Apple Bloom looked out her bedroom window, looking at the dangerous red tinge of the night sky. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo lied down anxiously on their friend’s bed.

“What’s going on out there?” Scootaloo asked.

Apple Bloom, unable to provide an answer, continued looking out the window, biting her lip with trepidation. However, upon looking towards the hill and the dirt path leading to Ponyville, she spotted Applejack and Mikasa running up the hill and back down towards Sweet Apple Acres. Apple Bloom, missing the terrified faces on her sister and friend’s face, jumped happily from the window and turned to her two other friends on her bed.

“Gals!” she shouted. “Mikasa and Applejack are home!”

“Really?” asked Scootaloo, shooting up to her hooves with Sweetie Belle.

The two remaining fillies galloped to the window, fighting for an open space to see them. However, it was Sweetie Belle who, upon seeing them approach in greater clarity, saw a look of fright and severity on their faces.

“What’s going on?” she wondered, “and why does Mikasa have her uniform and Maneuver Gear on?”

It wasn’t much longer before the two of them came to the house and burst through the door, the fillies’ expressions getting more anxious as the sound of frantic footsteps came ever closer. Even with their obvious approach, a forceful bang from the bedroom door jolted Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo all at once, their shock refusing to subside as Mikasa and Applejack ran into the room.

“Sis!” cried Apple Bloom. “What’s goin’ on?”

“No time,” puffed Mikasa in a hoarse pant. “Come with us now.”

Before the fillies could reply or respond, Mikasa wrapped her arms around Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo while Applejack bit on the scruff of her sister’s neck. Applejack quickly galloped from the room and back towards the stairs to the first floor.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Behind the barn, the three fillies continued to wait with fear and confusion as Applejack pushed Big Macintosh by the center of his rump, sliding the uncertain stallion towards the cellar stairway. Right behind, Mikasa ran with Granny Smith slung over the back of her neck, the uncomfortable, bouncing grunts leaving her mouth with each step forward. By the time Applejack had shunted the reluctant red stallion inside the cellar, Mikasa set Granny Smith down onto her hooves and quickly escorted her inside with her family.

“Just what in tarnation is all this for?” Granny Smith warbled. “Is there a storm a-comin’?”

“Worse,” Mikasa panted. “Equestria is under attack.”

“What?” the five ponies inside shouted at once.

“Big Mac,” wheezed Applejack with moistening eyes. “Take care of Apple Bloom and Granny Smith if we don’t come back. I’m sorry, and I love you all so much.”

As Applejack bowed her head and wiped her tear-streamed eyes, Mikasa reached for the doors.

“Sis!” cried Apple Bloom, fighting her way through her family and friends. “Stop! What’s happening?!”

“Good bye…” Mikasa wheezed, closing the doors and casting them into darkness, muting Apple Bloom’s shouts for her sister.

“Applejack! Come back!”

Mikasa’s full weight and force upon the door was hardly enough against the kicks and shoves against it from the inside, and with the ponies’ anguished pleas and cries coming through the cracks, Mikasa only furthered her resolve.

“Applejack!” shouted Mikasa. “Hurry and lock the door!”

Applejack looked over to the cellar doors as they continued to be jammed upwards against Mikasa’s weight. With a painful grunt and wiping of her eyes, she galloped to a pail beside the doors and pulled out a large padlock. With a slight move, Mikasa revealed two small metal pieces with a hole on each side of the door. Moving her head over, Applejack could faintly see as Apple Bloom’s face came into the light with each push against the door, making the lock tremble in her teeth.

“Now!” begged Mikasa.

With a guttural scream, Applejack slipped the bar of the lock into the slots and clamped it shut, allowing the both of them to roll away from the door. All Applejack and Mikasa could hear now were the exhausted, yet desperate sobs of the three fillies inside.

“Applejack,” Mikasa said with a hand upon the mare’s shoulder, “you need to get suited up if you want to protect them.”

She let out another ashamed grunt, followed by a hard sniffle. Finding her way back to her hooves, she and Mikasa shared one look with each other before they broke for the other side of the house.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Rarity burst into her studio, her horn charged brightly with her aura encasing the numerous mannequins lavishly dressed with her gowns and other outfits.

“Where is it!?” she spat, each of the wooden ponies lifting up all at once.

Unable to find what she was looking for, she threw every mannequin to the back of the room, breaking several of them and tearing her dresses on the shattered wood. Sasha ran in immediately after, aghast by the destructive mess that her friend had instantly made.

“Rarity!” she exclaimed. “Calm down! We’re not going to find it if you keep–!”

“Where is it?!?” Rarity yowled, lifting up her dresser and desk.

Unable to see anything under the furniture, she tilted them towards her, spilling drawers and their contents to the floor. With another yell, Rarity dropped them, cracking the wood with a tremendous crash and bang. Sasha, frightened ran downstairs, leaving Rarity to her own insane devices.

Rarity continued throwing her broken mannequins, torn clothes, and pieces of her furniture about the room, the movements of her body becoming less controlled and more swaying. Finally, with a grief-drunken fall to her side, Rarity wept like a child and curled into a tight, defensive ball, twiddling her hooves with violent shakes.

“Rarity!” screamed Sasha’s voice coming up the stairs. “I’ve got it!”

Rarity picked her head up just to see Sasha bounding into the studio with a long, metal case in her hand. Sasha slid beside Rarity as her madness appeared to subside, allowing her to roll onto her hooves.

“Where did you–” she began as she flicked the locks open.

“It was in the closet downstairs,” Sasha answered. “Rarity, please, calm down. You’re not going to save your sister all worked up like that!”

“Sister… Sweetie Belle!”

At once, Rarity dumped the contents of her case out: a 3D Maneuver Gear with sheaths, operational devices, blades, a harness, and gas tanks. Catching each item, she tossed the case atop the pile of broken wooden and haphazardly sorted it out.

“Rarity!” cried Sasha, grabbing her harness and the main body of her Maneuver Gear. “Here, let me help you!”

“I, uh…” the unicorn stammered as her friend slipped the harness over her head, “thank you, darling. Please hurry, though. The enemy will be here soon, and I need to protect–”

“Sweetie Belle is with her friends at Applejack’s! I’m sure she and Mikasa took care of them!”

“Yes…” Rarity nervously laughed, calming down just enough for Sasha to put the harness onto her right leg, “no doubt…”

“Rarity, the other leg!”

