Levi’s gun produced a loud bang as a light-grey puff of smoke escaped from it. The others behind him were unfortunate enough to hear the brunt of the boom and grunt painfully as their ears rung unpleasantly.

“A sound grenade?” wondered Eren angrily.

“What is your job?” asked Levi, turning back to face his comrades. “To just let yourselves be swayed by whatever you’re feeling at the moment? No, it’s not. Our job is to keep that brat from getting a single scratch on him… even if it costs us our lives.”

Rainbow Dash still couldn’t stand for Eren to be called names like that, but their matter at the moment was too trying to do anything, so she followed Levi’s instructions to keep herself in check. Likewise, Gunther, Erd, Petra, and Auruo kept serious faces again as they followed their leader as the Female Titan remained in hot pursuit. Eren, however, was quite dismayed by Levi’s words.

It wasn’t to keep watch over me? he thought.

“We keep going on our horses,” Levi said, “got it?”

“Roger!” relayed Petra, shocking Eren and Rainbow Dash further.

“Keep going?” shouted Eren. “For how long?”

“In case you haven’t noticed,” mentioned Rainbow Dash. “We’ve got a deviant titan on our flanks! Come on! Let me at ‘er!”

“You will do no such thing,” Erd called back.

Before Rainbow Dash could protest, two more soldiers swung in to stop the Female Titan as best as they could. Eren and Rainbow Dash peeked behind themselves to see.

“Again!” shouted Eren. “The reinforcements!”

“We gotta’ help them!” shouted Rainbow Dash. “If not they’re gonna’–”

“Rainbow Dash!” interrupted Gunther. “Eren! Eyes on the road!”

“Sir!” Eren protested.

“Keep your pace up!” ordered Erd. “Stay at top speed!”

“At my top speeds,” Rainbow Dash retorted, “I can take her down in the blink of an eye!”

“Not here you can’t!” Petra argued. “There are too many trees blocking you. If you try and fight her, you’re going to die needlessly!”

“We’re all gonna’ die needlessly if we continue going on like nothing’s wrong!”

“Shut your mouth, you dumb horse!” Auruo yelled back. “Listen to Levi and keep flying!”

“Why?” barked Eren, heated up by Rainbow Dash’s words. “If we don’t defeat that titan, who will?”

As they argued, a soldier flew straight at the Female Titan’s face, easily succumbing to it as it swatted its hand at him and squashed him against the bark of a tree. Eren and Rainbow Dash gasped in horror as they watched another soldier get disposed of like table scraps. Rainbow Dash tried to fight her tears as she watched the Female Titan nonchalantly wipe her bloody hand on her thigh as she ran forward.

“Another one’s dead!” Eren screamed. “We could have saved him!”

Eren and Rainbow Dash saw as the last of the two soldiers was zipping around and avoiding the titan’s swings and lashes.

“One’s still fighting!” exclaimed Eren. “We can still make it!”

“Just let us go!” begged Rainbow Dash tearfully. “Let us fight like the soldiers we were trained to be!”

“Eren, Rainbow Dash,” shouted Petra, “eyes back on the road. Keep going!”

“Are you telling me to look away!?” yelled Eren. “To abandon my comrades and run?”

“Yes, that’s right! Obey the captain’s orders!”

Spike could only watch forlornly as Eren and Rainbow Dash and the members of Levi’s squad continued to push their ideas at each other.

“Why are we letting them die?” yelled Rainbow Dash. “Why doesn’t Levi tell us why we’re letting them die? Why?”

“That’s because the captain decided the reason should not be explained!” Auruo retorted back. “You and your bratty friend don’t get it because you’re still a pair of stupid, little kids!”

Eren and Rainbow Dash gasped, stricken by both his insult and the others’ blind allegiance.

“If you do get it,” finished Auruo, “then shut up and obey!”

Eren remained silent still wondering what to do. Rainbow Dash looked at Eren’s hand, suddenly remembering a new option.

“That’s right,” Rainbow Dash muttered. “Eren! Screw these bozos! Go giant and take that bitch down!”

“What?” shouted Petra, getting the attention of Erd, Gunther and Auruo as well.

Spike looked behind him, seeing as Rainbow Dash’s words were easily spreading through his mind like a virus.

Yeah… Eren thought, sliding his blades with the devices still attached back in the sheaths and putting his right hand near his mouth. I can fight on my own! Why am I relying on them? I can take her on myself!

As Eren opened up to bite down, Petra called out to stop him.

“Don’t listen to her!” she yelled. “You’re only allowed to do that if your life is in danger! You promised us!”

“What do you think is going on right now?” snapped Rainbow Dash. “Eren’s life– no, all of our lives are in danger! Eren, just ignore her and go for it!”

With Rainbow Dash’s words pushing him further into the direction he felt was right, Eren moved his teeth over the base of his thumb, pressing down lightly. Spike clenched Levi’s cloak, scared over the impending consequences.

