From the streets of the southern town inside Wall Maria, Marco was comforting a hysterical and weeping soldier. Sasha was looking at him with dread written all over her face. The soldier was rectangular-faced and his grey hair was messy from his hands constantly pulling it back and up.

“Uhhh,” the saddened soldier sobbed, “Marco, I… I can't fight the titan's anymore."

"What's gotten into you?" asked Marco.

"I’m totally worthless… worthless! I saw my comrades get devoured… right in front of me. My friends were eaten alive… but I didn’t feel neither hate nor sadness . I was just… thankful… from the bottom of my heart… that it wasn’t me!”

The soldier’s sorrow was rubbing off on a nearby Sasha, as her memories of almost being killed by the titan in the storage room were creeping back into her mind and unsettling her further.

“But… next time, it’s going to be me… I get it now. We’re meant to fight against the titans until we eventually get eaten! If I’m going to be eaten anyway,” he shouted, beginning to pull his sword out of its sheath, “it might as well happen now!”

Marco’s hand blocked him, preventing the drawing any further. To further restrain him, Marco bear-hugged his arms and held them tight.

“Stop it, Daz!” Marco demanded. “Get a grip, man! You’re not the only one who’s scared! Everybody else is afraid as they fight! Just look at Sasha!”

The mentioning of her name shot Sasha up and sat her up straight.

“Even after all that she's been through” Marco continued, “she’s still as splendid a warrior as ever.”

Sasha, unable to handle the pressure, doubled over and wailed, shocking both Marco and the other soldier.

“My stomach is killing me,” groaned Sasha. “May I please go to the infirmary?”

Seeing Marco’s star “warrior” break over a simple stomachache, which clearly reflected her reluctance to fight, Daz cried even harder.

“I can't take this!” he screamed, drawing his sword. “We’re all doomed!”

“DON’T!” warned Marco.

Daz and Marco's chaos was audible amongst the other soldiers, but they stood still and awaited their orders. Jean took another drink of his canteen, wiping the drops that ran down his chin with his sleeve.

"Good thing we're sworn to secrecy," he sarcastically stated under his breath. "Everything's already a mess as it is. If they found out about Eren..."

Jean, racked with anxiety about his situation stood up and promptly leaned over a wooden table with his hands supporting him. Suddenly, a cannon's bang rang out through the air, followed by an explosion just a second later. The stationed cadets looked immediately toward the direction of the blast and kept their eyes on the smoke billowing up from where the blast took place. Jean, knowing that Mikasa and Fluttershy were in the blast, shuddered in fear, concerned for their safety. Reiner suddenly noticed smoke and vapor pouring up into the air from the wall. Many soldiers began clamoring and shouting.

“A cannon?”

“Why are they firing only one shot?”

“Look! Smoke!”

“It's inside the wall!”

Reiner stared straight up at the smoke cloud with tension in his face.

“Did they breach the wall?” spoke more soldiers.

“They can’t have. It’s one of the sturdiest protections we’ve got.”

“Surely that was just a stray cannonball.”

“Even then… what’s with all that smoke?”

“Is that titan vapor?” asked Jean.

“No way!”

Reiner stood petrified over what this had to mean, but not for long. Without time to spare, Reiner hooked into a building and shot up and over the roofs to head to where the blast came from.

“Reiner?” shouted Jean as he left.

Seeing the danger that this presented, Annie and Bertolt were close behind.

“Hey?” the soldier called. “Wait!”

Bertolt and Annie got to the top of a roof to see Reiner flying over the rooftops to get to the pillar of smoke and steam. Jean, wanting to see what was going on, kept up with Bertolt and Annie. Reiner soon cam to a stop at the edge of a building nearest the smoke.

The three got closer to him to also see what he was observing. Upon seeing the halved and unfinished titan form of Eren with Mikasa, Armin, the ponies, and Spike in its ribcage, all four of them gasped.

“What the hell?” Reiner muttered.

The titan head leaned down, its sole left eye trained right on his friends, Mikasa, her face still calm and stoic, looked up. Armin was still in shock and fear over the cannonball that almost killed him, while the Equestrian natives looked up with awe over their unusual protection.

