Thread 43: Stories 61-75

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>OO7
"77"
~~~

"...What the heck happened to you?"

>Set on fire, punched through a wall, rocketed up into the air, hogtied, almost run over, rung through a rosebush, and finally punched again.

"..."

>...you know how they say if a mare hits you, they like you?

"We never say that."

>...I think she might be in love.

"And I'm pretty sure that only accounts for fillies and colts, not fully grown-"

>LET ME DREAM!
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The workshop of the one named Tinkertrot, embodying 'underground' in name and very much in placement, was not a publicly known one. Far down beneath Fillydelphia, he was hidden away, only accessible from a secret entrance that very few knew of. And for everyone's sake, that was for the best.

This isn't to say the things he worked on were illegal, oh no, not really. Merely... 'specialized'.

He was extremely talented in the art of mechanical construction, to put it lightly, and he was also quite apt at 'custom orders'. As such, his clientele were more often than not higher profile sorts looking for someone, shall we say, 'discreet'. It was very hard to learn of his establishment, and he was quite pricey besides, but he was worth it. Whatever custom machine part you need, he could make it happen.

Due to his need for secrecy in his work, his shop entirely got around on select word of mouth. You had to know the right individuals in order to even seek him out at all. Normally, this worked quite well, ensuring he would only see those who would pay him the most, and most reliably, would be unwilling to jeopardize their relations by threatening him, and of course would be very infrequent in their stops, meaning he never had to deal with more than one customer at a time.

A customer like the mare standing on the other end of his desk watching him as he worked on the machine she had brought in for him to repair, obviously quite impatient, but silent. This is just how he liked it, quiet, peaceful and easy.

What he didn't like was the headache he felt coming on when a frequent and very well paying customer came in the door.

“Oh come on!”

He could only just barely see her mane from where he was seated, but he knew that voice anywhere. The child of one of his oldest customers, the loud mouthed brat Diamond Tiara.

“Hey, lady? Move, seriously, I need to pick up my stuff now.”

The other mare rolled her eyes, but did no such thing.

“Did you not hear me? I said-”

To Tinkertrot's vast annoyance, his door opened once more, and the rare sound of paws on his hardwood floor followed. A rare customer of his, one who normally sent others to deal with these matters on her behalf, but it seemed that the Queen of the Gryphons had decided to take matters into her own claws today.

“My weapon had better be... oh, of course. Of course this would be the one time someone else was here. Child, tell your mother to move aside, I have important matters to attend.”

The filly spun on her heels, indignant rage all over her face.

“Excuse me!? I'm not related to her!”

“Then that just means you also need to move.”

“What did you say you sorry sack of feathers!?”

“I said-”

If he wasn't the silent type, he would have groaned angrily as the door, once more, shot open.

“Tinker, old buddy! How are you, doing good?”

The long time businessmare, and likely his highest paying customer, shoved past the gryphon without a care, and openly stepped over the pink filly in her way. Behind her, a massive looking unicorn stallion shot dirty looks at the angry eyes of both of the offended parties.

“And just what do you think you're doing you overdressed tart!?”

She ignored the screech coming from below her, not to mention the click of something inside that rocket launcher she was carrying going off, and came to a stop just behind the mare at the desk, scoffing in annoyance when said mare refused to step aside.

“Hey, yeah, move. I have business here, and I'm a preferred client. You just go sit in the corner until we're done.”

The mare seemed unmoved, even when that massive stallion ground his hoof into the wood to make a point.

“I was here first.”

Annoyed, the suit clad mare stomped her hoof, summoning her massive burly sort to come to her side.

“Bonecracker, please escort her off the premises and explain to her just how stupid her comment just was.”

He grinned ferally, stomping forward until he towered over the one standing at the desk.

With that, she turned her attention to the smaller filly walking up to her with weapon drawn. Unbothered, she walked back to meet her stride.

“With that settled, you, tiny pink idiot who is pointing a toy at me. Do you have any idea who I am?”

The barrel of her rocket launcher jutted up between them, stopping the businessmare right in her tracks.

“Yeah, I know all about you, Pennyworth.”

“Pennydrop.”

“Sure, whatever, I know your name, but question is, do you know who I am? Do you? No, really, let's think about this. Let's pretend your little company is something actually impressive, let's pretend you've got just so much power and influence, is it really anything in comparison to me? Is it really going to match up to the personal favors ROYALTY owes me? My daddy may not have as much wealth as you, but you know what? I think my reputation is just a little better than yours. How would your shareholders react if I came out publicly against you? Bad? I think they would end badly. Unlike you, I have real power, real... and just what are you laughing at!?”

The feathered one who had been silent up till now just guffawed harder, idly waving her claw in the air.

“No no, you two are adorable, really. You especially. Oh, wow, royalty owes you favors? Well, isn't that just something. You have the ability to request that someone of actual importance gives you a boon. What wonder. And you, come on. How many companies do you own? A hundred? A thousand, dare I dream? Is it really going to compare to the land I command? Do your workers really match up to my army? Please. If you two would kindly step out of the way, I would like to collect my weapon.”

“Pfft, you call your little sticks weapons? Just like a gryphon to be behind the times.”

She whirled on the short one, eyes blazing at the insult.

“And just what does that mean, you little whelp!?”

To her surprise, the one so much smaller than her pressed right forward.

“It means that your tiny little 'sword' hasn't been an effective weapon since the creation of magic, let alone in an age where I can take out a freaking building from two miles down!”

“Are you daring to insult one of my stature!? I should have you flayed for that!”

“We aren't in gryphon territory, so go ahead and try, see what happens! Here's a hint, BOOM!”

“I have diplomatic immunity, you are a pathetic little nobody, I we are not comparable.”

“Yeah, I've got more than a shiny flat stick to fight with! Imagine that!”

“It is no ordinary blade, it is made for a very specific purpose in mind.”

“Yeah, making you guys look more pathetic next to TBDRLIATU!”

“Oh please, are you really considering that thing to be some kind of impressive weaponry?”

“Excuse me!?”

“Come on, I have robots that can carry a bigger payload and don't need to be carried around by a wad of bubblegum with an ego either.”

“TBDRLIATU has more capabilities than your entire fleet combined!”

“Of course it does, sweetie, and I can also fly by thinking of the color purple really hard.”

“Now now, both of your weaponry are equally pathetic.”

“I'm getting this from someone who still uses CATAPULTS!?”

“Really, if it came down to a fight I don't think either of you would even register compared to me.”

“Will you both shut up and move aside! Real royal matters are being held back by your bickering!”

“No, you shut up and move for someone who needs this weapon to stop cataclysmic events instead of sitting on their tails all day.”

“If you both would step aside, my company is losing more potential money from me standing here for a few seconds than either of you are worth combined.”

“What did you say!?”

“I said...”

The filly grew silent, eyes going strangely wide. Thinking at last her senses had come to her, the Gryphon smiled.

“Oh good, the kindergartner finally shut up, now if you don't mind...”

The earth pony couldn't help but feel a touch of ego stroking pride as the winged creature too grew silent. Last one standing.

“Cat got your tongue, 'your majesty'? Or should I say cat bird got your...”

She heard the thump of a body collapsing to the ground next to her. She expected to see the battered face of that annoying mare from earlier, but instead...

“Will all of you shut up? I am waiting for my order.”

She didn't know how the idiot had managed to fall on himself, but it pissed her off something fierce. Fierce enough to give him a swift kick to the side.

“Damn it, Bonecraker! How'd you get tripped up by that loser!? Get back up already, what am I paying you for!?”

He didn't respond, not even a groan of pain. For a second, even Gwendolyn's irritation faltered.

“I don't think he's going to get back up, Pennyworth.”

Suddenly feeling much more unsure, the mare backed away from the prone body, moving until she stood shoulder to shoulder with the other two.

“Quiet. All three of you bothersome idiots.”

Their mouths dropped open in sync, outraged.

“How... how dare you!”

“Do you have any idea who we are!?”

“We command armies!”

“We have more wealth than you could ever dream!”

“Political influence, important connections!”

“We could destroy you if we felt like it!”

She rolled her eyes at their dramatics, and turned her back on them.

“Is that so. Well, go ahead. Destroy me if it's really so easy.”

“Fine.”

From inside her snazzy business suit, Pennydrop pulled out a long, thin device, and for a second the room flashed red as a beam of light shot forward, ramming hard into the off-guard mares back and sending her forward against the desk with a bright explosion of power.

The mare smiled with pride as she blew out the smoke coming from the tip and slipped the device back into her pocket, idly waving her hoof to clear the smoke that persisted in front of her as well. The two others beside her jumped away, aghast.

“Great heavens!”

“Whoa!”

Instinctively, the Queen pulled her sword free and brandished it.

“What is the matter with you!? Do you have any idea what you've just done!?”

She smiled a chilling smile, the sword before her having less effect than if it had been made of a balloon.

“Now see, I'm not even worried. So I killed that mare, who cares? My lawyers can get me off, say she was threatening me, say she attacked my guy and I just defended myself. Who cares, she was a nobody. I know every important family, and none of them look like that, so guess what? She's wiped out, and nobody will ever care. In fact, I might drag her name through the mud, make her a demon in the public eye, just for fun. Make everyone cry over the fact she ever existed at all. That, you two, is what real power is. The guns, the wealth and the influence is secondary next to the power to write history, and I've got the pen. Now, if you don't mind, kindly sit back down and...”

Her face melted into abject horror as the mare rose from where she had been leaning against the desk, idly rolling her shoulders where the blast had struck her.

“H-how...”

A bored, unaffected eye turned back, narrowing dangerously.

“I'm sorry, did you say something?”

She felt her mouth go dry. Beside her, the other two instinctively brandished their weapons, but could not keep the shock off their faces either.

“Because it sounded like-”

“It's you...”

The tiny, almost inaudible whisper from the suit clad pony stopped her words cold.

“You... you're...”

She could practically see the images flash forth in her eyes.

And something about it, something about the fire in her eyes made her feel something.

Something wonderful.

The three before her flinched hard as a low, roaring cackle rang out, mirth dancing across the other mares eyes.

“Did you really figure it out so quickly?”

Pennydrop swallowed hard, eyes darting all around. To the other two, to the weapons, to the exit, everywhere.

“And you two... have you figured it out as well?”

They did not respond, not verbally at least. But the low growls and hissing of rage spoke more than any words could anyway.

“Well then... I suppose this is unnecessary.”

They all gasped as the flames consumed her, and their fears confirmed in undeniable fact.

Chitania was in their presence.

“Now, isn't that much better?”

A low, red hot hiss escaped from the beak of the Gryphon, her eyes going bloodshot with rage as she struggled to hold herself back.

Likewise, two small pink forelegs gripped tightly around the metal frame of her beloved rocket launcher, a subtle shake of anger with every breath.

And finally, seeming the most collected of the three, Pennydrop continued to look around the room, eyes wide and wild.

Of them, only the fellow Queen stepped forth. Swords held poised between the two.

“You shall pay for what you did, monster.”

With a single nonchalant gesture, she swung her hoof out and shattered the blades, the force so strong it buried shards of metal into the stone wall beyond. Oblivious to the panic on the bird hybrids face as the broken weapons clattered to the ground, the Queen cocked her eyebrow, seemingly curious.

