Hope Trots Aloneby Crowquill SymphonyChaptersChapter One: The Will of One MareChapter 2: Unrest in the house of CelestiaChapter 3: VengeanceChapter One: The Will of One MareHope Trots Alone A crossover fan fiction by Crow-quill Symphony ***NOTICE*** The following crossover fan fiction is not based on the Mega Man franchise itself. Rather, it is based on the plot of the rock opera written and preformed by The Protomen. Please bear this in mind, as the plot of the games and the Rock Opera vary in many ways. Keep that in mind if you’re a hardcore Mega Man fan. Chapter 1: The Will of One Mare Nopony was left who could remember how it had happened, how the world had fallen into darkness. At least nopony who would do anything. Nopony who would oppose the robots. Or so Nightmare Moon believed… Twenty floors above the dark city, Celestia lived in a run-down tenement. An eccentric and brilliant mare, Celestia was a loner, a thinker. A mare of ideas. Ideas forbidden in Nightmare’s society. The society in which she worked. The society in which she lived. The society that she would set free. And so Celestia worked far into the night, when the watchful eyes of Nightmare’s robo-ponies weren’t upon her. She’d set her skillful hooves to work creating a device to bring about a change, to create a machine to bring freedom, to create a mare to save the world. Twelve years Celestia worked, and on a cold night, with a full moon hanging in the sky, the great and powerful Trixie was born. A perfect unicorn, an unbeatable machine, hell-bent on destroying every evil standing between ponykind and freedom, built for one purpose, to destroy Nightmare’s army of evil robots. She was ready, willing, prepared to fight. Trixie set out that night to reach Nightmare’s fortress. She descended the twenty floors easily, her horn glowing, illuminating her armored facemask as she levitated down the stairs. As she exited the tenement, she spotted a pair of figures moving about in the darkness. She focused, and felt the machinery in her head shift and move, allowing her eyes to adapt. She could see them clearly now. They were robotic earth ponies, painted a dull green, with a single glowing red eye in the middle of their face and simple rifles attached to their sides. Sniper Jacks. The Robotic unicorn braced herself. Her arsenal was simple, but she knew how effective it was. The Gatling guns on her sides roared to life as the Jacks turned to face her. Trixie let out a shout as the bullets shredded the robots, spraying oil and gemstone shards about. This was it. There was no going back. She would save all of ponykind, or die trying. Metal husks fell to the ground and stayed there. Ponies stuck their heads out their windows and doorways as the blue unicorn strode through the streets. A crowd began to gather, following Trixie. Following their new hero. Within the walls of Dr. Nightmare’s fortress, two lights went off in a dark room, the only illumination coming from the thousands of other tiny lights in the room. The sole occupant of the room, a robo-pegasus, seemingly normal save for the lines and bolts that allowed her joints free movement, sat up slightly, eyeing the two lights. She tapped them, the console, and finally pounded a hoof on the panel below the lights. It opened up, revealing a digital map of the city. Two red spots stood out on the map, their location about a mile from the fortress. As she watched the screen, another light on the wall went out, and another red dot appeared. And another. And another. The pegasus smiled, and began to pull her purple and black flight suit on. It had been so long since she had last shown off. Nightmare had her watching the screens, a dull and monotonous job. She stepped out of the darkness into a simple barracks. Five other robo-ponies sat about, but they turned to her as she mussed up her rainbow mane, opened a small locker and began to pull out dynamite, grenades, and various other explosives. “Ooh, hey! Is it a riot! Are the ponies revolting? C’mon Dashie, tell me!” A pink pony with an elaborate poofy mane was jumping about, the various blades strapped to her vest clicking and chinking as she bounced. “C’mon! I wanna know! I’m bored, I wanna party!” “I hope they aren’t angry. I mean, it’s okay if they are, but…” Sitting in the corner, a quiet yellow pegasus stared at the floor as lightning crackled and arced between the plates of her armor. Her cutie mark, three metallic butterflys, shined in the light of the electricity. “Come now darlings, we can handle this!” A ivory colored pony with an elegant purple mane stood tall, strutting about the barracks. “No matter our enemy, I’ll show them the flames of my passion!” She laughed, and small traces of smoke began to spill from her mouth.“They cannot stop us!” “Eeeyup.” The large, armored stallion stood taller than any of the other ponies in the room, green eyes practically glowing beneath his helmet. “We’ll show those breathing pony folk, they’ll see our metal is no joke.” A robotic zebra in a thick, fur lined coat stepped forth. Water condensed around her hooves, and the air became cold around her. The rainbow colored pegasus pulled down her goggles. “This is gonna be awesome! Nopony messes with us! We’re the baddest ponies around! And whoever we’re fighting,” She smiled wide, and began to lead the group out, “They’re gonna be scrap. Nopony fights the Shadowbots and walks away!” The door closed behind the robots, and the lights in the barracks went out. Trixie’s guns roared as more robots fell. Behind her ponies had gathered into a large crowd, cheering and shouting with each evil robot that fell. Before her stood Nightmare’s fortress, a tall intimidating building covered top to bottom with telescreens broadcasting propaganda. Trixie trotted forward into the courtyard of the fortress- then jumped back at a sharp hissing sound. The blast barely missed her, and she felt a few shards of shrapnel embed themselves in her side. She groaned, but shook it off. The city needed a hero. The city needed the great and powerful Trixie. She looked up to see her next enemies, and felt a shiver run down her metal spine when she saw them. An entire army was pouring out, and at the front were six robot ponies that seemed to be the leaders. The army finally stopped pouring out, and the six stepped forward. A pegasus with a rainbow colored mane and tail stepped forward. “So this is it? This is the big trouble? One robot?” She threw her head back and laughed loudly. “You have no IDEA who you are messing with! Do you know who we are?” Trixie huffed, turning away. “Of course I know. After all, I was built to destroy all of you.” She turned her gaze to the six. “First, Pinkie Pie, A.K.A. Cutmare.” The pink pony giggled happily, bouncing about in anticipation. She had several long sinister looking blades attached to her hooves, and numerous others on her person. “Big Macintosh, or Gutscolt.” The big one stood silent, his eyes glaring at her from beneath his helmet. “Rarity, the infamous firemare.” “Infamous? Infamous? INFAMOUS?” The ponies purple mane and tail suddenly burst, revealing large, bright flames. “How dare you, you common back alley scrap heap! I’ll melt you into slag!” Trixie ignored her, turning to the next of the group. “Zecora, the icemare.” The zebra stared at her opponent, the ground beneath her freezing and cracking. The others kept a slight distance from her, understandable as the very air around her had begun to condense. God knows what that kind of cold she could make if she truly tried. “Fluttershy, otherwise known as Elecmare.” The shy pony whispered something softly, and her eyes met Trixie’s. She could swear she saw pity in the yellow pegasus’ eyes. “Last but not least, Rainbow Dash…” The colorful pegasus was floating just above the ground, forehooves resting on the releases for the bombs she carried. She gave an evil smile at Trixie. “The blast crazy Bombmare.” She laughed again, throwing her head back once more. “You’re pretty smart aren’t yah! Too bad smarts don’t match up well against nitroglycerin and c-4!” Her eyes went cold, but her smile remained. “So you got a name we can put on your gravestone?” Trixie stood tall, and began to spin up her guns. “I am the Great and Powerful Trixie, but I am not the one who will end up in the ground!” The army charged, Trixie opened fire, and so too did the Shadowbots. Within seconds, the crowd stood and stared, gasped, shouted. The battle raged, and as the sun began to rise, Trixie stood amongst the debris and scrap, wounded, low on energy, fighting just to remain standing. The Shadowbots stood over the beaten mare, and behind them were more