Sasha, Rarity, and Kirill could finally see the Scouting Legion headquarters in the dark distance. With their return, Sasha and Rarity could get their uniforms and 3D Maneuver Gears and have a place to rest and eat. Seeing the castle nearby, Sasha and Rarity began to quicken their pace towards the castle. Kirill wanted to follow them close too, but something didn’t feel right to him.

“Ladies!” he shouted out. “Stay put!”

Sasha and Rarity skidded to a halt while Kirill slowed down to meet with them. He then pulled a smoke gun from inside his jacket and aimed it at the castle. Taking careful aim as he and the girls covered their ears, Kirill shot the round, where it produced a bright, red light that shone just over the castle.

Sasha and Rarity gasped to see two titans, a ten meter and a seven meter, walking around the castle, both horrifying them all and confusing them.

“How can this be?” Kirill asked. “Titans shouldn’t be around at night.”

“What are we going to do?” asked Rarity.

“Do not worry,” Kirill answered as he hopped off the cart. “I have my Maneuver Gear, so I can kill them.”

“What about us?” asked Sasha. “You can’t just leave us here.”

“It will only be for a moment. When the coast is clear, I’ll fire a green flare. If I need help in any way, I’ll fire a red. Okay?”

“I understand,” answered Rarity.

“Rarity,” whispered Sasha, “do you really think he can go against two titans by himself at night?”

“Kirill is a master with the Maneuver Gear. I trust he’ll do fine.”

Krill unlatched his horse from his cart and mounted it.

“While I go ahead,” planned Kirill, “you put your horse on that cart, alright Sasha?”

“Okay,” she answered.

“Remember, green is come, red is help.”

Kirill lightly kicked his horse with his heel and brought him to a gallop. As he got closer to the castle, he affixed a second round to his pistol and took aim once again, but this time at the ground. Once he felt that he was about fifty meters from the building, he fired his round, which came out as a bright white.

With the flare hitting the ground, it rolled until it was in the middle of the courtyard where the two titans were waiting, illuminating the area. As soon as they turned to see Kirill coming, it was far too late for them. Kirill hopped onto his horse and launched a hook at the roof of the building to his left as well as the right side of the closest titan’s neck.

With a burst of gas, Kirill flew off his horse and in between the roof and the titan. At that point, he retracted his left wire and pressed a button on his right operational device, causing wire from his Maneuver Gear to pull out from his harness and have him fly into the air. At the right moment, Kirill let go of the button and cut the slack of the rope.

With his wire held down, his momentum caused him to swing down right online with the farther titan’s neck, which he cut out. Landing back on the ground, Kirill pressed the upper trigger on his device, pulling him in towards the last titan as fast as his wires could. Before the titan could have a chance to fully turn his body, Kirill was already behind its neck and had cut it off, killing the titan.

His launch flung him over the roof, forcing Kirill to turn around and hook into the building. As he swung back down, he reeled himself up, allowing his body to swing just over the ground before he let go and slid on his foot and other heel along the dirt. Once he came to a stop, he pulled out his gun and a green flare round. Quickly screwing it in, he aimed the pistol into the sky and fired.

From outside, Sasha and Rarity could see the green light in the sky. Not wanting to be out in the open any longer, the two of them made it for the headquarters, Sasha driving Kirill’s cart. Kirill examined his blade before he slipped it back into his sheath.

“Kirill!” shouted Sasha as she rode up with Rarity. “What do we do now?”

“Where are the others?” asked Kirill. “Do you know?”

“Oh dear,” gasped Rarity, suddenly remembering. “Pinkie Pie! Conny!”

As Rarity ran towards the mess hall, Sasha also remembered Conny’s staying behind to help Pinkie Pie. She jumped off of Kirill’s cart and ran to where Rarity was headed.

“Wait!” Kirill called as he chased after them. “Where are you going? Where’s Pinkie Pie?”

“Pinkie Pie got lost in the building when the titans attacked and Conny went back to save her! We don’t know if they made it out!”