“What was it that I did, again? I don't really remember any of you... hn, nevermind, it probably wasn't important.”

And that was it.

That was all she could take.

The one last thread of sanity that had held her back was snapped like a piece of twine holding back a raging dragon. That one line was enough.

“YOU BIIIIITCH!”

Enough to turn the calm, cool and collected businessmare into a raging bundle.

Pennydrop practically ripped TBDRLIATU right from Diamond Tiara's grasp, and casting her logical mind to the wind she took aim, and pressed the biggest, most dangerous looking button she could find.

*LIMITERS OFF: HOMEWRECKER ENGAGED!*

The chiming voice of the machine was the only warning she would get, that anyone would get, before the braces on the side of the rocket shot open, and the contents within roared to life.

It happened so quickly that even those staring right at it would not have been able to follow it and tell you what occurred. One moment, the rogue changeling stood before them, smiling with a fearless pride.

The next they felt, rather than saw, something pass in front of them.

The next, they again felt, rather than saw, the projectile land it's target.

The final, as they blinked from the smoke it had kicked up, was punctuated by a new feeling upon their skin. The feeling of daylight.

The new hole in the ceiling trailed up the dozen or so feet of earth that separated this underground workshop from the rest of the world, reaching out into the street beyond and letting the sunshine in. But with that lights arrival, something else had made it's exit.

“YOU IDIOT!”

The pink hoof was far, far stronger than it had any right to be as it hooked across Pennydrop's face, nearly cracking a tooth with the force of the blow. The rocket launcher was ripped free from the shocked, shaking mare, back in it's cradling forelegs in seconds. Wanting in on the action, a clawed hand smacked the mare right across her face.

“YOU COULD HAVE KILLED US ALL!”

She finally seemed to snap out of her trance, swinging back to put some distance between them all.

“Well, I didn't, and now you can all thank me... sorry, Tinker, I'll pay for the damages.”

The stallion, who to everyone's surprise remained working on the device in front of him with no care for what had transpired, gave no more than an almost nonchalant grunt, and did nothing more than a quick glance upwards into the new sun roof.

Deciding now was as good a time as any, the businessmare briskly walked over to the shelf, and lifted a parcel from it.

“Well, if you don't mind, I need to go get in contact with my news stations and tell her that the glorious Fawntaine Industries has just ended the menace of-”

“Hey, DT!”

All three turned to the voice, one that echoed down from the hole up above.

“...Silver Spoon?”

The gray filly squinted, just barely able to make her out down below.

“Hey, uh, DT? That thing you shot?... It's uh... it's not dead, whatever it is.”

A bone chilling roar reverberated in the room, shaking them to their core.

“...And it's mad.”

A furious backhand swung across Pennydrop's face, slamming her clear into the opposite wall. Enraged, the Gryphon Queen pressed forward.

“You moron, you MORON! Do you have any idea what you've done!? You've spurred the beast into a frenzy and cast her loose IN A POPULATED CITY! Their lives are now endangered because of your stupidity!”

The mare scoffed, brushing a touch of blood from her split lip free.

“I don't have time for this. Get as far away as you can, I'm ending this here.”

Without any more explanation, she tore off, still clutching the parcel close to her chest.

Deciding that other matters were more important, Gwen strode forward to the shelf behind his desk, picking out a long box from the contents.

“Is my weapon finished?”

The stallion grunted in the affirmative, still focused on his work.

She wasted no time, pulling the contents free from the box and letting the cloth covering it fall away. She held up the blade that had been hidden inside. It was murky, dull colored, very dim. It looked sharp, but that was about it.

“Pfft, seriously, you gryphons and your shiny knives.”

She had no chance to respond to the filly, as she was already racing back out the door and towards the surface, hobbling awkwardly as she loaded in her new rockets as she went.

“Thanks Tinker, money's on the desk!”

She didn't even bother to wait for him to reply, before she was gone.

Alone, Gwendolyn peered upwards into the light, listening to the frenzy and screams of those up above. The sounds so familiar rang in her head, bringing a red to her eyes as the rage came forth. Her wings splayed out, and to no one but the heavens themselves she spoke.

“This is your end, Chitania.”

She meant every word.
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The ponies above were panicking, racing around in total fear as objects were hurled every which way. In her blind rage, she smashed anything that had the unfortunate coincidence of getting too close. Since she was currently in the middle of the street, this translated into a lot of carts.

With vengeance on her tongue, she began to stomp back to the hole in the ground from which she had come, fully intending to go down there and make paste of that mare.

Or that was the initial plan, at least, before a jet propelled rocket landed in her side, launching her through the street and into a building on the opposite side.

This just made her more furious.

“Well, that was sadly ineffective.”

The pink filly just growled, angrily pointing in the opposite direction of the titan.

“YOU! GONE! NOW!”

“DT, you might need my-”

“LOOK OUT!”

She tackled her friend out of the way, just in time to avoid being pasted by a flying couch.

“...Point taken.”

With her friend safely running for her life, Diamond Tiara could at last return her attention to the monstrous mare.

The one that was frighteningly close.

“SHIT!”

In a frenzy she fired off another rocket, one that was easily dodged now that it could be seen coming. It blew a chunk out of the ceiling of the roof beyond, only by sheer luck not exploding until it had gone into the air.

“CRAPCRAPCRAPCRAP!”

Chitania roared and dove, shattering the street as she struck where the filly had just barely rolled away from.

“Impudent, little...”

Going off nothing but instincts and the hum in her ears, the changeling skidded sidewards, just barely avoiding the slice of a blade through the air.

Strips of her hair fell to the ground as the Gryphon Queen skidded to a stop before her, whirling around with blade poised.

“This is the end for you, monster.”

She did not know what that blade could possibly be made of that it would make her think it would be of any use, however... the gryphon was smiling, quite wide at that.

Best to err on the side of caution.

“NO NO NO NO STOP HER BEFORE SHE-”

Too late.

With a roar, the flame kissed the sky, and once more the Titan towered above all.

The gryphon snapped into action, landing hard next to the shocked filly as she readjusted her rocket launcher.

“Get everyone clear! If they don't flee this place will become nothing but a mass tomb!”

“We need to focus on taking her out!”

A frantic claw snapped out, grabbing hold of her smaller shoulder and forcibly turning her face to face with the Queen.

“Her death is secondary to their lives! We must not let her take one more. NOT ONE MORE!”

The panic in her voice told Diamond Tiara that any further argument would be pointless, so reluctantly she relented.

“Fine, whatever crazy lady, I'll draw her attention, warn everyone to start booking it away from the west edge of the city. If we can get her over there, we can keep the damage to a minimum.”

The claw on her shoulder tightened, and her eyes grew heavy.

“It would be better if I went. You are brave, or perhaps just foolish, but regardless one of your age should not be taking such risks.”

She smacked the offending claw off, and with a mechanical whir two small rockets popped out of either side of TBDRLIATU's frame.

“No, it would be better if I went, because unlike you I might actually be fast enough to survive!”

She scoffed, only a little offended.

“I am very swift, despite my age.”

She grinned, feral.

“Not this swift.”

Giving her no time to comment back, the fires came and took her away, sending her soaring through the air on it's jumpjets.

She knew time was of the essence, but the monarch spared one moment to give her an almost proud look.

“Foolish it is...”

The horror below was totally lost on Chitania as she stood in the middle of the broken street. She did not need to stomp over to her prey, it seemed. It was content to fly right up to her.

“HEY! BUG MONSTER! YOU WANT A PIECE OF THIS?”

And, of course, let out a barrage of rockets.

To the fillies surprise, the titans eye's briefly glanced downward, and then she just let every single one of them land square. She wasn't moved in the least.

“Come on, ugly! Or are you blankflanks just hard of hearing too!? Yeah, that's right, you're from an entire race of blankflanks! How do you live with yourself!? You shouldn't, you should kill yourself to spare everyone the embarrassment!”

She knew, fully well, that the little pony was just trying to goad her into charging her, into luring her away to prevent her from killing the ponies beneath her with her mere presence. Normally, she would be insulted the pink one thought her so foolish.

But, seeing as she did not care one whit about those in this city, whether they survived her or not, she decided that at the very least she would indulge her. If nothing else, it would be unique to chase something like this.

With a hum of power, her wings beat hard, and she lifted off the ground.

“...That will never stop being bullshit.”

No more time to be granted to the violation of physics and all they stood for, her rockets hit their peak, and she went upwards into the air.

In no time, she was above cloud cover, hopefully preventing any projectile response.

From Chitania, at least.

Every so often she would pop another rocket off, aimed straight for the mass she could see shifting the clouds beneath her. Every time, she heard a hit. But it would not slow her down.

When the clouds below began to part, her grin grew dark, and wide. Her anticipation burned.

“Come on...”

When they rose up, she could hold it in no longer.

“EAT THIS YOU BUGGY MONSTER!”

*LIMITERS OFF: CASTLE CRUSHER*

Oh, she loved that sound.

She loved even more when it landed square in the rising mass of clouds.

She did not love when it shot right through, parting said clouds and revealing nothing at all beneath, before soaring on through the air and detonating it's massive load somewhere far away.

“Wha...”

“I'm still a changeling, you know.”

She shrieked involuntarily as the monster rose up behind her, a single massive hoof parting every cloud in the sky as it moved. Were it not for her turning her jumpjets to full power, she would have been crushed.

She frantically fired everything she had. Tasers, blades, her new diamond tip rounds, everything she had within his confines.

Chitania either dodged them, or let them hit her without a care.

“You poor fool...”

With a single heft of her hoof, she prepared to end this.

“THIS IS FOR MY SUBJECTS!”

Her gaze flickered up just in time to see a shadowed shape soaring towards her at insane speeds, a blade glimmering dully against the sun poised behind it. The speed was so great, there was no chance she could possibly dodge, or even call her magic in time. At this moment, Gwendolyn felt victory.

Only to have it snatched away by that damned fire.

The blade swung pointlessly over where the beast's head had been not a moment ago. Leaving her vulnerable for a smaller, yet unspeakably powerful hoof to ram hard into her midsection.

Chitania's size may have returned to that of a normal queen, but a callous blow to the side of the gryphons body told her that the power would always remain, regardless. The blade flung free of her claw as she was cast aside, tumbling down through the air in a pained daze. Without even trying, the Queen had obtained victory.

“Heh, foolish little-”

In her moment of gloating, she had made a careless mistake.

A mistake Diamond Tiara was all too happy to show her, via rockets.

The queen's wings could not hold her back as the explosions began, rocketing her down into the derelict west side of the city like a shooting star cast from the heavens. The missile was joined by many, many of it's kin, and shortly it became impossible to tell if the flames came from the massive eruptions of those rockets, or the desperate fire Chitania called to bring herself to a size where she could withstand them.

Above her, the fillies eyes flickered back and forth, from where the enraged Queen had landed... and where the other had been cast away. Which required her attention...

Bitterly, she swallowed.

“I'm too nice sometimes.”

And off she went.

Further away, in the heart of the city, another stumbled across the second one who had fallen in Chitania's fury.

“Huh.”

A curious hoof grabbed the blade that had landed before her, tentatively picking it up. She had seen that gryphon holding it, but couldn't imagine why she thought it was going to be of any... use...

Her nostrils burned when she brought it close, and it clicked.

“Oh, I get it.”

Maybe it could...

