Reclamation

Chapters

Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14

Prologue

It's been… ten years now? We have nothing to keep track of the days, and keeping somepony posted outside would be too dangerous. I'm just guessing now… just like most of us are.

Sorry. My manners have… faded. My name is Twilight Sparkle. Protégé of Princess Celestia, co-ruler of Equestria. Not that it matters anymore. I'm one of six ‘Elements of Harmony’. A group of ponies connected to six magical artifacts that represent the magic of friendship. You can laugh, but those necklaces and my tiara have saved me and my friends more times than I can remember. But… nowadays ponies would laugh if we tried using that to our benefit. It's not like the Elements can handle an entire army. Or feed thousands of starving ponies.

I'm rambling, just like I used to. It's almost curfew, but I still have enough time to write this down. If I'm going to die, I'll want somepony… or something to know we were here.

Now, where to start? From the beginning, I suppose. Maybe… that day. Ponies call it first contact, a day of discovery… a dark day… or as a majority of this camp refers to it:

The beginning of the end.

It was a warm summer afternoon, and me and my assistant, Spike, a very young dragon at the time, were on our way to a picnic just outside Ponyville, a small but friendly town just south of Canterlot, the capital of Equestria. Spike was smaller back then, and weaker, but he was sort of humorous and dedicated to us as his friends. And he was an excellent cook, too. He would ride on my back, the two of us just going on about whatever crazy things were happening in our not-so-quiet town. I remember his laughter… my own laughter.

But back to the story, we made it out of the town and into the fields surrounding it. They were filled with flowers and animals of almost any kind. We kept away from the eastern part of the fields, since the Everfree Forest was near there. No pony is completely sure why, but the Forest is contaminated with dark, twisted magics and ferocious animals and creatures. We've had a few run-ins in the past, which were terrifying, to say the least. So me and Spike made it to the picnic, saying hi to everypony there.

My best friends. Before we all changed.

There was Rainbow Dash, one of the fastest and most skilled fliers in Equestria and loyal to a fault. Rainbow had a cyan coat and, as her name suggests, a rainbow mane and tail. She was the only pony who could perform the sonic rainboom. Pinkie Pie, the most energetic pony I've ever met. I used to get so confused whenever she did something impossible, like pulling out large cannons and objects from her tail or hair. Her coat was a bubbly pink, and her hair was a poofy blob of darker pink. She loved putting smiles on everypony's face. Rarity, our seamstress friend, had an alabaster coat with a violet, curled mane. She was very mannered and formal, mostly, and she was the most generous out of the six of us. Spike had an adorable crush on her, and I'm sure she'd seen it more than enough to know.

Next was Applejack, or AJ as we sometimes called her. Her family owned a portion of Ponyville, since her family practically started the town from the farm. Sweet Apple Acres, best place to get, of course, apples and cider. Her brother, Big Mac, little sister, Applebloom, and grandmare, Granny Smith, all worked the hundreds of acres of farmland each year. She was honest and dedicated, almost as much as Spike. Her mane and tail were a dirt blonde color, from all her hard work, and her coat was a light orange. Then there was Fluttershy, the shyest mare in Ponyville. She had a yellow coat, and a bubblegum-pink mane. Her special talent was with animals, and she always had a dozen or so in her house.

"Hey, Twilight!" Pinkie shouted, zipping over and hugging me and Spike. "Rainbow was gonna show us a new trick!"

"Don't ruin it!" Rainbow called, taking flight.

I set down the sandwiches I'd brought, thanks to Spike, and it went on like most of our meetings. Laughing, watching Rainbow's stunts, a bit of Rarity's gossip, and Pinkie planning some pranks for Nightmare Night.

That is, until we heard the explosion.

It was… horrific. Half of Canterlot was gone. The half still standing was under siege, and ablaze. There was a ship in the sky, smoke trailing from its front from the main cannon. The sky got darker and darker as hundreds of smaller ships started to take flight. And that's when we got a good look at them.

There were the smaller ones, ferocious and deadly. They were dropped in large pods, like cannon fodder or bombs. Me and the girls ran as fast as we could to the town, but it was all for nothing. They were pouring into the streets, the fighter ships above hammering the shops and homes with bright beams that tore them and anypony unlucky enough to be in its way to shreds. I watched a filly… no more than six years old… get obliterated as she screamed. It was chaos, but it was only thanks to Discord, god of chaos, that we survived. We were all brought to a chamber inside the castle in Canterlot. We all screamed and cried as we tried to figure out what was going on, but all we could do was run. They easily breached the castle, pushing at each other to get in and rip the guards apart.

My brother, Shining Armor, led the guards in the first wave, barely making it out with a deep gash in his chest and his left shoulder mauled savagely. There was nothing more to do, and so we went into the city to get as many ponies as we could. The only reason we didn't die in the streets was because the horde was focused on the theatre, which became a bloody mess with limbs and organs and blood spread around the inside. There was a chamber inside the mountain, an escape route in case a siege of Canterlot ever succeeded. Out of 4,688 ponies…

…only 652 ponies made it out.

Most of which were middle-class ponies, all sobbing and weeping for their loved ones. Many demanded to be let back in, but Celestia and Luna wouldn't have any of it. For the first time, in front of me, they ordered the ponies into the tunnels. I was shocked to see my loving and warm-hearted teacher yelling. And then… she wept. Her and Luna sobbed like fillies… but we weren't any different. We all sat there, Shining Armor grumbling curses and trying to console me, and just cried. But we had to move when we heard the monsters on the other side of the door, clawing at the diamond to get inside.

A month went quickly, and we had settled in an underground bunker as big as a city. Slowly, ponies poured in from Manehatten and Ponyville. We saw many of our other friends… distraught and sickened by what they had seen. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were shaking, Mayor Mare was too shocked to say anything… and Big Macintosh carried a covered body. It was the first emotion I ever saw from him. Sadness… at the loss of his and Applejack's grandmare. They mourned for a year, but by then most of us were pushing on. We tried to connect with the ponies stuck in the catacombs of Appleoosa. Then we sent messengers to the Griffon Empire, and the Minotaur Republic, even the Dragon Kingdom. But they were all under siege as well, and most of the messenger volunteers died.

After a year of famine and overcrowding, the guards attempted to launch a counter-attack and retake Canterlot. A force of 2,000 went in… and none ever returned. And that was the day that we decided that the only way we would ever survive, was to expand underground and never return to the surface. The only ones allowed were recon patrols and scavengers. Not like they brought anything useful. With Cadence here we were able to keep just a bit more order, but lots of groups left to fend for themselves, saying the princesses couldn't protect us.

