It had been a long and exhausting morning. While Hanji mainly rode tiredly upon her horse, having not gotten enough sleep since arriving from Trost from the induction ceremony, the ponies were beat from their constant movement. After galloping and trotting for nearly four hours northwest along the south side of the wall, their legs pined for rest, especially with the harnesses on the arms and legs of the non-winged ponies taxing their muscles like never before.

Even the scenery got stale after a while. Though the clear, blue skies made the plains the rode on look much prettier, the only thing anyone wanted to see was the bulge that signaled that they would be in Yalkell soon. Hanji, Spike, and the ponies, who was mounted atop Twilight, were all in their Scouting Legion attire, with each hooved creature, including Hanji’s horse, having saddlebags with them. Hanji wore her special goggles in place of her glasses.

“Are we there yet?” asked Pinkie Pie, who still kept her chipper attitude despite her aching joints.

“Pinkie,” grumbled Rainbow Dash, “I swear, if you ask that again, so help me Celestia…”

“It’s hard enough that we’ve been running and walking all morning,” added Applejack, “but I don’t think I can’t handle much more of that gosh-darn question anymore, so will you just pipe down about it already?”

“You complain now,” yawned Hanji, “but just think of this as good practice once we go on our first mission next month. Not to mention, you don’t even have your gear yet. You’ll have to carry that all the way back to headquarters when we’re done here and whenever we go on missions.”

“Ugh!” Rainbow Dash grunted as she rolled her eyes.

“If only we could just get some water…” squeaked Fluttershy, her voice inaudible from her dry throat.

“It’s alright, guys,” Hanji assured them with smile. “Once we reach Yalkell, you can refill your canteens before we head to Kirill’s, and I promise you it’s not far..”

“How about clothes?” asked Rarity. “Didn’t we need some shirts to appear more… professional?”

“Right. In fact, once we reach Yalkell, we’ll head to the river to refill on water. Then, seeing as it’s around noon, we’ll find a nearby marketplace to stop for lunch. I’ve heard that Yalkell has the best marketplaces in all of Wall Sina, especially those that run along the river.”

“Sounds great!” Twilight stated. “I’m famished.”

“Me too,” groaned Spike, his tummy grumbling.

“Then, I’ll take you to one of the hospice shops for some clothes.”

“Hospice?” exclaimed Rarity. “You mean a thrift store?”

“…If you want to put it that way, yes, but we really have no time to visit a tailor, and we probably don’t have the proper fabrics for you to make your own shirt back at headquarters, I just think this will be far cheaper and less time consuming. Kirill is going to spend as much time with you as possible to make sure you can manage your own 3D Manuever Gears, but Levi warned that we cannot spend more than a week in Yalkell. We appreciate your efforts to come and help us, but please know that time is of the essence.”

“I understand, Hanji,” spoke Twilight.

All of Twilight’s other friends minus Rarity also gave confirming answers before Rarity caved in.

“Alright, fine,” she reluctantly relented. “I’m sure I’ll be happy with whatever I come across.”

“That’s the spirit!” Hanji exclaimed with a smile and closed eyes.

“Hey,” Rainbow Dash called, flying up and pointing at what she saw with her hoof, “what’s that?”

As they kept coming around the wall, they saw another bit of the wall that was jutting out from it. Hanji gasped happily, knowing what this was.

“We’re here!” she cheered. “We made it!”

Hanji flicked the reins on her horse and tapped at its stomach with her heels, making the horse gallop towards the very west end of the city. The ecstatic ponies, finally seeing their destination in sight, took off galloping. Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash instead leapt into the air and flew over their friends giving their wings a good stretch. Any tired feelings in their limbs were numbed down, now only caring about making it to the city.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Looking around the city, the ponies were astounded by the shift in quality difference between here and Trost. The clothing looked much higher class, and the buildings looked far more modern than they did in Trost. In terms of difference, it almost felt like going from Ponyville to Canterlot.

The eight of them had finally made it to the south end of the river, which the ponies, especially Rainbow Dash, panted upon seeing. Hanji dismounted and tied her horse up to the nearest pole and walked towards a downwards flight of stairs to a small stone platform that was only a few inches above the water level, kneeling down to it. Hanji began to unscrew her canteen that she had slung over her shoulder inside her cloak and dipped the canteen into the water, letting it fill up with cool liquid.

