Slime City

by MonolithiuM

Chapters

• Chapter 1- Pony Up
• Chapter 2- Adventurers Assemble!
• Chapter 3- Gak City
• HELP
• Chapter 4- Beloved
• Chapter 5- Out on the Town
• Chapter 6- Breach
• Chapter 7- Shock and Awe
• Chapter 8- Tension
• Chapter 9- Assault
• Chapter 10- The Wounded
• Chapter 11- ...Made of This
• Chapter 12- Distrust
• Chapter 13- Puncture
• Chapter 14- Bellum Paro
• Chapter 15- Consilia
• Chapter 16- Colossus

Chapter 1- Pony Up

Twilight hurried down the hallway, frantically snatching papers that were flung from her magical grip during her mad dash. She had been gathering information on a new city that remained to be identified.

     Equestrian records showed no history of any recent building permits in that area of Whitetail Wood. The city had been able to keep hidden thanks to the mountains and the thick foliage of the forest itself. It was reasonably isolated and far from any trading networks, but still strange. What was more disturbing, however, was the fact that no ponies could have possibly been there. Not unless the village was set up by a reclusive group.

     In the recent months after her brother and her foalsitter had gotten married, the Everfree seemed almost devoid of all dangerous wildlife, save for plants and the like. It was as if they had… migrated. This revelation was the exact reason why Twilight Sparkle, Celestia's student, was in such a hurry.

     "Hmmm, hmmm, hm hm hmmmm…" Celestia hummed merrily to herself. Her guards had been sent away and she was enjoying some 'private time'.

     "Hm hm hm hm hm hm hmmmmm…" She twirled and stroked, she did it rough and sometimes with soft, fluid motions. And sometimes she would use other toys.

      "Hmmmm hm hm-" Suddenly the throne room doors opened, and Twilight rushed in. Celestia immediately stopped the very un-princess-like behavior, and hid her toys. She cleared her face of red and put on the best poker-face she could manage, which was admittedly very impressive. Luckily, the papers flying around her student was enough to distract the poor unicorn, and save the ruler's flank.

     "Celestia!" Twilight yelped, how adorable. "There is something urgent I need to speak with you about!"

     Celestia raised a single eyebrow.

     "What is it, my little pony? What has you so flustered?" Celestia spoke in the voice of a calm and collected sensei from out of some kind of Disney movie with children, karate, and whatnot. Thousands of years of practice nets you some wisdom points.

     "The Mystery City! I have reason to believe that the creatures of the Everfree are congregating there instead of in their natural habitats! Look!" A map with several coffee stains, pencil markings, erasures, and some kind of dried green residue was flattened onto a coffee-table. Twilight wiped away some of the green muck. "Sorry, changeling got in through the window…"

     Celestia was about to speak, but Twilight rudely cut her off. "I'll talk about it later! Anyway! Several travelers have noted seeing such creatures as Timberwolves, cockatrices, and the unmistakable Hydra moving through areas around here," she circled an area with her hoof between the Everfree and Whitewood. "and reports of large unidentified flying animals here." She waved over an area outside Ponyville.

     Any excursions into Everfree have gone off without a hitch. Nopony was attacked or threatened in the slightest, except for that one mare who almost got stomped for a sandwich… But regardless, I also spoke with Zecora, the resident zebra inside the Everfree. She says that the beasts, and I quote, 'have been called, and so nopony has been mauled.'"

     At hearing the zebra's quote, Celestia woke up. "Waaaa?!" She refocused on Twilight.

     "Princess?" Twilight sounded a bit hurt at her mentor's apparent apathetic approach to her report.

     "Yes. Very interesting, my little pony. Your report has garnered my interest.

     The drool wiped across her jewel-encrusted breast-plate said differently.

     Twilight narrowed her eyes ever so slightly. While the unicorn was focusing on her eyes, Celestia cast a spell to read the mare's latest thoughts. The information hit Celestia like a brick wall with feces as mortar. It was horrible, disgusting, egghead smart stuff! Aristocracy didn't need these things, they were not nice things. Bubble baths and hoof-massages were nice things. Celestia purred subconsciously, Especially when Wandisimo is involved.

     Celestia shook her head and stared down Twilight Sparkle. "The animals of the Everfree are heading to the Whitetail Woods. The Mystery City is also situated there. You, Twilight Sparkle, have reason to believe that this city is responsible. Very well, assemble a team and get ready to go tomorrow morning." She clapped her hooves. "Now, SCAT!"

     A golden blast of magic later and Twilight found herself outside the throne room's doors, her papers zipping out empty windows and impaling themselves on unicorn busts.

     Twilight's brain fizzled slowly, then popped back with the intensity of a spotlight. "I need to make a checklist."

     Meanwhile, in the throne room.

     "Oh Wandisimo, scoop me up and fly me away!" Celestia twirled a pearl white alicorn doll and stroked her vibrant mane.

     Her voice then took on what we would call a heavy latino accent. "Yes, my love, let us fly through the heavens, where nopony will be able to follow us. Our love will be forever…" Then she smacked the two puppets roughly together, and with a soft, fluid motion, she levitated them up to the ceiling of the throne room.

     The next morning.

     Private Silk Shot groped lazily around his quarters. A letter had literally appeared right as he had been attempting to drift off to sleep yesterday.

     It simply read:

     Get your flank up the next morning or you're Hydra chow. Got me punk?

     And so here he was, ready to defend his country in all of his groggy, slipper-bound glory. He looked at himself in the mirror. Bunny slippers weren't going to be sending chills down the spines of is enemies, maybe chills down their funny bone. Pfah, I'm still glorious.

     With a leap and a bound, he threw off his slippers and made his way into the bathroom. His horn glowed a dull blue as his tooth brush accepted a generous amount of toothpaste, which he then inserted into his mouth. Brushy, brushy, brushy. He spit out the minty fluid and saliva and then took care of his disheveled coat.

     Combs and brushes went through his plum-colored fur, unknotting masses of hair and making it shine. Then he slapped his helmet over his messy blue mane and the fabulosity of his individuality was lost. White coat, with blue eyes instead of… wait… his eyes were blue, just lighter. Sky blue, that's it.

     Within minutes he was out the door, his weapon of choice strapped to his back tightly. His one hundred and fifty pound crossbow with a neat little telescopic sight on it. If pride has a circle in Tartarus, he's its destined king. The love and care he showed for this thing outranked even his own mother. (Three-hundred bits a year to a nursing home, thank ya kindly.)

     Top of his class, a ranged prodigy, but a total hard-ass in the field. He could hit a peanut riding on the back of a manticore traveling two miles up, while he hung upside down from a second story window of a falling building. He was just that badass.

     Not really, he had just bought the crossbow and named it Nancy. His friends though it was a stupid name, but he didn't have to care, because HE HAD A FRICKEN CROSSBOW, BIATCH. And so he joined the Royal Guard, because they never did anything anyway, except for getting their flanks handed to them against insects. Damn, that was embarrassing,

     ANYWAY. Silk traveled the halls, making a beeline for the throne room in order to get his debrief on the situation.

     The doors to the throne room burst open. They did that more often than not. Don't look at me, stuff just works that way in stories.

     "Sorry I'm late sir! I'm ready for my debrief!" Silk Shot panted from the run, having taken the wrong turn into the wrong hall. They all look the same! Grrrrrr…

     "Too late, Private! Ask somepony else. This meeting is adjourned." The gruff earth pony snorted and trotted out.

     "Aw, crap." Silk's eyebrows leveled and his mouth twisted into a disappointed scowl. Then he felt a tap on his shoulder.

     "Excuse me. I think I can help explain things to you."

     Silk's attention turned to the feminine voice behind him. Purple. Sweet Mama Luna that's a-lot-a purple. But he didn't turn down this opportunity.

     "Yes! Please! Tell me everything you know. Absolutely everything!"

     Twilight's face lit up in excitement. "Everything?"

A/N: Nerdy Twilight is nerdy. My first story on FimFiction. I am in desperate need of an editor. If you can give me some help, that'd be appreciated greatly. Input, questions, comments, criticism?

This story is human-based, I'm not gonna lie, but I'll try my hardest to avoid clichés. Not a self-insert, nor is the human a 'hero'. You'll understand as you read on, that is if you read on. And I'd be much obliged if you do.

Chapter 2- Adventurers Assemble!

     Silk Shot whimpered in the corner, his mumbled pleas falling on deaf ears. She hadn't let up. Once she started there was no stopping her.

     "Please… just… shut up…" But it was futile; she was completely oblivious. After she had recounted how she had dropped the milk on her floor, she then explained that she needed to pick up more, which was when she had her sudden clarity and realized that she had to go see the princess and stop creating run on sentences.

     Far on the other side sat a hardened veteran, Noble Force. With his two-foot reinforced steel sword and lightweight but durable armor, he was ready to face down a hydra. He shuffled his wings a bit, and relaxed his sore primaries, still tired from yesterday's training session. His full title, Lieutenant Noble Force Quentin Jr. IV Esquire, was used only during honorary ceremonies. Oh, and there were tons.

     Medal of Honor for fighting off the changelings from a band of orphans, rescuing a mare from a raging inferno, allowing Celestia to use him as a body pillo- *cough cough… AHEM* A body pillory, in which he restrained a madpony for four days and four nights. Indeed.

     In fact, he was so amazing that he was hoof picked… by a teenage mare on a scavenger hunt.

     Force's head clunked on the side of the air carriage. He then lifted his snout into the air, and let it go into the wooden framework again. Repeat process, yadda yadda yadda.

     By the time Silk Shot's Twilight induced headache ended, Noble Force's self-induced one had reached its climax as well.

     They were now in Ponyville, and the purple mare was nowhere in sight. The Lieutenant straightened up and swiveled his head to and fro. The Private merely shook on the floor of the carriage.

     "We must find Lady Sparkle." Force intoned definitively, as if it was his place to define things by heavenly right. Private Shot, however, looked up at him as if he was the son of the Devil himself.

     "What?! And bring that seizure-inducing egghead back here?" Silk Shot sprang up. "No way in Tartarus."

     "That is a direct order Private. Don't you dare step out of line, or I'll tear off your head and defecate down your windpipe!" Force's nostrils flared as his wings expanded, showing off quite the impressive wingspan.

     "I am absolutely sure that I speak for what brain cells I have left when I say that that mare is dangerous!" Silk's eye twitched.

     "Insinuating that you had any to begin with…" Force smirked.

     "YOU WANNA FIGHT ABOUT IT, GEEZER?" This was especially insulting, as Force's age was a well-kept secret. The damned stallion had not seemed to age a day.

     The unicorn's horn sparked up, sending pale blue light streaking down his now-golden mane.

     "Little insubordinate prick!"

     Moments later…

     "Lift your snout up."

     Silk did so.

     "Higher."

     Silk complied. And immediately wished he hadn't.

    "Alright, is everypony ready?" Twilight smiled eagerly, glad to be on yet another adventure with her friends. Spike tightened the straps on his pack, and grinned eagerly.

     My first adventure with the Elements! EEEEEEEEEEEE-

     While Spike trembled in quiet excitement, Rarity concerned herself over Applejack's luggage.

     "Just one set of boots, dear? Not only is that bland and, well, let us say watery? But...  Is that even wise?" This was met with more bickering while Twilight checked off her list and nodded a few times. By the time she looked up, Rainbow Dash was restraining Applejack, in vain. And Rarity simply pouted with her snout in the air.

     "HEY!" The quarreling halted immediately. "Let's go, girls."

     "Ahem."

     "And dragon."

     "SQUEEEEEEEE!!!"

     Several minutes later, Twilight and company arrived at the sight of Silk Shot sprawled in the dirt, his mouth ajar, his mane in his eyes. Noble Force leaned against the side of the carriage, his helm pulled down over his eyes. Upon hearing the symphony of hoofsteps, he used a single hoof to prop up the helmet's face-mask.

     Underneath the golden mask a pair of sapphire eyes gleamed, with a smirk that made Fluttershy's knees, all four of them, wobbly. Rarity swooned near instantly, and Twilight couldn't tear her eyes away. Silence took them over until Shot killed the moment quite effectively.

     "Wwwwrrrrrrraaaaaaaggggghhhhhh…" He flipped over, clutching his jaw. "I feel like I got pimp-slapped with a dragon di-" His gaze stopped at the amalgamation of mares and the pint-size dragon before him. On cue, he snapped to attention. His salute was grand and a bit too forceful, causing his faceplate to slam shut, jarring his head and inducing a new migraine.

     On reaction, he shouted, his voice reverberating through his helm. "PRIVATE SILK SHOT, AT YOUR SERVICE!" The action made him feel more than a little queasy, but he persevered.  

     Twilight giggled. "At ease, Private."

     "THANK YOU MA'arrrllggh…" As Silk Shot's closing statement died with a rather strange elocution, Rainbow Dash's eyebrow rose.

     "You alright there, champ?" The rest leaned in to see what was the matter. Silk Shot nodded as fast as he could, even though his vision was marred due to last night's dinner. A stroke of luck he had missed breakfast.

     "A- are you sure? We're just a little, well worried is all. If- if that's OK with you…" Fluttershy meekly stated. Silk Shot shook his head and then nodded again. Don't drip, don't drip, don't drip!

     "Well alrighty there bucko, if'n ya say so yerself." Applejack tipped her hat and turned to Force. "Let's get ta gettin'!"

     As the others were distracted, Shot dashed around to the other side of the carriage. He quickly emptied his canteen into his helmet, washing out the filthied helm of his half-digested tulip casserole.

     The group piled into the sky carriage, eagerly awaiting their trip. Silk Shot scrambled in after them under the scornful gaze of Force. The two pegasi in the front spread their wings and took off, scattering autumn leaves.

     In the distance, a pair of bright yellow orbs watched them. The creature snarled and made haste to the south, the same direction as the carriage.

     Celestia's midday sun burned brightly above them all, providing comforting light to the peaceful land of Equestria.

     Six hours later…

     The sky carriage began to head down into the lightly wooded area around the Everfree, the two Sun Guards at the front slowing down for a soft landing. The landing was stuck and the passengers climbed out while each Airlock, for that was a carriage pegasus' title, disengaged themself from the carriage.

     The two royal pegasi stretched their pinions and went to unload their supplies, consisting of tent equipment and marshmallows, for one must always be prepared. A fire was started and the tents were set, and everypony got comfortable.

     "Now, as much as everypony wants to stay by the fire and tell ghost stories and roast marshmallows, we need sleep. We're going to be flying non-stop tomorrow morning, bright and early." Groans and complaints were heard from the group, but Lieutenant Force would hear none of it. "Now now, we need to be out of these areas soon, you hear?"

     "But Mr. Bigwings McMuscleypants! We can't go to bed without roasting some marshmallows!" Pinkie Pie bounded up to the iron-clad pegasus, who raised an eyebrow speculatively.

     "McMuscleypants? Ma'am, I hardly think it's nece-" But before he could speak out against the party pony, a flash of lights and fire and a small campfire was set up with sleeping bags and marshmallows already poised on sticks. Force's jaw didn't drop in time to fully gauge his reaction , as every single member of the party was already roasting marshmallows, even the rest of the guards.

     "We… uh… sir, we have no idea what we are doing or why we are doing it." The two Airlocks grinned sheepishly. "But… maybe we should just lay down and relax." The other piped up with more enthusiasm.

     "Wind Shear is right sir, this is a great time to just unwind and maybe share some stories." One Airlock grinned broadly, and the other nodded his head. Noble Force prepared to go into his trademarked tirade, but then saw the looks of the mares and the baby dragon. His expression softened and he sighed. "Fine…"

     Cheers and whoops echoed around them, and they began to recount previous adventures around the soft flames. Shadows danced and laughter bounded, their careless merriment sending harmless woodland critters to and fro. By the time their joviality was spent, they went to sleep in good spirits with sticky white goo in their stomachs and smiles on their faces.

     Just… forget about that last part… please?

A/N: Sticky white goo.

     This chapter went through so many edits because I didn't like the way Noble Force was coming out. And yes I am aware that the Mane 6 (and Spike) don't have much dialog, this will be amended in the next chapter. Be warned, it's a talking one. A LOT of talking. You've been warned.

     Oh, and reference (more like homage, amirite?) to Heartbreak Ridge. Because Clint Eastwood is a god. I AM THE IOTOLA OF ROCK 'N ROLLA. Oh, and I'm also very lazy and couldn't think of anything for that section. Sorry…

     20% human in the next chapter, I promise. Good night/day, or whatever time it is. Still need that editor, too.

Chapter 3- Gak City

     Bright and early they awoke to the sound of birds and squirrels. Within no time at all Twilight's group was all packed up and raring to go. All except one.

     "But it hurts…" Spike groaned and clutched his stomach. Poor little dragon.

     "Then you shouldn't have eaten so many marshmallows!" Twilight stamped her hoof impatiently. "Now get up, come ON!"

     "Oh, I'm sure there's a certain marshmallow he'd love to eat. If you know what I mean…" Rainbow poked Rarity in the side. The unicorn became immediately flustered and stared at Rainbow, absolutely horrified.

     "Rainbow Dash! Why I never! How unladylike. I… well I ought to… um… ugh!" Rarity threw her snout in the air once again in an attempt to calm herself. But Rainbow wouldn't have it, not yet.

     She fluttered over to her lazily. "♫Somepony needs to get laid…♫"

     "RAINBOW DASH!" Rarity pursued the cyan mare around in a futile endeavor, while the instigator herself laughed uncontrollably. She spun through the air and dodged Rarity's stun spell over and over again.

     Meanwhile Shot, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie played Go Fish on one of Rarity's suitcases.

     "Bullshi-"

     "We're not playin' that game, consarnit! Stoppit!" Her nerves already piled upon by the happenings around her, this soldier was just shoveling more and more on top.

     "But it is! We shouldn't be able to hold these cards!" Almost on cue, they all fell from the ponies' hooves, even Pinkie Pie's.

     "Screw it. Ah quit."

     Six hours later…

     "Well, the Whitetail Woods. Certainly no Everfree, but uh…" the entire group turned to Silk Shot. "I'm pretty sure nopony's ever been here recently, am I right?"

     This sudden unfortunate turn of events was a severe miscalculation on Twilight's part, and she actually paled. Through. Her. Coat.

     Through the frantic pacing and speedy mumbling of the violet egghead, the others made a plan. Even the Airlocks got in on it.

     "We can scout ahead for any structures, and Spot On can relay info between  us." Windshear grinned at his own plan, and Noble Force nodded in appreciative silence.

     "If we need help, I'll just fire off my party cannon!" At that moment, a grayish blue cannon materialized out of a void and into Pinkie's hooves while she giggled and snorted. The plan was pretty solid; just trail-blaze the damned forest and find the blasted city. They all agreed on the plan and Force gave a nod to Spike, who walked over to Twilight and gripped her by the tail.

     Showing impressive strength, he dragged Twilight with the group, her mane disheveled and her eyes bugged. Spike merely sighed with his eyelids half closed. "Typical Twilight…" He sighed unenthusiastically.

     The group disappeared into the brush while the two Airlocks burst into the sky. The trek had begun.

     "♫They tried to make me go to rehab, I said, 'No, no, no'

Yes, I've been black but when I come back you'll know, know, know

I ain't got the time and if my daddy thinks I'm fine-♫"

     "Private Shot, shut up." Noble Force continued to trudge ahead of the group, his eyes fixated about eight meters in front of him. The Private held up the back, with Twilight behind Force, now over her panic attack. Just behind Twilight was Spike, then Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie.

     Spot On burst through the canopy, his wings slowing him down just enough to allow him to hover next to Lieutenant Force.

     "Anything?"

     "Nay sir, but we have found evidence of civilization."

     The posse's ears all perked up, well except for Spike, that earless wonder. What do canals do? Do they suck in to block out sound, or expand to allow more sound in? Like an adaptable anus? Food for thought.

     Anyway… "Civilization?" Twilight pushed Force aside and into a tree, eliciting an "oof!" from the pegasus. "Take me there immediately!"

     "Yes ma'am." Spot did his best to keep a straight face at the sight of watching Force get mare-handled, but this wasn't the time. Plus, he valued his future children and his dignity, so he had a pair to keep safe.

     As Force picked himself up out of the brambles and bushes, he just saw Twilight Sparkle led into a clearing up ahead.

     The clearing was massive, but strange. Clearly it wasn't natural, and several tree stumps were left  peppering the green grass.

     "Hmmm. Clean cuts, as if they were sliced in one fell swoop. Spike, take a note."

     Spike obediently grabbed a notepad and began scribbling away furiously as Twilight continued to count off completely useful information. After all, the grass wasn't a perfect shade of green, but more of an alfalfa with a hint of coconut flesh color-

     "Lady Sparkle! Look at this!" The Airlock cried out from across the clearing, his jaw agape at the sight before him. Twilight darted over immediately. "What? What is- oh my…"

     The trees were scorched in some areas, many leaves were withered and dry, and the ground had tracks not unlike a carriage. But the tracks were strange indeed. Instead of being two perfect lines, they were spaced, but evenly, and deep. The tracks were so deep, in fact, that Spike's leg went half-way through the dirt.

     "What in tarnation…"

     "Woah."

     "My goodness!"

     "I hope the birds are alright…"

     Pinkie Pie was literally speechless, there was no cheer among them, only awe. What could have caused this? It went on through the forest, and the group concluded that this would lead straight to their goal.

     Spot On hailed Wind Shear back to the group, and they resumed their journey on hooves, with the trail literally blazed for them.

     Thirty-seven minutes later…

     The sun was now lower, making the time just about 5:30. Give or take the time spent BSing in the forest.

     "W- what is th- that?" Fluttershy shook in her hooves, her tail tucked between her legs and her head bowed low to the dirt. The grass line had ended long ago, and a road had begun to define itself, yet all was still dark. Until now.

     A single light shone upon them with the radiance of the sun, and they threw their hooves and wings around their eyes to shield themselves.

     "Identify yourselves!"

     "Whadya mean, "identify"?! Let us in!" Rainbow Dash snarled offensively. A click was heard. Then a loud CLANG. A huge metal arrow, at least three feet long, impaled itself only inches from Rainbow Dash's hooves. Her eyes went to pins.

     "O- okay. I'm sorry, I'll just, back up now…" She retreated slightly. Now it was Twilight's turn.

     "I am Twilight Sparkle, emissary of Princess Celestia and an Element of Harmony. I vouch for the others in my party. We come with greetings!" The air suddenly grew tense as the light winked out and scrambling was heard from about ten meters in front of them. Panicked whispering was heard, and then a few curses.

     The light came back, startling the group. "Alright, but keep your weapons to yourself and stay with your escorts. Any deviation or act of aggression will be seen as an attack on the city. Do you understand?" The voice was pretty rough, but definitely male. It sounded big.

     Twilight conversed with the group, and after staring down Pinkie and forcing her to Pinkie Promise to behave herself, she turned back to the light. "We understand."

     The light dimmed considerably, and a great groan was heard, then a huge creaking. Apparently, they had been facing a massive wall the entire time. The wall itself was inlaid with stone and wood, with metal infused along with it. It cracked open and swung outwards.

     Doors rarely make ponies gape, but for this, they made a special exception. It was at least ten meters tall, and each door was four meters wide. The wall was thick, and at a glance, it seemed to be at least twelve feet thick. Now I'm saying this in both the metric system and the Americanized system, because I like variety. Anyway, the door was friggin' ginormous, and each member of the group could have swallowed a foot long sub in one go, what with their mouths so wide.

     Once they were inside, the doors closed softly, then were followed by a huge metallic clang and the sound of gears ended by a chorus of locks. They were inside the Mysterious City.

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     WHAT? You think I'm gonna be that big of a dick and leave this chapter on a cliff hanger? Haha, no. It's about to go down, so put on your battle caps and strap into your couch. Shit's about to get real, fo' realsies.

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     They heard him before they saw him. Soft little 'paft-paft-pafts' were heard from above to their left, and they saw something they truly didn't expect. It was bipedal, tall, and had two sharp canines. Yes, ladies and gentleman, it was a Dog.

     The group still didn't drop their face from before.

     "Meh… Figures." Shot shrugged him shoulders nonchalantly.

     The figure continued to descend, and… he wasn't tall at all. He was actually only a little taller than Spike. He strode over to the Elements and company uneasily, as they did the same. As Force looked around the room, he noticed dozens of much larger Dogs lined up along the top, their heads and green eyes poking out.

     The Dog below and in front of them in question was actually built differently than the mares remembered them to be. This Dog stood straighter, and the arms were actually a bit more muscular as well. The tail was more pronounced, and the eyes didn't have the distinct yellow discoloration. This Dog in fact had emerald irises with two dainty pupils to boot. He wore a small (standard for him, mind you) duster with a blue scarf that trailed to his ankles. On top of his head he wore a curved helmet with a single yellow stripe running diagonally across one side of his helmet, originating in the front and stretching up to the back left.

     The guards among them recognized this as some sort of rank, one which they couldn't discern, however. This was entirely new to them.

     "Hello." The Dog spoke in a deep, gruff tone that echoed off the walls and reverberated around the room. "My name is Orion, and I will be escorting you with several other Gate Guards. I am the Captain of the Guard here at Sanctuary. For now you are under my supervision and jurisdiction, until of course you get my lord's audience."

     "Oh sweet Celestia he is just precious! Don't you agree, Fluttershy darling?" Rarity knelt down to the scowling Dog. He reserved himself, his face contorting so much it seemed it would swirl into itself and swallow up his features. He patted down the white fur of his coat, and let his stony expression return. "Follow me."

     The group, lead by the Dog, took note of the structures. All made of stone, with glass windows in all, they seemed extremely sturdy. Spike furiously scribbled down notes while Twilight blabbered on and on, and to be frank, it's a pain in my ass to talk about all that, so screw it.

     Force was suspicious, however, and trotted a bit faster to catch up to the small biped. "Where are all the citizens? I see no signs of population, other than you and your guards."

     Orion nodded. "Hiding. We don't really know how you'll take us, so we chose to keep all of the public in hiding, to which they gladly agreed to."

     "But why would anypony be afraid of us? We're the Elements of Harmony, forces of love and tolerance! That's just silly that you would be afraid of us!" Pinkie bounced up and down, circling the Captain.

     The Dog's face sobered. "Yes. Your… reputation proceeds you. Especially around here." The way he tasted the word 'reputation' really left a bad feeling within the group.

     "'Round here? What in Sue Tartarus are ya blabberin' about?" Applejack's eyebrow rose in grand suspicion, almost equivalent to Bond-villain style.

     The Dog remained silent as they came to a great stone archway inlaid with metal-work and gems. A large yellow sign that read: NO STEALING... OR EATING, lined the grass to both sides. Spike's head drooped. When he looked up, however, he saw a grand palace, carved into the side of the mountain, nearly like Canterlot. Except that great archways held over-hanging shelves of rock that created a great shade across the courtyard, which was filled with trees and flowers, as well as many singing birds.

     The singing had begun to die down however, much due to the sun. Shot heard Orion mutter something about somepony "being early". Private Shot had a random guess. "Um, shortstack, are we interrupting something currently?" Orion's neck hairs visibly bristled.  

     One solid punch later, and Silk lay on the floor in agony, clutching his aching family heirlooms. "My nads! Oh Sweet mother of Cadence!" Noble Force didn't even make a move to help him. "Get up, numb nuts, we're still going."

     Silk whimpered in reply and dragged himself after them with his magic, his fore hooves still clutching his groin. They entered another set of marvelous wooden doors.

     Shot struggled with the stairs, multiple times.

:::-----::::::-----::::::-----::::::-----::::::-----::::::-----:::

     The group was seated around a long cherry wood table, all bunched up at one end. Orion left to fetch some waiters, and the group chatted idly.

     "The spires are just magnificent! The statues atop them just scream royalty." Rarity's eyes had stars in them as her hooves bunched up in front of her like a begging dog. She began to giggle.

     "Shouldn't we be focused more on the fact that there are friggin' Diamond Dogs romping around?" Rainbow exclaimed, bursting out of her seat and unable to keep her voice down. A few guards shot her looks, their jade eyes piercing into her cyan ones. "Heh heh, sorry…" She floated back down into her seat, smiling nervously.

     "It is suspicious, isn't it?" Force kept a single hoof on the circular grip of his blade. Blue eyes darted back and forth underneath the guards' helmets. Sizing up the opposing guards, they were severely outnumbered and possibly outmuscled. The Dogs wielded spears and a few had rapiers.

     Force slid into his seat but kept his grip on his sword.

     The Lieutenant swiveled his head over to Shot, who caught the glimpse and pulled out his heavy crossbow, letting it impact the table with a floor-shaking THUNK. The Dog guards straightened up a bit more and their eyes widened slightly. Shot let a smirk streak across his face.

     Force nodded. Job well done, Private.

:::-----::::::-----::::::-----::::::-----::::::-----::::::-----:::

     A few minutes later…

     Waiters flooded the room, serving their guests bread and steamed vegetables. The guards professionally abstained from the feast, while the others dug in.

     "Oh! This pea soup is just splendid! Please give the chef my condolences… if that's not too much to ask… of course…" Fluttershy looked over at Rarity, who winked happily. The handsome stallion waiter next to Fluttershy raised his eyebrows, but then nodded and sped off.

     Force's brow twitched. As the waiter went back to the kitchen, the veteran eyed him maliciously. The second the offending pony left his vision, the veins in Force's neck receded, and he calmed down.

     The meal went back to being a quiet endeavor, and the group quite enjoyed it. Even the guards had began to nibble on food. In fact, Private Shot lifted a chunk of bread to his mouth, and began to chew.

     A door could be heard being thrown open, and they all looked behind them. A monstrous black creature loomed behind them, and stomped a few times before letting out a guttural growl. What they assumed was its head looked down upon them with two solid black eyes, its silvery mane remaining static. It was bipedal as well.

     Rarity, Fluttershy, Twilight, and Silk screamed, all at the same pitch.

     Then all the waiters flashed in green, and reverted back to their changeling forms. The jig was up. Force and the two Airlocks drew their weapons, Silk Shot choked on the bread, and the brutal beast in front of them took out a very large hatchet.

     Force engaged.

