In the abandoned ruins of the town outside of Karanese, the Scouting Legion rode or galloped through the streets. With energies high, the soldiers were focused on their mission, ready to die for their beliefs and causes. Erwin, Mike, and Hanji up front looked ahead, steadfast and calculating in their resolve. Suddenly, Mike turned his gaze to his left, spotting something. Hanji looked out too, becoming shocked on seeing what her comrade saw.

“Ahead, to the left,” she shouted out, “a ten-meter class!”

From the left was a titan with spiked-up brown hair and a massively rotund belly as it approached the road the Scouting Legion was traveling on.

“I’m very interested to see what’s inside its stomach,” said Hanji, “but I’ll leave that to the support team.”

Sure enough, two soldiers, both male and having short brown hair, swung through the streets towards the titan, avoiding its grasping hands. One of the soldiers took a swing at his neck, only managing to cut a couple of inches through. The titan was still mobile and now even angrier.

“Damn!” he shouted. “Not deep enough!”

“Defend the formation!” his comrade called out, making his own attempt.

As the soldier swung just over the rooftops, the titan swung its hand out at him, demolishing the roofs of all buildings that were in the path of its arm. It took a second swing at him at buildings on the other side, destroying it as well. Sasha, who was passing by and watching the event, squeaked with terror as she couldn’t help but look towards it. Rarity, on her left, leapt up and bumped Sasha’s horse’s stomach with her own, pushing her and getting her attention.

“Just look ahead, Sasha!” ordered Rarity. “The support team will handle the rest!”

Acting true to her friend’s words, Sasha didn’t dare to look anywhere but forwards. The others soldiers continued onward as planned. Mikasa and Applejack looked out determinably. Although they wanted nothing more than to kill titans, wasting their lives and energy was something they knew they couldn’t afford to do.

“Onward!” called a squad leader from the middle.

Jean was right behind Mikasa and Applejack, with Fluttershy galloping beside him. Further away, Conny and Pinkie Pie were riding up together.

“Onward!”

Armin and Reiner rode beside each other, Twilight flying just overhead. The two of them carried the reins of an extra horse that rode beside them as well. Near the back, Levi and his squad, with Eren tight in their watch, galloped forwards. Rainbow Dash flew beside Eren while Spike clutched on to Levi’s cloak on the back of his horse. As Eren continued to ride, he remembered the further explanations of Erwin’s formation strategy at the plains outside of the Scouting Legion headquarters.
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“The support teams will only accompany us to the old city area,” said Gunther. “Once we’re past that, it’s completely titan territory. The long-range scouting formation devised by Commander Erwin is our only hope. We, the Special Operations Squad, are here…”
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Eren turned to Auruo.

“Auruo, sir,” he said, “can they… can my classmates and the ponies beat the titans?”

“Huh?” exclaimed Auruo, dumbfounded by his question. “What have you been doing for the past month? Listen, brat, the most crucial part of an expedition is how you avoid fighting titans–”

With another hop up and down on his horse, Auruo bit his tongue down on his teeth, causing blood to squirt out of it. Rainbow Dash, having seen it, puckered her lips, trying her hardest not to laugh, but eventually did, still running by Eren’s side.

“HAHAHAHAHAHA!” she howled. “You did it again! HAHAHAHAHA!”

The line of soldiers and carts were now starting to enter the open fields. Erwin, knowing the timing was right, threw his left arm out to the side, signaling the beginning of the formation.

“Go into long-range scouting formation!” he declared.

All at once, the soldiers began to spread out, going to their planned positions. Armin and Twilight, who were between Reiner, Jean, and Fluttershy, watched as their three friends broke away.

“See ya’, Armin!” called Reiner, turning out to the right.

“If you run into a titan,” Jean warned as he parted from Armin with Fluttershy by his side, “don’t piss your pants.”

Twilight frowned at his choice of words.

“Right!” called Armin. “Same to you!”

The soldiers were now all in formation. Mikasa and Applejack were positioned at the midway point of the very center and the very right of the formation. Eren, Spike, Rainbow Dash, and the other soldiers of the Special Operation Squad were the second group from the very back in the center. Reiner was set at the right side, one space up and to the right from the mirroring location of Mikasa’s position where Jean and Fluttershy were placed. Armin and Twilight were set one space above and to the right of Reiner.
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In the lecture hall of the Scouting Legion headquarters, Ness further explained the plan of the formation to the newest recruits and veterans.

“The vanguard is to spread out into a semi-circle,” he spoke, “but stay within visual range of each other. Position yourselves at fixed intervals. Extend the recon and message relay range as far as possible.”
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Once everyone was spread out, Armin and Twilight were alone with their extra horse. They both looked about for titans that might have been in the area. Twilight flew to Armin’s level, ready to hear any plans of his if they were to come her way.