“Oh, yes! Right…”

Rarity kicked her left leg up, giving Sasha the necessary room to put the rest of Rarity’s harness on.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Eren awaited underneath Rainbow Dash’s home, just able to hear the faint sounds of her grunts as she suited herself up with her own Maneuver Gear. Eren took a glance to the north, seeing the two small specks of Sunset Shimmer and Chrysalis’s airships as they both approach the town. Eren moaned with sheer impatience, unable to see as Gilda bolted from Ponyville and towards him. Skidding to a loud halt, he finally turned to face her.

“Hey…” she panted. “You haven’t seen Annie around, have you?”

“I thought she stayed behind to help evacuate the others!” Eren defended.

“Damn!” she hissed, lowering her head to let out several tears from her face.

“Gilda…” Eren whispered, reaching out to her.

“Don’t touch me!” she snapped, smacking Eren’s hand away. “I swear on my life, if they laid a single hoof or finger on her, I’ll bleed them dry!”

“Gilda! I’m certain she’s okay! We’re talking about Annie after all!”

“I don’t want to lose her again…”

“Hey! Hey! Hey!” Rainbow Dash shouted from above.

Eren and Gilda began to look up just as Rainbow Dash came down with her Maneuver Gear and harness upon her body, gently fluttered down between them.

“Gilda,” she roughly cooed. “don’t say things like that.”

“But I mean it!” she proclaimed. “If they hurt her–”

“If they hurt her, or any one of us, we’re going to bleed them dry, got it?”

Gilda, at first shocked by Rainbow Dash’s words, then let out a smug smile as she balled up her talon.

“Yeah,” she calmly agreed, bumping her fist into the flat surface of Rainbow Dash’s operational device shoe, “got it.”

Eren himself found it easier to smile with the calm and collected change in Rainbow Dash and Gilda’s demeanors. Looking back, his eyes widened to see the details of the airships getting more defined as they came closer.

“Guys, come on!” he shouted, taking a few quick bounds back down the road to Ponyville. “We have to hurry and get back with the others.”

“You don’t need to tell us twice,” Rainbow Dash announced.

Gilda and Rainbow Dash each took large leaps skyward, shooting off towards Ponyville just above Eren’s head. Without a second’s hesitation, Eren drew both of his swords from his golden-wing sheaths, pressing the triggers below the hilt and flying off right behind them.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Conny and Pinkie Pie, who was already in her harness and Maneuver Gear, quickly made their way downstairs, Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake both wrapped in Conny’s arms. Gummy clamped to Pinkie Pie’s mane for safety, whipping about with each step she took. The two young foals whimpered with nervousness, sounding on the verge to bawling.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Conny whispered, looking down to each child.

The four made their way into the dining room of Sugarcube Corner, where Mr. and Mrs. Cake were tending to several guests oblivious of the maelstrom soon to come. Immediately, the sight and sound of the now crying foals and Pinkie’s device alarmed the two shopkeepers.

“Pinkie Pie!” scolded Mrs. Cake. “What are you–”

“Sorry, everyone!” shouted Conny as he hopped over the display counter and to the back room. “The store’s closed!”

“What are you talking about?” Mr. Cake responded. “What are you doing with the foals!”

“We’re protecting them!” shouted Pinkie Pie. “Equestria’s under attack!”

“What?” exclaimed the voices of the patrons inside.

“Run and hide, everypony! Ponyville’s about to be attacked!”

The patrons all began to scream, but each of their actions varied. Many ran from the store to their homes for sanctuary, while others hopped to the display case and smashed the glass, grabbing as many pastries as their arms could carry. Mr. and Mrs. Cake yelped and backed away at the sudden vandalism while the two foals in Conny’s grasp were now blaring in their frightened wails.

“Pinkie Pie!” screamed Mrs. Cake. “What is the meaning of this?”

“Just follow us!” ordered Conny as Pinkie Pie came around the side of the looted counters. “Before they get further inside.”

As Conny backed his way in to the kitchen and pantry area, Pinkie Pie herded the two back inside, leaving the store to the mercy of the panicked populace.

“Are we really in danger?” Mrs. Cake asked.

“Do you think Pinkie Pie wouldn’t say such a thing knowing that she’d cause a riot?” replied Conny.

The reply came as a solemn shock for the two, slowly realizing the gravity of the situation.

“So,” Mr. Cake said, “we’re really…”

“Yes!” Pinkie Pie cried, pointing to a large door in the corner. “Hurry and get in the hide-in!”

“Don’t you mean the walk-in pant–”

“It’s not going to be used for walking now!”

Opening the door, Pinkie Pie motioned the Cakes inside, Conny following them with Pumpkin and Pound Cake. Once the stallion and mare sat down, Conny handed them each a foal, calming them down significantly. Gummy let go of Pinkie Pie’s mane and scuttled into the pantry with the others.

“Are you really going out and fighting whatever’s coming?” Mrs. Cake asked.

“If you and your kids want to live,” Conny said, “yeah, but I’m making sure none of you guys die.”

“I’m sorry,” Pinkie Pie choked up. “I didn’t want to leave you guys like this, but know I love you all so much. See you later.”

Closing the door with her family now safely inside, Pinkie Pie and Conny stared at the door before they heard the screams of the ponies and the shattering of the glass come closer to the door.

“Come on,” Conny advised. “We need to keep everyone from getting in here.”

“Yeah,” Pinkie Pie agreed immediately. “Let’s.”

Running back to the door to the main dining room, they fought their way into the cluster of ponies fighting for food and shelter.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Fluttershy watched from the top of her house as a large wave of woodland animals, big and small, scattered towards the Everfree Forest, much to her tearful dismay. As the last of them critters disappeared beyond the edge of the woods, Fluttershy, couldn’t hold back her sobs, fearing for their now uncertain safety.

“Oy, Fluttershy!” shouted Jean’s voice through the chimney. “Are you done with the animals?”

“Oh…” moaned Fluttershy, reluctantly floating back to her front door. “Have you found Angel yet?”

“Yeah, he’s under your couch!”

Fluttershy slipped back into her house to see Jean, kneeling down and reaching out underneath. Against the wall, Angel squirmed about to avoid contact with Jean’s hand. A finger brushed against the rabbit’s foot, frightening Angel enough to bite down on his hand.

Jean shouted with pain, but still managed to pull his arm in and take Angel with him. Jean pulled up his bitten hand with the rabbit’s mouth still clamped down on it, and with a forceful free hand, he grabbed Angel by the scruff of the neck hard enough to allow the rabbit to let go himself, letting out a pain-riddled squeak.

