Big Mac wipes the sweat off his brow as he made his way towards the well after finishing up his chores, and thanks to the new help around the farm, Big Mac managed to finish much early, it would have been much faster if the dragon had stayed, but he intimidatingly begged to leave so he could hang out with his friends, the farm pony can't really say no when it comes to friendship. After getting a bucket of water from the well, the stallion took a drink before splashing it over himself to cool off and he shook his mane around to dry it off, his peaceful break would soon be disturbed by the sound of pounding metal, he looks around trying to find out where it was coming from and when he finally traces it, he went in the direction of where it originates.

It was coming from the barn, either his sister came back or the younger one and her friends did which was more likely since Applejack didn't help him with the chores, so being curious on what his precious baby sister was doing and what antics she and her little friends were doing, Big Mac decided to open the door and peak inside.

"Come on! Open!" Yells Scootaloo as she used the hammer in her mouth to hit a soot covered chest on the lock and it was a chest that Big Mac have never seen before, now he was even more curious, there was also a chisel right between the gap, but it seems the chest would still not open.

"We've been at it for hours!" Cried the sister of Rarity, Sweetie Belle, who was wiping a dirty cloth on the chest, it looks like she was trying to get rid of the soot from the chest. "I don't think it'll open..."

Applebloom who was also cleaning the chest pokes her head from behind the object. "That's just quitters talk! Ah I know how hard this is, but we ain't just gonna give up cus' of some box!"

Seeing that his sister was having a bit of a problem, Big Mac chose that time to come in to aid the young filly. "Need help?"

"Big Mac!" The trio said in unison, a huge part of them was very glad to see the pony, they know that if they can't open it, then the adult could.

Applebloom quickly rushes over to pull him closer to the chest. "Big Mac, you gotta help us with this!"

"Where did you even find this thing?" The stallion taps the metallic surface of the box.

Scootaloo drops the hammer to speak better. "Well, I saw this weird light show last night, and I noticed this thing fall into the Everfree Forest-"

"You three went into the forest!?" He had to confess though, this wasn't surprising.

Applebloom shyly looked away from her brother, before she could speak, her friend Scootaloo cuts in first. "We're sorry Big Mac, it was my idea! You see, there was this weird light show last night-"

"Light show?"

"Yeah, they were everywhere! And this one landed in the forest, so now we're here." She stomps on the box to try and open it that way, but nothing happens.

"Hmm, alright, I'll help."

"Really!?" Said Sweetie Belle. "Maybe we can open this box!"

The trio watch steps away from the chest to let Big Mac do what he was gonna do, the stallion walks closer to the object and when he was just one step from the chest, he reels back onto his hind legs and raised front hooves high in the air before slamming them down on the lock. The fillies were silent when they watched Big Mac's attempt, waiting for a result, the four ponies in the barn heard a click coming from the chest, it would seems that Big Mac's attempt had worked, the crusaders felt joyful for their efforts and were excited to see what was inside the box.

Big Mac took a few steps back as the chest started opening on it's own surprising everyone in the room, when it finally finishes, the four were shown what really was inside, three objects that the ponies knew were guns thanks to Krieg, but what really stand out was the strange device that was repeatedly flashing it's screen.

"Woah! What's that!?" Said Scootaloo who was buzzing her wings, she was excited the most among her friends.

"Maybe it's an ancient artifact that was made by a very advance race of aliens that live here long ago?" Sweetie Belle suggested.

"Ah don't know, kinda looks like one of those arcade machines, but smaller." Applebloom spoke.

While they were trying to guess what it was, Big Mac could only smile, three young fillies with their wild imagination was really precious. He could remember those days as if it was just yesterday, the memories of his little sister's adventures, always going around looking for their cutie marks, how they have grown so much since. After his ride down memory lane, he goes back to watching the trio again.

Scootaloo carelessly picks up the strange device, she gave it a shake, when nothing happened she turns back towards her friends. "Any ideas?" Before she could get any suggestions from her friends, the device suddenly lit up, the screen now had a picture of two strange creatures, a brown haired one with a strange tattoo just above it's left eye and a red haired one with a pair of goggles on her hair and a bandage under her right eye, the red haired one had it's arm around the other, holding them closer for the picture, a name that read as "Hottie <3" was captioned below the picture.

The ponies were surprised to see a creature that they have never ever seen before.

"Gaige," A male voice came out of the device, surprising the ponies even more. "Gaige? Come on, answer me!" The voice was obviously owned by the brown haired since he looks more masculine, so that means the red one, who is also obviously named Gaige was female.