:::-----::::::-----::::::-----::::::-----::::::-----::::::-----:::

A/N: Mmmmm… This cliffhanger is flawless, and delicious. I know I said 20% but I'm bad at mathematics, so cope with the circumstances. At least you can look forward to a fight scene to open Chapter 4.

     And yes, Gak. It died really fast, and was a total pain in the ass. But I couldn't resist, once again, CWTC. I indulged you with a super long chapter (in my opinion, anyway) so quit your bitching. Also, the tag will change from Teen to Mature very soon most likely.

     No clop or anything of the sort, but most likely violence and cuss words here and there. The story will also adopt a dark tag later on for some scenes. Some gore will be present in the pretty distant future, so a massive heads up.

     Fight scene next chapter. Place your bets. And NO ONE DIES, so get your jimmies unrustled immediately.

     I still need an editor. PM me if you are more competent than me for the job. Thanks.

HELP

I am sitting here, typing up Chapter 4, and I just can not come up with a good name to give our human! If you have any ideas whatsoever, please comment! I have tried Bartholomew and Ptolemy, but they just don't ring well.

So, just to clarify, I desperately am asking for viewer input on this. Thanks.

Chapter 4- Beloved

     Force gripped the circular handle of his broadsword with his jaw, his muscles tightening, anticipating the attack. One that never came.

     The monster with black eyes simply stood, unmoving, challenging him. It stood with its right paw outstretched at the pegasus, clearly a signal telling him to halt. Like Tartarus, you bastard. Noble Force's muscles loosened and he took off a foot above the ground, pulling his sword free of its scabbard.

     With a mighty SHWING, the two foot blade was released, its silvery sheen daring all to stand against it. Force flew straight to the thing. It still hasn't moved! Is it stupid? He swung for all he was worth, and sliced straight through the palace's warm air.

     The black creature casually recovered from the dodge, leaning to the side and adjusting its legs. With a simple kick and a swing of its free arm, it righted itself immediately, not showing any signs of difficulty.

     "Damn you!" Swing. Swish. Swing. Fwoosh. Swing. Clack!

     With his blade stuck in the stone floor, Force snarled at the massive creature, its weapon still unused in its black furry paws. Those same voids for eyes stared at Noble, while shouts and screams rang in the background. The shadowy monster raised its head to observe, and Force lunged forward, rage in his yell.

     The thing's head snapped back down and it used the hatchet to swat the offending weapon aside, before bringing a gray leg to deliver a painful, gut-wrenching blow to the Lieutenant's midsection. Before he had a chance to react, the hatchet spun around and the blunt end sent Force's helmet careening down the hall and across the table.

     The veteran collapsed into unconsciousness.

     The beast backed away, peering through its shiny black eyes. The once-white pegasus was now a light brown, with a dirty blonde mane and blue eyes. His tail was still concealed beneath his armor, however.

     The monster stood there, watching its fallen foe with no emotion, stuck in its absent-minded state. Suddenly, a huge metal bolt slammed dead into its silver-sheened mane and took it off, leaving nothing but black covering over the top of its head.

     "A toupee! Seriously?" Shot frowned in disappointment, bits of bread still hanging from his mouth. The mares and Airlocks continued fighting behind him.

     Just then, the room was swarmed with hulking Dogs with two halves of a single shield attached to the backs of their massive arms. They surrounded the earth-locked ponies, the two halves coming together to form a single gargantuan shield for each of them, obscuring their bodies from view. The metal of their armor truly was stunning, polished to such a fine shine.

     Just as the airborne fliers had gone for help, a swarm of prismatic buzzing surrounded them and forced them into the ring, clinging to their wings as if for dear life. The pegasi hit the ground, and stared at their failed wings.

     Frowning little balls with insectoid wings stared back at them, clutching onto their primaries with no signs of letting go. Parasprites.

     Two of the hulking metal Dogs step aside, and the black creature thundered in, its silvery mane in its paw. Its other grasper reached up to its face, and tore its furry skin from its head, pulling it up and over quickly. Its inky eyes were caught up in it and torn out as well, and they clattered to the ground.

     What stared back at them was the peachy, naked face of a bewildered human, its eyes and mouth frozen in anger and surprise.

     "What the fuck?!"

     Trixie struggled to get the papers in order, her horn glowing blue and snatching the rebellious parchment. She put them into order and bound them with magic. Jacobs was back, and according to reports the Elements were early. Just then, the man of the hour, actually of the entire city, briskly walked past her.

     He popped back into her hallway. "Trixie, walk with me. We have problems."

     Trixie nodded and kept pace with the six foot two human, her hooves struggling to keep pace with the man's stride. He went on without noticing, and began to speak quickly. "Have all Praetorian guards at the holding cells. Get the changelings somewhere safe for now. Hail Chrysalis to the holding cells. Get me a coffee, black, with four teaspoons of sugar. ASAP." The human moved his head to ascertain a look of understanding.

     "Trixie?" He looked around. "Where are you?"

     Confused, he backtracked through the stone halls of his palace. After a few halls, he found Trixie, collapsed on the floor, panting. Her tongue lolled out of her mouth, and her rump hung into the air. The man smirked.

     "I thought we talked about these activities taking place in my halls and banned them. Or did you just pass that rule to abuse it yourself?" To his rather risque comment, she straightened herself up and adjusted her vest and the alabaster pin attached to it. It read: "Head Legislator".

     "N- no m'lord. Trixie was just, um… she was…" Trixie fumbled around nervously, her hooves twiddling. Her face was bright red and her ears were stuck to the sides of her head.

     The man burst out laughing, slapping his knees out of jest. Trixie scowled and gave him a small slap on the back of his head with the stack of papers. "You walk too fast. Slow down. I almost had a heart attack."

     The man's eyes looked up happily. "Trixie! Good job. You're making headway on your speech impediment!"

     Trixie held a hoof to her mouth. "Trixie did? I mean- I did?" She clapped her hooves. The man stood up with his fists on his hips, a smile on his face. Trixie looked up at him, his hazel eyes sparkling in the candle light. His combed brown hair absolutely flawless.

     "Maybe you won't be such a turn-off now." The human received a face-full of legal writing.

     "Screw you, Sevilin."

      Orion examined his claws. He had been left out of the fight, and he was quite put off by the fact. He was content, however, to lean against the wall and watch over the prisoners. The whines, shouts, and challenges did nothing to help his mood.

     "Come on, tiny, let me outta here so I can whoop your sorry flank."

     "We Alloy Dogs do not have flanks." Orion replied calmly. He jingled the keys playfully. "Hear that? It's freedom. Tantalizing, isn't it?"

     From the vicious sandpaper-against-stone sound he could hear, he knew his opponent was grinding her teeth in anger. Even he had to have some fun doing this.

     "Ooooh. Alloy Dogs? Spike, write that down!"

     "Sorry, Twi, the guards took all my tools."

     Orion's sensitive ears heard a sliding noise and then a sharp CLANG. Followed by another, and another.

     "Stop that. You won't be able to converse with Sevilin if you're unconscious." It stopped immediately.

     "Who's Sevilin?"

     Orion began tossing the key ring in the air, catching it each time with an outstretched claw. "The guy running this place. In fact, I believe you've already met him. You'll be speaking with him."

     "And fer what? To brainwash us an' feed us to Chrysalis?"

     Orion paused in his one man game of catch. "Excuse me?"

     "Ya heard me. He's gonna feed us ta them monsters, ain't he. He's got parasprites, so what else 'as he got hidden?"

     Orion spun around and marched to the gate. "Monsters?"

     The orange mare nodded once, hate in her eyes. "That's what Ah said."

     Orion was about to lash out, but reserved himself. "Says the one who attacked without so much as a second thought." He closed his eyes and then leaned closer, his snout inches away from hers. "Just as senseless 'monsters' do."

     "Hey, we're not monsters you meanie-weenie, tiny whiny, bossy-flossy, bully bottom!" Pinkie Pie scowled at the small Dog, his eyes searching her up and down. Then they relaxed and he backed away. The keys spun on his claws, then dropped on his tail, which then catapulted them back into his open paw.

     As he reached his post again, a wooden door opened down the hall, and two figures entered.

     "Ah. Terrace, Cane."

     The two changelings strut down the hall, smiles on their faces. "Orion!" Terrace called. "How are you?" Cane completed.

     Orion shook his head. "You two are so ridiculously cliché, you know that?" His shoulders heaved with humor as he shook his head to and fro. The changeling known as Terrace adorned himself with a ashen gray cloak patterned with wisps of silver smoke-like patterns. Cane preferred a cape that ran down his right fore hoof and wound around his neck, it resembled a waterfall with a solid blue background and shades of white and grey speckling it. Other than that, the changelings would be impossible to tell apart.

     Orion, Terrace, and Cane were old friends, ever since the city had started as an idea from Sevilin. The very articles of cloth they wound around themselves were gifts from Orion's mother. Such a symbol in Alloy Dog clans meant an acceptance into the clan as one of their own. It was a recognition of sorts among all of the clan.

     Of course, that didn't matter now, as they were all united under the flag of the Sanctuary, and to a certain extent, Sevilin. As their unanimously-voted leader, he took up rule, a little begrudgingly at first, but he certainly had a knack for weighing decisions and picking correctly.

     They called him at first The Thing with the Silver Tongue, and Happy Giant. He accepted even the rather rude ones in jest, such as Big Hairless Monkey of Too Many Words. The guy was far too nice.

     But he was scary too. Some things he had seen the human do had left even Orion with his tail between his legs. You did not get on Sevilin's bad side. Ever. What he lacked in physical and magical prowess he made up for in cleverness.

     These thoughts, however, were not present in his mind, or else there would have been fancy italics. Instead the trio talked, while Rarity had an-

     "Ideeeaaaaa!" Rarity's face brightened immediately and she grinned at her friends and guards.

     "What? What's your grand plan to get us out of a dungeon surrounded by changelings, massive dogs, and parasprites? Not to mention that thing that whooped Lieutenant Force's sorry flank." Wind Shear was not in a good mood at all. None of the pegasi were really. The cell was far too small to even lift off of the ground.

     But Rarity had a method that was tried and true. Absolutely flawless in every way. She smiled mischievously as she threw her mane back.

     "Whining."

     Chrysalis was not in a fantastic mood. Nor was she in a sour one, either. She was just a small bit disappointed.

     Her food source had left hours ago, and only just returned, and it was dinner time. A lot of the changelings were suffering, actually. So upon hearing that Sevilin had returned, she was on her way to meet him. Until of course a Praetorian Guard, armed with his massive shield-halves, had requested that she report to Holding Area A-01.

     At first, she thought it impossible. The Elements. But… nothing ever goes wrong for them! To capture them would mean… OH! OH YES! BY THE HIVE, YES YES YES!

     She was now bolting to the cells, a spring in her steps and a smile on her face. Her dull indigo mane flowing behind her and her slitted eyes beaming with glee. The Elements! In a cage. Oh the taunting and the jeering! They will be humiliated-

     That was when she realized a huge hole in her plan. One that was several times larger than any holes in her hooves. Sevilin most likely wouldn't allow it. And to attempt to overthrow him would be dangerous. Without him, there would be no food. And she kinda-sorta liked him too.

     He was a nice guy. Funny, wise, and extremely persuasive. He wasn't physically comparable to many of Equestria's creatures, yet he always found ways around that with his mind and hands. He had made mistakes, but his successes had more than accounted for that. He was basically a man of peace and resolution, of quiet understanding and stoic fortitude. Never one to be too complacent. But always one to be far too trusting.

     That was how he had fallen under the Diamond Dogs. He had laid his trust in them far too easily, and paid the price with time and strength. Until he fought his way out with a good load of jewels in tow.

     Yet he had still chalked it up to fear of him on their part and still clung to the belief that Equestria was a good place. Through and through, he believed that this land could do no true evil. He spoke of evil like he knew what it was and how it lived and who it hung out with on weekends popping cool ones and smoking joints. It wasn't like he was evil…

     Right?

     Sevilin Jacobs threw open the wooden door to Holding Area A-01like the glorious king he was. He strode in confidently, yet a little exasperated. Trixie was gone from his side, off gathering officers to corral and hide the changelings and getting the Praetorians to the cells. The poor little changeling guys and gals were absolutely terrified of the Elements, most of them at least. Those who worked the Shroud Ops and waiting staff were mostly fine as long as they were incognito.

     Some even joked that the waiters were the Shroud Ops. Somebody found a bunch of loose springs in the middle of their bunk that night. And no, that's not an urban myth, that is some seriously funny stuff right there. Pranking gold, I tell you. Back to the story!

     Before he knew what was happening, Orion ran screaming, right past him and out the door.

     Was his tail on fire?

     Intrigued and befuddled, Jacobs quickened his pace down the hall. Two changelings laid curled on the floor. Terrace! Cane! The human looked about in a panic, and saw a set of iron keys floating just a meter or so away from the bars.

     Wrapped in a purple glow, the keys simply hung there as the unicorn whom the aura belonged to gawked at him.

     "Twi! Hurry!" Pinkie Pie screamed shrilly, aiming directly at the man. The scream had him clutching his head as the keys zipped closer. Just as they were about to fly right into AJ's hooves, a single arm shot through the bars and grasped the jangling keys.

     With the other arm, he bopped Twilight on the horn, shutting down the magic flow and retracting his right arm in one swift motion. While Twilight rubbed her head, the others stared in fear at the giant before them. With a scowl on his face and a grip so tight that his knuckles were drained of blood, he bellowed in rage.

     "WHAT HAPPENED HERE?"

     Ten minutes earlier...

     Terrace and Cane chatted with Orion, oblivious of the dastardly plan being concocted by the sweet mares.

     "Everything's clear outside the wall, but still, I mean come on! Would it be too hard to just get some snack bars out there?" Terrace and Orion nodded while Cane went on with his frivolous plans for midnight snacking. In general, they both agreed. Food stands would be amazing along the wall, but what to put in them was a completely different matter.

     "Love!" Terrace and Cane bellowed.

     "Churros!" Orion shouted back with far more gusto.

     And then it struck. Right as Orion put Cane in a headlock and Terrace raised his black, hole-ridden hooves in a neck strike.

     "It's soooooo dark in here! And so stuffy! My mane will be destroyed if you don't do something!"

     The three froze, their ears twitched to and fro, and their faces looked utterly baffled.

     "There's no rooooooom! And these bars are rusty! My coat's getting dirty, too! I wanna go hooooooooome!"

     All three of the friends adopted pained looks, their faces contorting in absolute horror.

     "My hooves hurt, would it kill you to get some chairs in here?! And I'm hungryyyyyyy! What time is it! Somepony faaaaaarrrrrted!"

     They couldn't take it.

     The changelings curled up and fell like spiders, and Terrace's fangs sunk into Orion's right forearm on his way to kiss the floor. Orion screamed and ran in circles, throwing the comatose insect into the wall. By hitting the wall, Terrace dislodged a torch, which promptly fell on Orion's tail.

     The torch lit his tail, and Orion panicked. After running into the stone wall several times, he finally had the good sense to sprint out of the room. He ran right past Sevilin and out the holding area, off to cool his burning tail.

     Back to present…

     "You're kidding me…" Sevilin sat there with a dumbfounded look on his face, holding the keys in his left hand while his right hand gripped the chair in front of him. He sat on the wooden seat back wards, extremely casually.

     At first, the mares cringed at his look, but then stared at him in confusion much as he had looked at them.

     Sevilin laughed out loud, nearly in tears. "That's rich!" He laughed some more, until he fell out of his seat. They watched him ROFL, and LOL, and… I'm done. He clutched the keys against his stomach. His laughter was like a chorus of trumpets stuck on G sharp, and he actually started crying.

     When he was finished, he pulled himself back up and sat down, wiping tears away with his green sweater sleeve.

     Rarity eyed him up and down. Green fleece sweater, gray pants, and the same black boots from before. Not all that fashionable, but very functional.

     He smiled at the group now, especially Rarity. "That was pretty damned clever, I'll give you that." They all smiled. "But why did you attack us last night?" Twilight was the first to argue this time, taking both Rainbow Dash and Applejack off guard.

     "You have changelings in your palace! Do you have any idea how dangerous that is! They must have been spying on you this entire time!" Twilight huffed and puffed.

     Sevilin's eyebrow rose speculatively. "That's racist."

     Twilight did a double take, as did her other friends.

     "Racist? It's true!"

     "Then they'd be absolutely terrible spies. Furthermore, they haven't attacked me. In fact…" He leaned in close to the bars. "I've been letting them feed off of me."

     The group let their jaws drop collectively.

     "But… How could you… How are you still moving?!" Twilight was the only pony in the cage who had read all about changeling biology after the attack, thus she was the most educated in the field.

     "From what I've come to understand, you Equestrians (and races outside of Equestria), rely heavily on positive emotions to function properly. Is this correct?"

     Twilight nodded.

     "Well. Humans don't need positive emotions to run at maximum efficiency. We are false-neutral beings. We can achieve feats of strength through hate, rage, love, and happiness. A true neutral human is far more dangerous." Sevilin took a breath in order to continue his explanation. "I also love this city. And everyone inside of it. I was elected their leader. They kept me here. Practically begged me. I love them for who they are, not what they were. Actions speak louder than words, but when they perform them is what counts."

     They all peered at him.

     "This guy's lost his friggin' mind."

     "Shot!" Twilight screeched at the Private.

     Shot quite literally shot into the corner. "Please don't talk! Anything but that! Please!"

     Jacobs chuckled. "It's quite alright. I'll be letting you out of the cage by tonight. I understand you were just frightened by my company. Completely understandable."

     "W- what? That's it? You put us in prison for what, an hour?" Wind Shear gazed at the human, absolutely dumbfounded.

     "Yeah. You were just so used to fighting them off I suppose. I guess I would have been taken by surprise too."

     Rainbow Dash flew to the bars. "We weren't scared! We coulda taken you all on!" The human merely grinned deviously.

     "Sure. Whatever you say."

     Spike burped into the air, releasing a swirl of paper dust. The dust culminated into a parchment within seconds. Sevilin stared at the spectacle in wonder, then muttered: "You've got mail."

     Twilight snatched the letter out of the air, and read it out loud on reflex.

     "Dear Twilight Sparkle. Have you found any evidence as to the whereabouts of the Everfree's creatures? I eagerly await your response. May your trips bring you and your friends safety and fortune. Your Benevolent Ruler, Cherished Protector, Omnipotent Goddess, Daybringer, Mentor, and Owner of Sexiest Flank one thousand and fifty eight years running, Princess Celestia."

     "Does she sign all of her letters like that?" Shot whispered from his solitary corner.

     Even Twilight was blushing at this point, and she fanned herself with the letter before looking straight at Sevilin. "I think we found evidence alright. You're responsible, aren't you?"

     Sevilin shrugged. "Guilty as charged. Now. Let's right us a letter, shall we?"

A/N: What a waste of words. IT'S ALL BASICALLY FILLER. The fight scene was kinda flat in my opinion too. I am so damned sorry. No really, hit me. Through the internet.

     I hate this chapter. I really do. But it's like a necessary evil to progress the story. I haven't been feeling the funny either. That's a big uh-oh in my book. No funnies mean bad business. I feel like being crazy serious, but I'm erring on the side of ridiculousness for as long as I can.

     This story will become SRZ BZNS eventually, but right now it's just character building.

     I also don't like grand entrances, which is why characters are introduced so suddenly. Because they don't require fireworks and trumpets. They've already been set up, we know who they are, but not what they've done since. Which is where Sevilin Jacobs comes in.

     He will be supporting the characters and providing filler for their 'in-between' stories. He will describe via mouth and writing how he met them and how he spent his time with them. And yes, he's very tall, but as always there's a legitimate reason behind this.

     Oh, and bonus points if you figure out why the chapter's called 'Beloved'. :D

     I still need an editor to sort through my disorganized crap.

Chapter 5- Out on the Town

After a nice night of rest and food from the kitchens, the entire group was ready to finish the letter and be on their way from there.

     "And that should do it!" Spike enthusiastically chirped as he waved the quill around in the air. The letter just barely took up the last of the parchment, explaining the group's predicament and the confirmation that they were safe.

     Sevilin had urged Twilight to leave out the fact that Changelings were present in the city. "But that's a lie!" she had said. Instead Sevilin used his serpentine power of speech and whispered reassuringly, "It's just leaving out a bit of information. I know now that that is unlike you, but they have not posed a threat so far, have they? Trust me, it'll all be fine."

     That seemed to do it, but Twilight asked Sevilin if she should include him in the letter. "Of course. I should be first and foremost. If they would wish to speak, we will do so away from here. My interests are placed solely in my people, and I will keep their whereabouts unknown until I know I can trust the Princesses."

     The letter consisted of the human's appearance and attitude, as well as an overview of the city's technological capabilities. Included was a proposed meeting location for the Princesses and Jacobs.

     "Bitterbrooke Springs. Hmmm, never heard of it." the orange farmpony stroked her chin, peering at the document. "Where's that?"

     "Several miles away. I'm not giving an exact distance, I don't want Twilight picking up that tidbit of information." the human grinned as Twilight's ears flopped back down in disappointment. The group's supplies were returned to them, but their weapons were withheld for the time being.

     "And how is Force, huh?" Rainbow Dash crossed her fore hooves over each other, levitated by her strong wings. Sevilin turned to her and smiled grimly.

     "He's awake." Then his expression turned more serious as he followed up. "And he's pissed."

     "Watch it!" Terrace sidestepped a fellow changeling-turned-projectile. The unfortunate insect crashed into a bureau across the room. Grunts and yells of fury were heard from the point of origin.

     "Unhoof me immediately! I'll molest you!" a middle-aged stallion trashed about on the bed, barely restrained by magic bonds. His dirty-blonde mane stuck to the sides of his head, matted down by sweat.

     "Calm yourself, dammit!" A female Alloy Dog with a clipboard and white nurse's cap and gown skillfully dodged the stallion's vomit bowl. She bared her canines. "You've got one more chance to behave yourself…" she hissed in a voice several octaves lower.

     "Lieutenant!" Silk Shot bounded up to the bed-ridden guard, only to receive a swift punch to the jaw.

     "HA! Better luck next time, changeling scum!" he grinned victoriously. This victory was quickly turned to shame as the rest of the group, led by the human, came into view.

     "Wow! You knocked him out! Silky sweet dreams to you, Mister Shot!" Pinkie hopped up and down around his unconscious form.

     A changeling wouldn't act like that. That's really Pinkie Pie.

     Force was then surrounded by the group, asking how he was and how he was treated. Force grunted then mumbled, "I might have overreacted to their care. I am feeling better."

     Sevilin took this as the time to properly introduce himself. "I believe this is the time to properly introduce myself!" Scary.

     He extended a hand to Lieutenant Force, who grasped it with his soft hooves. "Pleasure to meet you."

     "Not so pleasant for me." Force tapped the bandage on the side of his head.

     "I'll make this up to all of you. I know you were-" he glanced over at Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and then back to Noble Force, "-surprised to behold something like me. So I'll give you time to explore the city. I've already set up scheduled activities for all of you."

     A Timberwolf darted to his side, a clipboard in its mouth. Sevilin casually snatched it from the wooden beast's mouth. Skimming over the pages quickly, he glanced up to see the reaction. "Save your jaw muscles, there will be plenty of time for that."

     For Rainbow Dash, he assigned The Gym. Not to be mistaken by its name, The Gym was actually a huge complex filled with air and ground tracks, all outfitted with equipment to keep time and scoring. Inside were also different varieties of treadmills, weights, and other body-building equipment fit for equines, dogs, and changelings. Located underground, it was really the last place Rainbow Dash wanted to go, but a few encouraging, and slightly challenging, words from Sevilin sent her there immediately.

     Smiling to himself, Sevilin led the group across the city, checking the clipboard carefully. Just then were the citizens beginning to crawl out from their homes.

     Still no sign of Chrysalis or Trixie. This is ridiculous. Sevilin grunted and went ahead, leading the others across the city square. All eyes were on them, terrified and awed at the same time. They remembered what those ponies were capable of, and they didn't want to have to face that again.

     "Calm down everybody! They're with me. This is a friendly visit and they mean no harm. You'll see them around here partaking in activities and festivities, so don't mind them. I've also taken whatever weapons they had and placed them in the armory. We've had  ponies here before, so this shouldn't be a very big deal. Carry on, citizens." he spoke with a great reassuring tone, and all of the populace seemed to visibly be rejuvenated.

     Some changelings shook hooves while some Dogs offered strong four-clawed paw shakes. All in all the city was friendly. Pinkie Pie was having a blast, accepting the hooves and paws all over.

     "Hi! My name's Pinkie Pie! And this is Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Spike, Spot On, Windshear, Silk, and Lieutenant Noble Force Quentin Jr. IV Esquire!" she fired out her words as fast as she could. Force stared at her like she was possessed by the devil himself.

     How does she know my… Too late, she was gone. Sevilin ran after her. "Wait! The clipboard! You were supposed to go to Candy Cane Lane!"

     "Oooh, where's that?" Pinkie Pie appeared right next to him.

     "Shi-!" Sevilin fell on his ass before standing and brushing himself off.

     He then proceeded to brush off the dirt on his clipboard and spun around to face the group.

     "Let's finish this up."

     "… and Twilight. You're with me." Sevilin smiled right at her, tucking the clipboard beneath his arm. "To the library." he declared, impassioned by knowledge.

     "And what of my friends?" Sevilin glanced down at her. "It's just an honest question, which I believe I deserve after you split us all up. I mean, you sent Fluttershy to the Nature Center, Applejack to the Fair, Rarity to your local Boutique, and Spike to something called an Ar-Cade. I'm feeling more than a little worrisome."

     Sevilin's smile dropped, replaced by the building stress. "You think that's worrisome. I've got the Elements of Harmony flanked by four Royal Guards entering my city and causing a ruckus. Then I severely injured a Lieutenant. The Royal Guards are free to peruse my Armory, and the Princesses are coming to visit. The city is practically on a platter waiting to be gobbled up and destroyed by one, if not several, cultures and nations. I am really stressed right now."

     Twilight placed a hoof on his shoulder, finally possible now that he was sitting on a wooden bench. "I'm so sorry that we caused so much chaos." she chastised herself, "We're the Elements of Harmony, we shouldn't be capable of this."

     "Don't worry about it. Now." Sevilin shrugged as he composed himself. "Who wants to go read alien material?"

     Twilight flashed to his side, a mile-wide smile on her muzzle. "Let's go!"

     The library seemed to hum with energy, the spells placed on the books stating their presence. The low sound calmed Twilight's mind as she perused delicately created books. They seemed new, which Sevilin told her they were.

     "We just managed to get a steam-powered printing press running a few weeks ago. It can print several hundred pages at a time. What to do with all these books is the difficult part…" He put a hand to his chin in thought.

     Twilight surrounded a book in her magic, and seemed surprised to find a Binding Spell. Sevilin smirked.

     "Placed on the books are Binding Spells. That book in your hand will not leave this Library unless run under a Spell Cracker. He waved his hand at a large steel structure with a similar hum emanating from it. "Run that book under there and the spell's defunct. Took me two years to get it working after a unicorn mare showed me a thing or two about magic in Manehatten."

   Even though she knew what he was talking about before he even started talking,  Twilight closed the volume on Earth's early history. She cocked her head towards Sevilin. "How were you in Equestria so long without us knowing?"

     The human snorted and then giggled a bit, "Maybe I haven't been in Equestria for so long? I spent a solid year and few months in Zebrica. In fact I-" his face went blank in an instant, seemingly lost in a flashback.

     He stood up and smiled, "This way."

     Twilight followed Sevilin's speedy pace until he came to a small room lined with only twelve small books. "These," he said as he held a green journal in his hand, caressing its surface, "are the journals I wrote before we founded Sanctuary." He tossed the journal at Twilight, who caught it in midair with her magic. "Read up."

     Spike was enjoying an ice cream Sundae, eating as many as he pleased by order of Sevilin. He let out a thunderous burp, startling everyone in the parlor, to which he gave a sheepish grin. Delicious bananas, covered in strawberry, chocolate, vanilla, cherries, and… a letter?

     Spike snatched it up and unfurled it, and he was soon out of the shop and into the streets, getting directions for the Library.

     Twilight sat in the posh recliner, poring over Sevilin's many journals, when Spike collapsed at the doorway.

     He panted and groaned, "Twilight… letter, for you… Princesses, urgent…"

     Twilight tore the letter out of the dragon's grasp and turned pale beneath her coat.

     Twilight Sparkle,

A meeting with Sevilin Jacobs will have to wait. Gather the Elements and cast a Beacon Spell. An old enemy has physically manifested again to retake the forgotten kingdom of the Crystal Ponies. He is known as King Sombra. We must stand against him, or all will be lost.

     Sincerely,

     Princess Celestia

     The Elements gathered at the Gates with the Guards, taking in the ornate stone carvings around them while Twilight explained the situation to Sevilin.

     He visibly paled. "Sombra? Sweet Lord… I read a book of lore, I thought that was only a legend." He shook his head in disbelief. "He must be stopped, for the sake of the Crystal Ponies. They can not be put through that torture again." He thought carefully, his chin in his palm.  

     "Orion!"

     The Dog jumped, but approached quickly. "Yes sir?"

     "Prepare for war. We're going to fight a Legend." Sevilin stared at him with his new steely expression. Orion blinked twice, then grinned.

     "We'll set a new definition." Orion darted off into the stone city, its spires and statues quickly obscuring their view of him as he ran up a huge flight of stairs.

     Sevilin turned his attention to Twilight Sparkle.    

     He handed her a small metal ball. "This is for Celestia. She channels her magic through it and any sent messages are relayed directly to me. Keep in touch, and we'll be there should you need the support."

     He dropped the ball into Twilight's satchel. "Keep me posted."

Chapter 6- Breach

"The creature will be fighting alongside the Equestrian Guard? This city, Sanctuary, I believe you called it? It is far too small to pose any threat to Sombra or his army." Luna scoffed at the idea of a magic-less, flightless, average being playing a role in a major battle.

     "What will he do, hmmm? Bore them to death with his simplicity? Inform him that his forces are not required… nor are they particularly welcomed."