“EREN!” screamed Petra.

“You aren’t wrong,” Levi spoke up, shocking every single soul behind him. “If you want to do it, do it.”

Rainbow Dash was perfectly still with her eyes on Levi minus her flapping wings keeping her airborne.

“I can tell,” continued Levi to Petra, still being heard by Eren and Rainbow Dash. “He’s a real monster, and it has nothing to do with his titan power. No matter what power you use to suppress him, no matter what cage you put him in, he will never submit to anyone. Eren,” he said, looking back to him, “the difference between your decision and ours is experience, but you don’t have to rely on that. Choose. Believe in yourself and your pony friend, or believe in the Scouting Legion and I.”

Eren and Rainbow Dash were completely dumbfounded by Levi’s choice in words.

“I don’t know…” concluded Levi, “I never have. I can believe in my own abilities, or the choices of the companions I trust. But no one ever knows how it will turn out. So choose for yourself whichever decision you will regret least.”

As Levi, his squad, Eren, Rainbow Dash, and Spike continued to ride through the forest, Eren looked behind him as the Female Titan continued to try and get rid of the last soldier of the reinforcement as he whizzed past it. Eren then looked to Rainbow Dash, hoping her guidance would make his choice easier. Rainbow Dash was choked up again, unable to choose which way after Levi’s speech. Eren soon, growing impatient with Rainbow Dash’s lack of a response, placed his hand back in his mouth.

“Eren…” Rainbow Dash whispered.

“Eren!” called Petra, getting Eren to stop. “Have faith…”

Eren continued to look at Petra, suddenly remembering an afternoon only days after Pinkie Pie’s party in the storage room.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Eren, Levi, Erd, Gunther, Petra, and Auruo stood at the chalkboard of the cadet’s lecture hall. Hanji, the ponies, and Spike stood by at a desk at the side of the room. Levi had a small stick of chalk in his hand, ready to show everyone his idea.

“I came up with a way to only half kill you,” Levi said.

“Sir?” Eren asked for clarification.

“I said I’d only be able to stop you as a titan if I killed you, but this method would only badly wound you. Of course, it relies on the squad’s skill.”

Levi drew a crude silhouette of a human shape and then made a dotted ellipses around it, the edges passing through the figure’s limbs.

“Huh?” Rainbow Dash questioned. “This isn’t what I think it is, is it?”

“It is,” Levi answered simply. “My idea is to cut you right out of the titan’s neck. We’d end up cutting the ends of your arms and legs off, but they’d grow back like a lizard’s would. Creepy, really.”

Levi gave an expression of which that could have been interpreted as a smirk, but both Rainbow Dash and Eren didn’t sound very cool with this idea.

“Wait,” Eren nervously protested, “I don’t know how they grow back. Is there some other way?”

Levi glared at Eren.

“So you’re saying that you don’t want there to be any danger or sacrifice?” Levi asked.

“N– No,” Eren stammered.

“Then just resolve yourself. We will too,” responded Levi as he turned to face the members of his squad. “The danger for us is that you might kill us, so don’t worry.”

“Yes. Understood.”

“Th- Then…” Hanji requested. “Can Twilight and I do some experiments?”

“It’s very risky,” warned Levi, “but that doesn’t mean that we can’t use him to investigate.”

“I can be in charge of planning this, right? Eren, if there’s something you don’t understand, learn to understand it. It’s well worth any risk to our lives.”

Eren looked to Rainbow Dash, who nodded in confirmation of her support for him.

“You know,” Twilight mentioned, sounding a bit nervous about saying it, “Hanji and I were planning… well, a cure for titans.”

Eren, as well as the whole of Levi’s squad minus Levi himself gasped in confusion at this prospect.

“A… cure, for titans?” asked Eren.

“Yes,” confirmed Twilight. “I haven’t been able to do any real testing, but I’m convinced that there’s something about your nervous system that allows you to turn into a titan. Perhaps it’s your pain receptors reacting in your body that triggers the transformation, but I still can’t be certain as to how you’re able to gain the body of a being almost ten times as big as you; bones, muscle, and all.

“Hanji and I want the three of us to understand your titan shifting abilities so that we might be able to stop the titans in a more practical way than slaying them with steel. Perhaps with your regenerating abilities, we can perform more extensive tests on you that can help us achieve our goal faster. However, it will require much from you physically.”

“And how is that?” Eren asked, scared about where this was leading.

“If we want to properly examine your abilities based off of my hypothesis, that might involve… dissecting your arm and working with the nerves in your body on a ‘hands-on’ level.”

Eren gulped heavily and grimaced, uneasy about this idea. Even Levi shivered at this gruesome possibility.

“I know how frightened you feel about Levi’s plan,” Twilight said, “and I know how much this thing scares you, but I really want to try and end this war with titans as quick as possible, and I think that if it goes well, we’ll have an easier way to save humanity.