And we all knew it.

But me and the girls would never say anything, because we were terrified, hungry, and weak. They were wise, and through their wisdom we lasted ten more years.

Me and some of the girls became recon leaders, sometimes even searching together. Spike became a chef, making whatever he could to keep ponies bellies full, and he grew up strong. He might have caught Rarity's eye, but they were both too focused on surviving. Just like the rest of us. Our only light was gems in the ceiling that grew naturally, and our only water came from a stream that ran through the mountain. Supplies were always strained, but we made it somehow.

But there was never any hope of going to our homes. Fillies and colts grew up with ideas of taking down the monsters, but those of us who had seen them up close would quickly fill their minds with fear and terror. Pumpkin and Pound, the only foals we knew closely, grew up to fear the monsters and help their mother and father without question. Our lives were based on fear. Our lives depended on fear. Our lives were restricted by fear.

I was tired of it, we all were. I wanted to live a life where fear didn't dictate my actions, where it was created from trivial things instead of horrific reasons.

But that fear vanished… the day we met him.

Author's Note

Gonna try my hand at some dark stuff… getting ready for my next major project, which will include lots of DARKNESS. It won't be psychological or nothing… but it will be pretty fucked up. So, if you're new to my stories and actually like it, like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night! Peaces!

Chapter 1

Captain Twilight Sparkle. 3rd Recon Corps.

The name sounded weird, but it was what I was forced to be recognized as. I dangled the dog tags above my head with my magic, just staring for no particular reason. My bunk was shared with another captain, who was currently surveying for any signs of enemy activity. If she died, I'd get a new roommate. If she lived, she'd be useful to us. It's terrible to think like that, but it was the truth. The door was knocked open suddenly, and I stood at attention in my combat uniform. General Stomper, the oldest and gruffest old stallion in the RC, stepped into the room.

"Princess requests your presence, Captain." He was a flankhole when he needed to be, but he was pretty kind to anypony who wasn't an idiot.

"T-Room?" Throne Room. He nodded, then stepped aside to accompany me. "Any word from—"

"Terra and Overwatch report the same thing: Massive activity in Canterlot," he said, grabbing my curiosity.

"Any idea why?"

He chuckled grimly, smirking at me. "If I knew why, we'd probably head to the eastern bunkers near Manehatten, wouldn't we?"

The Canterlot bunker was compromised a while ago, dwindling our group to a couple thousand. We collapsed the caves after, making sure they could never reach us. But it was amazing how they broke through the diamond barriers like nothing. Their weapons were able to pierce them as if they were common pieces of wood. Now, we resided in a bunker between Canterlot and Ponyville, just next to home.

I glanced to Stomper. "What do you think it could be?" There wasn't any tone in my voice, I was honestly curious about his opinion.

"A bomb. A weapon to destroy our planet. Some kind of drill. Captain, I couldn't care less unless we know what's going on," he shrugged. I sighed softly, but continued on until we exited the barracks.

The narrow ‘streets’ of the settlement were always filled with ponies collecting rations and trading whatever they had for more food, blankets, or even a home. The small lamps and lanterns hanging from the merchants provided better lighting in the place, and helped us see any thieves. We pushed through the thick crowd, making our way to the largest structure in the cavern. There were guards posted at every street, but a wall of them stood before the ‘palace’ of the princesses. There have been riots over the past few years, so protection was a must.

The old, crumbling place looked as though it would collapse at the slightest scratch, and yet it had withstood eight years of use. It would be an ideal place to make a standoff, in case we get trapped. Keeping that in mind, I stepped past the guards with Stomper and went in, the archways trembling slightly as we did. Stomper knew I knew my way, and so he nodded and joined a recon group returning. I nodded to many of the guards, young colts that have yet to see a beast like I have. I walked into the only sealed room, and the door slammed shut behind me.

"Good afternoon, Twilight." There wasn't any warmth in that voice anymore. Not after what we've seen.

"I wouldn't know, Princess," I grinned. It was a huge joke around the settlements, especially if you were never let out. "What did you need me for?"

Celestia's faint grin morphed into a frown as she stood. "Luna accompanied a group of bat guards near Canterlot," she said softly, obviously concerned about her sister. "We've received word that the creatures are massing in our old capital. But not just that."

Her horn glimmered before teleporting a piece of parchment in front of me. I swiftly scanned the numbers, realizing these were mana output gauges. "Why are they so low?" I questioned.

A small bit of fear rose inside me. The only advantage over them we had was magic. They couldn't harness it, and they were powerless against it. That's why every recon squadron had a unicorn with knowledge on a barrier spell, smokescreen spell, or a concussion spell to give them time to run. But if they could control it… there went our only means of defense.

"That's what we need to find out," Celestia told me. Her voice had gone softer, which caught my attention. She only spoke like that when I was… before this all happened. "Which is why I need you to lead a squadron back into Canterlot to find out what it is."

My ears splayed back for the first time in a while, and my voice caught in my throat. "Back… to Canterlot?" I forced myself to utter. "Princess… that's suicide."

She shook her head solemnly, my guess being she expected me to say as much. "If they have a way to get this far, we need to know before it's too late," Celestia said. "We're barely surviving as is. But if they can get here without us knowing, they can end whatever is left of us. The sake of each settlement is depending on this."

I sighed outwardly and lowered my head, a little aggravated when she reminded me of our living situation. This mission could protect the other bunker-cities, but it could also end with me and my squad dead and no information being reported. She would understand if I refused… but even after all this… I didn't want to see her disappointed. She was my teacher, after all.

"I'll do it."

A small, minuscule even, smile formed on her muzzle as she nodded.

"But who will I be going with?"

That smile became present, surprising me some. "For this, you'll have to be with ponies you trust, not to mention a second unicorn, in case you're detected," she smiled. "Which is why… I chose your old friends."

My neutral expression tuned up. She was assigning my closest friends to come with me. Faust, we haven't spoken in… six years. And even before that we barely saw each other. We became sub-leaders within the settlement, and so we were each consulted or requested to accompany reconnoissance missions. But… we would all be together… just like old times.

"They'll be here any minute now," Celestia informed me. "You'll take the northern tunnels and head for the first pony-hole cover. From there you'll meet Luna's squadron at the base of the mountain, and from there you'll all be flown to the castle courtyard."

