeger, she knew how to tussle with a Kaiju. She had to fight one once when Trixie accidentally depowered a whole Shatterdome, leaving Fillydelphia defenseless. 

While she was flying, there was a loud roaring noise that settled near her. At her speeds, she didn't dare look but after a few seconds, the curiosity was too much. Quickly glancing to the side nearly caused her to careen to the side after seeing the rouge Jaeger; Daybreaker. There was a pop and words started forming in Twilight's head.

"My faithful student, racing into battle without a Jaeger? Tsk, I thought I taught you better." There was a giggle.

"CELESTIA!?" 

"Verily! I have come to assist Honest Riot and the defenders of the Eastern side while my sister goes to the Western side to aid Prince Rutherford."

"Wha, buh, Celestia...how!?"

"Oh quite simple, my faithful student. We had our own Jaegers made before we retired and then used them after we moved to Silver Shoals. It has been most delightful fighting in one of these things...and the most depressing. We made you one too!"

"Wait..."

Another rumble brought her attention to the left where another alicorn Jaeger flew. Dark purple and starry. It looked really menacing and Twilight couldn't help but fall in love.

"Midnight Sparkle we call it, hop in!" Celestia's voice instantly compelled Twilight to fly over and jump into the connpod. The suit and the walking struts seemed designed specifically for her, which she supposed was intentional. She gaped at the technology of the Jaeger, how it was a single Pilot, how it was under autopilot, and how fluid it all seemed. She felt powerful.

"Shall we?"

"We shall!"

The two alicorn Jaegers flew forwards to the battle. Behind them, hundreds of makeshift and homemade Jaegers made their way across the country at barreling speeds. More and more kept on being added to the horde. After switching to the right bandwidth, Twilight was greeted by war cries and guttural banshee cries. It was beautiful as it was horrifying. The whole grim near future that awaited them was nothing compared to the power euphoria she was feeling right now and she couldn't help but smile.

Let them come.
> The Black (Finale Part 3)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Applejack watched her sister trot away with her friends and it left a smile on her face. She would need good friends after all this was over. Making sure she turned the bend, the orange mare headed out. It was a simple trot before coming to the medical bay.

"AJ! You made it. How do I look?" Coloratura grinned and posed like a fashion model. Due to the upcoming fight and Applejack needing a copilot, the pop singer volunteered. The problem was her useless front left hoof, but Pura Vida, Bleeding Heart, and a crystal pony came up with a magical prosthetic for combat only. It was black and thin, but looked strong.

"It looks great, Rarara. Ready to head out?"

"Let's go!" The two friends trotted out and headed towards the newly rebuilt Honest Riot. Walking through the Shatterdome halls together, just like old times, hit Applejack in a place she never knew and started tearing up. She tried to stop them, wiping a hoof across her eyes, but it wouldn't stop.

"Hey, hey, hey. What's wrong?" Coloratura said before getting a good look and then pulled her into a hug. It felt nice. "Is it because of Apple Bloom? That filly is brave, she'll be fine. She has her friends too." Her words and voice were comforting and Applejack felt herself easing slightly, but not enough. She clutched tighter and her friend let her.

"When will this end? The war. Ah can't even remember life before the war, do you?" Her sobs and country twang made it hard to understand but Coloratura has been friends with her for so long that she understood her perfectly, maybe even more than Applejack knows.

"It'll be alright, they'll be alright. It will all end after this." Just like Coloratura, Applejack understood more than what was being said.

"One way or another, right?"

"One way or another." She agreed.


***


"Activating Drift...Right hemisphere stable...Left hemisphere stable...Neural bridge stable."

"It's been a while, hasn't it?"
"Ah don't like this, Rara."
"Be prepared."
"Goin' to be the death of us all."

The two somber Rangers made their way out of the Shatterdome in the new and improved Honest Riot. The hull was reinforced with more magic and various alloys. The joints were smoother, allowing for faster movements. The magical hologram inside of the connpod has been updated to make the system run smoother. Their weapons have been modified too, packing a heavier punch as it were. But the most serious addition to the Jaeger was the megaspell bomb strapped to their back. There was a release button if needed and the plan was to use it, but neither Pilot believed that was going to happen.

"Riot." The comms crackled. It was Marshall Rack. The heaviness in his voice expressed everything he wanted to say and more. The two Pilots shared a look and shared a sad smile.