“I know how much pressure I’m putting on you, Eren, but consider the pressure being put on Levi and his squad as well as the whole of humanity. As of right now, you’re our only hope that humanity has of winning this war. All I ask for is your support towards Hanji and I so we can try and find a different way to win, just like the Scouting Legion has been doing for you.”

Eren looked to the faces of Levi and his squad members. While they too felt it very risky to be working with Eren on this kind of level, they could certainly understand where Twilight was coming from. However, the first to speak was Levi.

“I don’t know yet,” he responded. “I don’t want you triggering his response during these experiments and causing a rampage that could end up getting him killed. I feel like some simpler examinations would be in order before you go tearing into him like you suggest.”

“What do you think that would be?” asked Eren.

“I can think of some…” Hanji stated.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

That afternoon, Hanji, Levi, Twilight, Spike, and Rainbow Dash stood alongside an abandoned well far from the castle. Each of them had their 3D Maneuver Gear on. A rope ladder was set inside of it, allowing Eren to be able to climb down into it. Hanji peered over the side, making sure he was properly situated.

“Ready, Eren?” she called from above. “When it’s prepared, I’ll use the smoke signal to notify you. After that, any decisions are up to you.”

“Roger!” relayed Eren, putting his hand up.

Hanji huffed confidently.

“This dried up well could hold even a mindless titan,” Hanji said to herself. “Probably.”

“Ponies,” Levi spoke. “Stand back.”

The five of them ran back about forty feet, allowing Hanji to fire the smoke signal and give Eren the go-ahead. From the well, Eren saw the signal from high above.

That’s the signal, Eren thought, looking at his hand. Since I’ve sealed the wall, I haven’t tried turning into a titan. If I lose control, Levi might kill me this time.

Eren took his hand and placed it in his mouth, biting down hard and crunching bone. From the ground Hanji, Levi, who were on horseback, Twilight, Spike, and Rainbow Dash waited patiently for something to happen, only for nothing to actually happen.

“Man,” Spike complained, “what’s taking him so long?”

“Did he not see the signal?” wondered Hanji.

“No,” answered Levi. “His ability just isn’t reliable.”

Levi and the others rode up to the well, ready to call him back.

“Hey, Eren,” he shouted, “We’re calling it quits for now.”

The two humans dismounted as they and ponies walked up and peered over the edge of the well.

“Did something happen?” asked Hanji.

The sight they saw inside the well, scared Hanji, the ponies, and Spike. Spots on Eren’s hands were bloody and wounded, Eren’s own mouth dribbling with his own blood.

“Hanji,” Eren muttered with trembling eyes, “I can’t become a titan.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Later, Levi’s squad sat at a table for tea, everyone with their 3D Maneuver Gears on. While Levi stood near the table with his cup, Eren sat at a wooden table next to Auruo and across from Erd, Gunther, and Petra. Eren’s hands were bandaged, blood still bleeding through the wrapping. Rainbow Dash and the other ponies, minus Twilight, sat at another table with their own tea, discussing the failure of what happened. Even the normally chipper Pinkie Pie couldn’t smile over the events that transpired.

“I sure hope he’s okay,” whimpered Fluttershy, looking at the bloody bandages.

“Yeah,” agreed Rainbow Dash. “Me too. I mean… you should have seen the chunks he ate out of his hand. Nopony should have to do that.”

“I know,” added Applejack, “but what I’m more concerned about are his titan abilities. Those titans are supposed to regrow their parts back and heal themselves up, but not only did Eren not turn into a titan, his wounds ain’t healed either. Do you think… he lost his ability?”

“I sure hope not,” Rarity answered morosely. “Otherwise we’ll have a much harder time trying to save this world.”

“Well,” Spike added, “Twilight said she’s going to try and find a cure.”

“But weren’t you paying attention?” asked Rainbow Dash. “They have to cut him up in order to do so. If he can’t grow his limbs back, then what’s the point?”

“Damn,” Spike hissed, “you’re right.”

“Spike!” scolded Applejack. “Language!”

“I really don’t care right now. Our friend seriously hurt himself back there for absolutely nothing, and any other options we might have had are going down the drain.”

Even though they still really couldn’t excuse Spike’s expletives, they knew that he was right, sinking back down to their tea.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

From the nearby woods, Hanji and Twilight sat on a fallen log, discussing their further options and possible Plan B's. Another soldier stood by with her. Both Hanji and Twilight were quite disappointed with themselves.

“I don’t believe this!” lamented Twilight. “How did Eren not turn into a titan? He had no problems the other times! If it’s the pain that triggers the transformation, why didn’t it work? I mean, did Eren just stop feeling pain in his hands after he nearly chewed them off?”

“Twilight,” Hanji cooed nervously, “I know that this is going to put a dampener on our studies, but there’s nothing we can do now. We’ll try something at a later time, but for now, Eren needs to heal.”

“But how long will that take? Ponies take approximately a week to fully heal injuries like that, but how long would it take a human to heal broken bones and damaged muscle?”