"Doesn't that seem too forward? They'll smell and see us in seconds."

Celestia shook her head. "Luna will be casting a transparency spell on each of you, and as for smell, you'll be covered in water to drain your scent." It seemed it would work, as long as we didn't bump into anything inside.

"When are we leaving?"

It wasn't long before I was packed and suited up. Recon squads usually got standard armor, but mine was made by my own brother. The helmet was very thin, but it made it very light for movement. And unlike Solar guards, the torso piece was split into two pieces, one covering most of my back and my front, the other covering my back and belly. There was a small gap between them, both on my stomach and on my back, but it wouldn't be a problem if this went well. The only leg guards were on my thigh, covering my cutie mark, and on my shins. The suit was completely black, since regular colors would stand out in the grasslands.

In my saddle bag was just a few things like rations, a map, a couple of knives, and a dagger. We traveled light, or else we would be too heavy to move fast. I'm not the fastest, but I at least have a better chance of making it.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when I heard the door to my bunk open. It was… Rarity. She looked at me incredulously, like she'd just seen a ghost. Well… we all sort of were at this point. It took us some time, but we finally smiled and bumped our hooves together. Hugging had… died off some time ago. I barely see any families doing so either. It was nice seeing her, because that's what mattered. Her coat was a tinge duller, and her mane was covered by her own armor. But I could see she still kept it in good condition. Somehow.

"It's been too long," she smiled. "You look exactly as you did when we… were all together."

I smiled softly, noticing her eyes lingering on a few strands of hair sticking out from the side of my helmet. With a small laugh, I pushed the locks back under the metal.

"You haven't changed much, at least," I mused. Rarity shrugged softly and gestured outside.

"Shall we?"

With another nod, we ventured back out into the streets. I caught up a bit with Rarity, discovering she had never been outside. She had the training, but she preferred to stay in and make the cloths for wearing under our armor. It kept it from rubbing against our coats and leaving any scratches. She wasn't informed as of yet about what we were doing, but when she heard I would be accompanying them she accepted immediately.

The northern tunnels were on the far side of the settlement, and so it took some time before we were near it. You can always tell when there's a tunnel nearby, because the number of guards always triples around them. They recognized us and let us through, leaving us to walk on to the entrance. The walk to a tunnel was always the same: Silence as the enormous rock walls seemed to close in the farther you got. The design was meant to make it impossible for an enemy to pour in, which was the only tactic ours had. Near the entrance, we could see three other ponies waiting. I picked up my pace and stood in front of Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Applejack. Their faces were stern and unyielding, but it faded when they saw us up close. Rarity and I greeted them much like I did with my unicorn friend, but the air seemed to lighten just a bit more. Even old friends like us, however, didn't have much to say except for what we do now.

Fluttershy, of course, was sent up to gather intel through her animal friends. She turned the animals she had found into her own little recon army. Her stutter and shy nature was gone, as if it were never there. Pinkie Pie was in the 6th Recon Corps. They were said to be the best, and we could all see why she was in it. The stuff she pulled off was unexplainable and impossible to each of us. Applejack was in the 4th Corps. as a vanguard. Earth ponies were usually the muscle in each squad, and there were always two present. Her apple bucking skills paid off for something else, at least. She had killed ONE of the creatures, a small scout that they stumbled across. She didn't feel comfortable talking about it, and I could understand.

"There she is." I turned to look at where Fluttershy was pointing, and I saw a rainbow streak plummet quickly, and Rainbow Dash screeched to a halt in front of us.

"Late as always, Rainbow Dash," Rarity quipped. She huffed and walked over to us.

"Not like we're in a rush, now are we?" Rainbow smirked. "Good seeing you, girls."

I remembered her usual arrogance when she would land like that, head up, spirits high. Now, it was straight to business. "So what's the plan?" Pinkie questioned.

I brought out a map and showed it to them. "We take the tunnel here," I said, pointing between Canterlot and Ponyville, "then hoof it to the bottom of the mountain. Princess Luna should already be there."

"What then? We're just gonna waltz in like nothin'?" Applejack asked.

I sighed and shook my head. "Of course not, Applejack. Princess Luna will cast transparency spells to keep us hidden, and we'll get ourselves soaked to cut off any scents."

"There's a lake near the path," Fluttershy informed us. "Somewhere around here." It would take us off the desired path slightly, but it would save us time in getting wet again.

"Alright. Ready to go?" They all nodded, and I turned to lead them in.

Just hope we make it back in time.

Entry #1
July 18th, 2011

It's been a year now, and I can remember what it was like being on the surface. The sun in my eyes, the wind in my mane, and the seasons that passed. I always hated when the weather was bad, like rain or snow. But now I beg for it to just happen, no matter how impossible it seems. The princesses are recruiting the first members of the Reconnaissance Corps. They'll be the only ones to head outside. Rainbow and Applejack are joining… and so is Shining Armor. I knew he would do it, especially since it would help him and Cadence eat better. Rations are getting lower and lower, and there isn't enough artificial sunlight to grow out all of our crops. If worse comes to worse, I'll have to join to keep from starving.

Being down here has practically halted my lessons on friendship. I barely see anypony I was close with, especially the girls. My home, if you can even call it that, is barely big enough for me and Spike. He's growing up, and soon he'll have to leave the settlement entirely. But I'll never leave him, no matter what.

Curfew is just a couple minutes away, but here's what I could gather about the… monsters.

Scouts:

Skin color: Black

Average height: 1.5 meters.

Average weight: Unknown.

They resemble modern wolves or timberwolves, but they're much taller and thicker, and they lack any fur or hair. Instead of four legs like most quadrupeds, they have six. Their maws are also alien, as they separate into four. They were the first creatures to be used against us. They're used as preemptive means of attack, causing confusion and damage to give their masters an opening. However, they are also used as cannon fodder, thousands being sent in a hopeless attempt to tire and divide the guard forces.

Their jaw strength is powerful enough to snap through a beam of metal with ease, and their claws can breach most armors. Quick and agile, they're nightmares in confined spaces. The only way to kill one from a range is through magic bolts or beams. They can't manipulate it in any way, and they aren't immune in the slightest. Several hundred confirmed kills were all because of unicorns. Only a few dozen have ever been killed by hoof.

Further information to be researched.