Kirill, feeling a sharp pang of fear hit his gut, quickened his pace to where he was beginning to run beside Sasha. As they turned the corner, Rarity was devastated to see the side of the mess hall was completely demolished. Sasha and Kirill came around as well, and but Sasha went running right into the gaping hole that was left.

“Sasha,” Rarity cried, “wait!”

Rarity then realized something else: the stables. Rarity turned back and galloped toward them, hoping to find them empty, or at the very least, without Conny’s horse inside. Rarity bucked the door in, breaking it off its hinges. Rarity leapt inside, only to feel relief wash over her when she found it completely empty.

“Rarity!” yelled Sasha as she emerged back out from the mess hall. “I found a bag of flour in the hallway! Pinkie Pie must have abandoned it when the titans finally arrived.”

“And the stables are empty!” shouted Rarity. “Conny and Pinkie Pie must have gotten out in time!”

“Then what about this?” Kirill asked, kneeling beside the mutilated corpse of a soldier.

Once Rarity and Sasha saw the body, both of them ran to where Kirill was investigating. Kirill turned the body over, which was now half of a torso and a head with the top bitten off.

However, Rarity could immediately recognize the man’s moustache and beard. Seeing Mike’s body in that state, Rarity stepped aside and emptied her stomach on the stone-bricked ground.

“Who was this?” Kirill asked.

“He…” Sasha muttered, traumatized by the sight, “was one of our squad leaders. But he went with the south squad. Why did he come back?”

“You don’t suppose he came in and helped Pinkie Pie and your other friend, do you?”

“I… I don’t know.”

Sasha was close to tears, unable to say anymore. Rarity wiped her mouth with her wrist and took another look at Mike.

“What shall we do with him?”

“There’s no time to give him a burial,” Kirill said. “Right now, you two should get in your uniforms and help find the equipment of your friends. If you guys aren’t suited, I doubt the others will be too. In the meantime, I’ll keep watch for possible titans and looters that come walking by.

“Got it!” Sasha and Rarity yelled before they ran back into the hole in the mess hall.

Kirill ran back towards his cart and Sasha’s horse while drawing both of his blades once again. As he stood alone in the darkness, he kept his full concentration on the sights and sounds around him, looking out for friends and enemies, praying for friends.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Gelger and his squad rode along the edge of the wall, holding their torches so that they could both look for any breaches in the wall and still see far enough ahead. With the night providing an abyss of near blinding darkness, fears and tensions were high amongst the soldiers.

Conny and Pinkie Pie were especially cautious, wanting no more harm to come to them or their friends because of their actions. Gelger thought out the situation in his head.

We really need to hurry, he thought, but if we go any faster, we’re sure to get killed. Our torches are only able to light just what’s in front of us, and that’s not saying much. There’s no way we can ride on a terrain with no roads and almost no light in full gallop.

Even then, titans are lurking about any imaginable corner. And if we’re getting closer to the breach, we’ll be sighted by them any moment now.

The mere possibility of being ambushed by the titans now was giving Gelger a fit.

Shit! he thought. This is driving me crazy. When...? When are they going to come?

Suddenly, four flame-like likes flickered just ahead, shocking Gelger and the others. As Gelger and his soldiers slowed down, the four lights came closer still. The lights finally came to a point where the facial features of the people carrying them could be clearly seen as they reunited with Gelger. It was Nanaba, Ymir, Krista, and another soldier.

“Conny?” Krista wondered. “Pinkie Pie! Thank heavens you’re alright!”

“What happened?” Nanaba asked Conny. “Why weren’t you with us when we left the headquarters?”

“It’s all my fault!” Pinkie Pie shamefully admitted. “I was goofing off in the pantry when the titans attacked, and Conny had to come and save me.”

“So Wall Rose has been breached,” Ymir said, “and she thinks that fun and games are more important.”

“Hey,” Conny spoke up, “she had no idea!”

