"I'll do it," Eren answered. "I'll do it! I'm not sure whether I can or not, but I'll do it!"

Pyxis changed his expression from a serious look to a reassuring smile.

"Well said," Pyxis praised patting Eren's shoulders. 'You're quite the man."

Pyxis got up to his feet and walked north of the city, hoping to arrange a meeting with the rest of the soldiers.

"Staff officers, assemble!" Pyxis called below to the officers below the wall. "Prepare to strategize!"

"What? Seriously?" Armin exclaimed, perplexed over the commander's anticipation. "Calling this plan 'optimistic' would be an understatement. How can we just go ahead with it?"

"I agree with you," Eren said. "but it's pointless to question his decision. I'm sure Commander Pyxis can see something we can't."

"Something we can't see?" wondered Armin.

"Besides," Eren continued to ponder. "there's probably a fundamental issue to deal with before executing the plan. I'm sure the commander is fully cognizant of that."

"Which means..."

"The Titans aren't our only enemies," Eren stated.

"Uh..." Armin gasped.

The ponies also looked at each other with worry and uncertainty speculating that there may be more to the Titans than meets the eye.

"Time is of the essence," intervened Pyxis.

Eren, Mikasa, Armin, and the ponies turned around to see the commander along with two soldiers at his side.

"We have a role for you to fulfill, young soldiers," Pyxis declared. "I also have a task for you, ponies."

Once Pyxis walked east of the wall towards the gateway, Rainbow Dash went to Eren's side to help him escort him in his weakened state. Applejack saw Rainbow Dash assisting Eren and went to the other side of him to help Rainbow Dash. The two ponies kneeled down and put Eren's arms on their backs to lift him up to his feet. Eren couldn't help himself get over the feeling of being adjacent to such strange beings.

"There ya go, sugarcube," Applejack said. "Ya must be tuckered out after turning into a titan twice on the same day."

"How are you feeling, Eren?" Rainbow Dash asked in concern.

"Better, I suppose," Eren replied. "Why do I have the feeling that I've seen you somewhere before?"

"What makes you say that?" Rainbow Dash responded.

"I'm not sure," Eren answered. "but I feel like I've seen you in a dream, like..."

Eren gasped suddenly after remembering the dreamy state that he was in during his time as a Titan. He recalled when a horde of Titans was swarming him, and he saw the Titan that ate his friend, Thomas, attack the blue pegasus.

"You're that pegasus that was attacked by that Titan who ate Thomas!", Eren yelled. "Now I remember!"

The ponies gasped after hearing Eren remember something important in his dreary state of being a Titan.

"So, I guess that's what made you more enraged when you were a Titan, huh?" Rainbow Dash presumed.

"That must be it," Eren agreed. "Seeing you get attacked made me feel upset and angry just like when Thomas got eaten."

"Hey," Starlight called out. "Wasn't Thomas that blond-haired boy that was swallowed whole by that abnormal titan?"

"Yeah," Eren replied. "How do you know?"

"My friends and I saw that titan eat your friend before we came to this world," Starlight answered.

"I'm so sorry about what happened to some of your friends," cooed Fluttershy. "They must've been good friends."

"It's okay," Eren acknowledged. "Hopefully, this plan to retake Trost will work out. I just hope I'll be able to have the strength to lift that boulder."

"Don't sweat it!" Rainbow Dash asserted. "If you can take out a bunch of titans, then I'm sure you can lift that boulder and seal the gate in no time!"

Eren smiled at the pegasus and petted her head in affection, messing her mane in the process.

"Awww," Pinkie Pie said while leaning on Rainbow Dash. "Eren likes you."

"Huh?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, blushing slightly while turning her head away from her. "It's totally not what you think it is!"

"Well, you and Eren do have a lot of similarities," Twilight pointed out.

"Plus, the way Eren pummeled all of those Titans after seeing you get harmed must have been his way of showing appreciation," Rarity added.

"Whatever," groaned Rainbow Dash.

"Ponies!" shouted a soldier, grabbing all of the ponies' attention. "No time to talk. You are needed for this plan to work. Pyxis asks for your presence immediately. Mikasa and Armin will come with us, now go!"

"Yes, sir!" the ponies answered, galloping to where Pyxis was heading.

Down in the streets where the inner gate of Wall Rose was, the collected soldiers were murmuring amongst each other and talked loudly, knowing what was about to occur.