~~Twilight Sparkle

Author's Note

Second chapter, WHOOO! Anyway, here we delve into the darker aspect of their situation. In case anyone is wondering, the Elements will have monotonous tones and sarcasm because of the past, which I will one day dive into. Tell me how good/bad you think it is, and remember to like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night.

Chapter 2

The tunnels leading out of the bunker-cities were almost pitch black. You needed a torch, or a unicorn that knew a candle spell, one of the simplest spells available. The caverns were eerily quiet, but there weren't any rats or animals to give us the creeps. No pony really spoke, not until we reached our exit.

"Alright… up we go," Rainbow sighed, standing beneath the stone entrance.

Fluttershy flew up first, and Pinkie, Rarity, Applejack, and I climbed up onto Rainbow to grasp the ladder with our hooves. We waited for Fluttershy to return, and she did so after a few minutes. We climbed up one by one, glancing in almost every direction until we were completely sure that there weren't any scouts around. But it also reminded me what our country looked like now.

After ten years, with the help of massive factories and airships, the sky always had a thick smog blocking out rays of the sun, almost like dark clouds. I looked over to Canterlot, where dozens of enormous ships were hovering about, some disappearing as they left the atmosphere. Reaching into my saddlebag, I pulled out the map once more, then looked just northwest.

"The river should be further into those woods," I told them. "We have to hurry back onto the path if we're going to make it."

"And what if there are any scouts?" Fluttershy questioned, squinting her eyes in the direction of Canterlot.

Rainbow raised her short-sword, glaring almost. "We remind them we're still here."

I lowered her hoof quickly. "We'll try to sneak around them," I said, punctuating it with a sharp attitude towards our brash friend. "They don't need a reason to follow us."

"When do they ever?" Applejack questioned. "They just listen to their stomachs. Pretty simple, if ya ask me."

I sighed, shaking my head softly. "Look, let's just get to the river before sunset. The hike to Canterlot will be a couple of hours anyways," I said. The girls glanced at one another, and they nodded to me.

I forgot how it felt to be in charge… sort of. Being the mare that led the Elements used to be important. I wonder if they ever asked to hang onto them.

So, we all broke into a gallop, Rainbow and Fluttershy keeping on their hooves so as to not be seen. I ran at the front, Rarity hung behind us, Applejack and Pinkie kept close to me, and Rainbow ran in front of our unicorn friend. The run was tiring, but I was sure we hadn't been seen. It was another hour of running and walking before we reached the rim of the forest. The anxiety in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife. But we stepped in, reluctantly, and made sure to ready our weapons. Most of us, aside from Rainbow and Applejack, had daggers. Fluttershy didn't have anything, and our farm mare held a short-handled mace. As we pushed on, we noticed the unrelenting quiet of the forest. Fluttershy looked around frantically, looking for any sign of animals. She let out some animal calls that were strangely accurate, but she never got a response. I couldn't believe she actually swore under her breath, but I'm sure she let a tear fall.

"What's that?" I glanced over to where Pinkie was pointing, and we veered off to go look.

At first I didn't notice anything, but there was a distinct trail of smoke of a burnt out fire. The clearing ahead was cut off by a wall of trunks sharpened at the top and planted into the ground. It was a… decent effort at defense, but wood was nothing compared to the beams or the bigger ones. I wondered why there weren't any archers or posted ponies, and so I decided we try to find the entrance. Just as we rounded the first corner, my hoof bumped into something.

A body.

A young colt no more than sixteen or fifteen. His hind left leg was missing, and his throat was torn open… and his belly was gored beyond belief. The pool of blood looked as though it had been lapped at. We didn't bother guessing what we would find, but we still went inside. The gates were blasted open, and charred bodies of ponies laid around the entrance. The camp was littered with limbs, splatters of red blood and some black blood here and there. But there were a lot of half eaten corpses.

"Shit," Applejack sighed, glancing down to a filly's body placed on a stone slab, her chest collapsing into itself.

Rainbow went up to the guard tower to look over the weapons, Fluttershy and Pinkie went around looking for supplies, and Rarity and I split up with either. Fluttershy was looking for something, anything, that would move. She checked ponies' vitals, called for animals… but she got nothing in response. I left her to look around myself, and I was ultimately drawn to the largest tent. It wasn't like the rest, all bloodied and charred. The fabrics were still clean, there was nothing odd or strange about it, but that fact made it all the more queer. It was a risky decision, but I ventured inside.

The tent was actually pinned against the southern wall, making the back a solid wooden wall. Hung up was a skeleton of a scout, and below it was a sword. I looked down when my hoof bumped into another body, which was a scout's deceased corpse. The fact that it wasn't bloody meant it had died from a precision shot. And when I checked the eyes, I was proven right, as they bore bloody holes. I stepped over it and browsed the racks built into the ground. Jars of organs and eyes of the monsters were on display like some sort of trophy. But the true prize of the collection… was the large skeleton beside the bed.

It was three to four meters, easy. Maybe even five. It had a similar skull to a scout, but it was a bit more compressed and the rest of the body was built for a bipedal creature. The legs curved inward slightly, meaning this thing could stand on two legs as well as four. It was another one of the abominations that forced us underground. And only one question crossed my mind.

How the fuck did they kill a soldier?

They were common, and bigger in numbers than the scouts. I've never seen a living one, but I've heard reports of them around the mess hall. They were smarter than the scouts, as they carried weapons, armor, and those beam blasters. We think they were the ones who directed the invasion, but they still acted on instinct and fought with one another occasionally. There was no doubt they could fight, however. Ponies who survived encounters recall seeing them ball their claws up and roll out of the way of mana beams.

But to see a skeleton meant seeing a dead soldier. The more I looked at it, the more I could imagine it snarling in front of me. I moved on, right past the bed and to the sword sitting on a rack. It was bright blue, amazingly so, and it was finely made. The point looked sharp enough to break through skin with a tap, and the four serrations made the edge look as though it was meant to saw through flesh. The handle was… amazingly made, almost as if it belonged to some sort of master. The black scabbard with a ruby tipped end matched the golden handle beautifully. What struck me the most was the strange symbols carved onto the side of it.

Groooooooo.

I gasped softly, spinning around and seeing a bloodied scout entering the tent. All at once, thoughts of my friends being eaten alive flashed through my mind, but I would still hear their screams. The scout stepped over the body, and slowly came closer. My dagger was poised for an attack, but I would need something bigger to kill it in one shot.

Something like a five foot sword behind me.