The soldiers of the Garrison, including and especially its captain, were paralyzed with terror at Eren's transformation. With loud creaking and the crumbling of bone falling into the ribcage, Eren's titan's head turned to face the Garrison captain.

"It's alive!" shouted a soldier.

"Captain Felman?" the grey-haired soldier asked, expecting an order.

"Look at that!" stammered Felman before reverting to his authoritarian mode. "Stay back! It's too dangerous! Stand by on alert! Stand by! Load the next round into the cannon!"

The left eye of Eren's titan began to twitch slightly. Inside the titan, Eren was unconscious as he was surrounded and held tight by muscle that was grafted to his arms, legs and face. Eren’s eyes then began to flutter as he realized where he was, causing his eyes to pry open. Upon seeing the muscle around him, he nervously and quickly pulled the muscle off his arm that he saw was clinging to the skin on his arms.

From outside, the nape of the titan’s neck split open with a mass of steam pouring from it. Eren’s body then began to fall out with a mighty yell as he yanked free of the muscle that clung to him. However, there was a piece of muscle that was still holding him by where he bit his hand. Pulling hard again, he finally freed himself.

Upon looking at his hand, he was shocked to find that any traces of his biting himself were gone; his hand, just like his arm and leg from before, was fully healed.

“Ah,” grunted Eren. “Such heat. What the hell is this?”

As more steam poured out of the titan’s bones and muscles, Mikasa, Armin, the ponies, and Spike were discussing the situation.

“I remember hearing the cannon,” Armin exclaimed.

“After that,” Mikasa said, “there was that terrible noise, and that shock.”

“Oh my,” Fluttershy sighed, sweat forming on her coat as she fanned her face with her hoof, “it’s getting so hot.”

“This heat!” Armin cried. “And what are we doing inside this gigantic skeleton?”

“It’s Eren,” Mikasa explained calmly. “He protected us. That’s all we need to know for now.”

“Hey!” called a voice, revealing itself to be Eren as he ran from behind to Mikasa, Armin, and the ponies. “Are you guys alright?”

“Well,” Rarity complained, “this heat is just ruining my mane!”

“Eren?” Armin questioned. “What is thi–”

“No idea,” interrupted Eren, looking at the bones that were decaying like firewood, “but it’s going to evaporate any minute, just like a titan corpse would! We need to get away!”

“Don’t mind if I do!” Rarity exclaimed, galloping outside.

Eren’s eyes followed the unicorn as she sat down and panted, but they caught the figures of the soldiers in the fog, causing Eren to seize with fear again. Mikasa and Armin helped the last of the ponies out of the decaying ribcage before they shuffled out as well.

“They're still just watching,” Eren predicted, “waiting to see what happens next. Those soldiers can’t see what we're doing, but eventually, they’ll start attacking again. I seriously doubt we'll be able to talk our way out of this after what they just saw.”

Eren then pulled out the key from around his neck, which his two human friends looked upon with interest.

“I did remember one thing,” he continued, “the basement. The basement back home. My father told me everything would make sense once I went there.”

Eren then looked at his own titan form as it was finally beginning to smolder into nothing.

“He's also the reason I'm like this. If I get to that basement, I’ll probably find out the truth about titans too!”

Eren’s eyes then shifted from an expression discovery to one of anger.

“Damn it!” he shouted, slamming his fist on the rib of the titan, causing its now brittle structure to crack under the stress.

“Eren?” Mikasa wondered.

“Why did he keep it a secret? Thousands of men from the Scouting Legion died for that information and the hope it represents to mankind…”

“Eren!”

“…and it was stashed away in our basement all along? What was he thinking?”

“Eren!”

“Eren! Dude!” shouted Rainbow Dash, still unable to get through.

“And on top of that,” Eren continued, “where did he vanish to five years ago? Why did he leave us? To do what?”

“Eren!” Rainbow Dash finally screamed, breaking Eren from his concentration.

“We have more pressing concerns at the moment,” Mikasa spoke, her hand upon Eren's shoulder..

“Ah!” exclaimed Eren. “Right!”

The Garrison soldiers observed as the smoke and steam was beginning to fade away.