~~~~~

The secret hanger beneath Fillydelphia was, to put it bluntly, a little frantic. Scientists and technicians running every which way, trying to avoid rubble as it rained from the unsteady ceiling above them.

Then, just to tell them that of course this day could get worse, their boss showed up.

“GET THIS THING GOING!”

A technician fell into step behind her as they raced towards the 'special' project. The wheedly little pony stumbled after her as she raced up the ramp, pages on his clip board rustling in the wind.

“Madam, it's not fully charged yet!”

She growled, causing him to flinch away.

“Are the weapons operational?”

“Yes but-”

She entered into the hatch, locking it hard behind her.

“And is it loaded up enough to get up there?”

“Yes, but-”

“Then there is no but, and move aside or start praying you can get a good job out on the streets.”

He gulped, knowing she meant every word. Except the 'pray you can get a good job' bit, that was code for 'pray you live long enough to get to the streets'.

They entered into the cockpit, nothing but a crisp chair, one console and a whole lot of nothing else.

“Are you sure...”

Her glare said it all.

No other options, he turned on the intercom and told the other workers to get clear, and he flipped the switch.

Pennydrop loved the feeling of the chair as she slipped into it, loved being surrounded on all sides by the light coming off the floating magical symbols dancing upon the console, loved the look of the bright shining control sticks before her, But most of all...

“Metal Deer Rex, all systems online!”

She loved that.

All of the city paused as the streets began to crumble, especially the enraged, smoking Titan Queen. This was not her doing, she realized, nor the doing of the attack by that damned pink one. No action of those had split the earth. No, instead it was caused by another, but who could possibly...

“What in the hiveminds name...”

From the shattered remains of the street it rose up, a mechanical beast every bit as tall as Chitania herself. Every step of it's massive weight shattered the ground beneath it as it trotted forward, the light glimmering off it's metallic hide. Inside the machines head, unheard to any but herself, the mad laughter reverberated off the metal within.

“Time for you to finally see just how obsolete you are.”

The metal hoof smashed down, nearly crumbling the building next to it just by its sheer presence.

“This is what real power is!”

And yet, the Changeling seemed unmoved.

“A golem? Really? I've faced many a golem, this one just seems a little more shiny than normal.”

Inside, even knowing she could not possibly be heard, she still sputtered out an indignat reply.

“Golem!? You think this technological marvel is a mere construction of magic? Noo, the magic merely powers it's limbs, giving it the movement necessary to take you down! Your 'titan' magic is no match for the powers of technology!”

A dozen compartments along it's side popped open, noses of missiles poking out as if it had grown spines. Altogether, they launched in perfect harmony, arcing up into the air and setting their sights directly on the changeling watching curious below. Curious, but unworried.

Green magic grabbed hold of one of the offending objects, jutting it to the side and into it's fellow missiles. They detonated, exploding harmlessly above her head and doing little more than raining bits of metal down upon her.

“...Freaking telekinesis.”

Undeterred, the mares hoof slammed down on another symbol.

More panels opened up, all along it's legs. From within, tiny disks shot forth, hovering low along the air like saucers, nearly touching the ground as they hummed along. Instinctively, Chitania leapt into the air, to avoid whatever they were supposed to do.

“Gotcha.”

The disks exploded not into fire, but waves of liquid nitrogen that coated every inch of the street. Curious, Chitania landed back down, unsure of what this was supposed to do.

Wheels covered in treads that would be more akin to a tank spun to life, tearing up the street beneath as the forward power propelled it onwards. The blade like horns atop the machines 'head' bent low, and the hollow insides within shook with a loud, maniacal laughter.

“Eat this you oversized insect!”

The ice did its job and it did it well. There was no traction to be had as the machine rammed the titanic beast, shoving her back and sending both of them down the long street.

Body first into a building.

Her cackle reached a fever pitch as the rubble collapsed on the changeling, bouncing off her own metal hide without so much as scratching the paint.

“HAMMER PUNCH, ENGAGE!”

The machine whirred and clicked as it's false hoof swung backwards, mechanical gadgets within burning to life as magic fueled it, and sent that same limb rocketing forward at neck-breaking speeds.

“GAH!”

The entire frame of the mech shook as the blow was stopped dead in it's tracks, caught by a black chitinous hoof that held it back, burning it's internal gears as it struggled to continue on.

“How odd.”

Nothing could have worried her more than the almost confused look on Chitania's face.

“What is the point of obtaining an advantage, only to lose it immediately?”

Pennydrop let out an involuntary scream as her entire mech was lifted off the ground, held aloft by twin black, powerful forlegs. Beneath the titan, rubble crunched underhoof, covering the ice she had sprayed everywhere and giving the beast plenty of traction. The machine was tossed right back where she came, nearly falling into the pit it had originally come from.