"Marshall." Applejack responded, her legs moving at a constant pace, Coloratura matching.

"Give 'em Tartarus."

"Plan to." 

The two stomped along the shore, their heavy hooffalls causing massive tremors, scaring away animals away. Probably for the best. They were headed towards Fillydelphia as it was the least defended, it also didn't help that it was in the center of the East Coast. It was quiet, despite the thumping, and peaceful. Equestria to their right and the Celestial Sea to their left, it was like a painting. The clam before the storm.

"AJ?"

"Yeah?"

"Nothing really in particular."

"Just wanna hear a friendly voice?"

"Something like that, yeah."

"Ah understand." They were silent for a while, then she spoke up again. "Ah really did miss ya. Ah felt mahself slippin' a couple of times, times where ah could've been a lot better if yer were there. Don't matter much, got all solved in the end. Thing ah miss the most, though, was yer smile. Sure missed that smile."

"I tried, I really did, to contact you or send a letter. You were just always moving around, I just couldn't pinpoint you. But it doesn't matter now, does it?" She chuckled, smiling slightly. "Well, one thing's for certain, this place is beautiful. Should come here more often."

"Isn't that what ya always say when ya find a 'picture perfect moment?'" The two of them giggled, recalling their little adventures when they were still teenagers and reckless.

"We're really doing this, aren't we?" Coloratura said after several peaceful moments. 

"Yeah, ah guess we are." The two arrived in Fillydelphia and was met by a hulking Jaeger. The last working Mark I, made when size meant power in the early days. They were Piloted by two Yaks of considerable age. It was impressive how they were still handling the strain it takes to operate a Jaeger. 

"This is Smash Yak Smash, are you Honest Riot?" Definitely elderly, the wheezy breath gave it away, but behind the ailments, Applejack heard strength. Yes, these yaks weren't going down without a fight. 

"Eeyup, that's us. We've got the bomb as well." Glancing behind the Mark I, four other Jaegers were to be seen. It looked like there was another Earth Pony Jaeger, the smoothness suggested it was a Mark IV. The rest were Mark III's, them being a griffon, changeling, and a dragon one. The last one considerably smaller than other dragon Jaegers Applejack has seen. That could only mean one thing.

Coloratura caught on to what the orange mare was thinking and smiled a little. Together they waited and the Pilots of Smash Yak Smash allowed them into the Fillydelphian Shatterdome. They beelined straight to the dragon Jaeger who sat up in surprise. The design was sleek enough for a Mark III, the joints and hull looked sturdy and fabricated out of magical allows and crystals. Another interesting detail of the Jaeger was that it didn't have wings. The color scheme of the mech was a strange mismatch of green, purple, and orange.

"Well, if it ain't Spike and Emziko. How ya'll been?" She chuckled to herself, remembering when Spike came to the castle one day with a timid green dragoness with orange spikes. It was when the friendship council were doing their monthly gatherings so he had the complete and utter nervous breakdown as he explained that Emziko was now his girlfriend. That sure was an evening.

"Oh, hey Applejack. We've been good...at least, I think we've been good. Have we been good?" There a slight rustle and some whispering. Spike cleared his throat and spoke again with more confidence. "Yeah, we've been good!"

The Pilots of Honest Riot chuckled. Youth sure was something. The four of them spent the next hour chatting about life and the happenings of the Pilot lifestyle. Before they were able to start the conversation on a new gem type Em had found, the Kaiju alarms started ringing. The six Jaegers of various forms, shapes, and races stood tall and prepared to face down the onslaught that would come forth.

The silence lasted a couple of minutes before the water surged upwards revealing a Category III Kaiju. No communication was needed, as all six crews were veterans, and let the changeling Jaeger charge forwards. Before the announcement was made on what the nickname was going to be, the Kaiju was already dead. Mandible and Spiracle were the first Changeling Pilots to join the Jaeger program after their reformation. Due to being part of Chrysalis' honor guard, the two of them were great at combat and that translated well in their Piloting. Their Jaeger, Gilded Weathervane, was built to acclimate to their brutality and their diverse fighting style. This Kaiju was their seventh if Applejack's counting was correct.