robots, with reinforcements pouring out from the fortress. The telescreens suddenly changed, showing a face that sent shivers down the spines of every pony in the area. Nightmare moon had arrived. Celestia stood near the back of the crowd, disguised with a simple, dirty cloak, and stared in shock and horror at the battlefield before her. Trixie was doomed. There was no way for her to win, no way to even survive. Nightmare’s voice boomed out from the telescreens; “Finish it.” Celestia looked to the crowd, hoping, praying they would help Trixie, join the fight. But they stood, silent and still, and watched as their hero died. Pinkie jumped out first, circling around Trixie, and rammed her bladed forehooves into the mare’s side. Trixie screamed as the pink pony hoisted her up, and threw her, leaving long gashes that spilled oil and coolant. Big Macintosh spun, bucking Trixie square in the chest, sending her flying towards Rarity. She opened her mouth, spilling a jet of fire that slowed and blasted Celestia’s creation away. Trixie flew, and was struck with a cone of ice and freezing wind. The mare fell to the ground, her hind legs completely frozen, as Rainbow Dash trotted up slowly. She jammed a grenade into the long gashes in Trixie’s side, and pulled the pin. Trixie’s eyes went wide as she saw the bomb. The blast ripped her in half, spilling scraps of metal and magic gems about. Her lower half had shattered, leaving barely a trace. Trixie stared at the crowd. If she could cry, if she could scream, she would have. The crowd stood silent, some crying, others simply looking away. As the rest of the robots present descended upon her, Trixie felt that last spark of hope within her die. The crowd began to disperse, crying and moaning, and Celestia began to push through them, using her wings and magic to shove her way through. By the time she reached the courtyard, it was over. The robots were marching back into the fortress, the six with them. Celestia began to rummage through the wreckage, looking for some sign of her creation’s fate. She finally found it, and her heart broke. All that was left of her valiant robot was her facemask, chipped and battered. The alicorn cradled the mask in her hooves as the realization hit her. This had not simply been a robot. This had been her daughter. Twelve years of work, of sacrifice, of effort, and she had created a daughter. A daughter she had sent to die. A daughter who had been slaughtered while those she sought to save simply watched and did nothing. Celestia turned, hiding the mask beneath her cloak. Nopony, flesh or metal stopped her. Celestia screamed and flipped over her workbench, scattering tools and metal about the floor of the beaten up room. Her magic wrapped around the bottle of whiskey as she took another pull, burning all the way down. She turned and saw it; the only picture of her daughter she had, taken the day before she was finished. She looked complete; the only parts missing were her armor and weapons. Other than those, she was complete. A beautiful unicorn, a beautiful daughter. And the very next day, Celestia had watched her die. Tears came to the doctor’s eyes, and she screamed again, flinging the bottle at the picture. It missed, knocking over a box of gems. The contents fell to the floor, clattering and clinking. Celestia trotted over, and stared through blurry eyes at the shimmering gems. She slowly levitated them back into the box, and stopped. She wrapped her magic around a small purple gem. It had cracked in the fall, leaving a large crack in the middle. She stared at the crystal, as memories stirred within her head. Emerald. The name floated in her head, along with pictures of a stallion from years ago. The sunlight shined in through the window, illuminating her sun shaped cutie mark. She raised her head high, mane floating behind her as she flipped her workbench upright. She began to work, grabbing hydraulics, gearboxes, and metal plates. She would not simply lie down and die. She would create another daughter, but this time, this time she wouldn’t let her die. She wouldn’t let her fight a hopeless battle for ponies who couldn’t, no, wouldn’t stand for themselves. She would raise this daughter, teach her right and wrong, and keep her safe. She would never give up; she had sworn long ago that she wouldn’t. As the sun began to set, Celestia looked lovingly at the mechanical skeleton before her. It had gone faster this time; after all, there was less guesswork involved the second time around. It was almost finished. It needed a chassis, a body to house the machinery, but it was almost finished. The chassis, and the programming, that was all. Or was it? Celestia’s mind raced as she thought carefully, before face-hoofing. A name! She had yet to come up with a name! The doctor once more turned to the window. In the distance she could see people building a crude memorial. The setting sun cast it’s light on the construct, causing it to sparkle in the light of the twilight. Something in the back of her mind clicked. That was the name. Celestia leaned in close to her daughter in the making, laying a kiss on the metal cheek joints. “Twilight Sparkle. My creation. My daughter.” The sun set over the city, and Celestia continued to work. She would not let this one die. She wouldn’t let her fight. Even if she held some hope for the future of ponykind, she felt none for the city. After all, she had seen the true face of all the people in the city that day. She had seen their true colors. There was no reason to fight for ponies who were already dead. Chapter 2: Unrest in the house of CelestiaHope Trots Alone A crossover fan fiction by Crowquill Symphony Notice: Same as before. Based on the Rock opera. I’ll stop now. Chapter 2: Unrest in the house of Celestia Twilight Sparkle looked out the window of the run down building twenty stories above the city. She gazed down on the ponies in the street, the robots patrolling the alleys and the sky, and finally the tall cross in the distance. Made from a pair of steel girders welded together and propped up in the midst of a barren plot that had once been a park, the park stood as a memorial and grave for the one who had come before her, the hero of all ponykind, the Great and Powerful Trixie. Or, as Twilight knew her, her older sister. Her mother, Celestia, rarely talked about her; she had only had her for a day, before she died. No. Before she was murdered. When Twilight was young, still learning the ways of the world, her mother would tell her of Trixie fighting for the ponies of the city, fighting for justice and freedom, and how she died at the hooves of the Shadowbots and Nightmare Moon’s robot army. And now, Twilight thought, I can avenge her. Her horn glowed as magic wrapped around a large box beneath her bed. She set it on her small workbench, nowhere near as good as her mother’s, but good enough for what she needed. The lock on the box clicked, and Twilight opened it, gazing at her creation. Twin Gatling guns, attached to a simple harness. Though she couldn’t interface the guns with her system, she -had rigged up a simple gem system so she could fire them without excessive work, just a small touch of magic. She levitated the guns, and shook them suddenly in a bucking motion. The barrels extended outwards with a loud snap, and a single large barrel extended. The Power Shot. A special weapon of her own design, the cannons would fire large shells propelled by the normal powder and concentrated magic, resulting in what she hoped would be an armor piercing shell powerful enough to destroy a column of robots. Twilight jumped as she heard the front door opening, and she slammed the weapon into the case and tried to close it. It didn’t fit. She panicked, fumbling to get it into a position where she could close it as Celestia came closer. She finally closed the case as her mother opened the door. Twilight turned, trying to calm down. “Oh! Uh, hey Mom, uh, you’re back early!” She chuckled slightly. If she could sweat, she would have been sweating buckets. Celestia trotted over to her robotic daughter. “I decided to stretch my wings a bit.” She flexed her wings, and leaned in close to nuzzle Twilight. “How are you, my favorite little robot?” “Oh, Fine, y’know? Heh heh...” Celestia stood up, smiling at Twilight. The alicorn had begun to show the signs of age and stress, her mane starting to dull, and her coat loosing some of it’s luster, and yet she seemed as regal as she had when Twilight first met her. “Twilight, are you hiding something?” The purple mare struggled to retain some semblance of calmness. Unconsciously, her eyes darted in the direction of the