It's been nearly two months since I arrived on the island. My friends are nowhere to be seen.But alas, progress on this island has been kind to us. What once stood as a small village was now practically a town. We had explored far and about. Strange pictures on the walls, designs, and damaged clockworks were everywhere. We had become so much more than we had been before. But unfortunately, our happiness was not to last. The Brotherhood besieged us from time to time. We were ready though and dozens of them were ridden with holes and shrapnel, forming piles high of bloodless corpses. We were not without casualties sadly enough. Several of the women or the young foals were killed. Those who had been washed up on the beach shore fared no better as they were ruthlessly gunned down or cut open by those disgusting soldiers of the Brotherhood. As we learned from the enemies’ bodies...Armor to be more accurate, they were not even close to ponies anymore. Just withered ancient flesh and bones. Only alive from the wretched cursed energy flowing through their armor.

I shivered as I recalled the disturbing revelation as we had worked on the enemy armor. The metal was surprisingly strong and required large caliber bullets to pierce it or at least magically enhanced rounds. We were lucky that they attack in force. Yet. I didn’t fool myself with thinking we were safe. The enemy was too persistent. Too...Strong. Who knew how many of them existed out there. Or where they came from. I looked back. These people were my responsibility now. I have led the enemy to their doorstep and no manner of work could heal the wounds that will be inflicted. But I shall try my best and defend them. That I promise.

“Dusk...Are you okay?” asked a soft voice from the stairway beside me. I smiled at that voice and turned to look at Starlight. She was a close friend of mine; though I had my suspicions that she was interested in me in ways other than simply friendship.

“Yes. I’m just...Considering the circumstances and what we shall do.” I lied. I was reluctant to admit that I was afraid of what would happen. I wasn’t ready for what might happen. I was no leader. More of a follower really, but I made up for it with a lot of hope and perseverance.

“So you say.” she said carefully. I could feel her piercing dark blue eyes affixed to the side of my face. I shifted nervously. It made me uncomfortable when ponies watched me. I was more of a loner. I enjoyed staying back, hiding in the dark and surveying the world. “Dusk, you know that I can tell when you’re lying. You start to get a bit flushed and you shift.” she said with faint amusement in her voice.

“Heh, I’m that easy huh?” I said with equal amusement. “I’ve been thinking. All of these Brotherhood soldiers. They seem like scouts really. Equipped with magical lances, cannons, and weak armor. If they decide to attack in force with the big guys...We won’t last.”
Starlight paused as she considered what I had said. “You make a good point, but...I think we can make it through. After all, it was only because of your help that we survived!” she said with a smile. She was right...In a way. I had recalled the high walls around Canterlot and how the Earth Ponies were stationed on the walls near large rocks. They would kick them at any flying enemies. Though not always with great accuracy, they were lethal nonetheless. Using those ideas, I had suggested we build tall walls around the town and station large clockwork rotary guns on the corners, line around eight smaller guns alongside the edges and place rock cannons near openings at the bottom to ward off any enemies that got close. As the Brotherhood began flying in, we developed steel spikes to be shot from four steam cannons placed around the center of the town. It was startlingly effective and soon the Brotherhood was nearly completely warded off.

“Yes, I suppose I did.” said I. “But did I just make us a tougher, bigger target? Or merely prolong our suffering?”

Starlight frowned. She hated it when I doubted myself and began questioning my choices. As if to confirm my thoughts, she smacked my head. “Don’t say that. You protected us and lead us to have a life at least a little bit closer to the one we had before. You might not like it Dusk, or even want it, but you’re the closest thing we have to a leader.”

I was a bit stunned by that statement. “Leader?” I echoed. I was no leader. Ha, the mere thought made me want to laugh and to sob simultaneously. I was no more than the son of a poor family, a squatter, an exile, and a survivor. But leader? Ridiculous. The only thing that I could lead, was to lead others to ruin as Dawn had reminded me aboard the ship.

She nodded. “Yes. A leader. What else could you be?” she questioned. I faltered a bit as I turned and looked at her straightforward. I tried to speak, but no words came out, but a lonesome choke. She began to speak again, but the blaring siren rang out across the town. By the sound of it, another tidal wave was coming in. And soon.