“About… until we have to leave for our expedition,” Hanji admitted.

“So we’re completely stuck without our only ace in the hole for about a month?”

“Twilight, please. I’m sure something will come out of all of this. I don’t want to promise you anything, but at the same time, I won’t stop looking. We’ll find a way through this. I promise.”

Twilight, still feeling down, leaned her body into Hanji’s side, her soft, warm body gently pushing on her. Hanji wrapped her arm around Twilight’s back, slowly rubbing the other side of her chest with her palm.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Levi turned to Eren, observing how his hand had not healed yet.

“So your self-inflicted bite wounds on your hands aren’t healing either?” he asked.

Eren gripped his stiff, stinging hands, knowing that they hadn’t.

“No,” Eren admitted.

“If you can’t transform into a titan,” responded Levi, “our goal of sealing Wall Maria is off the table. This is an order: make it happen.”

“Yes, sir.”

With that, Levi walked away, leaving Eren to wallow in the failure of his lack of control. Petra walked up to him to talk, leaving Eren with Auruo, Erd, and Gunther.

“Don’t let it get you down, Eren,” advised Erd.

“But…” Eren tried to say.

“Well,” admitted Auruo, “I guess that means you’re more human than I thought.”

Eren was shocked at his rare words of kindness.

“Better than rushing into something and getting killed,” figured Erd. “This isn’t meaningless.”

“Yeah,” agreed Gunther. “We can’t be too careful.”

Eren couldn’t understand the lax nature at the moment, even in the light of his inability to transform.

Why is everyone acting so calm? he thought. Are they okay with me not being able to turn into a titan?

Eren ignored this and went to the small spoon on his saucer, hoping his tea was warm enough to drink so he could stir his sugar. As he grabbed the spoon though, the stinging soreness of his hand forced him to drop the spoon as it bounced off the table and onto the ground.

“Are you okay?” asked Erd.

“Yeah,” he answered.

Eren bent over and reached for the spoon, but the tabletop against his stomach was preventing his reach. With his grasp filled with more purpose, Eren reached for the spoon and wrapped his fingers around it, causing a large spark to emit from his hand. Eren gasped, knowing what was to come.

From behind Levi and Petra, a large burst of steam exploded out, forcing Erd, Gunther, and Auruo back. The sudden bang caused the ponies at the other table to scream in shock. Other soldiers watched as the steam formed into a small twister getting smaller and smaller as the steam passed away.

“What was that?” wondered one soldier. “What was that explosion?”

Once the steam eventually cleared, Eren was revealed to be squatting atop a partially muscled ribcage, his right hand stuck inside the muscle in the shoulder. The muscle only extended out to the right side, where a fully muscled arm extended out with its elbow supporting itself and the forearm up raised in the air. Eren desperately tried to pull away, scared with his sudden transformation.

“Why now?” he shouted.

“Calm down,” Levi said.

“Captain Levi,” Eren cried, looking behind him to see Levi. “This is…”

“I said to calm down; all of you.”

Eren was then shocked to see Levi not facing him, but the four other soldiers on his squad that stood before him with their blades drawn and their faces livid and frightened. The ponies and Spike stood behind him, scared over what the soldiers would do to their friend. Eren stood scared as well, feeling that his life would end over something that wasn’t his fault.

Meanwhile, from the forest, Hanji, Twilight, and the other soldier, having ran from the forest after hearing the bang, wondered what happened.

“What…” panted Hanji. “What was that sound?”

However, Hanji, upon seeing the giant arm and ribcage that Eren stood on, began to grow ecstatic, her cheeks blushing with opportunity.

“WAAAAH!” she exclaimed cheerfully as she leapt into the air victoriously.

Did Eren finally do it? wondered Twilight, who was a bit more inquisitive. But why is it only a partial transformation? It’s just like that one time…

Eren continued to watch Erd, Gunther, Petra, and Auruo as they surrounded Eren and Levi from four sides.

“Eren,” seethed Erd, “what is the meaning for this?”

“Sir?” Eren cried back, just as confused as he was.

“Why now, without permission? Answer me!”

“Erd,” spoke Levi, “wait.”

“Answer him, Eren!” yelled Auruo. “What are you thinking?”

“No,” shouted Gunther, walking up closer, “that can wait. Prove you’re not an enemy of humanity, right now!”

Eren was feeling like a caged animal facing his poachers, filling the ponies with dread.

“Guys!” shouted Rainbow Dash, frightened for her friend’s well-being. “Don’t hurt him. I’m sure he didn’t mean–”

“Prove it, now!” ordered Gunther, ignoring her. “That is your responsibility!”

“I dare you to make a single move with that arm!” egged Auruo. “I’ll cut off your head! I can do it! I’m serious! You want to try me?”

Fluttershy sunk to the ground, covering her head and eyes with her arms, scared over the outcome.

“Auruo!” called Levi. “I said to calm down!”

