“LYRA DOWN!”

Lyra fell back at the shout, Maze’s sword flying over her head and nipping the tips of her hair. Bonbon stepped in and met the return swipe in the cross of her batons before Maze threw her to the side, her strength easily overpowering the mare’s own. Maze repositioned for a downward stab on the prone unicorn.

“PULSE NOW!” the cyborg screamed.

Lyra flung her gauntlets up just in time to catch the human in the kinetic wave. A waiting pair of tentacles caught the puppeted cyborg, Crystal constricting against Maze’s struggles as best she could. A third of the metal appendages joined when she still nearly broke free, the fourth struggling to just keep them both in one place.

“I was a little disappointed when I could only tap into her body, but now I love how her little warnings are dragging this out!” The masked pony cackled above, deflecting any assaults against him with ease.

Trixie glared up at the deranged psychic as she broke away from the combat, the shallow cut in her shoulder staining her cape. Her horn flared as several of the rooms heavy crates rose ready to strike. The madpony’s head snapped to her, her body growing stiff as eyes behind the mask locked onto her own.

“Ah yes, Miss Lulamoon and her pretty tricks” he cooed as he drifted down to meet the frozen magician “The poor little orphaned filly still trying to prove her worth to a world that never cared.”

‘GET OUT OF MY HEAD!’ the stage mare screamed internally, her counter spells failing spectacularly.

“Your pathetic barriers won’t keep me out girl, magic may beat magic but I have none to combat” Mantis replied.

‘WHAT?! But only magic can-’

“The world is changing all around you and yet you still carry such blind faith in your out dated art! I admire your dedication! It’s foolish of course… but admirable all the same” Psycho praised before leaning in close to the frozen mage “Though now I see you have gone and embraced some of the new world, only for it to bite you in the plot; I wonder how long you can keep the pain a secret. Do you even know what’s happening? Let me tell you, they certainly won’t… luckily you won’t live long enough to worry about it.”

The leather clad pony lifted his arms and commandeered the suspended crates, his form floating up above it all again. Trixie’s eyes bulged as much as the psychic’s hold would allow when the crate soared at her helpless form.

A thundering crash echoed throughout the space as a black mass hit the crate, pausing a moment to gather energy before launching off midair. The crate crumpled against the cement next to the stumbling Trixie.

“Damned Mongrel!” Psycho cursed the Black Fenrir, its chainsaw cutting only air as it spun past. The pony thrust out and sent the robotic canine into the assembly line, activating it with a passing thought. Wolf dodged robotic arms and sparking welders as he tried to escape the rapid conveyors.

Bonbon leveled her rifle at their floating opponent when a searing shock screamed from her brain to her hands. The rifle's the upper rail slammed her in the face before she could react, thrown back by her own arms.

“And now the other professional liar wants her fortune read as well!” Psycho cried to Bonbon as Trixie flew off the ground towards him, floating of the ground and clutching her throat “This one deceives herself enough that others believe, but You! The one you love doesn’t have the faintest clue when even I would be hard pressed to keep such truths from her mind.”

Bonbon blanched as the psycho threatened her cover, hearing Lyra and Crystal gasp behind her as they too lifted in the air and glided past to join Trixie’s struggles for air.

“DODGE!” she heard scream behind her, barely leaping sideways just in time to avoid Maze’s now freed blade.

“Such an odd couple, as she may be one of the most honest ponies I’ve come across actually; her worst secret is eating some silly little treats you were saving… Imagine her reaction to what you really are” she said, lifting Lyra’s chin “Why even just the IDEA of you lying to her is hurting her!”

“Now most of this one’s secrets are already known to you all” Mantis continued casually as he ran a finger along Crystal’s cheek. Bonbon managed to avoid losing her arm by sacrificing the rifle, thanks to another of Maze’s warning “Too bad, I figured you for something more juicy. She still has a few, one's particularly shameful but still ultimately irrelevant...”

“You’re irrelevant!” A cacophony of thundering shots rained down on the masked maniac, the guardpony scowling beneath his mask. Johnny let out a short lived victory call until Maze blinked in front of his shots, her blade cutting them away as she screamed obscenities at her controller.