"Retake Trost?" a soldier blurted.

"That's insane!" proclaimed another. "We've got no way to block the hole!"

"What are the commanders thinking? We'd just be throwing our lives away if we went back!"

"We can't fix that hole, so all we can do is seal off Trost at Wall Rose's gate!"

"Dammit! Are they that hungry for glory?"

Daz was standing next to Marco and Sasha as they waited for the commander's announcement to retake Trost. However, Daz was less than thrilled, if anything, petrified about going back to fight the Titans.

"That hell again..." Daz whispered.

Unable to handle the pressure, Daz cried and grabbed his hair in panic.

"No! I don't wanna die!" he screamed. "Let me see my family!"

"Daz! Keep it down!" Marco clamored.

"You there!" called a soldier from up front of Daz, hearing the commotion and walking towards the mourning soldier. "I heard that! Do you intend to abandon your mission?!"

"Damn right!" wailed Daz. "Committing mass suicide won't accomplish anything!"

"How dare you flout discipline and forsake mankind?!" questioned the Garrison soldier, grabbing his handle ready to take out one of his blades. "I have the authority to execute you right where you stand!"

"Fine!" Daz replied, taking out his own blade to fight for his notion. "It's a hundred times better than being eaten by the Titans!"

"Stop it, Daz!" hollered Marco, grabbing Daz's shoulders in compliance.

"Piss off! Let me go!" howled Daz. "I don't wanna go back there!"

Most of the soldiers were listening to the turmoil, causing some of them to become discouraged.

"Did you hear that?" asked a soldier.

"It's not surprising in this situation," another responded.

"You think anyone here will desert?" a dark, brown-haired female soldier standing in front of Jean and Bertholdt wondered.

"At the least," replied a dark-blonded female soldier standing next to her. "even I want to choose how to die..."

"You there!" shouted a male Garrison soldier with a goatee, surprising the female soldier.

"I was just joking!" she cried, trying to look serious.

"Do it!" the male soldier told her with a sinister scowl.

"Huh?"

"Make a big scene!" he clarified. "The more people, the better!"

The female soldier started to shudder in fear, unbearing the idea of being executed. Jean looked at the revolting scene with a worried expression.

"A lot of us in the Garrison are unhappy with this situation!" the soldier continued. "We can use this chaos to get out of here!"

"Get out of here and go where?" Jean asked.

"I'm going to see my daughter!" he answered. "One way or another, they're gonna break this wall too!"

Pyxis, Eren, and the ponies continued to walk along the wall east towards the inner gate of Trost. Twilight, Starlight, and Rarity walked alongside Pyxis while Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flew along Eren's side, and Applejack and Pinke Pie as well. Rainbow Dash was examining the maneuvering gear to know exactly how this device allowed the humans to fly in such a way, even without wings. Eren smirked as she saw the pegasus' curiosity get to him.

"It's said that before the Titans claimed dominance of the land," Pyxis explained to Eren and the ponies as well. "mankind was locked in endless bloody battles over differences in race and ideals."

Twilight, Starlight, and the rest of the ponies gasped at such a tale that was so familiar with a story that they have heard of back in their homeland.

"Supposedly someone then said, 'If something beyond man appeared before us as a powerful foe, mankind would take up arms together in unity.' What do you make of that?"

"There's a legend like that?", pondered Eren. "Well, it seems rather optimistic. Doesn't interest me, though."

Pyxis responded to Eren's comment by laughing in good humor.

"Your character's quite cynical, much like myself."

"Well, you see," spoke Twilight. "back in our home, there's a story quite similar to what you've just told us. Only it's not a legend; it is actual history."

"How so?" asked Pyxis.

"Before our land, Equestria was founded, the earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi were separated into different tribes, only caring about themselves rather than others; and then, there was a massive blizzard that washed over the tribes, which only caused starvation amongst the three tribes. So the leaders of each tribe decided to search for a new land, a better one. Eventually, the three leaders arrived at the same place and began to argue over who should claim the land. Because of that, the blizzard followed them to their new home, and they were forced to take shelter in a cave.

"The blizzard trapped them inside the cave and eventually froze the leaders in ice, just like their hearts. The cause of the blizzard was discovered to be from creatures called Windigos, who feed off of hatred. However, the leaders' advisors saw everypony as peers and loved each other. As a result, the Windigos have driven away, and the leaders, along with the entrance to the cave was thawed out using their newfound friendship. So the three leaders unanimously agreed to unite the three tribes together as one to form our land, Equestria."