It was only a flurry of grappling hooks digging into every building and tearing them apart as they grew taut that she was prevented from falling back in. The cables screeched as they pulled the machine back to it's hooves, tearing the buildings from their foundation and further reducing the surrounding area to rubble.

“YOU THINK I'M DONE THAT EASY!?”

The machine reared back on it's hind legs, the tank-tread-like wheels on the bottom spinning away as it shot the metal titan forward. Chitania met her, easily stopping it in its tracks.

The sound of pistons hissed to life in the confines of it's forelegs, steam shooting out of every corner as they slowly began to pump back and forth, gaining speed until they were nearly a blur.

“STOP THIS THEN!”

The titan stumbled back against the rain of blows, barely able to block the flurry before her, little more than blurs of gray to the eyes.

Despite this, there was no fear in her eyes.

“You fight like a dragon...”

She smiled.

“I like fighting dragons.”

Far too nimbly for one of her size, she dodged the rapid punches, weaving in and out through the rhythmic blows with ease. The synchronized way they shot forward almost made it like child's play, a game really.

A game she ended with a single swing that caved in a portion of Metal Deer Rex's side, and sent the heavy thing off it's grounded hooves and rocketing down the street.

As her roll slowed, the dark look on Pennydrop's face grew even more so. She could no longer hear the frantic workers declaration about systems and damage reports. All she could hear is the roar of her own blood in her veins, and all she could see was a monster. A monster that needed to die.

At any cost.

“Divert all power to the cannon... ALL. POWER.”

She ignored the screams of panic, the horror, the reasons why she shouldn't and activated the red, blinking symbol before her.

From the spine of the great machine, it emerged. A massive cannon with vines of wires reaching out into the frame like veins in a body. It shined with an eerie light, pristine as the day it was forged, never brought out, never used.

Until today.

“THIS ONE IS FOR THE GREAT FAWNTAINE, YOU BITCH!”

The blast was as bright as it was powerful. A sweeping light that raced forward with reckless abandon and consumed everything in it's path, be they building or other structure. The blast arced over the street with such force it tore apart the road with it's mere presence, detonating with a roar and consuming the entire western end of the city in it's embrace of fire and heat, even spreading out slightly into the in tact city beyond.

Just as suddenly as it arrived, came the quiet. There was fire, smoke and devastation in front of the machine... but no sign of the changeling Queen, the air above where she had stood tall and proud now bare.

“Ahaha... Ahah... AHAHAHAHAH! HAHAAHAHAHAHAH! D-DID YOU SEE THAT!? I did it, I DID IT! I defeated Chitania! That fucking monster is DEAD thanks to me! Obsessed? CRAZY!? You just didn't have the vision! You all just didn't see the big picture! Look at me now! The one who stands victorious over the creature that laid Celestia low! Now everyone can see what my real power i-”

The words died on her tongue as green flames licked the air, and Chitania reappeared.

But she did not come from teleportation, rather, she came from the ground below, growing back to full size before the gathered, stunned eyes. Idly, she looked back at the results of the beam that had passed over her head, a curious eyebrow going up, and a low tone to her voice.

“That... was rather impressive.”

Pennydrop did not share her wonder at the spectacle of destruction.

“GET MOVING FOR THE LOVE OF CELESTIA GET MOVING!”

No matter what she pressed, tried to activate or prayed at in desperation, she could not get the mechanical titan to move.

“We can't! That thing drained almost all of our power, we're barely even still online!”

She pulled her control sticks every which way, desperate for any move at all, anything, to happen.

“You idiot, she's coming closer! Eject us! DO SOMETHING!”

“There are no ejection seats! You vetoed that design to put in another line of power for the cannon!”

Her regret became palpable as the titan gazed into her windscreen, allowing Pennydrop to look upon fierce, yet mirthful eyes.

“Is that all? Do you have nothing else to show me?”

“No... nooo...”

“I wonder... what this looks like within.”

“NOOOO!”

To the shared horror of all within, the hooks on the edge of holes in her leg buried themselves into either side of the machine.

And with far too much ease, slowly began to spread apart, ripping the false beast in twain like it was made of paper. From the split hole atop it's head, Chitania could at last see inside, and at the horrified, gaping face of the one at the controls.

“Oh... You were in there the whole time? How impressive. To give someone like you the power to stand against me. I wish I had known, I am used to fighting creatures like this. Oh, dear Titania... I almost miss her.”

“G-get away!”

A fanged smile answered her, coupled with the machine being further peeled apart to prevent the business mare from hiding further within the metal. Her technicians and workers made a dive for it, everyone just scrambling to get as far away as possible. Only Pennydrop could not escape, and remained.

“How amusing, you spoke so highly of your power not a moment ago. Where is your wealth, your influence? How shall you write history now?”

“GET AWAY!”

Frantically, the earth pony tore open any hatch she could find, looking for anything, something to use as a weapon, something to give her just a chance.

“Do you have children? I hope so, I wish to see how your far descendants have changed from this moment, as I did your ancestors before this. Unlike you, I am ageless, grand. I do not need to seek others to write the pages of history, I do it with my very presence.”

Within the the confines of the machine, hidden away for yet another unfinished weapon, she found it. Vials of liquid sparking with a peculiar magic.

“For all your technology, against someone like me you are just as much an ant.”

She knew the horrors of what using this could cause. She knew what pain she might unleash against herself. She knew that to even consider using it was madness. And yet...

“Y-you... youuuu... you're all the same. Ohhh, you think you're so mighty, you think you're so untouchable, you think you're all powerful! Well, I'm not like those stuttering idiots who bow in reverence to some firepower, I figure out what makes it work, and I take it for myself! If you can do it, I can do it! No matter how much power you think you hold...”

In desperation, all care to the dangers she knew of her own creations were cast to the wind, the glass shattered against her hoof.

“I WILL HOLD IT MYSELF SOME DAY!”

Electricity roared around her, engulfing her and arcing out in every direction. With a fierce cry, she jutted forward and launched her attack, strings of light whipping about and connecting with the wide eyed face of the titan before her. The energy gathered upon her nose, and with one last push the bundled energy exploded.

For a moment, she just caught her breath, watching the smoke billowing out from the spot where the Titan's face had been.

Only to have that very breath leave her as a simple puff from the monsters nose dispelled it all, leaving an untouched face beneath. And yet, her eyes were still every bit as wide, and glimmering.

“Amazing.”

“W-wha...”

Green magic grabbed hold of another of the vials, lifting it up before her massive face. Her eyes trailed over it's contents, and the shimmering liquid within, breathless.

“You have no magic, and yet... this thing granted it to you? That is... amazing. The possibilities of such...”

“T-...that's right! That's what I'm going to do to make your whole race obsolete! Yeah, that's right, I'm going to use it to take not just unicorn powers, but yours as well! Soon... everyone will be a 'titan'! And guess what? Even if you kill me, you can't stop it! I have others working around the clock to bring this to bare! You are on your last legs, you worthless 'queen'!”

Her threats seemed not to reach her, but the final line clicked none the less.

“You could grant my Titan magic to others, even those that could not possibly master it themselves...”

It was impossible for her, or any others to see, but her eyes grew just a touch softer, more... regretful.

“The future is a wondrous place. What a shame... it had to be so far away.”

A vial smashed against the titans chitin, liquid pouring into every hole. To her surprise, nothing happened.

“Damn, hoped it was multi-species...”

“Are you listening to me, you stupid bug monster!?”

She rolled her eyes, carefully slipping the last vials into the holes in her legs.

“No, I wasn't.”

“Well, you'd better, because-”

No more words could escape her horrified gape as the massive monster cocked her hoof back, and glared.

“You are boring me.”

She screamed with everything she had as the hoof swung forward.

Only to have the ability to scream at all be taken as the air left her lungs in a single, painful blow.

Although, in this hazy moment of pain and horror as the world became a blur and the sounds of screeching, twisted metal filled her ears, some part of her brain acknowledged it wasn't as bad as it seemed.

For instance, she could still be in that twisted wreck, instead of being carried out of it by a rocket launcher quite painfully shoving her by the stomach.

Although the landing she got, which is to say a sudden stop that sent her tumbling through the wrecked streets, could have been better. Despite all that, the moment the fact she yet lived sunk in, she could only utter a single word.

“Huh....”

“DON'T THINK HE'S INFERIOR NOW, DO YOU!?”

While some petty, bitter part of her wished she could do something to wipe that smug, cocky smirk off the fillies face, she realized in the long run she probably shouldn't.

“I... stand corrected.”

“Good. Any chance you've got another one of those giants?”

Bitterly, she looked away.

“No, that was the only one.”

“You only built one, and you didn't even put a reserve power unit on it!?”

“Well, where was I supposed to put that!?”

The filly rolled her eyes, and spoke slowly as if she was talking to a four year old.

“In the tail!”

“...Huh.”

“And don't even get me started on the-ACK!”

The moment she had seen the monster approaching them, she had grabbed hold of Pennydrop and activated his rockets once more.

“AND WE ARE OU-”

They felt the green magic engulf them before they saw it, shortly found themsleves dangling helplessly in the air, her flaring rockets useless.

“This... this is bad.”