Rainbow Dash hardly waited, as she galloped down the stairs, laid down on her stomach with her hooves dangling over the platform, and dunked her head inside. Hanji couldn’t help but giggle at her act while the ponies watched her from the street above. Rainbow Dash threw her head out, taking in a deep breath as she took in equally-vital oxygen.

“Why must water taste so good when you’re thirsty?” she lamented.

“Rainbow Dash!” shouted Pinkie Pie from above. “Don’t hog up all the water, or there won’t be any left for the fishies!”

“Puh-lease! I doubt even you could drink that much water.”

“It’s okay,” Hanji said, standing back up and screwing her cap back on her canteen. “I’m all filled up now. You can have a turn if you want.”

Pinkie Pie didn’t wait to ask twice as he hopped off the ledge to the platform and also dunked her head inside the river. Twilight couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

“Hey!” called a voice from behind Twilight and her other five friends, leaving them to turn around. “That’s them! That’s the ponies!”

Looking at the source of the voice, Twilight and the other three ponies and Spike looked to see a small girl in a simple red-and-brown dress and brown tug at her black-haired mother’s white apron over her brown dress as she pointed at them.

“Can I see them, Mommy?” she asked.

“Just be careful,” her mother spoke.

The girl ran towards them, giggling in anticipation. Twilight smiled warmly, happy to make a good impression to the public and this little girl.

“Wow,” the girl said, “you’re a real-life unicorn! Or, a pegasus! Or…”

“That’s okay,” Twilight giggled. “I’m what my kind calls an alicorn.”

“An alicorn!” the girl sighed in wonder. “That must be so great!”

“It certainly can be. My name is Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends Spike, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, and Hanji. My other friends Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie are down at the river. What’s your name?”

“Annabel. Are those really Scouting Legion cloaks?”

“Why, yes they are!” answered Rarity. “I made them myself!”

“Wow. With all of you in the Scouting Legion, you’re going to be unbeatable!”

“Annabel!” called her mother. “We have to get going!”

“Sorry,” apologized Annabel, “mommy’s calling me. I hope to see you again, all of you that is!”

“I hope so too. It was nice meeting you, Annabel.”

Without warning, the little girl gave Twilight a hug at the chest before she ran back to her mom. Twilight bowed her head, drooped her ears, and blushed happy to be received so warmly by a complete stranger.

“Have a pleasant day!” called Hanji, waving at the mother-and-daughter with a fanning hand.

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie came up the stairs, their muzzles drenched with water. Upon seeing Twilight blush, they were confused.

“Twilight?” asked Rainbow Dash, alerting her friend. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, nothing,” Twilight coyly stated. “Just spending some quality time with our fans.”

“Fans!? DARN IT!”

The other five ponies, Spike, and Hanji laughed at her expense.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Hanji was back on her horse enjoying the last few bites of a cucumber-and-dill flatbread as she and the six ponies plus Spike walked up to a set of tables set outside of the store. Each one of them had many different sized shirts, much like the one Hanji was wearing. They all looked to feature different colors, but most of them looked to be white.

“This is perfect,” Twilight said. “We can definitely buy a shirt here.”

“That is,” said a male, overweight clerk in a white shirt and with a rich Italian accent, “if you can pay for it.”

“Aw, come on!” complained Rainbow Dash. “Can’t you give us some shirts for free? I mean, you know who we are, right?”

“Who doesn’t know about you? Either way, I have a business to run, and I don’t give free merchandise!”

“Well,” asked Rarity, reaching into her saddlebags under her cloak and pulling out five of her bits with her teeth which she dropped upon and empty space on the table, “will this cover it?”

The merchant’s eyes widened upon seeing Rarity’s gold. He swiped the coins from the tabletop and counted them in his hand.

“Haha!” laughed the merchant, unable to believe his windfall. “You each can pick out any shirt you like!”

“Thank you sir,” said Rarity as she passed him, looking at the various shirts that were available. "Feel free to keep the change."

