So yeah, I don't know WHERE this came from, but I decided not to question it. Instead, I'm going to go with it, trust the universe, and get post this chapter. If anyone reads this, then fantastic! Please review if you so please, and then check out my Patreon if you want to offer your support. I'm... apparently still working on this, so yeah... enjoy your ponies with giant robots.

Note: To get the full impact from this chapter, remember that in this scenario, Crusaders of the Lost Mark didn't happen. Just keep that in mind.

Jophiel and Remiel continued to clash horns, Remiel more so defending itself as opposed to fighting back. All the while, Messiah continued to laugh maniacally.

“Pinkie Pie, stop!” Rainbow Dash cried, “I don't want to fight you! We're best friends!”

“Oh Dashie, that's why I want to fight you!” Messiah said gleefully, “This makes me feel so alive! You mean you don't FEEL IT YOURSELF?!”

Jophiel broke through Remiel's defenses knocking the multicolored Archangel to the ground. Remiel looked up and saw Jophiel charging up its horn. It flew away from Jophiel's attack just in time, but the pink and white Archangel opened its forelegs and launched a barrage of missiles, hitting Remiel from behind.

“AUGH!!!!” Rainbow Dash screamed as Remiel fell to the ground, “Come on, move damn it!” she shouted, trying to get Remiel to stand. Remiel stood up for a second, but its legs gave way and fell back down.

“Aw, did I break your toy robot?” Messiah asked as Jophiel walked over to Remiel, “I guess the fun's over...”

“Hey!” a familiar teenage voice shouted, “How about I play with you instead!”

All of a sudden, another Archangel shot out of the trees. It was orange and black, and had a similar build to Remiel, but its mane and tail were purple and longer, and instead of jet wings, it had bladed wings and wheels on its feet.

It also charged right at Jophiel and tackled it to the ground. It then spun around on its wheeled feet, and continued to move at high speed around the clearing as Jophiel fired its missiles at it.

Remiel, finally able to stand, looked at the Archangel as it skated away from all of Jophiel's attacks. Not wasting a moment, Remiel opened its foreleg compartments firing its lasers at Jophiel's back, knocking Jophiel to the ground.

“Two against one, huh?!” Messiah asked maniacally, “FINE THEN! I'LL RIP YOU TO-” she was cut off as the new Archangel skated over to her, jumped to its hind legs, and spin kicked Jophiel in the side. It followed up by jumping into the air and kicking Jophiel with its other hind leg, knocking it a good few meters away. The Archangel's wheels retracted and it walked over to Remiel. When Rainbow Dash contacted the pilot, who she saw shocked her almost as much as seeing Pinkie Pie.

“S-Scootaloo?!” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Heya Dash, like my new partner?” Scootaloo asked, “His name is Gabriel.”

“Since when do you have an Archangel?!” Rainbow Dash asked, “Since when could you pilot an Archangel?!”

“How about we play twenty questions after we send this bitch packing?” Scootaloo asked as Gabriel and Remiel turned to Jophiel. The pink and white Archangel stood to its feet and stomped on the ground a few times.

“Numbers won't make a difference Dashie,” Messiah said, “Even with your friend here, you're mine!”

“Dashie?” Scootaloo asked, “Dash, is that-”

“Like you said,” Rainbow Dash said, “Let's play twenty questions after the fight.”

Gabriel skated over to Jophiel clashing horns with it while Remiel took to the skies. Finally back in its element, Remiel charged up its Ether and fired a bolt of electricity at Jophiel. Gabriel took that opening to spin around really fast slashing Jophiel with its wings, and then did a back flip knocking Jophiel back.

Jophiel caught itself and was about to charge at Gabriel, but Remiel swooped down really low knocking Jophiel off balance. Gabriel skated past Jophiel in the opposite direction slashing Jophiel with its wings again, and then turned around with a drift opening its foreleg compartments, revealing two sub-machine guns.

Jophiel was able to easily block that assault with its wings, but Remiel fired its lasers at Jophiels back doing massive damage.