They were floated before her, so close to her massive maw that they all felt the hot breath roll from her nostrils.

The Titan breath deep, as if she was smelling them, and let out a series of low, dark laughter. They felt that breath pass over them again, a dank, foul smell coming from her lips. Even just from the breath alone, they both felt dirty.

“Did you really think I was going to let you just fly away?”

Diamond Tiara struggled to move her rocket launcher, but to no avail.

“Kind of hoped you would.”

This did not stop her from smiling.

“But I was prepared.”

From the back of her beloved TBDRLIATU, a single missile shot forth. It collided with the Titan's nose, but rather than an explosion of fire...

“GAH!”

The magical grip left them as the massive changeling frantically swatted at her face, desperate to break the ice that had formed around it. Just that alone gave her flashbacks...

“AND WE ARE OUT OF HERE-....”

Her jump jets picked that moment, that instant when they were falling, to suddenly run out of fuel.

“Shoot.”

“AHHHHH!”

What looked to be a swift, painful splat upon the ground was, thankfully, interrupted by a far swifter individual.

“I told you my age was of no consequence.”

Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes, but did not argue as she returned the gryphons grip.

“Now, we need to-”

A burst of fire exploded above them all, sending the queen and her two passengers into a tail spin. They landed hard, just barely able to keep themselves from being skewered in the rubble. Frantic, they huddled close to each other, and started screaming.

“GET BACK IN THE AIR WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!”

“We can't just run! She will shoot me from the sky again!”

“You got a better idea!? TBDRLIATU is almost out of ammo!”

“We need to get her somewhere with a lot of explosives and detonate them!”

“You shut up, you wrecked half the city with your last plan!”

“In exchange for possibly taking out someone who wrecked multiple cities!

“We don't even know if everyone was evacuated!”

“I'LL SEND FLOWERS!”

“LOOK OUT!”

The ground split as if an earthquake had stuck in that singular spot, sending the trio soaring through the air as the force rocketed them in every direction. In the haze of pain, they could just barely see the flicker of green fire.

Then, to all of their surprised, the thunderous hoofsteps stopped. Replaced instead by quieter, yet still somehow every bit as hard, steps.

“What an amazing contraption... it will take me a while to figure out how it works.”

Diamond Tiara's forelegs suddenly felt as cold as her blood as she realized she was suddenly a lot... lighter than she had been a second ago.

It practically became ice when her vision cleared enough to see Chitania, no longer titanic sized, put TBDRLIATU on her back.

“N-nooo... NOOO! YOU PUT HIM DOWN! YOU PUT HIM DOWN RIGHT NOW!”

The titan paid no mind to the tiny rocks she ineffectually threw at her, far too amused to do anything at all but watch the red faced, screeching little thing.

“And what if I don't?”

“I'LL...I-i'll.. I'LL GET MY FRIENDS! AND THEY'LL GET THE WHOLE ARMY! AND... And then we'll... WE'LL BLOW YOU UP! I'LL BLOW UP THIS WHOLE CITY! EVERYTHING! EVERYTHING IF YOU DON'T PUT HIM DOWN RIGHT THIS SECOND!”

She tried to hide them, of course, but the titan could easily see the tears prickling at the corners of her eyes.

“Oh? And what if I just break him instead? Would that be better?”

“NOOO! NO NO NO! NO!”

“Good, then I'll...”

The world went quiet.

Except for a tiny little 'tink!'

Slowly, Chitania's head rolled to the side, eyes darting to the sword that rested against her neck. The blade, strong as it was, did not even scratch the chitin. Still, even from here, she could smell it's true intention.

“...Oh, it was poisoned. I see now.”

Her eyes trailed down and down, to the one holding the sword in a shaking grip as she futility pressed harder down, desperate to cut through her hide.

“And as for you...”

Never, in her life, has Silver Spoon felt such fear as when she felt herself lifted before the massive Queen.

“You offer nothing to me, no new wonders. As such, I-”

“PUT HER DOOOOWWWNNNNN!”

Her ears stung a bit from the shriek, not so much from the sharp pipe that bounced off her harmlessly.

“PUT HER DOWN PUT HER DOWNPUTHERDOWNPUTHERDOWNPUTHERDOWNNNNN!”

The filly worked herself into a frenzy, shrieking at the top of her lungs and screaming so loud she could barely breath. She tossed anything she could find. Every single solid object was hurled at the insulted changeling.

“No.”

Silver Spoon's eyes went wide as she felt the magic start to constrict.

In that moment, Diamond Tiara's world stopped, and she knew there was no other option.

Her mouth suddenly felt dry, and each word that passed her lips felt like sandpaper trailing along her tongue.

“Protocol engage... “

Her eyes shut, and her voice lowered to a rasp.

“IWGDWTYAWU.”

Her words, to any other, sounded like a strange gurgling, but it seemed that the machine, at least, understood.

The confusion on the face of the mighty queen had no time to take hold before the heavy metal upon her back suddenly felt very... hot.

“Sorry, sexy...”

It was rare that Chitania felt pain, honest, real pain.

But when that rocket launcher detonated upon her back, there was nothing else she could use to describe it.

She dropped the gray filly as the flames poured along her backs and the roar of the explosion rang in her ears, every unfired piece of equipment detonating all at once. Even her body, as strong as it was, shook from that blow.

She did not fall, oh no, but there was no question the Titan felt that one.

She growled low as the flames subsided, but the hurt remained. The once proud rocket launcher clanged to the ground somewhere behind her, a massive hole now ballooned out from it's charred and bent center, like a can that had a firecracker stuffed inside of it.

Burning eyes turned to the scrambling gray filly as she slipped behind her pink friend. What she thought she could possibly do, Chitania had not the faintest idea. All she knew is that it wouldn't work.

A fireball shot forwards, landing just in front of the pair. It lifted them off their hooves and singed their coats, but it was merely a taste.

“You will pay for that.”

A body moved between her and them in the blink of an eye, cutting her off from the two small ponies. The Queen of all Gryphons crouched low, claws poised out in front of her in a vague martial arts stance. Angrily, the Changeling Queen locked eyes with her.

“Are you offering to take their place?”

“If you wish one more, you will have to go through me-”

“Offer accepted.”

She squawked in pain as a fireball shot her right in the chest, rocketing her backwards into the young ones she had stood before and charring her chest feathers. But despite the pain she undoubtedly caused, the gryphon yet lived.

“That should be fair enough.”

To the stunned gaze of all present, she turned, engulfed herself in her flames to reach her full size, and started to walk away.

“I hope the next showing is more impressive than this.”

“Y-you...”

The monarch lurched forward, claws digging into her chest to stem the pain.

“FINE! LEAVE, FOR NOW! But know this... For those you took, for the lives you ended, I shall hunt you, I shall capture you... and I shall kill you.”

To their collective horror, the creature slowed, and stopped.

“What were their names?”

Speechless, Gwendolyn could only stare.

An irritated eye peered backwards, staring down at her with contempt.

“They can't have been that important if you do not remember their names.”

Indignant, she puffed out her chest and stood on unsteady claws, helped by the ponies at her side.

“Einion, Gwawr, Islwyn, Mabyn, Culhwch... Pryderi.”

She turned away, continuing her stride.

“If it will make you feel better, I will try to remember their names. To at least have a recollection why your kin are still killing themselves attempting to face me centuries from now. I wish I could exchange the names of my hive you killed, but you gryphons never managed such with me.”

Uncaring to the further rage she spawned, she paused again, an unsettling smile crossing her face.

“Hnn... I suppose I could at least give you that...”

She turned back one last time, still walking away.

“Her name was Caelifera. The only Queen ever felled by a gryphon. I do not know if I give you false hope with this, but it did happen once, I saw it myself. Caelifera... remember the name, all of you, and let it give you the prayer for victory. Build, build as much as you can. Make more wonders... see how well they fare against me. I cannot wait to see what you create next.”

They all stuck close as the massive body shrank as it walked out into the distance, never tearing their eyes away until at last she was out of their sight, and they could no longer feel the shake of the earth with every step.

Then, only then, did they let themselves drop from their ready stances, and slump in exhaustion.

“...We won.”

Three separate, gob smacked heads turned on the businessmare as she adjusted her torn and ripped suit, apparently trying to make herself look presentable.

“What? She destroyed Canterlot completely when she attacked that, but this time we managed to keep it to just a portion of the city. Not to mention...”

She smiled, honestly smiled, as more thoughts filled her head.

“The prototype was doing splendidly. Metal Deer Rex 3.0 didn't win, but we gained such valuable information here. With this, we've made huge strides into creating a machine that will utterly destroy her.”

She calmly reached into her pockets, and pulled out something from within.

“You know, we made a pretty good team today. I certainly appreciated all of the help.”

Smoothly, she tossed business cards to all three.

“Why don't we set up lunch sometime? I bet all of us could figure out something really impressive, together.”

She cast a particularly meaningful glance at Diamond Tiara, giving her a respectful nod.

“Well, this has been enlightening, but I really must be off. Have your guys call my guys, we'll set something up!”

She was almost cheerful as she walked off, managing to look composed despite stumbling every other step in the rubble and looking as if she might collapse at any given moment. Still, she managed to make it out of sight, if nothing else.