Hanji giggled as each of the ponies browsed shirts for themselves to their heart’s content while the shopkeeper bowed in sheer appreciation for Rarity's generosity.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

With one of each of their saddlebags stuffed with their new shirt, the ponies and Spike followed Hanji to what appeared to be a small two-level house close to the center of town. Despite its appearance, it was supposedly the home of the 3D Maneuver Gear master Kirill Rostov.

“Are you sure this is where he lives?” asked Fluttershy, unsure of herself.

“Positive!” Hanji answered. “Kirill is supposed to develop the 3D Manuever Gear in secret, so this is just his cover.”

“If you say so…”

Hanji walked up and began knocking on the door. No answer. She knocked again.

“Уйди!” the male voice spoke out in a thick, but young accent. “Я слишком занят на данный момент!.”

“What in the world did he just say?” asked Applejack to Twilight, only getting a shaking of her head in response.

“Это вот так вот ты говоришь со своими старыми друзьями?” asked Hanji in the same language with a gladdened smile. “Открой дверь! Это же я, Ханджи!!”

“Hanji?”

The ponies looked at each other strangely, having not known that Hanji spoke such an alien language. Soon, the door opened up and they were greeted to Kirill’s presence. He appeared to be in his early twenties. His hair was a natural orangey-red, a majority of his bangs draping over his right eye all the way down near his chin level. Another set of bangs were hung just above his ear but only extended down to the lobe. He also had a very short messy ponytail in the back.

His skin had a light-pink tinge to it, almost as if his entire body received a minor sunburn. His clothes consisted of a black tank top, black, baggy pants, and black boots. There were also a pair of glasses that were framed below the lenses. Kirill, upon seeing Hanji and his pony guests, the annoyed and angry expression that he must have felt inside was changed into one of joy and nostalgia.

“Hanji!” Kirill exclaimed, walking up and giving Hanji a friendly hug. “My baby girl!”

“It’s good to meet you again,” Hanji said, breaking away from the hug to showcase the ponies. “Kirill, these are our newest recruits and friends, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and the dragon there is named Spike.”

“Aha!” he sighed excitedly, kneeling down to shake everyone’s hoof/claw in the order that Hanji presented them in. “When I heard you were coming, I almost couldn’t believe my ears! And now that you are all here, this makes me so happy!”

Upon reaching Pinkie Pie, she instead gave him a hug, surprising him.

“We’re here to do all that we can to help,” Twilight said. “We don’t have a week, so we should get moving.”

“Yes, I agree. Please, do come inside!”

The ponies and Hanji were admitted inside by Kirill, who stood beside his door jamb and stretched his arm inside in a welcoming fashion. The place was indeed small. All there seemed to be in this one room was a small sink, an iron stove with a simmering pot upon it, and a cupboard to the left, a table and couch to the right with an upstairs staircase behind it, and a couple of bookshelves along the back wall.

“Mmm,” hummed Pinkie Pie to the smell coming from the pot. “Something smells good!”

“How were you just talking to Kirill just there?” asked Twilight to Hanji.

“You see,” she answered, “Kirill’s family comes from a land known as Russia, and that is their native language. Kirill even taught it to me back when we were cadets.”

“Whoa?” exclaimed Rainbow Dash. “You and Kirill were in the same cadet class?”

“Yep,” Kirill answered, stepping behind Hanji and gently squeezing her biceps. “The 97th Trainee Squad. We had fun, didn’t we Hanji?”

“Yeah… we did! Graduation day was the hardest though…”

“Why is that?” asked Rarity.

“Because we both had differing paths. He wanted to join the Military Police, and I wanted to join the Scouting Legion.”

“How did that happen?” asked Fluttershy.

“When we graduated,” Kirill answered, “she scored seventh in her class, and I scored third. Poor, poor Hanji!” he spoke in a mocking sing-song voice and he continued to squeeze Hanji’s arms. “Always behind Kirill one way or the other.”

“Alright!” she spoke yanking her away before crossing them in a playful huff. “And I’ve been very happy in the Scouting Legion, thank you!”

“And I was happy in the Military Police,” he defended, plopping himself onto the couch, “…at least, not until they promoted me here.”

“Promoted you here?” asked Spike. “And what do you mean by ‘was?’”

“And what’s that yummy smell coming from the pot?” asked Pinkie Pie.