“Twilight,” called Armin, “can you fly up higher? Tell me if there are any nearby titans.”

“On it,” Twilight responded, flying up above him and over the treetops.

Armin kept his gaze ahead and to the sides, trusting Twilight, but wanting to keep an eye out for himself. It was strangely quiet, and Twilight didn’t call him for quite some time. The only things out in his position that were making any noises were the sounds of his horses’ breaths and the crows that flew from the trees as he rode by them.

We’ll be fine, thought Armin. Calm down…

However, a gunshot was heard just to Armin’s right, and Twilight was the first to see what it was. A red tail of smoke shot into the air from the ground just to the right of her. She knew what this meant, but she couldn’t quite see what was the cause of it. She then found it.
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“It’s primarily the forward scouting squad that will encounter titans,” Ness explained, pointing to the markings at the top and sides of the formation.
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Twilight could see as a ten-meter class titan was approaching the soldier who fired the first round. Twilight, using her magic, fired a red, sparkling beam into the air. Armin, following suit, pulled his smoke gun from the bag hooked onto the reins near his horses neck as well as a red smoke round. Armin pointed the gun into the air and fired, Twilight flying to Armin’s left to avoid being hit by it.
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“As soon as one is sighted,” Ness explained, “they’ll fire a smoke round. Anyone who sees the flare should fire the same round to relay the signal.”
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The sky along the right side of the formation was quickly filling with red pillars of smoke, causing the soldiers in the middle and left of the formation to pull out their guns and fire a red smoke signal in the air as well. Erwin looked out to see the smoke pillars coming from the right, making him know his next course of action.
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“When the commander sees it, he’ll fire a green smoke round and show the formation where to go. Thus, the entire formation can advance towards the goal, all while avoiding titans.”
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Erwin pulled out his gun and fired a green smoke round to the left into the air, forming an obvious arc that let anyone know where to run to next. The soldiers, following his lead, turned to the left, avoiding the dangerous area.
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At the mirroring location of Armin’s position, Sasha and Rarity rode by a line of ruined, abandoned buildings. Sasha was frightened out of her wits as she passed the buildings, unsure if a titan were hiding behind one. Rarity kept a brave face, awaiting a titan to rear its ugly head at any time while keeping herself in between Sasha and the buildings.
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“But sometimes, due to terrain or obstacles, a titan won’t be sighted until it’s in the formation.”
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Sasha and Rarity rode by a space in the buildings, seeing as a titan was lying down, seemingly sleeping against the ruins. As they rode out to the end of the buildings, the same titan burst through the walls with complete ease, crawling unnaturally on its hands and feet like a lizard. Upon the titan spotting them, both Rarity and Sasha gave out a terrified scream. The two of them took a hard turn right and galloped away as fast as they could, just avoiding the titans mouth as it leapt out for them.

“Red,” said Sasha nervously to herself as she tried to put her gun together, “red smoke round…”

However, her galloping horse and her bumping up and down on it forced Sasha to let the round slip out of her hands and fall to the ground behind her. The titan, in its pursuit, stepped on the canister and making smoke explode out of it.

“I’ve got it, Sasha!” shouted Rarity.

Rarity charged her horn and shot a red, shimmering pillar in the sky. Despite getting the signal out, Sasha continued to cry and fear for her life as she looked behind her at the approaching titan.

“Braus! Rarity!” shouted a soldier on her left. “Over here!”

The two of them looked in the direction of the voice’s location, seeing as two soldiers, both male, one being young with messy, brown hair, the other one older with buzzed, brown hair and a light beard and moustache.

“Damn,” said the younger soldier. “Did we let one through?”

“We’ll draw it this way,” said the older soldier.

The titan still made its way for Sasha and Rarity, who both continued to run for their lives.

“Braus! Rarity!” shouted the older soldier. “Get over here!”

Rarity, on Sasha’s left, knowing that the titan would eventually catch up if they continued to gallop in a straight line, galloped ahead of Sasha, shifted to the right and slowed down to move alongside her.

“Rarity!” cried Sasha. “What are you–?”

“You heard the man,” Rarity responded, “now let’s go!”

With one last lunge, the titan aimed its gaping mouth at the two. Rarity made a hard check to Sasha’s horse, forcing both it and herself to the side with the titans teeth so close to Rarity’s hooves, that small gobs of its saliva splashed onto her legs.

The two of them turned to gallop away while the titan landed back on its hands and feet and slid to a stop. With the other two soldiers passing by, the titan refocused its attention onto them. The titan began its horrifying crawl back at them. As the two soldiers looked for options, the older soldier found it, turning to his younger comrade.