While much of Gwendolyn would like to crumple that piece of paper she had been granted. A part of her had to admit... maybe it would not be so bad to hold on to it, just for consideration. Just for that. However, her disdain for the attitude of that mare would have to wait. Another demanded her attention.

“You did quite well today, I wish you to know. Your actions were beyond your age.”

She was almost proud of the little filly. Idly, she somewhat wished all of her children had that fire, that burning drive. To face such odds..

“And I wish for you to know that... that...”

Her chest, and head, suddenly felt quite... heavy.

“That you did v-... addmil...”

She had no time to consider that her words would not come out right as the world suddenly went dark.

“Saved...”

The other two watched as she collapsed, the damage too great for her aged body to hold against any longer.

Diamond Tiara had to be swift to catch her... for a given value of 'catch' for someone three times her size, anyway. But she managed to prevent her from hurting herself any more, at the very least.

With her set down in what could be called 'the least shard filled patch of mostly unbroken road', Diamond Tiara could, at last, turn to her friend.

The friend who, at that moment, had rushed over through all of the dangerous rubble and wreckage for... him.

She sadly brought him back over to her, the remains merely a shell of his once greatness. So little, if anything, looked salvageable.

“I...It's all my fault.”

The filly ripped the broken weapon from her hooves, head bent low as she cradled him in her embrace, subtle shakes rippling down her body as she trailed a hoof over the still smoking, burnt hole that blossomed out from his frame.

In her whole life, Silver Spoon had never felt more worthless.

“I... I'm sorry...”

She kept her eyes cast downward, not looking up at her gray companion.

“I'm so sorry, I just... I wanted to help, I wanted to be useful. A-and she was going to take your... he meant so much to you, and I just-”

She heard the clang of metal when the broken weapon hit the ground first, but before she could react a pink hoof struck her across the side of the head, hard enough to knock her down. In the next moment, Diamond Tiara was upon her, pinning her down and just swinging away with blow after blow to the side of her head. The other filly was weak, obviously too weak to really hurt her, almost certainly too weak to keep her pinned if Silver Spoon really wanted, but she was too gobsmacked, too horrified that her friend would do this to even think about fighting back.

“Y-you st-stu-... you Idi-... You.... yooouuu...”

The drops of water on her coat was the first warning.

And it was the only one she would get before two weak hooves wrapped around her neck, and pulled her in with what little strength she could muster.

“You dummy! You nincompoop! You dumdum! You dingaling! You dodobraineddunderheadedDOOFUSNINNYWHOALMOSTGOTHERSELFKILLED!”

She shook with every breath, holding her tightly as she choked out more incomprehensible, nonsense gibberish. She got quieter, and quieter, until she was barely audible at all.

“I'm so sorry...”

Her friend didn't respond, and it was there that Silver Spoon realized she could no longer hear her.

“DT?”

Still no response, just the steady, shuddering breathing on top of her, and the continued drops of water against her shoulder and back.

“...Diamond Tiara?”

It didn't take her long to put together she had lost consciousness, the strain of the battle and her wounds simply too much to bare.

“...I'm sorry...”

She was alone now, the only one still awake, simply waiting for someone to come and help them. And she would. She would wait right here, every second, and help them every second afterwards.

It was what she could do.

...It was all she could do.

"...I hope it's enough..."
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

EPILOGUE!
~~~~~~

It was only an hour later when the door to Tinkertrot's shop opened once more. The stallion was still sitting at his chair, still working.

“Is it finished yet?”

His eyes flickered up, honestly surprised.

To herself, Chitania just smiled, knowing full well this would be the absolute last place any would possibly look. One of the joys of a good exit, nobody expects you to turn around.

“...ten minutes.”

She nodded, patiently waiting. To her surprise, she noticed the stallion from earlier propped against the wall, still breathing, if unconcious.

“Thank's fer' not crushin' mah' shop.”

No verbal answer need be said. Instead, she placed a bag of bits on the counter, and continued to wait.

To herself, Chitania took a deep, powerful breath through her nose, a wicked smirk crossing her face after.

“So, they're that way...”

It was a pity so many Queens were terrified of Sciderella, she had such... useful techniques. But, she supposed appearances were everything.

Such as appearing arrogant for letting your opponents live.

The wonders they made could bring in such possibilities. They created such wonderful weapons. But the best part of a weapon is...

Any can wield them, so long as they have the drive to master it.

In time, these wondrous machines would give her the edge she needed, the final push to locate and destroy they gods that lied beyond. This, she realized, is what she had been searching for. All she needed now was time.

And time was one thing she had. None would find her, not before it was too late.

At least... that's what she thought.

If she had been a better infiltrator, perhaps she would have seen the thing tailing her since she left the city, perhaps she would have noticed she was being followed even now.

But she did not.

Even now, as she waited, so to did her pursuers.

The green eyes dim in the shadows... and the pair next to it that glowed softly with light. Waiting...

For the story they would tell.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

>AJ
"Celestia"
'Spike'
~~~

>...Boorrred...

"Mmmhmm..."

>...Nothin' but paperwork.

"Paperwork and more paperwork..."

>...Boorin'...

"This chair is making my plot hurt."

>...
"..."

>...Bored...

'...bum bum bum...'

>...

'...Ooga-Chaka Ooga-Ooga Ooga-Chaka Ooga-Ooga'

"I can't stop this feeling!"

>Deep inside o' me.

'Ooga-Chaka Ooga-Ooga-Chaka'

"Papers you just don't know, what you do to me."

'Ooga-Chaka Ooga-Ooga Ooga-Chaka Ooga-Chaka Ooga-Ooga-Chaka'

>When ya' come here, makin mah' head feel light. Ya' let me know, nothin' is ever right!

>"'AHHHHHHHH! I'm hooked on a feeling!"

"I'm high on believing!"

>Yer' drivin me crazyyyyyyyy-

*SLAM!*

[MAJESTY! CHITANIA HAS BEEN SPOTTED IN FILLYDELPHIA AND IS ATTACKING THE CITY!]

>...
'...'
"...Damn it, mother, my singing isn't that bad."
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

>SA
"Chrysalis"
'Cadence'
~~~~

"You know, most guys complain when their wives drag them cloths shopping."

>That is a hurtful stereotype perpetuated by marketing. Most stallions, in fact, love spending time with their wives. It's why we get married in the first place."

"Really? Never seen a stallion smile in this place. They're always dead inside."

>Just because it's a little boring while waiting for her to decide on a piece of clothing doesn't mean it's all bad. There are downtimes between any sport too, it's not like we're dying inside when that happens.

"That one over there fell asleep."

>He must be tired.

"That one is chewing his own leg."

>Must be itchy.

"That one is considering jumping out the window."

>He is just admiring the view.

"...There he goes."

>He clearly wanted a better look.

"...How much longer till she reaches the lingerie section?"

>Just one more row. Just. ONE. MORE.

'Okay, Shiny! I got the ones I wanted!'

>Yay...

*SLAM!*

{YOUR HIGHNESS! MAJESTY! THE BEAST CHITANIA HAS STRUCK FILLYDELPHIA! THE ENTIRE WESTERN END IS JUST GONE AND THE CREATURE HAS DISAPPEARED AGAIN!}

'OH NO! We've got to get over there!'

>...

"You look like you're about to cr-"

>GRRAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

"Oh, okay, rage screaming is acceptable."

>AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

>Fleetfoot
"Dash"
'Spitfire'
[Soarin']
~~~~~

>So, just to double check, she vanished.

"It's not double checking when you've been asking EVERY TWO MINUTES SINCE WE STARTED FLYING AN HOUR AGO!"

>But that's a yes, right? She's gone, did her thing and left.

"HER THING IS SMASHING CITIES!"

>Right, but she's not doing that right now, because she's gone.

"WILL YOU SHUT UP!"

'We'll see if she's gone or not when we get there in a few minutes.'

>...But she's probably gone.

[FLEETFOOT!]

>Well I'm sorry! I'M SORRY I'M AFRAID OF THE MASSIVE FUCKING MONSTER WHO COULD KILL ME BY STARING AT ME PARTICULARLY HARD AND COULD ALSO *EAT* THE FUCKING LOVE OUT OF ME UNTIL I DIE! I'M SORRY THIS WORRIES ME!

'It worries ALL of us, but you don't have to say it.'

>Why didn't we bring the newbies!? I would have felt better with the newbies around!

"That better not mean what I think it means."

[They're not here because Bulk isn't very good at hard maneuvers, Lightning Dust is needed to be there to come get us if something shows up in Canterlot, and Gilda lost her cookies last time and we are being cautious with this.]

>I'm just saying, I...

"...Sweet rainbooms in the sky..."

They hovered in the air over the city, watching the smoke billow into the air from the wreckage and devastation below.

>...I-is... is that...

"What's the matter?"

>There's... it's not just smashed. It looks like she... exploded that entire chunk of the city.

[There's ice down there... ice..]

'...Fleetfoot? You okay?'

>HOLYFUCKSHECANSHOOT*ICE*NOW!? ANDBLOWUPCITIES!? AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

"SPITFIRE! Help her get a hold of herself!"