It pounced just as my horn flashed brightly, a yelp reaching my ears as I tumbled out of the way. The skeleton of the scout dropped onto the living thing, and I quickly focused my magic into lifting the sword. Celestia's sun, was it heavy! But I forced it to jerk up by the blade then by the handle, so it could fall tip first into the scout's throat. The flaps to the ten opened up, and the girls all gasped as they watched the scout growl, whimper, and thrash with the blade in its throat. Those all turned to silence as it lost its life, and I lugged the sword off.

"We heard the concussion," Fluttershy said quickly, coming over and checking me. "Were you hurt?"

"I'm fine, Fluttershy," I told her, looking down to the scout. "But where was it hiding?"

"Ah think we oughta move," Applejack said, glancing to the dead scout bodies. "They might send more."

"Right," I nodded. "Applejack, do you think you could carry this?"

She rose a brow as she looked at the blade. "Why? Where'd ya find it?" Applejack questioned.

"On the rack over there, but that isn't important," I said dismissively. "We could study it and probably used the metals for something else. Maybe some more daggers or shorter blades."

She weighed it in her hooves, then slung it over her back. "Alright, come on," Pinkie whispered, motioning with a hoof. "We're wasting time."

We made for the entrance, but I stopped as I noticed a small… shrine? A soldier's skull was sitting atop a stone altar, and below it was an assortment of flowers and skulls of animals. The stone had symbols carved into it… symbols that matched that of the sword.

They're… worshipping them?

The idea that these ponies, ponies driven to extinction by these monstrosities, were revering them as gods. The filly deceased on the stone slab… she was a… a sacrifice. Barely old enough to know that these ponies, her own parents probably, meant to kill her in whatever means of worship to our enemy. I smashed the altar apart, then joined the girls as we trotted out of there.

Diving into the river was quick, and so we made a sharp turn for the mountain, glad to be out of those woods. I felt that they were lucky they hadn't seen what I did. It sickened me and just urged me to kill one of those ponies from that settlement. But they were all dead, so they've paid enough. The summer air, and the pollution of the factories, kept us warm even though we were soaked. We were seeing a lot more activity, as many fighter ships were disbanding and flying over our heads, forcing us to drop into the tall grass. We would crawl until the hum of the fighters died off, then trot our way over. It made getting there slow, but it was better than getting disintegrated.

The sun was getting lower and lower in the sky, casting a vast shadow of the mountain over the land. It kept us that much more camouflaged, thankfully. The ruins beneath the city was the half that had been destroyed on the day of first contact. We scaled over some chunks, using the homes and shops for cover as we made our way to the checkpoint. Just a few yards away, I raised a hoof up, signaling the others to halt. I carefully made my way closer, checking in every direction for scouts or soldiers. A faint glimmer blinded me, and only then did I realize that a burn mark across the street had several outlines.

"Clear," I called. The bat guards stepped away from the charred wall, their armors keeping their coats black as they approached. "Where's—"

"I am here, Twilight," Luna's voice called, a mist of ethereal blue coming out from under a broken vase. Her body reshaped and solidified, revealing our other princess in black armor. "Right on time."

"So, we're heading up here?" Rainbow called looking up.

"Yes. But first," Luna said, her horn glowing brightly, "you'll need this."

A bright flash encompassed our group, and when I could see again, I was alone. Or so I thought. Several pairs of goggles were dropped in a pile.

"These are enchanted to let us see each other," Luna explained. "The borders themselves are enchanted to allow your peripheral vision to be useful."

"So we can see each other, but they can't," I heard Pinkie giggle half-heatedly, also grimly. "Perfect."

"You'll need to—"

"We rushed through a river on the way here," I interrupted. "Let's head up. Rainbow, Fluttershy, take Applejack and Pinkie."

They nodded and grabbed a hold of their partners, flapping their wings and heading up. Luna's bat guards grabbed onto us and carried us up, the princess flying solo as she took a look around the area. Canterlot was higher than I remembered, and I refrained from looking down in fear of realizing just how far we were. But that was pushed aside as we reached the side of it, then ultimately reached the castle courtyard. I was never this close to an enemy base before, but I never could have expected this.

It looked the same as the day we left.

The only visible differences were that the factories were billowing toxic fumes, the castle had hundreds of soldiers and scouts entering and exiting, and there was an enormous structure near the center of the city. The center of what was left, albeit. Above us, hundreds of ships floated idly while some touched down for whatever reasons. The girls didn't move an inch, and neither could I. A soldier was walking right in front of us. It growled at another near the entrance to the castle, and it went inside. If it weren't for the spells, we'd be their food right about now. But thankfully, it kept moving, having been called to by a roar. Luna touched down beside us, causing me to flinch when I felt the miniature gust blow against my coat.

"Don't worry, Twilight. These spells can last as long as I can," she reassured me, glancing over to the dome. "The castle is overrun, so it will be impossible to survey that area. We should head for the building they've created. There aren't as many soldiers posted."

"That's on the other side of Canterlot," Fluttershy said softly, as we all knew the spell didn't mute us. "Could we make it?"

"If we fly, it'll be much easier," I whispered, glancing over to a scout slinking along. An involuntary shiver ran through me as it kept on, dangerously close to us. "Come on. If we stay here something's gonna bump into us."

They nodded, and we took flight again, same partners carrying us. The fighters flying around us forced the pegasi of the group to disperse and fly low, pushing the fumes into their lungs. I can imagine it was rough, but we only concerned ourselves with getting to the building. As we got closer, I could feel myself getting weaker. Not physically, but my mana felt as thought it was being drained from me.

"Everypony, land immediately," Luna called, definitely feeling the same.

We touched down jerkily, some of the bat guards tumbling to a stop. "What's making us feel this?" Rainbow grunted, uncomfortably shifting in place.

"It's something inside there," I said. "Something's draining the mana out of the air."

"But the question is: Why?" Luna sighed, looking to each of us with a solemn expression. "If we go back now, we'll have come for nothing. This is not for me to ask, but will you accompany me in?"

Silence loomed over the six of us. Her Lunar guards were much more loyal than the Solars, so there was no question that they would follow her. But five ponies affected by magic depletion wouldn't survive this, especially if the spells wore off. Eleven of us… have a higher chance.

"I'm in." Rainbow stepped forward and smirked. "Can't go back empty-hoofed."

"Count me in, too," Pinkie nodded.

"Sure," Applejack chuckled softly.

"Sticking together would be best," Rarity sighed, soon joined by Fluttershy, who thought the same.