“Jean,” shouted the approaching Fluttershy, “that was too hard!”

“Listen to me, you little bastard!” hissed Jean with a pointed finger, freezing Angel solid with fear. “I could skin you alive right now and make a stew out of you…”

Angel curled into a ball and covered his eyes, visibly trembling from the threat.

“Jean!” snapped Fluttershy.

“But I won’t out of respect for my friend here,” he finished. “However, the guys that are coming here as we speak, they will skin you alive and cook you if they find you here. That I can promise.”

The rabbit’s shaking refused to stop, but Fluttershy remained silent as Jean’s purpose was becoming clear.

“Now,” he quietly demanded, “what you’re going to do is run into that forest and not look back. You’re not going to come back out until this thing is over, you got it? When that is, I don’t know, but spare Fluttershy the trouble of finding your half eaten corpse in your house and find safety.”

Jean gently set Angel back down onto the floor, who was now staring at Fluttershy for the proper course of action. With a simple nod, the rabbit took in the conformation as a shock, and with a few seconds of nervous steadfastness, he ran to Fluttershy and gave her a tight hug at her leg.

“Oh, Angel,” Fluttershy cried, stroking down his back, “I’ll miss you too, but you need to leave now. Now go. Go!”

With a push, Fluttershy freed herself from her pet’s grope, allowing him to bolt from her and Jean’s sight and out the ajar front door. As Fluttershy stared at her door, tears streaming down her face, Jean approached her from the side.

“Come on,” Jean said. “Let’s get dressed before they show up.”

“I don’t know,” Fluttershy whimpered, slowly and submissively crouching down. “I don’t know if I’m ready to do this again… in my home no less.”

“Listen! I just gave your bastard rabbit the talking of his life! If you can’t fight, then nothing is going to protect him from whatever’s coming.”

Fluttershy clenched her eyes, the decision slowly surfacing into view. Jean clenched his hand, unsure what he would be willing to do should she have refused. Then, with a suddenly determined face, she faced Jean.

“Okay,” she said. “If it’s for Equestria and the lives of those poor animals, then I’ll do whatever I must.”

“That’s the spirit! Now, come on! Let’s go find your stuff!”

At once, Jean and Fluttershy made their way to the staircase that would lead up to her bedroom.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Inside her study, Twilight stared at her open Maneuver Gear case, lifting each of its contents out and studying them with a troubled and nostalgic eye. Around her, Armin and Hanji worked quickly to put Spike’s own device onto his body. Levi and Petra stood by the balcony window, watching as Sunset and Chrysalis’s airships quickly encroached towards the town. Irked, Levi turned to Twilight.

“Twilight,” he hissed. “We have mere minutes before they get here. Quit staring at your Maneuver Gear and put it on, dammit!”

“I, uh…” Twilight stammered, brought out of her daze. “Sorry… It’s just that I can’t believe that we’re having to put these on again, to protect our home!”

“That’s good. You’ll make an easy target for them.”

“Ugh. Levi, for once, can you stop being so condescending?!”

“Twilight,” Hanji said, stopping herself from preparing Spike, “as much as I’d hate to admit it, Levi’s right. We don’t have much more time until Ponyville is attacked. We– no, Equestria is depending on our full concentration, just like we did for the war on the titans!”

“Right… the war…”

“Twilight,” spoke Armin, continuing on Spike’s Maneuver Gear “you saved our world before, and now it’s time for us to return the favor. We won’t let you down, just like you didn’t.”

Twilight finally urged a smile from her lips, looking right at Hanji.

“Thanks so much guys,” she said with a hefty hint of regret. “I’m sorry you have to get roped back into this.”

“It’s what we’ve been trained to do,” Levi said. “Now let’s hurry before–”

“The ships are just outside the city!” shouted Petra.

“Hmm… I guess not…”

Twilight seized up at Petra’s sudden announcement. At once, she bolted to Armin and Spike, quickly tightening Spike’s harness and latching his Maneuver Gear to it at once.

“Are you good?” Twilight shouted, lifting the purple dragon up. “Good!”

Without awaiting an answer, Twilight practically threw herself towards the stairs towards the library section, Spike practically a ragdoll in her grasp. Without much hesitation themselves, Armin, Hanji, Petra, and Levi and bolted down the stairs behind her.

Upstairs, Discord laid curled on Twilight’s bed while Celestia and Luna stood on both sides closely, watching pitifully as he convulsed and slowly succumbed to his poison. At the top foot of the steps to Twilight’s study, Cadance lovingly kissed and armored Shining Armor’s muzzle as tears ran down her face.

“Please don’t leave me yet,” she begged.

“I wouldn’t think of it,” Shining Armor responded.

Donning his helmet and lance, Shining Armor gave his wife one final nod before he galloped down the stairs. Once Cadance watched him speed down to the library, she waited a few moments more before she was comfortable thinking that he was out of earshot, finally letting out a loud sob and a wave of tears from each eye.

With Luna gently stroking the gagging Discord with the side of her hoof, Celestia frantically began to write a note on a piece of parchment.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

High above the town on her dirigible, Sunset Shimmer threw a lever down, stopping the ship directly over Twilight’s treehouse. Casually walking around the eagerly-awaiting changelings to the starboard’s edge and looking down. She smiled with insatiable hunger as Levi chased after Petra, Hanji, Armin, Spike, and Twilight from the house’s exit. Joining their line from the perimeter of Twilight’s house were several royal guards, galloping safely beside them, only to be joined by their own commander.

“Finally come out to play, now,” she chided. “Now the fun can begin.”

Walking over to the deck, she faced Chrysalis and her battalion of changelings on the next airship over.

“On my command,” Sunset said, stepping up to the ship’s very edge, her feet just teetering above, “we begin our attack.”

“Roger!” she responded.

Sunset removed her operational devices from her jacket and placed their ends over two blades inside her sheaths. With a loud ring of metal, her blades were pulled from the metal boxes, staying firmly upon her handles. Carefully keeping her swords at her side, she awaited the opportune moment in which she could give the order. Likewise, the changelings ringed the edges of the ship, held back only by Sunset’s silence.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

In the town square, ponies continued to run for their lives or were frozen in their tracks by the sight of the airships stopped over Ponyville. With each passing moment, the streets became more and more barren as every mare, stallion, colt, and filly ran into the closest shelters they could find.