"He sounds sad..." Noted Sweetie Belle.

"How can you tell?" Asked Applebloom.

"I don't know, I just could hear it from him." The young farm pony accepted her answer, Scootaloo quickly shushes them so they could listen to the device.

"This is getting ridiculous, Maya knows that I'm not good with this. Alright! Ahem, hey Gaige," His voice became much cheerful. "it's your robro! How about we talk about cool stuff? I've been reading the comments on your 'Zero Plays Beat Sabers' video and it looks like they want other Vault Hunters to try! I think Salvador and I could try it out. Maybe you could even start streaming us playing other games, like that blocky one! No? Fine! Gaige, you have to listen, he's gone, okay!? Just come back to Sanctuary already! We all miss the guy," Big Mac began wondering who he was talking about. "but you can't just go off on your own, you can take care of yourself, I know, but you can't just push yourself like this, though bandits started calling you "The Red Storm" after you tore apart their camps, you're still a kid! Okay, you technically helped us with Handsome Jack and all, but still..."

The device became silent just for a minute, the voice sighed before starting again.

"Gaige, you, Maya, and Salvador miss him, and I'll be honest, I miss him too... Heck! Even Zero misses him! He doesn't say it, but I've seen him reading that crappy haiku Krieg made a bunch of times!"

"Krieg!?" All four ponies said in the same time.

Before they could question it more, the sound of guns popping came from the device. "Wait, hold on a second... Oh Gaige!" The voice calls out to the girl cheerfully. "Guess what? Sanctuary is being attacked right now, and if you hurry, then maybe you could get some points, but you better be fast, Zero is already out there!"

And with that, the device turns itself off, the four were left with questions, and the only ones who could answer it was the psycho himself.

"I think we should show these to Sandbar and his friends..." Spoke Applebloom, the other fillies nodded. "Big Mac?" The stallion waited for what his sister was about to ask. "Could you help us bring this chest to Krieg?"

How could Big Mac say no to his own little sister? So he smiled and gave the young pony a nod, he himself also wanted answers.

Twilight stood in the throne room, silently watchinging the staff of the castle work to calm and aid the citizens of the Crystal Empire, just hours ago, the ponies flooded in when Wilhelm sent out his message telling them all to seek refuge in the castle, the princess had sent sent a letter to Starlight, calling for their help, but she doesn't know "how" at all. She looks over to the bandit that Nisha had let in, she said his name was Steve, though no one really wanted him to be here, the griffon was actually very friendly, he had also started helping around making sure no one was hurt, and if they were, Steve would give them a strange syringe filled with an unknown red liquid, the doctors and medics were hesitant, but after seeing it's healing properties decided to use it.

Twilight wonders to herself, when will her friends come? The bandits were still tearing the city apart, even with Wilhelm, Shining, and the Crystal Soldiers, it seems like an endless tide of chaos. She looks over to the machines that was also here, the things that attacked them back at the underground, how her brother managed to control these things was a mystery.

Her train of thought was derailed when a flash of light lit up the room, Flash Magnus was right next to the light when it happened, so he aims his weapon at the new group of ponies. Fluttershy was right in front of the gun when she appeared, she fearfully stared into the abyss of the barrel, good thing Flash Magnus had never taken the shot.

"You mares scared me there," He puts away his weapon. "Twilight called you I guess...she's over there." He points over to the princess where she waited for her friends, though Rarity was missing, the alicorn was still happy to see her friends.

Limestone taps her sister's should to catch her attention. "I'm gonna go look for Marble, see you later I guess."

"Okay sis! See you later alligator!" The pink mare spoke with her usual energetic self.

After the sisters hugs each other one more time, the mares went over to Twilight but only after leaving the knocked out soldier they had brought to the medics, they quickly embrace her in their arms happy that she was safe and away from the chaos.

"Twilight, we were so worried when you sent the letter!" Fluttershy spoke. "I'm just glad you aren't hurt."

"Thanks Fluttershy..." It was really relieving knowing that she always have her friends even in the darkest hour, speaking of which. "I know you all were worried about me when I sent you that letter, but let's put that worry aside for we have a much bigger problem."

"These bandits?" Starlight spoke.

"Yes, even with Nisha and Wilhelm as well as my brother out there, the number of bandits seems to be still the same."

"Umm," Dash raised her hoof so she could ask Twilight a question. "who's Wilhelm and Nisha?"

"You don't have to raise your hoof Rainbow Dash, to answer your question, Nisha and Wilhelm are Shining's new right hoof creatures. It's 'creatures' because Nisha is a griffon." She then leads them to the nearest window the faced the front of the castle and showed them the griffon in subject.

