Much later that afternoon at the Scouting Legion HQ, Eren was finishing cleaning the inside of the stables, shoveling the last pile of horse droppings from the stone floors and placing them inside of a wastebin. It was long, disgusting work, but Eren could finally call it a day. Eren, wiping his brow, discarded the contents in the waste bin and ran out to Auruo to tell him of the completion of his job.

Auruo was leaning on the wall outside the entrance to the stables, sipping on his coffee and idly waiting for Eren to finish. Upon running out, he saw the group of cadets walking about the castle grounds. Eren immediately noticed the red scarf and black hair of one cadet and the golden hair of the other. Mikasa and Armin.

“That’s…” muttered Eren. “Auruo, sir, may I go talk with my classmates?”

“Whatever,” Auruo answered with a sneer. “Get going…”

Eren ran immediately to see his two best friends.

“Hey, Mikasa!” he shouted “Armin!”

The two turned around. While Armin was joyed to hear Eren’s voice and see his face, Mikasa’s concerned relief was apparent on her face.

“Eren!” she cried.

“It feels like it’s been a long time!” Eren said, overjoyed to be close to them.

“Eren,” Mikasa gasped, grabbing his hand worriedly, “did they do anything bad to you, like examine every last square inch of you? Or psychological torture?”

“No!” responded Eren defensively. “Not at all!”

Mikasa’s face turned to one of contempt and disgust, remembering the events of Eren’s trial and Levi’s actions during it.

“That small one went too far,” she seethed. “Someday, I’ll make him pay for it.”

“Huh?” Eren wondered. “You’re not talking about Levi, are you?”

Levi, observing their transaction, thought nothing much of it and took his horse out of the stables.

“Hey, Eren,” spoke Conny’s approaching voice.

“It’s been so long!” Sasha exclaimed.

Eren was shocked to see as Krista, Reiner, Bertolt, Conny, and Sasha all gathered before him. If they were here, then it could only mean one thing: they too were in the Scouting Legion.

“What?” he spoke. “Everyone’s here?”

“Not quite!” Rainbow Dash’s voice called from the castle wall.

Eren was happy to see her, but not so much as Mikasa, Armin, and Conny. Sasha, Krista, Reiner, and Bertolt were certainly surprised to see her as well. Rainbow Dash jumped down from the wall and to the ground to reunite with her friends. However, upon seeing the sheaths at Rainbow Dash’s side and the uniform on her body, everyone gasped.

“Those…” muttered Eren, looking at the sheaths, “those are…”

“I know!” she replied, happily hugging Eren. “We’re all soldiers now. Isn’t that awesome?”

“Huh?” Armin questioned. “All?”

“Mikasa!” Applejack cried out.

“Armin!” yelled Twilight.

Everyone’s eyes were directed back to the back where Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity galloped up to their friends, elated to see them. Twilight, with Spike on her back, and Fluttershy all flew above the three ponies, excited to be back with their friends and future battle partners. Hanji rode in behind them, but stopped to give the ponies some space to catch up with their chums.

Twilight flew up to Armin and wrapped her arms around Armin’s body and arms while Applejack hugged at Mikasa’s torso, allowing her to pat her friend on the sides of her belly. Upon doing so, she noticed the 3D Maneuver Gear on her body. Armin couldn’t help but notice the device on Twilight’s body as well.

“Rarity!” shouted Sasha, running to the white unicorn.

They both ran to each other and hugged affectionately, Sasha and Rarity rubbing their cheeks together.

“Look!” Rarity exclaimed, spinning around to show Sasha her Maneuver Gear. “Now I don’t need to hitch a ride with you anymore!”

Sasha was stunned. Her pony friend had become a soldier too.

“Don’t think I forgot about you!” Rainbow Dash shouted at Conny, letting go of Eren and running up to hug him.

Conny accepted the embrace with one of his own, now fully accepting his decision to join the Scouting Legion.

“Reiner!” Pinkie Pie squealed, bounding into the air towards them. “Bertolt! You’re here too!”