Finally, Twilight, Spike, Armin, Hanji, Petra, Spike, Shining Armor, and the handful of stallion guards arrived, seeing Applejack, Mikasa, Rainbow Dash, Eren, Gilda, Pinkie Pie, Conny, Sasha, and Rarity spread out around the large rotunda in the center of the large area.

“Hey!” Armin called, immediately noticing something amiss. “Where’s Jean and Fluttershy?”

“They must still be trying to get here!” Applejack hissed. “I swear, Fluttershy…”

“Never mind them!” Eren exclaimed, with swords fiercely drawn. “We’ll make due until they get here! Until then, we’re going to kill them all for what they’ve done to my friends and their home.”

“Every…” Mikasa snarled.

“Last…” added Armin.

“Fucking…” Rainbow Dash growled.

“One,” Eren finished.

The humans and ponies tilted their heads up to the sky, anxiously awaiting the descent of the enemies.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunset squinted down upon the town, determined.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Eren’s eyes thinned to narrow slits as he eyed the airships.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“Begin…” Sunset spoke.

With a gentle leap, Sunset dove down towards the town. With a shrill, buzzing cheer, the changelings flew down from the ships and swarmed out and about, becoming a black rain to the remaining ponies far below. Chrysalis gleefully watched as the changelings upon her ship flooded over the sides and soared down in a nearly intangible flurry. It didn’t take long before she was the only one left. With a determined chuckle, she galloped off the ship’s side, taking flight with the rest of her army.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

A few remaining ponies on the streets cowered down and screamed, losing their will to escape.

“Anyone with wings on their backs or their waists,” Levi commanded, “spread out and take as many as you can! Everyone else, stay within the center of town!”

“Gotcha!” Rainbow Dash shouted, soaring west with Gilda beside her.

“Sasha, you can stay here with Rarity.”

“Sir!” she responded.

Twilight took off to the north, leaving Eren and the other humans, minus Mikasa and Armin, rather confused.

“Eren,” called Armin, “I think he’s referring to the Elements of Harmony too!”

“GO!” Levi nearly screamed.

Eren and Mikasa quickly headed south and split off east and westbound, while Armin, and Conny scattered towards the falling changelings. Levi, along with the remaining humans and ponies, looked up to see several changelings flying towards them, screeching to signal their arrival. Unaffected, Levi kept his eye on one approaching him quickly, the swing of his blades too fast for the black, insectoid creature to register.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Jean and Fluttershy began to fly towards the town, soaring high above the trees that surrounded the fields southeast of the town. It was then that a familiar shape was caught in the corner of Jean’s eye below, galloping towards the town. Its black and white stripes were unmistakable.

“Hey!” Jean shouted, soaring down to the ground, much to Fluttershy’s shock.

“Jean?” she cried, flying down as fast as she could. “Jean, where are you going?!”

Jean tailed just above and beside her Zecora as she galloped down the dirt path to town, panting heavily with a large wooden staff with thinly-edged tips on both ends in her mouth. She didn’t seem to acknowledge Jean, only focused on the cloud of black specks and bright-green blasts that were destroying the town.

“Zecora!” he shouted. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Ponyville is under attack!” she mumbled, the gap in her mouth slurring her words. “It would not be fair if I just stayed back!”

“It’s way too dangerous!” Fluttershy pleaded. “You can’t fight these things with just that staff.”

“I’ll do what I must, for my friends are in trouble. I must help my friends before Ponyville is rubble.”

Jean hissed at the zebra’s insistence, realizing there was only one viable course of action.

“At least let us fight with you. If you want to help, fine, but don’t think I can let you do this alone.”

A visible smirk came upon Zecora’s mouth, her breathing and speed not letting up.

“I thank you, Jean, for allowing me to try,” she panted. “Is this okay with you too, Fluttershy?”

“Of course! I certainly don’t want you to die.”

“Hmph,” Zecora huffed. “You each fit your titles like a glove, but now, let’s show these pests the opposite of love.”

“And how!” agreed Jean.

Zecora picked up her pace once again, Jean and Fluttershy amply staying by her side as they approached Ponyville.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunset Shimmer fell with reduced speeds with a green aura covering her, the horns of four changelings beside her glowing in a similar color. Just as they began to slow their descent once they reached the same height of the roofs, the changelings let her go, allowing her to fall to the ground and safely tumble and reduce the impact.

Smiling at the destruction and terror the changelings had already began to spread, she turned to a building and ran to it. Keeping her full focus on the doors, she kept her arms behind her back and leapt up, kicking both doors in and knocking them off their hinges.

The ponies concealed in shadows betrayed themselves with involuntary shouts of fright, alerting Sunset in their direction. Sunset, using the new light of the open doorway, looked to the direction of the cries and found nearly two-dozen ponies hiding in the back corner of the massive foyer of what looked like an abandoned townhouse.

Adopting a intentionally and maniacally-unsuccessful expression of innocence and benevolence, Sunset Shimmer quietly and nimbly approached the huddled and trembling ponies, noting the large number of foals guarded by a ring of mares and stallions.

Immediately, her eyes trained themselves to the flanks of every pony young and old, observing their cutie marks. With quick, momentary glances, her evaluation was complete, and she was now standing over the cowering bodies of the ponies beneath her. Looking at her clean blade, she let out a short sigh.

“Nothing personal,” she admitted.

With a quick slash, she cut through the throat of a blue unicorn mare with an hourglass cutie mark, her blood spraying over the rest of them. They watched in silent horror as the now lifeless pony crumpled down as her wound poured out seemingly without end.

“Ahh, Mom!” shrieked a greyish earth colt, laying atop her corpse a bawling, helpless heap.

Looking at the pick-axe cutie mark on his flank, she emotionlessly looked to another mare, a cream-colored earth pony with a rose cutie mark, the former’s glare making urine dribble down from the crevice of her ass.

“Your turn,” said Sunset.

“Fly!” the mare suddenly screamed out, hurling a green pegasus colt with a paintbrush cutie mark.

Noticing this, Sunset quickly responded to the colt’s wingbeats trying to carry him to the door, hopping towards him with a lifted leg before kicking him in the side of the neck, sending her into the wall. The colt, the wind knocked out of him and his throat aching beyond measure, writhed about and gasped for air as Sunset approached the weeping earth pony, her head hung low.

“That’s it,” she whispered, “stay still…”

“Everypony, run!” exclaimed a gray stallion with three clovers for a cutie mark shouted.