"Wait..." Starlight started watching Nisha closely, something was very familiar to her and it wasn't because of the guns. "Isn't it weird?"

"What is?" Asked the princess.

Starlight shook her head when she couldn't think up an answer. "Never mind."

"Oh, alright then..." Twilight then leads them away, just in time too, the mares could hear gunfire coming from outside, the citizens flinches for every shot. "This is the problem, the ponies of the Crystal Empire are on the edge, and these bandits are relentless, that's why I need your help on taking care of the problem."

"Sorry to say this sugarcube, but what can we do?" Applejack knows that she was outmatched against the gun wielding bandits.

"Listen, we have to do something and the only way I can is with your help!" She stops to try and calm herself, a minute goes by when she speaks again. "I know how you feel, these creatures are armed with weapons I have never seen before, but we have to do something, it has been hours and yet the bandits still persists on storming the castle... We need to help out somehow."

"Twilight," The princess looks towards Starlight. "there are many ways we all can help, but these bandits are dangerous and the only way we can beat them is by-" Starlight swallowed the lump in her throat. "-killing them..." She said with distaste.

Applejack shook her head, she didn't like the idea, but they have already brought Krieg upon these sorry creatures. "She's right Twilight, they won't just stop, they'll keep coming until somethin' was done, and that's just offing them, and Ah don't like saying it but that's just me bein' honest."

"We don't have to kill them! There's a better way to deal with the situation!" Twilight tried to tell her friends, but before they could even speak, a random civilian had spoken first.

"Oh yeah? You want to show them mercy? Do you have any idea what those bandits did!?" The crystal pony was extremely stressed out. "Those monsters killed my brother!"

"W-what?"

"You heard me! The both of us were there when the explosions started! And just like that, he was gone!" The civilian just broke down crying, they stared at their own hooves that had faded blood on it. "H-he was still breathing when I f-found what was left of him! I-I can't-" The pony couldn't finish their sentence, they just softly cried into their hooves.

Another crystal pony stood up. "They're right! The bandits just show up out of nowhere and try and disturb our way of life! Equestria barely gets any crimes and now they just made it rise up by one fricken percent!"

"I just finished moving into my new house, now it's a pile of stone after they trashed it!"

"They shot my wing, I can't fly anymore..."

"We were all having a nice day, but then they showed up!"

"Yeah!" A Crystal Soldier who was stationed there spoke out. "Those criminals are terrorizing the populace of the city! This came from the prince himself, 'Show no mercy in return'!" Twilight gasped, she did not expect her own brother to say such thing, she had always seen him as a kind pony, but Cadance did say he had change since a few days ago.

"Heyoo!" Steve raised his claws in the air and tried to calm everyone down.

"Oh shut up!" A pony who was obviously a nurse shouted at the griffon. "You're lucky the Prince's right hoof griffon let you in, we would've have kicked you out!"

"Hey." Fluttershy said as loud as she can. "That's not a nice thing to say."

Fluttershy ducked down to dodge a plastic cup that was thrown at her. "Oh you shut up also! Where were you all when they attacked, huh!?"

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash flairs her wings out, she bared her teeth in anger. "Who the heck threw that!?"

Before things could escalate, Twilight lights up her horn to blind everyone just for a second. "Enough!" Was what Twilight would have said, but someone else had beaten her to it, every eyes looks over to the doors to find princess Celestia standing there, her own anger was visible on her face.

The citizens sat back down as Celestia sweeps her glare from one side to the other. "I am disappointed." The ponies felt their hearts ache, the word they did not want to hear from their princess was spoken. "These mares were, nay, are heroes, yet you dare treat them like this!? I demand who have offended Fluttershy to come forward now!"

"P-princess, its alright, no need to make it a big thing." Fluttershy tried to calm Celestia down, but she was having none of it.

"I know how you all feel, many of you have lost something or someone, but that is no excuse to let your anger get the better of you! Now, I will ask again for the last time, who threw that cup!?" When no one moved an inch, the alicorn frowned. "Very well, if you are too afraid to own up to your mistake, then you could not stand up against the bandits before us, unlike these mares right in front of you!"

She looks over to the elements of harmony, there she notices Steve cowering behind Twilight, trying his best to hide from Celestia's gaze.

"You," She said softly towards the griffon. "come forward."

The griffon reluctantly did what she had asked him to do.

"I applaud you for aiding the Crystal Empire, but I have to ask that you leave."

"H-heyoo?" He said with confusion.

