Principality of Equestria

Chapter Three

Starburst looked around the cockpit, trying to figure out what she is seeing, but too much data is flowing all at once. “What is all this stuff?” She muttered, eyes rapidly moving from screen to screen. “I can’t make heads or tails what all this information is telling me…”

“That would be the initiation data and systems check.” Reaper’s voice suddenly answered, making the mare look around for its source. “Welcome, Princess Starburst. I am MS-07B-3, ‘Gouf Custom’, known as Reaper.” Her eyes suddenly went wide to the center screen, as an image of Reaper’s designs and specs appeared, along with different bits of information about his body. “A ground combat mobile suit designed for Ace Pilots to use in a war against the Earth Federation. Compared to the more mass produced MS-06F ‘Zaku II’, MS-07B ‘Gouf’, and MS-09 ‘DOM’; I am a more agile and armored mobile suit.” Images of each type of mobile suit listed appeared on screen, as he went on. “Would you like a rundown of my current arsenal?”

“Uh…” She blinked, barely understanding any of that. “S-Sure?”

Reaper gave a mental sigh, he did not wish to sound so basic, but there is no telling how they would react to him actually being sentient… It didn’t even make any sense to him, either! “Confirmed. The first weapon is my primary range weapon, the shield mounted 75mm gatling cannon, a weapon designed to lay down a constant barrage of gun fire at any target.” An image of the weapon and simulation appeared on screen. “Next is the triple barrel 35mm machinegun, attached to the left arm and placed under the shield.” Another image and simulation appeared. “Primary melee weapon is the Heat Sword Type D III, blade heating function is currently inactive for unknown reasons.” Its image appeared, a simulation of it being used with and without the heat function. “Lastly, the Heat Wire concealed under my right arm.” The last weapon appeared, showing its different functions and uses for any given situation.

The mare’s eyes were wide, seeing the different types of weapons available to this giant. “Talk about being a walking armory.” She thought, looking around the cockpit. “Reaper? How am I expected to use all this, any ways? I’ve never seen anything so advance before.”

“That will be my duty, to help you learn. Until then, most of my functions will remain on autopilot.” He answered, the towering mobile suit coming to an abrupt halt within an evacuated part of the city. “But, I apologize for this, you will be getting a crash course in my combat abilities and functions.”

“That’s right!” Starburst shouted, looking at all three screens around her. “You said hostiles were detected near the city! Where are they?”

A thin red line appeared on the right screen’s end and went left, outlining everything as it went. “Thirty humanoid type Mobile Suit signatures detected, approaching from the south… At an elevation of seventy degrees.” Reaper announced, his body entering a combat stance, aiming the gatling cannon up to the sky. “Tactical Advisement: Volley of continuous fire, we can lay down a blanket of anti-air fire with the gatling cannon’s rapid fire capabilities.”

Starburst’s eyes widened, in shock, as the center screen started to show multiple red dots all across the sky. There were so many of the invaders, all flying towards Canterlot with a single triangular wing on their backs. “H-How can we defeat so many of those things!? I mean, do you have the firepower to even handle that many?” She asked, jaw slack.

(( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLOZ-lsfmIA Time for feels music ))

“Negative. However, are you going to allow your words, from before, become false?” He asked, making Starburst look at the center piece… Seeing the italicized words that appeared.

“What about everyone else, who is fighting, risking their lives!?... You expect me to hide behind these walls, sending others to fight battles, when I can help!?”

The mare just stared at those words, surprised that Reaper had been listening the whole time. “The chance to prove hose words have come. I am but a simple weapon, a tool for you to use. My sights are trained on your enemies… I have the abilities to battle them, but cannot act.” His words swam around in the young mare’s mind, realizing they aren’t so basic sounding anymore for some odd reason, as the closest of the invaders drew closer. “For I am just that, a weapon. In order for me to truly act, I need a wielder. Only then, will my true potential reveal itself.”

Quietly, Starburst shook within Reaper’s seat, honestly terrified by the sheer numbers of invaders coming. Never before have they encountered such a large force from them, dwarfing any others that came prior. She wanted to fight, but too scared to even move right now. “B-But, what i-if I am… Scared?” The word felt like ash in her mouth, venom to her body, not liking to admit such a thing.