With a swift thrust, Sunset’s blade stabbed him through the chest, making him let out a small cough of blood before he took one futile step to the door before fainting. The mass of ponies all made a desperate scramble for the door, several of them able to evade Sunset’s stance.

As they ran past, Sunset swung her blade urgently through the side of a blue unicorn stallion with a rook chess piece while letting an earth mare with a cutie mark featuring a hammer and ruler crossed in an X run free. As the felled stallion crumpled down, his innards spilling out from his deep gash, Sunset managed to slice down two more ponies: a brown unicorn colt with plus, minus, multiplication, and division symbols and a reddish-pink pegasus mare with a musical note for their cutie marks.

By now, most of the ponies had managed to make it outside, save for a yellow pegasus colt without a cutie mark and a purple earth mare with a baseball bat cutie mark, the injured green pegasus colt slung across her back. With a flick of her operational device’s back switch, and sideways-upward swing, her blade spun out and around and back towards the fleeing trio of ponies.

The blade managed to stick itself into the ground right before the pony’s back left hoof, causing her to trip and bounce the green colt off her back. As he hit the ground and rolled to the wall just beside the open doorway, the other two ponies galloped away, leaving him alone with Sunset and her blades dripping with the refugees’ fresh blood.

“No…” the green pegasus rasped out, curling up in a tight ball.

“You’re no good for the new Equestria,” Sunset told him in an icy tone. “Better that you die now than receive the slow, painful deaths your friends will receive.”

“My thoughts exactly,” a familiar voice growled.

Looking up to the doorway, Levi stepped inside with both swords drawn and prepared to clash against Sunset’s. The colt at the doorway looked up to see his potential savior.

“Hobble off,” he coldly demanded. “Stay inside until help arrives.”

“Ha!” Sunset interrupted. “There is no helping these ponies. Even with as well as we’re razing this town, Chrysalis and I are sadly the weaker of the parties we sent to take over the other cities across Equestria.”

Levi scowled, angered at the grim reminder.

“Which would suck for you…” she softly concluded, “because you won’t even be able to defeat me!”

Sunset aimed her body at the injured colt and fired off one hook from the left side of her waist at it. Before it could strike its target, Levi swatted the hook away, hearing the sounds of her running feet coming towards him. With her blades aimed to swing to her right, Levi made an incalculably fast lunge at Sunset, the bottom of his right operational device soaring at the right side of her ribs.

Sunset managed to turn into the attack, receiving the bottom of the handle squarely in her gut. The sharp pain shooting up through her stomach and throat made her double over for a moment, giving Levi just enough time to grab her by the hair and throw her back outside through the doorway.

As Sunset managed to get back up and gather her blades again, Levi turned to the colt once more, his signature glare getting its point across to him. As the foal limped off towards the front right corner of the house, Levi sprinted back outside, just to see Sunset, spit dribbled over her bottom lip and chin, ready once more with her blades.

Before he could attempt to land a strike, Sunset shot her hooks up to the building’s roof, carrying herself up while delivering an unsuccessful slash towards her adversary. Levi was quick to respond, jerking his body around and shooting his own hooks from his waist and into the same building, flying up and over in his pursuit for her.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

A half-dozen changelings, a larger one with red-painted wings, flew towards the town square, observing the chaos below as Sasha, Rarity, Hanji, Shining Armor, Petra, and several Equestrian guards held their ground around its perimeter. Despite the numerous changeling bodies that fell lifeless to the ground like flies, the leader smiled at this sight, focusing its sights at the entrance doors.

“Quickly, now,” the leader hissed. “While they’re still preoccupied!”

Dipping down to the streets, the other five changelings let out a shrilly, brave battle cry following him down in a straight line. From below, Sasha gasped as their enemy began to break through.

“Wait!” Sasha cried as she jumped up to take it on.

A changeling lunged to her from up and to the right, which she didn’t even recognize until a bright blue beam blasted it away from behind her, forcing a yelp out. As she landed back to her feet, Rarity stood close by her side, panting with her horn charged. Sasha looked to the changelings as they barged their way in, much to her dismay.

“Darling,” Rarity almost casually reminded save for the exhaustion in her voice, “remember, they’ll handle it. Now, ten o’clock.”

Looking off to her left, another changeling came at her, and by pure instinct, she swung her sword at its head.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Inside the main hall of the building, a large group of ponies were huddled in the back of the room with a cocoa-brown mare with a wavy-gray mane and scroll cutie mark behind them all. The changelings appearance struck fear into all of the ponies gathered their save foe her, who sported an angered scowl. The changelings flew directly over the group and kept them still where they sat and cowered.

“Hand the mayor over and we will not harm a hair on your heads!” the commanding changeling spat.

The pony in question continued to scowl as she struggled to make a decision, however the sound of metal sliding out of a sheath loudly rung out through the air. Each changeling looked about in multiple direction, leaving not one vantage unseen. Just as they all turned their heads to see where their comrades had, a few hooves galloped beneath them and bounded off the ground.

Three changelings turned to the source of the sound, managing to see Derpy hooves as her long sword swung at them, cutting through them at once. The ponies gasped as they watched the changelings fall, Derpy joining them. The two remaining changelings and their leader looked downwards at their fallen companions and Derpy, charging their horns and aiming them at the grey pegasus, unable to hear the two simultaneous blasts coming out from the upper level walkway in the back right. Just then, two small balls of green energy exploded into the two changelings beside their leader, throwing them to the ground as if they were hit by large boulders.

Looking incredulously to the source of the orbs, he saw as Lyra stood at the walkway’s edge, her cannon-equipped arms balanced and steadied on the banister. By the time, the leader could charge his horn, Derpy leapt up from the ground and sliced through his wing, taking it clean off. With a high-pitched screech, the changeling fell to the floor in the middle of his slain comrades.

As he writhed, squirmed, and cried in agony, Lyra teleported beside her partner, giving her a look. Derpy nodded, allowing her to lift her right hoof and aim her cannon’s barrel onto the creature’s face. The onlooking ponies and mayor, smiling slightly at their successful defense, awaited what they knew was to come.

“For the honor of the princess,” she growled.

With a loud zap and a bright flash of light, it was the last sight and sound he ever experienced.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Jean, Fluttershy, and Zecora entered into Ponyville, the black creatures already surrounding them above as they passed ravaged building after ravaged building. Fluttershy’s expression softened and her eyes began to well with tears, watching as several rooftops went alight by green blasts from the changelings around them.