I smiled faintly, remembering that none of us would ever abandon each other. Unless worse came to worse, at least. "Can't leave you girls alone, now can I?"

We all nodded, then turned to the entrance. The Lunar guards got to either side of the lone scout standing at the nearest entrance, then pounced with daggers in each hoof. Two sunk into its skull, and another two tore its throat out, keeping it from roaring or yelping. It dropped without a sound, and the guards dragged it to a sewer entrance, dropping in and closing the lid. We galloped in quickly… and the farther we went, the darker it got.

"Anypony see any light?" Pinkie whispered.

We all responded with negative answers, as it was pitch black in every direction. Keeping close to the left, we squinted and kept behind the Lunar guards, who could see through the darkness.

"Princess," one of them whispered. "To the right. There's an entrance."

We followed the noise of hoofsteps, and we gradually picked up the faint bit of light near the floor. It was brighter than a usual torch or light, and we readied our weapons before entering. The sudden shift in light forced us to cover our eyes, and what we saw next made everything much more awkward and terrifying.

It was an entrance to a sort of penthouse… and below us was a breeding facility. To the right, six female soldiers were giving birth rapidly, almost spilling out baby soldiers. Fully grown ones carried them out, taking them somewhere else in the facility. And to the left, soldiers were in the process of impregnating the females, eagerly, I might add. One of them started howling in orgasmic bliss, which was hard to drown out.

"How can they breed so many at once?" Fluttershy gasped, ignoring the scene to the left. "It… it's impossible."

The door behind us slid open, and a… creature, walked in. It looked like a soldier, only bigger and deformed in many ways, especially its torso. There were scars on it, scars that stretched all along its body. We parted to let it walk between us, and watched as it stood behind the glass. It started chuckling softly, then pressed a button on a console near the glass. It let loose a deafening roar, one that made us all cover our ears. The intercoms came alive with roaring and growls, some kind of communication array that they used. A few lower pitched growls caused silence, and it turned and ran out of the room. I sighed quietly, gesturing for the others to move to the door at the left of the room. We went through, away from the soldiers coming in and going right, and found another dark hallway. It hit me now that they used scent to see, practically, and that we should have casted night-vision spells… or brought some of Pinkie's.

"Ugh, what is that smell?" Rarity murmured. I took a few whiffs, and grimaced as some foul scent forced a gag from me.

We each had similar reactions, dreading what we would find. "Slink, Jumper, move up," Luna ordered quietly. The two nodded and sped ahead, their hoofsteps fading until they fell silent.

We caught up soon, the Lunar guards standing behind another door. "Listen." The sound of clattering cages reached us, the smell becoming a hundred times worse, and
growls and barks as well.

Luna nodded, and Jumper pushed the door open. Surrounding us entirely, were scouts. There had to be thousands of them, each grouped together with five of their kind, all in one room. They paced around their cages, most fighting each other while some ate the corpses of their dead. It smelled, for lack of a better term, like complete shit. There were rotting remains, excrements that had been pushed out of the cage and on the floor. It was terrifying to be near them, and so many at once, but it rose the question: Were they really working together? I dismissed it quickly, knowing that they enjoyed our meat more than their own.

We halted as a soldier came into the room and pulled down one of the cages. It had brought a metal container with it, and it threw the scouts into it, no matter how much they thrashed. The container looked familiar, annoyingly so, but I couldn't remember at the moment.

"Twilight," Pinkie whispered, pointing to the far left. "Door."

I was able to make out the outline of another entrance after looking past the fighting scouts. "We'll move through there, but we have to go back after this," I warned Luna.

"If I have enough mana left, we should try another." I saved that conversation for a later time, deciding it would be best to go deeper.

Jumper and Slink took point once more, Applejack and Rainbow sticking right behind them. We left the scout cages and entered another dark hall. But a couple of steps in…

"Ngh." I stopped abruptly, causing Rarity and Fluttershy to bump into me.

"Stop," I called to the others. "Luna, what's wrong?"

To my surprise, and shock, Luna lit up her horn. "Take off your goggles, Twilight," she said. I did it hesitantly, but I gasped when I saw her…

…because I wasn't supposed to be able to.

"Did it—"

"My magic's been drained," Luna grunted, placing a hoof on her horn. "We're… we must be close to the source of all this."

"If there's anything inside, it'll see us," the unnamed Lunar guard spoke. "Princess… if we turn back now we'll only need to pass through the cages. A soldier won't see us."

"But we'll never know what's ahead," I argued silently.

"And we'll never live to see the city again," he retorted, something I wasn't used to. I expected the Princess' guard to wait for her reply.

Instead, she placed a hoof on his shoulder and shook her head. "General, if we stop now, your foal might never live to know who you are," she said softly, easing him as he thought about it.

And the name. General… Shadow Lancer. The only general-rank pony in the Lunar Guard. I now understood why he sneered, since he's been doing it most of his career.

"We move on. At the first sign of trouble we retreat, clear?" Luna asked.

"Clear." We trotted forward, deciding it to be best if we hurry along.

The next door was… white. Out of all the doors in this place, why was this one the only thing white? The others must have had similar curiosities, and Slink looked to Luna before pushing open the door, per her request.

The room was completely white.

What in Tartarus is going on?

"Look," Applejack called, stepping towards a black pillar at the center of the room.

"This? This is it? A black boulder that can drain magic?" I scoffed disbelievingly. Upon further inspection, I realized there was a sort of glimmer of reflection coming from it, meaning it was supposed to be crystalline.

A second door on the far side of the room hissed as it opened, and in that moment, we all panicked. Whatever was there would surely find us, since there weren't any places to hide. But I felt myself being pulled forcefully and thrown over a small console, which had blended in as well as the door. Rainbow gave me an irritated and ‘are you serious?’ glare, but we held our breaths as a claw reached from the other side and clicked a button. A loud groan of metal sounded, prompting me to chance a glance over the console. I quickly sucked down, realizing there was four soldiers with the deformed one. We readied our weapons, those of us who had them, and waited. And waited. And waited.

What could they be doing?

It was painful to not look and see what they were doing, millions of thoughts playing through my mind and teasing my knowledgeable mind. "Hamek urukyo, dro?"

Each of us started looking at each other frantically. None of us knew that they could actually talk. Could the scouts talk as well? Maybe their growls were misinterpreted?

"Noko yursk novad oklo."