“You really think I couldn’t hear your simple plan little gua-”

“YOU’RE PSYCHIC! WE GET IT!” Maze screamed, as her body turned to face Bonbon again “What’s next?! You gonna tell me I like Castlevania?!”

“Oh now now Maze, everyone gets their turn- though I’m honestly surprised how few lies you tell, choosing omission over deceit” He gestured and Maze launched at the earth pony again as the others were thrown from the psychic. Johnny landed harshly from atop the crates as the others gasped for air, Bonbon being slowly forced to the ground by Maze’s blade caught between her batons.

“She even knows your little secret ‘Bonbon’, though you’d never guess how!” Mantis taunted, Maze flashing an apologetic smile under a stressed brow as Manits began to hiss out a mockery of singing “~My Little Pony~, ~My Little Pony~ ~AaaahhAAHHHHHH- DAMNED MUTT!”

Mantis screamed as a knife pinged off the filter of his mask, the blur of a four legged form knocking Maze off Bonbon before disappearing back into the labyrinth of crates. All the organic members of the group suddenly stood ridged, their heads scanning the room from left to right.

“You think you can hide from the power of my mind?! You own ally’s eyes and ears betray you to me!” Mantis yelled after the hound, waiting. A large shadow darted to and fro between gaps until all heads snapped to a stack of wooden boxes “THERE!”

The robotic canine smashed through the boxes, its chainsaw growling threatingly as it charged the psycho. An invisible wave pushed back through the wall of splinters and struck the IG, sending it careening back into the collapsing pile. The pile rustled as the canine shook off the tinder…

Revealing a silver fenrir with a single, bright red eye staring back.

“WHAT?! But that means-” Mantis reeled around to see a blur of bending light fly at him, a metal claw colliding with his mask before he could thrust the cloaked threat away.

Wolf flipped in the air as the cracked gas mask fell in his wake, the psychic clutching his bald, heavily stitched head.

“You fucking dog! I can’t keep them out without it!” He screamed as the others regained control and Maze launched herself at the scared pony “Your thoughts are poison!”

Maze flew back as the others moved in, pressuring him while he seemed vulnerable. Bonbon caught Lyra as she rocketed back and Crystal fought through swirling IG parts; sparks and shrapnel flying as she failed to make progress. Johnny hung back with Rex waiting for a shot as Wolf charged again.

“ENOUGH!”

The entire room shook as everything within crashed against the walls, the furious Psycho Mantis floating at the now empty center. He rose high above the floor flinging his hands up as the others were wrenched into the air around him, the telekinetic forces pressing into them.

“I am Done with this game!” he delivered menacingly, the pressure on the group increasing as his anger boiled “Your pathetic thoughts will not invade my mind after your brains pour from your ears!”

The earlier fury that assaulted their minds before returned tenfold; screams and tears flowed freely as they withed in the air. The Fenrir struggled fruitlessly as they tried to fight the psychic hold.

“I shall crush you two like tin cans…” Mantis slowly clutched his hand into a fist, the pressures increasing exponentially on the pair of canines; their plating began to creak and crack under the forces.

A sudden rattle of automatic fire distracted the stitched pony, his assaults only mildly lightened as he glided swiftly from the shots. Johnny fired off another blind burst, the shots going high and wide before Mantis ripped the rifle from the guard’s hands.

“Valiant attempt for a toy soldier, but-” A shower of sparks exploded above them, the cranes control panel shredded by the rounds. The crane malfunctioned and sped along its rails straight at the group “Your luck is proving quite irritating Mr. Sasaki.”

The psychic thrust both of his palms out and waved the threat off course, the massive claw grazing Wolf as it passed. A deep gouge showed across his armor as he tumbled in the air toward Rex.

Mantis laughed at the sight until Wolf jerked and snapped the plasma rail off the other fenrir’s back with his tail, the weapon leveling at the hovering earthpony. Mantis scoffed and wrenched Maze between the two before the weapon could charge, shielding him from the assault.

“Don’t you get it, I cannot be-!” Mantis began until-

‘It looks like we just won.’

‘Oh, poor choice.’

‘Dumbass.’

‘Well this is gonna hurt.’