They didn't have to wait long before the next one arrived. On unspoken mutual agreement, everycreature will take turns unless needed, so the earth pony Jaeger stepped up. This one was a special one, a Clover design, meaning it had three Pilots. Rose, Daisy, and Lily Valley were fellow Ponyvillians and joined the Corps. a year after Applejack did. They too quickly rose through the ranks with their unique fighting style, if you could call it that. The Jaeger, Floral Horror, had three torsos that rotated on a large bearing, allowing for continuous hits after hits as well as allowing for quick movement. The downside is that the Pilots inside get dizzy really fast, but the three mares were accustomed to it after all these years.

This fight lasted much longer, but the Kaiju, a Category III named Ripplescale, could barely land a hit. It would charge forwards with its larger and thicker skull, attempting to smash its way to victory, but at the very last moment, Floral would spin and rotate out of the way and then deliver a nasty smack, followed closely by another, and then another. It looked really comedic, but it was really effective. The Kaiju soon fell under the continuous barrage of heavy hooffalls. 

The next one rose up, this time a Category IV. The griffon Jaeger took care of this one. Out of the six of them, these two Pilots were the youngest, but still experienced enough to have two Kaijus under their belt. Bloody Claws, the Jaeger, and Saltbrine, the Kaiju, went head to head for long enough for another Kaiju to come out. Yak Smash Yak moved to intercept. Applejack was feeling restless and Coloratura felt it through their mental link, but no matter what she did, the farmer couldn't stop bouncing in place. Honest Riot would shake a tiny bit every time the orange mare jumped. 

Then everything went wrong. A third Kaiju erupted out of the water and pierced a huge sword-like claw straight through Yak Smash Yak. There was a crackle, a hiss, and then a huge explosion. The Kaiju had directly hit the megaspell reactor resulting in three burnt corpses. Two Kaiju and one Jaeger. Fillydelphia Shatterdome confirmed that both Pilots were dead. There was a guttural roar over the comms and Bloody ripped through Saltbrine with their sharpened wings. 

The remaining five were in shock. Their leader died within moments, no farewells, no fanfare. Just like that. Then came the grumblings, especially from the griffons, Gabe and Gantruvablon, or Gan for short. Together, they waited for the next Kaiju and prepared to shred it. They were surprised to see that three burst out at once. So surprised in fact that Spike and Emziko weren't ready and a Category IV body slammed them into sailing over into the distance.

"Go go go! Take the left one!" Coloratura shouted, starting to canter in place, the walking struts moving the legs down below. Applejack moved in sync and was already preparing the Arc Whip. Next to them, Gilded charged as well. The Shattedome was on top of things and listed that two of them were Category III's and one was a Category IV. Phobos and Deimos were named because of how intimidating their face plating was. Ragged and spiked, it even had five gleaming red eyes to complete the look. Ares was the name given to the Category IV to complete the family of an ancient Pantheon. 

"We'll take Deimos!" Applejack shouted, she got a grunt in reply as Gilded veered to tackle Phobos instead. Bloody was riding Ares, their razor wings plunged into its back, but it didn't seem to have an effect. 

"AJ! Duck!" Reacting instinctively, the two rolled forwards, the Jaeger copying their movements, as Deimos' meaty fist sailed over their heads. They rose back up and flicked their Arc Whip on, the metal glowing with hot electricity. Hunter and beast circled each other warily before they were fed up and charged. The Kaiju reared back on their back legs in response, not wanting to be crushed by millions of pounds, Honest shifted ever so slightly to change the direction of their charge, allowing for the crush to miss. 

While Deimos was recovering, Honest launched themselves upward and landed on the Kaiju's back, straddling it like an angry bull. From experience and copied experience, the two were able to hold on like professional cowponies. After a few attempted bucks, Honest Riot slung their whip underneath the Kaiju's neck and pulled as hard as possible. 

The skin started to sizzle and heat vapors were seen going into the air. The Pilots grinned and pulled even harder, but before the job could be completed, something flew from the side and crashed into Honest, sending the Jaeger flying.

"What was that!?" Thinking they had no time, Applejack and Coloratura launched themselves upwards and tried to attack the nearest enemy. They were met by another Jaeger, Bloody Claws to be exact. 

"Gilded, what's wrong?"

"Bruv chucked us meters, not cool." The griffons pushed themselves upwards and flew like an arrow back to Ares who was roaring in conquest. The Pilots of Honest didn't have time to react towards the giant Kaiju who snuck up on them and before they could blink or scream, they were tossed into the air. 