     Celestia sipped a cup of Chamomile tea, listening to her sister ravage the man's reputation. "Now now, dear sister. I agree with you, but first we must consult our little ponies." she turned to face the group of ten. "Exactly what do they have in terms of magic?"

     "Barely anythin' Princess Celestia. I ain't never seen a place without magic b'fore, but this place was almost bare."

     "How they get through with their daily chores must be absolutely pain-staking. I couldn't imagine that they would have plumbing. Simply dreadful."

     "Their clocks are really weird too. There aren't any gems in 'em or anything! Just cogs and metal. And don't even get me started on those 'treadmill' things. Faaaareeeeaaaaky!"

"Ididn'treallypayattentiontotheirstuffIwasreallyenjoyingeatingtheirpiesOhwhoopsthatsoundedkindasortasexualButanywayIatealotofpastriesandthengotreallyhotandstickysoIcooledoffbydousinhmyselfinwaterandthechefgotallflusteredandthenwehad- "

     "Sorry, Princesses, looks like some of us had a better time than most. I observed what just might be signs of advanced techno-"

     "PRINCESSES, CHECK THIS SWEET PEA OUT!"

     Silk hauled a huge metallic cylinder over to them, resting it across his back like a quiver. He then let two poles extend and snap into place, allowing him to shoulder mount the main body and place the legs into the ground.

     "Private Silk Shot?" Luna cautiously asked.

     "Yeah?"

     "Pray tell, what is that?"

     "Oh, this? Something I snatched from Sanctuary's armory."

     The room became deathly quiet.

     "YOU WHAT?!"

:::-----::::::-----::::::-----::::::-----::::::-----::::::-----:::

     "Hey, Jimmy?" a Dog wearing a yellow helmet scratched his head.

     "Yeah, Timmy? What is it?" A Dog the same size with a similar helmet looked up, finishing sorting through the swords in the armory.

     "We had one hundred and twenty three Titus Plasma Accelerators, right?"

     The Dog closed one eye and thought quickly. "Nah. We have one hundred and twenty four. Where'd you get that math?"

     Timmy turned glum. "One guard plus one armory plus one hundred and twenty four Titus Plasma Accelerators equals one hundred and twenty three Titus Plasma Accelerators. Son of a bitch."

     "What about me?"

     "Prepare for damage control, Jimmy. We're about to get some serious crap."

:::-----::::::-----::::::-----::::::-----::::::-----::::::-----:::

     The smoke in the throne room refused to clear, blocking everypony's vision effectively whilst simultaneously choking them.

     "Oh sweet Celestia, what was that?!" Windshear coughed madly, his throat burning.

     "Thou shalt not take our names in vain!" a voice shouted amidst the dust. Powdered debris swirled around them, cloaking all members of the room. This was quickly solved by a gust of wind hailed by Celestia.

     "Oh my," she breathed in amazement.

     A hole the size of a carriage proudly identified itself in a far wall, clearly away from where everypony was standing. Even the guards stared at a grinning Private Shot.

     "That was fuckin' rad."

"Private Silk Shot! That was extremely uncalled for! You are hereby relieved of your-"

Silk meanwhile slid a lever back, letting a shiny silver cylindrical tube eject itself onto the floor. He then slid it back and bopped it once with his free hoof, grinning. "Four more hours with this sweet hunk of steel, and I'll have it rolling over and doing tricks like a dog."

Force sneered as he trotted inside of the throne, seemingly unfazed by the damage to it. "Shot, that was a terrible simile, and you should feel terrible about it."

"Ah, but I don't, sir." He brought the weapon closer, stroking it lovingly. "I don't feel bad in the slightest…" A dreamy look came into his eyes, and he danced away with the cannon down the hall.

Noble Force bowed low, displaying a smooth, long sword across his back. "If you do not mind, Princesses, I would like to keep this as a token." He held the hilt in his muzzle and swung once, allowing a dull green glow to shimmer across its surface. He swung it a few times, as it got brighter and brighter. Finally he charged it down and returned it to its sheathe, bowing again.

"I have deduced through experimentation that the blade's kinetic force increases the more it is moved. The more exaggerated the action or technique, the more force that emanates as the energy builds. I have also discovered that the energy can be contained over a long period of time; as long as twenty minutes, before dissipating in its 'shut down' state. When released fully in its 'powered up' state, a torrent of kinetic energy is expelled from the blade upon the next successful hit, knocking anything in front of the wielder down and away." Force smiled at the blade as Mr. Miyagi did at the end of the Karate Kid. His respect for the blade was immense.

Similes aren't Equestrians' strong suit.

:::-----::::::-----::::::-----::::::-----::::::-----::::::-----:::

"So not only have they stolen clearly defined government secrets, but breached our trust and lied to my face?"

Both Jimmy and Timmy nodded. Sevilin didn't get upset much. As a result, most of his citizens didn't know what to look for. His outburst in the dining hall, when the ponies were subdued, was quite the shock to his guards. But now he wore a face of complete stoicism and calm.

The Alloy Dogs were scared.

Sevilin sighed, placing his hand on his hatchet. "I really didn't want to go out today, either. Trixie!"

The blue mare zipped to his side. "Yes, m'lord."

"Route a message to Twilight. I'm coming. I'm not happy. Do not inform them why. I'm sure they already know. I will be there today, and gather a squad. Have them group in the hangar." Sevilin turned on his heel and proceeded to his quarters, his footfalls heavy, echoing their thunderous sound around the halls.

In his room, he opened a metallic wardrobe. Inside lay seven brilliant pieces of armor. They shone with light all their own, a pale blue sheen gliding along them. The armor was heavy, no doubt, but Sevilin knew that for him they would feel lighter than air. He undressed, showing that underneath his clothes he wore a skin tight white suit, laced with circuitry of a lost civilization… a civilization he

With a sad sigh, he fit the pieces of armor on. With hisses, pops, and squeals of steel and machinery; the metallic carapace was complete. Not a single area of flesh was left exposed. Inside of the helmet, a pale turquoise glow illuminated his vision.

"Energy output equalized," a feminine voice informed. "Adjusting retinal display and cartography systems. Adjustment complete. Phase One complete. Advancing…"

A much deeper, more threatening male voice took over. "Pairing reactionary complexes with retinal display. Pairing complete. Updating weapons' system. Update complete. Nano-tech Armory booting up. Boot will be complete in approximately two hours and fifty-seven minutes."

The female voice returned. "All locomotion circuitry online, musculature nodes synced, synapses controlled and firing correctly. One hundred percent power available for use. Estimated seven hundred and twenty seven years available power usage. Is this suitable for your task?"

Sevilin grunted, "Yes."

"Affirmative, Conquistador Rank Thirteen: Sevilin Jacobs of The Emancipator, recognized and authorized for full use of Nano-tech Armory and access to Alexandria. Proceed in previous actions."

And with that, Sevilin found himself alone in his suit, with just his thoughts and two subservient artificial minds to keep him company. Making an about-face, he turned and stomped out of the room, the eerie purple glow of his eyes casting shadows down the halls.

Chapter 7- Shock and Awe

Celestia looked down at the parchment with a sour expression on her ageless face. Her snout parted to let a breath of discontent waft from her lungs. She folded the letter and stood up, trotting about the moonlit study.

Her sister was awake, as she always was at this time. One could not call this hour ungodly, as all times of the day were carried and controlled by the two princesses. Though to call them goddesses was a bit of an exaggeration, as Celestia always thought, Luna took it rather well. The thought that she was revered as a goddess of the night made her wings stiffen.

Celestia allowed a slight giggle at the image, but the contents of the letter came back to set her fur on edge.

To the most esteemed Princesses,

You are in custody of precious property belonging to Sevilin Jacobs himself. He has made it abundantly clear that he sees this as a threat from you and your ponies. Do not bother sending a response back.

He wishes to speak to you personally.

  ~Trixie Lulamoon: Head Legislator and Diplomat

Celestia grit her teeth, thinking of the two ponies that had caused all of this. "Fools…"

She fired up her horn impatiently and teleported out of the white glow of the moon.

Trixie continually shuffled various papers with great skill, ordering and reordering them as she saw fit. To be honest, she was extremely nervous about this little mishap with the Equestrian government. If things got hairy, well… there was only so much she expected from the human.

With no magic, flight, or even extreme resiliency to the elements; he was indubitably screwed. Lulamoon glanced at the amassed guards and soldiers. The Praetorians were suited up and the changeling Spec Ops sat in a small group chatting away. A few unicorns connected the massive carriages to the manticores, making sure to keep the creatures placated.

Doing some quick calculations in her head, she estimated that with enchantments the carriages would easily hold the mob. Chrysalis still hadn't shown up, however, and now even Trixie was starting to be bugged by this. "Where is she? She better not be lounging about with Strake! I swear, if she-"

clunk

clunk

Clunk

CLUNK

CLANK

A tower of silvery blue stopped in front of her, halting her thoughts as it did its steps. The soldiers and fighters around her readied themselves, but before they could act, they heard a familiar voice. Sounding hollow and mechanical, they heard Sevilin from inside that thing.

Its wide, lifeless eyes shone with a brilliant purple glow, reflecting off of the sleek, smooth armor. Chitinous armor plating covered Sevilin's stomach, neck, hands, and arms. The rest of his body was adorned by sturdy, sleek-looking metal. A delicate hum was heard in the quiet, emanating from the man's chest. The faceplate over his mouth moved as two individual pieces while he talked, exposing a circular ring that spun with a delicate yellow.

"Gather up, and move out. I want to be at Canterlot by sunrise." He turned his head toward Trixie, fixing his bulbous, violet gaze upon her. "Where is Queen Chrysalis?"

Trixie shook her head, her heart too far into her throat for her to speak correctly. Sevilin grunted, a rusty, metallic grating accompanying the sound. With a simple about-face, he turned and walked through the doorway to return to his palace's corridors, picking his way through with ease.

"She's definitely fucking Strake," he thought as he proceeded to clamber up a stairwell.

"Crap crap crap crap crap. Oh, crap!" Silk Shot sped down the hallway. The sun was to rise in a little under an hour, and he was in full-on panic mode. Swearing the whole way, his eyes dotted every door, until finally resting on one name plate. Breaking the door down, he jumped onto the bed, bouncing up and down with urgency.

"Get up! Get the fuck UP!" He stopped and eyed the door with a widened, alarmed gaze. After confirming that the doorway was indeed cleared, he turned around to address the pony he stood atop of, before being kicked into the chandelier that hung above the esteemed Lieutenant's bed.

"What in TARTARUS are you doing, Private?!" Force sat on his haunches, his dirty blonde mane scattered about his face. His scowl could curl milk, and he directed it at the dazed Private.

Shaking his head of the plaster from the ceiling, he resumed his panicked stare. "The human! The human is coming back for his weapons! He's pissed, man, REAL pissed!"

Silk's words sunk in, and Force whipped his mattress over his head. There, on his bed frame, sat the blade nestled in its sheathe.

"You kept it under your mattress?"

Noble Force snorted. "I'm an old fashioned pony."

Silk nodded from his place above Force. "Emphasis on old."

Force's scowl returned full force, and Silk Shot's trademark grin disappeared from his face. In its wake were bulging cheeks and a green complexion joining his purple coat. Seconds later, a shower of stomach fluids and chunky white pieces rained down upon the Lieutenant.

Silk spat a few times. "Don't worry, sir! I'm sure that milk'll come right out!"

Sevilin dragged the pouty changeling Queen behind him with an armored hand. "But I don't want to go back to Canterlot! The last time I was there I nearly overthrew their government and sucked all of the happiness out of them."

Sevilin sighed. "I take it you would rather be sucking something else out of Strake now, hmm?"

Chrysalis' fanged smile returned with a sultry wink. "You know it."

"You can enjoy yourself later, right now we've got serious business."

Chrysalis huffed and wore her pouty expression again. "By the way: what is that you're wearing?"

Sevilin's brows meshed together inside of the helmet. "Specialist Mantis armor, suited for telepathy and layered with several defenses against mental attacks. It's not mine," he muttered.

"Not yours? Then who's is it?"

Sevilin maintained silence over the question, instead pulling on her tattered tail with more force. "Up, you. I'm not dragging you all the way to the hangar."

"Pity," she remarked before fluttering her insectoid wings and heading to the aforementioned area.

Trixie sat in the carriage, tapping her hind legs impatiently against the seat. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Chrysalis and Sevilin approaching.

"Finally! Chrysalis you should have been here hours ago!"

Chrysalis giggled. "My schedule was a little full," she lidded her eyes with a smile, "if you know what I mean."

Before Trixie could get flustered over the implications of that comment, Sevilin pushed the two inside and walked to the front of the carriage. "Pilot, take us to Canterlot immediately."

The Alloy Dog nodded once and called out to the napping manticores, gathering their attention. After a promise of a snack for the both of them, they took off. The other carriage followed suit, trailing Sevilin's with ease.

The two sturdy carriages sailed through the night, allowing everyone to relax before the confrontation that was surely to arrive.

"Where are those two?!" Twilight tore through room after room relentlessly, not bothering to knock or even open the doors.

Splinters flew around, magic permeating the air and making the entire wing reek of ozone and sawdust. She blasted apart doors and bureaus with reckless abandon, furious at the two soldiers.

"Stupid stupid STUPID!"

Down the hall, Silk slunk behind a corner.

"Sir, she's super-duper pissed. Orders?"

Noble Force hummed thoughtfully. "You ever had a marefriend, Private?"

"Yessir. Why?"

"Emergency code: Bloody Valley. All male units proceed with caution and tread lightly. Let's put aside our differences and get out of her peripheral vision, smell, and aim."

Silk froze for a minute. "Uh, sir? I'm pretty sure she's not-"

"Same difference, numbnuts! Let's just cheese it before she swiss cheeses us!"

And with that, the aged Lieutenant took off down the hallway in the opposite direction. Having no choice except to face a possibly-ovulating mare with the destructive capabilities of a Death Star, Silk Shot tailed his comrade.

Sevilin slowly tapped his foot on the carriage's wooden surface, his emotionless metal face glowing with an ominous purple light.

"You know, I never imagined you'd be able to pull off blue and purple," Chrysalis chattered. Sevilin's mouth plating moved, signifying his forming of words.

"DeShurio pulled it off quite well… for thirty-nine years…" Sevilin trailed off into mumbles, his face-plate not even bothering to register them.

Trixie coughed a bit, an awkward vibe hanging in the air. "What is the suit made out of, m'lord? I've never seen anything quite so… intimidating."

Sevilin clicked his tongue a few times before answering mechanically and sounding eerily detached. "Osmiridium-carbon hybrid alloy. Tempered in excess of three-thousand degree heat and coated with the extra-terrestrial polymer 'Ciuviene'. The polymer coat allows for free traversal and easy transition between below zero, above melting, and deep space environments."

The violet orbs lit Trixie's face. "And refrain from naming me as your lord. Such titles are trivial and useless. No mortal being can truly be a lord, as death beckons all of us to join peace sometime."

Every pair of eyes in the carriage were on him, his voice sounding strange. An accent accompanied his usual tone, and he sounded far more philosophical than usual. The occupants left it at that and returned to polishing their weapons and inspecting their armor, allowing Sevilin to bask in the silence.

"Touching down in thirty minutes, sir!"

Sevilin nodded. "Acknowledged."

"Dodge!"

A crate exploded just a few feet away from Silk, peppering his hide with splinters. He slid across the scorched marble and into cover with Noble Force. Panting, he checked around the corner for the murderous purple mare.

"She's gone, sir. What do we do?" he panted with more than a hint of fear in his voice.

Noble Force grunted. "Mark my words, she's still there. Tartarus hath no fury like a mare's capacity for bitchiness." He swiveled his head to and fro. "Make for that hallway. Three. Two. One…"

On "Go," they both sprinted for the opening, only for a massive wooden crate to smash down in front of them.

"Shit!"

Turning around, the two stallions gawked at the form of Twilight Sparkle; wreathed in pure magical energy and eyes aglow with white angelic light.

"IDIOTS!" she roared.

"Shake the sword! Shake the sword!" Silk shouted over the cacophony of crackling magic and coltish screaming.

Whipping out his sword, Force began pumping it up and down furiously. Soon, he overcharged it, spinning around quickly and releasing its powerful load upon the delicate boxes in front of him. With a groan and a pop, the boxes tore themselves asunder and allowed the two soldiers passage.

Taking their chance, they broke off down the hall at break-neck speed. Wooden splinters and chunks of masonry bombarded the area around them, taking pieces off of the walls and shattering furniture in a pony-made meteor shower.

Scampering out of the enclosure, the turned the corner and sped down the hallway to enter the throne room. They threw tables, chairs, and large pillows in front, tossing anything they could in an attempt to slow down the powerful unicorn.

A low rumble sounded behind them, and they heard cracks of electricity behind them.

Turning slowly, they gazed with fear into the equal glares of the Princesses, both surrounded by scattered papers and ink wells. Luna in particular had a dripping inkwell on her horn, the black liquid seeping down the ebony horn and between her eyes, which burned with ferocity.

They both sat on the marble flooring, sprawled on their hind legs.

The two soldiers looked back at the amalgamation of objects thrown at the door, and back at the Princesses.

A small violet pop and Twilight stood beside them with the same glare, her horn smoking.

"Parley?" Silk inched his hooves up in defense.

"Approaching destination sir!"

Sevilin placed the shoulder guard back onto his armor, the clicks and hisses of the machinery sounding off. He patted it before looking up at the window. "Fire flares, take us in."

The driver nodded and pulled a tube from his waist. The tube itself was used to signal air traffic controllers of lander and arrivals. Celestia had informed him to use a green flare to alert them.

The dog waited, holding the flare.

Sevilin payed attention to a lone griffin that he had sent out. The griffin pulled the green flare and fired. He was allowed inside, and guards immediately swarmed him and pointed weapons upon him. Sevilin saw it all with his monocular system set in his armor.

He continued to watch as the guards checked the griffin for weapons, prodding him with their own. Once it was confirmed that no weapons were stowed away, they nodded to one another.

Then they began beating him.

Sevilin's eyes widened at this, and he shouted to the driver. "Take us down! Immediately!"

The entire cart lurched forward, and Trixie yelped in surprise while Chrysalis merely yawned.

"Having fun, Legislator?"

"Shut up! I never liked heights! Never ever eve-"

A roar punched the air, making the walls of the cart vibrate, then Sevilin leapt out to meet the ground with heavy metallic boots.

CLUNK

Nine guards. Targets locked on all of them, listing various weaknesses per race.

Standing slowly, Sevilin stared at the nine guards with his pulsating violet eyes. A few raised their weapons, the rest kept them pointed at the griffin. Sevilin didn't speak, instead his suit screamed. The suit's telepathic resonators began bringing the ponies' muscle functions to a screeching halt, attacking their musculature systems and scrambling brain wave patterns.

The frightened griffin flew away, darting over the edge of the city. The guards twitched and jerked erratically, weapons clattering to the ground while they held their heads with their hooves, as if trying to squeeze the infernal screams out.

The two carts touched down, surrounding Sevilin defensively. Now backed up on all sides, Sevilin halted his telepathic assault and nodded toward the palace. "Let us go."

"Sir. What of them?" Terrace nodded to the panting guards.

Sevilin snorted, the sound echoing to sound like a growl. "Leave them. They aren't worth our time. It seems I have more to discuss with Celestia than I originally believed."

Guards lined the halls while Sevilin led his procession through, the silvery-blue armor reflecting their wary expressions. His heavy footfalls let everyone in his presence know that he meant serious business.

With his armor, he towered an extra yard above the ponies that had their weapons directed at him. Their grips were strong, unwavering in his presence, but their eyes gave away their true feelings.

Trixie and Chrysalis glanced nervously around them. No doubt that Twilight was here, and that had Trixie extremely on-edge. As for Chrysalis, however…

"I'm surrounded, I don't have enough changelings, Sevilin looks really scary! There's no love here! THERE'S NO LOVE HERE!"

Chrysalis felt weak. For the first time since she could remember, Sevilin Jacobs had stopped radiating love. Through changeling eyes, Chrysalis stared at him, and what she saw made her eyes bug. No pun intended.

The usual emotion field swarming about Sevilin was calm. A muddled grey, fluctuating as if to a drum, orbited around him. Once in a while a blue, pink, or yellow flash would occur, but they would be snuffed out immediately.

Blinking a few times, Chrysalis looked around her, and noticed that they were absolutely surrounded by red. The guards, the nobles, even the servants. While some were mixed with the underlying purple hue of fear, the red was still prevalent.

Chrysalis moved a touch closer to the hulking man of stoicism.

Approaching the throne room, the doors opened with a quiet slide, and they all moved inside. None of Sevilin's soldiers had drawn their weapons as of yet, but they continually eyed the guards that had their's ready.

In the thrones sat Luna and Celestia, looking very troubled. Silk Shot and Noble Force cowered under the disapproving scowl of Twilight Sparkle.

All eyes went to Celestia and Luna, and the Princess of the Sun spoke first.

"It is favorable that we have met in person. We have much to discuss."

Sevilin's armor produced a guttural growl, its eyes glowing tenaciously.

"Yes. We do."

The doors closed behind his group.

Chapter 8- Tension

The throne room was dead quiet, only the sound of breathing and weapons scraping against armor could be heard. Sevilin appeared as a giant mass of formidability that no one felt like going toe-to-toe with. The violet orbs stayed glued on Celestia, before swiveling to Luna, and then back to Celestia.

The tension in the room was so thick you could cut it with a knife and serve it on two slices wheat toast for a Stress-wich. Noble Force and Silk curled like pill millipedes, still too frightened to speak while the human was in the room.

Jacobs finally looked down on the two guards that were currently sweating bullets and spoke, the two plates on his jaw moving like mandibles as he spoke.

"Princess Celestia, Luna; I'm disappointed. I expected more from the trained Royal Guard of Canterlot. These two are, to place my term lightly: absolutely pathetic."

The two curled up even further, now resembling little white balls with gold plates.

"But I am willing to forgive and forget if I am to receive what was taken from me," Sevilin continued, "after all, we have more important events to attend to. As I understand, Sombra grows in power as we linger here and discuss trivialities with each other. The rest can wait for later, after we have dealt with this threat. For now, however, let us formulate a plan to wipe this shadowy menace from the face of Equestria. Permanently."

Celestia and Luna stared at the hulking suit with carefully controlled, devoid expressions. Luna was impressed by his speech, and more so with the fact that he wanted to purge the dark lord almost as much as they did.

"The threat is very real to Equestria, but first we must ask: Why is it that you are creating such powerful weapons in the first place? This can be seen as a threat to national security considering that you are developing them inside of Equestria's borders without our knowledge."

Luna could have sworn that the suit smiled briefly.

"Creating weapons? Your Highness, I apologize if it seemed that we were creating them recently. In fact, they are remnants of my-" Sevilin paused, going over his sentence carefully. While he did trust these ponies, weapons from an alien race were always to be carefully kept and taken stock. If they knew of Sevilin's origins, they would perceive him in a different light.

"Remnants of my home. Simple weaponry to fend off predatory creatures that threatened my people."

Celestia observed the weapon on the table in front of her. She then faced where it had blown open the wall. "That was a large hole."

"They were large beasts."

Celestia narrowed her eyes. This 'simple weaponry' rivaled any standard combat spell she had ever witnessed in her lifetime. His suit alone suggested more advanced weapons capability, but as he had said, they were remnants of his home. Most likely a memento of where he used to belong.

She nodded and set the Titus on the table. Luna spoke in her situ.

"We have heard reports of you initiating an attack upon entry to our city. What grounds have thee for for becoming an aggressor?"

Sevilin grunted once again, and spoke in his refined accent.

"Your trained guards assaulted an unarmed messenger upon his landing. Not once did he harass or threaten them, and he was mercilessly beaten for absolutely nothing at all. I demand to know why such actions were taken against an innocent griffin. An innocent citizen of Sanctuary."

"While we apologize for the rather brash behavior of our guard," Celestia began, "we do not take your own punishment of them lightly." Sevilin, upon hearing this, crossed his metalloid arms.

"It was swift and just, and they suffered no outstanding physical injuries," he rebuked skillfully.

Luna's gaze grew concerned. "Reports from our physicians say that one Private End Sight wouldn't stop babbling about his younger brother." She leaned forward. "Sight was under the impression that the screams he was hearing were those of his brother crying out for help. His comrades reported the same, stressing that their best friends and marefriends were in grave danger. We were forced to sedate them, as they kept struggling."

Luna opened her eyes, and she saw that even Sevilin's own soldiers were giving him sidelong glances. The armored man sighed, his eyes dimming slightly.

"What I am wearing is the Mantis Rank Nine armor. This suit enhances all brainwave patterns and allows me to project sights, sounds, and feelings upon multiple enemies at once. If used correctly, I can cripple whole squadrons, letting them tear into each other, thinking that their friends are their enemies. Among those abilities, I can make my enemies believe me to be friendly, and I can bend light around the plates of the suit. This allows me to refract the light particles around me and appear invisible, or rather… not appear at all."

An uncomfortable shift came from many of those who were set to stand against the human in the face of an attack. His own troops were perturbed, but felt much more confident knowing that this powerhouse was on their side.

Celestia closed her eyes and bowed her head in thought, while Luna looked towards the ceiling and tapped her chin in thought. Both looking back at Sevilin, they spoke as one.

"Will you distribute this technology?"

The Mantis armor's eyes seemed to grow more vivid, and a slight screech came from inside the suit. Suddenly, two new voices began speaking along with Sevilin.

"The Mantis armor does not belong to child-like civilizations such as yours. Request denied," came a gruff male voice that boomed with every word.

"The Mantis armor is property of the human race and the Grand Roman Imperial Troopers, it shall not fall into the young hands of early civilizations. Request denied," a soft feminine voice seconded.

Sevilin nodded as well. "My mind was made up about the technology that I possess. While weapons such as the Titus Plasma Accelerator are being researched and may possibly be sold to Equestria, this armor will remain out of your grasp. Any and all personal weapons of mine remain in my possession."

The two Princesses looked disappointed, to say the least, but they had to respect his wishes. What was his belonged to him, and they did not press the matter further.

"Very well. Full medical costs will be covered for the griffin injured by our guards, and the perpetrators will be punished for the attack." Celestia stood, her wings extended to her sides. "But now we must plan for the coming threat. As of now, Captain Shining Armor and Princess Mi Amore de Cadenza are holding King Sombra at bay with a powerful shield. If you are so eager to prove your city's worth, show us."

Sevilin nodded and turned to Trixie and Chrysalis. "You two are with me. Chrysalis, take the Spec Ops and Trixie, take the Praetorians." He faced his pilot. "Get back to Sanctuary and prepare the troops, outfit them with Set 12."

The dog saluted and sprinted out of the throne room. Jacobs turned once again to the Princesses and bowed deeply.

"You have our full support. Now let us discuss this matter privately."

Sevilin, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Chrysalis, Trixie, and the Elements remained seated around a rectangular conference table. The Equestrian thoroughbreds stayed on one side, and Sanctuary on the other.

Twilight and her friends stared at Chrysalis and Trixie in turn, none of them particularly enjoying the fact that the two villainous wretches were in their lives again.

Trixie and Chrysalis seemed to wilt slightly under the combined glare of their past enemies. Chrysalis looked away while Trixie kept her nervous gaze situated on the mahogany table in front of her. She rubbed her hooves together in slow, unsteady circles.

Sevilin spoke first. "Princesses, what do you own in terms of raw firepower?"

"The unicorn platoons know a variety of offensive spells. This includes fire and wind based attacks, as well as some pure magical energy blasts. They can deal a good amount of damage, and six shots can knock a manticore out of the sky," Luna proclaimed.

Sevilin nodded. "Good. Sanctuary has a mix of species who's talents will be especially useful, namely the Changelings and Timberwolves. Our Changeling Special Operatives are practiced in reconnaissance and stealth operations. On the other front, we can have the Timberwolves in a head-on rush, taking into account the fact that they can reform themselves. The Alloy Dogs should be able to handle most of the brunt of the attack with the Timberwolves, while the Spec Ops loop around back and obtain the Crystal Heart."

Princess Celestia quirked an eyebrow. "How do you know of the Heart? Such things have been lost to history."

"Nothing is lost forever, Princess," Sevilin replied. "Now, we have to find a way to escort the Crystal Empire's civilians while we keep Sombra distracted. We still don't know if he has anything in terms of a military or separate destructive force." Sevilin placed a hand on his armored chin.

Rainbow Dash jumped onto the table, startling Chrysalis and Trixie. "We should just bust on through and bust 'em up! It'll be easy!"

Sevilin, Chrysalis, and the Princesses deadpanned. "Are you afraid of the dark, Rainbow Dash?" Chrysalis asked venomously.

"Pfff, of course not!" the speedster replied in her usual cocky tone. Chrysalis gave a sad, fanged smile.

"That's good. Because that's exactly what Sombra is: shadow. He is the dark itself, and as you know, shadow is intangible, untouchable, and persistent. When you truly battle him, you will understand." She rested her chin on the table, her frown increasing.

Now all eyes were on her. "You've fought King Sombra?" Twilight's question seemed to shake Chrysalis to the core. She then only nodded once, her wings twitching a bit.

Sevilin's suit began reading her muscle spasms and sorting through her mind's various spikes and dips. He sighed. "What did he do to you, Chrysalis?"

Chrysalis shut her eyes tight, taking a deep breath. "I don't want to talk about it…"

"Thou must tell us!" Luna's eyes glowed and her hoof slammed on the table.

Chrysalis whimpered, which surprised all those at the table. Immediately, several changelings appeared behind her, fangs bared and eyes glowing a deep turquoise. Terrace and Cane led the group, with Cane turned to Sevilin.

"What happened? Why is our queen distressed. We sensed fear and apprehension in her, and so we arrived as fast as we could." Sevilin groaned, which sounded like a rusty grating from inside the suit.

"Luna provoked some rather unsavory memories of King Sombra."

At the name, the changeling tensed up and harbored an even more deadly look about them. Their stances lowered further, their horns glowing and wings buzzing.

Cane growled, "Sombra…" under his breath, taking a second to close his eyes and gather his thoughts. "I remember. I remember what he did to our brothers and sisters."