box resting unlocked on the workbench. Celestia smiled. “You’ve never been good at hiding things. I did raise you to be fairly honest.” She chuckled as she opened the box. Celestia’s smile died the second she saw the polished steel of the guns. She stared in horror at the weapons, before turning to Twilight. She wasn’t mad, but wore a face of sadness, disappointment. “Twilight...” “I want to help!” “Twilight.” “They killed Trixie!” “Twilight Sparkle!” Celestia’s voice boomed, and Twilight curled up slightly. The white mare stopped, clenching her teeth. Finally, she shut the box, levitating it with her as she went to her workbench. Twilight was silent, still shocked by her mother’s outburst. Celestia returned, and sat near down in the room. “Twilight, my dear daughter...” “Is it so wrong that I want to help?” Silence. Finally, Celestia spoke, her gaze distant. “I’ve told you this many times. I haven’t lied about anything in this story. I made another before you. She was a hero, your sister, my daughter. She fought against Nightmare Moon and her armies, and they won. She fought bravely, and, in the end, died bravely. But she had been forsaken by the very ponies she fought for. In the end, her death had no meaning. She died in vain. I’ve heard the whispers in the street, and I know you’ve heard them as well. I know you may not understand, but these people cannot be saved by one mare. I had been wrong. Everything I entrusted to her is on me know. When she died, I was the only one who cared.” She turned to Twilight, on the verge of tears. “You are not her. This fight isn’t yours.” She paused again, regaining her composure. “That’s it. The story has ended. There isn’t anything else we can do. And I won’t lose another daughter. If you left, you’d be fighting for ponies who refuse to open their eyes.” She stared into Twilight’s eyes. “You are not to leave. Not for a little while. Consider yourself grounded. I won’t let my only living daughter fight an impossible battle.” She stood and trotted away slowly. Twilight waited, until she heard her the door to her mother’s room close. She stood up, and opened her closet, pulling out another box. She opened it, pulling out another pair of guns, slightly cruder looking, the harness held together by crude ropes and cloth. Twilight had set her mind on saving the city, and had prepared for the possibility of her mother finding the hoof-crafted weapons. She pulled it on, tightening the straps and then concealing the assembly beneath one of her mother’s cloaks. She turned to the window once more, gazing out. Twenty stories above the city, she had watched things turn to ruin. From all the stories she had heard, she didn’t believe there was a way to change the ponies mind about fighting back. But if the alternative was to simply give up and accept that they were conquered, then Twilight was more than willing to fight. She slowly opened the window, and wrapped herself in magic. She floated down, falling fast, but at a manageable speed. She would beg forgiveness later. For now, there was someplace she needed to go, something she needed to see. She touched down softly, her metal hooves clinking gently on the ground below. She trotted through the streets of the city, taking note of the ponies on the street. They stood and sat with their gazes down, beaten and broken, clad in dirty rags. Robots wandered in patrols, and the ponies would run and hide, no matter how weak the robot. Twilight could see how her mother wouldn’t have much faith in them, but she wasn’t willing to leave them to suffer. She arrived at her destination and gazed across the bed of dry dirt and stone that had once been a park full of life. In the middle was a simple cross of steel atop a carved stone. From a distance, she could see a strange red smear across the front of the marker. She trotted closer, making out a simple sentence; Hope Trots Alone. That was it. Hope trots alone. Twilight stared at the graffiti scrawled across her sisters grave. She began to cry, surprising herself slightly at her emotional capability. She read it again and again, engraving the words into her mind. Her sister had fought and died alone. Her battle was unfinished. “HALT. THIS IS A RESTRICTED AREA. PLEASE LEAVE OR WE WILL BE FORCED TO-” Twilight roared as she mowed down the patrolling bots. She turned around, locking her eyes on the tower in the distance. Nightmare Moon’s fortress, the site of her sister’s last stand. Where the battle for ponykind had begun. Where Twilight would end it. She charged, full gallop, as ponies began to emerge from their homes and stores to watch. Twilight spoke through gritted teeth, “As I live, there is no evil that will stand,” Her guns screamed and spat lead, gutting another patrol of robots. “And I will finish what was started by my sister...” More robots fell under a hail of bullets. Twilight stood atop their wreckage, at the gates to Nightmare’s fortress. She bucked forward, and the barrels of the guns clicked back, revealing the cannons beneath. She screamed as her shells ripped apart the gate. “The fight for all Ponykind!” Chapter 3: VengeanceHope Trots Alone A Fan Fiction by Crowquill Symphony Chapter 3: Vengeance In a small dark room in the depths of Luna’s fortress, the green lights that covered the wall began to go out. The pegasus in the room looked at the now dark lights, and gently poked a panel on the console beneath the lights. It slid open, revealing a map of the city. There were numerous red dots marking a trail ending in the fortress courtyard. And there was a lot of red there. “Oh my.” The pegasus turned and exited the room into the light of the barracks she spent most of her time in. There were five others in the room, two of them trapped in some sort of argument, three standing off to the side watching with interest. She raised her head, and spoke softly. “Everyone? Could I get your attention? If, you know, you’re not to busy…” She stared at the floor, finally looking up to see she had the other’s undivided attention. “Uhm, there’s trouble in the city. A lot of robots are gone.” Silence. The yellow pegasus began to curl up slightly when the others began to shout and grab their weapons and gear. She made her way to her bunk, opening the locker near the base. Inside was a simple harness, covered in small metal patches. She slipped it on, tightened the straps, and focused. Small arcs of lighting covered her body, hitting each of the metal patches before she slipped her coat on over it. No sense frightening the intruder, whoever he, or she, was. ****** More robots poured out of the fortress, getting ripped to shreds by the hail of bullets that welcomed them. A pegasus-bot swept down at the intruder, missing by just enough to wind up a smoking pile of twisted metal. Twilight’s magic wrapped around the guns of the nearby robots, shattering them and levitating the bullets out. She loaded them into her own gun, thanking the heavens for the break in the fighting. She hadn’t been counting bullets, but she could tell that her Gatling guns were running low on ammo. She still had the heavy shells, but she wanted to save those. Behind her stood a crowd of ponies cheering and chanting for her. There was hope in their eyes. She smiled as she saw it. “You’ve got some nerve, trying to break in here!” Twilight looked up to see a cyan pegasus in a purple and black flight suit covered with bombs descending from the second story with five others. She recognized them. They were the Shadowbots. Nightmare Moon’s six most trusted lieutenants. She clenched her jaw, her teeth grinding against each other. They were the ones who killed her sister. She lined up her guns, heard them beginning to spin. More robots poured from the fortress, and she began to fire, mowing them down as the approached. The Shadow bots charged, one of them hanging just behind. Twilight leaped into action as they got close. She leapt into the air, towards Big Macintosh. He reared back, and bucked out with his hind legs, just barely missing her. The giant did a double take. She was covered in a slight glow as she landed, having used magic to slow herself. She landed beneath Macintosh, bucked, and raised her cannons into the Stallion’s belly. His eyes went wide as she fired. Two giant holes appeared, oil and metal shards pouring out. He collapsed, Twilight barely avoiding the falling giant. He was still alive, but incapacitated. She turned her attention to the pair flanking her. Rarity and Zecora reared back, inhaling deeply before releasing their elemental fury. Twilight sighed. They were making this too easy. She leapt up, propelling herself out of the blasts range. She