“As enticing as the Military sounded,” explained Kirill, “it was because of the 3D Maneuver Gear that I wished to join. There was something… magical about the devices. The way that they looked bulky as hell but in reality weighed as light as a feather, or the way it gives humans the closest experience to flight than they’ll ever have in their lives! I just had to be a part of it.

“Once I entered training, I met Hanji and we quickly became friends. Though we both had different goals, hers being to kill titans and mine being to master the 3D Maneuver Gear, our drive to be the best soldiers we could be was one in the same.

“After our induction ceremony, I left to join the Military Police while she stuck with the Scouting Legion. While in the Military Police, I was disappointed to learn that you could only use your gear with permission from your superiors. However, I had ulterior motives for joining the Police.”

“Yeah?” asked Applejack. “And what’s that?”

“–smell?” Pinkie Pie tried to butt in. “What’s the smell in the pot?”

“The military looks for highly tactical soldiers and craftsmen to develop their 3D Manuever Gear. And having lived in the Hermiha district south of Sina, I knew full well how incompetent the Military Police are.”

“Incompetent?” wondered Applejack. “How so? From what I’ve heard, they’re supposed to be the fancy-schmancy ones of the whole Military.”

“It would appear that way, yes, but the reality is that since the Military Police get to live within the inner-most walls, far away from the titans, they really don’t have to do much of anything, and they never actually do. Despite being the crown jewel of the Military that every cadet wishes to be a part of, they are the scourge of the public.”

“So why would you even join them?” asked Twilight. “If you hated them so much, why would you even consider putting your allegiance with them?”

“And is someone going to tell me what’s cooking?” complained Pinkie Pie.

Kirill smirked now.

“Because I knew I would stand out amongst them,” he said.

The ponies looked at each other, confused at Kirill’s reasoning, prompting him to explain himself.

“When the previous developer had died about a year after I joined the Police, the king sent his best soldiers to look for anyone who was skilled enough with a 3D Maneuver Gear to be able to be the one who maintains them. Being that soldiers are the only ones who use and maintain them, they looked among them first. However, since the Military Police is comprised of the ten best graduates in each trainee squad, we got seen first.

“Now, before all of this, the sheathes that held our blades kept them inside by putting strong rubber stoppers on both sides of the blade in the back to hold it in place. Now, the problem with this was that after a soldier continues to pull blades out of his sheaths and put them back in, the rubber would start to lose its tread. Over time, when a soldier would do something as simple as running, the rubber wouldn’t hold the swords in and they’d just bounce out of the sheaths.

“What I did relieved this situation. Each sword is made with hardened steel that’s been made to be flexible enough to cut titan flesh. But since steel is made from iron, a magnetic metal, I devised a much better way to hold the blade in place.”

Kirill stood up and walked up behind Hanji once again, tapping at the back of one of her sheathes.

“Inside here is a small, slanted magnet with an opposite polarity to the iron in the blades that lines up into the slanted score and holds it in place. The magnet is strong enough to hold the blades in when soldiers run, ride horses, or flip about on their 3D Maneuver Gear, but it can still easily be pulled out with fingers.”

Hanji gripped the connecting ends of one of her blades in her sheath with her index finger and thumb and pulled out almost effortlessly.

“And if the blade were to ever jiggle out…” explained Kirill

Hanji gently slid the blade back in until the magnet pulled it in faster with a chinking sound as it hit the back.

“…gravity will just slide it right back in.”

“That’s actually very neat,” Twilight said.

“Thank you, and I was happy to see that they thought so too. When I showed them my development, I was accepted immediately. Perhaps if someone from the Garrison or the Scouting Legion were to come up with something even better, I would not have known. Hehe… I guess they too should have joined the Military Police if they were given the chance.

“Finally, after I was relocated to the developer’s workshop here in Yalkell, my magnets were implemented in all present and future Maneuver Gears. The rest is history.”

“That’s quite the story,” Rarity agreed. “It must be nice to reunite with a long lost friend.”

“It would also be nice to know what’s in the pot!” spoke Pinkie Pie, a bit louder, but still unheard.

“Long lost?” questioned Hanji. “Kirill and I actually see each other quite often.”

“Huh?” exclaimed Spike. “How’s that?”