“My previous pilot often said this to his men, before every battle.” Reaper started, his gatling cannon still trained on the mobile suits coming towards them. “It is alright to feel afraid, I would be worried if you weren’t. But, you must overcome that fear. Within that very moment you do, the doors shall open and who you are meant to be will reveal itself.”

That made her look at the screen, seeing the approaching invaders, then look to the city around her. The realization that, as of right now, she is sitting within the only thing that could protect those around her. Carefully, her hands reached to the joint sticks on both sides, lightly grasping them. They kept shaking, her entire body would not stop shaking… Until an ethereal hand placed itself on to Starburst’s own right hand.

Her eyes shot back, seeing some figure wearing a full body suit of some kind, that looked like something out of her Uncle Spike’s old sci-fi comic books. Majority of the suit was straight red, the gloves, boats, shoulder guards, and a line going down the center of their body; being a dark black. Their helmet had also been colored a matching black, except for some sort of bright red angle-crest on the forehead. She couldn’t see their face, the glass of their helmet being tinted and preventing any features from being made out.

They just nodded to her, a strange feeling that everything is going to be alright, washing over her body. This caused a smile to appear on her lips, looking back at the center screen. “Alright, Reaper… Show me what you can do!”

“With pleasure!” The Gouf Custom blared, his primary weapon opening up with a hellstorm of gunfire!
(( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DW62qNQSK4M ))

The organic-metal mobile suits only had mere seconds to evade the sudden incoming! Two of them being shredded by the rapid firing anti-air and being completely decimated. They quickly scattered out into a more open formation, trying not to be caught in a hell of bullets, then returned fire. However, despite having energy based weapons, their attacks merely bounced off of Reaper’s armored body, but were unable to resist his own attacks. A group of mobile suits, bearing strange shields, quickly flew forward and towards the Gouf Custom. Their reinforced bulwarks being shredded but resisted his attack enough for them to close in.

But, when they landed in close, their defenses could not hold up against Reaper’s attack at such a close range, nor against his deadly blade. One tried to conduct a shielded charge towards the Gouf Custom, but the dormant heat blade tore through the shield and impaled their head. Another tried to approach, but Reaper brought his primary weapon to bare and open fired on to them, while the blade had still been impaled within the other mobile suit. “That makes five! Twenty-five more to go!” Starburst called out, seeing another one of the shield bearing mobile suits charging in. “If we keep this pace up, we may-?”

A triple alarm went off, the screens flashing red and an upward pointing arrow appearing. “Princess! Slam both outer pedals down, now! Reverse tilt them! Towards you!” Reaper blared, causing Starburst to do as instructed.

The Gouf Custom managed to perform a full reverse thrust, just before a beam of red light slammed down directly here he stood, melting the shielded mobile suit’s upper body. “W-What in Equestria was that!?” She yelled, Reaper coming to a halt and looking to where the beam had come from.

His single eye focused on eight heavily armored, large, mobile suits bearing shoulder mounted cannons. Several bits of data started to appear around their frames, arrows pointing to certain areas of them. A red exclamation point appeared on their large barrel cannons. “Those things are all carrying some kind of heavy beam cannon!” Reaper stepped back, aiming his gatling cannon at them. “One hit from them, could melt through my armor and cause me to blow sky high!” With that, he open fired on to the cannon wielding eight… But three of the normal mobile suits to in the way, being destroyed, before five shielded ones managed to cover them. “Damnit!”

Three of them fired, Starburst only having seconds to slam her right foot down and caused the Gouf Custom to thrust right. They barely escaped the volley, but two of the other mobile suits were destroyed by it. “They’re hitting their own down here! Don’t they care about friendly fire!?” She yelled, as Reaper knelt down behind one of the buildings for cover and concealment.

“I do not think they care very much about that, Princess.” He replied, slightly glancing over the building. His single eye locked on to one of the cannon wielding mobile suits searching for them. “Got him!” Quickly pulling the gatling cannon up, he open fired on to them… But, one with a shield quickly flew in the way and blocked the attack.

To their shock, the cannon wielding mobile suit actually shot through its protector! Reaper managing to thrust away from the attack, demolishing a building behind him, but more beams were being sent straight for their position every second. To avoid over using his thrusters, the Gouf Custom forced himself to resort to using his agility by either jumping or sprinting away from their attacks, firing a few rounds back every other steps to try and force them to lose sight. However, their disregard for any allies within the line of sight made such a tactic completely useless.