I rushed down the flight of stairs leading up to the defense wall and rushed into a home with Starlight. We tumbled through the door and she landed upon me. Not a moment too soon, we could heard the tidal wave crash against the wall and flood over it. If not for the rugged foundations of the buildings or the armored and stabilized weapons, a lot of our products would’ve been swept away. We could hear the water flowing past the door. The room was dark and judging by her deep breathing, we were the only two in the room. I felt a flush go through my face as I realized she laying upon me. I felt the warmth coming off of her, her chest rising and falling as she breathed nervously; hoping for the water to not burst in. Her beautiful purple eyes could just barely be seen through the darkness. I slowly raised my foreleg and placed it around her backside. It was a comforting motion and she gradually grew a bit less tense. We lay there in the cold dark, close enough to be pressed up against each other as the raging waters gurgled past the door.

She looked at me and slightly nuzzled my face. “Thanks for taking care of me.”

I blushed even more and muttered incoherent words underneath my breath. I was, to be honest, quite nervous. My experience with mares was limited to my friends. And romantically? Forget it. I was horrid in such matters and the beating sound of my already bad heart only made it worse.

She smiled faintly. “Sounds like you’re quite agitated. I wonder what’s wrong?” she said as she shifted a bit and I squeaked as she accidentally pressed up against a sensitive spot. “Ooch” I squeaked yet again. She paused and her eyes slightly widened as she moved. “Oh, I’m so sorry”. We stayed like that for a bit. Her by my side and myself holding her close by for comfort; both to myself and for hers.

The door creaked open and the weary, soot-coated face of Boltok was visible. He grunted at the sight of us. “Surprising you didn’t get it on yet.” he said in his dry tone. “Come on out. The flood ended and the water drained itself into the sewers.” Starlight and I were both red of the face as I had noticed and we went out. Though reluctant I may have been, I knew that this would either place a thorn in our relationship or boost it. My feelings regarding here were….Mixed to say in the least. I felt rather hollow inside. She was lovely, yes, but I...I had neither the confidence nor the heart to proceed. I was not ready yet, and I certainly did not wish to lose my friend. Lieutenant echoed through my mind. The word was foreign to me, yet its meaning seemed personal. Like a first assistant. I shook the phrase out of my mind along with any thoughts of Starlight and I went to the town square to survey the damage. It was not too severe, but the cannons and light guns had gotten washed away or wrecked. “Troublesome.” I simply said.

Meanwhile, quite some distance away and closing in…

Frost stood on the bow of the ship and leaned forth as he looked out into ocean out in front. Its dark blue, swirling, frothing colors were far from comforting. “Hawke? How much farther?” he yelled.

The flying forest green pegasus swooped down and landed near Frost. “Not too much farther. We are getting close. I can see land some distance ahead. I estimate it’ll take most of the day to reach it assuming the wind is on our side.” he said reassuringly. “The beasts that prowl these dark waters get me nervous though. What the hell do we do if they attack?”
“We fight.” said Frost firmly. “We survived worse. A few fishies aren’t going to stop us.”

Hawke raised an eyebrow as he looked outward. “You changed, Frost. Is it because of Dusk’s sacrifice? Or some other reason?” he asked.

Frost went silent as usual. “...It was due in part to his death. He was brave. A good colt. Just...He didn’t deserve that fate. Could’ve been someone else, but he was keen on avenging us and to stand up to save us all. With him gone...Someone needed to be there for the rest. A foundation to stand upon. Someone to rely upon to make the right decisions. Also a captain cause the old one got mauled.”

Hawke shuddered as he remembered the Captain’s shrieks as he was ripped apart by the clockwork monstrosities they had encountered. “That was fucked up to the extreme. I still don’t understand how those fuckers remained. I thought they were useless without that big-ass queen?”

“No, she was merely the builder and the organizer. Without her, they were scattered.”