The weapon fired, the thin rail spike cleanly over penetrating through Maze’s shoulder and glancing across the Psychics head. The group fell free as their leather bound foe reeled through the air, somehow maintaining his flight through will alone. He glared down at the as he righted himself, blood streaming from the mangled gash.

“I will not be-HURK!” the psychic faltered as the glowing orange chainsaw punched right into his chest.

“B-but-

*BRRZZZZzzzZZZZzzzzZZZZZzzzzZZZZZZZZRRRRRrrrzzzZZZZZZZZTT*

The sound of tearing meat echoed with the spinning of metal teeth as Mantis’s mouth hung agape in a silent scream. The chainsaw finally fell free as the mutilated villain plummeted to the ground.

“That was unexpectedly gruesome” Crystal stated plainly, trying to wipe the spatter of blood from her cheek.

A gurgling cough issued forth as the psychic stirred, still clearly alive despite the spreading pool of blood.

“Sweet Celestia! What does it take to kill this guy?!” Lyra exclaimed.

“P-Please… my mask” he burbled faintly, a single arm lifting weakly.

“Like we’d do anything for-what? Maze you can’t be serious!” Lyra started before the cyborg strode past her, gas mask in hand as she held her shoulder “After all he did, you’re not gonna-”

“He’s not a threat anymore, he’s just a dying pony now” Maze cut her off, Wolf sitting patiently next to the psychic as Maze knelt in the blood “if wants to be alone in his last moments, then I say let him.”

She placed the mask over the pony’s head as he spoke again

“They… they don’t understand… y-yet they argue no further… They don’t merely follow but -*COUGH*-… but believe” Mantis delivered between breaths “I have no faith in my employers goals… *COUGH-COUGH*… they are fools fighting for ignorance. I followed to just have the chance to… to kill and corrupt… this world is sick… power is the only true solution…”

“Power to Take…”
“Power to Create…”
“Power to End…”
“Power to… to…”

The psychic suddenly lashed out, clutching the cyborgs injured shoulder and stared with intense eyes through cracked lenses. The world froze and fell into the blackest pitch in an instant; only the cyborg and Psychic existed in that moment.

“I HAVE SEEN THE MIND OF MONSTER! I KNOW THE TRUTH OF ITS BLOODLUST!” the voice thundered across the abyss “I’VE SENCED THE FALSEHOOD IT CALLS CONTROL! THE BARELY CONTAINED NATURE OF THE EVIL WITHIN!”

“I MAY REVEL IN WAR BUT EVEN I CANNOT EVEN CAMPARE TO YOU! WAR IS WHAT YOU ARE! YOUR VERY BEING!!!”

The psychic draw closer, the thundering voice softening to the faintest of whispers in her mind

“You fight your nature; all your lies reserved for yourself, the joys denied in the illusions you feed yourself…”

“But I know the truth…”

“The Bloodletter still lives…”

“And you can’t keep her caged forever…”

The world snapped back as suddenly as it had receded, light and time returning as she learned to breathe again.

She stared down at the limp figure lying before her, already gone.

“Maze?” the human's head jerked back at the worried Lyra; the engineer flinching at the cyborg's intense, panicked look. Maze purposely relaxed herself, tension ebbing as she settled back to reality.

“What… What happened?” Maze asked through a dry throat, her obvious unease reflected in the face of her friends.

“You tell us” Crystal quipped.

“Mantis grabbed you, and you two went ridged and just kind of… stared at each other for a second… we moved to help but he was already falling back… already dead” Lyra explained “We have no idea what just happened… did he do something to you again?”

“I…” Maze faltered “I don’t know… he- he said I… it doesn’t matter, just the last jeers of a psychopath. We should get going.”

“Are you certain you are-” Wolf began before blaring alarms abruptly cut him off.

“The heck? Surely the intruder alert isn’t THIS slow” Bon Bon asked.

A calm, female voice spoke clearly over the alarms to answer her.

“Oh fuck me” Maze lamented as the voice alerted them of the facility’s rapidly approaching end.

“How the hell are we supposed to get out!? I’ve seen no exits and we came down a fucking pipe!” Crystal cursed.

“Can we use the teleport focal points or whatever they are?!” Johnny asked.