“Captain,” screamed Petra, “get away from Eren! You’re too close!”

“No,” he told her, “you’re the ones who should get back, now get back.”

“WHY!?”

“My intuition.”

Eren continued to glance around as the four members of Levi’s squad continued to hound him out. The ponies could only watch as Eren was assaulted from both sides.

“What’s wrong, Eren?” Erd continued to shout. “Say something!”

“Like I said…” Eren tried to speak.

“No sudden movements!” yelled Auruo.

“Prove it to me, Eren!” demanded Gunther.

“I said I don’t understand!” Eren spoke, his answers falling on deaf ears.

“Answer us!” Erd shouted. “You think we can’t kill you? I’m serious!”

“Do it now!” Auruo cried out.

“Are you even listening?” asked Gunther.

“Let’s do this!”

“Are you humanity’s–”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” shrieked Rainbow Dash.

Before the soldiers could turn their heads, Rainbow Dash flew atop the ribcage and landed by Eren’s side. The ponies gasped at Rainbow Dash’s brave, but foolish act.

“Rainbow Dash?” questioned Erd. “Get away from him now! He’s dangerous!”

“You’re the ones who are dangerous!” she shouted back. “Didn’t you hear that he didn’t mean it?”

“I said get away from him! That’s an order!”

“Why don’t you make me…” growled Rainbow Dash, standing in front of her friend like a prowling tiger.

Erd, Gunther, Auruo, and Petra continued to seethe as Rainbow Dash stared them down, all while Eren nervously watched on.

“EREN!” screamed Hanji, her face bright and excited as she shoved Gunther away to get close to Eren’s arm. “Can I touch that arm!?”

Twilight and the other soldier following her arrived soon, her and her pony friends genuinely creeped out as they saw Hanji drool uncontrollably from the corners of her mouth like a dog having found the world’s largest bone.

“It’s okay, right?” begged Hanji. “Right? Just let me touch it!”

“Hanji!” shouted Eren. “Wait a minute!”

Hanji, not heeding Eren’s words, eagerly reached out and put both hands on the giant titan hand, accompanied by a loud sizzling sound and a small trail of steam coming from between her hand and the titan’s.

“Hanji!” cried Twilight, knowing what the sound meant.

“It’s… HOT!!” shrieked Hanji, bouncing up into the air as she waved her hands to fan the burn off.

“Hanji!” shouted Pinkie Pie, galloping towards her pained friend.

“Without the skin,” exclaimed Hanji, sliding to her knees and throwing her arms up victoriously, “it’s really damned hot! Unbelievably hot!”

Suddenly, a plume of white smoke covered Hanji, coming from the nozzle of a fire extinguisher that Pinkie Pie was holding with her two front hooves. While the ponies expected this much, the humans were completely at a loss for words at Pinkie Pie’s device once she stopped, Hanji’s clothing and hands being a touch whiter than before. Judging from Hanji’s calmed face, the others looked to see that whatever it was Pinkie Pie did helped her, opting not to question it further.

“My hands,” Hanji said a little calmer, “they’re cold… and dry!”

“Squad Leader Hanji,” said a nearby soldier, “you’re too reckless!”

“Hey, Eren,” called Hanji, standing back up to face Eren, “don’t you feel that it’s hot too? How does it feel where the right hand connects? I really want to see!”

Eren, realizing his hand was still connected, remembered what he wanted to do.

That’s right, Eren thought. If I just pull out this hand…

Eren put his left boot against the muscle and pushed off, pulling his stuck hand in the muscle too.

Stupid thing! exclaimed Eren.

“Hey, Eren,” called Auruo, “don’t do anything rash!”

As Eren continued to pull, Rainbow Dash flew out behind him and pulled at his waist, hoping to help him. With a final tug from both of them, Eren freed his hand from the titan’s muscle, Rainbow Dash picking him up to prevent his fall.

Once the Eren was cleared from the titan, the carcass began to hiss away, decomposing without its pilot connected to it. Hanji, knowing what this meant, anxiously put her hands to her head and ran in place, unable to control herself.

“WHAT?” she shouted. “Wait, Eren, that was too fast! I still wanted to investigate some things!”

Twilight was also a bit forlorn at their inability to use their opportunity to their full advantage, but a sight in Eren’s titan’s hand caught her eye.

“Hanji,” she said, poking Hanji’s rib with her hoof before pointing it in the intended direction, “look!”

Hanji looked over where Twilight was, noticing the teaspoon from before pinched in between its thumb and index finger. Eren panted, glad to have made it out alright. As Rainbow Dash set Eren down, Levi walked up to the two of them.

“Captain…” gasped Eren.

“How do you feel?” Levi asked him.

As Eren sunk to his knees, recovering from the shock and strain his transformation put on him. Rainbow Dash patted him on the back, trying to comfort him.

“Not…” Eren panted. “Not so good.”

