Blaster skipped breakfast when his suit finally arrived at headquarters, and its hype was not in the least bit exaggerated; everypony gathered around the fancy piece of technology with wide eyes. It sat near the central computer, standing firm in its place. The silver suit of metal armor was gleaming; so polished, in fact, that one could see their own reflection looking into the chest piece. The helmet was streamlined and aerodynamic— almost space age in design. It had a wide tinted red visor around the face, and various dials and breathing apparatuses near the back of the head. On the palms of each gauntlet were small openings that contained some sort of odd circular mechanism with a red piece of glass at the center. These mechanisms were also installed on either side of the armor near the ribcage, and also on the bottom of the hooves.

"Alright, Blaster, here it is! Allow me to introduce to you the Aeshma Armor Mark One!" Shining Armor proclaimed proudly as he welcomed Blaster to inspect his new tech.

"Whoa!" Blaster was like a foal on Hearth's Warming Eve. "What are these things for?"

"Those are the focusing lens of the armor— they magnify the potency and precision of your power, allowing you to fire blasts of your internal energy at a range," Gizmo explained, even though he had just laid eyes on the machine.

"Um... yeah..." Shining Armor scratched his head awkwardly.

"Why are these thingies on the hooves of the suit?" Blaster wondered as he lifted up the leg to see beneath them; he was surprised by how light the whole contraption weighed— around fifty pounds.

"Those are to add power to your kicks!" Shining Armor frantically answered Blaster before Gizmo could get the chance. "And... the scientists back in Canterlot are curious if you can use your abilities to fly as well."

"Fly?!" Blaster became so hyped that he almost did a back flip right then and there.

"But we probably need to run some tests before we can get you up in the air for real..." Derpy interjected, gently popping Blaster's bubble.

"What is power source?" Blue Thistle inquired as Shining Armor popped off the helmet and inspected the internals.

"This baby runs entirely on Blaster power!" Shining Armor answered him as he rested his arm on the shoulder of the suit. "Just goes to show you what Equestrian scientists can do with just a tiny sample of DNA."

"Uh, Shining Armor... will this stop my episodes too...?" Blaster's voice became softer, taking on an ashamed tone.

"Don't worry, Blaster, you'll be okay. The armor is heat and shock resistant, and it absorbs energy from your outbursts and stores it in the battery pack in the back of the suit," Shining Armor reassured him as he removed the helmet and pressed a button on the neck, opening the suit up like a flower in bloom. "Step inside, Blaster— try out the motor functions."

Blaster began shaking with excitement as he placed his hooves in first, and the suit began to morph and reshape itself to fit Blaster's body. Plates of metal interlocked, the chest piece fastened itself with a gust of steam, and Shining Armor placed the helmet on him, pressing a button on the side to activate the HUD built into the visor.

"Damn... that's fuckin' cool," Shadow Dancer grinned as gusts of steam continue to be expelled from the armor.

"Golly!" Fae beamed excitedly as she clapped her hands together once again.

"Alright, so, that visor not only has a heads-up display of your energy levels and vitals, but it also has a built-in targeting system with night and thermal vision," Shining Armor explained as he fiddled with more dials on the side of the helmet. "Try moving. The suit will have automatically connected with your nervous system by now. You should take it slow. You'll need to get a lot of practice with this suit if you're going to work in the field."

Blaster looked down as his armored hand as he raised it to his face, clenching his fist tightly to get the feel of the suit. It didn't feel as clunky as he expected it to be. In fact, the armor felt so natural that it practically felt like an extra layer of skin to Blaster. He raised his hoof slowly, looking down at the gears in the suit shifting and turning with his body rapidly. Blaster shook out his whole body, giving the suit the final adjustments it needed before testing.