“I’ll take care of it,” he said. “Split off!”

“Yes, sir!” the young soldier answered.

As the younger soldier broke away, the titan continued to chase the older soldier in front of it. The older soldier kept his sights and his direction at an abandoned house with a tree in the front yard. With the titan just feet from him, the soldier still aimed for the trunk of the tree, keeping a direct line with it.

With a loud yell, the older soldier juked his horse to the left and then to the right, just missing the tree, but keeping the titan’s path straight. The titan’s face collided into the tree, stopping its momentum all at once and making it roll into the house, destroying it. However, the titan was incapacitated, allowing the soldier to run free.

Sasha and Rarity looked to the site of the crash, amazed by the older soldier’s ingenuity. Sasha panted, still in shock over her brush with death.

“Sir,” she gasped to her superior.

“Back to position!” he ordered, the younger soldier riding back alongside him. “He ran out of gas.”

Sasha looked once more at the stopped titan and back at Rarity. Rarity looked upon her quizzically, leaving Sasha to hang her head in shame and regret as they both turned to run back to their positions, following both of their saviors.
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By now, the sky was covered in weak wisps of red smoke from the signal guns. Armin and Twilight continued to move out together, the former holding his gun in his right hand, ready to make another signal when the time came.

Something’s wrong, thought Armin. It’s been a while since we’ve last seen a red smoke round, but the others still haven’t reformed. It can’t be…

Armin and Twilight looked out to the right on the horizon, expecting another signal soon. They then saw one arc over a faraway forest. However, the color of the smoke was black as opposed to red.
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“Note that this strategy only works on normal titans whose behavior can be easily predicted,” Ness explained.
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A black smoke round? wondered Armin. Is a titan ignoring the nearby humans and heading for the formation’s center?

Armin hooked the appropriate round to his gun and fired it off into the air, Twilight moving away to avoid being struck by it.

It has to be… concluded Armin.

“…an abnormal titan!” exclaimed Twilight, almost as if finished Armin’s thought.
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From the forest, Ness and another soldier, his hair long and light brown, rode out of it, a titan with Asian features and a black bowl cut in between them. Its run was odd, keeping his arms and his legs perfectly straight as it moved at a quickened pace.
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“It’s only necessary to fight abnormals whose behavior is unpredictable.”
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“Damn,” Ness said to himself, “we’ll have to fight it.”

Ness turned to his comrade who rode to the right of the titan.

“Sys,” he called, “go for the neck! I’ll stop it!”

“Roger!” answered Sys.

Ness pulled out both of his operational devices and stuck the top ends of his handles into the ends of the blades in his sheath, pulling them out and holding them to his side, waiting for a perfect opportunity to strike.

Using Maneuver Gar on flat terrain is a huge disadvantage, Ness calculated. It almost never works. But I can’t let it disrupt the formation.

Ness then looked out to his left to see Armin galloping in while Twilight flew just beside him.

I think that’s Arlert and Sparkle over there, he thought. I don’t want one of the new guys to run into it, even if one of them is skilled with magic. We kill it here!

Ness hopped off his saddle, standing upon his horse, Shallot’s, back. With another leap off, Ness launched a hook at the back of the abnormal titan’s ankles. With his wires retracting him closer to the titan’s legs, as well as his current speed, Ness slid upon the ground on the heels of his boots, his body swinging in from the side.

With a spinning jump, Ness cut the tendon at the back of the titan’s left ankle, forcing it to fall to the ground on its face. Ness landed on his hands and knees, leaving it up to his comrade to finish the job.

“Now Sys!” he shouted out.

Sys bounded into the air, his arms raised over his head as he produced a battle cry to announce his imminent kill. With hard, downward slashes, Sys had cut more half of the titan’s neck off from the back, undeniably killing it.

“You did it, Ness!” shouted Armin happily.

Twilight looked upon the kill, but something happened to catch her eye. She flew up a bit higher, wanting to see what it was.

“Armin!” called Twilight, pointing with her hoof. “Look!”

Armin looked in Twilight’s hoof’s direction, also shocked by what he saw. Ness stood back up, looking at the titan he and Sys had just slain.

“Did I get him?” he wondered aloud.

However, Shallot rode up to her owner, stopping right beside him.

“You came for me?” he wondered, putting his swords away into his sheath. “That’s my partner. I love you, Shallot!”

Once he mounted her, Ness and Shallot rode off together to catch up with Sys. However, unbeknownst to him, a titan far in the distance was running at them. After a bit of riding, both Sys and Ness turned around to see it approaching them fast.

“Again?” wondered Ness. “What is the right flank scouting squad doing?”

“If it ignored them and came this way,” Sys reasoned, “it must be another abnormal.”

“Ugh. Fine.”