They plummeted back down straight into the Kaiju's awaiting open mouth. Ignoring the limits of the Jaeger, Applejack and Coloratura twisted as far back as their backs allowed and whipped their Arc Whip around Deimos' head, bringing it to its knees. The two mares panicked a little after seeing that the Kaiju had kept its mouth open. Thinking they had no other choice, they twisted even further so that their belly was now facing the Kaiju. Coming down was stressful on the hull as evident from the screeching and cracks, the two Pilots pushed forwards, determined to take out Deimos.

The landing was loud and destructive. Their reinforced hooves smashed through the Kaiju's thick skin and the Arc Whip cut even deeper into its neck. The monster screeched loudly, loud enough for Applejack and Coloratura to instinctively clutch at their ears, their grip on Deimos loosened, allowing it to buck the Jaeger off of it, landing Honest Riot in a middle of a battle between Phobos and Floral Horror. In the distance, Applejack had a moment to glance at Burn, Spike's Jaeger, and Bloody doing not so well with Ares.

Honest heaved upwards, their sights on Deimos. Before they could take a step forwards, they were knocked into the side by none other than Phobos. The magical alloys screaming as the Kaiju dug even further into the torso. Applejack and Coloratura, feeling the pain of the Jaeger, collapsed as far as the walking struts allowed them to, screaming in pain. Just as fast as it appeared, Phobos disappeared, dragged off by Floral. 

The three torsos whirled around in rapid succession as the three Pilots slammed their hardened hooves again and again. Phobos crumpled underneath the blows, its blue blood seeping out into the ocean. Yelling out a quick thanks, Applejack and Coloratura got back up, ignoring their pain, and charged forwards.

Every thud felt like a jab in the side. Sparks and liquid came out of the gaping hole in their barrel, but it didn't hamper their ability to fight, so fight the did. Deimos, by now, had shook its head and was looking directly at Honest, hatred and its beady red eyes. Bellowing a challenge, the two monsters charged each other.

It was almost as if it were slow-mo. Honest rotated on a dime, the Arc Whip trailing behind them, somehow still functional, and letting it wrap around the Kaiju's neck once again. Deimos, going too fast to stop, kept on going forwards. The momentum and the high electricity, severed Deimos' head entirely and the headless body crashed into Honest, sending the Jaeger tumbling backwards. Pinwheeling, the two Pilots tried to right themselves, but the body was too heavy and down they went. 

Due to how badly damaged their hull was, the way down was bumpy and Applejack was thrown out of her walking struts and banged her head on the bulkheads, leaving a sizable amount of blood on the metal. She barely had time to form a coherent thought before darkness overtook her.


***


"AJ!" Applejack came to from being shook all over the place and a panicked voice screaming into her ear. "APPLEJACK! WAKE UP, PLEASE!"

"AH'M UP!" The orange mare opened her eyes like she just awoke up from a bad dream and shot upwards, accidentally hitting Coloratura on the way up, sending the pop singer to the floor. "Holy, ah'm sorry! Ya alright?"

"Applejack! You're okay!" The farmer barely had time to react before she was tackled by Coloratura. She yelled out in pain as the various bruises and cuts from the previous fights flared up. Wait. 

"The Kaiju!" Applejack scrambled to get back onto her hooves but once she found a purchase, she started tilting backwards.

"Careful AJ! You have a concussion and lost a lot of blood. You need to rest for a bit." Her friend put on a reassuring smile, but it looked strained. 

"The Kaiju!" Applejack repeated, desperate and worried. 

"They've been defeated. We didn't lose anycreature else. We're fine." Her somber tone said otherwise. The farmer racked her brain, wondering why she was acting like that and then it hit her. Smash Yak Smash, their tank and leader, was gone. She didn't know the Pilots or their names for that matter, but she knew that they were heroes. 

"They're gone?" She drawled, her eyes conveyed what she meant with that.

"They're gone." The confirmation brought feelings of relief and dread at the same time. Applejack sighed and rested her head on the floor. It was uncomfortable, but it was much better than standing up. Coloratura waited a few seconds before resting beside her. Together, they waited for Celestia knows how long. 

The entire time a single thought ran around in Applejack's brain but she didn't have the guts to say it. It took several minutes, maybe even more, before she could work up courage and lifted herself up. Coloratura looked at her questioningly and Applejack opened her mouth but before she could utter a word, the Kaiju sirens went off. Without sparing another second, the two rushed back to their walking struts and initiated the drift sequence. It went without a hitch.