"That story sounds even more ludicrous than the other one," Eren commented plainly with a stony expression.

"It's true!" Pinkie Pie chipped in. "We celebrate that day during a holiday we call Hearth's Warming Eve. Heck, we even got to play in a show telling that story! You should totally come over during Hearth's Warming!"

"Uh, Pinkie," spoke Fluttershy. "Hearth's Warming doesn't happen again until about eight more months."

"Not only that," added Rarity. "but Eren and his friends live much, much farther away from our world."

"Well, I think that is a marvelous story," expressed Pyxis. "If something like that can happen in your world, then I'm sure that humanity can unite and win this war against the titan menace."

Eren's eyes widened in total disbelief after hearing the commander believe in such a fairytale. Even though he met such strange creatures, he had no clue what was fiction and non-fiction anymore. Glancing at all of the ponies, he could already tell that they were treating him like family, regardless of knowing him for less than an entire day.

"That's because even now," Eren said. "when that powerful foe has our backs against a wall, it's hard to say that humanity is united."

"True," Pyxis agreed. "that certainly needs to change. Otherwise, it'll be difficult to continue fighting."

"And it will," Twilight assured. "We'll make sure we help humanity come together as one to win this fight."

The ponies nodded their heads in agreement while simultaneously saying 'Mm-hmm.'

As they were nearing the inner gate below the wall, they started to walk past some Garrison soldiers where Hannes was organizing his group. When Hannes heard some footsteps, he looked to his left to see Eren and was relieved to know that he was okay.

"Eren?!" Hannes whispered. "So you're safe."

Unexpectedly, he saw Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie walk right next to him along with Twilight, Starlight, and Rarity walking alongside Pyxis, gasping slightly with widened eyes. The other soldiers stationed were quite as shocked as well.

What are those things? Where did they come from? Hannes thought. Why are they with Eren and the commander? What's going on here?

He then noticed Eren pointing to the ground with an annoyed expression, telling him to focus on the task at hand.

'Focus on the mission?' Hannes thought with a frown on his face. Really, is that how he should act toward his superior? It looks like Mikasa and Armin are safe too. Wait, why's Eren walking beside the commander?

As Hannes went back to work, Pyxis took out his flask to take another gulp of the contents inside. Afterward, he thought it would be generous to share some with Eren.

"Care for a swig?" Pyxis asked, giving the flask to Eren.

"Yes!" Eren answered, grabbing the flask that Pyxis was offering.

"Oooo, I want to have some, too!" Pinkie replied.

Eren put the spout of the flash in his mouth to drink the contents inside. Suddenly, he felt his tongue burning while he puffed up his cheeks in disgust. He quickly turned to where Rainbow Dash was flying and spat out the liquids, spraying them at the pegasus. The ponies did not find it entertaining in the slightest, especially Rainbow Dash.

"Dude!" Rainbow Dash retorted, trying to wipe off the liquids.

"Oops, sorry!" apologized Eren.

"Uh, nevermind," Pinkie replied.

Pyxis, Eren, and the ponies looked down to where the soldiers were stationed; but were less than thrilled after hearing the chaos of the terrified soldiers.

"Kill me!" Daz cried, being heard from Eren and the ponies. "If you're gonna execute me, do it quickly!"

'Fine, I'll do it!" warned the Garrison soldier.

Pyxis stood on the edge of the wall while he was also aware of the ruckus amongst the soldiers. He looked at Eren and the ponies with a slight nod, telling them to stand on the edge likewise. After that, he cleared his throat to clear his voice, placed both of his arms behind his back and inhaled deeply.

"ATTENTION!" Pyxis roared at the top of his lungs.

Twilight and her friends were caught off guard by the commander's loud voice, yet they remained where they stood. The soldiers down below stopped arguing and looked up on the wall where Pyxis was standing. Even Daz and the Garrison soldier he was fighting with paused from their ranting. Eren placed his arms behind him too while the ponies widened their legs marginally, even though they couldn't stand on all fours as the humans could. Some of the ponies were amazed to be standing among the many soldiers down below, mainly Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie.

"I will now elaborate on the plan to recapture Trost District!" Pyxis declared with a blaring voice. "The objective of this plan is to seal the hole in the destroyed gate!"