The pink pony landed in between the two soldiers and wrapping an arm around each of their necks, pulling their heads closer to hers. While Bertolt was surprised by Pinkie’s hug, Reiner took it in stride with a gentle smirk. Krista looked around at each of the ponies as they reunited with her friends. Having not met one before, she looked for any available ones.

Krista then found Fluttershy, turning and looking around as if there was someone else she was looking for. Though unsure how she herself would come off, she approached Fluttershy, who began whimpering with progressively wetter eyes.

“Hey,” Krista whispered, getting the yellow pegasus to look at her with wonder. “What’s wrong?”

“I…” Fluttershy sobbed. “I can’t find my friend!”

“I’m sorry. Do you think he joined another division?”

“I… I don’t know. I sure hope not…”

“It’s okay,” Krista cooed, wiping the pony’s eyes. “It will be alright. I’m Krista,” she said, offering her hand to her, “Krista Renz.”

“Krista? I’m… Fluttershy.”

While Krista’s comforting hand/hoofshake was easing her pain, Jean’s absence was still a heavy blow to her.

“So,” Eren reasoned, “if you’re here… That doesn’t mean you’ve joined the Scouting Legion, has it?”

“Is there any other reason we’d be here?” asked Conny.

“I can think of eight-thousand-one-hundred-and-thirteen reasons why,” exclaimed Pinkie Pie, walking up to Conny.

The others ignored her wacky comment, leading Eren to another conclusion.

“So only Annie, Jean, and Marco joined the Military Police?” he asked.

Fluttershy was about to let everything out when the sounds of several footsteps came close to them. The humans, turning around and seeing them, gasped. Fluttershy, looking up, saw several cadets facing her and her friends, and her eyes immediately set on one that she knew: short, sandy hair, slender build. It was Jean. Eren was astounded to see him of all people there.

“Jean!” Fluttershy cried.

Galloping towards him, she sobbed as she weaved around the others to get to him. Jean’s eyes went wide as the pony leapt into him like he envisioned two and three days ago. Upon feeling her very real arms constrict his chest and arms as her tears soaked his shirt, he felt the warmth and safety that he yearned for. However, he couldn’t help but gasp further upon seeing the 3D Maneuver Gear around her waist.

“No way,” Eren commented, breaking Jean’s concentration, “Not you too.”

Jean managed to slide his arms out of Fluttershy’s grasp and lay his hands on her back, ready to relay the terrible news again.

“Marco’s dead,” he stated.

Fluttershy took a heavy inhale. She knew exactly who he was. And while she didn’t connect with him as well, she certainly saw that he and Jean were friends. As Fluttershy stood back up to give Jean another comforting hug, letting out a few sobs, Jean gripped Fluttershy’s cloak, still affected by his friend’s death.

“What was that?” Eren asked with a nervous smile, sure that what he heard was a sick joke. “Did you say Marco’s dead?”

“It doesn’t seem everyone gets a dramatic death,” said Jean, much more in control of his emotions with Fluttershy hugging him. “I don’t even know how he died. He died without anyone knowing or anyone seeing.”

“Marco…”

The others dismayed by the loss of one of their comrades found that it was still a hard fact to swallow. The humans, ponies, and Spike bowed their heads solemnly for their fallen soldier.

“I’m so sorry, Jean,” cried Fluttershy. “I know how much he meant to you…”

For a second, Jean felt as if his death didn’t matter as much. With the comfort and support he received from Fluttershy, he felt stronger and more ready to move on than ever before.

“Hey,” shouted Ness from the back, prompting the cadets to look his way “new kids, get over here! Your uniforms are here!”

Ness was accompanied by a younger soldier with a tan face and dark brown hair as he held a stack of Scouting Legion cloaks for the new soldiers to grab. One by one, the new soldiers lined up for theirs, leaving Eren alone with the ponies and Spike.

“So you guys are really full-fledged members of the Scouting Legion now?” asked Eren.

“Sure are,” answered Applejack. “Y’all don’t need to worry. We’ll take just as good of care of your friends as we do you.”