"Princess Celestia," Twilight spoke. "why are you getting rid of Steve!? He is very helpful with the injured!"

"The citizens are feeling uneasy by his appearance, I believe that it would be best if he should be somewhere else, a place where the ponies are more comfortable with him." The princess explained herself.

"Heyo..." Steve said with understanding, he knew that they didn't like his mask and stuff, also him being a griffon, but the bandit only wanted to help.

"I am glad that you understand."

Applejack leaned closer to Rainbow Dash to whisper. "Ain't this a lil' unfair?"

"I don't know, never met this guy before." She whispers back.

Fluttershy quickly joins in with the two. "Isn't he one of Krieg's friends? He mentioned someone named Steve and they only say 'heyo' just like him."

Starlight quickly shushes them or else Celestia could hear the psycho's name, good thing Twilight was too focused on the griffon to notice the three.

Steve looked around, he notices the same glares that was directed at him since he had arrived, with a sad little "heyoo", the griffon began making his way to the doors.

"Finally." Twilight heard one civilian whispered audibly, and more will voice out their opinions of Steve.

"I didn't like looking at him."

"What was running in that griffon's mind to let in a bandit!?"

"Don't care what they say, he's just another bandit."

"Silence!" The alicorn of the sun used her Canterlot voice at everyone who spoke out, before Celestia could berate them for being rude towards Steve, the Echo on the griffon suddenly activated.

"Listen up!" Steve was about to turn it off, but Celestia quickly pulls him closer and took the Echo off him, Twilight and her friends listens closer to find out what made Celestia very curious. "I know y'all were sent here looking for the artifact, but I'm calling it off!"

The citizens and the soldiers of the Crystal Empire felt relief knowing that the voice obviously belongs to the leader of the bandits was telling them to leave.

"Wilhelm is just too much for us, we have lost over a hundred of our own, maybe two hundred, and could you stop trying to get in that damn castle!? We lost three trucks and over fifty bandits! We may not have found what we came for, but being alive is better than bein- What!? Hey! Get off of me!" The bandit leader sounded like he was having some trouble. "Stupid Midget! Get off or I- wait, is that?"

Celestia narrowed her eyes, it would seem that they were looking for something, and they have found it.

"Haha! Alright boys, we're not going home empty handed! I'm going back now, get your asses out of the city before Krieg finds you." Then the device turned itself off.

Twilight looked over her fellow alicorn, the look on Celestina's face began shifting into one would understand as complete rage, the calm and caring image was gone, everyone had to cover their ears when the sun goddess spoke one name.

"KRIEG!!!"

Starlight gulps loudly, it was as if the universe was against them and now Celestia knows that the psycho was in the city.

Wilhelm made a clicking noise with his tounge, the Echo on his robot hand that belongs to a dead bandit was crushed by the cyborg after hearing what the leader had to say. He looks over to the silent pony who was covering her eyes to protect herself from the sight of bloodshed.

"You can open them now." He had told her but she stayed the same.

Before he could move on, his own Echo started ringing, he quickly answers it to discover it was Shining who was calling him. "Wilhelm, we got a problem!"

"Krieg, I know."

"Oh, good, but another thing is-"

"They got the artifact."

"O-okay, alright then, Jack is trying to look for the artifact while I'm currently shadowing Krieg, follow my Echo's tracker quickly!"

"Alright." He ended the call and began tracking the location of Shining's Echo, but then he remembers the silent mare that was with him.

The gray pony sat behind the cyborg, knowing that he was needed else where, the Enforcer was weighing his options, he can't really bring her with him, but he obviously can't leave her alone. So without any other choice, he brought out his drones.

"Yes alpha?" Both drones said in unison.

Wilhelm points his robotic finger at the mare. "New orders, protect this pony at all cost, do not let a single bandit harm her in any way!"

"Will do sir!" Said Saint.

"On it!" Said Wolf.

"Good." Wilhelm then directs his focus over to the mare in subject. "Stay close to these two, they'll keep you safe while you're looking for your friend."

With nothing to slow him down, he ran off to the direction of Shining so he could take down the psycho, he believes greatly that his drones will keep the pony safe. The mare watches the Enforcer leave, though she have seen the darker side of him, she still appreciated his actions of helping her find her sister, the gray mare looks over to the drones hovering above her, it was nothing like she have ever seen, and if Wilhelm says that they keep her safe, then she believes him.

Author's Note

Saddest part of this story is that Wilhelm can't eat steak anymore....

Edit: I added Flash into the chapter even though it is such a minor detail.