Chrysalis hid her face with her bangs, her head bowed in sadness. Terrace sidled next to Cane, his expression grim. The changelings behind him, not sensing Sombra, began to relax from their heightened state.

"About a thousand years ago, before we stumbled across Equestria, we crossed the frozen north. We were in search of a new hive, since the last had been burned out by the griffins. Just traveling that frozen death zone killed more than half of us, and Queen Chrysalis was feeling every single one. In the distance, we saw a city that glowed in the snow. Scouts came back to report of the city and showed us their form."

Cane spoke in turn. "It was difficult to achieve such a state, but the hive adopted their forms and took to the Crystal Empire. Once inside, we mingled with the occupants, who seemed more than happy to accommodate us. In spring, King Sombra arrived. He seized the Empire with unimaginable power, especially for a unicorn. He placed us all in captivity and slavery, and we mined the gems beneath the ice for years."

"That doesn't sound something worthy of that reaction," Luna whispered. Terrace shot her a nasty look then.

"The real horror started when we stood against him, revealing our forms. The Crystal Ponies, galvanized by our actions, joined us in our rebellion. It was a futile attack, and even our Queen was weakened prior to the battle. Love tends to die in such conditions. After he wiped us out, he decided to make an example of a drove of Changelings. He called us 'disgusting insects' and 'unworthy of life'."

Cane continued. "He used his Shadow Magic to place hundreds of Changelings in a stasis, keeping them shrouded in darkness for eternity. This shadow kept them in constant agony, and worse, it traveled through the Hive's mental connections. Day and night, for weeks we heard screams and pleading. Queen Chrysalis believed she could save them, that she could pull them from this permanent limbo. But the changelings left alive begged her to do the unthinkable."

Everyone in the room leaned forward, save for the Changelings.

"She cut those changelings trapped in shadow limbo from the Hive permanently."

Every single changeling in the room seemed to become physically and spiritually drained. Their wings drooped, their eyes dulled, and their bodies shivered. Chrysalis took a deep, unsteady breath.

"I never wish for my hive to experience such a thing again. You did not inform me that we were going head to head with King Sombra, Sevilin." She almost growled the last part, though it would be impressive to intimidate the solid human.

Sevilin sighed in return. "I apologize. If the hive wishes to remain detached from the conflict, I would have no qualms."

Chrysalis drew another shaky breath. "I believe that is for the best…"

Nodding, Sevilin faced the Equestrians once more. "Count the extraction of the Heart out. This is going to be a full-fledged frontal assault upon Sombra. The objective now is to subdue him before he brings harm to the Crystal Empire's citizens. This will be more difficult since we don't rightly know what he is capable of at this moment in time. Do we have a method of contacting either Princess Cadence or Prince Shining Armor?"

Celestia shook her head. "Communications are quite impossible. The field that they have erected is keeping Sombra out, but at the same time confining the magical energies within. To send a message is to endanger the Crystal Ponies."

Sevilin grunted, his digits holding his chin in thought. Suddenly he looked up and snapped them, producing a clinking sound.

"Princess Celestia, Princess Luna. I ask that you accompany us to provide defense against King Sombra. As I understand, you have both defeated him in the past. Surely you know of ways to subdue him?"

The two nodded.

"Good. Very good." He leaned forward, eyes glowing all the more. "I have a plan."

Chapter 9- Assault

"Freaking A it is cold out here!" Orion rubbed his paws together, letting his breath battle the frigid temperatures. Eleven miles outside the Crystal Empire, with three hundred Dogs and fifty Timberwolves. "Heh… Who would of thought?"

A form shot to him from the haze of the snowfall. A lone timberwolf with a bag strapped across his back.

The massive wooden creature stopped in front of Orion and dropped a small round ball bearing into the Dog's paws. The Timberwolf straightened himself and spoke quickly, yet gruffly.

"Message from the master. Urgent."

Orion nodded with haste. "Thanks Dipstick."

"I told you to quit calling me that."

"But it fits you so well! After the incident with the honey-"

"Shut. Up. And would you just listen to the Tartarus-damned message?"

Orion grumbled again and tapped the top of the smooth contraption. Immediately, a projection of Sevilin himself appeared atop it. Dipstick and Orion were startled, to say the least, but listened intently.

"Orion," Sevilin nodded toward the Dog. "Dipstick," he motioned to the other guest. Dipstick grumbled discontentedly.

"Yes, sir?" Orion was quite eager, but at the same time very tired of the harsh conditions. Any order would be preferable to sitting out here for another few hours. Anything! Anything at all.

Sevilin appeared to be walking through a cave of some sort, his expression stony and grim. He stopped his movement and looked right at Orion, his eyes never blinking.

"I'm going to need you to hold out for a few more hours. We'll be assisted by Equestria's troops and the Princesses. I'll be out of comms for a good hour or so, but don't worry about it. Chrysalis and the changelings will not be able to assist us, so stealth is out of the question. Hunker down and heat up some soup, you look terrible."

Then the transmission was cut, as well as Orion's hopes for action. As much as Orion respected the man, he found the perfect words to express himself.

"MOTHER. FUCKER!"

And he beaned Dipstick in the head with the device, knocking the poor wolf out cold.

Luna and Celestia spent the rest of their time digging up the past. Armors, weapons, and various crowns lay neatly on shelves and racks. Relics from races long since faded sat preserved in the enchantments of the hideaway.

Luna trotted to a grand set of oak wood doors, flinging them open with her powerful magic. She felt light on her hooves, absolutely giddy. It had been centuries since a good fight. She counted out the moon period from her timeline completely.

"Nopony but Skippy anyways…"

Inside the room were jagged blades, spiked shields, and sleek armor crafted by the finest blacksmiths around Terran. She clapped her hooves, prancing about the room like a colt in a candy store.

Celestia, meanwhile, gazed upon her armors with some disgust.

"I actually wore that?" She stared at a gemstone-encrusted set of golden armor inlaid with ivory trim. She nearly wretched at the copious amount of gems fixated on it.

Moving on to her weapons, she felt that they looked… "…boring…"

Several sets of the standard sword and shield, with nothing else. All in gold…

"Gold isn't even my favorite color!" It was hot pink. Pink as hell.

That gave her an idea.

Luna trotted out of her War-Drobe, as she called it, a satisfied smile upon her face. She wore black spiked armor with a hint of purple along the helm and hoof-guards. A blade ran up the length of her horn, encasing its front with steel.

Using her magic, she brandished her weapon of choice: a double-edged great sword with amethysts encrusted in its hilt. Icy blue smoke poured off of the blade, pooling around her hooves momentarily before dissipating into nothingness. A tower shield floated out behind her next, looking like an enormous rectangle of spiny death.

Grinning evilly, she set the faceplate of her helm down over her muzzle and lit her eyes with a white aura, making her look extremely intimidating.

She heard a squeal of glee, and turned her armored head towards Celestia's War-Drobe. A flash of golden light, and the most hideous thing that Luna had ever laid eyes upon cast itself upon her.

"Sister, thou art actually considering placing that… thing upon thy body? Art thou mad?"

She was so shocked she slipped back into a habit she killed long ago. Yeah, that's how bad Celestia's choice attire was. I apologize personally for making you picture this.

Pink. Think of everything you can think of as being painted a hot pink.

Got it? Good.

Now add more pink and make it glow. Glow brilliantly. Now set it all on a pony princess with a flowing rainbow mane and give her a spear and shield combination.

This armor was so pink, I can't even describe what it looked like because I lost my sight and all I could taste was pink. Luna looked away from the catastrophic case of color. The armor alone would most likely kill Sombra from the sheer sight of it.

Giggling madly, Celestia levitated her weapons into the obnoxious field of pink and trotted out of the room. "Let us go sister, we shouldn't keep the troops waiting."

Luna followed behind, at a reasonably safe distance twenty meters or so away. "I disagree sister." She took a long, hard and painful stare at the pink monstrosity that had swallowed her sister. "Mayhap it is best to keep them waiting… er, indefinitely…"

Celestia turned to her sister, her face obscured by the horrific aura of rosy power. "Why is that, Lulu?"

Luna groaned, as she knew it was only a matter of time before her childhood nickname would be used in this fic. "Sister, look at thyself! Thou looketh ridiculous!"

Inside that mass of pink came a hurt gasp. "I look ridiculous? You sound ridiculous! You've slipped into your archaic nonsense again!"

Luna took a step back. "Nonsense?! I'll show you nonsense you wing-ed salmon!"

She reared on her hind hooves and let lightning crackle around her body, super-heating the air around her. Celestia in turn lowered her stance and the pink glow increased. Rushing forward, they abandoned their weapons to use their pure unadulterated power.

Fluttershy paced around nervously, her face a mixture of worry and horror. She murmured "oh dear," several times. Rarity shuffled her hooves frantically, checking her mane every so often and observing the clock on the wall.

Rainbow Dash performed loops and turns in the air, impatiently waiting for the order to kick some ass. Applejack sat calmly on the bench outside the war room with her friends, taking a nap with her hat pulled over her snout.

Pinkie Pie struggled to keep morale up, bouncing around and spouting off something about strawberries and somepony named 'Ichigo'.

"…and then he turned all white and stuff and he grew these sharp pointy horns, and next thing you know he was blasting mister Meanie-Bat Pants with lasers!"

Twilight stomped her hoof in frustration. "Pinkie! This is no time for another one of your crazy stories! We need a contingency plan!" She blushed furiously. "Not that I think the Princesses will lose! It's just best to be sure."

Applejack pushed her hat up drowsily. "Calm yer nickers Twi. Ah'm sure that yer brother is holdin' off that Sombra feller. Shining ain't no pushover."

Twilight began pacing opposite of Fluttershy. "But he's fighting a powerful enemy who, according to the Princesses and Sevilin, wasn't a pushover either! From what I'm hearing, he can trap souls and bodies in Limbo! Limbo, Applejack! Shining can't do that!"

"Well then he's well and truly fucked."

Twilight whirled around to see Silk Shot and Noble Force coming around the corner. She immediately scowled, her mane beginning to smoke.

"And what are you two doing here?"

Noble Force raised an eyebrow, and Shot raised his hooves. "Hold your fire there, She-Ra. We've been put on the front lines. Since we're so experienced with Sanctuary weaponry, we get to lead the charge." He smiled smugly, pointing a victorious hoof into the air.

Noble Force slapped his face with a hoof.

"We're going to die. Soldiers on the front lines always die, you moron. It's a Luna-damned punishment."

Shot's smile dropped, along with his hoof. Then he grinned again, turning to his partner in crime. "At least we've still got the weapons!"

Force allowed himself a cocky smirk. "Told you that mattresses were the safest places in Equestria."

Shot replied, "That's because nopony will ever get into your bed."

The Elements watched while the two wrestled and tossed each other around, screaming insults. Looking at the two, they saw that their coats had changed.

Silk had a deep purple coat with a vibrant blue mane, making him look like he had been barraged with plums and blueberries. His eyes were sky-blue, complementing his hair quite nicely.

Noble Force, in turn, was a bland light brown with dirty blonde streaks in his mane. His tail mimicked his mane except for the bright golden bolt that arced through it. His eyes were by far the most attractive many of the mares had seen, electric blue and seemingly buzzing with life.

The mares, pleased with what they saw, moved on to the stallions' hindquarters. Force's Cutie Mark was a strange symbol indeed, a triangle with a blade jutting through its center from behind and appearing from over the other side.

Silk Shot had a single arrow attached to a long line of silk. The silk led to a spool, where the white thread was wrapped.

Oh, and the girls thought that their asses were pretty nice, too. Just thought I should mention that.

Like the changeling hive mind, they had all already decreed Silk Shot the 'cute one' and Noble Force the 'handsome one'.

Then the six of them glanced between each other suspiciously, averted their gazes to the wrestling stallions, and then withdrew their attention again to various parts of the room. They were all practically glowing.

Sevilin approached the massive metalloid wall hidden deep inside the cave. Taking slow steps forward, her breathed lightly. Looking up at the wall, he placed his hand upon it and whispered, "Alexandriae, secreta senis dicere divos…"

The door hummed rhythmically, before eliciting a sharp squeal. A thundering, feminine voice greeted him.

"Welcome, Sevilin. The knowledge of Library Alexandria is open to you."

Sevilin nodded once and stepped inside, the doors closing with a colossal crack.

Shining Armor trotted back onto the balcony overlooking the haven of the Crystal Empire. Looking out at the horizon, he saw the massive cloud of black sentience. With his keen eyesight, Armor saw a face materialize, grinning darkly at him.

Then many more anguished expressions appeared alongside the central face, before twisting into angry and vicious monstrosities. They snapped and howled like savage dogs, shadowy spittle dripping into the snow.

And just as quickly as they appeared, they vanished, and the shadow monster smiled again.

Shining Armor looked out at the scene with a deep frown.

"Fangs. Why is it always have to be fangs?"

A guard trotted towards where the Princesses had entered, checking the surrounding area cautiously. They had been inside for quite a while now.

Pushing the door open, he began traveling down the stairs, hearing a faint yelling. Moving faster, he skipped several stairs as he wound around and around the stone pillar.

He clearly heard screaming now, and his panicked pace sped up exponentially. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, he was rendered speechless by the scene before him.

"Wretched harlot!"

"Skank!"

"Bedroom trifler!"

"Hoofjob handler!"

"Musk dumping ground!"

"Cum dumpster!"

"Tis the same thing!"

"Is not!"

"Tis too!"

"Is not!"

"Tis too!"

"Is too!"

"Tis not!"

"Ha!"

"Curse you!"

The two princesses slapped each other in a silly flailing competition. Their hooves blurred by insanely fast, yet the blows simply bounced harmlessly off the other.

The guard, shocked at first, resumed his usual stoic expression. With great trepidation, the stallion cleared his throat, grabbing the attention of the two cat-fighting mares.

They spun to him quickly, and then blushed. At least I think Celestia blushed… I mean… Ugh… Pink.

Luna cleared her throat. "All is well here, soldier. Please, we ask thou to return to thy post immediately."

The guard closed his eyes and bowed, trotting away calmly. A small trail of blood ran out each of his nostrils.

"That was totally hot."

Sevilin's footsteps, now devoid of the thundering metallic boots, echoed softly against the walls of the long-abandoned but never forgotten machine.

"Library Alexandria. Oh, how I've missed you…" Sevilin walked through a massive hall lacking any fancy furnishings or the like. It was plain, bland, and dark. The walls rose up on either side to reach all the way up into the darkness of the ceiling. Slowly, the ancient machine sprung alive, addressing systems out loud to its keeper.

"Systems optimal. Running at eighty five percent efficiency. Radar systems: online. Communications: offline. Distress beacons: offline. Propulsion systems: offline. Weapons systems: disabled. Defense systems: disabled. Offensive systems: disabled. Fabrication systems: on standby. Knowledge banks: under lockdown. Lift lock?"

The machine around Sevilin hummed momentarily before he shook his head. "No. Access Armory."

A new, deeper voice like the weapons system in Jacobs' suit took over. The all-over light feel of the Library shifted to a more oppressive, totalitarian aura.

"State identification."

"Sevilin Jacobs of the Emancipator. Rank Thirteen Conquistador serving with his Grand Emperor's Imperial Fleet."

"State Emperor lineage."

"Emperor Nero LIII. Descended from Emperor Augustine XV, and those before him."

The machine hummed. "Fleet identification."

Sevilin grit his teeth. "Gloria Romae."

"State ships allotted to fleet."

"Seven Jupiter-class Annihilators. Fourteen Mars-class Reapers. One hundred and twelve Venus-class civilian ships."

The machine hummed its final note, before asking, "State fleet escort."

Sevilin grimaced. "Sevilin Jacobs, Marcy Keeting, Henry DeShurio, Lars Panhale, Kendra Hunt."

"Access granted. Sevilin Jacobs, welcome to Library Alexandria. How may I serve the Spear of the Emperor?"

Sevilin walked up a wide flight of stairs, which now began to light under his feet, as if revering his presence. He stopped in front of a massive amount of racks, holding many gargantuan white cases to their rails.

"Prepare the Sanctifier Armor."

"Yes sir."

The entire complex came alive, a living, breathing organism made of steel and other materials one could only begin to imagine. Fission cores fired, mile-long pistons pumped hydraulic fluid through the marvel. Smaller machines weld and built the armor for the high-ranking loner of the Grand Roman Imperial Legion.

Sevilin watched as sparks flew and screeches of metal on metal filled the air, the heat rising and falling as the huge tempering systems sealed the welds. The chatter continued while Sevilin continued deeper into the labyrinth, planning and preparing for the battle ahead.

A battle that would no doubt affect Sanctuary and Equestria as a whole.

Lightning Dust flew around the training area impatiently, darting her eyes from manticore to manticore. Snorting quickly, she shot up through a skylight and perceived Sanctuary from above.

The entire town was in a flurry of activity, gathering supplies, weapons, and any willing troops. Manticores allowed themselves to be suited in their armor, and changelings assisted in gathering utilities.

The pegasus mare huffed when she saw the changelings, and immediately raced back inside. Taking a deep breath, she bellowed at the varied races inside.

"ALRIGHT CHUMPS, HERE'S THE DEAL: WE'RE GONNA BE PROVIDING AERIAL SUPPORT FOR SEVILIN AND THE EQUESTRIAN ROYAL GUARD. IT'S ONE OF THEM AGAINST ALL OF US, SO THIS SHOULD BE A PIECE OF CAKE, GOT ME?"

"Yes, ma'am," they shouted back, continuing their work.

A changeling flew to Dust. "Should we prepare the parasprites as well?"

"We're attacking ONE TARGET! ARE WE TRYING TO STARVE HIM TO DEATH? NO!" She flew right into the changeling's frightened face. "WE'RE GOING TO BE SERVING HIS ASS ON A SILVER PLATTER FOR SEVILIN!"

The changeling nodded quickly and chittered away, telling the hive mind to stop laughing.

Dust nodded once at the activity going on, and went for the barracks to retrieve her own plating.

Inside, she thought to herself as she slipped inside the mail.

On the night that she got her letter from the Wonderbolt Academy flat out denying her from entering, Dust tore through the sky. With the tears in her eyes, she didn't have a clue as to what her direction or altitude was.

She flew and flew until she became tired, and landed somewhere deeply wooded. Curling into a turquoise ball, she wept amidst the silence of the forest. With no ponies around, she felt safer. She had always felt better when there was nopony to compare to.

Hugging herself, she fell asleep to the soft cooing of the woodland creatures.

Lightning awoke to a wet sniff. Groggily turning her head, she swept the yellow mane away from her eyes and stared right into the maw of a black bear. Scared stiff, she watched the hulking monstrosity rear onto its hind legs and bellow loudly.

She shivered in place while it glared down at her. She had no idea what she had done to anger it, but it hardly mattered now. It stepped forward and roared again, before diving toward her with its claws outstretched.

Almost immediately a dark form dashed in front of the beast, holding the bear's claws back with its own paws. The bear roared at the newcomer and pushed it away. Falling on its end, Dust saw that it had a brown mane and striking hazel eyes.

"Hey," it said before engaging the bear once again, a hatchet drawn in its right grasper. The blade dug into the bear's thick coat, and it roared all the louder. Taking a swipe at him with its left paw, the man ducked underneath and drew a dagger, which he embedded in the bear's neck.

Scarlet life juice splattered the bear's neck and withers, and the hatchet was released from its place in the bear's shoulder. Rolling underneath the bear with his knife, the human jabbed up into its gut, spraying more blood on himself.

The bear roared once again, and the man rolled out from underneath before the bear could fall atop him. Straightening his leather vest, the tall man examined the bear.

"Yeah. I think I could get a coat from this. Maybe a nice balaclava." He glanced at Dust. "What do you think?"

Dust was speechless. A black bear was a challenge for most ponies, but she had just watched this thing practically roll around it and kill it. She nodded dumbly.

The human sat there watching her. "You need some food? A place to stay?"

She looked at her hooves and blinked several times. As ridiculous as it sounded, he had seriously just asked that after killing a bear in front of her. There was still some blood on him! But-

"Somebody to talk to, maybe?" The human's eyes were met with her own, and she nodded slightly. The man walked over and sat down next to her, taking off the blood-stained vest. He cleaned the rest off with a towel and leaned against the tree.

"Okay, spill. Let it all out."

And she did. She told him about the hours and days and weeks spent practicing, the scolding she got from her parents for following such a silly dream, the day she thought it would come true. The day everything was denied.

She cried out into this man's chest, she didn't even know what it was but she didn't care. He was somebody to talk to, not somebody who would jeer at her or downplay her feelings. He hugged her tightly while she bawled, and she never wanted him to let go.

The fact that he wasn't a pony somehow made her feel better, like this wasn't ever going to get out to the public. It made her feel safe and isolated, but at the same time in a group.

That feeling would continue when this man named Sevilin would show her Sanctuary. A small settlement, sure, but he had big plans. Huge plans. To unite all of the ousted of Equestria in one place.

And once united he would prove that the ponies were wrong. That the Dogs were smart and inventive, the manticores great companions, Timberwolves misunderstood, parasprites manageable, and Changelings not to be feared and loathed.

Here was where Lightning Dust learned and grew. For a year and a half she trained under Changeling and Timberwolf alike, while Sanctuary grew bigger and its technology better.

She felt that she was surrounded by real family, real friends...

Lightning Dust breathed in the sky's clean scent as she returned to the present.

This was home.

"Sanctifier Armor completed. Deploy pole arm?"

"Negative," Sevilin grunted mechanically.

"Affirmative. Armor has been transported to Deployment Bay. Awaiting further orders."

The machine's booming voice hummed lowly, and Sevilin walked briskly to the Deployment Bay. Inside the domed area was nothing but a single pedestal and a large white case upon it. A single light was cast upon it, and Sevilin stood directly in front of the casing.

"Begin arming Sevilin Jacobs."

"Command ordered: Begin arming Sevilin Jacobs. Order confirmed?"

"Confirmed."

"Aye aye, sir."

The case split apart and instantly Sevilin was wrapped in a red synthetic glue, coating his skin and opened eyes and seeping through his pores. Nanometer-long wires ran into his pores and attached to his nerves, letting him move freely and easily.

He opened his mouth and the process repeated to coat his taste buds and teeth. His nostrils filled with the same goop and led up to his brain before solidifying, giving the suit a method of maintaining connection with his thoughts and physical status..

The entire suit finished its solidification, and Sevilin shivered once.

"Applying Sanctifier Armor to Rank Thirteen Conquistador Sevilin Jacobs of the Emancipator. May your spear pierce the very souls of your enemies and drive their hearts and minds to destruction."

White plates that shone in the industrial flood lights rushed forward on hydraulics and wires, fitting themselves to Sevilin's skin-tight suit in a hurry.

Amid the hisses of steam and squeals of metal, Sevilin chose his armaments for the clash. Dozens upon hundreds of combinations scrolled amidst his field of vision, his trained eyes selecting them as they flew by.

"Weapon set selected: four Ambit Repeater carbines, two Ares rocket pods, one Artemis Reticulum. Include pole arm?"

Sevilin's brows furrowed on frustration. "Negative, I repeat, negative! No pole arm required!"

"My apologies, sir. I will omit the pole arm."

Sevilin grunted in acknowledgement while the machine put the finishing touches on the suit, fully syncing it to his cerebellum's rotary controls and retinal areas on the lobes.

"Sync complete. Ready to launch. Coordinates?"

A small map appeared in Sevilin's vision alongside a heartbeat scan, ammo supply, longitude and latitude, altimeter, speedometer, armor density gauge, and pressure gauge.

"The Frozen North, sixty degrees east. Launch."

"…Affirmative. Launching."

A plate covered Sevilin's vision, then his suit rumbled violently before calming. The faceplate fell away and revealed the large white clouds, with Sanctuary far behind him.

"Launch undetected. Marking as first launch date in history since arrival on alien planet. Last launch recorded: two-hundred and fifty thousand years, eleven months, twenty-nine days, four hours and twenty-six seconds ago. Saving to database for future reports."

Sevilin frowned and thought to himself as he was carried up through the clouds and past the cities of Equestria. "I came here only several years before… How is it that the Library arrived here hundreds of thousands of years before me? The event horizon can't seriously be capable of altering the flow of time, can it?"

As his thought process ended, he saw that he was now directly over his set position. "Release."

The gray plates around the suit did so, and it revealed a bright white hulking suit, larger than the last, hurtling down into the snow. Sevilin flipped forward and his feet landed in the soft white powder, sending the snow exploding in different directions.

Sevilin saw Orion huddled near a dying fire, icicles hanging from his snout and eyelashes.

"S- s- s- s- Sir? I- I- Is that y- y- y- you?"

An angular helm with a single visor running vertical along its blade-like head nodded solemnly. The shoulders of this new armor were much more pronounced and sharper, and the entire suit seemed to simply radiate weight. Four long barrels extended from his gauntlets, steam flowing off the tips from the heat they brought.

Two cylindrical containers on his back spun with a blue glow, and then settled down. Raising his hands in the air, Sevilin examined the sharpened points of his digits.

Reaching to his thigh, he pulled out a massive blade of silver, with a compressed stone harder than forged steel as the hilt.

Sevilin watched the blade as points of data scrolled across.

Sanctifier's Blade awarded to Lars Panhale following the eightieth battle of Hrik'lo'shuk on the planet Jiruyk of the Vedanthor. Forged from Plentium Silver, an ore found only on the outer reaches of the Horse Head Nebula; the Sanctifier's Blade is truly a prime example of an award befitting a hero such as Panhale. The hilt is crafted of the same meteorite the Plentium Silver was found in. Using the entire meteor, a rock one kilometer across, the stone and minerals were compressed into an extremely dense material that then underwent gravitational alteration within its atomic structure, giving the blade lightness of weight. Thanks to this atomic-level technology, the hilt weighs a mere ton.

Sevilin remembered how Lars would place the blade atop enemies and laugh while they struggled to free themselves. It was always humorous.

Now the human looked out upon the massive purple dome and the black cloud surrounding it, and curled his plated fist.

"Prepare for battle."

With a salute and a "Yes sir!" Orion was off to alert Sanctuary's finest. Orion could barely hold back his growing excitement.

Princess Luna and Princess Celestia stood side by side at the head of the long iron table. Celestia's armor remained pink, but nowhere near the retina-burning level as before.

The Elements of Harmony sat to the right of the table, and Equestria's tacticians and generals on the left side. Celestia placed her hooves upon the table.

"Mares and stallions. Those of you who have been called here today are no doubt frightened and confused by the concept of war…"

Luna stepped in. "But worry not, my little ponies. War may be horrific, if sometimes pointless…"

"But ultimately, it is, at times, wholly necessary. This is one of those times."

The Elements of Harmony cringed, then a jungle-green stallion on the other side, dressed in full combat armor, leapt atop the table. In a gruff voice he shouted to his comrades.

"You hear that, ponies? WE'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO DO SOMETHING!"

High-hooves were held by all of the mares and stallions on the left side of the table, many of them already scrambling out of the doors and drawing up battle strategies. Many of them had Sevilin's plans and were working off of them to strategize correctly.

"GET THE PEGASI IN THE AIR AND EVERYPONY ELSE IN THE CARRIAGES!" The green earth pony stallion paused, looking in a direction to his right, down a hallway. "YES, THE BIG CARRIAGES, YOU FAUST-DAMNED FLANKHOLE! MOVE IT, NOW!"

Luna and Celestia watched the debacle in the hallway, the two of them still stunned by their little ponies' reactions. Outside they were practically trampling one another in order to fulfill their training.

"I suppose we should brief thee as well…"

"Lulu, you're doing it again."

"GRAH!"

Celestia folded her hooves upon the table. "Now, you six, the Elements of Harmony. You are all to be stationed at the very rear of the combined forces of Sanctuary and Equestria, is that understood?"

The girls nervously glanced between each other, then nodded. Luna recovered from slamming her head into the table, and joined her sister.

"You six are not to fight. All of you will be there in case things go wrong. If somehow King Sombra is able to defeat us, you are to activate the Elements of Harmony and seal him away."

The Elements of Harmony bowed and accepted their mission, sneaking around the clamor of the military in the hall.

Celestia turned to her sister.

"It is time."

"Yes, Tia, it is." Luna flipped her faceplate down, her eyes blazing with white flames.

Lightning Dust converged with the Equestrian forces whilst traveling with Sanctuary's reinforcements. With another five-hundred dogs, seventy Timberwolves, fifteen manticores, and four-hundred other assembled races, they were hard to miss.

She saluted to a mildly surprised pegasus stallion of the same age, who bowed his head slightly and continued pulling a colossal carriage with nine other pegasi.

Lightning Dust looked behind her to see that the manticores were pulling their weight, and the griffins were keeping alongside the occasional pegasus to ensure they had no trouble with the flight.

They would be at the Crystal Kingdom within the hour, especially traveling at this speed.

She saw the Princesses flying on their own, trailed by the Elements of Harmony on a carriage hooked to a few guards.

Dust shouted above the winds, "Prepare for touchdown in twenty minutes!"

She received no response, but she knew she was heard.

As Lieutenant Lightning Dust, she was made to be heard.

Sevilin watched as the plethora of carts, carriages, and bodies landed upon the soft snow. Hooves, paws, talons, and the like all felt the cold material upon them.

Sevilin witnessed his dream beginning to come to fruition, and smiled beneath the mask. He saw Luna and Celestia, Celestia dressed in a most strange arrangement, trot over to meet him.

The two of them now looked up higher than before they met him, their horns reaching his chin. He opened his right palm and spoke.

"Hello. Are you all prepared?"

The Princesses nodded in confirmation, and Sevilin turned towards his force, now fully assembled. The mass of them faced the purple dome, which now had several large cracks splintering its surface.

"SOLDIERS," he bellowed in his strange accent. "THOU HATH COMETH MOST FAR! THOU HATH ASSISTED IN MINE ENDEAVORS, NO MATTER WHICH PATH THEY MAY HATH TAKEN US. BUT ALAS, NOW, ON OCCASION MOST URGENT, HATH WE ALL DECIDED TO ASSIST THOSE WHO HATH BOTH CAST US OUT AND GAVE US MEANS TO LIVE."

Sanctuary's soldiers roared in response, holding their various weapons in the air. The sound carried across the frozen tundra, and Sombra's form rose up above the dome.