“ARGH!” Messiah screamed before laughing maniacally, “This is it! This is the feeling I wanted! Looks like you do have fight in you after all Dashie! All it took was for your biggest fan filly to come to your rescue!”

Rainbow Dash was about to say something to that, but had to stop herself. She was right. She couldn't even bring herself to fight Messiah, and anything she did try was shot down. Until Scootaloo got there, she was getting her clock cleaned. Was this how she was supposed to be?

Was this really twenty percent more awesome Rainbow Dash?

“Well, looks like I have to step things up a notch!” Messiah said as her Archangel began charging up energy.

“Dash, what's she doing?” Scootaloo asked. Rainbow Dash scanned the energy of Jophiel and saw it begin to skyrocket.

“Kid! We gotta move now!” Rainbow Dash said, “Something's happening to her!”

“Let's see which is stronger, shall we?!” Messiah asked, “The power of Harmony, or the power of Chaos!”

Jophiel exploded with power and a bright flash, making both Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo cover their eyes. When they looked, they saw Jophiel standing there fully healed, and sparking with red electricity.

“Ready for round three, Dashie?!” Messiah asked, sounding even more insane than before if the evil laughter was anything to go by.

“What now Dash?” Scootaloo asked.

“We guide her to where AJ is! We're gonna need help fighting this one!” Rainbow Dash stated as Remiel took to the skies, “Try to keep up!”

“I was gonna say the same thing to you!” Scootaloo said as Gabriel's wheels came out. Both Archangels raced away from the battlefield, fully aware of Messiah's laughter behind them.

“THAT'S RIGHT DASHIE! RUN AWAY LIKE THE COWARD YOU ARE! IN THE END I'LL STILL CATCH YOU!”

As Jophiel gave chase, Rainbow Dash was hit hard with what Messiah said.

Coward?! I'm not a coward! I'm fighting smart! There's nothing cowardly about this... right...?

What started out as four Judex soon turned into eight, and they were beginning to overwhelm Applejack and Diamond Tiara, who were still fighting in their Archangels. Michael was clashing horns with one of the Judex, but two fired lasers out of their horns at it knocking it to the ground.

“ARGH!!!” Applejack screamed, “This is too much! Diamond, how're ya doin over there?!”

Diamond Tiara appeared on Applejack's monitor before she spoke, the poor thing looking really tense, “There's too many of them! I don't know if this Throne can take too much more damage!”

Vinyl poked her head from behind Diamond Tiara, “Even with my magic we're taking too much damage over here! We need to get to higher ground!”

“Easier said than done!” Applejack said, “Michael an' Ah ain't lookin to hot over here either! Ah jus' hope Dash is okay...”

“AHH!!!” Diamond Tiara screamed.

“Diamond! What's happenin over there?!” Applejack asked. Michael turned to where the Throne was fighting and saw three Judex bombarding it with laser fire. Its wings were already broken through, and it was now taking heavy damage.

“No!” Diamond Tiara screamed, “I can't die here! Not like this!”

“Diamond Tiara, eject!” Vinyl commanded, “There's no reason for you to-”

“NO!” Diamond Tiara said adamantly, “I won't give up! I'll stop this, one way or another! I. Won't. LOSE!”

The Throne charged through the Judex beetles, impaling one with its horn. It then threw it into another Judex, and buck kicked one behind it as it charged. The Throne then turned around and faced the Judes that were fighting Michael and opened its forelegs, firing its missiles at the Judex knocking them away from Michael.

“Diamond... are ya...” Applejack asked.

“I'm... fine...” Diamond Tiara said in between breaths. She looked up behind Michael and saw a larger beetle flying down toward it along with three more basic beetles, “Miss Applejack, behind you!”

“Huh?” Michael turned around just in time before the lead beetle fired a large red beam out of its horn at it. Michael jumped back landing right next to the Throne as their new enemy landed. Unlike the other Judex, who were basic beetles with horns about the size of an Archangel if not a little smaller, this Judex was clearly larger than an Archangel and was built more like an actual Hercules Beetle.

“Can we beat something like that?” Diamond Tiara asked. Both the Throne and Michael were sparking a bit from all the damage they took.