"Alright, looking good! How about we take this outside, huh?" Shining Armor proposed as he then felt a vibration in his pocket; somepony was calling him. "Ah damn, sorry fellas. I got to take this call. It's Twilight. She probably wants to know what she missed while she was gone." Shining Armor moseyed over to the bar and sat down on a barstool near the edge of the island, placing his elbows on the table as he answered Twilight's call. To his surprise, however, he did not hear the usual chipper voice of his sister. She was panting heavily as if she had just run a mile. "Twilight?! Twilight, what's wrong?!"

"Shining Armor! I need your help! I'm held up in the parliament building in Canterlot!" Twilight hyperventilated. "Some armed ponies just walked into the building! I think they're trying to find Celestia and Luna!"

"Okay, okay. Just sit tight, Twilight. I'm sure they can handle the issue." Shining Armor insisted as he assessed the situation, getting up off his seat.

"You don't understand! These aren't just any thugs! They're dressed up in military uniforms! They've got some kind of giant mechanical suit with them too! The guards can't put a dent in this thing with their weapons! And my magic didn't work against it either!" Twilight panicked as an explosion and multiple gunshots rang out in the background. "They're killing foreign ambassadors! Oh my word, they're rounding up hostages! I have to go! I can't keep you on the line or they'll hear me! Please send help!"

"Twilight! Twilight, wait! Sweet Celestia! Fuck!" Shining Armor cursed as Twilight hung up the phone on him.

"What is it?!" Derpy asked her employer, who was quite obviously in distress.

"My sister is being held up in the parliament building with other Equestrian politicians!" Shining Armor began to breathe heavily as he imagined the worst. "They've got some kind of unstoppable mecha with them that's trashing the place! Twilight couldn't even damage it!"

"Holy shit," Shadow Dancer shook her head as she tried to wrap her head around the sudden and precise attack. "We've got to do something. If an alicorn can't put a scratch on that thing then they are sure as hell fucked if we don't step in."

"We can't! We don't have the experience as a team yet!" Shining Armor shouted at her, caught up in the heat of the moment. "Blaster has zero training with his armor!"

"Then I'll sit this one out. I'd only be getting in the way," Blaster insisted as he hopped out of his armor.

"Alright! Err, fine! We've got to get gear for you guys!" Shining Armor turned to Derpy swiftly. "Ditzy, I need you to go fetch the Wraith Suit and Shadow Dancer's other weapons and bring them to the hanger!"

"Yes, sir!" Derpy nodded as she ran downstairs in a panic. "What about Blue Thistle? Should I get her-?"

"Niet, I shall wear tracksuit," Blue Thistle interrupted her as she cracked her knuckles. "It has been long time since I have fought robots. They will not harm me."

"What about you, Fae?" Derpy asked the frivolous mare as she daydreamed about something else. "Fae?"

"Oh, sorry! I don't need anything special! Maybe just a jumpsuit or something..." Fae said quickly as she snapped out of her confusion.

"I have weapons of my own," Gizmo added as he rolled up his sleeves to reveal more pieces of tech on his cyborg limbs

"Okay then! I'll get a pilot to give you all a lift!" Shining Armor said as he pressed a button underneath the bar table, sounding an alarm. "Suit up and get to the hanger, everypony! I've got to call my wife..."

****

Fae waved flirtatiously to each stallion as she walked down the hallway leading into the hanger, taking full advantage of the visual appeal of her attire. The bubbly mare wore a red and white, female pilot's skin-tight flight suit, and she only zipped up the suit halfway up her chest to accent her more prominent features. Stallions tended to trip over others as she walked by, and she giggled maniacally as they did so.

"You can be so cruel, you know that?" Shadow Dancer grinned as she caught up to Fae.

"Heeheehee... I know," Fae laughed as she and Shadow Dancer both caught attention from the opposite sex. "It's fun."

