*****Chapter 2: Fragility of the Dream*****

"Long time, no see. . . Brother."

Liam tensed up, cutting power to Failure's boosters. The Mech plummeted from the sky, grinding to a halt mere feet above the ground. His brother's NEXT stood before him, a veritable fortress in and of itself. Massive tank treads sank into the concrete under its immense weight, and light blue sparks arced across the armor.

His brother spoke first, "So I see Line Ark finally found someone to do their dirty work."

A sigh escaped Liam's lips, "Yeah, it would seem so."

"So why are you here?"

"I'm here for the pay. A million credits is quite a bit."

He laughed, "And what did they tell you? That there were some rag-tag terrorists planning to destroy the earth?"

"Hardly," Liam chuckled, "You know, bro, mom isn't doing so good. This payday could very well save her life."

The comms went quiet for a few seconds, as his brother digested that information.

Liam heard a sigh as his brother continued in a saddened tone, "Yeah, well, you always were her favorite. Too bad I cut ties, eh?"

"Why? You know what she told me before I left? She told me that she hoped we could work together someday. That we could be an unstoppable team, and really do some good in this God-forsaken wasteland."

He sounded amused, "Hmm, that would be interesting. It really amazes me, that after all this time she still holds on to hope," he sighed. "It's too bad really, I don't think there's any way I could return to a normal life. I've taken down Arms Forts, other NEXTs, killed so many people."

"So that's it, then? Just give up and resign yourself to the 'mysterious merc' stereotype?" Liam shook his head, Failure mirroring his movements, "And I always thought you were the strong one, brother. I looked up to you, and all this time you were just running from your actions instead of controlling them."

Liam's radio crackled with static for a moment, some part of another channel breaking through, "Stall- longer, ---most ---pared -- activate."

His brother came back on the radio, sighing again, "It would seem our time runs short. I'll leave it up to you: fight me now, or I'll just leave these fools to their fate."

Liam was taken aback for a moment, his brother offering to just leave wasn't normal by any standards. He double checked his frequency, ensuring that they were on a private channel, "I'll take the second option, but why make the offer in the first place?"

Brother's NEXT shook its head this time, "Because," he spoke in a hushed tone, "My operator just got cut off, and she didn't like what she was seeing on the sensors. I will fight you eventually, know that, but right now this place is so contaminated with radiation that it's going to become a massive health hazard. And I don't like the idea of dying in a hospital bed."

"Whatever your reasons, bro," Liam said, "We're family. If you ever need backup, you can count on me, you know that," he chuckled, "even if you eat up all of the contracts."

"Yeah, well. That's assuming I wouldn't fire on sight if you came to help. Bro, Failure, enjoy the party. I'm out of here."

Liam stared for a moment, trying to glean any sort of hidden meaning from his words. He found none, simply sighing as his brother activated his over-boost and shot away, tank treads tearing the concrete beneath them before going airborne. Liam's radar suddenly lit up as Normals began pouring from the central tower of the reactor facility, easily 100 enemy contacts, if not more.

He fired up his quick boost, backing away to put a little distance between himself and the enemy forces. His assault rifles plinked away, blowing clean holes in the enemy's armor plating as they fell one by one.

Liam boosted right, twisting in his seat as he was locked on to from behind. Two sniper Normals were behind him, setting up to hammer him with their high caliber rifles. He twisted all the way around, locking on with his shoulder mounted missiles and loosing a salvo in their direction. A grim smile graced his lips as they were consumed in a massive fireball.

He turned back, 70 Normals still standing, all trying to hit him with their assault rifles as he dodged the rounds. A few made contact, doing little more than dropping his Primal Armor gauge.

Liam continued his routine: dodge, fire, dodge, fire; the Normals were torn apart by the hot lead pouring forth from the twin rifles. He thumbed the reload switch on his right arm, taking note that he was down to his last magazine for that weapon. Double checking his left, he noticed that he was already halfway through his last mag. He fired again, cutting down four more Normals as he jettisoned the left rifle and drew the pistol hanging on his left leg.

The missile racks lit up as several salvos rained down upon the enemy ranks, engulfing them in flames. Liam held the trigger until the ammo counter blinked red, then jettisoned the pods to add more speed for the finale.

He boosted forward, getting within weapon range for the pistol as he drained the right rifle of ammo and drew his Mech's katana.

Ten left.