"What's going on, Spike?" 

"The portal's opening again! The scientists back at the Shatterdome are saying that even more Kaiju will arrive! We need to get the bomb over there now!" Most creatures would compliment him on his bravery but Applejack has been his friend for years. She heard the quiver.

"Roight, we've already asked for help from other Shatterdomes." Gabe broke in with his heavy Griffish accent. "We should get their answer pretty quickly."

The Jaegers of Fillydelphia squared themselves, preparing mentally and physically for the ordeal that would inevitably come. While they waited, the ocean glowed in an ominous glow, promising beasts of tremendous power and viciousness. The thought alone was enough to make Applejack shiver. One way or another.

There was a crackle on the radio. Marshall Rack spoke, "We're sending most of our Manehatten Jaegers. They'll try to carve a path to the portal."

Confirmations from Baltimare, The Griffish Isles, Griffonstone, and Dragon's Den were enough to fill Applejack's heart with pride and confidence. They were going to do this. Blood Claws saluted and charged forwards. Gilded Weathervane and Floral Horror followed soon after. Burn tried to follow but Applejack held out a hoof.

"Protect the Shatterdome."

"But, the fight!"

"Promise me, Spike. Promise ya stay here and protect the Shatterdome. Ah can't lose another friend to this blasted war." There was a stretched silence. Coloratura and Emziko wisely stayed out. Then Spike sighed.

"Fine."

"Thank ya." With that, Applejack and Coloratura saluted to Burn and the Fillydelphia Shatterdome for what might be the last time. With that out of the way, the two galloped in sync, heading towards the final battle. One way or another.


***


It was pure chaos. Metal and monsters fighting each other, trying to gain dominance over the other. Every Pilot was given the objective to protect the payload, meaning Honest Riot, and clear the way so they'd be able to drop the bomb. Applejack was forced to stand on the sidelines and watch as her comrades fought for her sake. Everytime she would step forward, Coloratura would hold her back. 

"Honest Riot!"

"Mystical Annihilator! Yer up an runnin' again."

"Your sister and her friends are fine. They were left behind at the Manehatten Shatterdome." Marshall Rack explained after sensing the inevitable question.

"Thank ya mightily."

"Nothing to thank me for." With that statement, Annihilator wheeled around and tackled a Category III. 

It all started going wrong when a Category IV grabbed Creamy Gorgonzola and ripped their wings off of their back. Over the radio, the intense chatter and stern orders were overtaken by a horrendous screech. Pilots from all sorts of Jaegers clutched at their ears instinctively, leaving an opening for the Kaiju. They were immediately whaled upon, the veterans holding their own, but the newer Pilots were getting overwhelmed. 

Applejack watched as Paid Debt charged the Category IV with a determined caw and scraped their sharpened wings along the side of the Kaiju. It did nothing and they barely had time to react before the Kaiju caught them as well and threw them far away. Paid was then snatched by a Category III with wings and was flown upwards. 

Winged Glory was pinned between two Kaiju, Soarin and Spitfire's frustrated grumblings were evident over the radio because of their colorful choices of words. One of the Kaiju darted forwards and raked its claws across the barrel, leaving a nasty gash. The radio fell into static as the Jaeger stumbled about, waving their hooves and wings at the slowly advancing Kaiju.

Griffonstone's Pride and Enlightened Protector, both griffon Jaegers, were standing back to back, fending off four Kaiju. One of which was a Category IV. They seemed to be doing well before one of the Category III's opened its mouth and shot out a blood liquid that started fizzing the moment it touched the hull. There was some screaming over the radio before it was cut off. Applejack watched in horror and Enlightened Protector slumped over and the megaspell reactor shut down. 

Switching her view around, she was just in time to witness the connpod of Gilded Weathervane fly without the body. The now lifeless head sank to the bottom of the ocean where nocreature would be able to retrieve it. Bloody Claws and Floral Horror were beating back the Kaiju who decapitated their friends and gave no quarter. It wasn't before long Floral started stumbling around in a drunk daze, no doubt the Pilots were dizzy from twirling around too much.

"ENOUGH! Rarara, we need to get in there! Our friends are dyin' and ah can't take it anymore!" Applejack didn't need a reply, they were in each other's heads after all. Without a second of hesitation, the two started running at full tilt, determined to take out the closest Kaiju. 