Shadow Dancer wore her so-called "Wraith Suit", and it had very interesting look indeed; designed especially for her. The moderately-armored suit was black, typical of all armors geared towards stealth, and it had a whole truck-load of bells and whistles on it. She had an extensive utility belt and sash to carry her various ammo types and guns, a tactical visor that covered her face that she could activate with the click of a button on her gauntlets, and built-in stealth systems created to turn invisible in sync with Shadow Dancer. The protective plates on her legs, arms, and chest were made of reinforced aluminum with Kevlar sheeting and a coat of graphine on top, giving both bullet resistance and a sleek, polished ebony look.

"Fancy armor," Blue Thistle complimented Shadow Dancer's get up as she joined them on their brisk march to the hanger from an adjacent hallway.

Blue Thistle didn't wear her track suit like she bluntly stated before. Instead, she wore an outfit more suited for battle. She sported a red tank top with blue jeans and an unzipped brown bomber jacket on top of it all. Of course, she picked the ones in her locker that were both bullet and explosive proof. She wasn't too keen on having her clothes fly off in the midst of a fight.

"Thanks, Pretty Eyes, I see you switched up your outfit too..." Shadow Dancer replied to her, inspecting her outfit. "What made you decide to put somethin' like this on?"

"Tracksuit wasn't bulletproof. I don't like holes in clothes," Blue Thistle blushed as she zipped up her jacket. "Also, do not call me by odd names during mission, yes?"

"Whatever you say, Legs," Shadow Dancer snorted as Blue Star shot her an evil glare. "What? You said during the mission, not after..."

"You are all imbeciles..." Gizmo shook his head in disappointment as he joined their conversation. "Why am I on this team?"

Gizmo wore a brown trench coat with rolled up sleeves and a white dress shirt underneath, and he wore tan jeans to match them both. He also brandished a utility belt with his odd, futuristic, pistol-like sidearm holstered on the left and other strange gadgets hidden within the various pouches.

"Because you saw these three fine asses and you just couldn't say no..." Shadow Dancer grinned as she gave Gizmo a wink and spanked her own rear, to which he replied with an exasperated sigh.

"Look, ahead." Blue Thistle pointed over to the massive military-green transverse rotor helicopter ahead that had its payload doors open. "Our plane, yes?"

"You are correct..." A female voice replied as the figures of a mare and a stallion came into view exiting from the payload ramp. "Now get the hell in, we haven't got much time!"

Out of the cockpit emerged none other than the two legendary Wonderbolt pilots, Spitfire and Soarin. They all immediately recognized them both. Well, except Blue Thistle. She didn't tend to concern herself too much with the air force during her time as a soldier.

"Oh, shit! You're Spitfire and Soarin!" Shadow Dancer beamed as she shook their hands inside the copter. "What are you two doing here? Shouldn't you have left this grunt work to the noobs?"

"This job pays twice as much as my old job!" Soarin said as he sat down in the cockpit and placed his pilot's helmet on his head, activating the wide visor to cover his face. "Why the hell would I give it to one of those rookies?"

"Take a seat and buckle up, everypony! We've gotta get there quickly!" Spitfire ordered them as they all buckled in, driving the helicopter out of the hanger and activating the rotors, lifting the vehicle high into the air and racing towards their destination with the help of its jet engines in the back. "Soarin, give em' the low-down!"

"Alright, guys, word from Canterlot authorities tells us that these terrorists are elite; spec ops training, high-tech weaponry, the whole nine yards. We'll be air-dropping you guys down there. It'll be too dangerous to land." Soarin informed them as he handed Shadow Dancer a touch screen tablet displaying the layout of the parliament building. "They got Princess Twilight and the rest of em' held up in the meeting room on the third floor. And they've got the military pinned-down with that mech of theirs and a squad of soldiers in suits of armor. That big guy is a bullet sponge— has an energy shield that reflects magic too."

"Leave robot and soldiers outside to me," Blue Thistle volunteered with a faint eagerness to her tone. "I shall crush them."