"The smoke is lifting!" commented a soldier.

"We'll be able to attack once it clears!" said another.

"Let's get this over with!"

"NO! Don't move yet!"

The titan skeleton finally collapsed, its brittle bones unable to support it any longer, causing another wave of vapor that washed over the area, shocking and blinding the nearby soldiers once again.

“I’m getting out of here,” Eren explained to his friends.

Mikasa, Armin, and the ponies looked at him with confusion.

“Where to?” asked Armin. “How?”

“For now,” Eren answered, putting his left hand near his mouth, “anywhere will do. From there, I’ll get past the wall and go to the basement. I just need to turn into a titan once again.”

“For real?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“Can you really do that?” asked Twilight.

“I don’t know how I’m doing it myself,” Eren explained, “but I think I can, just like I don’t know how I make my arms move, but I am able to do so anyway. Earlier, I just wanted to protect us against that cannon, which was why is was rather limited in what it could do and decayed away so quickly.”

Armin stared at Eren, still unsure of the logistics of Eren’s titan summoning abilities.

Could Eren be a titan, he thought, or did he just conjure up a titan to manipulate? He probably doesn’t know himself.

“This time,” Eren spoke as a small streak of red began to run down his nose, panting for air all the while, his face very pale. “I’ll go for something more powerful. A fifteen-meter class, just like the one I used to kick the shit out of all those titans. Haahh…”

Mikasa noticed the nosebleed, gasping at the sight.

“Eren!” she shouted. “You’ve got a nosebleed!”

Eren being broken from his hopeful planning, was unnerved at the word nosebleed, but wiped above the lip with his finger. Upon seeing the red liquid smeared over his finger, he took to it with alarm.

“And just look at your face,” observed Rarity. “You’re almost as white as I am!”

“Rarity’s right!” Armin surmised, “You look terribly sick, and you’re breathing heavily! You’re not healthy at all, that much is obvious.”

“Transforming into a titan clearly puts too much strain on your body,” Twilight concluded.

Eren, defiant and with his fury still burning, wiped his face as best as he could.

“It doesn’t matter how bad of shape I’m in right now…” he said. “Anyways, I’ve got a couple of ideas. If you quit trying to protect me, they won't kill you. I’ve caused you enough trouble already, but from here on out, I’ll be going alone.”

“You can’t” Armin protested.

Eren looked at Armin coldly, expecting such a negative reaction.

“Eren,” Mikasa tried to reason, “I’m coming too!”

“So are we,” Rainbow Dash declared.

“No you’re not,” ordered Eren. “You’re all staying behind!”

“Forget it!” Applejack protested. “We ain’t gonna to leave you to fend fer yerself!”

Armin looked desperately at his two arguing friends, knowing that time was running short for either of their escapes. The other ponies couldn’t also do anything besides watch as Mikasa, Eren, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack shout at each other while they tried to ease Eren onto their side.

“If I can’t keep up,” Mikasa spoke, “you needn’t worry about me, but I don't have to take orders from you either.”

“I said cut the crap,” Eren yelled, “you hear me? I’m not your little brother nor your kid.”

“You’re right,” Rainbow Dash stated. “We’re your friends, and friends stick together!”

“Shut up! I don’t even know who you are, and neither do you!”

“We know enough that yer in trouble and that you need us by yer side,” butted in Applejack.

“Why are you being so stubborn?”

"And just look at the pot callin' the kettle black!"

The steam continued to provide cover for Eren and his friends. However, the grey-haired female soldier went up to Felman.

"Captain," she relayed. "The next round is almost loaded. What's the plan of attack?"

"Await my signal!" the captain shouted at the cannoneers from the wall.

"Sir," confirmed a soldier at the ready.

Armin continued to look at his friends mentally and verbally duke it out with Eren fighting the whole way. He felt sick to his stomach knowing that there wasn’t much time before the steam would clear and the soldiers would be prepared.

The soldiers aren’t going to engage us in close combat it seems, Armin thought. If they were, Mikasa and the ponies would have picked up on it faster than you can say “psychic.” It should take them another twenty seconds at the shortest to reload the cannon. I expect Eren will have made his move and left the place by then.