Ness pulled the bladed handles from his sheaths, ready for another kill.

“Sys,” he told him, “we do it again.”

“Right!” he answered.

“We must have the worst luck, doing this twice in a row. And it has to be at least a fourteen meter class. This one will be tough.”

As he glanced to look behind them to see how close it was, Ness and Sys gasped in shock to see that it was coming at them full sprint, being within twenty meters of them and closing. Ness and Sys shifted to the outside just in time, the foot of this titan just missing them by inches.

The titan was unlike any other titan in structure or physical prowess. Its back, shoulders, arms, the back of its hands, rump, the front of its legs and feet, rings on its ankles, its breasts, its abdominals, and its face were covered in skin. The rest of it was exposed muscle. Its fingers, however, looked to be made entirely of bone. Also, given its short, blonde hair, lips, eyes, as well as its breasts, it looked very feminine.

Armin, fired a black smoke round into the sky, but it looked to matter little. The titan’s path was clear and its speed was incredible. Armin and Twilight continued to look at the approaching titan with awe. However, Ness noticed the smoke flare and gasped, seeing as the titan’s path was going to collide with Armin and Twilight’s.

“What’s that?” Armin spoke quietly. “It’s too fast.”

“Don’t let it reach those two!” shouted Ness to his partner. “Sys!”

“Right!” shouted Sys, already firing a hook into the very right side of the titan’s left shoulder blade.

Sys rocketed towards the titan, ready to end its life and prevent it from ending Twilight and Armin’s. As he got closer and closer, it looked to be an easy kill. However, at the last possible moment, the titan put its left hand up into the path of Sys and caught him. The titan squeezed him in its grasp tight, crushing him and shattering his 3D Maneuver Gear in a hail of blood and metal. Armin and Twilight gasped in horror at the speed and intelligence of this deviant.

Ness flew up on his own 3D Maneuver Gear to try and strike it down. However, before Ness could get closer, the titan grabbed the wire hooked into its skin and pulled it out. With its grip on the wire still firm, forcibly pulling Ness with it, the titan reeled its arm back. With a forceful movement, the titan whipped Ness into the ground by his wire, causing his body to explode in a bloody, intangible splatter.

The titan put its foot into the ground, pulling the earth up as it came to a halt. Armin and Twilight stared at the titan as it stood completely still, its blonde hair draped over its face. With another push off the ground, the titan jogged up to Armin and Twilight before breaking back into a run.

Armin whipped the reins on his horse, making it gallop faster. Twilight also forced herself to fly as fast as she could by Armin’s side, at the very least wanting to protect him. It was useless. Despite his and Twilight’s speeds, the speed of this titan was vastly superior.

“No,” mumbled Armin in his mind. “No. That’s no abnormal. It’s intelligent. Just like the Armored or Colossal Titans, or Eren! A human in the body of a titan! But– But who? Why?”

Twilight turned onto back for a second, gliding to get a glimpse at the titan as it got ever closer. Twilight showed a fearful grimace as she turned back and flew forwards as fast as possible.

“This is bad!” shouted Armin cried silently as the loud footstomps came closer and louder. “What should I do? I’m going to die too! I’ll be killed!”

“Armin!” Twilight shouted, flying as close to Armin’s left side as her wings could allow. “Leave the horses! Get on my back!”

“Twilight!” he shouted, hopping off of his saddle and crouching on his horse.

Armin let go of the reins to his other horse, letting it run off to save itself. However, it could not escape the titan’s feet as the shockwave knocked the horse to the ground, causing it to painfully roll to a stop.

“Armin!” shrieked Twilight. “Hurry!”

It was too late. The titan leapt up on one foot, its other foot extended out with the sole hovering right over the two of them. Armin could only glance up, seeing as the titan was about to bring about his and Twilight’s deaths.

What does it… thought Armin. No, what do they… What do they want?

The titan’s foot came out right in front of them. With no time to dodge or stop, both Armin’s horse and Twilight collided with its ankle, forcing Armin off his horse and to the ground while Twilight, the wind knocked out of her, tumbled to the ground further away, tucking her wings in for further safety. Armin, his cloak’s hood pulled over his head, did his best to get up, but stopped upon hearing the titan kneeling right beside him.

Twilight, mainly woozy from her hit, lifted her head up to see the titan’s hand coming for Armin’s body. Her blurry and wobbling vision made it difficult for her to maintain her footing, causing her to fall and stumble as she tried to rush to Armin’s aid. With a full fall forcing her to her stomach, she watched as Armin fearfully awaited his fate.

“Armin…” she wheezed as she crawled as fast as she could.

