The locomotive was beginning to slow down, as the station came into view through the storm. Within, ponies moved with a fervor, preparing their gear for the journey through the snow. All, except one. Captain Armor knew he would be fine. After all, his armor was made with fragments of a sun! But despite this, he couldn’t help but shiver as a chill ran down his spine. For every time he closed his eyes, no matter how brief or long, he saw them. The piercing, blood red eyes, staring directly into his soul. And as the train came to a stop, and the doors began to open, he swore he could have seen them once more.

MAV-3N stared at the parked locomotive. It definitely wasn’t Automaton design, that’s for sure. It also wasn’t super earth’s either. So who created this train? So engrossed was she by the train, that she didn’t notice anyone getting off of it until she heard a shout. She quickly jumped under one of the carts, just as multiple creatures began to approach where she had just been. From her vantage point, she can’t see much, other than their apparent hooved feet. They definitely weren’t humans then, As their hoof steps get closer, she begins to pick up two distinct voices, having a conversation.

” We’ve got over a months worth of supplies for us! Just how long is this mission going to take?”
”Who cares? We’re getting paid double for this assignment.”
”Doesn’t that normally mean we’re getting into some deep shit?”
”Relax, we’ll be fine. With both Princess Cadenza and the captain, anything that we fight should be a piece of cake!”
”I sure hope you’re right.”
Slowly, the footsteps begin to grow quieter, until she can’t hear them any more. As she crawls back out, she begins to wonder. Just what is going on out here?

As the rest of the supplies are gathered up, Shining begins to organize the ranks. A good majority were carrying supplies, with the rest guarding the caravan. Once everypony is in position and has their gear, they begin to March. Snow begins to batter them as freezing winds chill their cores, but they keep marching on. For at least a mile they match, undeterred by the weather ravaging them. And as they reach the peak of a snow bank, they finally lay eyes on their target. A massive, gleaming city, made entirely of Crystal. The soldiers stop, enraptured by the magnificence. Until a harrowing laugh echoes through the air, as a black mist begins to coalesce within the sky.

MAV-3N watched on in amusement at these soldier’s lack of discipline. How do they expect to get anything done if they have to stop and Gawk at every pretty site they see? they’d probably get distracted and spend an entire day just looking at two birds flying in circles. Those thoughts are interrupted, though, as an ominous cackle reverberates through the air. Quickly getting down, she looks on as a black colloid manifests above them, and begins to chase them. Now this was interesting. Though despite how humorous watching these trained soldier run from a cumulus was, she was more interested in the city. That was the same one she saw before… before the crash. Shaking the memories out of her head, she decides to investigate. She would get to the bottom of this.

Supplies were dropped to the ground as the soldiers broke out in a sprint, trying to lighten their loads in order to escape. Despite this, though, the cloud continued to slowly gain on them. At this rate, the cloud would arrive to the city mere moments after them, making their mad dash all for naught. Unless… Captain Armor’s eyes widened, as a plan began to formulate in his brain. Continuing to sprint, he turns his head to his wife, trying to get her attention.
”Cadence! Do you think you could teleport into the city from here?!”
Cadence looks at him, confusion and fear in her eyes.
”I think so, but-“
”Teleport into the city, and cast the shield spell I taught you! It’s our only way of getting out of this!”
As the words sink in, her eyes widen, realizing he was right. Quickly nodding, her horn lit up before she disappeared. Moments later, a giant, pink shield encased the city, giving the soldiers hope.

As the shield grew out, MAV-3N looked on, curiosity growing. What were they planning? Where did that shield generator come from? And where did that pink one go? Shelving these thoughts for later, she continued on towards the city.

Finally, the safety of the city was close at hand. Adrenaline pumping through their veins, the soldiers continued to push themselves, knowing their salvation was near. All the while, the ominous darkness encroached ever closer. Just as hope seemed lost though, a sudden warmth ran over them, as a shout of frustration echoed from behind. Daring to take a break, the soldiers stopped and turned around, only to find the cloud glaring at them, hatred in its emerald eyes. For now between them lie a large, pink barrier. They were safe. For now.

The soldiers had been barely able to escape the ominous cloud, and for some reason, MAV-3N felt relieved. But why? While true she has nothing against these particular organics, she has never had a good interaction with any species. Be it the squid-like Illuminate and their strange powers and beliefs, or the Terminids and their feral nature and lack of individuality. And worst of all was the humans. So why does she feel relief at their safety? Her mind begins to process her thoughts, searching her database for a reason as to why these strange creatures elicit remorse from her. So distracted is she, that she doesn’t realize that the cloud noticed her.

Captain Armor breathes a sigh of relief. While they may have lost their supplies, his quick thinking managed to get all of his men out alive. He looks over his soldiers, noticing their states of exhaustion and relief. The guard regiment must have been getting lax again, if these soldiers were so soft. He begins to concoct up ways to toughen them up, before a loud noise knocks him out of it.
It almost sounded like a unicorn, firing a shot off from their horn. Suddenly, more sound off, before the rapid stream becomes a constant. Curiosity growing, he heads over to investigate, only to stare in shock. As once more, he looked into those blood red eyes.

She cursed to herself for getting distracted as she fired another few shots at the cloud. Her mental dilemma gave the cloud a perfect window of opportunity to attack her, and it was showing. Suddenly, the cloud enveloped her within, as pain began to course throughout her systems. She could feel crystalline structures forming within her joints as the cloud laughed mockingly. Ignoring the pain, she attempted to shoot again, but the crystals in her finger joints made it impossible to pull the trigger. She attempted to flee, but as with her fingers, her legs were jammed, causing her to fall. As she hits the ground, the cloud envelopes her again, pain radiating throughout her entire being. All of this is too much for her to handle, and her body begins to deactivate. Fear begins to blossom as she can feel herself beginning to shut down. First her legs, then her arms. And as her head shuts down, as her sight begins to fade, a strange blue glow begins to radiate off of her. Then, everything goes dark.

Author's Note

A heart of steel meets some hearts of gold. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, it took a bit longer to write, but I’m proud of it. If I made any mistakes or if you have any suggestions, leave a comment!