Eren smiled, but soon listened as the ripples of cloth sounded out in front of him. He watched as Mikasa, Armin, Jean, Sasha, Conny, Reiner, Bertolt, Krista, and Ymir all donned a Scouting Legion cloak, placing it over their cadet jackets. Eren watched as their cloaks blew in the wind. They certainly looked like a strong bunch with them on.

“Looks like we’re all members of the Scouting Legion now,” Applejack concluded.

Eren continued to look at his friends. He wasn’t sure, but he could have sworn that he saw Marco among them, smiling upon him as well.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Inside a torch-lit storage room that night, Eren and his friends, human, pony, and dragon alike were discussing their joining of the Scouting Legion

“Are you really…?” asked Eren.

“Yes,” answered Mikasa, “we’ll also be participating in the mission.”

“Hey, Eren,” interrupted Jean, looking right at Eren, “I heard that when you turned into a titan, you tried to kill Mikasa. What does that mean?”

“No,” defended Mikasa, “Eren was just trying to hit a fly.”

“A titan fly!” Rainbow Dash added.

Mikasa glared back at her, knowing that her exaggeration wasn’t helping her case.

“I didn’t ask either of you,” answered Jean. “Mikasa,” he said, pointing at the scar on her cheek from Eren’s first attack towards her in Trost, “that wound on your cheek looks pretty bad. When did you get that?”

Mikasa shied away, trying to conceal her tell-tale mark.

“He didn’t mean it!” Applejack protested.

“I wasn’t talking to you ei–”

“I’ve heard it’s true,” Eren finally admitted. “When I became a titan, I tried to kill Mikasa.”

“If you heard,” responded Jean, stepping closer, “then you don’t remember it, right?”

“Jean,” Fluttershy spoke, putting her hoof on his waist, “please–”

“In other words, you had no idea that you even had this titan power…”

“Jean…”

“…and you don’t have the means to control it!”

“He’s trying!”

“I know I am, Fluttershy,” answered Eren, “but the reality is that I still can’t.”

Seeing that this was all that he needed to know, Jean turned back to the other humans and ponies behind him.

“Did you hear that?” he asked. “This is the situation. Humanity and our lives depend on him. We’ll probably die just like Marco without Eren even realizing it.”

“Hey,” shouted Rainbow Dash, flying up to his face, “you shut up! Eren has been doing really well to control his titan powers.”

“Has he transformed since then?” he asked, not yielding his emotions.

“N– No…”

“Then that’s all that matters. Once he transforms again, he might kill one of us in his titan rage.”

“Jean,” called out Mikasa, “what’s the point in asking Eren these questions now?”

“Listen, Mikasa,” he spoke in a hushed tone, turning back around, “not everyone’s like you and the ponies here, willing to die for Eren’s sake for nothing in return…”

“Ain’t that what friends supposed to do?” asked Applejack.

“Only stupid ones!” he shouted back, shocking Applejack. “We should know what we’re dying for. Otherwise, we will hesitate when the time comes.”

“How’s about dying to save your skin? Wait…”

“Or your species?” asked Twilight.

“Or me…” sighed Fluttershy, stepping forwards.

Upon hearing Fluttershy’s voice, he turned to face her. Looking at her sweet face, he shuddered in his breath, knowing that they were right. He had much to die for, and he certainly didn’t want to die either. Seeing that trusting Eren was their one and only option, Jean walked up to Eren, frightening him, and grabbed him by the shoulders, looking deep into his eyes.

“So, Eren,” Jean said in a more desperate voice, “I’m really counting on you…”

“Right!” stammered Eren, trying to pacify him.

“And we’ll make sure that we’re there before one of us falls,” answered Applejack, approaching Jean with the other ponies and Spike.

“With us by your side,” Spike said, punching his fist into his palm, “those titans won’t know what hit them.”

“We’ll do everything we can to protect everyone,” Twilight said, “but you just need to give us and Eren especially a little faith.”