“After Kirill was accepted as the new Maneuver Gear developer, any improvements or upgrades in the gears were sent to the other three divisions to be put in their existing machinery. He’d invite soldiers from each of the three divisions to gather the parts and blueprints necessary for their soldiers to fix their gears. I was one of them.”

“Wow,” all of the ponies exclaimed at different times.

“How did he do that?” asked Spike.

“Simple. He knew I was in the Scouting Legion, and he knew where the HQ was, so he sent me out personally. Not to mention, since the Scouting Legion was the only Military division making good use of their 3D Maneuver Gear before the Colossal Titan, their gears would be subject to the most malfunctions and breakdowns. Sometimes, they’d just send the gear to Kirill himself to fix, or if mine would break, I was allowed to travel to Yalkell to have him fix it for me personally.”

“Just mum’s the word, right?” asked Kirill with his finger over his lips.

“Mum’s the word,” answered Hanji with her own finger over her lips.

“KIRILL!” shouted Pinkie Pie, finally getting everyone’s attention with shocked looks on their faces. “Sorry to interrupt, but would you mind telling me what’s in that pot?”

Kirill was rotating his pinkie inside his ears, a bit hurt by Pinkie’s scream.

“And I thought three years of Shadis was going to give me hearing damage,” spoke Kirill.

Hanji giggled in response.

“To answer your question, Pinkie Pie, was it?”

“Yep!”

“That is my family’s recipe for borscht. We shall all have a bowl with bread for supper.”

“Borscht? I’ve never heard of borscht… but it’s a lot of fun to say! Borscht! Borscht! Borscht! Borscht! Borscht!”

Pinkie Pie giggled at her brand-new word.

“Borchst is a traditional beet soup from Russia,” Kirill explained. “It’s simmering now, and there will be plenty for us. And the best part is… there’s salt!”

“You mean it’s seasoned?” asked Rarity.

“Yes. My line of work is very lucrative, and with where I live, I can afford such luxuries. So tonight… we eat like kings!”

“I’m very happy to discuss dinner as the next pony,” Twilight spoke up, “but shouldn’t we be getting to work?”

“Oh, dear me! How time flies. Please do wait here!”

Kirill walked to the bookshelf in the center of the room and put his hand on a green book with the Military Police emblem on the spine. Kirill began to pull the book out, which was oddly followed by the sound of metal clinking together like gears. Once Kirill pulled the book as far back as he could, he put his left hand on the left side of the bookcase and pulled it, causing it swing open to the right like a door, revealing a torch-lit spiral staircase downwards. The ponies and Spike looked upon this with extreme wonder and caution.

“So cool…” Rainbow Dash sighed.

“Well,” Kirill said, flicking his wrist towards the entryway, “after you.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________

The new recruits from the 104th Trainee Squad were all lined up inside the Scouting Legion headquarters courtyard and stables. Mikasa and Armin, among the soldiers in the first line, looked around to see if they could find Eren or any of the ponies, but were called back to attention by a Scouting Legion soldier in front of them.

“Salute!” he demanded, each one of the cadets doing as they were told. “I’m squad leader Ness, and this is my horse, Shallot.”

Ness appeared to be in his late thirties with brown hair and had a very short beard that ran across his chin and a moustache that ran over his upper lip. His hair was concealed by a loose white bandanna that was tied over his scalp. Shallot appeared to be a brown horse with a black mane. Seeing the horse in front of them only made Mikasa and Armin miss their friends even more.

“She loves to chew off your hair,” resumed Ness, “so be careful if you don’t want to be bald. Nice to meet you all–”

Shallot, without warning, bit at Ness’s bandanna and began to pull it off with Ness trying to keep it on.

“Hey!” he shouted. “Stop it, Shallot! Hey, someone grab her!”

The soldiers didn’t respond, only standing with their salute firm to their superior.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Hanji, the ponies, Spike, and Kirill finally made it to the bottom of the basement, and Twilight couldn’t believe what she saw. Completely underground and hidden from the world was Kirill’s workshop. Lit from the ceiling by chandeliers and on the front and back walls by torches, the left wall held about two-dozen sheaths hung on racks while the left wall had about four-dozen main bodies of the 3D Dimensional Gear.