He leapt forward, ducking behind a normal as one of its allies sent a volley of rifle fire in his direction, ripping his own squad mate to pieces. Failure danced around the ruined husk, boosting forward and spinning around the other Normal before planting the blade squarely into its back. Sparks danced from the wound, the Normal seizing up and acting as a makeshift shield as Liam plugged away at the third with his pistol, gutting the cockpit.

Liam twisted, spinning around and pursuing the remaining seven into the cooling tower of the reactor. He grinned at the close quarters fighting, dancing and slashing with his katana as Normals split apart before him, pieces of the war machines falling to the ground glowing red hot at the severed edge.

He could see several people sprinting into the facility at the center, their purpose a mystery to Liam as he cut down the last Normal.

Lyra Heartstrings awoke in a particularly good mood, another dream of her favorite topic had graced her sleeping mind as she cantered into her study. The interior of the room was a mess of papers, books, and most importantly, her journal, which sat beside her Royal Guard badge at the moment. She took a seat, sitting up and leaning on the back of the chair as she pulled out a pencil to try and sketch what she had seen.

Machines, some type of massive machines that were designed to fly and dance in the air. Human technology was her only explanation for the things. She set to work, recalling as much detail as she possibly could of the massive biped that she had seen as it danced in her mind. Such a wondrous thing couldn't possibly be anything but amazing in her mind.

"This again?"

Lyra gasped as she was startled by the sudden interruption, gracefully sliding out of the chair and into a heap of limbs on the ground. "Bon Bon! I told you not to do that!"

The mare in question, a cream colored Earth pony with dark blue and pink mane and tail, simply giggled at her long time friend. "I told you, Lyra. All they ever were is legends and old mare's tales. Just meant to scare little fillies into behaving."

Lyra shot her a venomous glare, her golden eyes smoldering with contempt. She was happy that Bon Bon had stopped telling her she was crazy, settling into a habit of amused ribbing and hinting whenever Lyra went into one of her "episodes".

"Bon," Lyra hissed, "I told you. Weather they're real or not, there's just too many consistencies in all of those stories. Either they were written by the same pony, or they are actually based on fact."

Her roommate chuckled, "Well every lie has a grain of truth. I think you should just give it a rest, go out and have some fun without thinking about hoo-mans every second. Not to mention the elements are out of town for a while, meaning that there's no risk of being assaulted with cake or balloons just for walking around with a smile on your face."

"SPIKEY WIKEY!" Rarity screamed, watching the young purple and green dragon plummet from atop the crystal palace.

King Sombra, the evil overlord seeking to reclaim his throne, screamed something unintelligible before slamming into the ground, charging forward as a wave of shadow and corrupt crystal. He burst forth, moving to intercept the falling crystal heart. It was mere feet away, growing closer as a pink blur shot past him.

Shining Armor panted, out of breath as he stood on his rear legs, forelegs outstretched after throwing his wife like a javelin to catch both the young dragon and the crystal heart.

A loud hum was heard through the armored hull of Liam's NEXT. He could see an ominous blue glow emanating from the reactor core. A chill ran up his spine as his sensors began to scream about strange energy readings, he twisted in his seat, turning the NEXT and firing his boosters to exit the structure.

But it was too little, too late.

Failure was encased in a blue bubble, along with the rest of the facility. Electricity arced from the various panels, leaving them unscathed but shocking the pilot within as he desperately tried to stay awake.

Fear clouded Liam's judgment as he slapped the Assault Armor trigger, causing massive amounts of Kojima energy to be gathered in the Over Boost module. The reaction caused his Primal Armor to essentially solidify, granting him a moment of peace from the intruding energy. The NEXT's Kojima rectifiers reversed their polarity, thrusting the Kojima particles out of the NEXT and into the surrounding air.

Liam was encased in a green glow as the shockwave of radiation consumed the earth around him. Time seemed to stretch and contract simultaneously, as he was suddenly extremely aware of his heartbeat and every droplet of sweat coating his brow. The mass of green Kojima particles swirled around for a moment before being suddenly ripped toward the center of the reactor cooling tower. They entered the structure, turning the sickly blue energy into a dangerous green before a massive wave of power caused his NEXT to stumble forward to a knee.

He looked up in horror as the shield surrounding the reactor was tainted with excess Kojima energy, pulsing dangerously before retracting into the core and exploding outward as Liam slumped forward in his seat, unconscious.

"Wake up, human."

Liam groaned, staggering to his feet as he obeyed the command.

What is this? I should be dead, what's going on? Questions raced through his mind as he looked around. There were several massive golden thrones, upon each sat a being of a different race. A few humans, a few of what he could only guess were elves with their pointy ears and glowing eyes, even a few horse-like beings sporting horns and wings.