“With the state of our Archangels? Ah doubt it,” Applejack said honestly, “Still, we gotta try! Ah ain't diein yet!”

Michael charged over to the larger Judex, but its partners ran in front of it and pushed it back with their horns, firing at the already damaged Archangel.

The Throne galloped over to Michael's side and fired its missiles at the smaller Judex as Michael forced itself back to a standing position. The large Judex charged up its horn and fired just before Michael could prepare its next attack, sending both Archangels flying back.

“Damn it...” Applejack said, now wishing Diamond Tiara didn't have to get involved. The poor thing was still a rookie pilot despite her natural skill, and this fight was too much for her. She wasn't a soldier, no matter how good she was at fighting.

“Miss... Applejack...” Diamond Tiara said as her Archangel tried to stand, “Are you okay?”

“Ah should be askin you that...” Applejack said, “If this fight is too much fer ya, ya can-”

“I'm not leaving you or Vinyl here to die,” Diamond Tiara said, her Archangel almost falling apart but still standing, “I'll keep fighting until I can't fight anymore.”

Whoa... talk about a change. Applejack wasn't sure if this was from the amnesia or something else, but it was inspiring.

Before any of them could begin attacking again, a barrage of missiles hit the Judex from above. Both Archangel's looked and saw a new Archangel standing on a nearby mountain. It looked similar to Michael, but was yellow and silver, and looked a little bulkier from what Applejack was looking at.

“Who in the world?” Applejack asked. The new Archangel sat down, opening its leg compartments and a few compartments on its back, and launched another barrage of missiles at the Judex. The leader took the brunt of the assault, but the three smaller ones flew over to the Archangel. Before they could reach it though, a red laser shot them down, killing them instantly. Applejack looked in the direction of the blast and saw a familiar black and purple Archangel galloping over to them.

“Lucifer?!” Applejack cried out, prepared for anything. Did it go wild again? What state was Canterlot in if this thing escaped?

Lucifer galloped over to the large Judex, and fired its rail guns at it knocking it back. It turned to Michael, and the pilot appeared on her monitor. Applejack was not ready for who she saw piloting that demon.

“Applejack! Are you okay?” Spike asked, Sweetie Belle sitting across his lap with her forelegs wrapped around him.

“S-Spike?! What the hell 're ya doing pilotin Lucifer?! That thing is-”

“It's okay Applejack,” Spike said, “This is my second time using Lucifer. I can pilot this Archangel, watch!”

Lucifer turned back to the Judex and charged up its Ether. While it charged up, the other Archangel flew closer to the fight firing missiles at the Judex defending Lucifer. The Judex slammed its legs on the ground trying to pierce the Michael lookalike, but it flew to the side out of the way easily. Lucifer took that as its chance to cast its Ether, creating a small storm of red electricity around the Judex.

The monstrous beetle cried out in anger, and began firing at both Lucifer and its partner, who Applejack still didn't know who was piloting it. Lucifer jumped away from the assaults while its partner used its wings to block the attacks. The unidentified Archangel opened up its back compartments, firing homing missiles at the Judex.

“Now Lucifer! Let's finish this!” Spike shouted. Lucifer gave a mechanical whinny and charged over to the Judex firing its rail guns at it, continuously knocking it back. The shots opened up a section of its exoskeleton, and Lucifer took full advantage by impaling it with its horn. It fired a blast from its horn at the same time, killing the Judex easily.

“My God...” Diamond Tiara said, “That Archangel is scary...” Applejack agreed. She had seen its power many times before, but to see it like this.

Before she could go over to it, another unidentified Archangel skated over to them, followed by a badly damaged Remiel.

“Spike! Glad you and Apple Bloom are here!” Scootaloo's voice was heard from inside the orange and black Archangel.

“Scootaloo! Are ya alright?!” Apple Bloom asked, giving Applejack a heart attack. Was she inside that other Archangel?!

“Yeah, but that Archangel Dash was fighting is too powerful! We can't beat it on our own!”

Jophiel rode in at that moment, engulfed in red energy. It transformed and charged over toward Remiel, but Lucifer galloped in the way blocking with its horn.