Suddenly, memories began to creep into Armin’s consciousness.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Mikasa, now a child, had restrained a taller, leaner boy by placing his arm behind his back and forcing him to the wall, holding him tight and preventing any movement.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Another memory flashed.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Eren was being held by a boy in a ponytail by his jacket. Eren slipped free from his captors grasp and lunged at another boy in front of him, knocking him into a pillar. Eren’s ferocity frightened the boy behind him as he continued to lash out.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

The memories were beginning to eat at Armin, a sad frown forming on his face.

Why am I remembering this stuff now of all times? he thought. Because this is the end for us, perhaps?
_________________________________________________________________________________________

As Mikasa and Eren held off and attacked the bullies, Armin was huddled into a corner formed by the brick wall of a building and a wooden crate. Even with the bullies occupied, Armin placed his arms over his face and scooted further back into the corner, fearful and painful tears running from his red eyes.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Eren’s eyes began to droop as well, realizing his supposed worthlessness.

Ultimately, he concluded, I’ve been nothing... Nothing but a coward until the very end.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Once the bullies had eventually fled, Eren and Mikasa went to Armin while Eren pulled him up by his hand. As the two of them walked through the alley they had found themselves in, Eren continued to escort the weak and fragile Armin by his hand. With his free hand, Armin wiped the final tears from his eyes with his finger, merely thankful that his friends had come to his rescue once again.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

I’ve lost count of the number of times they’ve saved me. I haven’t returned the favor even once…

Eren, Mikasa, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash continued to argue as Armin sat by their sides and did nothing.

How could I call myself an equal to such friends? How could I possibly say I want to accompany them? I’m not even sure I could keep up with them.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Armin ran in the rain, his gear at his hip and a heavy backpack on his shoulders. He watched, panting and tired, as his fellow soldiers continued to run further ahead of him, leaving him behind.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

With time counting down to its last seconds, Armin, realizing the futility of surviving as well as his mounting self-loathing, began to tear up again.

Now, he thought, it’s over.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Armin had a book on his lap. Both he and Eren observed the fantastical elements the book had in its contents with wonder and amazement. Mikasa, as always, looked upon it with little emotion.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

The three of us have been together… for the last time…

“It doesn’t matter!” Rainbow Dash continued to argue. “I can fly way faster than you can run, even as a titan!”

“Eren,” spoke Mikasa, “I–”

“Mikasa,” shouted Eren, remembering something, “wait a sec. I said I had two ideas, remember?”

Upon hearing this, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Mikasa remained silent.

“I’d come up with this as a last resort,” Eren continued, “and I wanted to let you know about it. What we’ll do next is for Armin to decide.”

Armin, hearing this, woke from his depressed state and was now fully alert.

“Excuse me?” Armin asked incredulously.

Eren looked Armin dead in the eyes and told him his alternate plan.

“Even I can tell how unrealistic my plan sounds. This titan’s power I have would be a most useful tool in the hands of the army. This is going to sound crazy, but if you can convince the Garrison that I’m no threat to them, then I’ll trust you on this and stay here. That's my second idea."

“If you think you can’t pull it off, I’ll go with the initial plan. You’ve got fifteen seconds to make up your mind. Can you do it, or not? Whatever you say, I shall respect your opinion.”

Armin was deathly confused, unsure of why someone as strong as Eren would entrust such responsibility to a weakling like him.

“Eren,” said Armin in a similar volume to a whisper, “why would you entrust me with such an important decision?”

“Because,” he said with a confident smile, “you’re good at making the good call when things get messed up, right? I thought I’d rely on you.”

“When did I ever do such a thing?”

“Are you joking?” Rainbow Dash exclaimed with another smile. “It was your plans that helped us take back HQ and get gas for the others.”

“And your plan to lead Eren’s titan form to headquarters in the first place was fantastic,” added Twilight.

“Besides,” Eren included, “five years ago, if you didn’t call for Hannes on that one day, Mikasa and I would’ve been eaten by that titan.”

Armin continued to kneel in complete shock and epiphany. The pieces were finally coming together.