“Do these things every give up!?” Starburst yelled, doing her best to help Reaper while they were on the defensive, noticing a pair of normal mobile suits landing just ahead. “Contact! Ten and two!”

“I see them!” Reaper quickly raised the gatling cannon up, firing it into the one at the ten o’clock, and used his blade to split the other completely in half. “We need to find a way to get past their defenses! Do you see any-!?”

Three beams stroke in front and on both sides of Reaper, causing the entire street to suddenly explode! This had been enough to send the mobile suit flying back, crashing into a nearby building. Starburst had been lucky that the seat restraints held, preventing her from slamming forward on to the console. When the dust cleared a bit, revealing one of the cannon wielding mobile suits hovering just above them, charging its weapon up to finish them off!

“R-Reaper!” She screamed, seeing the cannon’s red glow on screen.

At her scream, the text ‘Protocol 3!’ flashed on screen. Before anything else, Reaper’s right arm shot up from the ground, blasting his heat wire into the sky! With the sudden movement, none of the invaders saw his attack, the clamp biting down on to the cannon mobile suit’s face. Quickly, Reaper’s thrusters engaged and had the heat wire help reel him in close enough to ram his heat sword into the large mobile suit’s stomach.

The attack had been so quick, not even Starburst had time to register hat happened. When the other invaders found their comrade impaled, two nearby cannon mobile suits turned their weapons on to the floating Reaper, not seeing the other on opposite sides. Reaper’s clamp released, fully retracting, and he kicked off of the slain mobile suit, just before the other two fired and ended up destroying each other. “Three down… Thirteen to go.” Reaper said, as he landed back on to solid ground.

“H-How did you do that, Reaper?” Starburst asked, watching as the reaming mobile suits tried to comprehend what just happened.

Reaper reaimed his gatling cannon at the cannon wielding mobile suits. “One of my protocols became active. Once it does, all systems divert to any possible outcome that’ll ensure the protocol’s function is achieved.” He answered, quickly firing the gatling cannon… Only for it to start clicking after a single volley. “Damn! Out of ammo…”

Starburst watched the primary weapon detach from Reaper’s shield, falling on to the broken streets. “W-What now, Reaper?”
They watched the mobile suits return their attention on to the lone Gouf Custom, who stood between them and Canterlot’s defeat. “Now? We hope that a miracle happens…” He swung the heat blade around, and charged forward, four shield bearing mobile suits landing to engage hm.

-Zeon Space, Onyx Fleet Flagship Honor’s Glory-

“Commander Zarren, what do you mean High Command made a mistake, in taking that old relic in for scrap!?” A Zeon Officer demanded, glaring at another, more decorated, Zeon Officer wearing a full black uniform, with gold accents. “It was just a Gouf Custom, having zero use for us within space!”

Commander Zarren gave an annoyed sigh, looking from the bridge’s observation glass to the nagging officer behind him. “Because, lieutenant, High Command did not know Reaper, like we do… Nor did they know about his little secret.”

The Zeon Lieutenant glared at Commander Zarren, who had withdrawn Onyx Fleet from their front lines… To search for one Ground Type mobile suit! “Then, how about you tell me why that mobile suit is so important, that you withdrew Onyx Fleet from battle!” He dared a step forward, holding the glare. “Least then, I can tell High Command why they should execute you!”

He just stared at the opposing Zeon Officer, regarding him calmly, both of Commander Zarren’s hands at the small of his back. “Alright then, I will tell you why Reaper is so special, and why we must recover him at all costs.”

-Back in Canterlot-

Reaper and Starburst managed to down the four opposing mobile suits, but dodging the five destructive beams while doing so pushed past their limits. The mare’s breath heavy and labored, her body becoming weaker by the second. “This i-is not good, Reaper.” Starburst tried to focus, as they took shelter behind an abandoned warehouse. “I-I’m p-pushing my body way t-to far…”

“Try and hold out just a little while longer, Princess.” Reaper asked, reloading his secondary weapon. “There are only nine more left, if we take out the four guards, those canon ones will either retreat or be at least easier to pick off.”

Too late, Starburst was already starting to feel her body shut down. “I-I can’t f-fight it… R-Reaper…” Her eyes slowly started to close, vision going black.