“What about Mike?” Nanaba asked towards Gelger. “Where is he?”

“He’s gone…” Pinkie Pie whimpered, her guilt eating away at her.

Nanaba and his squad were stunned silent. Bertolt, Reiner, Conny, and Gelger bowed their heads, having known already.

“What?” Nanaba exclaimed. “He’s dead? How do you know?”

“He got eaten…” Pinkie Pie explained. “He got eaten like a… cake at a birthday.”

Nanaba still couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“A soldier like Mike…” Nanaba muttered. “How…?”

“An abnormal got him!” Conny yelled.

“Conny…” growled Reiner in a foreboding tone.

“An abnormal?” Nanaba asked.

“Yeah, but it wasn’t like any abnormal we’ve ever seen! It had a really beast-like face, this thick fur, really long arms, and it could talk!”

“A talking titan?” Ymir guffawed. “Conny, I knew you were an idiot, but do you seriously expect me to believe that cock and bull?”

“I know what I saw!” barked Conny.

“Conny!” hissed Gelger. “Keep your voice down.”

“Ymir,” Conny resumed in a lower volume, “last time you called me a stupid liar, it was about the existence of the ponies, and look, one is standing next to me right now. Not to mention, one of our own friends can turn into a titan, so why can’t this Beast Titan exist?”

“And I was there too!” Pinkie Pie testified. “Conny is telling the honest to goodness truth. There’s no better truths than the honest to goodness ones!”

Nanaba, not wanting to start an argument, began to humor Conny.

“So,” asked Nanaba. “What did this… Beast Titan do?”

“I can’t exactly say,” Conny carefully recounted. “As Pinkie Pie and I were leaving we heard something collide with the roof. The Beast Titan must have thrown Mike’s horse at him. After that, Mike broke his leg and couldn’t move.”

Despite the sheer implausibility of the story, both Nanaba and Krista were extremely invested with Conny’s tall tale.

“Then, right before the other titans could eat him, the Beast Titan began… speaking to Mike. I didn’t hear what Mike said. As a matter of fact, I don’t think he said anything. The titan just showed interest in his Maneuver Gear. Once the titan took it from him, he allowed all the titans to go ahead and eat him. Me and Pinkie Pie used the commotion to our advantage, and we both left as the Beast Titan went the other way.”

“So wait,” Nanaba wondered, “he was coming from the north?”

“No use racking your brain over it,” Ymir stated. “Even someone with half of Conny’s brain can tell that story’s all bullshit.”

Pinkie Pie’s eyes glared at Ymir, deeply offended by her disrespect for her friend.

“We’ll discuss this later,” Nanaba ordered. “Gelger, have you found the breach yet?”

“You mean,” Gelger asked, “you haven’t seen it?”

“Of course we haven’t! We’ve been running all the way from the west and have found nothing wrong with the wall. The breach wasn’t on our end, so that means it must be on yours.”

Gelger’s eyes widened. Something was wrong.

“No…” answered Gelger. “We haven’t found the breach either.”

Nanaba and Gelger stared at each other for several moments, waiting for the other to tell the truth.

“Did you miss it somehow?” asked Nanaba.

“There’ no way!” Gelger exclaimed. “This isn’t some mouse hole; we’re talking about a hole big enough for the titans to crawl through! But… should we check again?”

“We should,” Nanaba answered, “but all of us are getting tired and we can hardly see anything in this dark. If only there was some moonlight.”

As if a heavenly deity had heard him, the clouds up above parted to reveal the moon, casting a soft glow over the area. The others turned to see the minimal illumination to the north, and they all couldn’t believe what they saw. It looked like the small ruins of a castle with a large tower and a smaller one next to it, both connected by a stone bridge.

“Wow, Nanaba!” Pinkie Pie spoke. “Are you psychic or something?”

“I wish I was,” Nanaba said to himself.

“Either way,” Gelger rejoiced, “we have a place to rest! Let’s go!”