“Even if they’re not compromised from the fight, I doubt we could figure out the proper key spells” Trixie shot the idea down “And without knowing how far down we are I can’t use a traditional teleport either, not without a scrying we don’t have time for.”

“I think I saw an emergency elevator back by the IG storage, let’s just hope the voice is right about the locks.” Bon Bon announced calmly.

“Then let’s move!” Maze followed as Wolf and Rex took point through the halls.

“It could at least give us a countdown…” Johnny muttered as they ran, screeching to a halt before large double doors.

“ALL PERSONEL SHOULD REACH MINIMUM SAFETY DISTANCE, THE SELF DESTRUCT SEQUENCE WILL DETONATE IN FIVE MINUTES” the voice alerted in a monotone over the alarms.

“You just had to say something!” Crystal shouted as Bonbon hit the lift’s release… and the doors stayed motionless.

“FUCK!” the earthpony cursed as Lyra moved forward, ripping open the panel and rapidly wiring in her pad.

“This is why they didn’t wipe any of the data, if Mantis failed they were just going to blow us up with all the evidence” Maze grumbled. The system alerted them they had less than four minutes to escape before Lyra finally spoke, the doors opening with a ping behind her.

“I’ve ended the lockdown but I can’t restore power!” she panicked, tears threating to gather in her eyes “I don’t… I don’t know what to do!”

“STOP THAT! Don’t start breaking down now; you’re unflappable remember!?” Maze scolded “Is there any way to stop the self-destruct then, or is there any other way to power the lift?”

“No! The system’s been completely cut! It doesn’t even register a power connection anymore!” Lyra replied, trying to calm herself “At best all I can do is keep the explosives in the shaft from detonating”

“Explosives…” Crystal muttered, drawing the groups gaze “Wolf, assuming they wouldn’t want to destroy the whole city; what kind of explosives are we looking at?”

“I would suspect multiple, pressurized immolation detonations. The pressures would force the most likely enchanted flames through the facility without compromising the city’s foundations” he answered calmly before Crystal’s attention snapped to Lyra.

“Can you make it so only those below the car explode?”

“Pr-Probably but the others will just go off when the wave reaches th-” Lyra started before Cyrstal cut her off.

“Even better, get it ready! You three!” she pointed at Maze and the two Fenrir “You have two minutes to get up that shaft and get as many of those bombs from above the car to below it”

“You heard the lady!” Maze grinned as she followed the Changeling’s instructions, the trio punching through the elevator car’s roof before rushing up wards “I like this plan!”

“Trix, get ready to direct as much magic as we can funnel into you; we’re gonna need one hell of a shield spell.”

“This is insane” Bonbon pointed out before Trixie could argue.

“Something you’ll learn pretty quick with Maze…” she countered, glancing at Johnny and hoping Maze was right about his luck; they were going to need it.

“Sometimes insane is the best thing for to you be.”

Luna glided over the city, it had been over an hour since Maze escaped.

They had managed to restore communications and turn off the music. She was disappointed by just how few of the changelings they’d managed to apprehend, most managing to slip away and disguise themselves before capture. She still wondered just how they all got through the barriers.

A sudden rumbling shook throughout the city, breaking her suspicions. Her head shot up the mountain side, fearing a rock slide until he realized it was coming from below. Before she could even wonder at the source, sewer covers launched through the air as great streams of fire spewed from beneath the city.

She dove to protect the citizens only to be nearly struck by a large, flaming metal box as it punched through the street and rocketed toward the castle with a faint, glowing trail in its wake.

“Was that an elevator?!”

Luna landed softly amongst the guards fanning out around the surprisingly intact elevator car. She witnessed it smash straight through the pavement in a roar of fire from who knows how far down below the city. From the looks of things it bounced and skipped along the ground and rooftops before finally embedding itself into the castle’s courtyard.

‘Must have been a mighty protection spell indeed to have prevented so much damage’ Luna thought, not a little impressed.

“Princess!” Luna heard Twilight’s voice as the elements arrived, moving to join her amongst the guards “How can we help?”

Luna’s reply never came as colorful lights and fireworks spilled into the sky all around them.

The subtle ping of the door signaled the start of music guiding the rhythm of the lights’ dancing and flashing.