“Armin,” said Mikasa, “if you have anything in mind, I’ll trust your judgment as well.”

“I mean,” Applejack said, patting Armin on the back, “y’all haven’t steered us wrong before.”

Meanwhile, from the wall, the soldiers were preparing another cannon to launch now that they had a clear visual of Eren. Once they loaded the ball into the chamber, the soldiers closed it up and rotated the cannon back to aim it at him.

Armin was still in shock over his realization.

It was all in my head… he thought, …all along. I was the one convincing myself… that I was powerless. That I was a burden.

Armin glanced up at Eren and Mikasa, who looked at him with trust and determination.

They never thought such a thing, not for a second.

Armin then looked behind him at his dragon and pony friends, who gave him warm, encouraging smiles.

Even these ponies. They’ve only known me for less than a day and they’re comfortable putting their lives in my hands.

The cannon on the wall was aimed and ready, a soldier manning the rope to ignite and fire the cannon inside. A woman at her side raised her arm to signal that they were ready.

"Captain," the grey-haired soldier said. "The cannon is loaded. We can fire at any time."

As for how persuasive I’ve ever been beyond this, Eren, Mikasa, and the ponies entrusted me with their lives. That means, I am the one person…

“Armin,” Eren called, expecting a response.

…they trust above anyone else.

Armin, knowing just what he had to do, swallowed his fear and scowled, feeling a fury that he never felt before burn inside his soul. He quickly go to his feet and ran to the front above the ponies and Spike, prepared to draw all attention towards him.

“I’ll win them over or die trying!” he declared. “You guys try to look as unthreatening as you possibly can!”

“Yeah!” cheered Pinkie Pie. “Go Armin! Go Armin! It’s your birthday! It’s your birthday!”

The mist finally parted, allowing the stunned soldiers to see Armin walking towards them. Soon the mist folded out to reveal Eren, Mikasa, and the ponies as well.

Eren’s case was pretty much closed the moment he turned into a titan to fight the others, Armin thought, and my mind’s still a mess… no matter. I’ll pull this off! I’ll make it up as I go along if I have to!

Armin continued to encroach, unlatching his 3D Manuever Gear from his waist. The clatter shocked the soldiers, and were even more on edge upon seeing Eren coming even closer.

“Stop!” the frightened Felman shouted.

Two Garrison soldiers next to the commander pulled out rifles and aimed them at him. Armin did as he was told, but took in a deep breath and put his arms up, ready to defend his friends with the greatest weapon he had at his disposal.

“He isn’t humankind’s enemy, sir!” yelled Armin. “We’re willing to share all information we’ve gathered regarding the titans!”

“Quit pleading for your life!” demanded the captain. “We won’t hear it! You’ve just revealed your true colors right in front of us. There's nothing left to say. If you’re trying to say he’s not an enemy, prove it! If you can't do that, we will just eliminate the threat!”

“There’s no need for proof!”

That’s right, Armin reasoned. Who needs proof?

“It was never about what we should acknowledge him as in the first place!”

“Excuse me?” Felman shouted, infuriated.

“You said that many people saw what happened! That means they must have seen him fighting against the titans too! And they must have seen the titans ganging up on him as well!”

The nearby soldiers gasped, unable to deny the fact that the rogue titan they had witnessed fought and killed other titans, and thus would logically be considered an ally.

“That means,” Armin continued, “those titans regarded him the same way they consider us: as prey! Nothing you can say will change that fact!”

The soldiers, ponies, Spike, Eren, and Mikasa stood stunned, impressed, and even moved, by Armin’s words. The captain continued to frown, unwilling to yield to his enemy. However the soldiers around him began to turn.

“That's true,” one said.

"A titan as an ally," said another.

"No way..."

“That guy might actually be on our side.”

One by one, the soldiers lowered their swords and guns. Reiner and Jean looked down on Armin from the rooftops, still unsure of what would actually transpire, but their sweating brows and clenching teeth didn’t foresee a positive outcome. The captain, losing the support of his troops and losing the argument, began to clench his own teeth and scrunch his face, seething with anger.

“Prepare to attack!” shouted Felman, raising his arm up. “Don’t fall for their their traps, no matter how clever they are!”