Gelger began to canter his horse towards the castle while Nanaba and the others followed close behind. As Conny tried to keep his gaze forwards towards the castle, he took a look towards Pinkie Pie. He was saddened to see that her lips were quivering and her eyes were wet and dripping.

Ymir, Conny thought, I’ll never forgive you…

As the soldiers galloped around the walls of the castle to look for an entrance, they found that a decent portion of the north wall was completely destroyed. Following Nanaba and Gelger, the soldiers led their horses through the path in the rubble towards the empty stables.

Once the soldier’s arrived, they dismounted their steeds and tied them near the drinking tub, where water was already filled into it. As Conny petted his horse as he drank, Pinkie Pie leaned against Conny, not wanting to leave his side and comfort.

Nanaba and Gelger walked up a low-angled ramp to the largest tower on the southern platform, hoping to find some information.

“This castle is so close to the wall and it hardly looks hospitable,” Gelger reasoned, “but that water in the stables looked relatively fresh. There must have been people here not too long ago, but they were probably all thieves or hoodlums.”

“Not a bad assumption…” Nanaba agreed.

As they came to the door, they saw a metal plate on the door.

CASTLE UTGARD

Nanaba pulled the door open and both of them walked inside. With the slightly confined space, the light of their torches bounced off the walls and provided a decent illumination. The only things that seemed to be in the building were some crates pushed off to the side of the circular room, a small pit for a fire, a couple of sconces for their torches and a staircase that led upwards.

“We can stay here until it gets light enough to see,” Nanaba planned.

“I’ll tell the others,” Gelger said walking back outside.

He stood upon the edge of the platform at the stationed soldiers below.

“Everyone!” he shouted. “Come inside and bring some wood and your torches.”

As Gelger walked back inside, the soldiers looked around and picked up whatever wood they could find. As Conny bent down and tried to pick up a bundle with his one free hand, he felt someone grab his torch from him. He turned to see Pinkie Pie had the torch firmly in her mouth, smiling in an effort to make him feel more comfortable. Conny indeed smiled back, happy for his partner’s assistance.

“Thanks, Pinkie,” sighed Conny.

With both arms free, Conny groped a large portion of wood with his arms and walked forwards towards the castle tower, Pinkie Pie jumping ahead to light the way.
________________________________________________________________________________________

A fire was burning warm and bright in the center of the base floor of the tower. Sitting around it were Reiner, Pinkie Pie, Conny, Nanaba, the woman soldier from Conny’s group, and the short brown-haired soldier from Nanaba’s squad. Bertolt, Ymir, and Krista sat against the wall.

The door opened up, revealing Gelger carrying a black bottle with a faded label filled with liquid that audibly sloshed around inside.

“Nanaba,” called Gelger to his soldiers from left to right as he showed them the bottle, “Rene, Henning, look at what I found. I wonder how something like this got here.”

“Gelger,” Rene asked, “is that vine? Don’t tell me you’re going to drink it!”

“Of course not. I can’t be seen trying to lead these soldiers drunk.”

“But still,” Henning said, “I guess we can thank those hoodlums for being so generous.”

“I’m sorry,” Nanaba passively complained, “but who are the thieves here, them or us?”

Rene laughed in response, Nanaba feeling put down by her jovial take on his serious moral dilemma. Pinkie Pie was curled up against Conny as he gently stroked the side of her body down to her flank. Reiner leaned closer to the fire, appreciating the warmth. Ymir and Krista sat next to each other in silence, still worried about what the next days would bring.

“You scouts make sure you rest well,” Gelger said as he made his way towards the stairs. “It’s night now, so there shouldn’t be many titans running about. However, we’re not going to leave anything to chance, so we’ll be taking turns on lookout. At four hours before daybreak, we set out again.”

“Excuse me,” piped Krista, “if the wall hasn’t been breached, then where did all those titans come from?”

“We’ll look into that tomorrow. Now, I’m ordering you to rest up.”

Krista and the others watched as Gelger ascended the stairs to keep watch over the area.