Several hours later, out of the 11 Jaegers that came to the portal, only six remained. Broken Table, Mystical Annihilator, Bloody Claws, Griffonstone's Pride, Winged Glory who are still in radio silence, and Honest Riot. They huddled back to back, fending off the swarming Kaiju with potshots and jabs. Things were getting desperate and everycreature knew it but with silent agreement, literally in Glory's case, they weren't going down without a fight. 

Before they could rally themselves for one last glorious charge, more crackles on the radio announced more creatures joining the crystal wavelength. In the distance, Applejack saw a wave of water and metal charged towards them. To the other side, a large looming shape was coming closer. What was fear turned into awe as the legendary GEM dropped onto the battlefield, crushing several Category III's.

"Hello?" Marshall Rack asked tentatively and breathlessly. The Jaegers of the original attacking crew were still defending with all their might, dodging and weaving, jabbing and slashing.

"Harmonic Convergence reporting for duty!" A cheery voice responded. That was the catalyst and soon the Pilots' ears were filled with many voices of many backgrounds.

"Come At Me Bro is here to kick flank!"
"Plaster here."
"DJ Pon3 in da haus!"
"Plushie Armageddon!"
"Gotta Get Schwifty!"
"Reservoir Dogs are here!"
"All Might has arrived!"
"Death to the Usurpers!"
"For the glory of Grayskull!"
"FOR EQUESTRIA!"
"FOR THE PRINCESSES!"
"FOR MUFFINS!"

Emboldened by the surprising amount of Jaegers coming to their aid, the Pilots surged back at the Kaiju. Together, they trampled through them like a knife with butter. They felt powerful and it felt good. All the worries and grief faded away with mindless and glorious slaughter.

Applejack and Coloratura ducked an attack and bucked said attacker. The Category III Kaiju was launched straight towards a scrappy looking Jaeger but was covered in large spikes. The Kaiju was dead before it came to a full stop. The Pilots of that Jaeger whooped in delight before rolling over to the next Kaiju and attempted to prick it.

Honest took a step forwards, attempting to engage with the next monster but before they could take another, a Jaeger slid in front of them. It was most peculiar, this one. Built like a pony on their hindlegs, they had tons of large speakers and a large metallic cello in their hooves.

Over the radio, Applejack heard, "Bass Cannon!"

The world went awash in white and colors as the bass cannon blasted music and dangerous levels, confetti cannons spewing paper everywhere, and party lights painting the slowly darkening sky. In the connpod, Applejack could barely make out Vinyl Scratch jamming away at her mixing board and record player. Behind the eccentric unicorn, Octavia was playing her cello at rapid speeds, the giant metallic one copying her movements. The Kaiju in the nearby vicinity were all on the ground screeching and growling. The Jaegers wasted no time and started pummeling the downed Kaiju.

On the other side of the battlefield, GEM was raising up on their backlegs, their immense size completely dwarfing the ocean, shadowing everybody. The Jaegers immediately abandoned the area, no doubt fearing for their lives, once the last metallic monster left the vicinity, GEM crashed back down to earth. A huge wall of water erupted from where the dragons crashed along with a copious amount of blue Kaiju blood.

Applejack and Coloratura were taking this all in while charging towards the portal. Ducking underneath a pegasus Jaeger that looked to be built out of wood, Honest Riot galloped at full tilt. They were briefly interrupted by a Category IV who was immediately tackled by a Kirin Jaeger that was somehow bathed in flames. Hastily throwing a salute, the two Rangers kept to their charge. Right before they made it to the edge of the portal, the ground shook. 

Then the world turned a bright blue, blinding many of the Pilots. Kaiju took their chance and threw themselves back into the fight, the surprise attack had now lost their power. Moments before Honest could right themselves, a large hulking figure burst out of the ground. Jaegers and Kaiju alike were both pushed backwards from the massive tsunami-sized waves. 

Applejack and Coloratura, crying out from gravity suddenly going haywire. 

"Ya alright?" Applejack coughed out. Her everything hurt and she couldn't feel one of her ears. Blood was dripping down her head and into her left eye. She tried to blink it out. Unsuccessfully. There was a groan that caught her attention. The orange mare twisted and saw a form out of the walking struts.