Below both the racks of sheaths and main bodies, there were chests lined up along the floor. There were two long tables forming three rows inside the room for which the ponies, Spike, Hanji, and Kirill to walk in. In the back-right corner of the room was a door where more supplies were probably held. In the back was what looked to be a miniature version of the 3D Maneuver Gear that still looked to be in dire need of construction.

“This is… incredible!” gasped Twilight. “This is where you work?”

“All day and all night,” Kirill proudly admitted.

“What’s with the tiny machine?” asked Pinkie Pie. “Is that one for me? OOH! I want the tiny one! It’s so cute!”

“Actually,” Kirill explained, walking to it. “It’s the one that I made for the dragon Spike.”

“Really?” Spike wondered, running up beside Kirill. “My own 3D Maneuver Gear?”

“Well, you can’t be very good at fighting titans without them!”

“That’s true, I suppose…”

“Now,” explained Kirill, “the good news for Twilight and Rarity is that because of the magic I heard they can use, they can simply use a normal 3D Maneuver Gear, as they can hold the handheld operation devices with their magic. And I am just finishing up on Spike’s, but there will be some problems with it.”

“Like?” wondering Twilight, sounding suspicious.

“Well, since Spike’s device is about half the design of the normal sized gears, he’ll have about half of everything: half-sized blades, half-sized gas canisters, half as much wire…”

“Ah, that might be a problem.”

“In terms of the blades, it shouldn’t be a big problem, as the lethal point in a titan’s neck is about fifteen centimeters deep. These blades will about two and a half times that length. However, his mobility, in terms of gas duration and wire length, will be cut in half, so he should only use the 3D Maneuver Gear sparingly.”

“I understand. Spike, did you hear that?

“Yeah,” Spike grumbled, cursing his small size.

“However,” explained Kirill, “the biggest problem will be those that have no other means than claws or magic to use their gear, namely, those with only their hooves. But thankfully, this is why I’m here. I’ll be working with you over the next several days so I can make the best 3D Maneuver Gears for you and make sure you know how to use them.”

“That’s great,” sounded Applejack. “Can’t wait to get started.”

“Then let’s get started with you!”

“Eh, pardon me, partner?”

“I’ve got a couple ideas brewing, but I need to see the ponies one by one for measurements and the sort. We need all the time as possible, so let us begin!”
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Inside a wooden lecture room, Ness was presenting the scouting formation devised by Erwin two days ago on a large board to the cadets, using a long wooden pole to point out various things of interest. The soldiers had expected some form of practical training with their 3D Maneuver Gear, but as far as they were concerned, any information to help them survive was just fine with them.

The formation itself looked to be a hemispherical arrangement of groups of soldiers, the groupings of which were represented as vertical crosses with the bottom end removed.

“You new recruits will be here!” Ness explained, pointing at a group icon at the upper right-hand corner of the formation and then the center back. “You’ll be between the scouting support team and those who guard the carriages. Your job will be to ride alongside the spare horses and relay messages.”

Armin wrote down every single detail, wanting to be as knowledgeable of this formation as possible.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Back down in the workshop, everyone was sitting in a circle in the middle aisle between the two tables with bowls of steaming borscht in front of them. Rarity and Twilight held spoons with their magic grasp while Kirill, Hanji, and Spike held onto their utensils with their hands. With a blow on her spoon Hanji took another hearty bite of beets, carrots, and broth.

“The borscht is good as always,” Hanji complimented.

“I know,” he answered, but with a depressed tone in his voice. “Mama taught me best.”

“You sound upset,” Twilight told him. “I know that you’re having trouble with trying to make devices that work for my friends, but please, enjoy your dinner.”

“I’ll say!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, picking up her bowl with both hooves. “This soup is scrumptious! That’s another funny word! Scrumptious borscht! Teeheehee!”

Pinkie Pie tilted both her head and bowl back, allowing the hot broth and chunky vegetables drain into her mouth. Kirill stared at Pinkie Pie’s hooves with sheer intrigue. With as hard and smooth as hooves normally were, there would be no logical way that she could hold the bowl as well as she was. There had to be something in them.

“Pinkie Pie,” asked Kirill. “Can I see your hooves?”