The soldiers were flabberghasted over this plan, unsure of how it was going to be executed.

"Huh?" exhaled Marco. "Seal? Is that even possible?"

"I will now explain how we intend to seal the hole!" Pyxis continued, directing his left hand at the ponies. "First, allow me to introduce these seven ponies!"

The soldiers looked left to where Commander Pyxis was standing and were wholly stunned and awed by the presence of such unusual equines. Jean, Marco, Conny, Sasha, Reiner, and Bertholdt were relieved to see them in one peace while Ymir and Christa were dismayed by their bare existence.

"Well, I rest my case," mumbled Ymir.

"Do not let looks deceive you!" Pyxis assured. "Although they may seem strange, there's much more to them than meets the eye! They come from another world far from ours and are here to help us win this war against the Titans. They are also capable of magic and flight, and above all, intellectual values. With that being said, I ask that you treat all of them with fairness as our peers!"

Pinkie Pie waved to all of the soldiers down below but was instantly halted by Starlight as she planted her hoof back on the ground.

"Not the time," Starlight whispered.

"What's going on here?" Daz muttered in uneasiness.

"Next," Pyxis continued, now directing his right hand at Eren. "belonging to the Cadet Corps, this is Eren Jaeger!"

Eren stepped forward and placed his left arm behind him while putting his right fist on his heart, giving out a military salute. The soldiers were shocked to see him alive, especially Jean, Marco, Conny, and Sasha.

"E-Eren?!", uttered Conny.

"He is the product of successful top-secret titan transformation research," Pyxis explained. "He is capable of generating a titan's body and moving it according to his will!"

Conny was nervous by this statement and gulped anxiously.

"Is the commander making absolutely no sense right now or am I just stupid?" Conny questioned Ymir.

"Shut up for a bit, stupid," Ymir responded coldly.

"In his Titan form," Pyxis pressed on. "he'll lift the large boulder in the vicinity of the front gate, carry it to the destroyed gate, and seal the gate! Your duty is... to protect him from other Titans until he's moved the boulder!"

On the other side of the wall, Armin explains his plan in better detail to the two elite Garrison soldiers using a map of Trost while Mikasa listens to Pyxis' speech.

"There's no need to fight the Titans?" one of the elites with brown hair asked.

"I-I'm sorry," Armin said in response. "It's not my place as a recruit to say anything."

"Forget that," the elite soldier returned. "Continue explaining."

"R-Right," Armin replied. "Titans generally attack in response to larger groups of people, so if we could take advantage of that and act as bait to group them close to the wall, I believe we could keep them away from Eren with minimal contact overall. Furthermore, the baited Titans can later be taken care of with cannons, preventing any unnecessary casualties. However, we can't just leave Eren unguarded, so I believe we should have a small, elite squad escort him. All that being said, we cannot avoid fighting the titans that enter through the hole. It'll be up to the abilities of the elite squad at that point."

"Okay, understood," the elite soldier settled. "Let's replan using that as a basis."

"But this plan assumes that Eren can reliably carry the boulder and seal the hole," Armin noted. "I'm hesitant about carrying out the plan with that uncertainty in mind."

"True," the Garrison soldier agreed. "there's something to be said about putting soldiers at risk when the foundation of the plan is anything but reliable. But Commander Pyxis' reasoning is valid as well."

"Right," the female Garrison soldier spoke in concurrence. "We also need to worry about time. Even as we speak, the Titans continue to invade. As more make their way into the town, recapturing it will become impossible."

"Not to mention," the male Garrison soldier added. "the chance that Wall Rose is breached increases."

"And lastly," the female soldier concluded. "there's a limit to how long people can act with fear as their driving force."

Down below the town outside of Trost, the soldiers were mulling over Pyxis' plan to seal the gate with that boulder.

"Carry that large boulder?" a male soldier questioned. "That's just... Has humanity finally taken control of the Titans?"

"You're lying!" Daz cried out, unable to hear such ludicrous plans a minute longer. "I won't risk my life for a retarded reason like that! What do you think we are?! We're not disposable blades, you know!"

"'Human weapon' he says!" a soldier doubted.

"That's obviously a lie!" another soldier replied.

"Making fools of us..." a different soldier spoke.

"They're telling us to die here today," said the goateed Garrison soldier, turning away from the mission. "I'm out of here!"