"WE SHALT SHOW THEM THAT THOU ART NOT MINDLESS!" Sevilin pointed to a Timberwolf.

"THOU ART NOT BRUTISH!" He directed his white finger at an Alloy Dog Praetorian.

"THOU ART NOT KILLERS! BUT TODAY IS NOT THE TIME WE SHALT SHOW THEM! TODAY WE ART MINDLESS, BRUTISH, AND INDEED KILLERS! WE MINDLESSLY DEFEND OUR BRETHREN AND SISTERS BORN IN BATTLE, WE BRUTISHLY ATTACK OUR ENEMY WITH VICIOUS FORCE! AND WE KILL ALL DOUBTS AS TO OUR DEFEAT!"

The Equestrian forces readied their weapons with Sanctuary's as the two armies stared down the city, which was now only a quarter-mile away. Sombra noticed the noble amassment of soldiers, and the cloud was now spinning terrifically.

"AND WHOM SHALT STAND WITH ME?"

Sanctuary roared, and Equestria, caught up in the energy, roared with them.

"AND WHOM WILL FIGHT BESIDE ME?"

The ground shook from the shout.

"AND WHOM SHALT DIE WITH ME?"

The dome behind him shattered, purple shards of magical glass raining upon the now-defenseless city. The shadow rushed inside, swirling with great force.

Crystals as black as night erupted from the dirt and began to shift. Soon enough, crystalline figures resembling ponies crawled from the earth, green and purple energy replacing eyes. Some horned and winged ponies crawled from the earth as well, the dark magical energy enveloping their horns and wings.

Weapons sprouted from the ground as shards and chunks, and the collective army, now of a considerable size, roared in the opposing armies' stead with a demonic scream.

"THEN I'LL TAKE THE LOT OF YOU WITH ME," Sevilin bellowed back. He leapt forward, and with the Princesses at his sides, he lead a full-on assault for the Crystal Empire.

Shining Armor saw his shield simply shatter. It was over. The Crystal Empire was done. He collapsed into Cadence's fore hooves and began to fade out of consciousness. Then he heard the most horrifying noise he had ever born witness to.

Sounding like a screech of steel on steel mixed with the bombastic explosion of depth charge, the roar of the Crystal Guardians, now corrupted with Sombra's magic, shattered windows throughout the city.

A second, far more comforting sound met Shining Armor's ear, however. The sound of nearly two-thousand troops collided with the Crystal Empire's corrupted warriors.

Feeling relieved, Armor passed out in the arms of his concerned wife.

Sevilin stomped a Crystal into the ground, splintering it like a dry twig. Another leapt at him with a sharpened, jagged piece of the same material, and received a volley of compressed blasts of heat from his gauntlets, splitting it into pieces.

Sevilin whirled his arm around and caught a unicorn Crystal charging its horn for an offensive attack, shattering its head as if it were glass.

Looking about, he saw that his current predicament would not allow him to operate at full capacity, and so he grabbed one Crystal and carried it with him whilst cracking it in half, attracting more Crystals to pursue him.

Luna swung her sword sword, her dia-

Sorry, I got carried away there. Luna swung her sword, hacking apart the Crystals with surgeon-like precision. One clambered onto her back, where she easily smacked it off with a wing, swung it around with a hoof, and jammed the blade of the sword in its sternum.

The Crystal froze, then shattered. She blocked another attack with her magic and enveloped the beast, squeezing it so tightly with her magic that it splintered inside and broke apart anti-climatically.

She then lopped the forelegs off another and stomped its head into oblivion before cleaving another in two.

Celestia smacked a Crystal away from a Dog and impaled the crystalline monster on her spear. She then whirled it around and shattered a second Crystal with its clone, killing them both.

The Dog departed and leapt back into the action, engaging in battle with a Crystal.

Celestia hit a Crystal in the head with her spear, and then finished it with a bone-dusting blow from her shield.

Another three made to attack her, only to get vaporized by a white blast.

Celestia broke her focus to see Private Silk Shot riding on a manticore, the human's stolen weapon in his grip.

Force tackled a Crystal from the sky, sending the two of them rocketing through a window onto a bed. The bed rattled and creaked while Force beat the shards out of it with the hilt of the Sanctuary blade.

"Sorry, but I like to be on top," he said as he delivered the final blow, obliterating its skull. He got off the bed, and in the corner of his vision saw an olive mare with frightened eyes.

"Ma'am," he tipped his helmet courteously and looked back out the empty window, only to be checked into the shower by a piece of carriage.

Huge Crystal gargoyles soared through the air, tearing apart the vulnerable wooden structures of the carriages carrying the Equestrians and Sanctuary soldiers alike.

Silk Shot leapt off his recently destroyed carriage, watching as the Crystal monster flung the wood aside and into a building, some debris flying through the window.

Turning his attention back to the Crystal in front of him, the thing's maw split and cracked, eliciting a sharp, angry roar. Something beneath him rumbled, and another loud roar matched the Crystal's.

"Aw, crap…"

He was on top of a manticore that about to be locked in combat with a gargoyle. He was pretty fucked.  

The Elements stood behind at a reasonable distance nearly a mile away. Twilight watched through some binoculars, but could barely stand the sight. Applejack watched on in concern, and Rainbow in slight anger.

"How could they not put us in to fight? We saved Equestria twice! Twice!"

Twilight quietly handed Rainbow Dash the binoculars, and she took them.

"What's the big deal, we're winning…"

A massive creature that looked to be made up of dark amethysts chomped down on a pegasus and tore him in two, his fore legs futilely kicking until he was thrown away.

A teal blur tipped with yellow socked the monster in the face, causing its purple and green eyes to glow and a roar to explode out of its mouth.

A beam of energy hit it, and another blur hit, this time pink. The gargoyle was caught in Princess Celestia's magic, and torn in half itself.

Princess Celestia then darted back down to fight once again.

"Okay… That's pretty intense, I'll admit."

Sevilin threw another Crystal into a pillar and blasted it into pieces easily. So far only a few had actually placed scratches in his armor.

He began leading as many of them as he could toward the palace, where both the Prince and Princess were thought to be. Running at full speed, he barreled down the Crystals with the grace of a freight train.

He lifted his arms and powerful waves of molten death spewed from them, shredding the Crystals into nothingness. One clamped his leg, and he simply lifted his foot and dropped it atop the thing.

"Hmpfh."

He ground the crystals beneath him.

He turned to the huge double doors of the palace and saw the congregation awaiting him. He snorted in jest.

"A welcoming party? How thoughtful…"

He hunched over like a linebacker, his shoulder plates lowered, and the two spinning cylindrical tubes whirred to life.

"Target locked. Fire?"

Sevilin grinned inside his helmet.

"Affirmative."

Crystals inside the palace all looked toward where the huge white troll had last been reported. Lowering their horns, pole arms, swords, and heads; they prepared for combat.

At first there was nothing, then…

THUDA-BABOOOOOM

The earth shook from the explosion, and a huge blue light encased the center of town. A massive plume of dust interrupted the fight on the battlefield, and everyone shut their eyes, granting many Crystals the opportunity to strike.

The Elements watched from afar, curious as to what was going on. They heard it before it hit them, so they braced for the cloud of debris.

By the time they opened their eyes, everyone was back to trying to kill each other.

The remains of the entire front wall of the palace lay about Sevilin's feet as he strolled inside amidst the shattered bodies of the Crystals. Smoke and dust swirled about, and he took off running into the palace.

Instead of taking the stairs, he opted to simply leap through the floors, searching them with thermal-equipped vision for the Royals.

"Where the hell…"

Sevilin was hit by a colossal force, sending him into the floor and down the next few stories. He crashed into the ground floor amidst beams of stone and faceted beams. The visor of his helm shifted from a soft blue to a menacing orange.

Turning his head skyward, he witnessed a rush of darkness interrupt his vision with a flurry of ethereal blows.

Thrashing his arms around, Sevilin tore through the foggy foe and watched Sombra reform across the main hall. Sombra's fangs glinted in the rays of sunlight, the snow drifting from the sky and onto the tip of his horn.

With an animalistic roar, he formed a hulking body outfitted with huge, slashing talons and a powerful, shadowy tail. He panted heavily, spitting out his words along with thick black tar.

"I know not what you are, troll… But know that the Crystal Empire, and all of its treasures, are mine!" His tail lashed out behind him, striking a pillar and sending the dusted column swirling about.

Sevilin held his thick metal arms apart, the barrels on his wrist-mounted carbines hissing with heat. The pods on his back raised into firing position yet again, and under his visor Sevilin's brows pulled down into a deep scowl.

The two of them stared each other down from across the hall, Sevilin's armor humming serenely and Sombra's mane bubbling like liquid asphalt.

RRROOOOAAAAAARRRRR!!!

The two rushed forward, Sombra with the advantage of speed, and they began tearing into each other with fang and claw. Sevilin mashed the King's face into the floor, the guns firing point-blank into his face, sending chunks of solid darkness and bluish stone about.

Reacting on instinct, Sombra bucked Sevilin into the air, then reeled his tail back, swinging it into the human's metallic hide like a baseball bat. With a sound like a gong, Sevilin was sent through the thick walls of the castle and into the city proper.

Righting himself mid-air, Sevilin splayed his arms out for balance. Sombra erupted through the dust and Sevilin lowered his chest and his shoulder plates shifted, the rocket pods firing on Sombra.

The twin streaks of azure energy struck Sombra head-on, blasting his physical form into swirling motes of ash and dark energy. Growling, he reformed as a huge horned stallion, and charged Sevilin again, his ethereal form goring the human without doing any real damage.

Sombra stood on his hind legs, which faded occasionally, and body-slammed Sevilin on the stone, sending spiderwebs of cracks through the ground. Sevilin could barely believe he was being handled in such a way.

"He just lifted the Sanctifier…"

Sevilin thrust his fists into Sombra's swirling chest and blasted away, the heat and light wounding the twisted stallion.

King Sombra's form flickered, then retreated while Sevilin's armor repaired itself. Looking up, Sevilin had no bead on the dark King, the smoke and dust plumes making it impossible to find him.

Drawing his blade, Sevilin stalked off to find his foe.

"Ach!" Shot was thrown from side to side atop the manticore, his teeth clenched tightly. All he could taste was some kind of shampoo in the manticore's mane that was currently held in his teeth.

The weapon from Sanctuary that a Praetorian guard had informed him of being a 'Titus', was clutched tightly to his chest. Opening his eyes, he saw the gargoyle swoop down toward the manticore's neck.

Panicking, Shot levitated the weapon and aimed it directly at the gargoyle. Before he could pull the trigger, the manticore flipped and locked claws with the Crystal.

The two spun round and round, and Shot held on for dear life.

The earth and sky bled together in a kaleidoscope of chaotic color. He felt himself grow ill and used both hooves to hold his wide-open mouth.

He realized his mistake while he tumbled back down towards the ground. Looking about, he saw his only salvation, the manticore.

A manticore with a gargoyle on its back was likely not a smooth ride, however, and Silk Shot, gathering all of his calm, focused. He brought the weapon to his muzzle, using his magic to realign himself to be falling perfectly upside-down.

He knew that he didn't have time to reload before he hit the ground.

"Make it count, dammit!"

Breathing in, he watched the duo speed beneath and ahead of him. They shot closer and closer, and finally he exhaled.

Pulling the trigger, a spear of white light crackled out, lancing the gargoyle in the chest and blasting it apart. Shot righted himself and landed atop the manticore, who growled contentedly when the stallion pet the beast's mane.  

Looking down on the battlefield, Shot pulled the slide back and ejected the shell. "TO BATTLE, STEED!"

The manticore flipped upside down above a fountain, dumping the stallion into the frigid waters.

"Mutiny! Mutiny," he screamed from the waters.

Force whipped a Crystal off its feet and plunged the exotic blade into its throat, cracking sounds and signs spreading. It split into pieces.

Looking up, he saw that they were making no progress. The Crystals just kept coming, and-

His line of thought was broken when he saw a teal mare in brass combat armor hit the ground, holding her shoulder. The Crystal above her raised a shattered limb, sharpened to a point.

Gripping his blade with his mouth, Force's wings unfurled and then closed, sending him forward like a ballistic missile.

He sliced forward, releasing the stored kinetic energy of a prolonged battle. The green crescent of pure force slammed into the Crystal and decimated it, turning its splintered body into deadly shrapnel.

The shrapnel tore into its brethren and killed several of them, leaving them as screeching piles of dark energy and amethysts. The teal mare looked up at Force, who looked at the enemy with grand determination.

"Are you well, soldier?"

Lightning stood up and nodded. "Yessir."

"Then get killing! Go!"

She pulled down her goggles and grimaced, turning to fly into a Crystal and send it into a wall. She darted right back and began pummeling the creature with a furious barrage of hoof-blows.

The Crystal, cracked and showing signs of strain, simply came apart.

"Now that's a tough mare…"

Noble Force shook his head and noticed an approaching Crystal. Slicing up, he cleaved it clean in two halves.

Luna rolled onto her back, kicking the massive Crystal in the gut. She then righted herself and whipped her left wing behind her, snapping the living statue into a home.

With her lumbering sword, she beheaded three Crystals and blasted another apart with a concentrated beam of magic. She bumped into somepony else, and saw the little Dog Orion.

Growling, he aimed a small silver device at a Crystal and pulled a mechanism on it. A flash of white light and the Crystal was disassembled into shards.

Orion leapt upon another Crystal and jammed the device behind its head. Before the beast could chomp on an Equestrian soldier, Orion turned the monster's head into splinters.

Performing a backflip through the air, he threw a small handful of pellets, which exploded on contact with the Crystals.

At first, nothing happened, then the Crystals began to grow tumorous growths of orange rock about their joints and limbs. Whatever Crystal was coated in it began to experience the same rapid foreign growth, and before long they couldn't move.

Other soldiers dispatched them, and turned once again to fight their own battles.

Luna heard a loud scream and turned around. A Crystal had opened its geode maw and clamped down on a griffin's throat, tearing bloody chunks out of his neck and shoulder. Luna was swift to act, bringing the blade through the Crystal's head.

While the griffin struggled to splutter his thanks, he rose slowly and shakily. Luna stared at the battered griffin wide-eyed.

"Be still! Why doth thou still fight?" Her panicked question seemed to sting the griffin.

"Equestria… in danger… Sanctuary… in… danger… family." He frowned deeply and clutched his blade, the blood on his right shoulder and neck dripping down into his claws.

Luna grimaced. Taking a bottle from under her armor, she tossed it to the griffin. He popped it open and drank it, his wounds healing instantly. Luna nodded, as did he.

The two of them rushed off into battle once again.

Sombra wrestled with Sevilin once again, with the human gaining ground at every push. In a bout of anger, Sombra fired off a titanic wave of dark magic, destroying the fountain in the center of town.

Sevilin, dazed from the blast, shook himself and got back up. The water rushed by him and sloshed against his boots. Lifting his sword once again, he powered forward. Sombra summoned an axe, huge and viciously spiked, and bellowed his rage.

The two weapons clashed, but ultimately Sevilin's physical weapon outweighed Sombra's ethereal one. The momentum behind the swing shattered Sombra's axe and sent Sombra into the ground.

The dark King picked himself up several yards away, and conjured his magic in a swirling ball of black, green, and purple. Giving a colossal roar of infuriation, he fired.

Sevilin's chest lowered and fired both pods, the menacing light arcing forward like holy lightning.

The foes' blasts collided and a dark azure orb of light wavered a second. Then the two opposing forces swirled together and condensed. The ground around the bead of light cracked, and the oxygen around it vaporized in the blink of an eye.

Exploding like a solar flare, the town center went up in a pillar-shaped explosion of emerald, violet, and blue.

The Elements saw the pillar of destructive force even from their distance, and gaped while it rose into the swirling clouds. Blue light shone briefly in the sky, and then subsided. Another wave of dust, this one far more powerful, whipped at them violently.

If that was what Sombra was capable of…

Everyone on the battlefield was thrown to the ground from the sheer seismic force of the blast, hit only seconds later by the wave of released kinetic energy. The shockwave shattered windows and several buildings crumbled.

"The Crystal Ponies!" Celestia struggled to make a connection with Cadence, finding that she could not. Concerned she tried yet again.

Her focus was interrupted by a prismatic showcase of purple-tinted light. A mammoth of a Crystal stood over her, seemingly super-charged by the resulting blast.

Its maw cracked open, small discarded shards landing this way and that, and it screeched into her shocked face.

She moved to stab it with her blade, but a quick lance of white blew out its chest. The Crystal staggered, but did not go down. It looked up and screeched again, and received another crack to its face. Staggering once, twice, three times it struggled to gain back its footing.

A final spear of light took its head clean off and its severed dome lay in front of Celestia. A gray stallion soaked to the bone trotted over, and two sky-blue eyes stared at their Princess.

A huge smile, full of teeth, made itself known under the soot. A tooth was missing from the set, and his expression was quite off-kilter.

"Boom. Headshot," he whispered, then he cackled and reared up. Galloping off with the Titus in his magical grip, he straddled a Crystal and beat it to pieces with his hooves. Laughing madly and high on adrenaline, he continued to fight off the homegrown menace.

"Hahaha! Homegrown! It's funny cuz they grew out of the ground," he tittered inside his own head.

I don't even know how- You know what? Fuck it. Back to the battle.

Noble Force met with Silk, who was coated from head to hoof in soot. "Is he missing a tooth?"

Shot spun around suddenly and flicked a switch on the weapon, smiling devilishly. A shot from the weapon hit the dirt under a Crystal of exploded, sending shards through the air.

Grasping the shards with his magic, Shot fired them into the Crystals' heads with frightening accuracy. He hummed along as he did so, smiling widely.

"♫Thread by thread," he sang melodically, now using the Titus as a club, smashing Crystal heads left and right. Force shrugged and tossed a Crystal to Shot, who smacked it with the Titus to send it flying through the air.

"Home run!" The Crystal hit a group of others corroded with Orion's mixture, crumbling to purple dust. "GRAND SLAM! OOOOOOOOOOO!" Shot ran in circles on his hind legs, sliding upon them to end up under a gigantic Crystal.

The Crystal's back exploded upwards, wisps of white smoke pouring out of the wound. Shot came back up through the hole.

"AND THE RUNNER IS HOME! SAFE!"

Force looked upon the scene confusedly. Sighing heavily, he brought his blade down upon yet another Crystal. This was getting tedious.

Sevilin picked himself up from the chunks of masonry and dirt. His suit began repairing itself.

"Running on forty percent of maximum power. Severe damage taken to chest casing and upper extremities. Exercise caution until repair is completed. Estimated time until completion: four minutes. Standby."

The voice of his suit left him, and the whirring sound of millions of nanomites could be heard inside his suit, patching up or downright replacing anything damaged by the explosion.

Sombra was once again nowhere to be seen. "No body, no proof," Sevilin thought to himself as he searched the ruins of the town's center. The water that had once been flowing past him was gone, evaporated in the intense heat of the blast.

Sevilin continued to watch his surroundings, the faint sounds of battle coming from far behind him. "Three minutes remaining," the voice interrupted.

Sevilin stood fully, letting the nanomites repair everything correctly. Panhale's sword was nowhere to be found, and this troubled Sevilin greatly. The dins of magical blasts and weapons colliding with glass echoed around him, the buildings that stood numbered greatly and carried the sounds like mirrors carried light.

The once-beautiful city was now scarred by the battles, but fortunately the Crystal Ponies were clever enough to seek underground shelter. As for the two VIPs that Princesses Celestia and Luna had made clear were to be recovered, Jacobs was unsure.

He knew for a fact that they were inside the palace, but if the Crystals were also inside, he wasn't so sure of the VIPs' safety. However, he had managed to lead most of the Crystals out via brute force and flashy weaponry.

"One minute remaining."

Sevilin took a deep breath, Lars' armor wasn't suited for Sevilin's fighting style. Usually, Panhale would tank the damage, blast away, and Sevilin would be off tearing through heavy opposition. This suit was severely limited in offensive capabilities, but its regenerative systems were legendary.

"Twenty seconds."

Sevilin's body tensed up, eyes still scanning the area around him.

"Five. Four. Three. Two. One."

A shadow hovered over Jacobs, and he looked above him. He never got the chance to dodge the massive amassment of rubble. Grunting, he was crushed beneath, his suit's limit pushed to the edge in order to preserve his skeletal structure from the overwhelming pressure being exerted upon his body.

Sombra kept up the field of dark magic, pushing Sevilin and the masonry into the ground. Sevilin watched in a panic while his systems slowly shut down, one by one.

"NO-"

SCREEEEEECH-KACHUNK

Sevilin's desperate scream was quashed along with his suit.

Sombra let out a bellowing laugh, his body solidifying while his concentration dropped and a dull blow glow flowed beneath his hooves.

Celestia threw another Crystal into the ground, incinerating it and several of its brethren. She swooped in to attack again, only to see the Crystal go stock still, and crumble.

Rune lines along the cracked and battered earth struggled to connect, pulses coming from the center of the city weakly made their way to the edges of the township.

Luna landed next to her sister while the Crystals crumbled back into the ground, the earth swallowing them up like a hungry monster.

Noble Force and Silk Shot, back to back, warily watched their enemy retreat. They lowered their weapons as hey watched faint blue waves pass beneath their hooves.

Princess Celestia looked toward the center of town.

"The Heart! They have the Crystal Heart! TO THE TOWN CENTER, NOW!"

The reduced and weary army rushed after the Princesses, who soared through the air.

Sombra looked behind him while his body became tangible. "What?"

Looking beneath his hooves, he saw what looked like ripples of water splashing against him gently. "No. It can't be!"

Behind him, Cadence had her horn near a slowly spinning heart-shaped gem that shone a brilliant blue. Snarling, Sombra made to move his hooves, but remained rooted to the ground.

"No matter," he growled. The stallion's horn began to splutter and bubble, the dark magic contained within building. Cadence looked up slowly, opening her eyes but keeping her horn to the Crystal Heart.

"If I move, he can become ethereal," she reminded herself.

Sombra watched Celestia and Luna soar over the horizon, accompanied by a sizable force. He roared.

"HOW ARE YOU ALL STILL ALIVE?"

Cadence smirked. "Because they're ready and willing to fight the good fight. They have more conviction, more love, more power than you will ever have."

Sombra chuckled. "Power? Power! AHAHA! I'LL SHOW YOU POWER!"

His horn crackled with red lightning and a massive bubble of dark, murderous energy swirled over his head. Malice filled his eyes, and he managed to completely swivel his head around to face Cadence.

Princess Luna shot forward. "NO!"

"Goodbye Princess Mi Amore, may you rot in Tartarus!"

"RRRRAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHH!"

A white fist erupted from the debris beneath Sombra, crashing into the stallion's skull with a raging vengeance. A female voice echoed from within Sevilin's heavily damaged helm.

"Artemis Reticulum activated. Target locked."

Sevilin's body shot out of the ground like an earth-bound white torpedo. His arm continued to push upwards, the full force of his suit's remaining power reserves behind the blow.

"Firing."

A net of green energy enveloped Sombra and his sphere of demonic energy. "Net integrity one hundred percent. Chance of target escape: zero percent. Chance of raw energy release: zero percent."

Sombra's eyes widened while Sevilin's fist retreated. Sevilin's exposed left eye locked with Sombra's and the evil stallion's horn gave off a bright white light.

Cracks spread down his horn as the King struggled to contain and diffuse the magic.

Sevilin's suit froze, finally drained of its power. The bubble shrunk down to the size of a marble, blinked once, and exploded.

The green net spread around Sombra hummed while the scarlet blast was contained. Sombra was annihilated instantaneously, his solid body unable to withstand such concentrated magic.

Everypony shut their eyes while the orb above Sevilin hummed quietly, the wave of thunderous sound contained within the Reticulum.

Within seconds, it died down, a swirling ball of gray smoke being the only evidence showing any signs of the blast. The green net flicked from existence, and Sevilin remained stock-still, frozen in his uppercut. His body appeared only from the waist up, and his right arm hung to the side, badly crushed and split.

A cough brought everypony out of their trances.

"Drinks on me?" Shot called out.

Cheers resounded throughout the city.

Chapter 10- The Wounded

The relative quiet of Library Alexandria was replaced by the terrific blare of a horn. The machines residing inside of the Library began to scream and shift, the mechanical pieces of the living knowledge bank becoming aware of the situation taking place north of it.

"Vital signs of Rank Thirteen Conquistador Sevilin Jacobs: critical. Severe damage taken to Sanctifier Armor. Chance of survival: nineteen percent," the male voice droned. The female voice replaced the authoritative tone almost instantly.

"Code Scarlet. Scanning for Sevilin Jacobs. Jacobs located. Dispatching medical personnel and military aid immediately."

Queen Chrysalis sat at the long cherry wood table in the Dining Hall of Sevilin palace. She poked at some books she had read recently that were written in Sevilin's hand. He had made a point of transliterating many of his species' works, this one being The Iliad.

Frowning deeply, she shifted in her seat, and a huge rumbling sound shook the halls. Looking down at her rump, she scowled and got up. While walking through the outermost walls of the palace, where many windows let in the early morning light, she saw in the sky a golden shape with a white contrail behind it soaring away from Sanctuary.

Puzzled, she teleported outside and flew above the confused civilians below. The golden form was far too fast, and before she could ensnare it in her magic, it was gone, tearing its way through the sky and making good time.

Chrysalis, concerned as she was, turned her attention to where the mysterious object had come from. Following the trail of expanding smoke, she noticed the top of the mountain behind Sanctuary was slightly charred.

Making her way up the side of jagged cliff, she looked down upon Sanctuary and its inhabitants. The yellow glow of happiness radiated from the city, now more than three times the size it once was when Sevilin had begun its construction with the Alloy Dogs in the area.

However, along with the warm yellow buzz was the underlying static of blue-grey worry. No doubt many of the citizens had a brother, sister, mother, daughter, father, son, or friend who had stepped up to assist Sevilin. Chrysalis herself was worried sick for the human, and had been reading many of his peoples' books in an attempt to take her mind off of him.

All it did, however, was raise more questions about his origins and more concern for his well-being. The stories she read presented heroes, but much of the time the hero would sacrifice himself or herself to ensure the safety of those they cared for.

His culture, according to his literature, was filled with trickery, treachery, vengeance, war, love, passion, friendship, and sacrifice. They laughed, cried, loved, and despised. They could kill, they could save, they could build, and destroy. Chrysalis had never actually asked Sevilin many personal questions, as he had never exactly delved into others' personal matters much.

"You trust everyone. You love so much. But why?" She thought back to the characters in the stories. The antagonists and their changes of heart, their attempts to better themselves through others. From committing terrible sins to redeeming themselves through good. "What are you making up for?" She paused, looking at the smoldering black spot at the top of the mountain.

"What did you do?"

"Emperor Nero! You are to surrender the Library and your people immediately! Failure to comply will result in the complete annihilation of your fleet, civilians and military personnel alike."

Emperor Nero leaned back in his throne aboard the Emancipator, the star ship in Gloria Romae. His vibrant blue eyes locked with those of his enemy.

A'earias Lichent, Grand Dictator of the planet Xerothan. As the main representative to the Third Celestial Quadrant Coalition, he had encountered the humans after the genocide of the Siftraw race.

The Coalition, made up of six powerful races with huge spheres of influence, became highly disturbed of the humans' advances upon their systems, and made their protests heard.

The humans, as prideful and powerful as they were, argued against the Coalition feverishly. As a challenge to their power, the humans started an arms race against the Third Quadrant.

While the seven races built up their armaments, the humans made plans.

On the planet's fourth rotation around its sun, Untraeo was attacked. The Untra race was taken off guard, their forests incinerated by the humans' weapons. Suddenly realizing that they were technologically outmatched, the Untras cried out to the Coalition, which took to heart the humans' previous actions upon foreign races.

Mobilizing themselves, the Coalition rose to the challenge, and the two opposing forces began increasing their spheres of influence using propaganda and military strength. The struggle lasted for decades, neither side refusing to budge, and the supposedly small human force known as the Roman Empire showed massive amounts of tact and negotiation with races they deemed to be beneficial.

While the Romans pushed into Coalition Starspace, the Xerothans were left with no other choice. On the Roman Calendar, August nineteenth, fifty-three twenty one at nine in the morning, Planet Earth was scourged by a Pandora-class super weapon.

The space-bound Romans and their colonies, shocked, were dealt with swiftly. In their stunned state, the humans were open to attack and sabotage. Earth was gone.

Now Emperor Nero LIII stared into the strange eyes of a familiar foe. Both beings glared at each other with readily apparent hatred and angst. Lichent's eyes had three slits organized in a pyramidal structure around his pupil, and he lacked a visible iris while the rest of his eye was a deep green color.

His maroon eyelids blinked momentarily, and he touched the horn on the right side of his head, sighing angrily. "Why did you have to push us, Nero? Why did you commit the crimes that you did? Just please, answer me that."

Sevilin watched his Emperor stand, the great blood-red cloak billowing behind him. He stepped forward with a golden boot, and stared right into the eyes of the enemy. "I owe you nothing."

The Emperor turned to Sevilin, who stood to the right of the throne, silently watching the altercation from behind its golden glory.

"Sevilin! Get your team and prepare to engage! They must not take the Library!"

Sevilin looked down upon his Lord and nodded his great horned head. He summoned the remains of his team, his friends.

Standing in the hangar, he watched the titanic fleet they were about to face down. Seven ships that clearly rivaled any Jupiter-class ships, twenty ships with far more firepower than any Mars-class, and at least a hundred other well-armed battle cruisers.

"Well then, I guess we get to witness the end of the Empire, huh?"

Sevilin looked down at DeShurio, whose Mantis armor gleamed in the industrial lights of the hangar. The man chuckled, shook his head, and looked out towards the amassed force.

"Do you think that there might be an afterlife?" DeShurio asked cautiously, almost breathlessly. Sevilin closed his eyes inside of his suit, just barely keeping the tears back.

"We proved that the existence of any supernatural beings were impossible long ago," Sevilin replied. He turned his head away while Henry's own lowered. Sevilin watched the slimmed suit of Keeting approach.