The other members of Levi’s squad, as well as the ponies and Spike, looked to Eren with persistent confusion, but defused anger.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Eren and Levi sat alone inside the dungeon to Eren’s cell, discussing what happened that afternoon.

“Until I saw that they were actually ready to kill me,” Eren said, “I didn’t understand that they doubted me so much.”

“Of course they do,” Levi responded matter-of-factly. “That’s why I chose them. People say you only truly become a member of the Scouting Legion after making it back alive from your first mission, but whenever you fight the titans, you never have enough information. There are too many situations you just can’t anticipate, no matter what.”

Eren listened intently as Levi explained and justified his soldier’s actions.

“They’ve had to cultivate the ability to take quick action and to make ruthless decisions by assuming the worst-case-scenario. But that doesn’t mean they’ve become heartless. It’s not like they felt nothing when they turned their swords on you.”

“Captain Levi,” spoke a soldier from the top of the stairs, “Squad Leader Hanji wants to see you.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Levi and Eren walked into the dining hall where Petra, and Auruo sat at a table with Hanji standing at the other end. The ponies and Spike stood patiently next to Erd and Gunther at the left of the room.

“Did you take a long crap?” asked Levi as he walked towards Hanji.

“Actually,” spoke Hanji without a hint of sarcasm or joking, “it was pleasantly quick. I wasn’t sure what to tell the higher-ups, but for now, look at this.”

Hanji took out a wrapped up cloth from her grasp and placed it on the table. Unfolding it, everyone could see the spoon that Eren’s titan’s hand grabbed a hold of as it decomposed.

“A teaspoon?” wondered Rarity.

“Are spoons our enemies now too?” questioned Pinkie Pie.

“Not at all,” Hanji said. “In fact, quite the opposite. The right hand that Eren inadvertently created was holding this between its index finger and thumb, like so.”

As Hanji held the spoon exactly as she saw, Eren gasped, seeming to realize what was happening. Levi, while he didn’t find Hanji’s usual energy to his liking, couldn’t deny that she was an otherwise brilliant woman.

“It’s hard to imagine that was an accident,” Hanji explained further, “and for some reason, the heat and pressure didn’t warp the spoon at all. Anything come to mind?”

“Well,” explained Eren, “I was trying to pick it up. I transformed right after.”

“I see…”

“I see what?” Rainbow Dash wondered. “What does that spoon have to do with Eren’s powers?”

“Because I think it might explain why Eren wasn’t able to transform earlier. ‘Kill the titans.’ ‘Block the cannonball.’ ‘Lift the boulder.’”

Eren and the ponies soon began to understand, their eyes and mouths widening as Hanji went on.

“In each case,” explained Hanji, “you had a clear goal in mind before you transformed. My theory is that your self-inflicted injury probably isn’t the sole trigger. You may need some goal as well.”

“Think of it like this,” added Twilight. “Have you ever been set on making a decision, and you could just feel it in your body that that’s what you were supposed to do? Perhaps that feeling, coupled with the pain from biting yourself, is what sets off your transformation. Eren, in what way were you trying to pick up your spoon?”

“When I picked it up from my saucer,” recounted Eren, “I dropped it and it fell to the floor. I tried reaching for it, but the table held me back, so–”

“When you grabbed it that time, and I’m sure your hands were still pretty painful from what you did to yourself, your purpose to grab the spoon was much greater being that it was further from your reach. Sure, we may hurt ourselves trying to accomplish things, but the manner in which you felt as you tried to pick up that spoon is more than likely what triggered the transformation. Perhaps it’s also like the cannonball.”

“Huh?”

“When you transformed to protect us and your friends from the cannonball in Trost, your decision to transform was quickly devised and was almost as if you did it on a whim, which is why you made only a partial transformation. Same can be said with the spoon. I don’t think trying to block a gate with a boulder has less precedence over picking up a spoon, but you still transformed, but only a partial one again.

“But when you wanted to kill the titans or block the gate on your first and third transformations, you became a full-fledged titan. What I’m trying to say here is that the degree in which you transform all depends on the resolve and clarity of the goal you’re trying to accomplish in tandem of the pain you feel when you hurt yourself.”

“Nicely done,” Hanji said, earning a proud blush from Twilight.

“In other words,” asked Gunther, “you didn’t deliberately change without permission?”

“No sir,” answered Eren. “I thought pain was the only way. I didn’t know that something as normal as picking up a spoon would do that.”

Gunther listened to the slight desperation of Eren’s voice, hoping that none of the soldiers present would be angry at him for it. Gunther took an exasperated sigh before looking to Erd, who looked at him back and nodded to him. Auruo and Petra shared a glance at each other and nodded as well.

Then, all four soldiers took their right hands and inserted them into their mouths, biting down with painful grunts as they did. The sight was even enough to shock and confuse Hanji and the ponies. Pinkie Pie, however gave a shrug, and bit down into her own hoof.

“Huh?” she exclaimed. “Eh?”