"You are dead, Liam. But not lost, thankfully. We have other plans for you, and you would be wise to heed my words."

Liam's attention turned to another throne, lower than the others, but none less magnificent as an old man stood up from it. He was dressed in white robes, a long ivory beard hanging from his face as he smiled at the LYNX. Liam was momentarily incapacitated, unable to move or speak as the man approached him.

"We have other plans for you, like I said," the man placed a hand on Liam's shoulder. It was comforting, yet terrifying at the same time. "Your name, do you know what it means?"

Liam shook his head slowly.

"It means 'Devoted Guardian'. That is why you stood by your mother even though you could've abandoned her as your brother did, that is why you are here now." The man removed his hand, kneeling down to Liam's level and smiling. "Your service is needed elsewhere, and while some of my colleagues believe me to be insane for doing this, I see no better option. You are to take up the mantle of protector, to fulfill your namesake of this devoted guardian that they need. I am not offering power, or a new form. I am granting you immortality as you are, to stand by and assist those who need it, on scales both immense and tiny."

Liam felt his mind expanding, his memories all becoming crystal clear as if he had experienced his whole life only seconds ago. A tear rolled down his cheek for the loss of his father, while laughter escaped his throat at the memories of the great man. His heart soared as his crush admitted that she had feelings for him as well, and yet was torn apart at not fulfilling his promise to return alive.

"Your body is as mortal as ever, no new strength, no magical abilities. Yet it will not decay with time as it once would. Your actions will be your own, and we will not intervene in any way. Enjoy this gift, and do not waste it, or we will not be so pleased to see you when you return, Liam."

He nodded, his vision already fading as the man backed away from him with a sincere smile and wave goodbye.

Shining Armor trotted through the streets of the newly saved Crystal Empire. A wide smile adorned his face as he nodded at the Crystal ponies as he passed by. Things had finally settled down, with the threat of King Sombra removed and the Crystal Heart in place to power the Empire.

He glanced up at the balcony, smiling as he laid eyes on his beautiful wife, who was in the process of waving to a small group of ponies below. There was a very faint thud that broke Shining Armor's trance as he glanced around in confusion.

Everything suddenly went silent as the surrounding ponies noticed the noise. Suddenly, there was a massive CRACK as a pillar of black metal shot up through the ground in the middle of the street just a few yards in front of Shining Armor.

Liam groaned, waking slowly as he noticed first that he was awake, then that he was still securely fastened into his NEXT's cockpit.

His mind began to race, that palace-court thing, the old man, what had it been? And what in the blue hell did he mean by 'his blessing' and 'Devoted Guardian'?

Liam sat there for a few minutes, staring forward as his cameras worked to compensate for the dim light around him. He shook off the memories, dismissing them as a dream as he glanced around, the ominous red lights on Failure's head scanned the area.

He realized he was in a chamber underground, and the light was filtering through some sort of crystal above him. Liam brought the NEXT to her feet with a massive stomp that reverberated throughout the cavernous room, katana in hand.

He looked up, able to see a few shadows overhead. Bracing for anything, he shoved his massive sword upward, piercing the ground above him as a shaft of sunlight illuminated his NEXT. The surrounding crystal cracked, and the shadows retreated from the gaping hole that opened above him.

He shook his NEXT, clearing the shards of crystal from his shoulders and torso, and crouched. His Primal Armor was offline, for some unknown reason, but that didn't bother him unless he was going into combat. PA in civilian areas ran the risk of contaminating innocents, leading to sickness and death where it wasn't wanted. With a thought, and a flex of his legs, Failure shot upwards on a jet of superheated air.

He shielded his eyes with the NEXT's arm, glancing around as his breath was stolen from him. He hovered, an easy hundred yards off the ground, as he scanned the area. The massive metal arm before him glistened as if it were solid diamond, giving him pause before looking past that and truly becoming amazed.

All around was that same blue crystal, but in front of him it was crafted into a towering palace. The scene was awe inspiring, and yet confusing. His mind began to race again as he thought of what could have created such wonders. His only possible explanation was that the Kojima blast from the reactor turned the plant to crystal, and it certainly appeared similar to the cooling tower, complete with the open area underneath.

He glanced at the mechanical readouts for his NEXT, noticing first that his emblem had changed, and was now a golden sword in front of a silver shield. What confused him most, though, was the fact that his NEXT's name was different. Instead of Failure, it now read Guardian. The massive cliché almost made him laugh, but he was too angry that someone had actually hacked his NEXT's systems to change them in the first place.