“Whoa!” Rainbow Dash shouted, “Lucifer is here?! What the hell?!”

“It's okay, Dash,” Applejack stated, “Ah don't know how, but Spike is in there, and he can control it.”

“Stay back!” Spike commanded, “I think Lucifer can do it!”

Lucifer pushed Jophiel back, and fired its missiles from its foreleg compartments. Jophiel blocked with its wings, and then fired its pink ball of energy at Lucifer.

“Sweetie Belle, now!” Spike commanded. Lucifer crouched down, and a lime green energy shield appeared around it. When the shield died down, Lucifer fired its rail guns at Jophiel, actually doing massive damage to it.

It didn't stop there either. Lucifer then charged over to Jophiel, clashing horns with it for a few seconds, and then buck kicking it into a tree.

“So... this is the power of Lucifer...” Messiah said through her laughter, “No wonder Eos wanted the key so badly...”

“You're outnumbered!” Spike stated, “If I were you I'd retreat!”

“You think I'm going to run away?!” Messiah shouted, “Oh no.... not as long as I have this power! With the magic of Chaos, I can't-” she stopped mid-sentence with a gasp, and then started screaming in pain. Her Archangel was even staggering around, as if mirroring its pilot's motions from within.

“Pinkie Pie!” Rainbow Dash shouted, surprising everyone. Did she just say...

“This... isn't... over Dashie...” Messiah said, “I'll hunt you down... and we'll continue our fight...” she laughed in a somewhat insane manner, “I can't... wait Dashie...”

Jophiel took to the skies. Remiel ran after it as if to chase it, but stopped short looking up.

“PINKIE PIE!!! DAMN IT!!!” Rainbow Dash screamed slamming her hooves on her dashboard, before breaking down into heavy sobs, “Why... why are you with Yggdrasil?! Why is this happening?! What the HELL?!!!!”

“Dash...” Applejack said, walking Michael over to Remiel and placing a hoof on the multicolored Archangel's back. Remiel and Michael both opened their cockpits, and Applejack wasted no time galloping over to Rainbow Dash and embracing her.

“I couldn't...” Rainbow Dash sobbed, “If it had been anyone else I could have... but...”

“Shh...” Applejack said softly, “Ah understand... Jus' let it out...”

Ariel sat down opening its hatch, and Apple Bloom stepped out. At the same time, Lucifer and Gabriel both deactivated, Spike and Sweetie Belle jumping out of Lucifer and Scootaloo flying out of Gabriel.

“Apple Bloom, are you okay?” Scootaloo asked.

“Yeah, Ah'm fine,” Apple Bloom said, “A little shaken up, but Ah'll survive.”

“You handled Ariel like a pro!” Spike said, Sweetie Belle nodding in agreement.

“Seriously, I thought you were amazing,” Sweetie Belle said, making Apple Bloom blush.

“Ahh, stop y'all. Besides, the real star here is Spike pilotin Lucifer an' goin toe to toe with both that giant Judex an' an enemy Archangel.”

“It was mostly thanks to Lucifer,” Spike said looking back at the black and purple Archangel, “That Archangel's power is immense. No wonder it drove pilots insane, with all that power.”

The Throne slowly walked toward them, surprising Spike and his group.

“Um... can we help you?” Scootaloo asked.

Inside the Archangel, Diamond Tiara was trembling. She couldn't believe it. Finally, someone she remembered, and not just anyone.

“Diamond? Are you okay?” Vinyl asked.

“That mare...” Diamond Tiara said softly, “I... know her...”

The Throne sat down and opened its hatch. What happened next no one was ready for. Diamond Tiara of all ponies galloped out, wearing full pilot attire.

“APPLE BLOOM!!!” she cried out happily, jumping on top of the mare in question.

“Whoa!” Apple Bloom cried, falling to the ground as the mare embraced her.

“I can't believe it, but you're here! You're really here!” Diamond Tiara met eyes with Apple Bloom, tears of joy streaming from her eyes, “I'm so happy!”

“Um...” Apple Bloom tried too say something, but was caught off guard by another tight embrace from the mare lying on top of her.