“Yowwy!” shouted Pinkie Pie, shaking her hoof to the side.

“Wait,” questioned Eren. “What are you doing?”

Taking their hands back out of their mouths, Erd, Gunther, Petra, and Auruo looked at the red imprints their teeth left behind, Levi watching indifferently.

“That hurt…” Gunther muttered.

“And it tasted terrible too,” Pinkie Pie moaned.

“This isn’t easy,” spoke Erd. “I’m amazed you can even bite through, Eren.”

“We made the wrong decision,” Gunther admitted, soon smiling. “This is a small price to pay, not that it makes a difference.”

Eren was stunned at their seeming 180 attitude towards him.

“Keeping you under control is our job,” Auruo spoke up, “and there’s nothing wrong with that, so don’t get cocky!”

“We’re sorry for scaring you, Rainbow Dash,” Erd said to her. “I know how much you cherish Eren as a friend and we almost let our fear take him out. For that, we apologize.”

“It's okay,” Rainbow Dash said, tossing her head to the side. “We’re cool.”

“I’m sorry too, Eren,” apologized Petra. “We’ve been so jumpy. You must be disappointed in our stupidity.”

“Excited, sure,” Twilight said, “but stupid, absolutely not. There’s nothing wrong with being fearful for your own life. It’s just in the end, you have to make the decision that will benefit everyone and not just yourself.”

“Thank you, Twilight,” Petra responded with a happy smile. “It’s no wonder you’re so blessed with as many friends as you have.”

Twilight, wanting to make Petra feel a bit better, walked over and gave her a soft, nuzzling hug, which they both seemed to really enjoy. Eren, now feeling more confident with his abilities after knowing more about them, made another decision.

“Twilight,” he spoke, breaking up her and Petra’s hug and getting their attention, “if you think working with me will help us win this war, I’ll allow you and Hanji to work with me!”

“Really?” asked Twilight. “You’d do that for us?”

“Of course! Now that I know how to control my powers better, I think I’m more comfortable helping you out.”

While Twilight smiled contently, Hanji leapt in the air with joy.

“Yes!” she cried out, jumping up and down. “This is going to be so amazing! I might just get to know how all titans function! Woohoo!”

Eren couldn’t help but chuckle at her exuberance while the others just mildly smiled.

“Eren,” spoke Petra once again, “just like you rely on Hanji and the ponies, we’re going to rely on you, and we want you to rely on us. So, please…”
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“Have faith in us,” Petra said to Eren as they continued to ride.

With Eren’s memories having full come back full circle, he put his hand back on the reins. However, he still didn’t quite know if this was the right decision, especially as the other soldier continued to swing at the Female Titan behind them.

“Eren!” shouted Levi up ahead. “You’re taking too long! Decide!”

As if the memories from earlier kept replaying in his head at a mile a second, the choice became clearer the more moments that passed.

“I’LL GO FORWARD!” Eren shouted, genuinely shocking Levi.

Petra was overjoyed with Eren’s loyalty while the others, glad for them to see their side, continued on as planned. Rainbow Dash and Spike looked to Eren and gave them accepting smiles, feeling as well that Eren’s decision was correct.

“Ah!” screamed the soldier from behind them. “Let me go!”

Eren looked behind him to see as the Female Titan had the last soldier in its grasp, moving her hand towards the trees and smearing his upper body against the bark, tossing the other half behind it. Eren knew that while it was a tough decision, the damage was done.

I’m sorry, he thought, wincing in the pain he must have felt.

The Female Titan, knowing that its dealing with those soldiers had slowed her down, went back to a full sprint, picking up dust and dirt behind it as it got closer more quickly.

“Target is accelerating!” shouted Erd.

“Keep going!” Auruo shouted. “We’ll outrun it!”

Rainbow Dash looked behind her to see that if they kept going, they’d get crushed within seconds. Rainbow Dash gasped, wanting nothing more than to fight it as it got ever such closer.

“Rainbow Dash!” Petra called. “Don’t tell me you’re going to fight that thing too! Don’t you trust us?”

Of course I do, Rainbow Dash thought, but even I have my doubts. I know everything there is to know about speed, and with as fast as she’s going, we won’t have another hundred meters before she gets to us. I think I can take her on at my speeds, but Petra’s right. In this forest, I’m about as slow as molasses. What could I do?

Rainbow Dash looked forwards to Levi, who continued to look ahead despite the closeness of the titan.

And Levi, figured Rainbow Dash, he’s been looking forward pretty much ever since we’ve gotten into this forest. Does he see something up ahead that we don’t? I mean, Levi would never steer us wrong. Eren, Petra, Auruo, Erd, Gunther; they’re all loyal to him and they trust him with their lives. He knows what he’s doing. I know that he knows what he’s doing.

Rainbow Dash furrowed her brow.

And as the Element of Loyalty, I’m going to be loyal to him too, the Rainbow Dash way!