“Uh, sure thing Kirill,” Pinkie Pie responded, putting down her bowl and walking to Kirill’s seat, sitting down in beside him. Upon presenting her hooves, Kirill grabbed them and flipped them over to their undersides. As he observed them, Pinkie flipped her wrists and slapped Kirill’s palms with the flat side of her hooves. Despite Kirill’s serious face, she began to giggle, happy to have won the classic game of red hooves.

“Pinkie,” spoke Kirill, his voice now stern, “I’m being serious. How did you hold that bowl?”

“What are you talking about?” demanded Rainbow Dash as Kirill continued to fondle Pinkie Pie’s appendages. “She just picked up the bowl in her hooves.”

“Yes, I know, but with their smooth surfaces, that bowl should have slipped out of her hooves. There has to be a way…”

Kirill began to run his finger inside the fleshy surface inside of Pinkie Pie’s hooves, causing the mare to giggle.

“Teehee!” she giggled. “That tickles!”

Suddenly, a Kirill felt a poke in his hand that caused him to let go of her in shock.

“Sheesh!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed at the panting Kirill. “I didn’t think you’d be that ticklish.”

“Pinkie Pie…” he wondered. “What was that thing that you poked me with?”

“What?” she asked. “These?”

Pinkie Pie held her hoof out and showed Kirill as four little, narrow bumps moved around the skin inside her hoof.

“Y– yes,” he stammered, “those.”

“The technical term is called equine phalanges, but we just call them digits,” explained Twilight. “All ponies have them, but unicorns don’t normally use them because they can use magic to handle things. Pegasi and earth ponies use them much more often, from holding books, to stirring spoons, grabbing onto a small pile sticks, things like that.”

“So… you can hold the operational devices?”

“I’m afraid not. They only extend out a couple inches out and don’t really allow for much grasping. They’re mostly used for stable holds of things that they normally wouldn’t find comfortable holding with their mouths if they can help it.”

Kirill’s eye twitched. While the ponies were worried about how Kirill was taking it, Hanji smiled, knowing exactly what was going on in his head.

“Kirill?” asked Applejack. “Are you alright, there?”

As if a trigger inside of him was pulled, Kirill grabbed his bowl and spoon and drank the contents quickly, shoveling bits of beet, potato, and carrot that got stuck in the bowl along the way. Once his dish was clean, he put the bowl with his spoon inside of it back on the floor and ran to the back room in the corner.

“Kirill?” shouted Pinkie Pie. “Where are you going?”

“He’s creating is what he’s doing…” Hanji said.

“What should we do then?” asked Fluttershy.

“We should go upstairs. It’s best not to bother him when he’s working.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Late in the afternoon, Levi let his horse lick his hand before petting his muzzle as Gunther was explaining Erwin’s formation to Eren and the others around him, being Erd, Petra, and Auruo. In the open field they were in, Levi was busy with his horse while Gunther, Erd, and Eren sat around the map. Petra stood above Eren while Auruo stood by his horse nearby.

“The Special Operation Squad will be here,” said Gunther, pointing at the centermost unit that was second from the bottom, “standing by in the center of the last ranks.”

“We’re pretty far back,” Eren responded.

“It’s the safest place in the formation. We’re even better protected than the supply carts. Well, this time, our goal is just to go out and return. This expedition is so short because it’s a practice run for your journey to Shiganshina.”

Auruo yawned behind them, signaling his want to return to HQ.

“Uh…” answered Eren, “I still don’t know what this power should be used for.”

“Did you understand what the commander’s question meant?” Gunther asked.

Eren reflected back on the previous two mornings, back when he saw the murdered Sawney and Bean.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“What do you think the enemy is?” Erwin wondered.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“Did you all understand?” he asked.

“No,” replied Erd.

Petra just shook her head, unable to give him an answer.

“It may be a lie to claim we understand everything,” Auruo spoke, “but I think–”

“It’s possible this mission has another goal,” interrupted Gunther as he rolled away the map, “but the commander decided it was best not to reveal that fact to the soldiers, so we should just focus on getting there and back.”

“What about the ponies?” wondered Eren. “Now that they’re officially members of the Scouting Legion, where will they be?”

“Erwin sees how well you and the rainbow one get along, so she will ride with us. Erwin has decided to put off where he puts the others until he gets to know the newer recruits a bit better.”

“Will that give him enough time?”