She strut towards them as daintily as always, her silver and obsidian armor flexing its durable Plentium-carbon hybrid wing-blades in the process. Behind the single, glowing blue dot that made up her visual interface, Sevilin knew she was smiling sadly. She stopped next to the huge suit that Sevilin occupied and leaned against him.

"You know, it's kind of poetic when you think about it," she said slowly with that sweet, melodic voice. Sevilin choked before speaking.

"How so?"

"Remember that Jesus guy? 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you?' We probably should have listened."

Sevilin had tears leaking out of his eyes, the spent water collected by his suit for later use. Not that there would be one…

"I love you guys," Henry murmured. Marcy wrapped her arms around Sevilin, and Henry did the same. Soon enough, they all held each other.

"I love you too," Marcy whispered.

Sevilin cried openly, and the hangar doors opened.

"Apply more force! He's been inside since the battle!"

A medical mare applied more pressure to the metal of the suit, which was severely rent and twisted from the overwhelming pressure of the rubble. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had each attempted to pry the suit off of him, only getting a few inches at most with their strongest efforts.

Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy looked on at the medical team milling about Sevilin's mangled and battered form. He was barely breathing, and a quick magical check had confirmed multiple contusions, fractures, breaks, and internal bleeding. Light healing magic was applied, but if fully healed while inside the suit, he would suffer bent bones and incorrect alignment.

Even the second skin he wore had proved difficult to peel off until they used salt water. Forcefully pulling out the material leading to his brain was deemed unsafe, and so it had been cut around and a patch of red material was left on his upper lip.

Now his left arm and shoulder were free from the suit, and the team was already creating a plan for the other side of his body.

"The armor is keeping him intact, thankfully, but at the same time its cutting off circulation to his left leg and right arm. His cranium is safe from major damage, as he suffered only a mild concussion. His jaw, however, is completely shattered. We can't salvage anything from his lower jaw, and he may never speak again," the medic rattled off quickly.

"Oh, my…"

"Don't worry, Fluttershy, I'm sure he'll be…" She trailed off while she watched the field staff work, their magic and strength proving futile in the effort to bend the metal of his suit. Sevilin's jaw hung open and was split along the right side, showing protruding white bone that slowly became stained with his blood.

The field medic noticed this and shouted to a nurse. "I told you to get coagulants on that an hour ago! What is everypony doing?"

"Fifty more CCs of blood, stat!" The head surgeon mare shouted orders over the slight clamor of the palace. After the rubble had been cleared, Cadence and Shining Armor had urged the Princesses to bring the injured inside.

Wounds were revealed beneath hasty bandages and shrouding talons. Patches of fur and feathers were cut away, giving way to gashes and bruises. The surgeon, however, was hurrying to save a pegasus stallion. His right foreleg was gone, torn from its socket, and he had begun going into shock.

"Faust dammit!"

Several of the staff moved about to mend the broken bodies of the soldiers back together, using all manner of healing potions and spells. After the death of Sombra, Rainbow Dash had flown ahead, and almost immediately turned back.

The gore and viscera that had been spread across the snow was beginning to dry by now, and Princess Luna was tallying the dead, a deed Celestia never had the stomach for.

"Patient stabilized, good job team." The group then rushed to another mare who had begun violently thrashing against her restraints.

Noble Force watched the scene with some sadness, but he could understand… just barely. The pegasus shifted his left forehoof, but halted before he could roll his shoulder. After an examination from the field medic, it turned out the wreckage he was hit by had bruised his collarbone and fractured his left forehoof slightly.

Silk Shot was better off, suffering only some scratches and quite a few bruises from high-impact blows. His hearing in one ear was weakened, but it wasn't significant enough to be deemed crippling.

Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity had taken to assisting however they could in the makeshift medical clinic. Rarity and Pinkie Pie hadn't done well with the more grievous wounds, and Applejack could only handle so much.

After a missing wing, the farm pony hurried out of the room designated for emergency treatment. Rainbow Dash had taken to assembling a search party for any Crystal ponies that might have gone missing during the fighting.

After all the ponies were present and accounted for, however, she found herself back with Twilight and Fluttershy, examining the larger-than-life extraterrestrial inside the prison of space alloy.

"He's losing an awful lot of blood, poor thing…" Fluttershy's expression saddened, and Twilight put a reassuring hoof across the pegasus' neck.

"Everypony's doing everything they can, Fluttershy," Twilight spoke softly into her friend's ear. Rainbow Dash paced about Sevilin's body, curiously inspecting the pointed ends of his fingers.

"Did he really go hoof-to-hoof with Sombra?" She leaned in close, only to be shooed away by a mare tending to his jaw. "There's no way…"

Twilight gazed once again at the twisted metal and the equally-twisted body of Jacobs. "Princess Cadence said she saw him fighting the King head-on. She said that Sevilin's magic overpowered Sombra's at one point, and that the blast was like nothing she had ever seen before." Twilight gestured a hoof around the group. "Whatever Sevilin did wound up severely wounding Sombra and destroying the town square."

Rainbow looked back at the human man. "So that huge light… was him and Sombra?" She took a step back. "Twi, you said he didn't have any magic."

"That's what he said! He said that his race abused technology for… war…"

Rainbow Dash quirked an eyebrow. "He said that?"

Twilight shook her head. "No! He wrote that, in his journal. He had written, 'While I still long for my friends, I do not mourn the Empire and its abusive misuse of military technology.' He wasn't talking about the Crystal Empire, or the Griffins! He was explaining his own race! He comes from an imperialistic society, an advanced one at that, if his weapons are of any testament. Which means he served under an Emperor! Emperor's are bound to keep important historical documents with their people, so that means that Sevilin must have some primary documents back at Sanctuary!"

Twilight shivered with excitement. "We'll be able to know so much about his people! Can you imagi-!"

A thunderous roar drowned Twilight's excited statement out, and everypony's ears flipped down in a desperate attempt to shield themselves. Twilight looked up, and saw the massive shape of a threatening golden form wrapped in designs of red and white.

Large cylindrical shapes on either side of the chariot-shaped object hummed powerfully, and the monstrous shape halted its rapid movement directly over the battered man. The medical team, frightened by the advancing creature, fled to the palace to fetch any standing soldiers.

Rainbow Dash darted to Twilight. "TWI! WE GOTTA GO, COME ON!"

Twilight Sparkle, stunned by the arrival of the machine, nodded dumbly and let herself be pulled along by her chromatic friend.

Lightning Dust exploded from a window in the palace, darting straight to Sevilin. Orion ran out from the shattered doorway, following in her wake, behind him a squad of Praetorians.

Lightning Dust placed herself between her Lord and the brilliantly bright machine. It halted in mid-descent, and regarded her with a black, bulbous eye, a blue pulsating dot watching her soullessly. A crackle later, and the beast spoke.

"Move away from Conquistador Sevilin Jacobs immediately," it said with a strong, feminine voice. Dust lowered into a combat stance, staring right at the blue eye.

"I won't let you, whatever you are, hurt him."

Several shields surrounded their master, and Orion pointed his weapon directly at the foe. "Ditto."

The machine responded in kind by deploying its many weapons, the sliding panels revealing the grand armament it brought. "All offensive systems online. Move away from Conquistador Sevilin Jacobs immediately. Failure to comply will result in the deaths of… eight living beings, bar Conquistador Sevilin Jacobs."

Lightning and Orion glanced at the heavy weaponry. The same tubes that Sevilin had used were mounted on either side, or rather three were on either side. Two long-barreled weapons swiveled to and fro on the undercarriage, and the blue eye began to glow ever more.

Dust lowered her stance, preparing to pounce. "I would give my life to protect Lord Sevilin…"

The machine's thrumming halted, and the weapons that had begun charging joined the cease-fire. "Repeat statement."

Orion tilted his head. "Huh?"

"Repeat previous statement, sea-green aerial equine."

Dust straightened up, puffing her chest out. "I would die to protect Lord Sevilin Jacobs' life, be it from a soldier or from a demon!"

The machine hovered closer to her, the blue blinking dot regarding her with interest. The eye suddenly focused on Orion, and the hulking machine flew closer… and lower.

"And what of you? State allegiance."

"To Sevilin…"

The machine paused, then sheathed its weapons. "Clear the area, medical assistance for Conquistador Sevilin Jacobs has arrived."

A smaller, gleaming white machine with a more slender appearance speedily approached the group. "Do you have any idea how long that flight was? My thrusters are sore just from watching the ground fly past! I shouldn't have to watch the dirt, ew!" It spoke in a more chipper, friendly male tone.

"Hello! Would you kindly move so I can save my master's life?" The Praetorians did so immediately. "Thanks, chaps! Now skidaddle, don't want any contaminants and whatnot."

Everyone but the two machines cleared the area around Sevilin.

"Welp, this is pretty bad. AMA, sweetie, could you pop this tin can?"

The much larger machine produced two conical shapes that radiated electricity. The two objects fired faint blue tethers to Sevilin's armor, and began peeling it off rapidly, like tin foil.

The stripped alloy hybrid was thrown away to the side, the heavy material hitting the ground with a solid THUNK.

Sevilin's body was badly lacerated and covered in bruises.

"HOLY TITS! What'd you guys do, throw him in a bouncy castle filled with live dynamite? This'll take me weeks to fix, if not months!" The little bot began coating Sevilin in a blue flickering light, coating his body several times. It continued to blabber on.

"I mean, I've seen him tear through countless spooks in the past, with barely a scratch on him!" The medical robot turned toward the stripped away suit on his little jets of energy. "Oh! That's why! He wasn't even using the Conquistador! Oh, funny story about how that got its name, it starts a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away!"

Long ago, in 8th century, Rome survived the fanatical onslaught of Christian zealots. Finally quelled, Emperor Augustus III executed the last remaining Christian personally, forever ensuring Rome's dominance.

New nations had already begun to grow and shape themselves, with the Slaviiks and Neo-Asiatics to the East, and the Spaniards to the South-West. Thirsting for dominion, the Great Emperor Augustus slowly spread the unstoppable Roman armies into Slaviik territory, while using scouts to determine the Spaniards' use.

Surprised at what they found, the scouts returned to report a thriving political, economic, and communal system in operation. With a weak military, however, the Romans began salivating over the promise of new territory and a perfect access point to the sea.

Taking the first opportunity they had, the Romans sent a Legion to demand Spain from the natives, and quickly acquired them as a tax-paying territory. Slow culture infusion would soon convert all of Spain's population into Romans. However, in this time, the Romans grew fascinated with the Spanish language and courageous events they held.

Mostly to do with bulls, the Spaniards would face down the burly beasts with a blade, or challenge their speed by outrunning a stampede of the raging cattle through the city streets.

Enamored with their seemingly courage-filled culture, the Romans began deriving elements from their society to be used in their own. For centuries afterward, the Romans continued to study and dissect the cultures and languages of any nation it had owned or conquered, keeping tabs on the world as they grew.

"That's… an amazing story," Twilight finally commented, suddenly regretting not having any note-taking materials on her person at the time. Or would it be 'on her pony'? Bah, screw it.

The sleek, white pill-shaped machine didn't look up from its work, but hummed happily.

"Yes, I do suppose it's pretty good, huh? Too bad us Romans wound up basically killing everyone off anyway."

The beings assembled there did a double-take. "W- what?"

"Oh yeah, us Romans are some downright nasty sons-a-bitches! Genocidal, warring, fear-mongering, power hungry monsters! Of course our music is grand and our theatre is absolutely marvelous if I do say so myself, but… There is a certain art in war that Romans seem to carry and perform so well."

"But Sevilin is-"

"WOAH! Hey, AMA, help me stabilize him NOW! He's suffering a seizure, outside source! He's being provoked. Scanning brainwave patterns immediately." While the behemoth machine loomed over Sevilin and attached cables to the sides of his head, the pill machine went quiet.

After several seconds, he stated, "Sevilin is experiencing heightened brainwave activity."

"…"

Twilight rolled her eyes and addressed the group with a casual wave of her hoof.

"He's dreaming."

Chapter 11- ...Made of This

"Fee-fi-fo-fum. What beanstalk you fall from?"

The small boy standing in front of Sevilin crossed his arms and glared up at the titanic man. The hilariously miniature human wore a black winter coat with grey slacks, black dress shoes, and a dark tanned sweater.

His hands were covered by green mittens, and his head was dominated by a strange hat with ears that drooped down like a basset hound's ears. His bushy black eyebrows sat right beneath the six locks of jet-black hair that stuck out from under his hat uniformly with three pointing to left and three right.

Sevilin was regarded by the featureless brown eyes hostilely, and the boy simply gazed at Jacobs with unhindered, pointless hatred.

Sevilin rose a hand to his head and gripped his hair. "Uh…"

The boy whipped his hands in front of him and shook his head viciously, a blurry contrail moving with his bulbous, over-sized head. "Listen, Godzilla, we clearly are both human, so just tell me where you're from and we'll go from there."

Sevilin nodded at the analytical look of the disproportionate human and answered. "Alright, I'm from Sector Thirty-three of the Belt Colony, where are you from?"

"What in the hell are you blabbering on about, Buzz Lightyear? What country are you from? Sweden, Brazil, America, what?"

Sevilin looked flabbergasted and narrowed his eyes whilst biting down on his lip. Speaking cautiously, Sevilin responded to the child. "I've never heard of any of those countries… What planet do you hail from?"

The midget held its face in one gloved hand and groaned. "You. Are. An. Idiot. I'm from Earth, now just where in Sam Hell are you from?"

"Earth," mumbled Sevilin slowly.

The small boy threw his hands in the air and a red symbol representing veins appeared on his head. "Well, that's just fan-tucking-fastic! Alternate universes, just what I needed today! What's next on the menu, chef? Ponies and adventure, you say? I'LL TAKE FUCKING TWO!"

Now in a state of curiosity, the Roman knelt down to speak directly to the boy. "You know about Equestria?"

"Yes, and all its peace-loving neo-hippies known as ponies. I'm just going to assume right off the bat that you too are acquainted with the princesses and the Elements, so I'll just cut to the meat of this sandwich and sum everything up."

He swallowed a huge amount of air, his chest swelling impossibly.

"We're both in a dreamscape and somehow connected due to the fact that we are linked through some kind of dramatic convenience. The reason for this is that we both are created by some kind of extraordinarily powerful being that just decided his playthings should meet each other. The only reason for it to do this is because this entity is severely lacking in the brain cell department and must be euthanized with a baseball bat." He finished and let out the remaining air inside his small lungs.

Sevilin scratched his head confusedly. "What's baseball?"

"Not important, but right now we need to-"

Sevilin heard a gasp and both humans turned their attention to find not one, but two Princesses. Both Princess Luna. The small human visibly deflated into an annoyed deadpan.

"Great, two third-rate rulers to bug us incessantly. What's next? An army of teletubbies come to start the day?"

As if on cue, the admittedly strange group was surrounded by rolling green hills and beautiful, vibrant flowers. A bright yellow sun shone in the sky with…

Sevilin took a shaky step back and threw one arm up as if to protect himself. "What the hell is that?!"

The sun wasn't a star at all, but the face of an infant trapped inside a globe of light. The face laughed gleefully and made some gurgling noises, and a loud rumbling echoed amongst the hills.

Beings with strange antennae on their heads, with bodies of all different colors, formed about the group. The chromatic freaks all extended their arms and giggled collectively, a seemingly innocent gesture resembling a hug.

Sevilin noticed the boy's face was one of anger and disgust. Both Lunas were struggling to keep watch on the multitude of freakish beings.

Then, as one, they all raised their right arms to the sun whilst lowering their left straight to their sides. With a bellow that made the ground shake, they shouted.

"Heil Hitler!"

The sun in the sky warped and shifted, revealing itself to be a far older and not-jolly-looking man with a small mustache and a horrible haircut.

The Luna that stood next to the boy looked up into the sky and moved her mouth to mime a fitting expletive, and the Luna standing at Sevilin's side lit her horn offensively.

Sevilin knelt down and strained his own mind in an attempt to trigger some sort of dream change. If what the boy had said was correct, then this was his dream and so Sevilin might be able to bring the group into his own dream. It was all very confusing.

"Nazitubbies, those bastards! Kill them, kill them all!"

Sevilin heard sounds of swinging blades and gushing blood, as well as screams of horror and rage. Magic was used against the so-called Nazitubbies, and bits of the creatures cam raining down around Sevilin.

The tall man heard a light thud next to him, and heard the boy mention, "My name's Mono, by the by." He then heard Mono leap away to slaughter more of the horrid beings.

An ear-shattering scream of enraged lunacy pierced Sevilin's concentration for a brief moment, and even more sounds of flesh tearing were heard.

"Victory through CARNIVOROUS DIET!" Mono shouted across the vast, unending plains. Sevilin continued to feel for some kind of tear in this dream, an exploit that would allow his own mind to take control.

More sounds of wet flesh-ripping and bellowing later, and Mono rose from a slain pile of the so-called 'Nazitubbies'. In one hand was the massive sword, in the other, a sausage. Taking a large bite out of the smoked meat, he roared.

"DEMACIA!"

One of the Princesses stared at Mono in a confused panic. "What in the sweet name of all things sane are you talking about?!"

Instead of properly replying, the little human began laughing hysterically, his mittened hands on his hips.

Feeling a slip in the dream, Sevilin forced his own consciousness into power and let his memories flow freely. Hopefully Luna wouldn't find anything too substantial…

Sevilin recognized the scene immediately. The Commanding Platform of the ship Andromeda. They were surrounded by beams of blue light that shone like the very energy used in their weapons.

"Conquistador Sevilin Jacobs on deck! Atten-hut!"

"I have always found that little chant silly," Sevilin thought to himself briefly as he was simply pulled through the dream. Which memory this was he couldn't place just yet, as he had been on the bridge of Andromeda too many times to count in his relatively-short lifespan.

The Princesses and Mono examined his armor with awe. It was truly a beauty to behold. The dreaded, feared, respected and honored Conquistador Imperium. Top of the line, heavy as sin and raring to go at all times, the Imperium was quite possibly the most formidable suit in existence.

Weighing at a whopping twenty tons and manufactured from Osmiridium, Plentium Silver, Ricteng dust and a layer of comfortable CloudLyte Motion Layer, Imperium was built to stop anything and everything.  

Gravitational systems allowed Sevilin to alleviate the weight that the suit exerted on the surfaces he walked upon, and the atmospheric and pressure transfer capabilities allowed for maximum flight capabilities in virtually any environment. Sevilin could burst from the deepest sea trench and continue into the stratosphere and even further into space without worrying about depressurization or implosion.

The rest of the soldiers around Sevilin, outfitted in their Legate armor, placed their fists across their chests in a salute.

"You're just compensating for something, aren't you?" Sevilin found Mono in a suit of his own. The black screen that replaced his usual annoyed visage used emerald, digitized representations of his mouth and eyes.

His strange floppy-eared hat was now metallic and fit him like a helm, while his coat was made of many overlapping plates of thin sheet metal. Six sharp black blades pointed from underneath the helm, exactly where his six locks of hair were moments ago.

The Princesses also had adopted their own matching sets of armor. They were jet-black in appearance with golden inlays of olive vines. On their shoulders and flanks were scarlet plates that resembled sashes. The two began examining one another's armor excitedly.

Sevilin turned back to the Commander hastily. "Commander, what is the situation?"

The Bridge Commander stepped forward to meet Sevilin. "The Siftraw are pushing the Rubicon Gate and are currently breaking through using their weapons. Orders?"

Sevilin gazed into the vast void of space, watching the flashing chromatic explosions dotting the blue Rubicon Gate surrounding them. He knew the field wouldn't hold for long against that much resistance.

"Engage."

"Yes sir!"

A thundering alarm blasted through the complex with ear-shattering force, alerting the troopers to their posts. "ALL UNITS TO DEPLOYMENT BAY IMMEDIATELY. ENEMY ENGAGEMENT IN TWENTY SECONDS."

Sevilin grabbed Mono by a limb, and took off down one hallway. In a nauseating blur, everyone found themselves facing two hulking blast doors.

Mono grumbled and crossed his arms, then took a look at the doors. His small glowing green eyes shrunk.

"LOCK RELEASE IN THREE."

Sevilin suit whirred up. "Checking neural connections. One hundred percent efficiency."

"TWO."

"Checking materialization banks and responsiveness. One hundred percent efficiency."

"ONE."

"Ready for deployment, sir," the suit hummed.

The two slabs of armored hull pulled apart rapidly, sucking the Romans into the vacuum of space just as the Rubicon Gate shattered, sending the Siftrawn soldiers hurtling toward them.

In a flash, the Conquistador spun and dodged a crustacean-like Siftrawn Blitz Trooper. The four thrusters built into his back fired and sent him on a collision course with the next Blitz Trooper.

Sevilin's fist fired straight through the enemy's chest, the flesh of his enemy pulled through the large hole in the thorax.

Without blinking inside his helm, Sevilin zoomed past the dead foe and crushed another's head with a swing of his actuated forearm. With three enemies inbound, Sevilin extended his left arm and initiated the materialization process of his signature weapon.

With frightening speed, a spear with a bladed head three feet long came into being, and he spun the rest of the eleven-foot pole to his right hand.

In a single flourish, all three Siftrawn troopers were cleaved in two.

Jacobs stared ahead at the ship. He knew what this dream was. "I can't stop this…" No panic came, only a grim acceptance as he gripped his pole arm and dove through another wave of enemies.

He quickly burst through the other side and began making rapid, advanced maneuvers. The auxiliary cannons on the Siftrawn Starship, translated as Repeller, began firing at the lone Roman.

Sevilin felt the metalloid pieces in his back adjusting, bringing to action the four Zeus rocket pods. The blue light grew as they charged, spinning about with the chaotic lightning still crackling around inside.

"Target locked.Fire?"

Sevilin furrowed his eyebrows.

"…affirmative."

The blessed silence of deep space comforted him while the super-charged Zeus rocket pods tore through the enemy armor like tinfoil. The huge auxiliary guns lost power after a direct hit to their power core.

What the Zeus lacked in maximum blast radius it more than made up for in accuracy and lethality. Four were just the epitome of overkill. Sevilin flew inside the wreck, blasting through dozens of Siftrawn troopers like a Sunday stroll.

In seconds, he was at the Dark Star Emission Regulator. An actual compromise of a dark star was suicide, but to have its energy fire back into itself would merely cause a plasmatic wave of dark star emission to sweep through the complex.

And it was simple to do.

"Target locked. Fire?"

"Affirmative," Sevilin whispered. "The fastest way out of a nightmare, is to grin and bear the the pain."

His weapons fired, obliterating the casing and internal mechanism of the titanic Regulator. Sevilin made an about-face and flew straight out. By the time he looked back, the entire ship was nothing but a hunk of flaming space junk.

Purple and blue flames danced along the hull, signifying his success. The two planetoids near the ship were lost in the explosion, a side-effect of victory.  

CLONK

Mono held his armored head in dizzying pain. Sevilin vaguely remembered the curious child-like human speeding away from the explosion at near light speed, something theoretically and literally impossible for any suit in the Roman Legion.

"He should be dead," Sevilin mused to himself. Luckily, however, this was a dream, as denoted by Luna. The both of her.

"Rank Thirteen Conquistador Sevilin Jacobs, stationed on the Emancipator. You are hereby awarded the Medal of Imperial Honor and Excellence. Your title has been updated as well."

The man giving the oration gave Sevilin a nod of respect with his red helm. He wore a suit of stark white and carried with him a massive spear of polished Giga-Chromite.

"For years, we have battled the Siftrawn forces. Our armies and fleets clashed many times, often with negative outcomes for us. But, we are the Roman Galactic Legion, and we know no bounds! No limits! And no way other than the Earth way! Three weeks ago you, Sevilin Jacobs, destroyed the Siftrawn Capital Starship Hurjion." The man paused and breathed deeply.

"And, earlier today, you aided in the absolute destruction of the Siftraw home world. You alone showed the bravery and steel to annihilate our enemies. You did so without hesitation or fear, without worry or remorse. You became what every Roman seeks to be: a fearless warrior."

The spear was handed to Sevilin, who accepted it gracefully.

"And so we honor you, Sevilin Jacobs, for the destruction of the Siftraw home world! Your new title is now: Sevilin Jacobs, Spear of the Emperor." The horns gave a mighty blare, and Sevilin thrust the hefty spear into the angelic light above him.

The crowd gave a grand howl and began to congratulate and cheer for their fellow Roman. Just as Sevilin turned to the two Princesses and Mono, the scene evaporated to a simple bedroom.

Mono appeared stunned for a moment, reaching out to the walls of the room. "I'm… home?" He ran his fingers, now without gloves, along the yellow walls. He was now taller, and lacking his hat and coat.

Sevilin could easily tell his age by now. He was about eighteen years old, and his eyes now held a far more detailed visage than before. Mono spent his time simply pacing about his room, staring at everything piled around him.

A small television against the wall, as well as a heap of laundry near his closet. A common teenager's room, nothing special. The boy grabbed the mass of dirty clothes and gently placed them in a tall basket.

Mono stepped out of the room and knelt down, running his hands along the floor and breathing deeply. A sudden rattle of utensils coming from a stairwell to his right caused the young man to bolt after the sound.

Luna called after him. "Mono? What is this place? Mono!" However, it was futile, as he was already around the corner. The lot of them hurried down the stairway to see Mono gazing at the dining area whimsically.

Sevilin and the Princesses inspected several of the pictures that hung from nails in the wall. Mono, with an older man and woman, smiling down at a laughing toddler. Another picture, with a little girl on Mono's shoulders, a huge smile crossing both their features.

Sevilin knew these were pictures of family, it was painfully obvious. "But why would he dream of his own home?" Sevilin asked. One of the Night Princesses paused.

"Where is Mono?"

They heard sobbing, and soon a spine-chilling scream sent a crack through the altered reality. "WHY?!"

The three burst into a full-on sprint in a futile effort to reach the kitchen, where the demands of unknown beings screeched at Mono. "You left us! You RAN!" The strained sprinting of the three interlopers failed to aid in their rescue attempt.

"COWARD! You fled from your home! From your FAMILY!"

The sobbing intensified, and one of the Lunas began to beat her wings desperately.

"WHY DID YOU RUN? WHY? WHY WON'T YOU COME BACK? ANSWER US!!!" the voices screamed. Luna roared and broke through the force keeping her at bay, leaving the other two behind.

With a flash of her horn, the world around Sevilin and Luna imploded and swirled out of control, leaving the two of them alone in darkness. A broken echo of painful weeping slipped through their minds, and soon their connection was severed, leaving the two of them to awaken...

Chapter 12- Distrust

The first thing Sevilin registered was the fantastic pressure and sting of his slowly-healing wounds. Keeping a scream of agony in check, he instead let out a defeated whimper and strained his neck to watch the PMU unit dubbed BoBo do its job.

Sevilin frowned while he watched his skin pull taught around his abdomen, where BoBo was using a mitotic procedure to replicate human cells and use them to slowly but surely replace the untouched tissue being relocated to the wound. Sevilin looked past his torso and gave a start.

His right leg had already been patched up, but the location and size of the injury was obvious just from observing the patterns of stretched skin. He disregarded his own wishes to move and laid still, allowing BoBo to complete the rather strenuous repair.

AMA hovered menacingly behind BoBo, her weapons sheathed but clearly still on high alert. A downed Conquistador was an understandable cause for alarm. Jacobs hoped that the two hadn't injured anybody on entry or during repair processes. That would be… rather unfortunate.

Instead of a hospital or a makeshift medical tent, the human realized he was being treated at the scene where he first lost consciousness. "Was it really that dangerous to transport my body?"

He hadn't felt a major blow dealt to any important organs, and he most certainly had not suffered from any internal hemorrhaging or trauma. The only significant reason would be an unprecedented amount of external damage.

"Gooooood morning, Sevilin!" the human heard BoBo call loudly. Sevilin winced and let the throbbing in his head subside before he gave a weak, brief smile. "Nice to see you're awake, sir. You took a lot of big-bad mojo on the outside, you know, you really should have worn the Conquistador Imperium."

The drop in volume meant that BoBo had been scanning his brainwaves, also a topic for conversation.

"BoBo, did you detect any fluctuations in my brain activity while I was unconscious?" The little robot hummed thoughtfully, then blinked.

"Yeah! Your readings were off the charts, and sometimes they were below average. You were all over the place, sir." Sevilin nodded and laid his head back down. If Luna had managed to see more than what he wanted…

"Let's not assume the worst case scenario just yet," he resolved. If she had truly accessed more than what they just experienced in that vivid dream, precautions would have to be taken during night time hours.

"BoBo, ETA until full recovery."

The little robot spoke happily. "Twenty minutes sir, and then you can go straight to Princess Luna and have a stern talk with that backwards primitive." He paused and examined the healing process. "This planet is child's play for the Legion, you know this, Sevilin. They wouldn't last more than a day against us."

Even with all of the extensive programming and culturing, BoBo, and all of his mechanical comrades, had it deeply ingrained within them that the Legion still thrived.

Sevilin sighed and let the conflicting emotions subside within him. "Sad, sad little robot…"

"…and they have the most fantastic weaponry! They use the stars to travel from one end of the cosmos to the other! But they use stars even I do not recognize, sister!"

Celestia calmly listened to the intriguing and slightly-disconcerting information while she kept her horn alight, powering the shield around the city. If what her beloved sister said was true, Sevilin was indeed hiding something substantial. Celestia then blinked. "You said they?"

Luna stopped and smiled yet again. "Yes! They! Millions, no, billions! There are so many out there. By now, possibly even more. I do not yet know how old our friend in the suit is, but I will discover his age!"

"Luna. While you were in the Dreamscape, you muttered some things I believe you should know about," Celestia gave her sister a concerned look. "You always were the one to talk in your sleep."

Luna gave a miffed expression, but let it fall for curiosity. "This concern, of what does it stem from?"

Celestia grimaced. "And I quote: 'While others bathe worlds in fire, we bathe entire systems in darkness. For the power of the sun is nothing compared to the anti-star.' You said exactly that while you were inside of Sevilin's mind."

Luna quirked an eyebrow. "I do not remember such a thing being said."

"I'm not finished, Luna. 'I am the anti-star. I am the sun. I am the harbinger of life for one, and death for another. I am the Spear of the Emperor, the Lance of Pluto. I am a monster and a savior. I am the man behind the mask that slaughters and saves. I am Conquest. I am the Conquistador Imperium.'"