“Care to explain?” Scootaloo asked with raised eyebrows.

“Yer guess is as good as mine,” Apple Bloom said. Applejack and Rainbow Dash walked over to them, the former of the two not looking too pleased.

“Howdy Apple Bloom,” Applejack said, “Mind tellin me what yer doin pilotin an Archangel?”

“Or why our damsel is getting cozy with you all of a sudden?” Rainbow Dash asked. Diamond Tiara sat up and looked at Applejack and Rainbow Dash in glee.

“I remember her!” Diamond Tiara said, shocking both of them.

“Y-ya do?!” Applejack asked, getting a nod from Diamond Tiara.

“Her name is Apple Bloom! She lives in Sweet Apple Acres!” she turned back to Apple Bloom, who was so shocked and confused right now, “And she's my best friend!”

“W-what?!” Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo cried out at the same time as Diamond Tiara returned to embracing her so called “best friend”. Apple Bloom didn't understand what was going on anymore. What did Diamond Tiara mean by “she remembers”? Why was she piloting an Archangel?

And since when were she and Diamond Tiara best friends?

“Mother Magdalene, I failed...” Messiah said to her leader, contacting her from her Archangel which was still hovering over Serpenterra.

“My dear, whatever do you mean?” Mother Magdalene asked.

“I lost myself to the power of Chaos,” Messiah said, “The second I saw Dashie, I...”

“It's alright Messiah,” Mother Magdalene said, “We have gained valuable information. Now the key and Unit 02 are together. For now, return home. We'll get your Archangel repaired, and then consider our next move.”

“Understood,” Messiah said, cutting the link, “I will master this power, even if it kills me.”

Octavia's ship landed nearby, and as it was bigger than Vinyl's they were able to put all the Archangels inside. They didn't have enough ponies on hand to repair them, but at least they were safe for now.

Vinyl and Octavia were in one of the rooms lying together, the former of the two holding the latter in a comforting manner.

“So, when do you plan on telling them the real reason you took this mission?” Vinyl asked.

“They don't need to know,” Octavia said, “I got them here, and you're safe. That's all that matters to me.”

“So you don't mind coming off as a colossal bitch to those kids?” Vinyl asked. Octavia embraced Vinyl tightly before speaking.

“I don't care if they hate me,” Octavia said softly, “I have you. That's all that matters to me.”

“Aw, now you're getting all mushy on me,” Vinyl taunted, earning a light smack on the flank from the mare lying next to her, “You know, if we don't get the Archangel's repaired, we'll be in trouble.”

“Assuming we get attacked again, we'd be down three Archangels,” Octavia reasoned, “The only working ones being piloted by rookies. Tomorrow, let's head to the nearest village and see if they can repair the Archangels. Right now, I'm too comfortable to move.”

“Does that mean you're too comfortable to kiss me?” Vinyl asked. Octavia answered that question by locking lips with the unicorn. This was the only reason being in the military was manageable. Otherwise, she'd never survive here.

Thank you for following me here, Vinyl. You're too good to me.

“So, that's what's goin on,” Applejack said after Apple Bloom explained what she was doing in Serpenterra. Applejack knew that she helped the Princess with various tasks, so she wasn't upset about that.

What she was upset with was that Apple Bloom was now piloting a military Archangel.

“Ah know ya don't want me pilotin an Archangel,” Apple Bloom said looking down sadly, “Honestly, Ah didn't even know Ah'd be pilotin one. There was jus' one in the hanger, an' Octavia said that it belonged ta me.”

Applejack sighed, “Well, yer here now, so Ah suppose there ain't no point in me yellin at ya. As long as yer not in the military, it's fine.”

“Applejack, Ah-”

“No, Apple Bloom,” Applejack said adamantly, “We already discussed this.”

“Why shouldn't Ah be in the military?” Apple Bloom asked, “Ah wanna help protect Equestria along with you!”

“You can do more fer Equestria lookin out fer Sweetie Belle,” Applejack said, “Ya don't have ta be a soldier like me.”

“But-”

“That's enough,” Applejack cut her off, “Ah need ta get some sleep. We'll discuss our next move in the mornin.”