“So titans appeared inside Wall Rose,” Krista speculated, “but there’s no breach in the wall? How can that be?”

“When you think about it,” responded Henning, “we didn’t see nearly enough titans for something like that to happen.”

“The only titans we did see were the ones from the beginning back at the headquarters,” Nanaba added.

“So did the wall really get breached? If not, just what is going on?”

Ymir stared at Conny and Pinkie Pie. While she still found their story of the Beast Titan to be farfetched, there were too many things that were beginning to add up that didn’t make much sense either. Whether it be the benefit of the doubt or any sense of regret for her words to Conny, she mustered the courage to speak to him.

“Conny,” said Ymir, “when you went to your village, what happened to it?”

Conny looked over to Ymir, unsure if she was being serious or not. He looked at her solemnly.

“It was destroyed,” Conny answered. “It was destroyed before even Gelger’s squad arrived.”

Conny and Pinkie Pie waited for some snarky comment from Ymir, but even she knew the right time and right place to make such remarks. Both she and Krista were sad for him.

“Man…” she muttered. “I’m sorry to h–”

“But no one was eaten,” Conny interrupted. “It seems they got out in time. At least there’s some to be thankful for.”

“Wait, didn’t you just say that the village was destroyed?”

“The homes and buildings were all destroyed, but there wasn’t any sign of victims. When people are eaten, all their blood and guts spray everywhere, right? There was nothing like that, so we can only assume that the others escaped.”

Ymir didn’t seem to be understanding this very well, but she still couldn’t bring herself to ignore Conny.

“Only…” Conny continued, “there was something that’s been bothering me ever since.”

Reiner affixed his eyes on Conny, knowing what he was going to refer to.

“The titan that was lying on my house,” said Conny, “it’s arms and legs were too small for its body to move, but it was taking a nap right there. And the thing about it is… that the titan… I couldn’t help but think it looked like my mom. What the hell does that mean…?”

“Conny,” grunted Reiner, “are you still going to continue with that nonsense?”

“Are you really that fucking stupid?” Ymir howled, which erupted into laughter.

Ymir’s commotion brought all attention to her, and neither one of the soldiers other than her seemed to appreciate what she was doing. Pinkie Pie’s brow began to furrow, and her toothy grimace began to appear.

“So if your mom’s a titan,” Ymir continued to roar, “than how come you’re such a midget?”

Pinkie Pie began to shudder in anger, but Conny didn’t seem to feel it, his concentration fully on Ymir. Ymir didn’t even seem to recognize Pinkie Pie’s anger, instead getting more and more wrapped up in herself.

“So what do you have to say, Conny?” asked Ymir. “The facts kinda’ add up, don’t they? I knew you were an idiot, or wait, maybe it’s the opposite! Maybe you ARE a genius! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

Conny was too tired to argue, putting a hand on his head to aid the headache he felt coming on.

“Shut up already,” Conny moaned. “You’re not even making sense anymore.”

“And wouldn’t that make your dad a titan too?” Ymir continued as Pinkie Pie reached a boiling point. “I mean, if he wasn’t, wouldn’t it make it hard for them to fuck?”

“SHUT UP!” shrieked Pinkie Pie, causing the room to go silent with shock and fear.

Ymir kept her lips sealed, not wanting to say anything more to set Pinkie Pie off more than she already was.

“You listen here,” Pinkie Pie threatened as she approached Ymir, “I don’t appreciate you calling my friend a liar or an idiot! And no, his mom WASN’T a titan! Conny’s mom was a human mom, just like yours! I don’t know what you’re problem is and why you’re so mean to us, but you know what?” she asked, pointing her hoof in Ymir’s face. “You’re nothing but a big… b– bitch!”

The room was still silent, completely taken by surprise by Pinkie Pie’s outburst, but none more than Ymir herself. As Pinkie Pie stared at the perplexed Ymir, she suddenly felt regret for what she said, shying back into a submissive stance as she backed away from her.