Groaning and roaring with pain and determination, the farmer heaved herself out of the struts and started towards Coloratura. With every inch she gained the more panicked she felt. Behind her, the radio was crackling with a constant barrage of questions and orders. The magical hologram was flicking in and out, painting the entire connpod with a strobe effect. Applejack's hat was in the corner, the half of it was completely torn in half. None of this mattered to her, what mattered was the lifeless form before her. 

"Rarara?" Applejack poked the pony. A groan responded. The relief the mare felt was immeasurable which then fell back into despair when a particular bad timed hologram flicker revealed the state of Coloratura. A metal pylon had somehow broken free from wherever it came from and pierced through the singer. Her battle prosthetic was ripped out of her body, leaving a huge pool of blood. 

Adrenaline somehow fueled Applejack and she pushed herself back onto her hooves and stumbled to the medkit on the wall. Ignoring her wounds and aches, she ripped the case open and grabbed several items out of it before collapsing back to Coloratura's side. 

"Come on, come on! Hang on. Ya can't die on me now, ya just can't!" Cycling through her medical supplies, she tried everything. From bandages to theoretical and questionable consumables, it seemed to have her stabilized. Her breathing eased and her breathing didn't sound as pained as it did before. Applejack collapsed on the floor, the adrenaline rush was slowly fading away.

A boom shook the Jaeger and a panicked voice spoke out on the radio. Applejack sat up with a frightened look. She completely forgot about the battle! Glancing mournfully at her co-pilot, she made a decision. 


***


It took around 20 minutes and the battle raged on outside. Applejack heaved the limp body of Coloratura into the escape pod and closed it. Typing in the amount of pressure that'd be put into the chamber so the pod would launch itself back to shore. Hopefully somecreature will see and help. Kissing the glass, Applejack saluted one last time and pressed the button. She watched for a minute as the escape pod got launched way over the heads of the Jaegers and Kaiju and off into the distance. Then She got back into her walking struts.

Preparing for the mind melt of the century, due to lacking a second mind, Applejack hit the drift button. The strain was immediate and painful. 

"Come on, come on, come on, COME ON!" With a yell that rivals a dragon's roar, Applejack heaved upwards and the Jaeger followed. Taking a step forward, Honest copied. The hologram popped back into existence and her breath was taken from her. Before her stood a gargantuan Category V that rivaled GEM. 

Jaegers of all shapes and sizes lay about the watery battlefield in pieces. Kaiju did too but less in amount. GEM lost a wing and was currently locked in battle with the Category V. The remaining Jaegers were battling the smaller Kaiju, keeping them away from GEM and Honest. The moment she moved a voice popped on the radio. It was Marshall Rack and he sounded beyond tired.

"AJ. You alive?"

"Yeah."

There was a silence that stretched between them. The weariness in her voice told him everything he needed to hear and more. He made a choking noise that came from witnessing too much death. 

"Good luck."

"Yeah."

There was a sudden boom as GEM collapsed into the water, sending tidal waves in every direction. They were still moving, meaning they weren't dead, but it was still terrifying to watch. Then two beams of immense power shot out of nowhere. Two miniature sized Jaegers flew forwards and drove their horns into the Kaiju's skin. Daybreaker and one Applejack didn't know, but what she did know was what this was. This was a distraction. 

Lifting back up, the weight of the entire Jaeger on her shoulders, she charged forwards. One way or another. Her left eye was completely closed now and her nostrils were streaming blood. The toll of carrying the Jaeger was too much but she kept on going. A Jaeger corpse flew past her, but she kept on going. A Kaiju raked its claws over Honest but was then immediately tackled by a Jaeger of griffon origins. The Jaeger was immediately destroyed but it was enough for Applejack to keep on moving along. Every step felt like the end of the world but she kept on going. There was a pop and her back started screaming and so did the farmer, but she kept on moving. One way or another. It was like a mantra she kept on repeating in her head. Then she made it to the portal. 

Applejack weakly lifted a hoof over the detonation button and pressed it. She halfheartedly grabbed a piece of Kaiju before dropping into the portal itself. She was certain she heard a 'goodbye' before everything turned white. 

"Ah'm sorry."
> Epilogue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

An orange mare with fuchsia hair trotted up a hill. In front of her lay the desolate wastes of Equestria. In the distance, a Kaiju roared and several others answered in return. Despite the eternal ash in the skies, despite the crumbling ruins of once mighty cities, despite the fallen mechanical warriors laying in ruins at the beaches, the mare grinned.

"Sunny, wait up!"

"Come on, Hitch! You're too slow!"