“Time doesn’t seem to affect these ponies. They have shown themselves capable fighters and have even been admitted as soldiers to fight and train for a month as opposed to the three years you and the cadets had. They seem more than capable of adjusting.”

Gunther then stood up, looking down on Eren.

“Believe in the commander,” Gunther said in a hushed tone, “just like we believe in them.”

“Right,” answered Eren.

Levi walked up to them, ready to address his group.

“That’s enough training for today,” he said. “Let’s go.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________

That night, Kirill was hard at work disassembling the operational device on a random 3D Maneuver Gear. Taking out the wires, he carefully sorted them out with tweezers, making sure that none of them tangled and he could remember which function did which. His glasses were off, allowing his sweating brow to drip onto the table without his perspiration muddling his vision.

Pinkie Pie, out of all her clothes and apparel, slunk down the stairs. It was late in the night, and she wanted to make sure her new friend had some sleep. As she crept closer and closer to the table, Kirill didn’t seem to notice her at all. He was so focused that the bright pink pony didn’t even get the slightest reaction out of him. Pinkie then tried tapping on the leg of the table that he was sitting at. Nothing still.

“Mr. Kirill?” she whispered. “It’s getting late. You should think of going to–”

Kirill dropped his tweezers and slammed both hands on the table before she could finish her statement. He then turned his body completely around to face her, fuming with anger.

“выйти!” he shouted at the top of his lungs. “не беспокоить меня снова!”

Pinkie Pie, frightened for her life, ran back to the stairs, zipping up them until she was back inside the house, closing the bookshelf behind her. She panted a few times, unable to believe what she saw or heard.

“Pinkie Pie?” whispered Hanji’s voice from the stairs, now in a mint-green night gown and carrying a lit candlestick. “What are you doing up?”

“Kirill,” Pinkie Pie hyperventilated, tears forming, “he shouted at me… after I asked him to come to bed.”

“Oh…” she sighed, understanding the situation completely.

Hanji walked further down the stairs and put her candlestick on the table walking up to and kneeling towards Pinkie Pie.

“Listen,” she quietly cooed, “I know this from experience, but Kirill does not like being bothered when he’s working. Trust me. At camp, I tried to tell him to come to dinner, but he was in the middle of reassembling the main body on his gear, so he threw a cup at my head.”

“Why would somepony do that?” whined Pinkie Pie, her eyes watering. “I thought we were friends!”

“Don’t worry about it too much, Pinkie Pie,” Hanji assured her, putting her arm around Pinkie’s back. “He tends to regret mistakes that he makes, and I’m sure that the first thing he’ll do tomorrow is apologize.”

“R– Really?”

“Really. I’ve known the man for eight years; he’ll come around. Now come on. Let’s get to bed.”

Hanji stood up with Pinkie Pie, and while grabbing her candlestick, they both walked up together up the stairs. Upon coming up, there were eight cots; four on both sides. The third bed down on the right and the fourth bed down from the left were empty, while the others contained a sleeping pony or Spike.

Pinkie Pie walked up to her bed hopped into it, Hanji following her. As Pinkie Pie laid down, Hanji rolled the covers over her body, keeping her nice and warm, leading Pinkie Pie to smile. Pinkie Pie’s thankful smile even made Hanji giggle slightly, happy to see her friend happy.

“Goodnight, Hanji,” whispered Pinkie Pie as her eyes closed. “I love you.”

Hanji gasped. It was an odd thing to hear from a friend, especially one that was a different species from her, but Pinkie Pie’s smile and sincerity was true. Hanji never knew what it would be like to have children with her still being in the Military, but for all extents and purposes, she was glad that she could still see a child in Pinkie Pie that she would always want to care for.

“Alright,” Hanji whispered, leaning over Pinkie Pie and giving her a peck on the forehead. “Goodnight, Pinkie Pie. I… I love you too.”

Hanji then blew out her candlestick and walked to her bed, which was positioned next to Twilight. She quietly laid down, looking at the moon through the window. Today had been quite an eventful day, and it certainly ended on a high note. With another busy day tomorrow, Hanji relaxed herself and slowly drifted off to sleep like the seven Equestrians around her.

Author's Notes:

Thank you to InsanityLittleRed for the fluent Russian.