A scattering of a few feathers fell as Hawke darted off. Frost rolled his eyes and resumed surveying the ocean for any threats.
Around this time, Skye was in her room and going through Dusk’s journal. Tears slowly dripped from her eyes as a faint smile broke through the sadness she was exhibiting. She hugged the diary as she laid on her bed. She missed her friend. Though they had not talked much, he had become akin to an older brother to her...Despite her actually being two years older. He was so brave, never wavering in danger and always keen to protect his friends. And that strange day that she had learned that he might have been born with wings that were sawn off...She felt pity for the poor colt. To never be able to experience flight? To feel the wind rushing through your mane, the world slowing down as you soar past it...It must’ve been terrible. Though she was confused by it at first, she felt something else within her on that day. A ping of pain and longing. She had pondered over it for quite some time, but eventually grew to suspect that she had grown caring of him; no matter how foreign the concept was. In the time they lived in, each type of pony stuck to its own type. To go outside of that tradition was practically pleading to be excommunicated from society. Obviously, Equestria was quite strict in those times. But still, she wondered if it were wrong? Certainly if the Queen could be wrong in her judgement, then perhaps the traditions could be too? She had just begun finishing that thought before the ship abruptly rocked roughly and went to a halt that sent all of its occupants flying into the wall or into the ocean if it were not for the mysterious green barrier that had been erected.

Frost groaned as he held his bloody nose. He straightened and saw a squadron of Brotherhood troops flying in. “TO ARMS!” he roared and the ponies aboard the ship, what few remained in the 30s, quickly charged outside. A disturbingly large Brotherhood soldier dropped on to the ship and caused a small shock wave that knocked its occupants off of their hooves. “Stand down you insolent pups” he grunted. His voice was raspy, deep and haunting. It was understandable why he was their leader.

“What the fuck do you want.” said Frost icily as he weakly got up. The hulking leader turned to him. His red eyes glowered down on the white and pale blue pony below him. “I came to chat. But if any of your men attack, they shall be killed.” he said sharply.

Frost grudgingly nodded and the other ponies reluctantly put down weapons. The Brotherhood did so too, as an act of good faith, but it was of no doubt that they were more than troublesome even when disarmed.

“Now then, we’re searching for the pipsqueak named Dusk. The little fucker has been wrecking us and is the cause of over a hundred dead.” he growled.

Frost was startled. Dusk was still alive somehow!? He decided to play it cool. Lest he’d let any emotion seep through and endanger them all. Though he didn’t quite know who this “Dusk” was, he had his suspicions that it was his friend. “Dusk? I do not believe I am aware of such a name.” he said coolly.

The Brotherhood soldier eyed him. “He was your companion. His name only recently spread through. Last I saw him, my men were storming your ship and he had fell.”

Frost’s eyes glinted in recognition. It was indeed their old friend. But why the name Dusk? Was it his real name or just a pseudonym? “Ahh, HIM. Yes, we thought he had passed away when we were stranded aboard a derelict ship and it crumbled along with him.”

The soldier grunted. “Unfortunately, the persistent bastard survived. To make matters worse, the surviving scouts report he is someplace very vital to us. So, I shall ask you. Give him up. NOW.”

Frost shook his head slowly. “He is not among us as I have told you. We thought he was dead.”

The soldier eyed him yet again. “...Sardok? We leave. Now.” he said bluntly and the Brotherhood squadron left the ship in a hurry. Glade yelled out. “Yeah, you better run you sap-sucking pigeo-OHSHIT!” she cried out as she barely dodged a lance that hit the place where she was standing.
Grey glanced at Frost. “So the kid survived huh? Good. He couldn’t have ended up too far in the past two months. But since they met us out here, he must be close by.”

Frost nodded in agreement. “Yes, and it looks like he’s alive and well. Kickin’ flank too.”

Grey looked out toward the ocean again. “We’d best hurry. I suspect they’ll find him soon and all hell shall break loose.”

“Full speed ahead. Tell them to mobilize the ship more. Fix up any damage and quickly.” ordered Frost. Hawke, Glade and Grey nodded and went their separate ways to do so.