However, the titan did something that made Armin and Twilight gasp in shock: it lifted the hood off its head and began to look at its face. Armin looked up, seeing as much of the titan’s face as its hair could allow. Twilight couldn’t even help but look out at it, stopping in her tracks. Armin and Twilight noted its sympathetic ice-blue eyes and slightly open smile. Once it seemed to have seen everything, the titan let go of Armin’s hood and began to stand up.

Twilight looked up in amazement as her vision and limbs came to, amazed at how the titan spared Armin’s life. Amazement turned to fright as the titan walked over to Twilight, standing just over her. Twilight, remembering her fast reflexes and strength, didn’t dare move a muscle, hoping the titan would ignore her too. The titan brought its foot up, the shadow covering the ground Twilight stood on. Armin was stunned, seeing as his friend was about to be killed.

“Twilight!” Armin shouted.

The titan brought its foot down, but just before Twilight could be crushed, a purple flash of light was produced. As the titan’s foot came down, Armin stood perfectly still. While he saw the flash of light, he couldn’t tell whether Twilight made it out alright. The titan check under its foot, seeing nothing there. Armin made a slight gasp of relief upon seeing no blood on the foot.

The titan looked left, then to the right, then behind itself. Whatever it was, it seemed that Twilight eluded it. As if it knew it couldn’t spend all day looking for wherever the alicorn teleported, the titan looked towards its original direction and ran off, leaving Armin alone and confused.

“It didn’t kill me,” Armin muttered, “but it tried to kill Twilight? Why? It removed my hood…” he recounted, becoming more haunted by the perplexity and trauma of the incident by the second, “to look at my face?”

“Armin!” shouted Twilight’s voice.

Armin darted his gaze back at a pine tree to his right, seeing as Twilight flew down to him. Upon getting close enough, Armin wrapped his arms around his friend’s neck, happy to see her alive and well. Armin couldn’t help but sob as Twilight hugged him in return.

“Thank goodness you’re alright!” he cried.

“I can say the same thing!” she said. “You weren’t hurt from that collision were you? What did that titan even do to you?”

“I… I don’t know…”

“Armin!” called Reiner’s voice as he galloped up on his horse and his spare.

“Reiner!” shouted Armin as he and Twilight still sat on the ground.

“Hey, can you stand? You won’t last outside the walls unless you’re on horseback. Hurry!”

“Right!” Armin responded, standing up with Twilight’s assistance. “Twilight, I’ll use Reiner’s spare! You just keep alongside me.”

“Gotcha!” she answered.
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Further away, a sheet of blood, mangled soldiers, dead horses, torn limbs, and discarded weaponry lay about the ground. Some horses managed to gallop away as multitudes of titans ignored them, going for any of the soldiers that were still alive and wounded. One titan knelt down at such a soldier that was bleeding from just below his eyebrows. With the titan keeping firm grasp on his leg, the soldier was soon to be finished.

“Someone tell them…” he huffed, too weak to shout, “That the right flank scouting squad has been wiped out. A Female Titan brought a huge titan army…”

The titan then picked him up by his waist, lifting him closer to its head.

“Is anyone there?” he silently but fruitlessly cried out.

The titan opened its mouth, inserting the soldier’s head inside.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Armin, Reiner, and Twilight kept a close distance to the Female Titan without being seen as it continued to run. The path was mostly clear, the only trees being on both sides of the three.

“I saw the smoke signal round signaling an abnormal,” Reiner said. “Was it that one there with the nice ass?”

“Ugh,” hacked Twilight, “that’s disgusting! And no, it’s not an abnormal. Armin and I have reason to believe that that titan there is a human that can turn into a titan, just like Eren.”

“What was that?”

“Wait, a second!” remembered Armin, reaching into the bag at his new horse’s neck. “We need to fire a smoke round first!”

Armin got both his gun and his round out, trying insert the round in as quickly as possible.

“Hurry,” he told himself. “There’s an emergency over here. With a smoke round, I’ll–”

A gunshot was fired behind them, leaving the three of them to turn around to see who it was. They looked behind to see a slender, sand-colored haired man riding in with a yellow pegasus flying by his left side. Further behind him was a yellow pillar of smoke, signaling the emergency.

“Wait,” Reiner told Armin. “It looks like Jean fired it.”

As Jean and Fluttershy came closer, more gunshots were heard, and a mass of yellow-colored smoke pillars were coming from the right. Reiner and Armin gasped at the sight, looking at what appeared to be a dire situation from the right.

“It came from the right flank,” Reiner concluded. “Does this mean we’re so compromised that we can’t continue the mission?”

“It looks like the right flank scouting squad was partially wiped out,” spoke Jean riding beside Armin, Twilight flying higher up to give him room. “Titans, tons of them! I don’t know why!”