bucked again, switching back to the Gatling guns. She turned, still well above the ground and began to fire at Rarity when she was struck by the loudmouthed pegasus. She spun, and her eyes went wide. Rainbow was holding a lit stick of dynamite in her mouth. She was built to withstand her own explosives, even at a close range. Twilight wrapped her magic around the stick, forming a shield. The blast pushed at the shield, draining Twilight’s energy, as the pegasus crashed into the ground with her as a cushion. The pegasus stood tall over her, laughing. “That was it? Come on! That blue one put up more of a fight!” She laughed as more robots poured from the fortress, forming up behind the Shadow Bots, who advanced on the seemingly fallen hero. The crowd was silent. “Hah! Another ‘Hero’ down! Nopony can take us! No-” She fell silent as she felt warm metal barrels pressed into her gut. She jumped back, trying to take to the air a second too late. Bullets ripped through the metal pegasus. She lay in a crumpled heap, twitching and groaning. Twilight bucked out her cannons as more minions charged out. She fired both barrels again, and smiled as the approaching mobs split apart. Rarity screamed, spitting another stream of fire. Twilight rolled, just barely avoiding the flames, but coming face to face with a rather insane looking pony covered with blades. She thrust out at Twilight, scratching her flank. It was a shallow wound, not even breaking through. Celestia had been even more careful when building this daughter. Twilight dodged Pinkie’s attacks, maneuvering her into a better position. She finally saw it, and shouted. “What a tacky mane!” A burst of flame came towards Twilight. Unfortunately for Pinkie Pie, she was in the middle of a charge, unable to stop. The flames scorched her, and she screamed as her vest, mane and tail caught fire. Rarity fell still as she looked in horror at her burning comrade. “Focus you great foal! The invader is close to her goal!” Zecora shouted as Twilight raised her guns again. Rarity snapped back, just in time to see her right side get ripped open by another of the cannon shells. Zecora let loose another burst of frost, barely missing the pony. Twilight dodged, back and forth, up and down, using her magic to stay a step beyond the frozen blasts. She closed the distance, firing a shell into the side of the robotic zebra. Zecora fell to the ground, leaking oil from the large hole that passed through her. Twilight spun, looking about the battlefield. There was only one left; The yellow pegasus. Twilight raised her head high as the crowd cheered. “It that the best you’ve got?” She shouted, arrogance in her voice. “Are these your strongest Machines?” The pegasus finally looked up, her eyes dark and angry. She spoke, loud enough for Twilight to hear. “You do NOT. HURT. MY. FRIENDS!” ****** Nightmare Moon watched from the second story balcony as Fluttershy erupted into a mass of flailing tendrils of electricity. She laughed as Twilight charged towards the pegasus. “I could take her.” Came a voice from behind. Nightmare turned, smiling. “Now, now, my faithful soldier. Let the children have their fun. Besides,” Nightmare looked down at the battle, “You may yet have your chance.” ****** Twilight flew backwards as electricity ran through her metal body. The battle was starting to take its toll on her. She trained her guns on Fluttershy, sending a storm of lead into the tempest. They sparked as the lighting disintegrated them. Twilight was running out of options. She only had two more shells left, and she wasn’t sure if they would even make it through. The writhing ball of sparks advanced slowly, taking care to avoid her wounded friends. As she passed Rainbow Dash, an idea hit Twilight. It was dirty and underhanded, but there weren’t many other options. The crowd was still cheering, but many had fallen silent watching the battle. Twilight wrapped the bomb covered mare in her magic, pulling her in front of Fluttershy. The pegasus gasped as Twilight flung the mare towards the electric storm. In a heartbeat, or the robot equivalent, Fluttershy had dropped the field. Just in time to see Twilight’s magic dissipate, except for one small cluster. A cluster full of grenade pins. “Eep.” Fluttershy shut her eyes tight as the blast knocked her through the air. She smashed into the fortress walls, falling to the ground, a pool of oil forming beneath her. Twilight turned her attention to the front doors of the fortress and noticed someone atop the balcony the Shadowbots had leapt from. There stood a jet black alicorn whose purple mane flowed and shined in the night. Behind her stood a strange pony covered by an elaborate cloak. Twilight couldn’t see her face, or even what kind of pony it was, but she could see its eyes. They shined brightly in the cold night. Twilight shivered slightly. Those eyes were just like hers. “Hey you!” She shouted, “Come on down! It’s a party down here and everyone’s invited!” The crowd roared with approval. “You think you can take me? Step into the light, assuming you’re ready to fight!” Nightmare Moon raised a hoof, and more robots began to pour out of the fortress. Twilight buckled down and began to spray them with bullets as they approached. So be it. These robots were nothing but Target Practice. She had come to save all of ponykind. She had come to kill Nightmare Moon. And most importantly, she had come to avenge her sister. She would not be stopped. ****** Celestia soared from roof to roof, fear in her heart. She had cursed herself out for not checking for another weapon. When she had gone to check in on her daughter, she found the window open and her daughter gone. She heard the sound of gunfire in the distance. She rushed out, trying to find her daughter before it was too late. She landed on the roof of a building across the street from the Fortress, and she saw the mob, and her daughter firing into the approaching crowds of robots. For a brief moment, she was distracted from the peril by her daughter’s performance. Twilight was effortlessly defeating each robot that approached, and the Shadowbots were already down for the count. Despite the fact that she wasn’t built for combat, Celestia had to admit she was doing a good job, possibly even better than Trixie. …Trixie. The thought of her first daughter returned the worry to Celestia’s heart, and she jumped, gliding towards her daughter. The robots finally stopped coming, and Twilight began to pull ammo back to her as Celestia landed. “Twilight! Twilight!” Twilight spun quickly, guns at the ready. Her eyes went wide as Celestia hugged her tightly, tears streaming down her face. “Twilight… I was so worried…” “Mom,” Twilight was silent for a moment, considering the weight of her words before she spoke again. “I wasn’t going to just give up. I know you’re upset, and you have every right to be,” She pulled away from the alicorn, facing the fortress once more, “But right now I have to finish this.” Celestia couldn’t stop crying. Her daughter was a hero, through and through. But her sister had been a hero as well. Celestia wiped the tears from her eyes. “Twilight, I need you to know something. Your sister…” “Well now, what have we here?” The voice echoed from every telescreen in the city. That dark familiar voice. Celestia raised her eyes to the balcony of the fortress. Nightmare stood, her mane waving in the wind, with her cloaked guard nearby. “If it isn’t Celestia, my old partner. I could have sworn you’d died years ago, as well as that annoying mare. What was her name, Applejack?” Celestia ground her teeth. Twilight looked on, surprised at her mother’s aggression. Despite everything, Twilight had never seen her this angry. Nightmare Moon smiled before continuing, “I’m honestly amazed you’ve found the will to fight back. Tell me, are you still fighting for Emerald?” “Shut your god-damned mouth!” Celestia screamed. Twilight felt a twinge of fear at her reaction. A realization came to her, and she swiveled about, raising her guns to point at Nightmare Moon. “Hey! I’m still here!” shouted Twilight. “I’m the one who’s going to destroy you!” Celestia’s anger vanished and she turned to Twilight, fear in her face again. “Wait, Twilight! You need to know-” The sound of four hooves hitting ground grabbed the daughter and the mother’s attention. Twilight felt her jaw drop. The cloaked pony stood before her, but the hood she wore had come off in the fall. Twilight knew the face before her. It was a face she had seen before in her dreams, in visions of the past. It was not the face of evil. It was the face of a hero. The face of a daughter. The face of a sister. Twilight could barely squeak out the name of the figure before her. “Trixie?”
