Luna glared at Jacob. “And what does a demon and its pet have to offer me?”

Jacob shook his head. “I’m not standing on a demon, your Majesty. Instead, what I’m standing on is a weapon of war.”

“Impossible,” Luna replied. “Not even the Griffon Empire has machines of war resembling demons.”

“And yet, here stands one in front of you.”

“Enough. You say you wish to bargain with us, demon? What do you have to offer that is worth more to Equestria than your corpse?” the Lunar Princess asked, her right hand on her sword hilt.

“An advantage over all of your enemies,” Jacob said. “The power to create armies in hours with no fear of losing ponies, for none shall be at risk with this power.”

“And you would not turn this power against Equestria?”

Jacob placed his right arm across his chest, the palm touching his left shoulder, and his left arm along his spine, and bowed. “You have my word, your majesty. Should I do so, you may strike me down in the most painful way possible. If there is a way for me to prove my words true, name it.”

Luna looked at the Displaced being for a time. “If your words ring true, than perhaps you can help. An ally of Equestria has been attacked, and their defenses are failing. If you indeed mean to harm to us, then aid the Crystal Empire in the north, and repel those who think they can win.”

“At once, your majesty,” Jacob said. “A question, though. In which direction, specifically, is the Empire?”

“That way,” Luna said, pointing behind Jacob.

“Thank you, milady,” Jacob said, and he straightened, turned around, and entered his ACU. Once he was back in his seat, he said, “Monika, have the Air Factory get a few Dragonflies online, along with two Tier 2 engineers. They’ll go on mine. The other one is to have five Mantis and Hunter assault bots.”

“Jacob, we don’t know the exact location of the Empire,” Monika said. “There aren’t any scouts in the north to find it, and even if we did, the transports would most likely run out of fuel before that point.”

Jacob smirked. “What do you think the engineers are for?”

“Uh, are we close enough for a more detailed image?” Sierra asked.

“Yes. Producing now.” On the main screen, an image appeared, then resolved to show a gleaming Crystal spire that had smoke rising from around it.

“What the,” Sierra mouthed, surprised at seeing something like this. “I thought he was joking.”

“Alert: primitive species detected flying towards current location. Threat: none.”

“Guess we can’t do anything, then,” Sierra muttered. No Mass and Energy, and even if I did, I don’t know how to make that happen.

Sierra’s ACU continued to move forward, not slowing down as the natives got closer, allowing her to see through the ACU camera that they were bipedal, bird-like, and wore plate armor. That was as much as she could see before they began to fly away, back in the direction they came from. “Well, at least they know when to run away from a giant robot,” she muttered.

A few minutes later, she saw a clearer image of her destination, and her mouth went agape at seeing a city of crystal on fire, a large camp of fully armored individuals outside and firing catapults and trebuchets into the city.

Her attention was broken when her ACU was jolted to the side rather heavily enough to the point where outside, one could see it had to stumble back and plant its left foot back to keep from falling over.

“The fuck was that?!” Sierra asked, gasping in terror as she looked around the cockpit.

“Primitive stone projectile impact on torso section of Armored Command Unit. Minimal damage. Threat: min-” this was quickly followed up by three more impacts, in close enough succession to knock the ACU on its back. “Reclassification- threat: high.”

“No shit,” Sierra muttered, groaning as she put her left hand up against her left temple. “Is there any way to get up?”

“Not without the aid of a class 2 transport.”

“Yay,” Sierra deadpanned. “Can’t even see what the fuck’s going on, either.” Probably going to die of hunger, assuming those things that fired at me don’t find a way in. Which case, either execution, imprisonment, or slavery, which could lead to who knows what. “I’m screwed, aren’t I?”

There was a lack of a response to her questions as the main monitor showed more winged creatures coming to above the ACU, and landing outside of her vision, followed a few minutes later by a rattling outside. “Alert; Cybran units detected,” the system said just as what Sierra recognized as a Dragonfly transport came into the ACU’s view, and she felt herself rotate, seeing the view on the screen change, seeing a small group of undoubtedly Cybran bombers-the pointed appearance made it obvious as to which faction they belonged to- drop bombs on the large camp, while Interceptors shot down the ones in the air. “Cybran ACU detected.”

“What?!’ Sierra asked, excitement in her voice. “Where?”