A single figure rose slowly from the dented elevator car, arms spread wide as she looked around to her surroundings. She smirked triumphantly as she saw the car landed on a large glowing X on the ground, laughing at the chances.

“Maisie, I have no idea what it was you hoped to accomplish tonight or why you felt the need to purge the Canterlot sewers, but you must know that even you cannot escape us now” Luna announced, curious to the otherwise empty lift car.

Luna braced as Maze raised her hand to the air, only to hold it open in place as she smiled at them. The heavy tones of the music couldn’t drown out the explosion above them a moment later, one of the windows exploding outward in debris.

‘Wait, isn’t that my-‘

“You blew up my room?!” Luna yelled “WHY?!”

“Because this’ll be totally worth it!” Maze snapped her fingers and a second explosion occurred above, launching a particular piece of debris down at-

“NO!” Luna flew forward in an instant, realizing her couldn’t allow Maze to reclaim her-

Lighting struck as a massive eruption of nano magic threw the entire gathered forces to the ground, a maelstrom of swirling power surrounding Maze the instant her hand grasped the blade.

Luna stood and braced against the hurricane of energy pushing the defenders back. She erected a barrier before slowly advancing through the magic, seeing holographic displays floating all around the human; readout displaying progress bars and percentages, one in particular standing out to the Night Princess,

-Restoring Backups-

Luna didn’t have time to react when the vortex suddenly reversed direction, a the entire chromatic palate shifting in a gradient throughout as the message changed to what Luna never considered; a message that made her blood run cold despite the simple meaning-

-Updating-

‘By the Grace of Mother Faust!’ Luna blanched ‘She can improve it all too?!'

As suddenly as the power had erupted, it coalesced into Maze; silhouetting the cyborg in pure light before shattering to reveal the form beneath.

“Oh yeah, that’s the feeling” Maze cooed as she ran her hands over the newly undated exosuit now covering her form “A bit different looking, but I like it!”

The human peacocked and admired the form fitting suit, shaking her plot teasingly as the ponies recovered.

*Wiggle**Wiggle*

“Hey Lulu!”

The night princess glared at the not only restored but improved cyborg as she dropped into an Iaido stance, pulling the trigger on the recovered blade's sheath.

“DRAW!”

Luna buckled as Maze was instantly on her, the stone ground behind her demolished as the crimson blade crashed against the rapidly summoned sword. Luna stared wide eyed into Maze’s shit eating grin, as if time dragged to nearly a halt just to allow her that glimpse before Maze vaulted over the alicorn.

Luna turned to see Maze sprint into the city under the dancing lights, quickly springing into the air after her. The rest of the gathered forces stared after in awe, even Dash’s mouth agape at the cyborgs new speed. Another moment of silence past until another clang of steel triggered a panicked scrambling after the pair.

“Even at your peak Maze, we still hold the power to defeat you!” Luna bellowed in the royal voice, her blade shattering the pavement as she dive bombed Maze. The cyborg disappeared in a whiff of smoke and embers before reappearing a step ahead and continued to run, laughing joyously the whole way.

Maze leapt straight up, a multichromatic blur passing under her in great surprise. Dash flipped over in flight to catch the human in her decent only to see her running straight up into the air on exhaust from the fireworks.

“She can cloud walk?!” Dash exclaimed “SINCE WHEN CAN SHE-"

*CRASH*

Luna dismissed the loyalty bearer as she pulled up to intercept Maze, knowing Dash has inflicted far worse upon herself before this than merely running into the side of a building.

“You may still be stronger than me Moonbutt! But that doesn’t mean you can catch mmmeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee” Maze giggled as she caught a pair of the larger fireworks that carried her back to the castle, Luna huffing in irritation at the chase.

The rockets burst into fiery flowers when the purple beam struck them from below.

“So, the re-mane-ing Five huh?” Maze asked happily as she landing in the circle they formed “Sorry 'bout this girls”

Maze exploded forward, the tazered silver blade careening toward Applejack before she even realized it already hit Twilight. Two halves of a cannon ball flew past Maze at the yellow and white mares behind her after Pinkie suddenly found herself tied in AJ rope.