Glade was scrubbing the engineering gears to prevent the ship from breaking down too early. She was quite giddy that her buddy was alive and well. Judging from the reaction of her older brother’s, he was happy too. Though they had little contact with the colt that they now knew as Dusk, they had grown to appreciate his presence immensely. He was quiet and lonely most of the time, but surprisingly fun to chat with when he finally opened up. He was funny, clever, and decent at giving advice at some times. Though, as Hawke had noticed, Dusk was completely inept at talking with girls directly. Whenever Glade started chatting with Dusk, he would stutter and say “Um” and “Uh” a lot. It was one of the reasons why he had encouraged his friend to write letters which he would carry to Glade. The exchange went fairly well and given enough time, the duo had become surprisingly close. He took a wrench in his mouth and tossed it to his sister who used it to tighten a bolt.

Dawn muttered under her breath as she heard the news that the annoying little pipsqueak was alive. Though she possessed a great deal of disdain for the commoner, mostly due to her upbringing, she found that she had garnered a level of respect for him. His methods, though brutish and not thought through, were effective and rarely left too many issues afterwards. He was always thirsty for knowledge and she had sometimes noticed the signs of a strange nub on his head. “Signs of a unicorn, a pegasus, and yet he is an Earth Pony…” she mumbled. “Is he an Alicorn? Or perhaps simply a mutant.” A question that she had asked herself many times was asked yet again. Though she oft feigned interest in the young colt, she wondered how things would be if she was not so uptight and had been from the middle-class? Would they be friends? Or would they still be distant as they always were? It was a question that, though she wanted answered, would have no way to answer without him and without an attempt to get to know him. She sipped the poor quality tea that she had made from crushed leaves. She frowned a bit and added some potato sugar, a secret for the upper class who learned how to extract a small amount of natural sweetener from potatoes. She sipped her tea again and was satisfied.

Rose put on her warm coat as she left the poor makeshift shower. It was better than nothing though. She laid upon her lofty bed and read her book. Though she had told no one, she was secretly into writing fiction. This had just been the first of her many novels. Many, might have been a weak word as she had in reality written close to about 37. All basically written upon manuscripts with quill pens and squid ink. Though they were no where near to the legendary books that had lines the shelves in her home, they still meant a lot to her. The one in particular she was reading was a joint-effort by Dusk and herself and truly one of her favorites. It was about the Underworld and the demon ponies who lived there; more specifically one in particular who was different from her family in manners of her compassion, kindness, and love for her servants. As opposed to most of her stories which always had a happy ending where the mare finally ends with the colt he liked or…*cough* the colt ended up with the colt, Dusk had added much more to it. Conflict, development, and tragedy. It seemed to him there was no such thing as a happy ending. Sadness and tragedy followed. The beginning of the series they were writing ended with the poor demon mare being sacrificed to a cult after her sisters and father betrayed her. A faint smiled spreaded across Rose’s face as her eyes welled up with tears. She had grown fond of Dusk and with him around, there was never a dull moment. She slowly closed the book and laid it on her nightstand. She put out the candle and slept.

Days had passed. The third month of Dusk being stranded on the island was ending. Everyone had gone to sleep and he alone sat on the beach as he tinkered with a new invention. A fire grenade. It was made from animal skin, metal fragments, and a strange fruit he found that exploded with a fiery blast when disturbed. He looked out to the ocean with a grim look. More and more scouts have been flying here and back. He suspected an imminent attack and he would be ready for that. The beach was littered with grapple mines, special clockwork devices that gripped to a pony’s leg when stepped on before exploding after the timer went off, several turrets were places near the wall and trenches were dug out near it. Barbed wire littered near the front of the trenches and shotgun traps were laid by to kill off any invaders. Though plenty called him paranoid, he knew better. He finished the grenade and went back home, careful to not step on any mines. Tomorrow would be a hellish day. For tomorrow would be The Invasion of the Plastic Beach and the enemy would rue the day that it pissed off Dusk and the survivors. He would make sure of that….

Day 1 of the invasion.

The day began with an uproar. The Brotherhood landed on the shore with their boats; hoping to take their prey by surprise, but it went in the opposite direction. Their screams drowned out the morning call of the birds as bear traps and mined rapidly picked them off, one by one. The guards of the exiles awoke and rushed to the turrets and opened fire as they rotated the levers on the guns. The enemy did not stand much of a chance as they were mowed down by the dual lines of deadly round bullets. Unlike most Brotherhood soldiers, these appeared to suspiciously be Equestrians, but with the mark of the Brotherhood and its weapons. More and more boats landed. The exiles still stood strong as they armed the 8 remaining mini-turrets and opened fire. The large Spike Cannons in the town Square ripped through any flyers as the Exiles in the trenches blasted apart any survivors. Dusk smiled in satisfaction as he watched. He had changed that morning. Gone was the unsure, nervous young colt and in his place stood a rugged leader willing to do what need to be done.