“Ninety degrees to our right,” the system said, and the monitor rotated to show a Cybran ACU standing next to Sierra’s, both arms lowered, but with a glowing circle on the chest, and a small, backpack-esque attachment on the back. “Jacob?”

“Hey, Si,” Jacob said over the radio, his voice coming on over the speakers. “Getting into trouble?” She could hear the smirk on his face.

“Guess so,” she said. “Jacob, what’s going on? Your message didn’t say much.”

“Short version?” Jacob asked.

“I’ll take anything over nothing.”

A second of silence passed, during which two Cybran attack bombers passed overhead, turning for another run. “Those two people from the convention dressed as Clarke and Brackman? They’re. . .well, I call ‘em Void dwellers-”

“You’re seriously using terms from your book for this?”

“Yes, I am,” Jacob replied. “Now, those two fuckheads? They displaced you, Marcus, and me in what I am confident in assuming is an alternate version of Equestria from MLP, about a thousand years prior to the show. What you’re seeing is, according to Princess Luna, the Griffon Empire attempting to invade and subjugate the Crystal Empire. And failing fucking miserably,” he said, the last part punctuated by five tier one transports flying overhead, and deploying an equal amount of Mantis and Hunter assault bots. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have asses to rape,” he said as his ACU began to move forward, vanishing from sight.

“Cybran ACU has cloaked and initiated stealth protocols,” Sierra’s ACU said. “Orders?”

Sierra did not respond for a few moments, what Jacob said still going through her mind. “Move. . . move to the city. Maybe we can find some way to help.”

“Understood.”

“Ma’am, reports from the defenses around the Spire base are beginning to flow in,” a see through pony wearing full plate armor that reflected the light said to a female sitting in a throne. The female wore robes adorned with threads of jewels, and had pink hair that came down to her shoulders, accented by stripes of yellow and sky blue.

“What do they say, General?”

“They. . .they say a demon horde has appeared and began attacking the Griffons, Empress,” the soldier said. “It does not seem concerned with us at the moment.”

The Empress closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. “Then we must prepare the Heart to remove this demon from our lands.”

“There is one other thing, Empress,” the soldier said. “Our scouts report the demon stood next to an angel of similar height before disappearing, and that the angel is on its way here now.”

The Empress opened one eye. “Bring me my armor. If this angel is an ally and has tamed a demon, perhaps we should find out why it has come to our aid. Have the mages prepare the Heart as a precaution.”

“Yes, Empress.”

As Sierra’s ACU neared the Empire, the system alerted her to five more individuals nearing her. Sierra pouted, despite no one being able to see it. “What now?” she grumbled.

“Analysis of visual feeds indicate this to be another species,” the system said.

“Probably the ponies who live in the Empire,” Sierra sighed. “Hopefully they don’t try to kill me.”

Two minutes later, the group of crystal pegasi stopped in front of Sierra, and the one in the lead, wearing full plate armor that gleamed in the arctic light, spoke. “Angel, have you come to aid us?!”

Sierra was taken aback by the fact she was just called an angel, and her brain took a few seconds to come to the conclusion of her ACU’s appearance-organic and the metal reflecting the scenery around her- did give it a sort of gothic look.(1)

“Uh. . .are there external speakers for this thing?” she asked the ACU’s AI?

“Negative,” was the reply. “Opening cockpit hatch for exit.” There was a hiss above Sierra. When she looked up, she looked to see a small section of the roof split in two, and she had to cover her eyes to avoid being blinded by the sudden influx of natural light.

Climbing onto the top of the ACU’s head, she staggered, having sat for the better part of two hours, holding her arms out for balance. Shit, shit, shit! she thought, slightly panicking given how high up she was.

After she stopped staggering, she looked at the ponies in front of her. “Are thee good now, holy one?” the lead one asked. “If 't be true I may asketh, what is this machine thee has't hath brought?”

The fuck? Sierra silently asked, and, once her brain processed what was said a second time, she focused on what she understood. “Y-yes,” she replied nervously. At the tilting of the head of the group leader, she nodded instead.

One of the pegasi moved up to and tapped the leader, and whispered in her ear.

The two had a conversation that Sierra wasn’t able to hear, leading to her hearing the sound of both the wind, and explosions in the distance. After half a minute, Sierra heard a voice in her head.