Jean looked back at all the ponies, who gave him sure smiles that even he knew above all else he could trust. He then looked at his other human comrades, who looked at him with the same smiles, inspired by the ponies’ presences. Jean could only look back in amazement, feeling a wave of safety wash over him with the undying support of his friends.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Pinkie Pie and Eren were the among the first to walk out of the storage room, followed by the others. As they passed by the courtyard, Pinkie Pie and Twilight turned to see Levi tending to his horse by the stables. Both nodding to each other, they turned to trot towards him. Rarity, seeing them, turned to head to Levi as well. While several of the humans continued to go inside to bed, Eren, Mikasa, Armin, and the remaining ponies stopped to see what was happening.

“It’s okay, guys,” Twilight told them. “You get to bed. We’ll handle this.”

Eren, still confused over what they needed Levi for, decided to heed his words and get to bed, Mikasa, Armin, and their Equestrian friends following closeby.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

That morning in the mess hall, each of the soldiers were in high spirits. Erwin had called for an R & R day, allowing the soldiers an single day of idleness before they would resume planning and preparations for the upcoming expedition. As such, none of the soldiers were in their uniforms, instead opting for more casual wear.

Eren wore a mustard-yellow tunic with a brown belt with brown pants. Mikasa was in a white collared-shirt with a red jacket over it with a shin-length grey skirt. Armin was in a white-collared shirt with a light grey vest that extended down to his mid-thigh and khaki-colored pants. Jean wore a light grey shirt with a similar dark-grey vest and light brown pants.

Conny wore a green tunic with grey pants. Sasha was dressed in a white collared shirt with a light-brown vest and a long, light-brown skirt. Reiner wore a grey-shirt with a light-brown tunic over it with light-khaki pants held together with a brown sash. Bertolt had a light-green shirt with a green tunic, dark-khaki pants and a yellow sash. Krista wore a simple white blouse with a red skirt and Ymir wore a forest-green buttoned tunic with brown pants and a brown belt.

Breakfast consisted of a bowl of porridge which Sasha ate like there was no tomorrow. Along with her, Eren and all of his human and pony friends were gathered at the table and enjoying their breakfast and discussing what they were planning for that day.

“So,” Conny said, “what should we do today? We’ve got all day to do stuff together.”

“Hey, Eren!” egged Rainbow Dash, nudging his shoulder. “What’s say that you and I have a race later?”

“Huh?” he wondered. “A race?”

“Yeah. We’ll go out to the forest behind us and have ourselves a little race. You can use your 3D Maneuver Gear to make it fair.”

“Make it fair?”

“Trust me,” Applejack said across from him, “you’ll need all the advantages you need against her.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” asked Rainbow Dash, practically offended.

“Oh, nothin’. Just wanting to let Eren know how much of a cheater you are.”

“Oh, come on! It’s not my fault you don’t have wings!”

“Maybe I should race you too!” Applejack declared, standing on her hind legs and supporting herself with her front hooves on the table. “Now that I got my Maneuver Gear, I can fly just as fast as you!”

With her actions, many soldiers in the hall stared at the two of them as they argued.

“You wish!” Rainbow Dash declared, taking the same stance as she and Applejack stared each other down.

“Hey!” Eren called. “Stop! Do you want to get in trouble?”

The two rivaling ponies looked at each other suspiciously before they sat back down and looked around, pretending that nothing happened. With the commotion seemingly over, the soldiers resumed their meals and conversations.

“If it’s any trouble,” Eren said, “I’ll race you both. But I really don’t think it matters.”

“Huh?” wondered Applejack. “And why’s that?”

“‘Cause I’ll still beat both of you,” he said with a smug grin.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack were stunned by his confidence, but Rainbow Dash changed her expression to one of cocky pride.

“You think you got what it takes to back those words, hot-shot?”

“You better believe it!” Eren exclaimed.

Mikasa, Armin, and Conny watched the two with intrigue.

“A race, huh?” Conny pondered with his chin resting on his index finger and thumb. “That should be interesting.”

“You bet it will!” chirped Pinkie Pie, wrapping her arm around Conny’s side. “Races with Rainbow Dash are the best. You can help me gather as many people as possible, right?”

“Uh…” Conny spoke, a little flustered by Pinkie Pie’s energy, “sure.”

“Thanks, Conny! You’re a true pal!”

As Pinkie Pie continued to hug Conny, Armin couldn’t help but chuckle, just knowing what a great day it would be.