The girls stared up in defeated awe at the human resting the blade on her shoulder; a sight short lived as a dark blur slammed into Maze and carried her crashing into the castle.

Marble floors turned to gravel as the night princess and cyborg grinded to a stop, Maze’s two katana held against Luna’s sword and heavy mace.

“The mace is new, been craving a little bludgeoning Lulu?” Maze bantered “you always were a little too blunt.”

Luna growled as she summoned spectral copies of her blade, controlled with far more precision than those Rarity summoned against her just half a day earlier. Maze blinked away from the blades only for Luna to round and aim her horn at the reappearing Maze.

"Eep!" escaped Maze as the light lanced over her bent back form; the walls, décor and anything on the other side cleanly cut by the immolating beam sweeping only a hair’s breadth over the cyborg.

“And here I believed you could be redeemed!” Luna shouted as she flashed above Maze, gripping her suit and hurling her straight up through several floors. Maze hung in the air as another flash strobed to her left, the mace hurtling towards her with alarming speed.

Luna went pale as the thundering clang rang out, the heavy weapon stopped dead against a glowing metal plate.

“…Oh fu-” the orange light erupted out, redoubling the force of the blow against the alicorn.

Colored glass rained down as the window failed to stop the flying mare. She opened wincing eyes just in time so see Maze land on her chest, pushing off and sending Luna into the balcony below. Luna sprang to her hooves before the cracks even finished spreading and flew at the freefalling cyborg.

“God I’ve missed those!” Maze cried as she braced against a sparking rune formed in midair, flying off with her typical explosion before her blade met Luna’s “All this power and no room to roam! How do you two even stand it?!”

“As if you are truly holding anything back” Luna countered, her actual flight giving her the clear advantage. “And we have learned much of control since our last meeting!”

Luna knocked the human down and raised her hand high, a large ball of bright silver light gathering above. The second moon streaked down to meet Maze, blasting her down and making a new crater in the courtyard.

A second crater followed with a tremor as the Princess of the Night landed hard and shot into the dust. The pair slid out of the opposite side of the cloud, Maze sporting a fresh red trickle down her face.

“OH YOU GOTTA ADMIT LU, THIS IS FUN!” Maze cried as the pair struck, parried, dodged and cast in a grand display of combat; sparks and shockwaves caused by every meeting of their blades as they danced about one another in rapid blurs.

Synthetic arms appeared as both limb and weapon in swirling mass of magic, Maze’s polearm striking out before it even finished constructing. Luna countered her opponent’s new reach with the dancing blades while summoning a field of frozen spikes to harass the human as she struck out again.

The polearm’s blade flew straight at the leader's face, only just passing as she dodged.

“I will Not fall prey to that again Maisie!” Luna shot as she spun further away and battered the unusual staff aside before it could contort, snapping her blade out at the cyborg in retaliation. The sword cut empty air as the cyborg streaked past her, the other end of the staff flying at her face.

“Sure about that?” Maze taunted as the staff’s back end coiled at the mare. Luna managed to avoid a full constriction but cursed when the hand clutched the plating of her armor.

Luna closed her eyes as she was pulled back, waiting for the familiar pain of the blade piercing through her. Something soft hit her back as she collided with the cyborg… and nothing followed.

Cyan eyes snapped open in curiosity; she glanced over to see Maze resting her chin on her shoulder as she held the princess’s weight against her. A small, amused smile graced the human’s expression.

“So you and Rara huh?”

“W-WHAT!?” Luna shouted before her power coalesced, breaking away from Maze’s hold. The cyborg skidded back as a glow erupted out with Luna’s flight, the Princess twisting midair to land facing her opponent; her face several shades redder “HOW COULD THOU POSSIBLY-”

“Just call me Twilight, cause I read her like book!” Maze announces proudly, two synthetic arms on her hips as her grin burned into Luna “I'd complain you stole my move, but I'm not even mad. Soooo... how was it?”

Luna dove at the cyborg again, her natural purple was all but lost as the redness grew with a life all its own. She slammed her mace down as the multitude of spectral blades met at its apex, creating a massive, almost pick axe like strike before lashing out in all directions along the ground.