The two female soldiers that were standing next to him nodded at each other and followed the Garrison soldier. Soon, Daz, along with several other soldiers began to walk away from the mission and their obligation as soldiers.

"Me too!" said another soldier, following the others.

"Same here!" spoke another.

"I've had enough of this!"

Sasha wanted to leave as well, but something profound inside of her told her to stay where she stood.

"Stop right there!" the Garrison soldier yelled at Daz. "You, that's a capital crime!"

Once the Garrison soldier grabbed Daz's shoulder, Daz swatted his arm away.

"I'll be spending the last moments of mankind with my family!" Daz sobbed.

On top of the walls, the ponies were startled with anguish to see many of the soldiers forsake all hope and walk away like cowards. Captain Felman looked at him to see the dismay unfold.

"This is bad," the blond-haired soldier whispered standing next to the captain.

"Yes," the grey-haired soldier responded. "order will fall apart at this rate."

Captain Felman was sick of the soldiers' cowardice.

"I hope you've said your prayers, traitors!" Felman shouted, drawing out one of his blades. "I will hack you down where you stand!"

Knowing that death was about to befall, Twilight and her friends gasped in horror.

"Pyxis!" Twilight cried to him. "You have to do something!"

Pyxis gritted his teeth and took a deep inhale.

"Heed my command!" Pyxis clamored. "Those who desert us now will all be pardoned!"

"What?!", the ponies shrieked in unison.

The soldiers were stunned after hearing this with Captain Felman gasping in complete surprise.

"Once a man surrenders to their fear of Titans, they are no longer fit for battle!", Pyxis stated. "Those who've experienced that fear are free to leave!"

Twilight did not understand what was going on in Pyxis' head, yet his serious scowl was telling her that Pyxis was not finished just yet.

"Furthermore, those of you who want your parents, siblings, and loved ones to experience that fear for themselves may also leave!"

The soldiers that were walking away stopped directly in their tracks after hearing Pyxis' declaration. Sasha even looked up at the commander with feelings boiling inside of her. Twilight began to understand were Pyxis was going with this as she saw the soldiers come to a halt. Nevertheless, the ponies' mouths remained wide open.

The goateed soldier started to imagine the thought of his daughter being devoured by a titan, welling up with tears. If he ran away now, there's a high possibility of losing his daughter and the rest of his family.

"I can't let that happen," he murmured. "My daughter is my... last hope."

After pondering deeply about this, he changed his mind and returned to his position. The other retreating soldiers did the same. Daz finally puts himself together and walked back into formation while being greeted by Marco with an upholding smile. The ponies were relieved and lifted by Pyxis' encouraging words as they saw the soldiers regain their courage seeing that they would still fight for their families and loves ones, just like them.

"Let us think back to four years ago," Pyxis continued. "Recall the plan to recapture Wall Maria. Though I presume you all know this without me having to say, the plan itself sounded glorious, but in essence, it was a way to rid ourselves of the unemployed that the government was unable to support!"

"What did ya say?!" Applejack asked in confoundment.

"Applejack, shh!" Starlight hushed.

"The only reason why everyone maintained their silence," Pyxis pressed on. "was because we managed to survive within these confined walls thanks to their sacrifices! All of mankind bears that sin, including myself!"

This story was heartbreaking for the ponies, but they knew that grieving for the ones that died out there in battle would not solve anything in the present.

"Because of the inhabitants of Wall Maria were few in number, the conflict did not escalate. But what about now?! If Wall Rose is breached, reducing the mouths to feed by a fifth won't suffice! Not even a half of the remaining population can be supported within only Wall Sina!"

This fact brought terror to the ponies as they were trembling of the idea of losing this battle along with Wall Rose. However, they glanced back at Eren who looked back at them as well with a serious expression. Eren nodded slightly at them with the ponies nodding in return, bringing them out of their petrified state.

"Should mankind cease to exist," Pyxis proceeded. "it would not be because we were all devoured by Titans! We humans would be our own end! We must not die within narrower walls. I implore you! Die where you stand!"

Although the soldiers were still bewildered by what the commander was asking for them to give up, they remained like a statue being sympathetic with Pyxis' premise. Eren stayed in his salute, standing proud and robust.

I don't know if I can carry the boulder with my Titan power. Still... I understand my role., Eren thought to himself. I might be a fake, but even so, I have to make this succeed. I... have to become... everyone's hope! The same goes for the ponies too.