"Alright then. I'll need the rest of you to each clear a floor," Soarin ordered them as he grabbed the tablet and placed it back in a pouch in his door. "And make sure to keep the damn building relatively untouched, please! We don't want Shining Armor to be signing an ass-load of reports, now do we?"

"I'll take the first floor. And I'll make sure they won't escape either," Gizmo spoke up.

"I'll take the second floor! This'll be fun!" Fae giggled as she envisioned the battle ahead.

"I'll take the top floor and secure the hostages while you guys distract the others," Shadow Dancer said, knowing she'd be suited best for indirect combat.

"Okay, so here's the crazy part, fellas," Soarin explained as he directed their attention to the ceiling of the helicopter. "See, a parachute is too risky— they could see you coming. So, I think some of you will have to carry one another. Can we do that?"

"I can just jump off, pilot," Blue Thistle grumbled. "I will feel nothing."

"Looks like I'll be carrying you then, huh, Giz?" Shadow Dancer winked at Gizmo as she gave him a nudge with her elbow, and he crossed his arms immediately in disapproval.

"Oh no, no you won't!" Gizmo scoffed with a stiff upper lip.

"C'mon, Giz... I really don't think traveling with Blue and Fae is a great idea, do you?" Shadow Dancer whispered to Gizmo, who admittedly was evaluating those scenarios— both didn't seem too promising.

"Okay..." Gizmo groaned in a monotone and blank tone of voice.

****

Twilight struggled against her binds as she sat with her back against both Luna and Celestia; they had all been fitted with magic-cancelling watches that anchored themselves right down to the bone and drained their energy away, crippling them. Those watches had been handed out the day before as a promotional item at their hotel. Regardless, Twilight still struggled against her restraints, hoping to slide a hand through the chains around her wrists. Tables and chairs were pushed back to the walls, and the remaining ambassadors who were still alive were also rounded up into bundles wrapped together by chains and gathered around Twilight and the other two princesses.

"What are you doing?" One of the griffon ambassadors whispered to Twilight.

"Trying to get out of this-."

"Don't bother, Princess Twilight, you can't break through those chains without your magic; they're reinforced steel," One of the hooded members of the terrorist group said as he scoffed at Twilight's pitiful attempt at escaping.

"Why hold us hostage, fiends? Why not kill us while we are vulnerable?" Luna asked the thug.

"You aren't in the position to be asking questions, Princess Luna..." The terrorist sneered as he cocked his assault rifle, aiming it at the head of the griffon ambassador next to Twilight and firing it off into his skull.

"You monsters!" A bloodied Celestia growled at them as they all grinned with delight. "You shall be executed for this heinous crime against Equestria!"

"Oh, I'm very scared, your highness. And how do you plan on doing that from where you're sitting? You're-." The guard tapped on his earpiece as the pilot of the mecha outside radioed in. He approached the window overlooking the battle-scarred Main Street and peered through the crack in the curtains. "What is it Omega?"

"Chi, I see a copter in the distance! It's military, but it's too far away for my short-range targeting systems to get a lock on it! What should I do?"

"Shining Armor..." Twilight muttered to the others, confident that that was the backup she called for.

"It's most likely a scouting helicopter, Omega, nothing to worry about. They're just trying to pull their pants back up after we blindsided em', that's all," The terrorist apparently named 'Chi' replied.

"Alright, then I'll just-. Wait! Three hostiles just hopped out of the chopper! Repeat, three hostiles just hopped out of the chopper!" The mecha driver watched as Shadow Dancer carried Gizmo and dropped him off at an alleyway nearby, then went invisible and flew around the parliament building, entering the third floor through an open window. Fae then looped around the other way and crashed through the glass on the second floor. "I don't like the looks of this, Chi... we've got reinforcements! I saw this weird mare with antlers enter into the second floor, but I lost visual on the two other hostiles!"

"Stand your ground, Omega, we can take care of em'," Chi replied on the com system.