Luna stood quietly on the dusty floor of the throne room, deep in thought. Her reflection shone back at her from thousands of shattered crystals. "Sister, I do not remember such a thing. It is possible that I had replicated the auditory information on reflex, but failed to retain the memory itself."

Celestia nodded and bowed her head. "I apologize, it is just… disconcerting to hear such things coming from your lips." Her expression hardened. "But once you spoke of such foreign terms, it became frightfully clear."

Luna blinked, suddenly understanding her sister's worrisome stance. "You fear what he hides, don't you?" The Princess of the Night calmly observed her sister as she tried to find the words to explain herself.

"Yes, Luna. While he has certainly been helpful ever since his rather hasty and violent introduction, he has not revealed very much. For example, two machines of unknown origin began defending and tending to Mr. Jacobs' body two and a half hours ago. Where did these machines come from, and where exactly is he obtaining this powerful armor?" Celestia gave her younger sister a hard stare.

"In three days, we have seen him subdue foes with his will, challenge and defeat King Sombra, and now he has come back from the brink of death as if it were a casual occurrence." The Solar Princess gazed out a stained glass window with a single crack running across it. "He clearly hails from another world, and the technology he possesses has proven to be fearsome and efficient."

Luna stayed silent while Celestia's horn began to glow with more ferocity, the window bathing in the same golden aura as the dome beyond it. "And if our cultures and opinions clashed…" The window began to strain and cracks webbed out from their original. "Could we truly pose a threat against those that annihilate the stars?"

The window splintered, and piece by piece the glass fell out onto the floor; the pieces shattering further on contact with the tarnished stone.

"Bodily repairs complete, sir! Please feel free to partake in an ice-cold beverage provided by our lovely maiden of death, AMA!" BoBo hovered away whilst AMA did exactly as the machine said and approached Sevilin.

A panel slid open and a port revealed itself in her hull. A tray extended itself, a fizzing emerald drink secured on it safely. "Nanomite-infused beverage." The tray halted its extension. "With a minty-fresh taste to tingle your taste buds," AMA droned with a flat, even tone.

Sevilin smiled, grasping the drink in his right hand. Wincing, he lifted himself up and leaned against the stone behind him. He felt a pain in his stomach and grasped it firmly with his left hand. "Grrr." He downed the slurry quickly and sighed. "Ah, thank you AMA."

The massive drone hummed its reply and floated away lazily. The pain in Sevilin's stomach faded immediately as the nanomites went to work repairing his organs fully, working their mandibles on the cells of his body to rearrange and replicate them just as BoBo had done to close his external wounds.

In a few minutes, he would be prepared to take account of how many brave souls had been lost on the battlefield, and promptly mourn them. Afterwards, Jacobs would need to discuss Luna's pervasive actions having to do with his memories.

Finally, the human would need to bring everyone back home. Sevilin looked up at the sky, now an alluring blue dome with a yellowed tint  from which flakes of snow fell from. The flakes melted on contact with the field around the city. It had taken a bright golden color, much the same color as Celestia's aura.

He immediately assumed that Celestia had taken over for both Shining Armor and Princess Cadence, and felt more at ease. He leaned back, but he did not close his eyes. He would need to move quickly once the pain had faded completely.

Certain protocols needed to be put into action and executed immediately.

"Huh… that was…" Rainbow Dash lost her train of thought just looking at the simple door in front of herself and her friends.

"Easy?" Applejack finished for her. She was surprised by the entry as well. The all thought that the entrance to the Crystal Heart's chambers would be more heavily guarded, but instead they had found this simple doorway.

Fluttershy hid behind Rarity in fearful apprehension. "Um… it looks… s- spooky…" she chattered out, much to the disdain of Rainbow Dash. The speedster flew down to her buttery friend and smirked.

"What's to be afraid of, it's just a little door!" The pegasus made her way to said door and placed a hoof on the knob. "Look, I'll prove it to you guys," she declared nonchalantly.

"Rainbow Dash, wait. We don't know-"

Twilight was cut off by an exhausted sigh from her prismatic friend. "Look, Twi, it's just a door." Slowly, she turned the knob and swung the cheap wooden door to the side. "Y'see? Nothing to be afraid of!"

Her hooves hit the floor, and the dark room behind her pulsed. Pinkie Pie leapt forward in a vain effort to warn the Element of Loyalty, much as her compatriots did.

Rainbow might have been the fastest flier in Equestria, but she was nowhere near the most cautious.

She paid for it with a massive bolt of dark magic to the back, just between her wings. Letting out a strangled, fearful cry, she hit the floor and convulsed. The glow in the room died down to focus on the Crystal Heart, safe on a pillow of satin and velvet.

The Heart, however, was a secondary objective as Rainbow Dash twitched and heaved on the floor. Fluttershy elevated her head while Twilight scanned over her body, desperate to find the cause for the spasms.

Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie stood back, letting the other two handle the situation while they silently begged some unforeseen power to rescue their friend and companion.

Twilight put her ear to Rainbow Dash's chest and her ears fell. "Her heart…"

The room went silent, and the temperature dropped. The quiet lasted for only a moment, however, before Rainbow Dash was thrown over Applejack's barrel. "I'm not losin' a friend, no way, no how."

She took off up the stairs, Rainbow Dash secured by an intricately-tied knot. Rarity looked on sadly, watching Applejack ascend at unbelievable speeds. The others watched, dumbfounded and awestruck, at the determination of a friend and her conviction to save a friend in need.

"Everypony move! Move now, get back!"

Silk Shot perked his ears at the sudden commotion that now permeated the grandiose halls in the palace. Wounded civilians and soldiers shuffled out of the way as Applejack, the Element of Honesty, carried a limp Rainbow Dash.

Carried, however, would be putting it mildly, as Applejack was bolting into a room with awaiting medical staff as if Tartarus was on her tail. Confused, Silk Shot moved to a mare with an alabaster mane and tail and a deep orange-hued coat. Her left foreleg was wrapped in medical gauze and her right eye remained covered by a small white patch.

"Excuse me, ma'am," Shot said to gather the mare's attention. Once she gave it to him, he continued, saying, "May I ask what that was about?"

His question brought confusion unto her as well. "I haven't the slightest clue, except that that blue pony wasn't moving at all." She frowned and stared at the door. "Whoever it was must've been somepony important, but I just can't for the life of me think of who it is."

Shot immediately remembered that these Crystal Ponies had been locked away for centuries, and as such weren't current with recent events. He cleared his throat and pointed to the doors with his left hoof.

"The mare that was draped over the orange pony's back is Rainbow Dash, the holder of the Element of Loyalty. The orange mare carrying her is Applejack, owner of the Element of Honesty. They're kind of a big deal, though I am happy that they stayed out of this mess." He glanced about him, his eyes wandering to injured beings left and right.

"The Elements of Harmony belong to individual ponies?" The mare put her wrapped hoof to her head. "So much has changed…" She winced once the hoof made contact, and Shot made quick to catch her weight once she began to tip over from the shift of balance.

"Ooh, thank you. That was silly of me," the mare said, blushing profusely. Shot shook his head vigorously.

"Don't worry about it, miss." He righted her with a gentle push of his wing and smiled at her. "If you'd like, I could bring you up to speed."

The mare cocked her head to the right.

"With the goings-on of the world and such," he elaborated for her. Her befuddled expression shifted to one of elation.

"I'd love to," she responded.

Sevilin stood from his previous position, stretching his muscles beneath the newly-formed skin. Popping his joints, he exhaled and let a wave of phantom pain wash over him, causing him to shiver.

He quickly retrieved an officer's uniform from AMA, pulling the white shirt over his torso. Next, he fit the light-weight chest plate and gauntlets on, moving for the shoulder pads next.

Once they were secured, he slipped his feet into the awaiting boots, its bronze-painted toes shining in the sun. He decided to forego the helm and instead swiped a golden sash from AMA's storage deck and fit it around his waist.

Feeling sufficiently clothed, Sevilin made his way to the palace, where he could see dozens of differing races working together to clear the rubble and debris. As he walked past, the soldiers saluted him or simply stared.

The doors, which he had blasted off with the Ares rocket pods. The remnants of the doors were still smoking, pushed into a corner to the left of the entrance. What remained were two boards only a few inches taller than Sevilin, both blackened and giving off an acrid stench.

Sevilin moved farther into the palace, observing the wounded and the medical staff moving to and fro, securing beds and tending to patients. No doubt had Lightning Dust already sent a detachment to Sanctuary for medical personnel.

Sevilin began to feel guilty for partaking in his exclusive treatment, even though it was an automatic procedure initiated by the Library itself. He consoled himself with the fact that the action the Library had taken was an emergency operation carried out for high-ranking soldiers in the field, namely Conquistadors.

The only upper-rank soldier that received no outside medical attention was the Caligula. Sevilin had often pondered what the operators of a Caligula had witnessed while inside the suit.

"Caligulas," he thought with a shudder, "the true monsters of war." He had only seen a Caligula in action once, albeit from miles away on a distant moon.

The way it had simply kept slugging away at the already-desecrated corpse had haunted Sevilin's visions for days afterwards. The mindless soldiers completely under the control of the Legion Centurions. Like rabid dogs they would hunt down and utterly annihilate their target, with no subtlety or tact.

When missions required no precision or airship support, the Caligulas were chosen to execute the mission. Who was inside the suit, no one ever knew.

And they were glad to keep it that way.

During his mental tangent, Sevilin had reached the massive doors to the throne room. Thanking his feet, he quietly joked about royalty and large doors, then pushed his way inside and locked gazes with Princesses Celestia and Luna.

"Princesses, we have some things to discuss." He continued to move closer to them. "And when I say 'things'…" He stopped his speech to cross his arms and glare fully. "I mean my memories and the illicit viewing of them."

Chapter 13- Puncture

"Faust! What happened to her?" The medic began attaching small wires to Rainbow Dash, placing them around her head, chest and neck. Applejack stared at her friend sternly, worry slowly replacing her calm demeanor.

"We opened a door and a bolt of lightnin' hit her in the back. At least, that's what it looked like…"

The doctor nodded. "Sounds to be of a magical nature, a booby trap of some kind. We should be able to-" The doctor stopped speaking as Rainbow Dash groaned and lifted herself up off of the gurney. All commotion in the room suddenly halted while she moved to the side.

With a massive heave, she expelled her stomach contents upon the ground. Applejack made her way to the other side and brought her friend back onto the gurney. "Dash! Ya'll alright?" she asked.

Rainbow Dash, her eyes squinted and her breath smelling of half-digested food, wrapped her hooves around her friend. Pulling Applejack close, the speedster stared into the farm pony's eyes and uttered five chilling words.

"We have to stop him..."

"What my sister did was for the safety of all. You clearly have withheld valuable information and technology from Equestria and its neighbors. In fact, we have reason to believe that you are stockpiling weapons, or in a more extreme case: preparing for an invasion."

Celestia's words struck Sevilin with the amount of sense that they had made. Yes, the introduction of such machines must have worried and upset the Equestrians, but to go to such lengths, and with a meaningful reason? Sevilin found it hard to refute such logic.

"While I would have considered the option, I believe it is best to simply ask someone a question." Celestia narrowed her eyes, while Luna took a step back. "Even now, as you leer at me, you know that you could have just asked me one simple question, and I would have answered it truthfully. The very fact that you have stooped to such methods is shameful and dishonorable."

Sevilin crossed his arms and glared at the two Princesses, his gaze never flinching. Celestia blew out a breath of pent-up air and responded sternly yet gracefully.

"Sevilin. You have kept many secrets from us, and when I say us I mean every being on this planet. You hail from a world of war and destruction, your people have clearly shown the potential to end entire star-systems." Celestia stepped down the slight incline to stare at the human. "Your presence carries a threat with it. I do not know if they will come after you for some reason or another, but we have evidence to believe that you are crucial to some type of military group."

Sevilin's glare never faltered. "They won't be coming here," he stated coldly. Celestia's wings flared out.

"And why should we trust you! What reason do we have to believe that an empire as mighty as your race's will not seek you out in order to reclaim you!" she shouted at the human. Sevilin kept his gaze.

"Because there is no empire left, Princess Celestia," he said with a hint of anger. Celestia's wings slowly placed themselves back at their sides, and the human continued.

"In the Roman Year forty seven eighty two, after two centuries of galactic domination, we faced a powerful foe. We fought long and hard against them, but in a decisive strike against us… they destroyed our origin planet: Earth." Luna stared at the human intently, as did her sister, while he explained.

"Although destroyed is not entirely clear. They used what my people called a Maximus Flamma, or Grand Flame. The weapon that they had called the Hrik'tag Baul ultimately lit Earth aflame. Every source of oxygen on the planet was lit by the Maximus Flamma, destroying the entirety of the planet, turning our oceans to gas and killing every life form residing there." Sevilin paused. "While I knew none on Earth, I had partners that did. When our squad discovered the news, we took a vow to avenge Earth."

"For twelve years afterwards the Imperium Romanum Coeli waged a blood-war on those that wiped out our homeworld."

Luna stepped further forward. "Blood-war?"

"Slaughtering as many beings as possible. Aimless genocide and destruction with the intent of shattering the opponent's morale while decimating their population. A blood-war is the epitome of chaos and horror. Civilians meant nothing in those times, they were just more fuel for the fires, or at least their bodies were."

The two Princesses listened with rapt attention, while these messages didn't particularly shake them, they had trouble imagining this bloodshed on a galactic scale. Sevilin continued, uninterrupted in his tale.

"After twelve years of senseless slaughter, sacrifice and suffering, our enemies had had enough. When our armada engaged their defenseless solar system, we found that their planet was gone." The human's brows furrowed and he grit his teeth. "They had utilized a new technology that allowed for a planet to be shipped across galaxies, landing them in a perfect position to outflank us."

Sevilin's jaw relaxed and he calmed himself. "Library Alexandria, the last surviving catalogue of all human culture was attacked in the year forty seven ninety seven, knocking our entire armada into a frenzy."

"While the Library itself managed a hasty getaway, that placed it in a terrible tactical position." Sevilin put his hands in front of him and gestured with them, holding his hands apart. "Right on the eve of an Event Horizon."

Luna's eyes turned to saucers while Celestia wore a confused expression. "And what, pray tell, is an Event Horizon?"

"The death of a star: a horrible, horrible loss," the Princess of the Night explained. Sevilin snorted.

"You could call it that. What it actually means for those of us who have destroyed them personally is a collapse of a dying star, resulting in a fantastic gravity well. This gravity well then pulls in and breaks apart any matter caught in it, including light. There is literally no escape from an Event Horizon."

Sevilin sighed and cleared his throat. "Now, the Library's defenses were strong, yes, but our enemy's home planet was well equipped to give a thorough thrashing to her. Alexandria's distress signal went out, and our frantic armada warped as fast as we could to her location. That was six hours before the collapse of Medridios Seven, the dying star."

"It took a good four hours to reach the Library, and by the time we had, so had the enemy. With thousands of ships from them and only about six hundred from us; we were outgunned, surrounded, desperate and angry. None of those made for a fair fight… for them."

Sevilin now used his arms, motioning wildly and emotionally. "When the first ships fired, our Rubicon Gates were forgotten and we instead fired back. Three of their's and two of ours. The smaller, more nimble ships were sent out and did a good bit of damage, bringing one of their cruiser's weapons down. They appeared from above and the first Rubicon Gate was used, halting their fire long enough for our ships to retaliate with turret and railgun fire."

"We shredded the fleet above us, but took a massive backlash from the side, sending forty of our own cruisers to an abyssal end. An hour later into the fight, and we had the upper hand, miraculously. With several more offensive pushes from our most powerful War Cruisers: Nero and Spartacus, we were able to tear a hole through the forward assault."

"Another thirty minutes and we had the two split fleets scrambling for dominance against our sustained Hades Repulser Cannons, which systematically blew their shielding apart. Another fifteen minutes and they had begun to flee, leaving us a parting gift in the process."

Sevilin stopped his gesturing and his shoulders slumped heavily. "Their flagship, Ghy'ruhck, was rigged to blow. The explosion of its Thermodynamic core was more than enough to push us into the range of the Event Horizon. In an effort to save the Library, I flew to its hull in a battered cruiser and began pushing it away. Progress, however, was not successful."

"The star collapsed and I watched, helpless, as my comrades were pulled into blackness. I could see nothing in the direction of the Event Horizon, like my vision had simply ceased to comply. The pull on the back of the cruiser ripped it from under me, sending me through the bridge's window and into darkness."

"I fought the pull, but it was hopeless, my suit's reserve power cells were running dry. I looked behind me and saw the Library Alexandria tumbling into the void. With nothing left to lose, I sent all power to my suit's propulsion systems and rocketed after it into oblivion."

"You threw yourself to your own demise?" Luna asked of the human. The story was certainly dramatic and gut-wrenching, but that final part seemed weak. Sevilin glared at her.

"Yes I did. Imagine my surprise when I open my eyes and find myself hurtling towards a bright planetoid suspiciously similar to Earth. I thought I had died and gone to Elysium, but that was quickly dashed when I impacted the sea traveling at thirty-thousand kilometers per second." Sevilin deadpanned and continued on. "Of course it hurt, but the Conquistador is phenomenally tough. It was also the last time I wore it."

"I swam to a nearby island where I made shelter and scrounged for food for a few days. Within those few days, I received a distress signal from Library Alexandria. Checking my Universal Telecommunications Array Handset, or UTAH for short, I discovered the source of the beacon. I made it my mission to reach the location and establish a perimeter, securing the Library from outside alien threats."

Sevilin pointed a finger at the two of the Princesses. "This means ponies, griffins, changelings and anything else that I decide isn't human."

Celestia scoffed. "You can't possibly seek to withhold a trove of information like that. Such technology and culture is to be shared with all nations, just imagine the advances in medical and transportation we'd make."

Luna ruffled her wings. "Tia, I would heed Mister Jacobs' advice. Our intentions of healing and caring aren't shared by all others. You must see the potential for darkness in ponies as well. Such a vast store information beckon all those with greedy endeavors and ravenous minds to partake in it, which would almost certainly lead to war on all fronts."

Celestia nodded solemnly. "I suppose you are right, Luna. While we have all seen the horrors of war, this world has not come into conflict for nearly nine centuries." Sevilin inclined his head.

"If I was certain that the technology would be beneficial to peace and prosperity, I would gladly open the doors of the Library to you. However, Alexandria's knowledge is just as destructive as it is helpful. The power to heal comes with the power to kill, that was how our medicine adapted. A new weapon would be created, a new procedure would be developed to minimize casualties. While it is terrible, it had worked for us." Jacobs bowed to the two Princesses. "Thank you for your time, Princesses."

The ponies bowed to him as well. "And thank you for your explanation, Sevilin Jacobs," Luna replied for her sister and herself. Sevilin nodded, turning around for the double doors.

Before he could reach them, they were pushed open and seven Praetorians were pushed aside by dozens of Equestrian soldiers. Amidst the shouting and clashing of metal, Celestia raised her voice.

"What is the meaning of this?!" she shouted angrily. Rainbow Dash appeared behind the Equestrian troops with Applejack supporting her weight. With one hoof, Rainbow Dash pointed at Sevilin, fear evident in her eyes.

"He's going to assassinate them, stop him!"

Sevilin's face twisted into a scowl. "What? How dare you accuse me of an assassination attempt!" Celestia and Luna adopted looks of confusion as well. The Praetorians filed around Sevilin with their massive shields deployed to defend him from the troops.

"I heard it from one of your soldiers! She said that you were waiting to use your power to overthrow the Princesses and usurp the throne! That's why you've been hiding in the Whitetail Woods and gathering so many resources! You're planning for war!" Rainbow Dash screamed back with hatred.

"…war?" Sevilin cocked an eyebrow. "What are you-?" Sevilin heard a howl of pain and saw that one of his guards had been struck by a magical bolt. The horn of a unicorn soldier was powering down, and the other Praetorians formed up around the human again.

Luna stamped her hoof. "What is the meaning of this treachery, Sevilin?" Confused by the question, Sevilin was at a momentary loss for words but quickly brought back his previous composure.

"I have no idea what these baseless accusations are formed upon, but I do not take kindly to them." Unsatisfied with the answer, Luna gathered the Praetorians in her magic and tossed them aside. Responding in kind, Celestia's horn lit and trapped Sevilin inside a magical barrier.

Sevilin let out a shout of surprise while the troops surrounded him, all the while Rainbow Dash pointed an accusatory hoof at Sevilin. The human pounded and screamed at the field, swearing in a foreign tongue.

"You have ten seconds to explain yourself, human," Celestia's voice rumbled threateningly. Sevilin stared at her in open-mouthed disbelief.

"I have done nothing but help you! Rainbow Dash is spouting nonsense, now let me out of here!" He looked desperately over at his Praetorian guards, who lay slumped together against the wall. "Don't lose your heads, think!"

"We think that the Elements of Loyalty and Harmony have just given us a look into your plot." Celestia and Luna advanced on the trapped man, their glares fixated on him, and not on the windows around them.

CRASH

Within seconds, griffins and pegasi burst through the glass of the palace, distracting the Equestrian soldiers. With the distraction, Sevilin's forces rushed through the doorway and wrestled with the Equestrians.

The tide turned, however, when the two immortals got involved. Sevilin's troops were flung to and fro, hitting walls and impacting the floor. The clash was a terrible loss for Sevilin's soldiers, what with the Princesses involved. With all of his backup unconscious or simply too wounded to get up, the immortals faced him again.

"Now, you will tell us just what that was abou-"

"BLAST 'EM AMA!" called a metallic male voice.

"Firing."

Two concussive blasts threw the Princesses across the room, and the barrier spell shattered. BoBo blitzed into the chambed, scooping Sevilin up onto its back while AMA loomed menacingly behind them. Once BoBo passed by the heavily-armed machine, it retreated with BoBo.

"AMA, get all Sanctuary forces onto the sky-wagons and get us out of here!" Sevilin shouted at the top of his lungs at the robot. AMA made a confirmation ping and shot off in another direction.

Sevilin held onto BoBo tightly, his brows knit in confusion and hurt. "What's happening?"

Chapter 14- Bellum Paro

Pandemonium. It was the only word to describe the flurry of activity currently spreading through the hastily-constructed tent camps. There were shouts to apprehend all Sanctuary soldiers, while others bellowed to retreat to the sky-wagons.

Cacophonous, thundering sounds tore through the clamor, making some members flinch momentarily. Ponies, Dogs and Griffins were tackled and pushed away, complete chaos taking reign of the situation. And over and over, a synthetic voice repeated, "By the order of Sevilin Jacobs: retreat to the sky-wagons."

Several more of the thundering explosions made their rounds, some ponies being scattered by the weapons from AMA. A high-pitched screeching sound soared into the sky, trailed by twelve red lights. The crimson orbs fell back to earth, lighting an entire Equestrian squad alight and scattering them across the battlefield.

The Praetorians pushed against the Equestrians, securing pathways to the sky-wagons for the rest. Wounded troops were loaded into the wagons, followed by soldiers. The sky-wagons filled at a consistent rate, taking off while griffins and pegasi battled to keep the Equestrians away.

AMA began firing on the enemy sky-wagons, blasting the wooden carriages to splinters. Speeding blue javelins tore into the wooden structures, easily tearing them asunder with massive explosions.

Several carriages were saved with the help of Equestrian unicorn troops, shielding their transportation from the mechanized onslaught. Sevilin himself stood at a sky-wagon, ushering his troops in hastily.

Several panicked cries and confused shouts were tossed his way, which he could only reply to with 'I don't know'. The Praetorians darted to their respective sky-wagons and the doors slammed shut. With the sky-wagons taking off in dozens, Sevilin got inside one himself. "Go!"

BoBo and AMA flew alongside the sky-wagon containing Sevilin, protecting him from any incoming attack. As the carriages flew away from the Crystal Empire, the Princesses burst into the skies after them.

AMA began firing on Celestia, whose shield batted away the blasts with ease. "Sevilin!" Luna roared after him. They had begun catching up to the sky-wagon, their large wings and extreme endurance more than enough to give them an advantage.

A blue flash came from the center of the city and Sevilin watched in awe as a massive field of azure magic closed the Princesses off from the sky-wagon by inches. Sevilin's troops flew away from the city, while the Equestrians stared after them in stupor.

Celestia and Luna lit their horns together and teleported back to the center of town, where the Crystal Heart was churning out copious amounts of magic. The Crystal Ponies, amassed in the streets and at the Heart, glared at the Princesses.

"What have you done, my little ponies?" Celestia asked of them.

One stallion, his coat returning to its crystalized state, came forward and stared up at Princess Celestia. "You're not our Princess." The crowd of Crystal Ponies shouted in kind and shook their hooves in the air at them, voicing their displeasure.

"You attacked him! You attacked him!"

"What did he do to you?"

"Sevilin is the one who saved us from Sombra!"

Things were getting out of hand in a hurry, with the crowd getting itself riled up from the shoving, yelling and general tension. A stallion fought against three soldiers that pushed him back from the Princesses.

Hearing his cries, several more Crystal ponies came to their brother's aid, throwing the troops away from him. More guards surrounded the rowdy ponies, which rallied more Crystal ponies at the site. The two groups shoved one another, angrily shouting at the other.

"Get off of us!"

"Leave our city!"

"You're not welcome here!"

"Agh! He stabbed me! He stabbed me!"

With that last shout, the Crystal ponies exploded into a riot, finally overwhelming the soldiers and throwing them on their backs. The crystalized equines rushed every aggressor short of the Princesses, bowling them over and taking the brunt of their weapons.

Glancing blows from bladed weapons did nothing to the Crystal ponies, their gemstone hide able to reflect sloppy swings. Celestia and Luna both attempted to speak, but even the booming Royal Canterlot Voice proved futile amongst the rancorous ponies.

"PLEASE, CALMETH THINE HOCKS! SETTLE THYSELVES IMMEDIATELY!" The fighting continued, the sounds of swords scraping stone and cries of anger and terror.

Chaos had struck the heart of the Empire.

Some time later, Sevilin's carriages landed. Immediately everyone poured out in a rush to see family and friends. Sevilin, however, had more pressing matters to attend to. The man sprinted past the crowds and leapt over a few citizens in his rush, making a beeline for his quarters.

Pushing through the doors and startling more than a few attendants and guards, he finally reached his room. Two doors suited to his height awaited him and he pushed them open quickly.

Sevilin moved to a wall on his right, grabbing a dagger in the process. Jamming the dagger between the stones, the wall slowly fell backwards. The stone bricks folded into one another, pulling back and retracting to the side as Sevilin walked inside briskly.

Once he was in the dark tunnel, the wall sealed back up, leaving him in the dark before an array of blue torches along the walls lit. Sevilin ran at full sprint, even with the light throbbing in his abdomen.

A few twists and turns later, and he found himself staring at a perfectly squared tunnel twenty feet high and twenty feet wide. His footfalls echoed inside the cavernous space, the lights glowing brightly as he approached his destination.

A huge wall of black steel seemed to glare back at him, the eerie blue flames reflecting from the surface ominously.

"Alexandriae, secreta senis dicere divos."

The melodious hum of the inner mechanics working were like war drums in Sevilin's ears. The sharp squeal that followed like the screams of terror he had long since abandoned when he leapt into the Event Horizon.

"Welcome Sevilin. The knowledge of Library Alexandria is open to you."

The Empire's reputation, unfortunately, had come with him.

"What the hay is going on?" Twilight Sparkle stared out of the shattered window, watching Crystal ponies struggle against the well-armed Equestrian forces. It wasn't even a fair fight.

Unicorns methodically placed the Crystal ponies in ethereal chains, tossing them to the side and moving on to the other rioters.

Twilight was joined at the window by Rarity and Fluttershy. No words were said as the Crystal ponies were overpowered. Standing in the midst of the commotion were Celestia and Luna, staring at the chaos with blank expressions.

"This isn't right…" Pinkie mumbled behind the others, gazing at her hooves in a distracted shock. "Something went wrong, somepony flipped a switch." She looked up at Twilight just as the unicorn turned around.

"What is it Pinkie? Who flipped a switch?" Twilight asked, kneeling down. Pinkie trembled, then hiccuped before ending her spasm with a gut-wrenching pain.

"The story… it's going to collapse into darkness."

Twilight grew more concerned. "Story? What are you talking about Pinkie?"

"Dipped in pitch so black it will cloud the minds of everypony. We'll attack first, the others won't listen. Then… Then the peace will be shattered with one thrust from the spear."

Shouting from outside drowned out Twilight's voice while Pinkie continued to mumble incoherently. "Remove the Crystal Heart! Wrench it from its place!" shouted Luna.

"NO!" Cadence swooped down from the top of the tower, landing with a thundering boom. The street cracked slightly beneath her hooves, and her horn glowed offensively. "I cannot let you touch the Crystal Heart."

Twilight looked down upon the scene with frantic worry. The situation was taking a massive dive into panic, and the Equestrian soldiers took a few steps back. Shining Armor teleported beside his wife in a flash of violet, his horn preparing a shield spell in an instant.

"Stand down immediately," he demanded of his troops, many of who were his friends and subordinates. Conflicted, many of the ponies looked between the Princesses of the Sun and Moon and then back to Shining Armor.

"Shining Armor, you are like a nephew to me, now stand aside and give us the heart." Celestia's voice became grave and domineering, her wings ready to launch her into the air while her eyes locked onto Shining's.

Shining closed his eyes and exhaled, then looked to his wife whose face was hard as stone and her gaze as set. "I'm sorry Princesses," he said. "I can't and I won't."

Luna stomped her hoof, sending a spiderweb of cracks out farther than Cadence's drop had. "So be it." With a burst of magic, she appeared behind Shining, hitting him in the back with a stun spell.

Utilizing Cadence's shock, Celestia released a flare that exploded in the younger alicorn's face, throwing her backwards and immobilizing her.

With a violent tug of magic and more than enough anger, Luna tore the Crystal Heart from its levitation pedestal. The cold, howling winds rushed back into the city in a flash, sending shivers down everypony's spine.