Several soldiers on the wall started to push the cannons along the tracks running across the walls far and wide with the cannons' barrels pointed downward. Other soldiers were using the lifts on the edges of the wall to transport crates and supplies onto the wall. Everything needed for this plan to work was being put into place.

On the wall above the inner gate, Pyxis was talking to three other Garrison soldiers. The grey-haired soldier with glasses from earlier, the golden-haired soldier with a broad face, and a taller man with short crop brown hair and a small beard. They all stood in formation in front of Commander Pyxis.

"It seems we're all here..." Pyxis stated. "You have just one mission. Act as Eren Yaeger's guards and eliminate any risks that present themselves along the way. It's the most dangerous, as well as the most difficult, mission of this plan. It would be no exaggeration to say the fate of mankind rests on your shoulders."

"Commander," said the grey-haired woman. "may I ask something?"

"What is it?"

"Is the supposed 'human weapon' truly capable of this?", she questioned.

"Stop, Rico," the blond-haired man whispered.

"You're doubtful too, aren't you?" Rico asked him.

"Commander," spoke the bearded soldier. "this plan is dependent on a clearly vague factor, Eren Jaeger. If he's not capable, many soldiers will die meaninglessly."

"Hmm," Pyxis responded, twirling his mustache. "How troubling. Are you all that fond of losing to the Titans?"

Slight gasps were evoked from the three soldiers after hearing Pyxis' question.

"I, for one, am not," the commander replied, turning north to see the land. "I hate losing more than anything. But contrary to that, I've continuously lost all my life."

The three elite soldiers glanced at each other with the complete understanding of Pyxis' words.

"I want to defeat the Titans," Pyxis declared. "Win against those blockheads. No matter what it takes."

"Th-the same goes for us," Rico admitted.

Pyxis turned around to face the elite soldiers.

"Then what choice do we have but to bet on him?" Pyxis challenged. "That clearly vague factor you spoke of is our sole chance of defeating the Titans, after all."

"Commander," broadcasted a Garrison soldier. "it's almost time to execute the luring plan."

"Right," Pyxis answered back to him, turning directly towards the elite soldiers facing them. "Ian Dietrich, Rico Brzenska, Mitabi Jarnach. You've all proven to be elites amongst the elites in the Garrison. I entrust mankind's future to you."

"Sir!", the three soldiers cried out simultaneously with their heartfelt salutes.

"Ian," Pyxis said to the blond-haired soldier. "take command of the squad. I leave all field decisions to you."

"Eh?" Ian said in confusion. "Are you sure?"

"No objections here," Rico responded with a small smirk.

"Likewise," Mitabi replied as well.

"But with my ability..." Ian disclosed.

"Fear not," Pyxis guaranteed. "You know your liquor. You can distinguish the high-quality from the cheap. I leave it to you."

Ian regained his composure and let all of his frets wash away.

"Sir!" he answered.

Eren looked back at Pyxis and the elite soldiers, now with a fresh new boot for his bare left foot and leg. Behind him, Armin, Mikasa, and the ponies looked at Eren with concern.

"Eren, I'm sorry," apologized Armin.

Eren looked back at Armin with confusion as to what Armin was apologizing for.

"In the end," Armin continued. "I made you bear all the responsibility."

"Don't be sorry, Armin," Twilight assured. "It's the only way to look at this ordeal, really."

"She's right," Eren complied to the alicorn. "Remember what I said? You have the ability to seek the right answers. I'll bet on that."

"So will we," Starlight agreed.

The other ponies nodded their heads and said 'Mm-hmm' in unison in agreement too.

"Eren," spoke Mikasa. "I should come-"

"Don't say that you're coming with me," Eren interrupted, surprising Mikasa. "You were assigned to the luring unit, right?"

"But... I can't leave you alone," Mikasa told him, walking towards him. "If you're alone, you'll-"

"Cut it out already!" Eren exclaimed vividly, pushing Mikasa back slightly. "I'm neither your little brother nor a kid! I've said this already!"

"And we've said that we are friends that'll stay together through thick and thin!" Applejack shot back to Eren.

"She's right," Ian budded in walking towards the group. "Which is why she'll be part of the elite squad guarding Jaeger."

With that being said, Mikasa's eyes glittered in delight.