'...Thinking about joining her, actually.'

>AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

[On the positive side, she's gone... or might not be, she is a changeling.]

>...
'...'
"...Soarin', why."

[...Because someone had to say it.]

>AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

>29
"MM"
'Trixie'
[Zecora]
~~~

>Heavens above, nothing has happened in a gnats age.

"Been pretty boring, yeah."

'The GREAT and POWERFUL shows have been put on hold, even.'

[...Well, if someone is willing to get the snack, I suppose we could all head to my shack.]

"...Meh, sure."

'Sounds like a plan!'

>Verily! We must partake in the wonders, of CANDYLAND!

'...'

>...I really like Candyland.

"He does, it's weird. His only other favorite game is twister."

>That is more her favored than mine, though.

'So we're all going to Zecora's shack to get high and play candyland?'

"TRIXIE! We are not 'getting high', we are relaxing with completely legal substances!"

'...'

"...Aside from that, yes."

[It's not like anything else is happening today. Come, friends, let us dally away!]

'I feel like today is going to be really chill.'

>For suth! This is good, I feel good about this.

"..."
'...'
[...]

>The fact we all just shuddered means nothing, NOTHING!
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

>32
"High Roller"
'Chrysalis'
-Q-

"So...how about that weather?"

>...

"Yep, it sure is...how is the weather up there? I...I'd like to see weather again...they haven't forgotten they told me to stay down here, have they?"

>...

"I sure hope not, y'know. As much as we've hit it off, I'd prefer you'd just get your rock back and I can go bang my the old gee-eff, yanno?"

'Well then you're in luck.'

"HOLY HELL!"

>...

'And the Royal Guard continues their sterling record of competence.'

"Faust above, uhm, uh...are...are you supposed to be down here?"

'You say that like I care where or where not I'm 'allowed' to go. Why don't you run along and let me speak to the traitor here.'

"Actually I can't."

'...'

>...

"Yeah, no, I'm supposed to stand here until I grt the all clear from...Commander? Leuitenant? Uh...the hell is Spike's rank, exactly?"

'Leave. Now. Before I castrate you.'

"Kinky, but here's the thing, you're telling me to do a thing, my higher ups told me to do another. Only one of these two can shitcan me if I don't do what they say."

'And only one can reduce you to a bloody smear on the ground.'

"...bullshit."

'Excuse me?'

"Yeah, no, you got like, what, how much invested in keeping up good relations? Trying to spend a night in Shining's Armor, playing crazy games with Princess Celestia, and that's discounting the roof over your...kids?"

'...'

"Not kids, but yeah. You gonna throw that away for ME? I mean I'm flattered, but-"

>Go.

"...now if I can't do it when she asks, how in the hell can I if you-"

>Please.

"...fine."

High Roller walks away down the corridor, leaving the two changelings.

'So, here we are at last. You're probably wondering what I'm doing down here.'

>...

'Ooh, back to the silent treatment, eh?'

>...

'What, did the stuffed animals take your tongue? Aw screw it, look what I got~!'

Chrysalis holds up her hoof, containing one little crystal golem.

-*tink*-

32 stirs a bit in his bed.

'Ooh, don't like that, huh? Found this little thing hiding out in one of your monster's bags, seems it'd been giving everyone else in the castle the slip all day long. Of course, telekinesis, duh, I nabbed it and calmly explained how since you're still one of MY subjects, I'll decide the fare of your little crystal critter.'

>...Q.

'Oh he speaks again, elaborate.'

>Her name is Q.

'Congratulations, that may be the single dumbest name anyone ever gave anything. Now, you little scumbag, we're going to play a little game, I'm going to ask a question and if I don't like the answer I may just smash your little rock here against the wall. Be careful, I'm not exactly in the best of moods right now.'

>...

'How did you get this?'

>The little one gave her to me.

'Two. Duh, figures. Don't worry, I think after the security measures 42 wants put in place are approved, you'll be seeing much less of her. Question two, how often did you use this thing.'

>For what purpose.

'You know what purpose.'

>Never.

A green hue surrounded the crystal's form, levitating it.

>NEVER.

'...very well. Question three, what is this thing to you if it's not a tool?'

>...

'Don't think for a second I won't shatter it all over this dungeon-...'

>...

'You got something on your head.'

>Reggie.

'...named a rock and a roach.'

>They're my friends.

'If they're you're friends, then why are you going to lie there and let me destroy this one.'

>I'm used to it.

'...go fuck yourself. Just...go fuck yourself you arrogant worm. You want to call yourself the victim here? Fine. But I did NOT mean for the cave in to happen, I did NOT know what a shit hole it was under that mountain, and I sure as HELL didn't shove your dumbass friend into Chitania's stomach! That was your idea and you know it, and you deserve everything you get for trying to murder me, BADLY!'

>...how long?

'What?'

>If I demanded my release from Princess Sparkle, thusly putting myself back in your custody, how long would my execution last? A quick beheading? A slow evisceration? A drowning? Death by giant rock? Drawn and quartered? Perhaps breaking my limbs and dying of infection?

'Why bring this up now?'

>Because I want to do the right thing.

The glassy look in his eyes was...somewhat unnerving.

'...I'd tell her not accept it.'

>What?

A smirk slowly grew across her face.

'No, you see, in the heat of the moment I had the entire hive around me wanting to see what would happen. I had to make an example of the psychopath that tried to betray us all. But look at yourself now, decrepit, scarred, showing your age, if I were to trot you out and put an end to you now, it wouldn't do me any sort of favor in the long run. You want to know how long your execution is going to last?'

She pressed her face close to the bars.

'As long as it takes for you to shrivel up and die in that cell. You get no last words, no final shot at glory, you die like you deserve to, old, decrepit, and forgotten. Now take your damn rock-'

With a flick of the changeling Queen's horn, Q sailed into the cell, clattering on the ground and immediately tended to by Reggie.

'-and have a nice life. Goodbye, 32, forever.'

Chrysalis turns tail and walks away, shortly replaced by High Roller.

"Wow...your mom's a bitch."

>...

-*Tink*!-

A small pebble smacks High Roller on the forehead.

"Ow! What'd I do!?"
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

>Pinkie
"Cheese"
~~~~

>...Uh, Cheesy?

"Yep."

>...Don't... don't think Fillydelphia is the best place to expand our business right now.

"...Gonna agree, Ponka, gonna agree."

>...That building is on fire.

"Kind of cool, isn't it?"

>Little bit.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

>77
"Cheerliee"
~~~~

>This place is nice.

He was underselling it, of course. The restaurant in Canterlot he was in was, by far, the fanciest establishment he had ever eaten at, and he was considering adding the Gala to that list, even though he technically hadn't dined there. In fact, he very much doubted that under any other circumstances he would ever be allowed to stand outside the front door, let alone come in.

But for all the lack of control she seemed to have outside of the ballroom, his Queen still held quite the influence, it seemed. Being seen so often with their princess had apparently been enough for them to consider her an individual worthy of a reservation.

"It is... so, what was the excuse she gave you again?"

He couldn't help but chuckle at that, knowing full well what she meant.

>She said "I said *I* could beat her with nothing but a box and some paint, but techncially Two won the competition." Allegedly, this was to prevent a loophole from being used in the future.

"Ahhh... can't she just say "Here, I'm doing this because you deserve it"? It would be so much easier."

>You know she can't. Her majesty must always have an air that she cares for her hive as a whole, and never a specific individual. And of course, she can't say she loves any one of us.

"Pffft."

>It's just my culture.

"Your culture is silly."

>My, how insensitive!

"Oh stop, you think us having parades is ridiculous."

>What is the purpose of driving giant things down a street!? WHY!?

"They're fun."

>LIES!

"No, really, you should join next time. You and the gun club can have your own float, a giant bomb with guns and knives taped to it."

>HA! As if, Diamond Tiara would insist we made it a giant rocket launcher. To honor her 'sexy'.

"It is so creepy she calls that thing sexy."

>...

"No, stop that, I don't care if I see things rip their skins off every other day, that is still creepy."

>I wasn't disagreeing.

"Wish her father would do something."

>Nothing much he could do, I'm afraid. You can't stop someone like her.

"He could at least try. I saw her get on a train today, completely unsupervised."

>She is picking up parts for tablesndo.

"See? Even you're accepting of it."

>I understand the desire to be prepared, love. Especially after...

"Sorry..."

>No no, it's fine. It doesn't hurt so much when I think about it anymore. I have made a lot of friends up here, and I have faced a lot of horrible things. So long as I am around to fight with them, I do not fear it quite so much anymore.

"You're past it?"

>I'll never be 'past' what went down there. You never are, I'm told. It is merely something I must move on with.

She nodded, but clearly was still concerned.

>Poppet will be fine, she is a lot more clever than any know, and certainly is sane enough to...

Confused at his sudden stop, Cheerliee followed his line of sight behind her, over her shoulder. A guard was running towards them at full speeds, a panicked look on his face.

He stopped next to the battle-worn changeling, frantically whispering something in his ear. The changeling's eyes grew wide with every word, and not even waiting for the guard to finish he got out of his chair.

>I have to go.

That was the only words she got before he tore away, outright flying to the door so he did not even have to slow down avoiding the tables.

Confused and worried, the teacher turned to the guard.

"What..."

A short conflict of whether he should tell her was quickly ended by a hard glare.

He whispered to her as well, and at once she understood.

"Did you say... Fillydelphia?"
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

>42
"18"
~~~
*SLAM!*

>STAY IN THIS OFFICE!