Twilight flew over Jean and Fluttershy, lowering her altitude to fly alongside her friend. Twilight could see that Fluttershy’s eyes were red and wet. It was obvious that she had been crying.

“Thank Celestia you’re alright,” Twilight exclaimed. “What happened out there?”

“It was horrible!” she said. “They were all moving so fast! We had to go and relay the message while they went to hold them back. I already saw a lot of them get killed…”

Fluttershy made a few more sobs, which Twilight couldn’t console her for due to their movement, but Jean looked at her sympathetically, knowing full well how terrifying the sight was.

“Like she said,” said Jean, “we’re doing our best to hold them off, but recon is no longer possible. And we have indeed taken heavy losses, and if we aren’t careful, we’ll be destroyed.”

Armin eyes widened, realizing something.

“That titan came from the same direction,” he gasped. “No way…”

“No way what?” asked Fluttershy, unsure of what he meant.

“Was it leading the titans?”

“It?” wondered Jean, looking ahead at the Female Titan. “Why is a titan over there? Is it an abnormal?”

“No,” Twilight answered. “We’re certain that it’s a human in a titan body. Someone with the same ability as Eren.”

“What?” he asked, looking at Twilight.

“Why do you two think this?” questioned Reiner.

“We were attacked by that thing,” Twilight answered. “I don’t know why, but she intentionally left Armin unharmed while she tried to kill me.”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened, scared by the tale.

“Not only that,” Armin added, “but the titans only eat us. We’re just killed in the process. Killing us isn’t ever specifically their goal, but when Sys and Ness aimed for her weak spot, it crushed Sys and smashed Ness to the ground. It killed them to kill, rather than to eat them. Its nature is different from the others.

“When the Colossal and Armored Titans destroyed the walls, they must have been the ones that brought that army of titans. They’re goal has consistently been to attack all of humanity.”

Armin paused, still unsure of his words.

“No,” he muttered, “maybe not. It felt like it was looking for someone. If that’s the case, could it be looking for… Could it be looking for Eren?”

“Eren?” wondered Reiner. “Eren’s with Levi’s squad, which is in charge of the right flank.”

Armin, Jean, Fluttershy, and Twilight all looked towards Reiner, confused by Reiner’s words.

“The right flank?” asked Jean. “The plans I got had them to the rear of the left flank.”

“Mine too!” Fluttershy piped up.

“Ours said they were near the front of the right,” Armin answered.

“Wait…” Twilight said, “there’s no way they’d be on the front lines.”

“So where are they?” asked Reiner.

“Probably in the safest place in the formation,” Armin reasoned. “That would mean they were in the center towards the rear.”

“Armin!” called Jean. “There’s no time to think. Simple smoke rounds can’t possibly indicate how much of a threat it poses. At this rate, it will wipe out command. Then the formation will fall apart, and that will be the end.”

“What are you saying?” asked Fluttershy. “You aren’t talking about getting near that titan, are you?”

“That’s exactly what I’m talking about. If we can buy the command team some time to give the signal to retreat, then maybe we can save a lot more lives. Just maybe…”

Reiner and Armin were surprised by Jean’s seemingly self-sacrificial plan, knowing it to be unlike him. Fluttershy was also surprised by his reasoning, but realizing what the alternative was, she kept her gaze forwards.

“I agree!” Fluttershy answered, getting stunned gasps from everyone. “I have way too many friends out here who are all going to die if we don’t do something to keep her from reaching Erwin.”

The others were still surprised to see Jean and Fluttershy to be so complacent with this plan.

“But,” Armin reasoned, “that titan really is intelligent. To it, we’re nothing more than insignificant insects. It’ll just crush us.”

Fluttershy winced, frightened about quite possibly dying.

“Seriously?” asked Jean, sporting a nervous smile. “That’s scary…”

“Hey,” Reiner said in a more deadpan tone, “are you really Jean? The Jean I know never thinks of anyone but himself.”

“Don’t be an ass…” Jean hissed, his smile turning into a determined scowl. “I just don’t want those charred bones I saw, nor this pegasus by my side to be disappointed with me.”

Fluttershy gasped and turned to him, shocked to hear him say something that showed how much she meant to him.

“I…” concluded Jean. “I know what I have to do now! And this is the job we chose! Help me!”

All eyes were laid on Jean as he begged for their support. The first to react was Armin, who placed his hood over his head.

“Put on your hood;” he said to Jean and Reiner, “as far forward as you can so your face is hidden from it!”

“Armin?” asked Twilight. “What’s this all about?”

Jean was also visibly confused by Armin’s plan.

“I don’t think that titan will kill us until it knows who we are.”

Reiner however, was way ahead of Jean, already putting up his hood with a confident smirk.