Maze was forced the leap as the blades dragged a violent rage in their wake, shredding the courtyard grounds as the sections shifted and split. Luna smirked as her horn glowed and a hazy, viscous darkness rose from the soil.

“Aw shit…” Maze muttered before thick, black tendrils shot up and ensnared her floating form, her limbs spread out as they hoisted her up.

“Looks like you remembered these a little too late” Luna said smugly as she straightened and sauntered over in her assumed victory. Maze ceased her struggles as she spoke and rolled her shoulders sensuously in response.

“MMmmmm… But how could I forget?” Maze purred, a deviant smirk on her lips.

“By the makers Maze, is there nothing you regard seriously?!” Luna snapped, a slight blush returning to her face. As a retort Maze just inhaled sharply through her nose, to the point of eliciting a loud snort “Well, now you are simply being chilDISH?!”

Luna braced, summoning a heavy shield against the massive, concentrated torrent of molten sparks unleashed from the cyborg's maw.

Heat washed over Luna as the flames erupted against her defense and pushed her back, her concentration strained into nearly losing both spells. The stream subsided only as the cyborg’s breath petered out.

“OH GOD MY SINUSES!” Maze exclaimed, sputtering and sniffling profusely as the tendrils held their grasp on the struggling human “HOW DO DRAGONS DO IT?!”

“They’re fire proof on the inside too” Luna answered flatly, dismissing the shield and striding up to her suspended opponent “I see you’ve recovered your stolen abilities as well then.”

“I’ve recovered enough…” Maze left hanging as the music died down, signaling the end of their fight as she continued to sniffle with watering eyes.

“Princess Luna!”

Luna turned to see the elements running to join her, the jewels on their necks glowing brightly in preparation. The non-fliers had some difficulty getting around the broken grounds and over a particularly large slab of earth jutting up at an angle, but made it all the same.

Maze looked around and took stock, knowing her stall tactics we’re now coming up short. While she could probably free herself, she knew it would do her little good against Luna and the now prepared six;. Even with what of her old upgrades was restored and the modest power boost that came with it, she was running off fumes of that alone now; her only reprieve of the day was being paralyzed in the stone skin octocamo. Hell, even if she had been at full strength she still doubted she could actually beat the lunar princess.

“Well Maze,” Luna began as the mane six surrounded the cyborg, the darkness parting as the night princess approached “I cannot claim to be unimpressed, but it would appear your antics are finally at an end. Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

Luna could see Maze lightly panting in exhaustion, evidently her battles against her and the elements weren’t as easy as she lead them to believe. Luna had nearly forgotten how well Maze used her blathering tendencies to unbalance her opponent.

She found her head tilting when Maze suddenly stilled, her head cocked as if hearing something.

‘Codec?’ Luna deduced quickly before Maze replied.

“I’d say it looks like them Duke Boys got themselves into a real pickle this time” The cyborg stated with a slight southern accent. Luna blinked; of all the things Maze could have said, she certainly wasn’t expecting that.

“…What?” Luna asked before a blur streaked past her and several pillars of light shot up around the group, painting the sky a light blue before streaking back down to a gathering glow behind the suspended human.

Maze fell free, a loud whirring startling the gathered ponies as a violent orange blur severed the tendrils.

Luna ducked, wide eyed and searching as something launched off the broken land mass and over her head.

A swirling bloom of magic surrounded a sparkling van soaring through the air.

“What?!”

The robotic hound appeared before leaping atop the flying vehicle, Maze’s own mechanical tentacles flashing into existence to grasp its underside.

Luna sprung into the air after the human even as the van collided with the gathering light, sinking in but not through with Maze trailing in the glowing wake.

With a blown kiss and a wink, Maze and the van vanished in a massive plume of glittery smoke; A novelty horn blaring out for all to hear.

With a short scream of fury the smoke was expelled in a simple burst of power. The princess of the night’s head scanning wildly, nothing but the six and destroyed grounds to be seen as the royal voice cried out

“WHAT!?”

The confused fury abruptly shattered, Luna's blood flash freezing at the loud crack sounding behind her. Luna turned slowly in the air, shrunken pupils in wide eyes confirming the scraping of stone against stone. After a slow grind, the upper half of the southern tower fell free, bisected by the alicorn’s earlier beam.