"We need your skills," Ian stated. "The same goes for you ponies. You'll be joining them as well. Seeing that you ponies are capable of magic and flight, sending you seven to join us could give us the upper hand. Not only that, if the commander really does have faith in all of you, then I see no point in not letting you join our squad."

All of the ponies were ecstatic after hearing this.

"Alright!" shouted Rainbow Dash, backflipping in the air twice.

Rainbow Dash extended her hoof in the center of the group. Understanding the gesture, the ponies placed their front hooves on top of each other, Eren, Mikasa, Armin, and soon Ian joined the companionship by putting their hands on the center of the collected hooves as well.

"We do this together!" Twilight declared.

"TOGETHER!" everyone shouted lifting their hands and hooves back in harmony as allies and good friends.

"Enough chit-chat," Ian said facing the three humans and seven ponies. "Let's go. Time to move out!"

Ian, along with the other two elite soldiers, darted east of Wall Rose with Eren, Mikasa, and the ponies following their lead. Armin moved west of the wall since he was assigned to the decoy squadron.

"Adios, Armin!" Pinkie exclaimed waving her hoof. "We promise to make it back. Pinkie Promise!"

Armin nodded his head in affirmation.

"Thanks! Good luck you guys!" Armin replied.

After glancing into each other's eyes one last time, they went their separate ways. The ponies caught up with Eren, Mikasa, and the three elite garrison soldiers in no time.

See you, Armin. Eren said in his mind. Don't die.

Sensing the feeling that Eren told him not to be killed in his mind, Armin answered in his thoughts as well.

Yeah, you too.

Eren, Mikasa, Ian, Rico, Mitabi, and the seven ponies ran along the eastern side of the wall protecting Trost towards the massive boulder. Since the ponies were faster in terms of speed, they slowed their pace to run alongside the soldiers without leaving them in the dust.

"He called you a top-secret weapon," Ian spoke to Eren. "but sealing that hole is all I care about. I'll protect you with my life. It's up to you!"

"Sir!" Eren answered.

"Eren," called Mikasa, running next to him on his left side. "feeling okay?"

"Yeah," he responded.

"Eren-"

"I'm telling you I'm fine!" Eren answered again in irritation. "A lot better than when we were cornered earlier."

"Quit playing house, Jaeger," Rico budded in, running between Eren and Mikasa.

"I didn't mean to..."

"To think we have to entrust the fate of humanity to a spoiled kid like you..." Mitabi grumbled, only getting a fierce look at Mikasa.

"That's enough, all of you!" Ian disciplined them. "We're approaching the route to the boulder! From the looks of it, there are no titans. It seems like everyone successfully lured them off."

On the northwestern corner of Trost, dozens of Titans gathered around to catch any human they could feast upon. With hundreds of soldiers standing on the wall, some of them were hanging on the edge using their mobility gear to latch onto the wall without falling into the Titans' grasp.

"Listen up!" shouted Captain Felman. "We just need to guide them to the corner of the town! Avoid all combat!"

Among the soldiers hanging on the edge, Armin and Marco were doing the task they were assigned and lured as many titans as possible without fighting them head-on.

As Eren, Mikasa, the three elite Garrison soldiers, and seven ponies continued down the route that led to the boulder, Riko wanted to remind Eren about what they were risking for this operation to be a success.

"Let me tell you something, Jaeger," Rico said to him, bringing his attention to her "In all likelihood, no small number of soldiers will lose their lives executing this plan. All for your sake. They're our fellow comrades, seniors, and juniors. Naturally, as soldiers, we're all prepared to die anytime. But you know, they're not ignorant pawns. They have names, families, and all the emotions associated with them.

"Alyosha, Dominic, Phine, Isabel, Ludwig, Martina, Guido, Hans... They're all humans with blood running through their veins. There are also some whom I've been with since my Cadet Corps days. Today, many of them... will likely die for your sake. You have the responsibility to not let their sacrifices be wasted. No matter the odds. Carve that reality into your naive heart. And fulfill your duty with your life."

"Ma'am!" Eren answered, with his steadfastness becoming stronger.

"Don't worry, Rico," Twilight assured in favor of all of her friends. "We'll try our hardest to make sure we make it out of this nightmare alive."

"And that's another thing," Rico spoke further. "Why would you ponies leave the safety and security of your home and come to ours?"

"To save everypony from the titans by all means," Starlight answered.

"But I still don't understand," Rico rattled "Surely, you have families and loved ones back in your world. Fighting in this war won't let you ponies gain or lose anything, except for your own lives, so why risk that and come to this world?"