“I…” Pinkie Pie muttered, “I’m sorry about that.”

Ymir couldn’t help but chuckle.

“No, don’t be,” she responded with an honest smile, “that was great! I didn’t think you had it in you!”

“Ymir!” Conny yelled. “Just leave her alone and go to bed before Gelger yells at all of us. Come on Pinkie, let’s get some sleep.”

As Pinkie Pie walked back towards Conny, she kept her gaze on Ymir before she curled back up into a ball and rested next to Conny. Conny, not wanting to look at Ymir one second longer, lied down on his back and used his forearm as a pillow.

As the other soldiers began to follow suit and lie down for rest, Ymir continued to look a Pinkie Pie with genuine interest. For what it was worth, Pinkie Pie had gained Ymir’s respect.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Sasha and Rarity were now fully dressed and fully equipped for battle as they searched around the house for the Maneuver Gears and uniforms of her other comrades. As Rarity came out from a hallway with nothing else on her person, she spotted Sasha walk out with a Maneuver Gear case and uniform in her hands, the latter of which she could barely hold as it strewed out under her arm .

“Sasha, darling, could you please tell me where Conny and Pinkie Pie’s rooms are?”

“I’m a little busy at the moment!” gasped Sasha.

“Oh, how inconsiderate of me!” Rarity said as she removed the uniform from Sasha’s grasp and neatly folded it. “There is that better?”

“Much!”

“Let’s get these downstairs, and then help me find Conny and Pinkie Pie’s things.”

“But what about–”

“I realize, but if Conny and Pinkie Pie are indeed alive, they’ll need their equipment. Let’s hurry!”

“Alright.”

Sasha led the way as both she and Rarity descended the stairs to place their comrade’s belongings downstairs.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Kirill continued to look out over his cart and the headquarters like a dog defending his meat. It was certainly settling that no one was coming, but Kirill could not let his guard down. As his eyes scanned the horizon, he found several small lights approaching from the distance. Kirill readied a flare in his pistol, knowing that regardless of who was coming, he’d have to be seen and vice-versa.

Kirill screwed a white round in and aimed upwards, covering both ears. With a pull of the trigger, the round shot off into the air, producing a bright glow that lit the surroundings. Kirill knew that he’d have plenty of time now to wait for attackers or have allies see him.

Approaching the headquarters was Hanji, Levi, Erwin, Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Annie, Jean, Auruo, Petra, Twilight (with Spike mounting her), Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, and several other soldiers from behind. Once the flare went up, Hanji and Erwin looked ahead to find the person responsible. As Hanji squinted as she and the others approached, her eyes shot wide open, realizing who it was.

“Is that…” she muttered, “Kirill?”

As the group of soldiers came closer, Kirill too began to see the faces of his good friends.

“Hanji!” yelled Kirill, glad to see her.

The soldier’s horses slowed to a stop as they approached the castle, with Hanji bounding from her horse and running to Kirill. They both reunited with a tight, strong hug, happy to be seeing each other again.

“What are you even doing here?” asked Hanji. “It’s dangerous!”

“I know,” Kirill answered, “that’s why I came here to give supplies.”

“Hanji, Kirill,” Erwin spoke, walking up, “as happy as you two are to see each other, we have no time for sentiment. The others are along the edge of Wall Rose and they need our help.”

“Of course,” Kirill said, pushing himself off of Hanji, “what was I thinking. Rarity and Sasha are inside getting the belongings of the others who fled.”

“Rarity’s alive?” Twilight asked.

Twilight and the other ponies ran forwards to the HQ, wanting to see their friend. Annie stepped forwards with Eren and Armin, Mikasa following suspiciously behind. Following them were Levi, Jean, Auruo, and Petra.

“Everyone,” Erwin said, “I’m now going to give you my orders before we journey towards the wall. Everyone is to refuel on gas and blades. Then you will help Kirill and the others gather the Maneuver Gears and uniforms of the soldiers on the front-lines. Hanji, I want you to find Twilight and prepare as many syringes of the antidote as possible. Then, bring any and all containers of it with you. We set off in no more than a half-hour! Now let’s move!”