“You believe if it thinks we might be Eren,” Reiner surmised, “it won’t kill us? If nothing else, it will make me feel better. Let’s just hope it has poor eyesight.”

“Twilight,” called Armin to the ponies, “Fluttershy! I need you two to fly up or hide! Just remain invisible!”

“What?” asked Fluttershy. “Why?”

“It might not want to kill us, but after what it tried to do to Twilight, I can assume that it wants to kill you. Not to mention, if it sees Twilight with me, it will know who I am and just ignore me altogether. If we want this plan to work, we need to keep her as busy as possible!”

“I understand, Armin,” Twilight answered. “Come on, Fluttershy. We need to fly away.”

Fluttershy gave one last look up at Jean, who gave her a nod. With that finished, both Twilight and Fluttershy flew left along the outside of the line of trees. Jean watching them go, turned back to face Armin.

“Armin,” he told him, “I thought it was creepy how you always clung to Eren, but I always thought you had it in you.”

Jean, with a surefire smile, pulled his hood over his head, ready to go for it.

“Uh, thanks,” Armin responded, slightly hurt. “But creepy? That’s really mean…”

With a flick of their reins, the three humans galloped up to the Female Titan, getting closer to it meter by meter. Twilight and Fluttershy flew out far from them to avoid it from relating them to the humans, but could still keep an eye on them. Eventually, Armin and Jean split up, taking on the titan on the right and left sides, respectively, while Jean stayed behind it.

The three of them drew their swords, ready to engage it. However, Armin couldn’t help but noticed how quickly they caught up to it.

It’s going much more slowly than when I first saw it, Armin thought. Is it tired? If it runs at that speed again, it will be too late! Now’s our chance… We have to do it now!

As Jean rode up to the titan, he began to put his plan together.

Listen up, he said to himself. Remember what I said. Try to draw its attention as much as possible to give the formation time to withdraw. Keep it here as long as you can. If we could cut its Achilles tendon, that’d be more than enough. But don’t do anything stupid. Don’t try and kill it!

It’s aware of the weak spot on its neck, thought Armin. It’s totally different from other titans. It is impossible to kill, at least not by any normal human being. I’m not even sure how any of the ponies could fare against it.

He then remembered Mikasa and Levi, two of the most impressive soldiers he’d ever known.

However, he thought, if it’s those two, maybe…

Jean hopped atop his horse, aiming his two operational devices at the titan’s ankles. The titan then looked behind itself, seeing a soldier approaching her that, unbeknownst to it, was Armin. Jean quickly jumped off the horse and fired a hook towards the ankle. However, it banked hard to the right, turning its foot in.

Once the hook made contact with its foot, all it seemed to do was bounce off with a metal clink, leaving Jean with nothing to hold him. As Jean, landed on his knee and foot, the titan fanned its hand at Jean, producing a large gust. As Jean held his ground, the gust blew his hood off, revealing himself.

Once it realized who it was, the titan redirected its attention to the soldier she first spotted. Armin, recognizing it to be looking at him, tried to gallop away, but the titan was too quick. Lowering its body in mid-stride, the titan swung its hand down and struck Armin’s horse, knocking both the horse and him into the air.

Twilight and Fluttershy, observing from nearby treetops, watched as Armin’s horse was flung near Reiner, just missing him as it flew above him and his horse. However, Twilight’s eyes remained glued on Armin as he hit the ground, letting go of his swords. As his body tumbled like a lifeless ragdoll on the ground, his 3D Maneuver Gear broke away from his body in a tangle of wires and metal. Armin continued to roll viciously, his head colliding against the ground each time he bounced before he eventually came to a stop, lying motionless.

“NO!” screamed Twilight, speeding down to her fallen friend. “ARMIN!”

“Twilight!” shouted Fluttershy. “Wait!”

Jean, seeing Armin’s fall, ran out to help him. Armin, now bleeding profusely from his forehead all the way down to the center of his face, turned to see the shadow of the Female Titan loom over him as it knelt down. As Armin began to quiver, Twilight swooped down and stood over Armin, her bladed handles held out by her magic. The Female Titan just stared at her indifferently, even as Twilight’s face looked ready to kill.

“Come on, you bitch,” Twilight hissed. “I’m ready for you this time.”

The Female Titan only responded by reaching out to Twilight, careful not to get Armin as well.

“Armin!” shouted Jean, firing a hook at the titan’s back. “Twilight!”

As the hook entered the muscly shoulder of the Female Titan, it turned around to see Jean approaching. Jean reeled himself in, still surprised by the efficiency of the titan’s agility.

This one, he realized. Its movements are much more precise than the others are. Damn it! I… I underestimated it!