However, they couldn't tell if the shuddering was caused by the biting cold, or by the domination of the Crystal Empire.

"Enable all defensive and offensive capabilities. Activate radar and biological threat scanner. Push fabrication and industrialization systems to maximum. Arm weapons system."

The machine hummed. "Determine targets."

A helmet lowered itself down to Sevilin's head, which he fit on and synced the threats to the database. The machine thrummed again and began giving updates on various machinations and apparatuses as they powered on.

"Threats acknowledged. Using information to devise strategy and weaknesses in armor, magic and psyche. Estimated time: twenty minutes. Standby," the deep voice boomed.

Sevilin ran to a platform, which began to glow once his boots made contact. "Fabrication 137E." The platform detached from the floor and zoomed across the factory floor, which had begun to put together ammunition and weapons minutes ago.

The platform landed and Sevilin bolted away. "Access armory!"

"State identification."

"Sevilin Jacobs of the Emancipator! Rank Thirteen Conquistador serving with his Grand Emperor's Imperial Fleet!"

"State Emperor lineage."

"Emperor Nero the Fifty-third! Descended from Emperor Augustine XV, and those before him!"

"Fleet identification."

"Gloria Romae!"

"State ships allotted to fleet."

"Seven Jupiter-class Annihilators! Fourteen Mars-class Reapers! One hundred and twelve Venus-class civilian ships!"

"State fleet escort."

"Sevilin Jacobs, Marcy Keeting, Henry DeShurio, Lars Panhale, Kendra Hunt!"

"Access granted. Sevilin Jacobs, welcome to Library Alexandria. How may I serve the Spear of the Emperor?"

"Begin preparations for the Conquistador!"

All processes stopped in the Library, a quick pause in production. "Beginning Conquistador fabrication." A chorus of metallic scraping, banging and clanking signified that the suit was starting to take its shape.

"Defensive systems fully operational. Weapons systems fully operational. Radar and biological threat scanner activated. No threats detected." The voice faded out while the factory boomed and clanked in the background.

Sevilin rushed to another station and began typing in pass codes with a great fervor in his fingers. "Locking down city limits."

"What's going on?" Trixie asked, her eyes wide with shock while wounded warriors were brought into people's homes for rudimentary healing. The entire city was in a clamor after the carriages had landed inside.

Chrysalis had sent out her changelings to secrete an ichor that sped up the creation of platelets where it was spread. The substance would triple the clotting speed and prevent those who received treatment from bleeding out.

The Changeling Queen herself flew above the crowds, directing swarms of changelings to those with serious injuries and commanding them to assist with heavy lifting in the case of damaged carriages.

A reverberating bass shook the windows of the city, startling everyone from their tasks. A shimmering, transparent field formed around the walls of the town, sealing off the area and a portion of the mountain from the outside.

The ground began to rumble, and large boxes with cylindrical tubes emerged from underneath aesthetically-placed boulders and from the mountainside.  

The inhabitants began to stir in a cautious fear while the machines clinked and clanked. "Really, what in the hell is going on?" Trixie asked.

"Fabrication of Conquistador del Cielo now completed. Prepare applicant for nerve binding immediately."

Sevilin's stare hardened as he stepped onto a cold platform. The same plastic coating covered his body and seeped into his pores, connecting to his nerve endings and sending electric bolts of pain spiking through his body.

"Initializing link and solidifying," the female voice said.

Sevilin felt his muscles contract and spasm while the nanomites were pumped into his blood stream. His fingers slowly came back under his control, followed by the rest of his extremities and then his torso.

He stretched his neck and blinked his eyes, the transparent film that covered them allowing his eyelids to slide over them easily.

"Attaching Conquistador armor," the male voice boomed.

Huge chunks of shaped osmiridium-plentium alloy came down on massive mechanical arms. Sevilin was grabbed by an arm and raised into the air while the suit was built up around him.

The legs were clamped over his, making him six feet taller than before, while the rest of the abdominal area was quickly enmeshed with the plates of metal. A chest piece larger than Sevilin entire upper body blocked his view of the rest of the process while receivers and transmitters were fixed to his face.

He heard, in the vast swell of darkness, the top pieces of the suit being placed and drilled into place. A pneumatic seal finished the process and Sevilin's world came back into focus with a flash of soft blue light.

The entire Library's system connected to his heads-up-display, showing the startled citizens and the final pieces of the Conquistador being attached outside of his suit.

Two gleaming, golden horns were brought to the sides of hid head and drilled into place much like his suit's shoulders. The two razor sharp implements stuck straight out and curved slightly downwards and around, giving him an intimidating look that was remembered by his enemies.

"Standard armament acquired. Attaching now," spoke the militaristic tone of the male AI. More buzzes and whirs were heard by Sevilin, who watched the plethora of arms being placed and attached to him.

Four Zeus rocket pods, a triple-barrel Ambit heavy repeater on his left gauntlet, two Lacedaemonian Javelin Barrages under his shoulder plates and a single Poseidon Trident attached to his right gauntlet.

"Deploy pole arm?" the detached voice asked him again.

"Affirmative," Sevilin replied, his arm and hand outstretched to receive his signature weapon. Nanomites flowed from his bloodstream and into his suit's Alexandria Communications, allowing the Library to send the weapon to him in a flash of quantum tunneling.

The spear appeared in his hand in a matter of seconds, its heavy shaft weighing little to Sevilin and his augmented physiology. The head of the spear fanned out and tapered off to a length of three feet, its serrated edges designed to tear through foes' armor.

The weapon, crafted from diamond nanorods and the blade coated in osmiridium, felt familiar and comfortable in Sevilin's hands. Giving it a flourish and spin, he let the spear twirl around his robotic hand.

Satisfied, he stored the weapon on his back and made for the entrance of the Library.

"It's time to prepare."

Chapter 15- Consilia

A monstrous, terrific cacophony of hydraulics and metal echoed through the empty halls of Sevilin's headquarters. None had dared enter the palace after him, especially after the reports from soldiers that he was in a momentary state of shock before fleeing inside.

Sevilin was never outright surprised.

Sevilin Jacobs was the master of control.

He was their beacon of hope and safety.

So…

What now?

Sevilin, clad in his intdimidating Conquistador armor, pushed open the doors to Sanctuary. He was met with gasps and fearful stares. Ignoring them, his suit roared to life and he took to the skies.

Its maroon plates barely shone when in direct sunlight, seeming to both devour and reflect the rays of the star. A lengthy spear sat upon his back, its head serrated with dozens of teeth made for tearing through flesh.

The golden-yellow eyes glowed under the gleaming horns that pointed dead-ahead, as if they existed as a challenge to any who would go against it. Jets of blue flame spat from its back and clawed feet, allowing it to hover in mid-air while it pronounced Sevilin's orders.

With but a thought, his voice became amplified, ringing in the citizens' ears like a strong trombone. "Chrysalis, Trixie, Orion, Lightning Dust, Creak-shiv. Meet Sevilin Jacobs in the War Room immediately."

Blasting away, he entered back into the palace and broke into a stride the second he hit the stone floor. Outside, the citizens of Sanctuary whispered between one another about the titanic metal human that had just flown and proclaimed news from Sevilin.

If the other two, smaller suits of armor would be any guess, the Sanctuarians had to assume that it was Sevilin in the hulking metal monstrosity. Both times he had worn the armor he had been involved in a skirmish or battle of some sort. Could that mean he was pulling them into another conflict?

The prospect frightened some and worried others. But none more than those who had been summoned. Mustering up their courage, each hailed individual filed into the stone-hewn home of the human, moving quickly to the War Room.

"This is definitely about what happened at the Empire," Orion muttered. Chrysalis and Trixie stared down at the small Alloy Dog.

"What would he have us do?" Chrysalis questioned him. The Dog let out an exasperated breath and was about to answer when thundering, rhythmic footfalls cut him off.

"Get inside. Now," he growled. The aggressive tone had all five of the requested beings inside in an instant. The doors slammed shut and Sevilin's glowing eyes illuminated the mahogany table they were crowded around.

The top of the Conquistador's head scraped against the ceiling, gouging out ridges in the stone while leaving the suit perfectly intact.

Clearing his throat, Creak-shiv spoke first. "M'lord, if I may, what exactly is going on?"

The golden daggers shifted to him and focused on the Timberwolf. "I don't know why, but Rainbow Dash claimed me to be an enemy of Equestria and an adversary to the thrones of Celestia and Luna. Her outburst was uncalled for, even more so was the reaction of the Princesses. Even though we had the beginnings of a trust, I feel we have been betrayed."

Chrysalis could sense the calm pulls and pushes of his emotions. Angry and hurt, no doubt, but glowing in a hot white instead of a raging inferno of red. Like waves crashing onto a beach, his brooding was kept under control within an even pool of soothing order and clarity.

She couldn't read minds, but he was certain that he was channeling his anger and confusion into action. "This betrayal, as I have just calculated, will lead to war between Equestria and Sanctuary. Before you voice your opinions and shock, let me add this: We have a fighting chance."

The group's reaction ranged from shocked to relieved. Trixie was certainly shocked. "We can't go against Equestria! Even with your armor, you're only one man. To believe that you yourself can single-handedly bring Equestria, the Princesses and the Elements of Harmony to their knees is delusional!"

Sevilin's shoulders whirred and he straightened himself fully. "It is not I that will bring Equestria to its knees. No. It will be deception and sleight-of-hand that win this war." The two glowing slits moved on Chrysalis momentarily before shifting to Creak-shiv.

"Creak-shiv, you and your wolves are to utilize the Everfree at all times. Use hit and run tactics to keep Ponyville under pressure. Harass the citizens but do not assault them."

A brittle wooden eyebrow raised. "And why would be waste our efforts with Ponyville?" the old Timberwolf asked.

"By causing distress in their hometown, the Elements will naturally want to tend to the problem. The Princesses will most likely be against it but loyalties will be swayed once the six of the mares are asked to abandon the helpless. Use emotional ties to break their loyalty ever-so subtly."

The bass-filled resonance of Sevilin's voice chilled the occupants of the room, while his size made them glad he was on their side. Or rather, they were on his.

"Trixie and Chrysalis, you two are to work together. Trixie, you will research illusion spells to be used on articles of clothing such as necklaces. Chrysalis, have your changelings do what they do best and infiltrate every meeting Equestria's generals and Princesses have. I want full informative coverage on every move."

The human continued with his plan. "The illusion-infused articles of clothing are a safeguard in case the changelings grow weary from keeping their disguises up for too long. I expect research to be started by tomorrow."

Sevilin's faux eyes now centered on Orion. "Orion, I want subterranean systems leading throughout the area surrounding the Whitetail Woods for supplies and transportation. If you place traps such as cave-ins or anything requiring magical expertise, come to me and inform me of it. A map would be ideal as well."

"Finally, Lightning Dust." His mechanical bull head turned to the the left to stare at her. "I need patrols doing visual sweeps daily, as well as armed squads to keep the Equestrians out of the air. If at any time a ground squad of Equestrians numbering more than two-hundred are spotted, alert me immediately."

Lightning Dust saluted along with the others, and Sevilin stomped out of the room. "At ease. Trixie, follow me." The mechanical clangs and clicking of gears rang throughout the halls, drowning out the sounds of the pony's hoofsteps.

"How may I serve you, m'lord?" she asked while desperately trying to keep pace with Sevilin in his new body.

Without missing a beat, a huge clawed hand grabbed Trixie's midsection, eliciting a surprised yelp. She was suddenly placed upon Sevilin's shoulder, which shifted with light swaying movements.

"Trixie, your job is extremely important and especially sensitive in the grand scheme of things." Sevilin suddenly stopped walking and swiveled his head to stare at Trixie with his haunting yellow eyes.

"I need you to set up diplomatic relations with the Equestrians. In essence, you will be stalling them while we prepare for their inevitable assault on Sanctuary." Sevilin's armor detected slight vibrations and rising heat in Trixie. "I know that you're nervous, but you have to understand something."

Trixie stared into Sevilin's eyes. "What?"

"If we don't stand up and fight against this, everyone will die at the enemy's will. In this city I have chosen to harbor more than a few enemies of the Elements and Equestria, both personal and national. That in itself is an excuse to attack this place."

"Not only that, but some of the most dangerous creatures known to this planet are kept here as well, bar a dragon. Burning this place to the ground and 'rescuing' the ponies inside would be a mission I doubt Equestria would pass up."

Sevilin's eyes narrowed. "I lived amongst a xenophobic race for many years, and I can say with absolute certainty that I am tired of such hate. Equestria is xenophobic by nature, it is a trait in equines that exists even on this world, it is what keeps them alive. Yet they haven't yet realized that their phobia has begun to harm them more than the actual foreigners."

Sevilin once again broke into his long strides, ducking under a few archways as he went. "The Princesses, even for all of their immortality and wisdom, are much like their subjects. They are afraid of change and wary of of outsiders. While they may have welcomed me at first, my suit detected brainwave patterns and slight facial twitches signifying distrust and disgust."

"What I'm trying to say is this: it would have happened sooner or later. We couldn't have stopped this even if we had tried. I placed too much trust in this world that it wouldn't happen, even when a small voice said that it would. I trusted far too much, and now I must turn my backs on everything they may say or do."

"This is war, Ms. Lulamoon. This is war."

The Princesses and the Elements of Harmony had left the Empire on a sour note. Instead of happy farewells and shouts of adoration and love, they received hisses and jeers.

The two rulers of Equestria sat in the massive war chariot, stone-faced, while Rainbow Dash glared down at the Crystal Ponies from over the edge. "How dare they boo the Princesses! Who do they think they are?" she growled.

Twilight sat in the back, staring at her hooves. Her country had just… strong-hoofed the entire city into submission. This was a form of tyranny, she was sure of it. It said so in her history books and during her teachings with Celestia.

Things had been so carefree and jocular in the past week, bordering on ridiculousness. But now? Now it was chaos as thick as molasses. With Sevilin clearly cornered and backed up into a wall, he was surely planning to lash out or strike back in some way in the looming future.

She knew nothing, however, about what tactics human beings used in battle. Not only that, but what tactics he would use when his race was a space-faring people? She could only imagine having to battle an enemy several thousand miles away with no real shot at even touching them.

No magic could reach that far and nopony could create any type of ballista or siege device to match the pure range and power that Sevilin's race had managed to create for itself.

His race's technology most likely exceeded her's by at least a few thousand years. Space travel technology couldn't have been a drop in the pond, after all.

Twilight Sparkle, for the second time in her life, heavily doubted Princess Celestia. She was proven wrong the first time when she understood the concept of friendship and achieved friends to boot. Now though?

Twilight shivered, but not because of the brisk air of the cabin. No. Twilight held the opinion that her mentor and role model had severely miscalculated the situation with the human.

Rainbow Dash's panicked and fearful reaction made no sense, as well as her adamant ferocity to alert the Princesses so suddenly instead of attacking Sevilin directly. It really was a baffling circumstance, but Twilight couldn't make heads or tails of it.

The green flash that hit Rainbow Dash had very nearly killed her, but had it caused some other damage that wasn't readily apparent? There was no way to know once the spell went off; no trace of the booby trap remained after it had struck. The rest of the mission was a success and the Crystal Heart had been returned to its people.

The second that Cadence and Shining had instructed the Crystal ponies to seal off Celestia and Luna from Sevilin, Twilight had regretted it. The ensuing struggle had even caused her to begin hyperventilating.

And seeing her big brother and former foalsitter in cages with Leyline Disruptors fit over their horns, gagged and bound, left a guilty pit in Twilight's stomach.

The two rebel ponies were being kept in the war carriage to the royals' left, pulled by a quartet of pegasi in gleaming gold armor. Twilight couldn't bring herself to look at the flying prison, instead keeping her gaze focused squarely on either the floor of the chariot or her hooves.

Nopony spoke to one another, either mimicking Twilight or staring out at the rolling landscape filled with mountains and trees. They were out of the North proper  by now, and were making good time to Canterlot.

Back in the Empire, however, two stallions began to set the pieces into the puzzle.

"You say she just… hopped up and accused Sevilin of treachery?" Force asked with a hint of incredulity hidden in his voice. The Raised Eyebrow of Potent Suspicion didn't make Silk Shot feel better, either.

"Stop making that face!" the plum-colored stallion whined. "And yes, she just sprung up like a fresh, Faust-damned daisy and screamed bloody murder."

"Yet-to-be bloody murder," Noble Force corrected.

"Oh, you know what I mean! The point is, I think there's some background string-pulling going on. Something or someone is messing with Rainbow Dash and we have no clue it's even inside her," Silk said with a grim expression on his face.

"And you want my help to find out just what it is that has Miss Dash under its control. Is that right?" Force responded. Silk Shot nodded.

"That's exactly it."

"Listen, Private." Force crossed his hooves and shook his head slowly. "The unicorns have already been over all of this. She's clear. Nothing in her system, no mind-altering chemicals, no foreign magic. As far as they could see with their magic, she was fine."

Silk's ear twitched and he blinked, staring out the window. "What'd you say?" he asked as he slowly turned to face his superior. Force rolled his eyes and repeated the last thing he said.

"As far as they could see with their magic, she was fine."

"That's it!" Silk shouted.

"What's it?" Force was now genuinely intrigued due to the stallion's outburst.

"Their magic! Sombra didn't use conventional, everyday unicorn magic! He used dark magic, shadow magic, umbral magic and what have you! The unicorns can't pick it up because they can't detect it!"

The two stallions shared a moment where they simply stared at one another.

"We have to get to the Princesses, and fast," Force stated before his wings opened and he blasted down the hallway in a rush to find a squad of pegasi to escort Silk Shot and a squad of Equestrian troops to Canterlot.

Chapter 16- Colossus

“We will need a regiment of at least three hundred Earth ponies and twenty or twenty five pegasi with a squad of unicorns trained in shield magic to back up our ground forces.” General Solemn Creed, once again outfitted in his full combat armor, pored over the requests for more materials. It was to be sent to the differing Equestrian fabrication companies to procure the necessary items for armor, weapons, and spare parts.

The jungle-green stallion moved the first paper away to check another which outlined the supply routes for foodstuffs. Scrutinizing it carefully, he filed it away with the materials request. While most thought of Creed to be the stallion in command, that wasn’t entirely true.

“Creed! Get in here!”

He was the pencil pusher for the Grand General at Arms: Hollow Point.

Creed burst into the Grand General’s office, a salute already planted and his eyes steeled with determination. “Are those files finished, General?” a shadowed figure asked from behind a large desk. Sunlight streamed through the windows, spreading light across the end of the desk all the way to the doorway across the room.

Solemn Creed responded promptly. “Yes, ma’am, all commissions and requests for materials and products are complete.”

The shadowy figure gave a dainty chuckle and circled around the desk, coming into the light. “Very good, Creed. Make sure the ponies get their training in for the day, I’ll take care of the rest.” A dainty mare a full head shorter than Creed came into the light, her silver mane shaped into a bob cut. A silver and gold military barrel plate encased her pale blue coat, the insignias of Luna and Celestia entwined on the front.

“Thank you ma’am,” Creed said as he saluted and left the room in a swift and mechanical motion. After seeing the doors swing closed Point sighed. Her first war just had to include an unknown factor that was capable of being parallel, if not stronger, than the Equestrian Military.

This Sevilin Jacobs had proved to be quite the adversary during the Crystal Clash, obliterating the gemstone monstrosities with an almost beastial ferocity. His technology had been displayed a grand total of three times: the weapon brought back by Silk Shot, the slim armor that managed to cripple the guards with but a thought, and the hulking white armor that contained ranged explosives and a type of containment field.

No matter how much the other soldiers swore it wasn’t magic, Point couldn’t possibly believe that the energies displayed could be anything but. For another race to have such power… without a mental or physical limit, frightened her.

Boundless possibilities for such technology, and his race uses it to wage war on their enemies and conquer cities as their own.

Luna’s self-reflections on the memories obtained after the Dreamsculpt had helped greatly in determining Sevilin’s origins and his people’s capabilities.

“If Sevilin has access to a Hades Weapon Platform…” Hollow Point shivered at the destructive nature of Jacobs’ Roman Empire. The word ‘empire’ had never been her favorite, part of the reason for this was King Sombra’s malevolent reign. Many times she considered asking Princess Celestia to simply rename it.

Many things were clear, while some others were not in the slightest. For example: why the Whitetail Woods? What could possibly be there that would be of benefit? Geologically, it was a tactical nightmare for defense from northern attacks. Furthermore, there was nowhere to escape to if need be: the mountains prevented escape to the east, the west held only more enemy strongholds, and the sea blocked their southern exit.

Starring at the map on her desk, she just couldn’t understand what Sevilin Jacobs was doing in such a strategically weak position. The mountain range defended them from the east, but there were no major countries hostile to Sanctuary, nor did they know about them, currently.

Hollow Point sighed, using a hoof to massage her neck. One city of ragtag species against the largest superpower on the planet; the odds looked better than good. Even with Sevilin’s rather frightening capabilities while within his armor, he was still only one soldier. Without a formidable military force, one that would also outnumber Equestria’s, Sanctuary was doomed.

Pushing off of her desk, Hollow Point decided to head to the mailroom. With all plans and preparations under way, there wasn’t much for her to occupy herself with professionally.  

Hollow let a contented smile grace her lips on her way back to her office. A letter from her niece, Brush Tip, informed the Grand General of the small filly’s progress in the seventh grade.

Hollow Point slipped into her office and sat down at her desk, sitting down in her comfortable chair with her hooves curled to her chest. The letter went into explicit detail on how Brush was doing in Equestrian History.

The latest thing we learned in class was The Colossus Strike. It was a big meteor that hit in the Whitetail Woods hundreds of thousands of years ago. After that, the Magical Revolution happened and the powerful mages began to heal the planet. It took a long time (ten thousand years!) but they did it in the end! It just goes to show how great magic is, huh?

Hollow Point smiled fondly at her niece’s eagerness to learn. No matter what the subject was, she always…

“Wait… The Whitetail Woods?” she thought, taking a pause to read the letter again, this time more carefully.

…a big meteor that hit in the Whitetail Woods hundreds of thousands of years ago.

Hollow placed the letter to her right and practically threw herself onto the desk, examining Sanctuary and its position once again. Right up against the mountainside, with heavy metal walls going underground…

Looking behind the city and focusing on the mountains, she traced the bulge where the mountains had grown around, leaving the tall, rocky hillside without any massive peaks. Furthermore, the mountains around said area were shorter than the others, with veritable chunks missing from them.

“Perhaps the meteor wasn’t a meteor at all,” Hollow Point whispered to herself. If Sevilin was the military might that his memories claimed, then he was either a terrible strategist or a vehement protector of something beneath the mountains.

Hollow Point would bet her life savings on the latter.

“Princess Luna, I have come to ask something of you. My request is related to the war effort against Sanctuary.” Hollow Point’s arrival had certainly turned a few heads in the throne room, but her request was what boggled their minds.

“What can I help you with, Grand General at Arms?” Luna asked.

“Princess Luna, could you reach back into Sevilin’s borrowed memories and search for anything near the size of The Colossus Strike meteor?”

The question sucked the air from the room, with the Grand General bowing before the Princesses and with Luna’s face stuck in a confused stare. Recomposing herself, Luna cleared her throat and continued on with the conversation.

“Of what importance does The Colossus Strike have with this war? The event took place tens of thousands of years before my sister and I were even borne into this world.” Hollow Point stood tall and stared her Princess in the eyes, her steely will being transitioned into her speech.

“I believe that Sevilin is hiding a massive weapon of some kind. If he is truly as old as his memories say, and if he has successfully repelled attacks during battles as complex as what you saw, then I don’t believe he would choose such a place to set up headquarters.”

“The very spot is a tactical nightmare: he’d be fighting our forces off from the north, east, and west simultaneously. There is no possibility of winning, or even a chance at survival, against those odds.” Hollow Point took a few steps up to Luna, bringing herself ever closer.

“That is, unless he has a weapon that he’s confident enough in to crush us from any angle we attack. You’ve seen the kinds of weapons his people harness, Princess: a Hades Weapon Platform, a Zeus Singularity, Hermes Shocktrooper Mechs. I worry for our forces if he even has a fraction of the technology you described to us from his memories.”

Princess Luna closed her eyes in thought, mulling over this explanation very carefully. “I will need to take some time and energy to sift through the memories… they can be… quite daunting in nature.”

Hollow Point backed down from the steps and bowed deeply. “Thank you, Princess.”

Sevilin stood in front of the massive Alexandria doors once again. Instead of asking for his identification, the Library recognized the armor immediately and unsealed for the titanic mechanized man.

Sevilin strode into the massive complex, the machines shifting and whirring occasionally, as if restless and wanting to work. Sevilin’s intention, thankfully, was exactly that. With a deep, grating voice like rust be scraped across a hollow pipe, Sevilin gave an order that drove the entire complex into a busy frenzy.

“Begin troop construction.”

“Order locked: Troop Construction. Type and quantity?” the machine asked.

“Centurions, eleven hundred of them.” Sevilin crossed his thick metallic arms and continued to glare at the factory floor several stories below. Instantaneously, the machine confirmed his order and began to pull from the metals and resources the Sanctuary Alloy Dogs had mined over several months.

Sure, they wouldn’t be as high quality as they could be, what with limited working materials, but it was the numbers that counted. “With any luck,” Sevilin thought, “our numbers and these machines will send them packing.”

The rhythmic, regularly collisions of space-age materials against iron and steel created a dark, foreboding symphony that carried through the Library Alexandria. Closing his eyes, Sevilin cleared his mind and lost himself momentarily in the song of war. He slowly opened his eyes within the suit and sighed.

Pulling up the Library’s interface, he began checking records. The stored logs detailed trooper launches, power divisions, section lockdowns, outside stimuli, fleet movements, production stages and so on. What he was looking for, specifically, was set two hundred thousand and seventy-eight years in the past.

Pulling the footage from the cameras up, he stared at the massive wall of encroaching ships. Encroaching Xerothanian ships. Xerothan, the rival empire of the Romans, and the ultimate finishing piece to their demise. Ludicrously advanced, strong-willed, and committed to ensuring freedom amongst the galaxy. Their mantra clashed directly with the Romans’ creed of assimilation or destruction.

After banding together with the six other races to form the Coalition… well, you know the rest.

While sustaining heavy damage to their fleet, the battle found itself at the edge of an event horizon. Within seconds, entire ships and floating hunks of debris were pulled into the invisible singularity, ripped from one universe and thrown into another.

Sevilin continued to watch the battle through the eyes of his past, examining every killing blow he made aboard enemy ships, every pilot he doomed to the vacuum of space, and every pulse from his Zeus Caster that rent the armor from his foes like tinfoil, frying them to a crisp before they even blinked.

The human watched as the Library was pulled into the singularity, watching it disappear in the silence of space. He watched his own futile efforts to stop the bank of human knowledge, going so far as to drive the Nero against it.

He watched as he was flung from the ship’s bridge. He watched as he made the decision to die with his brothers and sisters.

He watched everything as it ceased to exist.

And he watched everything as his existence began again on Terran. Had the Gods cursed him to this existence? Was his punishment to be wrenched from his people and thrust into a world that was unprepared for the horrors of his civilization. Perhaps he was meant to be destroyed by the two god-like Princesses who swept through the battlefield like demons from Hell.

“No,” Sevilin declared, letting his clawed metallic fingers scrape against the alloy of his pole arm. His grasp locked the weapon within his talons, and within the suit his face twitched in angry defiance. “The Gods have not forsaken me like my people did them.”

“I have been placed here to redeem those who have fallen from grace. The Gods are not done with me yet. This is no punishment, this is a reckoning for Equestria. They will know the will, might, and strength of our unity.”

Sevilin shut down the displays within his suit and turned to leave the Library. “And our Unity is unbreakable.”

Princess Luna closed her eyes as she slipped into the warm bath. The mixture of ointments and oils within the steaming water allowed her to better focus on her Dreamsculpt capabilities, honing her telepathic senses to a razor edge.

She exhaled a pent up breath and let all her stress fall away, falling with the stress, she slipped under the covers of sleep.

“FIRE!”

Luna’s eyes opened to a brilliant explosion of light, sound, and force. The entire space shook with the force of thousands of artillery weapons expelling death upon their targets. Soldiers armored in bronze-colored space alloys and armed with blades and firearms ran to and fro, rushing to their posts and preparing their nerves for the coming onslaught.

“RETURN FIRE INCOMING! BRACE YOURSELVES,” a voice bellowed above the clamor.

All at once, the ship Luna found herself on rocked as if being battered by a monstrous storm, causing the alicorn’s teeth to chatter. Vibrations rang throughout the massive beams overhead before the shaking passed.

A great roar rattled Luna’s eardrums, and she watched hundreds of triangular Roman fighter-craft rush out to meet the tens of thousands of Coalition ships that threatened them. This was an unfamiliar memory to Luna. Armored humans ran past her, hurrying in their suits of metal and power to fend off their greatest foe.

A streak of light sped toward the massive window looking out into the fray, and Luna had barely a second before everything went stark white.

Blinking her eyes, she now found herself within a command deck of sorts. It was huge, much larger than any space she had witnessed within these memories. In her sights she saw four figures: three titanic humanoids and one smaller golden man.

The three huge suits of maroon armor each had small differences in armaments or decoration. For instance, one had long golden horns that shone with every flash of explosive fury outside in the silent void. Another carried a circular shield and a large axe. The last seemed to be weighed down with every weapon available at the humans’ disposal.

The golden man lacked the intimidation of his soldiers, though Luna had witnessed the ruthless capabilities of the being’s tactical prowess within other glimpses of Sevilin’s mind.

“Vuso. Aid the Continental with their attempts to fend off the enemy fliers.” The human armed to the teeth nodded and ran to an airlock with more speed than Luna expected from such heavy armor. “Butina. You will support the troops on the Neptune with evacuation. The enemy has boarded them, so hurry.” The human with axe and shield rushed to another airlock.

The emperor, clad in his golden armor, sighed sorrowfully. As Butina was fired out from the airlock, the emperor held his head in one hand, reclining in the red and gold throne. “Sevilin.” The last human looked over at his master, his yellow retinal systems glaring into the emperor’s faceplate.

“Yes, my liege?”

“Stay here with me and watch our Empire die.”