"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. Next Chapter: Chapter 7- Shock and Awe Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 26 Minutes