"You've heard of compassion and companionship, right?" Twilight asked. "We're not doing this just for our own gain or glory, we're doing this because it's the right thing to do. To be honest, we were terrified of seeing these Titans devour your kind helplessly and we were hesitant to come here; but we couldn't just sit back and watch all of you perish.

"So do not think that we're just tossing our own lives away since we do have families and loved ones back home, just like you said. Our rulers grieved for many of your losses and decided to help you humans by sending us. It wasn't our rulers' decision to send us here; my friends and I decided this together and we are not going to let this be for nothing!"

Rico thought about Twilight's reasoning for a moment, still slightly confused.

"I'm still a little puzzled about this," Rico answered. "but if you ponies are willingly risking your necks just for the sake of humanity, I won't argue any further."

While Twilight nodded with a smile, Eren looked at the boulder with a stern scowl as they were nearing the drop-off point.

I'll do it. he thought. I'll make sure we succeed!

As they were about to reach the boulder, Eren thought back to Pyxis' speech.

"Ever since the Titans appeared, mankind has not once claimed victory over them!" Pyxis stated. "For every inch the Titans advanced, we retreated in kind, continually giving up territory! However, when this plan succeeds, mankind will recapture territory from the Titans for the first time in history!"

"It's here," Ian told everyone as he shifted at the right edge of the massive wall. "Let's go!"

"That moment will mark the first time mankind has triumphed over the titans!

Ian, Mitabi, Eren, and Mikasa lept over the wall with their maneuvering gear ready to be used. Twilight grabbed Starlight with Pinke Pie in her magic grasp with the pink pony exclaiming 'Whee' as Twilight followed Eren and Ian. Rainbow Dash carried Applejack and Fluttershy carried Rarity while they followed Twilight's lead. Once the ponies got closer to the ground, they placed each other on the rooftops and darted for the huge boulder.

Rico stopped at the drop-off point and glanced at where Pyxis was stationed. Placing her left hand on her left ear and aiming a pistol at the sky, she pulled the trigger and a pillar of green smoke shot up several yards in the air.

Far at the northern side of the wall, a female Garrison soldier used a monocular to relay the message back to her superiors.

"Green signal confirmed," the female soldier passed on to the commander. "The elite squad has begun their mission."

Commander Pyxis looked over the town with full confidence that the mission would be a success.

"Compared to all of that mankind has lost thus far, it may be overwhelmingly insignificant."

Eren, Mikasa, Ian, and Mitabi flew and zipped over, through, and across the many buildings in the city with their 3D maneuvering gear while the ponies flew above or ran across the rooftops. Eren and Mikasa went straight for the boulder while Ian, Mitabi, and the ponies moved to either side of the boulder to allow Eren to transform.

"However, despite that, to mankind it will be a great advance."

Once Eren flew over the street that led to the boulder, there was a clearing big enough for him to transform into a Titan. As he neared the clearing, he placed his left hand in his mouth and bit down hard on it, squirting blood and crushing some bone. A light shined brightly from around him as bone, muscle, and all kinds of body tissue formed around Eren, crashing into a nearby building with dust and smoke erupting from it. Mikasa, the elite soldiers, the ponies, and the commander along with his fellow soldiers stared with awe as Eren's Titan form stood up and roared menacingly, ready to start the mission and lift the boulder.

Ian stood on the edge of the roof of a long tower while Mikasa and Mitabi stood on a building east of where the boulder was. The ponies arrived to where Mikasa and Mitabi were and looked at Eren's Titan form in brimming determination of Eren. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Starlight, and Twilight went on the same roof Mikasa was standing on while Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie set themselves on a building north from where the boulder was at.

From a human's standpoint, thought Mikasa. it's unthinkable to carry a boulder of that size. But I'm sure Eren has a strong power that can guide us.

Eren's Titan walked towards the boulder and looked right at it according to plan. However, before he could lift it up, he glanced back at where Mikasa was positioned with frightining, glowing eyes. Eren began to walk slowly towards Mikasa, striking worry into her.

Eren? Mikasa wondered to herself.

Before she knew it, Eren wounded his right arm and punched his fist directly at Mikasa. Ian, Mitabi, and the ponies observed the scene with dismay and gasped as Eren's Titan form destroyed part of the roof.

"What the hay?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.