Chapter One: The Will of One MareHope Trots Alone A crossover fan fiction by Crow-quill Symphony ***NOTICE*** The following crossover fan fiction is not based on the Mega Man franchise itself. Rather, it is based on the plot of the rock opera written and preformed by The Protomen. Please bear this in mind, as the plot of the games and the Rock Opera vary in many ways. Keep that in mind if you’re a hardcore Mega Man fan. Chapter 1: The Will of One Mare Nopony was left who could remember how it had happened, how the world had fallen into darkness. At least nopony who would do anything. Nopony who would oppose the robots. Or so Nightmare Moon believed… Twenty floors above the dark city, Celestia lived in a run-down tenement. An eccentric and brilliant mare, Celestia was a loner, a thinker. A mare of ideas. Ideas forbidden in Nightmare’s society. The society in which she worked. The society in which she lived. The society that she would set free. And so Celestia worked far into the night, when the watchful eyes of Nightmare’s robo-ponies weren’t upon her. She’d set her skillful hooves to work creating a device to bring about a change, to create a machine to bring freedom, to create a mare to save the world. Twelve years Celestia worked, and on a cold night, with a full moon hanging in the sky, the great and powerful Trixie was born. A perfect unicorn, an unbeatable machine, hell-bent on destroying every evil standing between ponykind and freedom, built for one purpose, to destroy Nightmare’s army of evil robots. She was ready, willing, prepared to fight. Trixie set out that night to reach Nightmare’s fortress. She descended the twenty floors easily, her horn glowing, illuminating her armored facemask as she levitated down the stairs. As she exited the tenement, she spotted a pair of figures moving about in the darkness. She focused, and felt the machinery in her head shift and move, allowing her eyes to adapt. She could see them clearly now. They were robotic earth ponies, painted a dull green, with a single glowing red eye in the middle of their face and simple rifles attached to their sides. Sniper Jacks. The Robotic unicorn braced herself. Her arsenal was simple, but she knew how effective it was. The Gatling guns on her sides roared to life as the Jacks turned to face her. Trixie let out a shout as the bullets shredded the robots, spraying oil and gemstone shards about. This was it. There was no going back. She would save all of ponykind, or die trying. Metal husks fell to the ground and stayed there. Ponies stuck their heads out their windows and doorways as the blue unicorn strode through the streets. A crowd began to gather, following Trixie. Following their new hero. Within the walls of Dr. Nightmare’s fortress, two lights went off in a dark room, the only illumination coming from the thousands of other tiny lights in the room. The sole occupant of the room, a robo-pegasus, seemingly normal save for the lines and bolts that allowed her joints free movement, sat up slightly, eyeing the two lights. She tapped them, the console, and finally pounded a hoof on the panel below the lights. It opened up, revealing a digital map of the city. Two red spots stood out on the map, their location about a mile from the fortress. As she watched the screen, another light on the wall went out, and another red dot appeared. And another. And another. The pegasus smiled, and began to pull her purple and black flight suit on. It had been so long since she had last shown off. Nightmare had her watching the screens, a dull and monotonous job. She stepped out of the darkness into a simple barracks. Five other robo-ponies sat about, but they turned to her as she mussed up her rainbow mane, opened a small locker and began to pull out dynamite, grenades, and various other explosives. “Ooh, hey! Is it a riot! Are the ponies revolting? C’mon Dashie, tell me!” A pink pony with an elaborate poofy mane was jumping about, the various blades strapped to her vest clicking and chinking as she bounced. “C’mon! I wanna know! I’m bored, I wanna party!” “I hope they aren’t angry. I mean, it’s okay if they are, but…” Sitting in the corner, a quiet yellow pegasus stared at the floor as lightning crackled and arced between the plates of her armor. Her cutie mark, three metallic butterflys, shined in the light of the electricity. “Come now darlings, we can handle this!” A ivory colored pony with an elegant purple mane stood tall, strutting about the barracks. “No matter our enemy, I’ll show them the flames of my passion!” She laughed, and small traces of smoke began to spill from her mouth.“They cannot stop us!” “Eeeyup.” The large, armored stallion stood taller than any of the other ponies in the room, green eyes practically glowing beneath his helmet. “We’ll show those breathing pony folk, they’ll see our metal is no joke.” A robotic zebra in a thick, fur lined coat stepped forth. Water condensed around her hooves, and the air became cold around her. The rainbow colored pegasus pulled down her goggles. “This is gonna be awesome! Nopony messes with us! We’re the baddest ponies around! And whoever we’re fighting,” She smiled wide, and began to lead the group out, “They’re gonna be scrap. Nopony fights the Shadowbots and walks away!” The door closed behind the robots, and the lights in the barracks went out. Trixie’s guns roared as more robots fell. Behind her ponies had gathered into a large crowd, cheering and shouting with each evil robot that fell. Before her stood Nightmare’s fortress, a tall intimidating building covered top to bottom with telescreens broadcasting propaganda. Trixie trotted forward into the courtyard of the fortress- then jumped back at a sharp hissing sound. The blast barely missed her, and she felt a few shards of shrapnel embed themselves in her side. She groaned, but shook it off. The city needed a hero. The city needed the great and powerful Trixie. She looked up to see her next enemies, and felt a shiver run down her metal spine when she saw them. An entire army was pouring out, and at the front were six robot ponies that seemed to be the leaders. The army finally stopped pouring out, and the six stepped forward. A pegasus with a rainbow colored mane and tail stepped forward. “So this is it? This is the big trouble? One robot?” She threw her head back and laughed loudly. “You have no IDEA who you are messing with! Do you know who we are?” Trixie huffed, turning away. “Of course I know. After all, I was built to destroy all of you.” She turned her gaze to the six. “First, Pinkie Pie, A.K.A. Cutmare.” The pink pony giggled happily, bouncing about in anticipation. She had several long sinister looking blades attached to her hooves, and numerous others on her person. “Big Macintosh, or Gutscolt.” The big one stood silent, his eyes glaring at her from beneath his helmet. “Rarity, the infamous firemare.” “Infamous? Infamous? INFAMOUS?” The ponies purple mane and tail suddenly burst, revealing large, bright flames. “How dare you, you common back alley scrap heap! I’ll melt you into slag!” Trixie ignored her, turning to the next of the group. “Zecora, the icemare.” The zebra stared at her opponent, the ground beneath her freezing and cracking. The others kept a slight distance from her, understandable as the very air around her had begun to condense. God knows what that kind of cold she could make if she truly tried. “Fluttershy, otherwise known as Elecmare.” The shy pony whispered something softly, and her eyes met Trixie’s. She could swear she saw pity in the yellow pegasus’ eyes. “Last but not least, Rainbow Dash…” The colorful pegasus was floating just above the ground, forehooves resting on the releases for the bombs she carried. She gave an evil smile at Trixie. “The blast crazy Bombmare.” She laughed again, throwing her head back once more. “You’re pretty smart aren’t yah! Too bad smarts don’t match up well against nitroglycerin and c-4!” Her eyes went cold, but her smile remained. “So you got a name we can put on your gravestone?” Trixie stood tall, and began to spin up her guns. “I am the Great and Powerful Trixie, but I am not the one who will end up in the ground!” The army charged, Trixie opened fire, and so too did the Shadowbots. Within seconds, the crowd stood and stared, gasped, shouted. The battle raged, and as the sun began to rise, Trixie stood amongst the debris and scrap, wounded, low on energy, fighting just to remain standing. The Shadowbots stood over the beaten mare, and behind them were more robots, with reinforcements pouring out from the fortress. The telescreens