Blue Thistle looked down at Main Street overhead, broken and bruised beyond belief. That mecha had demolished most buildings around the parliament building and drove out local police quickly. All that stood against it was a squadron of tanks aiming at the automation, but they knew that even with their high-tech weaponry they would not be able to crack the mecha's energy shield.

"What are you waiting for, Blue Thistle?!" Soarin shouted out to her as the wind blew through the vehicle.

"A clear shot," Blue Thistle backed up, readying her jump. "My fall will smash street apart, and I don't want to touch parliament building."

"I'm sorry, what?!" Spitfire turned back as she realized what Blue Thistle was implying. Would her fall be that devastating?

Blue Thistle closed her eyes and hopped out of the helicopter from one two hundred meters up in the air, putting her fists straight out in front of her as she dive-bombed towards Main Street. The cool wind blew her hair back, and as she fell, a wave of dark nostalgia swept over her; this first mission bared a striking resemblance to some of her own experiences during the revolution on Rukaria. The mecha watched Blue Thistle plummet to the ground at incredible speed, and she only kept accelerating as time flew by.

"Oh shit! I think there's a missile heading our way! Wait, it's gonna drop on Main Street!" The mecha driver used the external camera on the robot to track the object tumbling down. "Holy shit, Chi! This fourth bogie ain't a missile, it's a mare!"

"Holy fuck..." Chi gawked as he saw Blue Thistle barrel towards the ground. "Leave the crazy bitch! She'll just go splat!"

"Blue Star..." A voice echoed in her mind as the pavement drew closer, a voice Blue Thistle often tried to forget; he was rousing her. "Blue Star!"

Blue Thistle opened her eyes just in the nick of time as she impacted the ground, causing a shockwave never witnessed in Canterlot ever before. The force of the impact was so immense that Blue Thistle created a ten-meter wide crater in Main Street, uprooting a section of the street and rupturing the pipelines that ran beneath it. A pillar of dust was launched into the air like a nuclear blast, forming a mushroom cloud that peaked at five meters.

"Holy hell..." Spitfire shook her head as she watched from the cockpit, in awe at the raw power of the impact. "She's their big gun, I suppose."

"That impact... what was it?" Celestia asked Twilight as she felt the remnants of the shockwave ripple throughout the city.

"That must've been Blue Thistle..." Twilight shook her head in amazement. "What power..."

"That's a big dent in the paycheck of Canterlot..." Shadow Dancer remarked at the destruction as she began to sneak her way through the mazelike top floor. "Still, nice spectacle."

"No fucking way..." Chi gawked as he spoke into his communicator, watching as Blue Thistle emerged from the crater in Main Street completely unscathed. "K-kill that giant bitch!"

"You heard Chi!" Omega announced to the armored soldiers beside him as he primed his gauntlet missiles and shoulder-mounted machine guns to fire. "Waste her!"

The mecha and its accompanying squad fired all of their weapons at Blue Thistle; lasers, rockets, fifty caliber rounds. They all seemed to either bounce off of her or explode right in her face with no effect at all. Then, the mecha fired one of its largest missiles at her, staggering her just a bit, but catching a few of his allies in the radius of the blast. Regardless, Blue Thistle kept on walking towards them even after they stopped firing.

"What the hell is she...?" Omega was shivering in his seat, waiting for what the giant mare would do next.

"You have made me angry, little stallions..." Blue Thistle said with almost a snarl to her speech. "Now it is my turn!" Blue Thistle charged forward at the mecha, pulling back her fist for a devastating strike. "Rraarrghh!"

Blue Thistle landed a punch right on the waist of the mecha, shattering the shield around the robot like a house of cards and knocking it over onto the ground with one blow. Blue Thistle stretched out her neck as she landed back on the ground, nonchalantly waiting for the terrorists' next move.

"Let us play then, yes?" Blue Thistle grinned as she turned to the armored stallions surrounding her. "Yes..."

Author's Note

Now things get interesting...