“Keep your eyes on the enemies, dear,” Zecora told her. “You can’t afford to be seized by your fear.”

“Come on,” Jean hissed to himself as he rose up.

He and two changelings suddenly sped at each other, each of the latter shooting a green spell at him. Jean expertly deflected each attack with each of his blades. Continuing their approaches, Jean hacked through both of his enemies’ bodies before they could charge another spell. As Jean fell behind to rejoin his paltry party, panting from his brush with death, Fluttershy closed her eyes as her face became calm and focused.

“I’m sorry,” Fluttershy said with sudden determination. “It won’t happen again.”

“That’s great!” Jean shouted. “Let’s hurry and find the others before they realize it’s just the three of us!”

Scores of changelings nearby turned their heads towards the three of them, which Jean, Fluttershy, and Zecora noticed right away.

“Shit!” Jean spat. “We have to keep going. We won’t make it with just us.”

“Oh, Jean and your big mouth,” Zecora muttered in exasperation, “now our chances have just gone south.”

Zecora picked up her speed with a strained face while Jean and Fluttershy kept up, their eyes frequently glancing to the swarm of changelings closing in on them.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Chrysalis flew down towards Sugarcube Corner, where several of their changelings were already entering. Looking around for any humans and ponies that would be nearby, she briskly walked towards the bakery, using her magic to rend the walls beside the doorway. Now revealed were many ponies inside cowering at the sight of the changeling queen now in their midst.

Stepping inside, the changelings stood obediently and in attention as she scanned the area. The bloodied corpses of multiple ponies, young and old, were strewn out on the frayed and cracked wooden floors. Of the ponies that were spared, each of their eyes were wet and red, unable to occasionally take their eyes off the ponies whose lives the changelings had ended.

“And this is all that you’ve found?” Chrysalis asked to a large changeling with dark-blue streaked wings.

“Yes, my queen,” he said.

“And what of the owners?”

“We did not find them. We checked the upstairs, the kitchen, and no sign of them.”

“…Wait here.”

Chrysalis began to walk towards the back, peering inside the kitchen until she eventually stepped in. The place indeed looked to be ransacked quite thoroughly, minus one glaring thing. She stepped towards the back corner at the closed door for the walk-in pantry. With slight, gentle movements, Chrysalis put her hear against the wood frame, raising her hoof towards it as well.

With a small scratch at the door, a faint, but definite whimper from a foal inside betrayed the Cakes inside. With a frustrated sigh, she charged her horn, lifting a large taffy-pulling machine from out of the floor and placing it snugly against the door.

Inside the pantry, the two elder cakes gasped as they realized what had happened. Outside, Chrysalis stepped back as she listened to the now frantic banging against the door and the crying of the foals. Returning to the store, she kept her eyes on the blue-winged changeling, who could feel the icy stare giving him shivers.

“We’ll talk about this later,” she said. “In the meantime, burn the place.”

“Burn it?” he asked. “But they’re bakers and foals! These are ponies that Tirek and Grogar ordered us to–”

“Their deaths will demoralize the pink pony. If the royal wedding and Sunset Shimmer have taught me anything, it’s that we cannot underestimate our enemy. We will bring them down by any means necessary, and that includes following my orders! Understand?”

“…Yes, my queen.”

“Good. Burn it now.”

Chrysalis stepped back outside the bakery and flew off to the south, leaving the changelings and their next in command back alone. Turning to face the others, he cleared his throat.

“You,” he said to a group of four changelings, “take the prisoners to the train station. The rest of you, you heard her. Light this place up.”

With their captain leaving out with the other four changelings and their pony captives, the remaining changelings spread out along the first floor, with horns charged. With numerous small blasts along the walls and on the floor, the wood caught fire and quickly spread. The changelings quickly fled out with wings buzzing hard, sparks and embers bouncing dangerously on their hides as they escaped. As the flames inside roared and the wood crackled, it gradually began to muffle out the sounds of the Cakes and their children crying and pleading for someone to save them.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Jean, Fluttershy, and Zecora amply made their way through the changeling hordes attacking them. As Jean and Fluttershy slashed and slayed the creatures with their blades, Zecora maneuvered her staff with ease, twirling it around her muzzle, catching it in her teeth, and taking hard whacks at the changelings unfortunate to be close enough to her, breaking their ribs or cracking their skulls with uncanny force.

Turning a corner, they found both Conny and Pinkie Pie standing atop a roof and taking slashes at the changelings brave enough to charge at them while deflecting any offensive spells away with the sides of their blades. Their path towards them clear, the three of them ran to their friends, their panting sounds bringing them to Conny and Pinkie Pie’s attentions.

“Guys!” Pinkie Pie happily cheered. “We were beginning to think that you weren’t going to show up.”

“I apologize for the slow arrival,” Zecora spoke, “but these two were seeing to my survival.”

“That’s alright!” Conny shouted. “Now, let’s go find the others so we can use our Elemen–”

Suddenly, an ominous sight appeared in the corner of Conny’s sight, and turning his head, he saw a large pillar of smoke masking a large fire off in the distance, but he could easily tell its shape, or what was left of it.

“Oh, shit!” Conny screamed, running on the rooftops towards the fire. “Shit!”

“Conny!” cried Pinkie Pie.

However, as she looked to the fire before her too, a near-crippling sensation of fear washed over her too.

“Oh, no!” she screamed, galloping off. “NO!”

“Pinkie Pie!” called Fluttershy.

Flying off above the streets to follow her and Conny, Jean and Zecora ran close behind her, keeping their eyes on their friends as they made their way over. As several changelings scooped down from the sky to rush them from behind, Jean flipped his handles and reached down to grab Zecora around her waist and pressed the triggers with his pinkies. Lifting both him and her up from the streets and towards the rooftops, he could now easily see Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Conny on the rooftops running out to the burning building.

“Hey,” Jean said with worry, “isn’t that where Pinkie’s folks live?”

One by one, the five of them hopped down from the roofs and before the searing building. Immediately, Pinkie and Conny could hear the hoarse and weakened voices of the Cakes and their foals as they continued to desperately cry for help. Pinkie Pie screamed as her worried tears flowed hard down her face, running towards the door on her back legs with her blades wound up behind her head.

“Hold on!” she cried. “I’m coming!”

“Pinkie!” Conny cried, running after her. “Wait!”