“Yes, sir!” every soldier cried with a salute to their commander.

Erwin and Levi watched as their men ran towards their base. Once they felt that all soldiers were gone, Erwin and Levi ran forwards to assist as well.
________________________________________________________________________________________

A door opened inside the top-floor storage room of Castle Utgard. Ymir quietly crept in with nothing but a candlestick as a light source. She slunk towards one of the crates, hoping that Gelger wouldn’t notice her once he came down after his watch shift. Ymir lifted one of the tops of one of the crates and dug her hand around inside, hoping to find food.

Just as she felt her hand grasp something, a brighter light appeared behind her, its glow becoming visible on the walls in front of her. In shock, she jerked her head around, only to see Reiner standing there with a torch.

“Ymir,” whispered Reiner, “what are you doing?”

“Oh,” Ymir sighed, “it’s just you. What are you doing here at this time a night? Sneaking up on girls with dirty intentions. Funny, I never took you as someone who’s interested in women.”

“And I never took you as someone who’s interested in men.”

“Hm. Touche.”

“So, back to my original question: What are you doing?”

Ymir continued to dig around inside the crate.

“Seeing how we might not get a last meal,” Ymir spoke quietly, “I’m looking for something that can can at least fill me up.”

Reiner took a pause, wanting to bring up the subject, but wanting Ymir to do it on her own. Of course, he knew she wouldn’t, so he did it for her.

“You know,” Reiner mentioned, “about Conny and Pinkie Pie, you really seemed to find a way into their good graces.”

“What are you talking about?” Ymir asked, annoyed.

“I don’t believe that stuff about Conny’s mom being that titan he saw, but you would certainly have to do a number on Pinkie Pie to make you call her a–”

“–big bitch? Hehehe. Yeah.”

Reiner stepped forward, his brow furrowing.

“So what, you think that’s funny?”

“In a way, I kinda’ do. I never expected Pinkie Pie to have such guts. She always seemed too joyful.”

“Ymir, you’ve always had a tendency to push things too far, and I think you really did it this time.”

“Aha!” Ymir said, pulling out a shallow can. “Found something!”

Reiner didn’t feel like arguing further with Ymir, especially if it could get them caught looting.

“Looks like this will do,” said Ymir, “although I’m not the biggest fan of herring.”

“Maybe there’s more in there?” Reiner hinted. “Let me see.”

“Sure.”

Ymir handed Reiner the can of herring, which Reiner promptly inspected. Reiner was suddenly put off by the foreign, unreadable language the label of the can was printed in.

“Canned food, huh?” Reiner asked. “What are these letters? I can’t even read it. Do they even say ‘herring?’ This language looks to be at least a hundred years old, but you don’t seem to have a problem reading it, don’t you, Ymir?”

Reiner tried to figure out why Ymir could read such a language just as Ymir shot him a lethal glance, frightening him. Suddenly, Rene burst into the room, looking frightened for his life.

“Everyone!” she yelled. “Get to the top of the building immediately!”

A the sound of breaking stone and crunching wood was audible through the walls, leading Ymir and Reiner to run out of the room and towards the top. Rene soared down the stairs to wake the others. As Reiner and Ymir came outside to the empty floor, they ran to the ramparts to look at the sight.

Coming in from the north were about two dozen titans and counting. Several of the smaller ones had entered inside the castle courtyard through the gap in its wall. Many of the larger ones began to encircle the castle and climb the walls.

As Ymir and Reiner looked out in sheer disbelief, Rene returned with Henning, Nanaba, Gelger, Conny, Pinkie Pie, Bertolt, and Krista as they looked out over the edge too. The humans and Pinkie Pie all looked with fearful expressions as they were surrounded on all sides by the titans. With few weapons and nowhere to go, they were all trapped in the most hellish scenario imaginable.