*SLAM!*

"... Uh... wha......... what the fuck was-"

*SLAM!*

>I'M SORRY BUT THERE'S NO TIME TO EXPLAIN GUARDS ARE OUT FRONT!

*SLAM!*

"...Wha... what's..."

*SLAM!*

>I SWEAR I WILL TELL YOU EVERYTHING LATER JUST STAY IN THIS OFFICE!

*SLAM!*

".............I am so confused."

*SLAM!*

>OKAY THE TRAIN ISN'T HERE YET SO I CAN TELL YOU THAT-WHOOPSNEVERMINDTHEREITISGOTTOGO!

*SLAM!*

...

....

...

"...Okay then."

*SLAM!*

>CHITANIAWRECKEDFILLYDELPHIABYE!

*SLAM!*

"...Did she just say..."

*CREEEEAK!*
*THUMP!*

"MY DOOR!"

>SOORRRRRrrrrrrryyyyyyyyy....
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

>OO7
"Jetset"
~~

>Fillydelphia?

"Indeed. Seems she just recently went on another rampage."

>I mean, just... why fillydelphia?

"Maybe she just wanted to ensure the Fillydelphia Steeds didn't beat the Coltsburg Brown Buffalo again."

>...

"..."

>...Did... did you just make a joke? A... a HOBBY related joke?

"...No on will ever believe you."

*TELEPORT!*
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

>Celestia
"AJ"
'Spike'
[Twilight]
{Mayor}
~???~
~~~~

>This is horrible...

The three of them flew in a solid group, Spike riding on Twilight as usual, all tightly together as they surveyed the destruction down below.

"Ah' hate ta' say it, but Ah'm actually surprised she only wrecked that part over there."

'That does seem a little off, doesn't it? There's obviously some broken buildings in the center, but then just nothing all around. Why reveal herself in the middle of a city and just content yourself with ashing one part?'

Between them, the mind within the lavender unicorn was spinning away.

[This isn't adding up... we need more information.]

>Well, we're about to get it.

They all landed hard in the center of the city, right where the destruction began. Some, however, landed harder than others.

'You okay, Applejack?'

The mare offered no comment as she pried herself out of the cart she had landed in, offhandedly brushing a squashed melon from her hair.

"Dang landings..."

{YOUR MAJESTIES!}

The mayor of the city rushed up to meet them, shaking with terror even now.

{IT'S HORRIBLE! OH! IT'S HORRRIBLE! OH PRINCESS CELESTIA IT'S HORRIBLE!}

>Calm yourself, we are here now.

Just that soothing, motherly voice was enough to make him do as she asked, if only slightly.

>I am glad to see you are alright, but I need to know the full extent of the damages.

{The parts she attacked are-}

>No.

Her gaze softened, and her shoulders felt heavy.

>The damage to... your citizens.

{Oh, oh I see... I believe it was fifty six, last I was told.}

All four winced painfully, the breath leaving Twilight's lungs in sync with the burning hot rage that filled Spike's.

"She killed fifty six..."

He snapped to the side, eyes wide with embarrassment.

{Oh no! No no no no! Fifty six sustained injuries, none of them critical as far as I know. Most were hit by shrapnel or when that thing was tossing carts about, a couple were hit by debris, and at least three were burned by the aftermath of that blast that wiped out the west side. None are reported dead... not yet.}

Although this news lifted her heavy heart, Celestia could not fully believe it.

>Impossible... she was right here, in the center of town.

"And those buildin's over there are just GONE! How'd ya' manage not ta' get squished!?"

{The west side has been abandoned since her last attack, majesty.}

>What... but I gave to you the funding to have their homes fixed months ago! You should have at least repaired it somewhat.

His eyes twitched ever so slightly. Not enough to tell anything, but it was there.

{I, ah... instead diverted a large portion of those funds to the... evacuation planning. Yes, you see, I was more worried she would return than fixing a few businesses. We were planning to get to building them eventually, but at the moment we only cared about getting a plan in place.}

>Well... I suppose.

She really wanted to argue with him that rebuilding lives was more important than living in fear, however... perhaps this wasn't the best time to make this argument.

[That still doesn't explain how she could have possibly managed to walk from here to there with so little destruction.]

{Well, she didn't walk. She, uh... flew.}

Everyone noticed him suddenly becoming very, very uncomfortable looking.

'Why.'

There was a hardness to his voice, one that told the poor mayor that this silence was not going to fly.

{Majesty, she was chasing something...}

He turned to Spike, hooves still nervously rubbing together.

{Your comrade, the one in your team, she was here, and... well, she... she lured her away. She managed to get her over there and...}

He took a deep breath, steeling himself.

{That's why I said none were reported dead... yet. We... we haven't found her. She was last seen going over there, but there was no sign of her when the beast left. There were a great many explosions, so we're not sure if...}

Spike's arms fell limp on his sides, eyes going wide as the implications sunk in. Beside him, Twilight's hoof shot up to her mouth, covering it while her free one wrapped around his shoulders.

{Her bravery saved many lives, you should be...}

He let out a sad breath, hoof rubbing against his face.

{It gets worse. She wasn't the only one who engaged the monster. The Queen of the Gryphons went out there too.}

Celestia gasped in horror. To have this done on Equestrian soil...

{We don't know the full details of what happened over there, the skyline prevented us from seeing the battle and everyone was too busy fleeing for their lives, but with the eruptions that went down, we have no idea if-}

~THEY'RE ALIVE!~

Four hearts soared almost as fast as the blue blur that rocketed between them. Breathless, Rainbow Dash furiously gestured over to the wrecked portion of the city.

~We just found them, Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon and Gwendolyn are all alive!~

"Oh, thank goodness."

Applejack rubbed at her eyes, curious at the strange blurriness that had been forming before the other mare's arrival.

~Don't thank anyone yet, they're... pretty messed up.~

Those words seized every breath.

~They're getting taken to the hospital as we speak, they won't know how bad it is till they get there, but they... they didn't look good, guys.~

"Go on."

Spike was snapped out of his horror stricken thoughts by a light push against his shoulder. The once farmer pushed him towards Dash, an understanding look on her face.

"Ya' go make sure she's okay, Spike. We'll handle it from here."

He just gave a slow, easy nod and rushed over to the pegasus. In seconds, they were in the air, and gone.

With that matter settled, Celestia stepped forward.

>What do we know about what happened?

{All we know for sure is that she was rocketed out of that hole in the ground, and after she hit the streets was engaged over there. Other than that, we're clueless as to what happened or why she left.}

The white mare sternly nodded, gesturing to the other two.

>Twilight, begin your investigation. When we see Diamond Tiara, she will be able to tell us more, but for now gather every bit of information you can on what transpired.

[Yes, Princess!]

>Applejack, assist me in searching for anymore wounded or... possibly worse. You take half, I will search the other.

"Got it."

>Mayor, continue what you were doing before we arrived.

To his surprise, she gave a respectful nod.

>Thus far, you have the least amount of damage of any city she has attacked, you must be doing something right. Keep up the good work.

This, rather than embolden him, seemed to make him more uneasy.

{O-of course.}

>Let's go!

And off they went, each one going in a different direction, each one directionless in their search, having no means to start but to just rush off and find what they found.

Only the purple dragon atop his friend had a single direction in mind.

And of all of them, for all their seeking, none could match his fear at what he would find.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

NC
>Coltsburg Mayor
"Random Buffalo"
~~~

"CHANGE THE NAME!"

"CHANGE THE NAME!"

"CHANGE THE NAME!"

>What!? Why would you want us to change the name!?

"It's hurtful!"

"Insensitive!"

"Downright offensive!"

>But... why?

"Because it excludes orange buffalo!"

"That's right, and ones like Big Thunderstomp over there are sick of being excluded!"

"I NEVER GOT PICKED FOR ANY GAMES!"

"He didn't totally ignored."

"See? You're hurting the guy by excluding him like that."

"And a lot of others!"

"How could you exclude them like that!"

"It's mean!"

>Gosh... I didn't even think about it like that, I just liked the BB scheme for our logos! See? If you stylize it, it looks like two charging horns, it looks cool with you guy's big sizes!

"By the ancestors, he's right!"

"This whole time we thought he was being exclusionary, but really he just didn't see it like we did!"

"And instead of telling him, we tried to make him change to fit our needs."

"We're sorry!"

>I understand, you guys still want me to change it?

"You know what? It doesn't matter, because in the end we're all going to see things differently, and there's nothing wrong with that!"

>Awww, thanks!

"We all learned something today."

>Yep! But hey, just to show you I'm sorry for making you feel excluded, who wants a bunch of pies, on me!

"HUZZAH!"

>I feel like we're going to be good friends.

~Dundundun MY LITTLE PONY!~
~Don't you know you're all my very best frieeeeeends!~

~~~~~~

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________