Holy one, are you able to understand me now? Sierra nearly jumped at hearing the voice, and looked around madly before her eyes focused on the leader of the pony group, who had flown slightly closer. My apologies, Holy one. I did not mean to frighten. I speak through our minds, so the meaning is conveyed without the need to translate.

“Of course,” Sierra muttered. “Fucking telepathic anthropomorphic ponies that can fly. What next? Thresher Maws in top hats with monocles?!” After imagining that image, Sierra tilted her head. “Actually, that’d be funny to see, in a morbid way.”

What is that creature, Holy one? the pony asked in her head. A demon that has yet to emerge upon Equestria?

“No, no!” Sierra aid, only to see the pony tilt her head. Sierra pouted. “Right.” She took a deep breath, and closed her eyes, hoping to focus. No, no, it’s just something I thought of just now, nothing to worry about.

Ah, I see, was the reply. If I might ask, is that demon with you tamed, or a prisoner?

What demon? Sierra asked.

. . .You are not an angel, are you?

No. I thought it might keep me alive if I went with it for a while, Sierra replied.

Then the other giant is not a demon?

My boyfriend. I guess he was here to help. He mentioned someone named Luna.

A wave of what Sierra could only guess to be anger hit her, only to vanish a second later. Oh? I suppose that I’ll have to thank her, then.

Whatever Sierra was going to reply with was lost to surprise when Jacob’s ACU decloaked beside her, and her eyes drifted to where black smoke could be seen drifting into the atmosphere, with the occasional fire seen.

A hatch on top of the Cybran ACU head opened, and Jacob climbed out, and Sierra saw that, overall, Jacob hadn’t changed that much in appearance. His dark brown-to the point one could mistake it for black under certain lighting- hair was short cut, the bangs turned to point left, his dark green eyes showing, if any emotion, smugness, something he often liked to imitate, possible because he liked to smirk. The only notable difference to his face were red circuit lines originating from a circular implant of the upper left part of his head. His attire consisted of a trench coat over bulky armor on his chest, his thighs and calves protected by the same armor, Overall, it reminded Sierra of Dostya’s outfit from Supreme Commander.

A second or two passed, and Jacob spoke. “I imagineth thou art empress cadenza?” he asked with a small bow, Sierra being surprised at him speaking like they did.

How long have I been here?

“Aye,” the lead pony replied. “Who is't might thee beest, goodyear?”

“One who is't wishes to holp, thy majesty,” Jacob replied, glancing at Sierra, mouthing, barely scene from the distance the two stood apart, Talk later. Sierra nodded, happy simply because she wasn’t the only one here.

Cadenza looked at Sierra as well. “Thy paramour sayeth thee cameth und'r princess luna's commandeth?”

Jacob shrugged. “I wouldn't sayeth hest, much as requesteth.”

“T matt'rs not,” Cadenza said, her voice cold and indifferent before gaining an undertone of anger. “Leaveth, and I shall alloweth thee liveth.”

Now, Sierra, having been forced to take part in her school’s Shakespeare festival, was beginning to understand only a little of what was being said, but it was enough to understand the threat. Or is it an ultimatum? She never could tell the two apart that well in circumstances akin to this. “Wait!” Sierra shouted, catching the attention of those present, and causing the other fliers that came with Cadenza to level bows laden with an arrow at her.

You wish to intervene? Cadenza asked in her mind.

“Yes,” Sierra thought at the same time. He’s with me, and I don’t know anything about whatever is going on here, and I doubt he does either.

Cadenza was silent for a time. Perhaps I acted rashly, she said. Very well. You two may come to the Spire. Leave your machines here. My guards will take you there. She looked at Jacob. Inform him of this. I would rather not accidentally kill one who tries to help us. With that, Cadenza flew away.

A few seconds later, Jacob, tactless as ever, spoke. “Christ, she’s a bitch.”

Author's Note

1:When I say gothic, I don't mean the whole "my life is meaningless, everything I wear has to be black" goth, I mean the old kind of Goth. The pointed, stained glass windows with arches kind of Goth. That's to say angelic, I guess. Eh.
Also, let's hope Cadenza didn't boner her first meeting with two of the displaced. I am going to get so much fun out of that.