He reached for his console to change the name and emblem back when a pink dot showed up on his forward monitor. He watched as a glow encompassed the crystal beneath him, repairing what he now noticed was a road that he had just destroyed.

His mind screamed a million reasons that this was wrong as he lowered the output of his thrusters, landing softly on the street surface and scanning around him as he fought the urge to have a seizure.

Princess Cadence was dumbstruck. Right in front of her, a massive machine had just burst forth from the ground, and was now hovering over her Empire. Citizens screamed, running toward the nearest building as she leapt from her platform and glided toward the behemoth, repairing the street surface that it had shattered in its escape.

It floated down to the surface, and she got a better look at it. It appeared to be made of crystal, like everything else in the Crystal Empire, but what it could look like outside of the Crystal Heart's field of influence completely eluded her.

The only part that hadn't been changed by the Heart was the massive sword it carried in its right claw. It stood on two legs, appearing tall and proud as an eerie set of lights on its head drifted left and right, casting its gaze over the few ponies that had dared stay to watch. The ponies shrunk back when its attention turned to them, fear and apprehension written across their faces.

Then, it looked straight ahead, right at Cadence.

Liam observed his surroundings with a new found sense of curiosity. There were horse-things everywhere, although most were frantically vacating the area around him. He kept his Primal Armor deactivated, reminding himself to figure out why it wasn't functioning at his earliest opportunity.

His gaze shifted forward again, and focused on the flying, horned horse that he had seen before. She seemed to be wearing some form of crown, and seemed more frightened than she was letting show. He felt bad for the little ones, who appeared to only be about as tall as his stomach, but this one looked like she wouldn't be much shorter than he was, not counting the foot long spear growing from her forehead.

His mind kept drifting back to the old man, and his 'other plans'. Liam could see no reason to not just roll with it, as he had always done, taking a relaxed and nonchalant approach to most aspects of life. His hand drifted over the consoles, sheathing his katana and causing the power plant within his NEXT to withdraw into standby mode as the beast stepped back with one leg, kneeling on one knee and pitching forward.

The NEXT's massive hands rested against the street to stabilize the massive machine, and a loud hiss sounded as the base of the torso opened to the outside air. Liam removed his helmet, breathing in the fresh, sweet, warm scent of the city. It caused him to smile. The air here was a welcome change from the wastes of Earth, and the sterilized, filtered air of the Cradle. He fought back thoughts of home as he climbed the cockpit walls, attaching his father's katana to his hip as he pulled himself up to the entrance hatch and tossed out the rope ladder.

Shining Armor galloped forward to stand beside his wife as the behemoth before him kneeled before her. The action was not unexpected, nor unwelcome, but it was still a terrifying hulk to look at.

And yet, somehow graceful.

A hiss echoed through the courtyard as a small opening appeared in the thing's chest, followed shortly by a rope ladder falling to the ground. Shining and Cadence braced themselves as a smaller being descended the ladder, jumping the final few feet and landing on two legs. It had landed with its back to the pair, and seemed to take a look around as it dusted off its hands.

It glanced behind, seeing the pair, and allowing them a good look at its face even from twenty yards away. The first thing that came to Shining's mind was tall, bald, and pale

It stepped forward, nearing the pair as the sunlight glistened off of his black, crystallized clothing. Nearing the two, it stopped. It glanced back and forth between them as the three sized each other up, wondering who would make the first move.

Shining tensed his body as the creature pulled a sword resembling the large machine's from its hip, but rather than attack, it turned the blade point down, resting the tip of the sword on the ground as it used it for a support.

It knelt before the two, bowing its head reverently in a surprising act of respect. Cadence and Shining Armor glanced at each other with raised eyebrows before looking back at the thing as it lifted its head to smile at them.

And then it talked.

"What's up?"

Thud

Author's Note

So I updated the story tags after thinking on it for a bit. This story is gonna be all over the place, and I promise that there will be ideas borrowed from other fics, 'cause those ideas are better than mine . Things like the society set up in "Xenophilia", (Lyra from that one crossed with "Anthropology" I think, Lyra is a boss, get over it ). Or some ideas from "What's Love Got to do With It?" Those three stories are the bulk of any borrowed ideas, and are definitely all in my top 5 favorite fics that I've ever read. (hint: if you haven't read them, do it. It's worth it.)

Anyway, as far as the tags go, Adventure would be there also, but alas: it does not fit with the slice of life tag, and there's more slices-o-life than adventure planned. So just keep calm and read on.