As Fluttershy, Jean, and Zecora began to approach the bakery, a loud buzzing forced their attention to its source, making them turn to see nearly two dozen changelings forming a half-circle around them. As the changelings gently came closer, Jean, Fluttershy, and Zecora scowled, refusing to give an inch as they readied their weapons for combat.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Gilda ripped a changeling’s flesh before her with her sharp talons while delivering a forceful kick to one behind her. As her kick spun and clocked another unsuspecting one, a magical blast caught her in her left wing, leaving behind a thick, green paste that immobilized her flight.

She let out a shrill, piercing shriek as the other changelings surrounded. Just then, an orange crescent of light flew down from above and struck her cemented wing, making all of it disappear off of her. Just then another orange light was accompanied by a red one, each one striking two of the changelings around the distressed griffon.

Looking up, the creatures were immediately met by the blades of Eren, Mikasa, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack, and within only seconds, each of them were cut down by the four of them. With the area mostly clear, Gilda slowly got up to her fours, looking to her saviors with a slightly ashamed expression.

“Sorry about that,” she hissed. “I’m not thinking straight.”

“Gilda,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, “worrying about Annie now isn’t going to help us! I know you want her to be okay, and so do I, but focus on keeping yourself safe now, otherwise, she won’t get to see you once this ends!”

Gilda fought to look her friend in the eye, but a sudden gasp from both Mikasa and Applejack changed everyone’s attention. Up in their line of sight was Chrysalis flying out high above them, seemingly ignoring them all and keeping on her path, the destination both Applejack and Mikasa knew all too well.

“NO!” Applejack screamed. “She can’t be!”

Sprinting off as fast as her hooves could push, Applejack made a beeline for the direction of Sweet Apple Acres, leaping over the buildings on her Maneuver Gear.

“Applejack!” called Mikasa. “Stop!”

Squeezing the triggers on her swords’ handles, she flew away from the group and hovered closely over Applejack.

“Never mind me!” cried Applejack with nervous tears forming. “Go after her!”

“Applejack…” Mikasa sighed with concern.

Looking at the ravaged town behind her, and then back out at Chrysalis ahead, Mikasa scowled with regained purpose and increased her speeds. Now over the orchards of Sweet Apple Acres, Mikasa trained her sights at the back of Chrysalis’s neck, her swords held back in tense anticipation.

Right at the moment her arms moved to swing, Chrysalis turned to Mikasa with her horn charging up. Caught off guard, Chrysalis managed to produce a bright flash, allowing her to move off to the side and allow the blinded Mikasa to pass by. Mikasa squinted as she turned around, trying to find Chrysalis beyond the large floaters blocking her sight.

Unable to see anything in front of her, she was completely unaware as she could barely make-out a green, glowing sphere forming around her. Closing her eyes as tight as her muscles could allow, she could only see a blurry Chrysalis flying in front of her, cackling in apparent victory at her confinement. Mikasa pointed her now-illuminated swords out and jabbed the inner walls, shattering the barrier like glass.

Just as the pieces dithered away, Mikasa could only regain her full, unobstructed vision just as a blast of green magic shot into her chest, throwing her down and away from her. Chrysalis continued to fly out to Applejack’s home, looking back as her adversary managed to glide down and crash into the roof of a building. Looking up from the streets, Applejack gasped at Mikasa’s failure to stop her.

“SHOOOT!” she cried out, continuing her rapid pace to her family.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Chrysalis landed in the backyard of the barn-shaped house, glossing over the windows and doors with slight movements of her eyes.

“Now,” she spoke aloud, walking to the cellar doors, “where would a farmer keep her family safe…”

Peering out through the crack in between the doors and seeing the changeling queen approach, Big Mac squinted with sheer spite, fueling his oncoming decision. Outside, Chrysalis’s horn, along with the padlock barring the doors glowed green, triggering Big Mac’s body. Right before she could pull the lock open, the door exploded out, Big Mac’s back hooves pushing chunks and slivers of wood away and into her.

Chrysalis quickly tried to rub the pieces of the door from her face and eyes, but suddenly felt a massive force press into her throat and pin her head down by her horn. Looking up, she saw into the red stallion’s seething face, feeling heavy wave of his breath blasting under her chin from through his clenched teeth.

From inside the cellar, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo crept up and peered just over the top most stair, watching his successful restraint. Hearing their hoofsteps, Big Mac growled and lifted his body up. Chrysalis only managed to put her arms up and hold him away just enough to keep his resulting stomp from completely crushing her throat. The second front hoof landed upon her horn, an audible, low-pitched crack coming from it.

Just coming over the last hill towards her home, she just caught a glimpse of Big Mac pinning Chrysalis down. With another loud cry, she only continued to go faster as she went downhill.

Big Mac continued to press more and more of his weight against Chrysalis’s resistance, who continued to let Big Mac off only enough to allow herself to barely breathe. It was then that Applejack came around the house and darted towards Chrysalis.

“Big Mac!” she cried.

Big Mac’s gaze seemed to soften, and his body twitched with the slightest hint of concern, but it was all that was needed. Chrysalis quickly slid her horn from underneath the stallion’s hoof, using her now free head to smack Big Mac off of her. With Big Mac disoriented from the blow, Chrysalis leapt to her hooves and thrust her head forwards, stabbing her horn deep into the right side of his chest.

Applejack, as well as the three fillies watching from in the stairwell, all gasped loudly as Big Mac’s vindictive eyes shot open with fatal realization. With a twist of her neck, her horn drilled around inside his wound, spurting a deep-red blood from out of it. Then with a push, Chrysalis threw Big Mac’s body at Applejack, the sight of him tumbling limply forcing Applejack and the fillies to scream and let tears loose from their eyes.

Looking to the fillies as they all ran out to him, wailing and gagging, Chrysalis shot a contemptuous glare to the mortified Applejack, charging her horn with visible difficulty. Letting out another shriek, Applejack charged for the changeling queen, but with a flash of light, Chrysalis managed to evade Applejack’s attack, disappearing with the bright blast.

Stricken stiff, Applejack was stuck in her stance until she heard the sound of another pair of feet land to the ground. Turning, she discovered Mikasa, looking worried and frightened, as she brought herself to her knees beside the dying stallion. Just managing to come outside, Granny Smith watched as Applejack run over to Big Mac and try to the best of their ability to treat him.

“Big Mac,” Applejack stammered, frantically using her hat to try and stop the blood, “come on! We need to get you help!”