"Heaf ucalck!" One roared, the sound of a blow landing, followed by a yelp. A claw reached over to the console and angrily pressed the button below the first pressed, some claw marks splitting the metal below it.

"Trus! Jok ork jro!" There were a few growls exchanged, and the door on the far side of the room slammed shut.

After a moment of quiet, and our anxiety fabricating mid-air, Rainbow chanced to peak over the console. "They're gone."

We all exhaled loudly, and then stood back up and approached the block. "What were they doing?" I wondered aloud.

"They were here for a while," Fluttershy reminded me. "Maybe if we press the button they did, we can see what happens."

"What if we get poisoned or something?" Rainbow asked.

"Wouldn't they have been poisoned as well?" Rarity huffed, but rethought her position. "Then again… it could only affect other species."

"They were… talking," Luna reminded us. "They were speaking, but almost as if they were arguing."

Which is what brought us to our next question. "Then why won't they speak to us?" Pinkie asked. "They just blew up Canterlot for no reason, and we hadn't even met."

"They're doing this for a reason, and they can't even negotiate? What kind of shit is that?!" Shadow exclaimed.

We understood now. This wasn't out of instinct, or their drive. They were doing this of their own accord; this was their choice. But why destroy a planet's life? They don't harvest ANYTHING! They just kill and kill and eat as if they have nothing better to do.

…

Why?

…

Just kill us? Just for fun?

Tears started forming the harder I thought, and my face contorted into a seething mess. I stomped over to the console, practically punching the button into its slot.

"Twi, what are you—"

"I want to know why!" I shouted, louder than I would usually dare. "This is a game to them! Like we're not even alive! I'm not going to stand here and watch everypony die for fun!"

I turned away from them, watching as the black crystal parted along several lines, and a metallic scratching resounded as they were pulled behind it. The magic felt like it was sucked out of the air the moment it did, and that's when we got a good look at what they were looking at.

That's when we got a good look at it.

That was the day… I met him.

Author's Note

Next chap! Don't know if it'll be a shipfic or not, but I guess we'll find out soon enough. So, as always, like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night. Peaces!

Chapter 3

Honestly, the first time I met him… he was unconscious. So, I guess you could say it was the first time I saw him, but it was our first time together no less.

He looked as he did now: ruffled, spiky-ish hair; ridiculously tall, marred with scars on nearly every part of his body, and an incredibly toned body.

But back then, I had no clue what I was looking at.

It looked incredibly similar to a soldier, but the differences were obvious. Instead of fur, it had tannish-colored skin, which looked easy to breach. Its head was more compressed than them too, more so than the deformed soldier we saw earlier. Its eyes were small, comically so, its nose protruded slightly, and its mouth was pretty small. The more I examined it, the more relevance I saw to an ape of sorts. The nails at the tips of its limbs' appendages weren't sharp at all, and so their purpose eluded me. But its body was toned as if it had been carved from marble. It had to be at least twice the size of Celestia, and I wasn't the only one to notice this. The only thing covering it was a garb of black cloth around its waist and covering the area between its legs.

"This… this is a containment cell," I gasped softly.

The princess looked over the mark on its left arm, if I remember, squinting her eyes to try and make out the symbol. "But why like this?" She questioned, glancing to the restraints ALL over its body. "How dangerous could this one creature be?"

"Maybe they were experimenting on it," General Shadow suggested. "If they're smart, can't overlook this as an experiment."

"So what is this? A mutation?" Rainbow asked. "Experiment gone wrong?"

"Maybe," I said, stepping closer and trying to inspect the bonds. I placed a hoof on it, and I was blown back, the magic being pulled out of me in that instant.

"Twilight!" Pinkie exclaimed, zipping behind me to catch me. "What happened?"

I groaned softly, rubbing my horn as magic slowly started to recharge within. "Those bonds… drain mana on touch," I grunted, a slight headache forming.

My breath caught as I looked back up, noticing the others staring at the creature. But it was clear that they weren't staring at it specifically. They were staring at the bonds on it.

The bonds that covered its entire body.

There were shackles on its wrists, its ankles, around the neck, covering most of its head, clamps over its legs and arms. Just about everywhere. If one small restraint could drain my magic…

…how much could forty two drain?

"At least we know why the mana levels are low," Slink said, a shudder in his voice. "Should we… free it?"

"Why?" Applejack asked. "How do ya suppose we get it out?"

The shackles buzzed loudly, and the sound of electricity coursing through flesh reached our ears, just before the creature started screaming. We jumped back in fright, watching it thrash and scream in agony. Its arms pulled forward, an energy link keeping it from escaping, and it shook violently. I caught a glimpse of dozens of sharpened teeth, its canines much bigger than a scouts. The torturous treatment ended, and it rested back against the stone, twitching slightly as it grunted.

"We can't just leave it here," Fluttershy piped up. "They're torturing it."

"Fluttershy, this could be a soldier before it fully develops, or something worse," I argued, pointing to the creature. "And even if it isn't, how do we free it from its chains and carry it out? It's thrice the size of Luna and it must weight more than all of us."

"What if we all help? Remember, Twi? Stick together," Pinkie reminded me, a knowing look in her eyes.

"The last pony to help another was five years ago, remember?" I sneered, harsher than usual. "If we're caught, who's going back for her?"

The girls all looked… surprised. I was in the wrong, I know… but survival was supposed to be our concern. "Then go."

I gasped disbelievingly, watching as Rainbow stood beside Fluttershy. "You always brought us together, Twi. Remember?" She retorted. "After all the crap the six of us went through, you're willing to turn your back on us?"

Applejack's hoof touched my shoulder, and she frowned softly at me. "Remember when Ah told you it wasn't only the Elements that kept us together?" She asked me. "Or did you just not listen?"

I glanced to Luna, who wasn't exactly sure of who to side with either. Survive… or risk escaping with this creature. The girls weren't waiting for me, as they trotted over to the console and looked over the dozens of buttons… clearly unsure of what they were doing. I could shrug off that speech from any other pony… but hearing it from my old friends stung worse than any wound. With a sigh… I went to join them behind the console. I felt their stares and triumphant smiles directed at me, and I couldn't help but smile myself.

"It'd be easier if we could read these," I huffed, carefully examining the buttons. "Maybe if—"

"RRRRRAAA!"