Reaper felt his body halt, unable to move. “No! Princess, you have to fight it! Think about those counting on us!” He said, the Gouf Custom starting to enter a shutdown of his own. “Don’t give up, Princess! I cannot do this alone. I need you at the controls!”

Her eyes were almost shut, the mare trying to fight it every second of the way. “N-No! I can’t let this happen!” Starburst’s hands tried gripping the controls, finding it extremely hard. “I have to show them, I-I can beat this condition!” A tear fell down her cheek. “Reaper!”

“Starburst!”

(( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxmMnMTQvVs ))

As both suddenly had a full body shutdown, the strangest thing happened. A jolt of energy sparked throughout their bodies, causing Starburst’s heart to pump even faster and Reaper’s core to sky rocket off the charts! The Gouf Custom’s shoulder spikes, knee guards, leg vents, chest, and armor skirt; opened up! Before long, his entire body vented and started to heat up, giving off a fiery red aura about him. Even the heat sword suddenly came online! Within the cockpit, it had been like someone injected the mare with some kind of stimulant, her senses heightened beyond normal. She became aware of everything around her and Reaper’s body.

Their combined roaring yell blared from Reaper’s speaker, making it seem like their voices had become one. What became even worse, Reaper’s heated aura actually destroyed the warehouse they were hiding behind. The invaders prepared to fire, but hesitated when they saw what had become of their foe… A demonic look appearing around him, making them all falter at the sight. A mistake, they are about to regret.

In the blink of an eye, Reaper exploded forward, with enough force to demolish everything in his wake! Before they could react, his heat sword tore through two of the shield bearing mobile suits and split one of the cannon wielding ones in half, the heated blade actually causing them to explode. The others instantly turned, and fired, but Reaper was already gone! Using his heat wire to pull himself back down to the ground, before they could actually get a shot on him. He turned fully around to face them, both arms raised up.

“He’s a proto-type for the Newtype Program!?”

“That is correct, Lieutenant. Along with containing very valuable data for the Principality f Zeon, Reaper is one of the first to a new breed of mobile suits. When active, his systems will give off so much heat that it is required for him to vent every last bit of it… Creating a protective, and dangerous, aura of heat around himself.”

Reaper soared forward again, firing his triple barrel machinegun and had the heat wire snag n to one of the shielded mobile suits. The EMP burst completely destroyed it, while is hellstorm of bullets tore apart another cannon mobile suit.

“This is not the only effect it has. Due to so much energy being created, Reaper will be able to move twice as fast, his response time tripled. Whomever manages to actually activate this mode, will also gain a strange neurological boast, due to the systems and core built into him giving off a strange energy reading in which connects with the pilot. However, the pilot must be a Newtype. They need to be, just to keep up with him and the system not overload their nervous system. In a sense, they become of one mind, while the system is active.”

Starburst looked towards the last four mobile suits, somehow able to see what they were about to do next. It had been like their movements slowed down, while she remained at a normal speed. This allowed her to react much quicker to their attacks, having Reaper’s heat wire snag one’s cannon, forcing it to shoot another, while it sent an EMP pulse throughout the mobile suit’s body. Then, she had him follow up with the secondary weapon, firing several rounds through the smoke and tearing apart the third cannon wielding mobile suit.

“B-But, how come this was never recorded, Commander Zarren!? We had no such data that such a mobile suit even existed before!”

“Because his system has never been activated before. Not even our former Commander, who many of us believed was a Newtype, manage to do it… This has been one of the reasons why Onyx Fleet is devoted to reacquiring Reaper. For the fact that he is such a valuable weapon and the legacy of our late Commander.”

Reaper’s thrusters roared to life once more, allowing him to shoulder ram the last cannon wielding mobile suit to the ground. When it tried to take aim at him, his blade quickly destroyed the weapon and slammed a foot down on to its arm.

“But… Whomever does actually get the system activated? They would have a true Monster at their command.”

He took the blade in both hands, tip pointed down and a single eye locked on to the fallen foe. They released a pleading, metallic, screech in some attempt for mercy, Reaper’s aura cooking them from the inside out.

“A Demon born of metal.”

The heat sword came down, stabbing through the mobile suit’s core… Blood sprayed out on to Reaper’s metal body, but quickly reduced to steam when it made contact.