Big Mac managed to lift one arm up and push Applejack’s hooves off of him. Looking into his tired eyes, he forced a smile and a gentle shake of his head.

“Nope,” he whispered before letting out a loud, forceful cough, his blood seeping out from his mouth.

Laying his head back down, he brought in one last breath and a huff before becoming completely still. The three fillies, unable to hold anything back, all hugged each other and bawled, nearly crumpling from the stress it brought to them. Granny Smith pulled her bonnet off her head and held it over her heart, biting her lip as tears streamed down her face.

Applejack crumpled down to the shins of her forelegs and then threw them over her own head. Mikasa, her own lips and eyes quivering, reached out to his face and pulled his open eyelids down, then leaning onto his corpse and crying with her face pressed into his shoulder.

Applejack threw her head and arms up into the sky and screamed out into the clouds, the veins in her neck bulging and her soaked eyes clamped shut.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Chrysalis appeared atop one of the stationed airships in a flash of green light, crying in agony as the crack near the base of her horn lit green and seeped a thick, glowing-green liquid. Falling to her shins, a large changeling with yellow-painted wings flew up over the ship’s banister and to his leader, his eyes filled with concern.

“My queen!” he shouted. “You’re hurt! How bad is it?”

“Never mind!” she growled. “Find Sunset as quickly as possible… and then call the order for retreat.”

“Retreat? But we still have so many more ponies to–”

“I can’t fight in my state! I shouldn’t have to tell you what would happen to the others if I were to fall…”

The yellow-winged changeling, realizing the severity of her words, huffed in relenting.

“Yes, my queen,” he spoke, fluttering off the ship’s surface and diving back over the edge.

Now alone again, Chrysalis felt safe to grunt in pain as she put a hoof to her horn with utmost delicacy.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Beside Twilight’s treehouse, Armin and Twilight stood around its trunk with around a dozen pegasus guards, keeping the numerous changeling forces still about at bay. Twilight, more than anyone else beside her, sported a bloodthirsty and vengeful frown as she attacked and slayed the changelings coming her way.

“You’re not going to take the princesses,” she growled and breathed. “You’re not going to take… Ponyville… and you’re certainly not going to take away… my home!”

Armin grimaced at what his friend had been reduced to, only to be brought back to the battle as a pair of changelings came at him with fangs bared. One by one, his blades sliced through their sides, making them crash into the wall outside.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Discord, still lying limp and sickly in bed, looking out to the window, watching as changeling after changeling attempted to break their way in, only to be stopped by a pegasus guard leaping up to successfully intercept them. Looking to Celestia, he saw a parchment appear from her horn in a small ball of light that floated of her horn. Reading it, he shifted up as much as his atrophied body could allow.

“What do they say?” he croaked.

Celestia looked to him with eyes filled with the slightest bit of hope.

“They said they’re ready,” she spoke.

Looking to Luna, they both began to charge up their horns, squinting tightly.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Jean and Fluttershy watched with great tension and worry as Conny and Pinkie Pie managed to drag the unconscious Mr. and Mrs. Cake from the jagged hole in the side of the eviscerated bakery. Behind them, the bloodied corpses of the small changeling faction laid still, allowing Jean and Fluttershy to keep their full focus on them.

Zecora galloped out with the crying and coughing foals, along with Gummy, who clamped tightly on her mane. As Conny and Pinkie Pie both began to breathe into the mare and stallion’s mouths, occasionally putting their ears to their sides behind their shoulders, Fluttershy and Jean couldn’t help but gaze skyward, seeing a large circle of light form high in the clouds.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Levi flew backwards across the rooftops of Ponyville, trading blows with Sunset’s blades as she chased him, a confident look on her face. Spinning and twirling, neither came close to their skin, keeping each other back with seeming effortlessness. Coming down close towards Twilight’s treehouse, Levi managed to swing around Sunset and kick her off, sending her towards the ground.

Before she could collide, she shot a hook off at the top of Twilight’s treehouse and reeled in, allowing her to swing around the mid-level. Looking in through the top-back window, she managed to see Celestia and Luna charging their horns inside. Before she could fully register, the sound of metal piercing quickly into wood sounded off ahead of her, and upon looking up, Levi sped head-on at her at an inconceivable rate. With another press of the trigger on her right handle, she reeled in just fast enough to soar over Levi’s body and slash, but was moving too fast to attack him.

Detaching her hook, she soared away from the treehouse before Armin, Twilight, and the guards. Her feet hit the ground, and taking a knee, she slid a wide distance between herself and her opponents. As she stood up, the skin on her knee shredded and dripping red, Levi swung out from the other side and descended, landing squarely on his feet beside Twilight.

The armored guards, alicorn, and two humans stared Sunset Shimmer down, who gripped her blades in preparation for their approach. However, the light in the sky shone brighter, casting its luminance over the group and treehouse. Just then, in the space between Sunset and her enemies, multiple bolts of lightning struck down from the light, forming a bright wall separating the two. The force of the initial blast forced Sunset and the others to jump away on either side. She, along with the ponies and humans, save for Levi, looked on in wonder at who or what would be coming from this.

“We thought the war was over,” a male voice echoed out from the light, which Armin gasped at, “but you and your friends just had to spoil it, didn’t you?”

Sunset stayed her ground as the light began to slowly fade, and upon revealing who was inside of it, the guards, Twilight, and Armin all huffed at the sight. Dozens of humans, male and female, in military jackets with both the red-rose Garrison crest and the green unicorn Military Police crest on their backs faced Sunset with great spite and rage. Among the soldiers were Marlo, Hitch, and Boris of the Military Police, and Ian, Riko, and Mitabi of the Garrison. Four soldiers stood ahead of the army: Kirill Rostov, Nile Dawk, Hannes Berlitz, and Erwin Smith.

“Hannes!” Armin exclaimed. “Erwin! E– Everyone!”

Every soldier and commander’s hands gripped a bladed operational device, prepared to make the attack on their superiors’ orders.

“If you thought that you could have your way with this world and its inhabitants,” Erwin said to the steadfast Sunset, “then I’m afraid you thought poorly.”

Author's Notes:

Sorry for the long update, but I've been tied up with work and it's put writing and updating in the back seat. I'm taking a trip to Hawaii in a few weeks, so, if I have a power source available to me, I can get much writing done on the plane. Regardless, updates will be infrequent and random, so don't hold your breath waiting for future chapters. I'll get them done, but it will take a while.