suddenly changed, showing a face that sent shivers down the spines of every pony in the area. Nightmare moon had arrived. Celestia stood near the back of the crowd, disguised with a simple, dirty cloak, and stared in shock and horror at the battlefield before her. Trixie was doomed. There was no way for her to win, no way to even survive. Nightmare’s voice boomed out from the telescreens; “Finish it.” Celestia looked to the crowd, hoping, praying they would help Trixie, join the fight. But they stood, silent and still, and watched as their hero died. Pinkie jumped out first, circling around Trixie, and rammed her bladed forehooves into the mare’s side. Trixie screamed as the pink pony hoisted her up, and threw her, leaving long gashes that spilled oil and coolant. Big Macintosh spun, bucking Trixie square in the chest, sending her flying towards Rarity. She opened her mouth, spilling a jet of fire that slowed and blasted Celestia’s creation away. Trixie flew, and was struck with a cone of ice and freezing wind. The mare fell to the ground, her hind legs completely frozen, as Rainbow Dash trotted up slowly. She jammed a grenade into the long gashes in Trixie’s side, and pulled the pin. Trixie’s eyes went wide as she saw the bomb. The blast ripped her in half, spilling scraps of metal and magic gems about. Her lower half had shattered, leaving barely a trace. Trixie stared at the crowd. If she could cry, if she could scream, she would have. The crowd stood silent, some crying, others simply looking away. As the rest of the robots present descended upon her, Trixie felt that last spark of hope within her die. The crowd began to disperse, crying and moaning, and Celestia began to push through them, using her wings and magic to shove her way through. By the time she reached the courtyard, it was over. The robots were marching back into the fortress, the six with them. Celestia began to rummage through the wreckage, looking for some sign of her creation’s fate. She finally found it, and her heart broke. All that was left of her valiant robot was her facemask, chipped and battered. The alicorn cradled the mask in her hooves as the realization hit her. This had not simply been a robot. This had been her daughter. Twelve years of work, of sacrifice, of effort, and she had created a daughter. A daughter she had sent to die. A daughter who had been slaughtered while those she sought to save simply watched and did nothing. Celestia turned, hiding the mask beneath her cloak. Nopony, flesh or metal stopped her. Celestia screamed and flipped over her workbench, scattering tools and metal about the floor of the beaten up room. Her magic wrapped around the bottle of whiskey as she took another pull, burning all the way down. She turned and saw it; the only picture of her daughter she had, taken the day before she was finished. She looked complete; the only parts missing were her armor and weapons. Other than those, she was complete. A beautiful unicorn, a beautiful daughter. And the very next day, Celestia had watched her die. Tears came to the doctor’s eyes, and she screamed again, flinging the bottle at the picture. It missed, knocking over a box of gems. The contents fell to the floor, clattering and clinking. Celestia trotted over, and stared through blurry eyes at the shimmering gems. She slowly levitated them back into the box, and stopped. She wrapped her magic around a small purple gem. It had cracked in the fall, leaving a large crack in the middle. She stared at the crystal, as memories stirred within her head. Emerald. The name floated in her head, along with pictures of a stallion from years ago. The sunlight shined in through the window, illuminating her sun shaped cutie mark. She raised her head high, mane floating behind her as she flipped her workbench upright. She began to work, grabbing hydraulics, gearboxes, and metal plates. She would not simply lie down and die. She would create another daughter, but this time, this time she wouldn’t let her die. She wouldn’t let her fight a hopeless battle for ponies who couldn’t, no, wouldn’t stand for themselves. She would raise this daughter, teach her right and wrong, and keep her safe. She would never give up; she had sworn long ago that she wouldn’t. As the sun began to set, Celestia looked lovingly at the mechanical skeleton before her. It had gone faster this time; after all, there was less guesswork involved the second time around. It was almost finished. It needed a chassis, a body to house the machinery, but it was almost finished. The chassis, and the programming, that was all. Or was it? Celestia’s mind raced as she thought carefully, before face-hoofing. A name! She had yet to come up with a name! The doctor once more turned to the window. In the distance she could see people building a crude memorial. The setting sun cast it’s light on the construct, causing it to sparkle in the light of the twilight. Something in the back of her mind clicked. That was the name. Celestia leaned in close to her daughter in the making, laying a kiss on the metal cheek joints. “Twilight Sparkle. My creation. My daughter.” The sun set over the city, and Celestia continued to work. She would not let this one die. She wouldn’t let her fight. Even if she held some hope for the future of ponykind, she felt none for the city. After all, she had seen the true face of all the people in the city that day. She had seen their true colors. There was no reason to fight for ponies who were already dead.
Chapter 2: Unrest in the house of CelestiaHope Trots Alone A crossover fan fiction by Crowquill Symphony Notice: Same as before. Based on the Rock opera. I’ll stop now. Chapter 2: Unrest in the house of Celestia Twilight Sparkle looked out the window of the run down building twenty stories above the city. She gazed down on the ponies in the street, the robots patrolling the alleys and the sky, and finally the tall cross in the distance. Made from a pair of steel girders welded together and propped up in the midst of a barren plot that had once been a park, the park stood as a memorial and grave for the one who had come before her, the hero of all ponykind, the Great and Powerful Trixie. Or, as Twilight knew her, her older sister. Her mother, Celestia, rarely talked about her; she had only had her for a day, before she died. No. Before she was murdered. When Twilight was young, still learning the ways of the world, her mother would tell her of Trixie fighting for the ponies of the city, fighting for justice and freedom, and how she died at the hooves of the Shadowbots and Nightmare Moon’s robot army. And now, Twilight thought, I can avenge her. Her horn glowed as magic wrapped around a large box beneath her bed. She set it on her small workbench, nowhere near as good as her mother’s, but good enough for what she needed. The lock on the box clicked, and Twilight opened it, gazing at her creation. Twin Gatling guns, attached to a simple harness. Though she couldn’t interface the guns with her system, she -had rigged up a simple gem system so she could fire them without excessive work, just a small touch of magic. She levitated the guns, and shook them suddenly in a bucking motion. The barrels extended outwards with a loud snap, and a single large barrel extended. The Power Shot. A special weapon of her own design, the cannons would fire large shells propelled by the normal powder and concentrated magic, resulting in what she hoped would be an armor piercing shell powerful enough to destroy a column of robots. Twilight jumped as she heard the front door opening, and she slammed the weapon into the case and tried to close it. It didn’t fit. She panicked, fumbling to get it into a position where she could close it as Celestia came closer. She finally closed the case as her mother opened the door. Twilight turned, trying to calm down. “Oh! Uh, hey Mom, uh, you’re back early!” She chuckled slightly. If she could sweat, she would have been sweating buckets. Celestia trotted over to her robotic daughter. “I decided to stretch my wings a bit.” She flexed her wings, and leaned in close to nuzzle Twilight. “How are you, my favorite little robot?” “Oh, Fine, y’know? Heh heh...” Celestia stood up, smiling at Twilight. The alicorn had begun to show the signs of age and stress, her mane starting to dull, and her coat loosing some of it’s luster, and yet she seemed as regal as she had when Twilight first met her. “Twilight, are you hiding something?” The purple mare struggled to retain some semblance of calmness. Unconsciously, her eyes darted in the direction of the box resting unlocked on the workbench. Celestia smiled. “You’ve never