The massive portion shook the whole city, landing hard before rolling over the barriers and plummeting down the mountain side; but not before flattening the already devastated gardens.

“Ah sure hope nopony was in there” Luna barely heard the apple farmer beneath her, finally seeing the state of the grounds around the shattered windows and sizable holes in the castle.

‘The sewers blew up, the castle’s a wreck, there are changelings all over the city, and not only did I lose Maze but now she has her old powers back…’ Luna thought grimly, a distant grumble raising to meet her ears as the tower met the base of the mountain.

“Tia’s gonna kill me…”

Maze sat heavily against the van’s interior as the others celebrated; fireworks, food and jubilations attracting all passersby to join as well. They hadn’t prepared anything for this but as it turned out, when they exited Trixie’s portal, they ended up nearly hitting somepony; somepony with a brown curly mane and a rubber chicken.

Maze chuckled as the accordion player managed to coax Lyra and Bonbon into dancing, the undercover mare glowing with embarrassment.

“Trixie believes you have the right idea” the magician climbed in and joined her in pony watching through the back. She sat opposite Maze and handed the human a slice of cake before resting back herself, nearly as wiped out after casting such a demanding spell.

“So they know you’re involved now…” Maze offered quietly

“Trixie knew what she was getting into Maisie, she has no regrets over that decision. Besides, is she can’t be famous than infamous will just have to do!” the stagemare proudly proclaimed, then broke the front to smile knowingly at Maze.

“You know what’s weird? That all happened in just one day!” Maze said in amused disbelief, watching she saw a pair of fillies giggling joyously from the backs of the robotic canines “They don’t seem to recognize us… just how far did you bring us?”

“Far enough that we’ll actually have to head north to reach the area Lyra told us about. I managed to use the city’s own magic grid to amplify the spell. These ponies may not have even gotten the news you were captured yet.” Trixie explained and began on her own cake.

“They might have been saving the official announcement for the morning, or until Celly came back” Maze mused.

The pair sat quietly content as they ate and watched the party. Each followed the same patterns of expressions as they remembered the multitude of events over the past several hours; satisfaction, exhilaration, fear, confusion, anger, and panic until they both settled on a pensive, if wary calm.

“Everything Mantis said…” Trixie finally began “You don’t think… well…”

Maze’s brow furrowed ever so slightly, her gaze focusing as she spoke despite her tired voice.

“Let’s just have tonight…” Maze delivered before a yawn took over “I’d say we can take care of all that later…”

Maze eventually drifted off, leaving Trixie staring at the party without actually seeing it. A small but sharp pang drew her focus, forcing her gaze down.

The veins of her forearm darkened and budged as they pulsed, the muscles spasming up and down the arm's length. She cradled the limb close, waiting for the pain to subside as her heart pounded rapidly in her ears.

The moment soon ended and Trixie examined her arm, confirming whatever it was had passed; at least for now. She scowled and shook her head free of the distraction; she just had to hold out against it for now. She wouldn’t slow them down again with her problems, not now when they were so close.

“Yeah… later…”

Author's Notes:

What’s the Peace Walker Project? What’s happening to Trixie? Just how much power did Maze recover? Was it just a few bits and bobs or is she a walking nuke again? Guess you’ll just have to wait to find out! …Though the nuke part probably isn’t the case; that would just make things boring.

For a little better visual on Maze’s stolen dragon breath, I’d say it's something along the Deadly Nadder’s fire from How to Train Your Dragon; that molten magnesium stream/spray thing(that is unfortunately the best example I could find). I always felt it was more industrial or mechanical, like a welder or something; advanced and powerful while still straight forward, befitting our cyborg hybrid. I figured she killed enough dragons in the synthetic wars, former king included- so why not? It also leaves things open for other skills and stories outside of Metal Gear, so who knows what the future holds?

Well I DO! …But only sort of

Sorry this one took longer than usual to publish readers, things have been kind of weird lately and I had difficulty sitting down and focusing on just finishing the damn thing. Ran into bit of trouble with flow, wording and just general progress; I hope it doesn’t show too much. But now as always; I hope you enjoyed the chapter and hope to see you for the next! Thank you all so much for reading and Have a good one!