Apple Bloom sighed, “Yes, big sister,” she said. She exited the room with her head hanging low, and walked down the hall. Applejack frustrated her so much. No matter what Apple Bloom did, Applejack wouldn't see her as an adult. She came all the way here to rescue her, yet the first thing Applejack did wasn't thank her and say she did a good job.

She interrogated her, asking why she was piloting a military Archangel.

On the way to her room she had to pass through the Archangel hanger. The only Archangels that were still in good shape were Ariel, Gabriel, and Lucifer. Apple Bloom walked over to Ariel and looked up at the mechanical armored alicorn. She liked to think that it was a good feat that she managed to pilot this thing, fear and all. Yet Applejack didn't take notice.

“Stupid, stupid Applejack!” Apple Bloom fussed to herself, “Ah ain't a child anymore!”

On instinct she turned to her right and saw Diamond Tiara sitting on the floor in front of Luficer looking up at it. That was weird, what happened earlier that day. She had heard from Applejack and Rainbow Dash that Diamond Tiara had amnesia. How she knew who Apple Bloom was didn't make any sense to her.

Nor the fact that she called Apple Bloom her “best friend”.

Even after Apple Bloom got her Cutie Mark, Diamond Tiara continued to look down on her. They were polar opposites, one being born into money and the other having to work for everything she had. She didn't bully her like she used to when they were little, but they were never friends. Scootaloo hadn't ever forgiven Diamond Tiara for making fun of her being an orphan, and though Sweetie Belle had to relate to her somewhat being a celebrity, it was clear that she didn't care for her or Silver Spoon very much.

But seeing her like this, Apple Bloom couldn't help but feel bad for her.

Apple Bloom sighed and walked over to Diamond Tiara.

“So, can't sleep?” Apple Bloom asked, startling the pink earth pony. At first she looked like her usual self, but then looked up at Apple Bloom with a smile that was so unlike her.

“Oh, Apple Bloom,” Diamond Tiara said sweetly, “I just wanted to get a better look at the Archangels you and your friends were riding in.”

“Ah see,” Apple Bloom said rubbing the back of her head awkwardly, “They're all custom models, so ya won't find any like-” Apple Bloom was cut off when Diamond Tiara stood up and nuzzled her lovingly, “D-Diamond Tiara…?”

“I didn't realize it until I saw you,” Diamond Tiara said softly, “but I missed you so much, Bloom.”

“H-how could that be?” Apple Bloom asked, feeling flushed for some reason, “Ah heard that ya lost yer memory, so…”

“I don't understand it either,” Diamond Tiara said, “But I figured that I loved you so much, that I couldn't forget you.”

Oh how wrong you are, Apple Bloom thought. She didn't love Apple Bloom in the slightest. In fact, last time she checked she and Silver Spoon were an item.

“I've been so afraid, not knowing anything about who I am,” Diamond Tiara continued, “But its okay now, because my best friend is with me,” Diamond Tiara stepped back and looked into Apple Bloom's eyes lovingly, “Promise me you won't leave my side, Apple Bloom. Please?”

What could she say? Sure, this pony was mean, vindictive, spoiled rotten, and probably one of the most selfish ponies Apple Bloom had ever known, but right now she needed someone to look out for her, and for some reason she latched onto Apple Bloom.

Besides, she looked so alluring right now.

“Ah… promise,” Apple Bloom said with a soft smile, “Ah won't let ya outta my sight fer a second, Diamond Tiara.”

Diamond Tiara lit up and embraced Apple Bloom tightly, tears of joy falling from her eyes.

“I love you so much, Apple Bloom,” Diamond Tiara said. Apple Bloom knew she'd regret saying this later, as she didn't really know what context she'd be saying it nor if she felt the same way, but in the end, it just didn't feel right not to respond.

“Ah… love you too… Diamond Tiara.”

Author's Note

Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Spike have found Applejack and her team, but with most of their Archangels taken out, they'll have to find someone to repair them. Will they be able to get the help they need?

Also, why did Diamond Tiara recognize only Apple Bloom? And why did she call Apple Bloom her "best friend"?