been good at hiding things. I did raise you to be fairly honest.” She chuckled as she opened the box. Celestia’s smile died the second she saw the polished steel of the guns. She stared in horror at the weapons, before turning to Twilight. She wasn’t mad, but wore a face of sadness, disappointment. “Twilight...” “I want to help!” “Twilight.” “They killed Trixie!” “Twilight Sparkle!” Celestia’s voice boomed, and Twilight curled up slightly. The white mare stopped, clenching her teeth. Finally, she shut the box, levitating it with her as she went to her workbench. Twilight was silent, still shocked by her mother’s outburst. Celestia returned, and sat near down in the room. “Twilight, my dear daughter...” “Is it so wrong that I want to help?” Silence. Finally, Celestia spoke, her gaze distant. “I’ve told you this many times. I haven’t lied about anything in this story. I made another before you. She was a hero, your sister, my daughter. She fought against Nightmare Moon and her armies, and they won. She fought bravely, and, in the end, died bravely. But she had been forsaken by the very ponies she fought for. In the end, her death had no meaning. She died in vain. I’ve heard the whispers in the street, and I know you’ve heard them as well. I know you may not understand, but these people cannot be saved by one mare. I had been wrong. Everything I entrusted to her is on me know. When she died, I was the only one who cared.” She turned to Twilight, on the verge of tears. “You are not her. This fight isn’t yours.” She paused again, regaining her composure. “That’s it. The story has ended. There isn’t anything else we can do. And I won’t lose another daughter. If you left, you’d be fighting for ponies who refuse to open their eyes.” She stared into Twilight’s eyes. “You are not to leave. Not for a little while. Consider yourself grounded. I won’t let my only living daughter fight an impossible battle.” She stood and trotted away slowly. Twilight waited, until she heard her the door to her mother’s room close. She stood up, and opened her closet, pulling out another box. She opened it, pulling out another pair of guns, slightly cruder looking, the harness held together by crude ropes and cloth. Twilight had set her mind on saving the city, and had prepared for the possibility of her mother finding the hoof-crafted weapons. She pulled it on, tightening the straps and then concealing the assembly beneath one of her mother’s cloaks. She turned to the window once more, gazing out. Twenty stories above the city, she had watched things turn to ruin. From all the stories she had heard, she didn’t believe there was a way to change the ponies mind about fighting back. But if the alternative was to simply give up and accept that they were conquered, then Twilight was more than willing to fight. She slowly opened the window, and wrapped herself in magic. She floated down, falling fast, but at a manageable speed. She would beg forgiveness later. For now, there was someplace she needed to go, something she needed to see. She touched down softly, her metal hooves clinking gently on the ground below. She trotted through the streets of the city, taking note of the ponies on the street. They stood and sat with their gazes down, beaten and broken, clad in dirty rags. Robots wandered in patrols, and the ponies would run and hide, no matter how weak the robot. Twilight could see how her mother wouldn’t have much faith in them, but she wasn’t willing to leave them to suffer. She arrived at her destination and gazed across the bed of dry dirt and stone that had once been a park full of life. In the middle was a simple cross of steel atop a carved stone. From a distance, she could see a strange red smear across the front of the marker. She trotted closer, making out a simple sentence; Hope Trots Alone. That was it. Hope trots alone. Twilight stared at the graffiti scrawled across her sisters grave. She began to cry, surprising herself slightly at her emotional capability. She read it again and again, engraving the words into her mind. Her sister had fought and died alone. Her battle was unfinished. “HALT. THIS IS A RESTRICTED AREA. PLEASE LEAVE OR WE WILL BE FORCED TO-” Twilight roared as she mowed down the patrolling bots. She turned around, locking her eyes on the tower in the distance. Nightmare Moon’s fortress, the site of her sister’s last stand. Where the battle for ponykind had begun. Where Twilight would end it. She charged, full gallop, as ponies began to emerge from their homes and stores to watch. Twilight spoke through gritted teeth, “As I live, there is no evil that will stand,” Her guns screamed and spat lead, gutting another patrol of robots. “And I will finish what was started by my sister...” More robots fell under a hail of bullets. Twilight stood atop their wreckage, at the gates to Nightmare’s fortress. She bucked forward, and the barrels of the guns clicked back, revealing the cannons beneath. She screamed as her shells ripped apart the gate. “The fight for all Ponykind!”
Chapter 3: VengeanceHope Trots Alone A Fan Fiction by Crowquill Symphony Chapter 3: Vengeance In a small dark room in the depths of Luna’s fortress, the green lights that covered the wall began to go out. The pegasus in the room looked at the now dark lights, and gently poked a panel on the console beneath the lights. It slid open, revealing a map of the city. There were numerous red dots marking a trail ending in the fortress courtyard. And there was a lot of red there. “Oh my.” The pegasus turned and exited the room into the light of the barracks she spent most of her time in. There were five others in the room, two of them trapped in some sort of argument, three standing off to the side watching with interest. She raised her head, and spoke softly. “Everyone? Could I get your attention? If, you know, you’re not to busy…” She stared at the floor, finally looking up to see she had the other’s undivided attention. “Uhm, there’s trouble in the city. A lot of robots are gone.” Silence. The yellow pegasus began to curl up slightly when the others began to shout and grab their weapons and gear. She made her way to her bunk, opening the locker near the base. Inside was a simple harness, covered in small metal patches. She slipped it on, tightened the straps, and focused. Small arcs of lighting covered her body, hitting each of the metal patches before she slipped her coat on over it. No sense frightening the intruder, whoever he, or she, was. ****** More robots poured out of the fortress, getting ripped to shreds by the hail of bullets that welcomed them. A pegasus-bot swept down at the intruder, missing by just enough to wind up a smoking pile of twisted metal. Twilight’s magic wrapped around the guns of the nearby robots, shattering them and levitating the bullets out. She loaded them into her own gun, thanking the heavens for the break in the fighting. She hadn’t been counting bullets, but she could tell that her Gatling guns were running low on ammo. She still had the heavy shells, but she wanted to save those. Behind her stood a crowd of ponies cheering and chanting for her. There was hope in their eyes. She smiled as she saw it. “You’ve got some nerve, trying to break in here!” Twilight looked up to see a cyan pegasus in a purple and black flight suit covered with bombs descending from the second story with five others. She recognized them. They were the Shadowbots. Nightmare Moon’s six most trusted lieutenants. She clenched her jaw, her teeth grinding against each other. They were the ones who killed her sister. She lined up her guns, heard them beginning to spin. More robots poured from the fortress, and she began to fire, mowing them down as the approached. The Shadow bots charged, one of them hanging just behind. Twilight leaped into action as they got close. She leapt into the air, towards Big Macintosh. He reared back, and bucked out with his hind legs, just barely missing her. The giant did a double take. She was covered in a slight glow as she landed, having used magic to slow herself. She landed beneath Macintosh, bucked, and raised her cannons into the Stallion’s belly. His eyes went wide as she fired. Two giant holes appeared, oil and metal shards pouring out. He collapsed, Twilight barely avoiding the falling giant. He was still alive, but incapacitated. She turned her attention to the pair flanking her. Rarity and Zecora reared back, inhaling deeply before releasing their elemental fury. Twilight sighed. They were making this too easy. She leapt up, propelling herself out of the blasts range. She bucked again, switching back to the Gatling guns. She turned, still well