The Female Titan, still crouching, spread its stance out with its right leg with the likeness of a frog, its arm wound up to strike Jean. As Jean approached even closer, the titan swung out. Fluttershy, still observing from above, put her hooves to her mouth and gasped.

Jean managed to dip underneath the titan’s arm and swing around to behind it. However, the titan quickly placed its hand over the nape of its neck, closing all options for Jean as he continued to swing high in the air, hooking onto the titan’s left shoulder plate for a hopefully safer landing.

It protected its neck! Jean thought. Damn it! I can’t get away! I’m going to die!

“Jean!” shouted Fluttershy, throwing her caution to the wind and flying down to him. Jean’s eyes went wide as the titan squeezed its fist, ready to deliver a killing blow.

Once it grabs my wire, Jean thought, it’s over!

Armin sat up, to Twilight’s surprise, just as the Female Titan was about to reach behind and grab Jean.

“NO!” shrieked Fluttershy, tears flying off her face as she dived down.

“JEAN!” shouted Armin. “Avenge the bastard who ran to his death!”

The titan stopped its movements looking back at Armin as he continued his tirade. Jean, still in the air, watched incredulously as Armin somehow kept the Female Titan at bay.

Armin? wondered Jean. It stopped?

“That’s the one…” Armin called out, now able to look at Jean and the titan. “That’s the one that killed him! He rushed to his death on the right flank! Avenge him!”

Twilight was horrified and confused about what was causing the titan to freeze up, but kept quiet, seeing as it seemed to be working. As Armin continued to look the titan down, Jean swung to the ground and hid behind a nearby tree.

What happened? he asked himself. Did Armin go insane when he hit his head? This isn’t the time–

“Jean!” cried Fluttershy as she swooped down and galloped to Jean. “Are you alright?”

Any sentiments were put on hold as Reiner rode past the two, ready to take his shot. With his hood taken off, Reiner’s face was full of anger and fury as he galloped up to it.

“Reiner?” wondered Jean.

“It crushed my best friend!” Armin continued to scream. “I saw his body under its foot!”

Reiner jumped off his horse, launching a hook at the titan’s back. Jean and Fluttershy were stunned by his resolve.

He’s going straight for the back? thought Jean.

However, the titan continued to squat motionless as Reiner kept online with its neck.

No, reasoned Jean, it’s working! It’s still distracted by Armin!

As Reiner passed the titan’s face, Reiner gasped in horror as its head shifted up and its eyes followed him. The titan quickly picked her left arm up and put her hand in Reiner’s path, grabbing him as he came by. Seeing Reiner’s situation, Armin, Twilight, Jean, and Fluttershy shuddered in fear, knowing nothing at his point could save him.

“H– Hey,” Jean quietly called.

Jean grunted painfully as the grip of the titan’s hand increased. Reiner pushed with all his might to break free, but the titans fingers wouldn’t budge. To finish the job, the Female Titan placed its thumb over Reiner’s head. Jean, Fluttershy, Twilight, and Armin then saw a burst of blood come from the top and bottom of the titan’s hand, additional blood oozing from between its fingers.

“AH!” shrieked Fluttershy, falling into a sitting position with her hooves on her mouth, her eyes pouring tears.

Twilight and Armin gasped loudly with gaping mouths and wide eyes, while Jean backed away, unable to believe that his comrade was gone.

“H– Hey, Reiner,” moaned Jean sadly, “you…”

Armin made a small gasp as he saw the Female Titan’s fingers shift. Suddenly, Reiner burst through the titan’s hand in another gory mess, its index and middle fingers cut from its body. With the hardness of the bony digits, Reiner’s blades broke at the base, but it didn’t matter. Reiner was alive and free. Jean and Fluttershy were astounded by Reiner’s strength as he swung down from the titan’s back and to the ground, breaking into a full sprint.

Reiner bent down to Armin as he ran and swooped him up in his arm, carrying him out as Twilight galloped out to follow them. Jean and Fluttershy, seeing them escape, followed them out, getting back alongside them. All the Female Titan seemed preoccupied with was the steaming wound from her hand.

Reiner did it, thought Jean. I know Mikasa is strong, but I forgot that he’s really strong and reliable too.

As Twilight ran next to Reiner, he set Armin down upon her back, letting him ride her with his wounded head lying against her back for comfort.

“We’ve bought enough time, right?” asked Reiner. “Let’s get the hell away from it. If it isn’t a man-eater, it won’t follow us!”

From behind them, the Female Titan slowly stood up and began to run off once again, this time in the opposite direction.

“Look!” shouted Reiner. “That big bitch got scared and decided to run home!”

Armin looked behind him as he saw the titan’s head just over the treetops as she ran the other way. He then realized something terrible, making him gasp.

No… he thought. Why? That’s towards the center rear. Is it… heading toward Eren?