Rainbow Dash positioned herself upright and put her wings out, allowing the stream of air to push her backwards towards the Female Titan.

“Rainbow Dash!” screamed Petra. “Get back here!”

Unable to hear her, Rainbow Dash was now close to the Female Titan that it began to make a reach for her.

“Is that all?” Rainbow Dash asked tauntingly.

With a thrust in her body as she aimed her head at the front of the titan’s ankle, she passed through the Female Titan’s grasp and flipped back over, her back right hoof positioned to kick. The Female Titan, completely caught off guard by her speed, couldn’t prepare itself as the pegasus drove her kick into the titan tripping it up.

As the titan fumbled to regain its footing, forcing the titan to slow its pace and give Eren and his friends more room, Rainbow Dash flew up and behind the titan and out from the top of the forest, arcing back down over where Levi’s squad would be. Once she put herself back in position, the others gasped at her sudden appearance.

“So,” Rainbow Dash said, “did I just buy us some more time or what?”

“Rainbow Dash,” muttered Petra, “you–”

“I believe in Levi, okay? I just knew that she was going to get us, so I gave us some space, alright?”

“No need to apologize, Rainbow Dash,” Levi said. “You did good there. Now, let’s keep moving!”

“Alright, Rainbow Dash!” cheered Spike.

Eren smiled up at Rainbow Dash with respect and appreciation, happy for her help. Rainbow Dash turned to face the Female Titan as she flew backwards, looking the titan in the eyes as it tried to get back up. Rainbow Dash then put her fanning hooves behind her ears and stuck her tongue out, teasing it even more.

The Female Titan, knowing that it would have to stop Rainbow Dash in order to touch Eren or the others, made another mad run for the formation, getting back closer. Eren tilted his head back as far down as it could go, allowing him to see the Female Titan as it reached its hand for Eren and Rainbow Dash.

Just before Rainbow Dash was about to go for another strike, she glanced out to the sides to see something odd. Soldiers were hiding up in the branches of trees and behind the barks on the ground as four, large, honeycomb shaped cannons were placed on both sides of the road as well as two more in the trees. Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened, suddenly realizing what they were going for.

The Female Titan, seeing Rainbow Dash’s face, just realized that it now fell into a trap, but it was far too late; she was in it. As Eren and Levi’s squad passed the cannons, also surprised by what they saw, the Female Titan had stepped right in front of them. With the timing now opportune, Erwin, who hid up above as well, gave the command.

“FIRE!” he shouted.

With a pulling of several strings, large, jagged hooks connected by were fired out of each hole in the cannons, all going straight at the Female Titan. Knowing it couldn’t dodge them, the titan covered its neck with both hands as it was pelted from almost every imaginable angle by the hooks. The blasts seemed to mount on for about fifteen seconds before the last cannon fired off. With the wires holding the titan in on nearly every foot of its body, the Female Titan was caught and immobilized.

With that taken care of, Levi and his squad continued to ride out, their pursuer stuck and unable to get them. Eren looked back, not only amazed at what had just happened, but that with their combined efforts, the Female Titan was captured.

“Advance a bit further,” ordered Levi, “tether the horses, and switch to Maneuver Gear! You guys will be off on your own for a while. Erd, lead the squad, and keep a good eye on Spike.”

“Roger!” Erd called back.

“Erd,” Levi said, going off the saddle and crouching upon the back of his horse, “once you’re a good distance away from the titan, hide Eren. Spike, you know how to tether my horse, right?”

“You betcha’!” he happily replied.

With a final nod, Levi leapt off his horse and flew through the trees back to where the Female Titan was. As Spike slid up to the saddle, he watched Levi until he was out of sight.

“So cool,” he muttered.

“No way,” Eren gasped, realizing his intention. “He can’t intend to take that titan alive?”

Eren looked back at the other four members of the squad, who all gave him confident faces happy that the plan worked.

“Well, Eren, Rainbow Dash?” exclaimed Gunther. “See that? We caught that titan!”

“This is the power of the Survey Corp!” proclaimed Auruo. “Don’t underestimate us, you fools! Well, do you get it now?”

Eren, having experience firsthand in their raw abilities, found the excitement and joy contagious.

“Yes!” he answered gleefully.

Back at the site of the Female Titan, Levi landed upon the branch that Erwin stood on, putting his blades away as they looked upon their catch.

“Looks like it stopped moving,” Levi said.

“We can’t lower our guard,” Erwin advised, “but you did well leading it here.”

“Men in the rearguard squads died buying us the time we needed. Even Rainbow Dash risked her life to make sure we didn’t fall prey to it. We couldn’t have done it without any of them.”

“Is that so?”

“What's done is done. Thanks to them, we’ll be able to see who’s inside this thing. I hope they haven’t pissed themselves…”

The Female Titan, realizing its predicament, grit her teeth and widened her hook pierced eyes, visibly frightened for its safety as it was now at the mercy of the Scouting Legion.