above the ground and began to fire at Rarity when she was struck by the loudmouthed pegasus. She spun, and her eyes went wide. Rainbow was holding a lit stick of dynamite in her mouth. She was built to withstand her own explosives, even at a close range. Twilight wrapped her magic around the stick, forming a shield. The blast pushed at the shield, draining Twilight’s energy, as the pegasus crashed into the ground with her as a cushion. The pegasus stood tall over her, laughing. “That was it? Come on! That blue one put up more of a fight!” She laughed as more robots poured from the fortress, forming up behind the Shadow Bots, who advanced on the seemingly fallen hero. The crowd was silent. “Hah! Another ‘Hero’ down! Nopony can take us! No-” She fell silent as she felt warm metal barrels pressed into her gut. She jumped back, trying to take to the air a second too late. Bullets ripped through the metal pegasus. She lay in a crumpled heap, twitching and groaning. Twilight bucked out her cannons as more minions charged out. She fired both barrels again, and smiled as the approaching mobs split apart. Rarity screamed, spitting another stream of fire. Twilight rolled, just barely avoiding the flames, but coming face to face with a rather insane looking pony covered with blades. She thrust out at Twilight, scratching her flank. It was a shallow wound, not even breaking through. Celestia had been even more careful when building this daughter. Twilight dodged Pinkie’s attacks, maneuvering her into a better position. She finally saw it, and shouted. “What a tacky mane!” A burst of flame came towards Twilight. Unfortunately for Pinkie Pie, she was in the middle of a charge, unable to stop. The flames scorched her, and she screamed as her vest, mane and tail caught fire. Rarity fell still as she looked in horror at her burning comrade. “Focus you great foal! The invader is close to her goal!” Zecora shouted as Twilight raised her guns again. Rarity snapped back, just in time to see her right side get ripped open by another of the cannon shells. Zecora let loose another burst of frost, barely missing the pony. Twilight dodged, back and forth, up and down, using her magic to stay a step beyond the frozen blasts. She closed the distance, firing a shell into the side of the robotic zebra. Zecora fell to the ground, leaking oil from the large hole that passed through her. Twilight spun, looking about the battlefield. There was only one left; The yellow pegasus. Twilight raised her head high as the crowd cheered. “It that the best you’ve got?” She shouted, arrogance in her voice. “Are these your strongest Machines?” The pegasus finally looked up, her eyes dark and angry. She spoke, loud enough for Twilight to hear. “You do NOT. HURT. MY. FRIENDS!” ****** Nightmare Moon watched from the second story balcony as Fluttershy erupted into a mass of flailing tendrils of electricity. She laughed as Twilight charged towards the pegasus. “I could take her.” Came a voice from behind. Nightmare turned, smiling. “Now, now, my faithful soldier. Let the children have their fun. Besides,” Nightmare looked down at the battle, “You may yet have your chance.” ****** Twilight flew backwards as electricity ran through her metal body. The battle was starting to take its toll on her. She trained her guns on Fluttershy, sending a storm of lead into the tempest. They sparked as the lighting disintegrated them. Twilight was running out of options. She only had two more shells left, and she wasn’t sure if they would even make it through. The writhing ball of sparks advanced slowly, taking care to avoid her wounded friends. As she passed Rainbow Dash, an idea hit Twilight. It was dirty and underhanded, but there weren’t many other options. The crowd was still cheering, but many had fallen silent watching the battle. Twilight wrapped the bomb covered mare in her magic, pulling her in front of Fluttershy. The pegasus gasped as Twilight flung the mare towards the electric storm. In a heartbeat, or the robot equivalent, Fluttershy had dropped the field. Just in time to see Twilight’s magic dissipate, except for one small cluster. A cluster full of grenade pins. “Eep.” Fluttershy shut her eyes tight as the blast knocked her through the air. She smashed into the fortress walls, falling to the ground, a pool of oil forming beneath her. Twilight turned her attention to the front doors of the fortress and noticed someone atop the balcony the Shadowbots had leapt from. There stood a jet black alicorn whose purple mane flowed and shined in the night. Behind her stood a strange pony covered by an elaborate cloak. Twilight couldn’t see her face, or even what kind of pony it was, but she could see its eyes. They shined brightly in the cold night. Twilight shivered slightly. Those eyes were just like hers. “Hey you!” She shouted, “Come on down! It’s a party down here and everyone’s invited!” The crowd roared with approval. “You think you can take me? Step into the light, assuming you’re ready to fight!” Nightmare Moon raised a hoof, and more robots began to pour out of the fortress. Twilight buckled down and began to spray them with bullets as they approached. So be it. These robots were nothing but Target Practice. She had come to save all of ponykind. She had come to kill Nightmare Moon. And most importantly, she had come to avenge her sister. She would not be stopped. ****** Celestia soared from roof to roof, fear in her heart. She had cursed herself out for not checking for another weapon. When she had gone to check in on her daughter, she found the window open and her daughter gone. She heard the sound of gunfire in the distance. She rushed out, trying to find her daughter before it was too late. She landed on the roof of a building across the street from the Fortress, and she saw the mob, and her daughter firing into the approaching crowds of robots. For a brief moment, she was distracted from the peril by her daughter’s performance. Twilight was effortlessly defeating each robot that approached, and the Shadowbots were already down for the count. Despite the fact that she wasn’t built for combat, Celestia had to admit she was doing a good job, possibly even better than Trixie. …Trixie. The thought of her first daughter returned the worry to Celestia’s heart, and she jumped, gliding towards her daughter. The robots finally stopped coming, and Twilight began to pull ammo back to her as Celestia landed. “Twilight! Twilight!” Twilight spun quickly, guns at the ready. Her eyes went wide as Celestia hugged her tightly, tears streaming down her face. “Twilight… I was so worried…” “Mom,” Twilight was silent for a moment, considering the weight of her words before she spoke again. “I wasn’t going to just give up. I know you’re upset, and you have every right to be,” She pulled away from the alicorn, facing the fortress once more, “But right now I have to finish this.” Celestia couldn’t stop crying. Her daughter was a hero, through and through. But her sister had been a hero as well. Celestia wiped the tears from her eyes. “Twilight, I need you to know something. Your sister…” “Well now, what have we here?” The voice echoed from every telescreen in the city. That dark familiar voice. Celestia raised her eyes to the balcony of the fortress. Nightmare stood, her mane waving in the wind, with her cloaked guard nearby. “If it isn’t Celestia, my old partner. I could have sworn you’d died years ago, as well as that annoying mare. What was her name, Applejack?” Celestia ground her teeth. Twilight looked on, surprised at her mother’s aggression. Despite everything, Twilight had never seen her this angry. Nightmare Moon smiled before continuing, “I’m honestly amazed you’ve found the will to fight back. Tell me, are you still fighting for Emerald?” “Shut your god-damned mouth!” Celestia screamed. Twilight felt a twinge of fear at her reaction. A realization came to her, and she swiveled about, raising her guns to point at Nightmare Moon. “Hey! I’m still here!” shouted Twilight. “I’m the one who’s going to destroy you!” Celestia’s anger vanished and she turned to Twilight, fear in her face again. “Wait, Twilight! You need to know-” The sound of four hooves hitting ground grabbed the daughter and the mother’s attention. Twilight felt her jaw drop. The cloaked pony stood before her, but the hood she wore had come off in the fall. Twilight knew the face before her. It was a face she had seen before in her dreams, in visions of the past. It was not the face of evil. It was the face of a hero. The face of a daughter. The face of a sister. Twilight could barely squeak out the name of the figure before her. “Trixie?”