“Wha…?” Armin gasped, unable to comprehend the situation.

Eren and Mikasa grunted, dismayed by Armin’s inability to sway the captain. The ponies, including Spike, couldn’t help but gasp as well. The other soldiers were surprised by their captain's loss in sanity and reason, gasping at his orders.

“Their ways have always been beyond our comprehension! I wouldn’t put it past them to be able to turn into humans and speak our language! We shan’t let them have their way with us any longer!”

Felman, determined to silence his detractors, held his arm up, ready to signal the firing of the cannon. His men, following his orders, raised and aimed their weapons, awaiting the command.

No… thought Armin. God no… He can’t think straight anymore. The fear… that’s all he can think about right now.

He turned to face his friends one last time.

Eren… Mikasa… Twilight… Rainbow Dash…

Despite their moments dwindling, Eren and Mikasa looked to Armin with even more determination than ever, knowing he still had some fight in him. Even the ponies, upon their eyes meeting Armin’s, gave him glowing smiles that all but told him that despite the turn of events, they couldn’t be more proud of him.

With the fires of Armin’s friends’ support still burning strong, the flames spread to Armin as well as he felt a surge of passion and fury the likes of which he had never felt before. Armin clenched his teeth, balled his fist, and turned back to face the captain. Placing his left arm behind his back, Armin slammed the right side of his right fist against his heart and held it there tight.

“I was, I am, and I remain a soldier,” Armin declared at the top of his lungs, his salute still held strong, “sworn to devote my heart and soul to the restoration of humankind! There is no greater glory than than dying for that belief!”

Eren and Mikasa were wide eyed and open-mouthed, completely unprepared for the passionate and unrelenting speech he was giving. The ponies, unbeknownst to Eren, Mikasa, and Armin, were moved to tears by Armin’s words. Even Felman was taken aback by Armin’s bravery and rage.

“If we add that ‘titan power’ of his to our own remaining forces,” Armin pressed on, “we might even be able to recapture the town that way! For the glory of the human race, I beg you! In my final moments before I die, allow me to present the the strategic advantage that he shall give to mankind!”

The ponies, especially Pinkie Pie, were too stunned to cheer. The captain, however, considering the possibility of turning Eren, Mikasa, Armin, and the ponies into martyrs, ignored his feelings. As long as his enemy still stood, he would be defeated, something he could not allow.

"Captain," said a soldier to the captain's left, "perhaps we should consider what–"

"SILENCE!" he shouted back.

Let them beg for their life all they want, he thought, raising his arm back up. they are still rebels. My job is to obey the rules. Lawbreakers are to be eliminated.

Armin gasped at the captain's inability to yield. Mikasa and Eren however, were about to put the other plan into action. Mikasa raised her swords up and Eren raised his left hand to his mouth. The ponies stood in position to charge should the soldiers charge them. The tension was so high, that not a soul could see an older soldier with a rose-crested jacket walk up behind him and grip Felman’s arm, preventing him from giving the signal.

“That’s enough!” the soldier said. “You haven't changed a bit. As big as you are, you still have the guts of a scared fawn," he chuckled. "Didn’t you see how beautiful a salute that was?”

Looking behind to see who stopped him, Felman couldn’t help but gasp in utter shock. The solder behind him looked to be in his early to mid-fifties. He was bald but had a distinguishable grey English moustache. He wore a white collared shirt underneath his jacket that had a brown bolo tie held by an amethyst gem. Draped over the left shoulder was a regal, red sash with gold lining.

“Commander Pixis!” the captain shouted.

“I barely arrived here,” Pixis stated with a calm smile on his face as he lowered the captain's arm down, “but I believe I’m catching on fast enough. You take care of organizing the reinforcements. As for me,” he said, staring right at Armin, Eren, Mikasa, and the ponies, “something tells me that it would be wisel to listen to what they all have to say.”

Armin, the threat of death finally passed, fell to his knees and panted, smiling in gratitude for the sparing of his life. The captain, as well as Mikasa, Eren, the ponies, and Spike just continued to stare in disbelief at the man who had just pulled them from the brink of death.