The remaining boats stayed some ways away from the shore. Dusk watched them through a telescope. “They’re afraid. Good. They should be.” he said icily. Boltok glanced at him. “You’re changing kid. Becoming more ruthless.” Dusk shook his head. “No. I’m just doing my duty to protect my friends and family. Though we may not be of the same blood, we are bonded through the sweat of our brows as he toil in the sun upon the buildings. We are bonded by our mutual strength as we stand together against the tyranny of Equestria.” he said proudly. “For we are the Exiles. We stand in the shadows and grow. Not because we are tyrannical conquerors, but because we are folk willing to love and tolerate each other as we work toward the common cause and grow as a new nation.” he folded his telescope and walked away. The villagers cheered.

Starlight couldn’t help, but smile a bit. Her friend finally grew up. He became what was needed most at the time like he did before. From a small town boy to a hero to a leader.

Day 2 of the Invasion.

The enemy had now grown more cautious. They carefully used magic to stealth themselves and pick off weapons and guards from afar. By the time the dawn had set in, the submerged soldiers of their had emerged and rushed for the city. Within the hour they managed to cross the trenches and had just reached the gates when a thundering cannon blast shredded them into bits. Dusk smirked as he began reloading the cannon. “YOU SHALL NOT PASS!” he roared as he fired again and blasted another squad apart. He smirked and watched the enemy retreat again. Most of the day then went more roughly. The pegasi had flown high and resorted to bombing the cities fortifications. The Exiles’ weapons were not all too effective at high altitudes so they barely could defend themselves. By the end of the day, the two rear turrets were destroyed, several houses, and the front gate was bit wrecked. They would need help. And soon.

The Final Day

By now, I had realized that I had grown too cocky. The enemy was barely able to touch us, but those were merely grunts and cannon fodder. They sent their big Brotherhood soldiers against us now. Our weapons barely had any effect and the three behemoths were beating down our defenses with their lances even now as I write this. To make matters worse, a large ship loomed on the horizon and drew ever closer. I had ordered Starlight and Boltok to retreat with the people and to hide in the catacombs. I drew my ragged piece of metal and went to the roof of the town square to face the incoming menace. I narrowed my eyes at the incoming foes. Four shall stand, three shall fall. The only question remains, would I be one of the three? No. No I shall not let that happen. I have people to take care of. Though fall I may after the fight, I’ll take out these fuckers with me. They crashed through the gate and walked in. They were bipedal, about 16 feet tall each, and as far from pony-like as one could imagine. I yelled and leaped from the rooftop, my target was the face of these behemoths rampaging through my new home.

It’s payback time bitches.

Author's Note

Here we are! Nearly the end of the series. I promise to release two more chapters as soon as I can. They will be titled "Reunion and Division" as well as "Epilogue". Sorry for the long wait! I had a lot of work to do and never really got around to writing this.

Sidenotes: The invasion of the beach was written with the Invasion of Normandy in mind

Sidenote 2: In this timeline, ponies age faster than humans. Three times as fast to be accurate, but the year is about 326 days (For reasons to be revealed). One of the reasons for their accelerated aging is due to the bad conditions in the cities which reduced their lifespan significantly. Aging is also increased due to a mysterious magical presence in Equestria which shall also be revealed.

Sidenote 3: Some may wonder, how did Dusk arrive on the island so easily and fast, but his friends took three months and still couldn't find him? It's because of the ocean. It is a strange and unusual place. The island is always at the same spot, but the area in which the island is in changes from time to time. Ponies who get washed into the ocean sometimes end up on the island easily because the ocean drags them there quickly. Ships though can travel for months and not arrive at the spot because of the shifting currents, level of water, and changing locations of the islands in the Southern Isles.