We lifted our heads quickly, jumping back as a spear pierced the top of the console. Slink and Jumper threw their short-spears with as much force as they could, followed by General Stomper charging the soldier that had run in. One spear was knocked aside, but the other dug into its chest. Stomper head-butted the end of it and shoved it through, but the soldier wasn't fazed. It bit into Stomper's back, forcing a scream as its claws tore into his sides. Luna bellowed as she jammed her daggers into the soldier's head, continually stabbing it until its arms fell. She quickly pulled Stomper aside, looking over his wounds.

"Prin…Princess…" He coughed, spitting blood off to the side. "I… I won't…"

"I'll carry you out if I have to, General," she snorted, trying to wrap the stab wounds with bandaging. "We're leaving now!"

"But what about—!"

GROOOAAAAAAAAH!

The intercoms blared with roars, no doubt a warning. I glanced over when I heard a hissing of steam, seeing the creature fall out of the block of stone. Some of the clamps fell off, but many stuck to him.

"Screw it, just grab it!" I yelled, going over and getting under it. Applejack, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Pinkie got under its arm and body, grunting as we all pushed.

"Rarity, start the spell!" I shouted.

Rarity's horn fizzled before dying out. "We have to get farther, first!" Luna called, General Stomper grunting as she carried him. "Slink, Jumper, move up!"

They collected their spears and galloped to the door, us barely behind them. They bashed open the door and guided us down, and as we ran through the scout cages we saw soldiers coming in from the other doors. Rainbow hung back and pulled the cages down, collapsing them into a complex mess. Some of the scouts were freed, however, and came straight for us. Slink turned back, and he tackled a scout ready to pounce on Rainbow.

"KEEP GOING!" He screamed, just as they jumped onto him. I watched as they tore his hooves off and started to feed on him, even as he screamed in anguish.

Jumper, undeniably hurt at the loss of his companion, galloped on as we entered the next hallway. Rainbow got under the creature's belly and heaved it upwards, letting us get a slow gallop in. Luna's magic blasted two soldiers ahead of us, the beams aimed at their eyes to blind them as we ran by. The breeding facility was being evacuated, and we hurried out back into the exit hallway. I couldn't see worth a damn, but Luna and Jumper could see ahead. Luna's horn sparked twice, capturing a group of scouts in two magic bubbles that moved to the sides.

"Rarity, now!" I shouted. Her horn fired up immediately, and as we ran outside, where dozens of soldiers were waiting, a light blue dome of aura surrounded us, blocking the spears and arrows and blasters.

"This won't last… for long if we… don't move!" Rarity strained, her field being being bombarded with blaster fire.

"Luna! The transparency spell!" I reminded her. "Rainbow, Fluttershy, grab it by the shoulders. Everypony else, hang onto the legs! As soon as we stealth, fly to the tunnels!"

"Hurry!" Rarity shrieked, sweat dotting her forehead as her magic started to falter.

Luna's horn gathered mana, as she was still a bit drained, and lit up brightly. "Just… another… second…"

"JUST DO IT!" We all screamed, Jumper included.

Her horn blinded each of us, and that was the cue for us to hang on tight. Rarity's spell had dropped, and I assumed she had clung, since I could hear her panting heavily. Rainbow and Fluttershy's grunts could be heard as they lugged us off the ground, taking us way up high and past the fighters that had grouped. I pulled up my goggles and looked up, seeing Luna get her hooves under each of the arms and lift as well.

"We made it," Applejack exhaled, relief and anxiety all mixed in. "Celestia, Ah thought we were goners."

A few weak laughs replied to her, and Jumper flew up to grab Stomper. "Did… did we make it?" He groaned, drifting in and out of consciousness. "Where's… Slink?"

Jumper frowned softly, shaking his head in reply. "They got 'im… sir." His voice was barely a whisper, but it relayed to us his emotions in a cluster.

I looked up to the creature we were hauling, staring very hard at the mark.

You better have been worth it.

He was worth so much more than I would know.

We reached the tunnels soon after, cutting off any spells to avoid getting noticed. Fluttershy and Rainbow carefully lowered it into the hole, and we all resumed our positions to haul it inside. Luna and Jumper galloped ahead, as Stomper needed medical attention quickly, and said they would call for guards to block off the area. It left the six of us to ourselves with this thing, which had started to murmur and twitch sporadically.

"This thing's pretty damn heavy," Rainbow sighed, her gaze lowered to the ground. "I should've never opened my mouth."

We laughed softly, some of us quieting down faster than the others. "Twilight."

"Yes, Fluttershy?" I said.

"…I'm sorry." She wasn't sorry for yelling, or for what she had said. She was sorry for sacrificing one of our own for a creature we had no information on.

"It's… it's in the past, Fluttershy." She stopped abruptly, and since this thing was pretty damn heavy, we were all forced to.

"It's in the past? IT HAPPENED TWENTY MINUTES AGO!" Fluttershy yelled. "SLINK DIDN'T HAVE TO DIE! I'M… I… I'm sorry… he's dead because of me."

We lowered the creature, and I came over to her and put a hoof on her shoulder. She buried her face in my shoulder, sobbing loudly as she bawled her eyes out. She clearly hadn't experienced the feeling of leaving somepony behind, whether or not they said anything. I knew the feeling… my first recon near Ponyville. It went horrible… and I had to hear my comrade scream my name as I galloped away. She had screamed for me to save her… but that was before they tore her in half.

I wrapped my hoof around her, letting her go on until she only sniffled and shuddered. She was… acting weak. Whenever I heard of her, a stallion spoke with fear whenever she was in the same sentence he had spoke. No pony messed with her, neither did they bother us… but to see her acting the way she did ten years ago…

…I forgot how it felt to know you had a friend. It was the pinnacle of my studies, the one thing only I and my friends could experience in full. And now… it was as foreign as the Saddle Arabians. She still saw me as a friend, but I saw her as a soldier (not the enemy ones). We had all become soldiers… but that didn't mean we were supposed to be heartless. And yet, I did that exact thing, hollowing out my heart to block out pain.

I said nothing, deciding it would be best if we just moved on. Fluttershy sniffled a bit as we reached the cavern entrance, but held a neutral gaze when the Solar guards came to help us. They were shocked to see the creature we carried in, but I ordered them to take it into a medical facility. Celestia was there, watching the creature getting lugged away by the stronger stallions.

"Twilight, what have you been doing up there?" She asked, worry casted over her usual expression. "Luna only came in with—"

"Slink… didn't make it," I forced myself to say. She closed her mouth, then sighed with a small shake of her head. Anger flashed over her face, but it vanished with an exhale.

"What is this creature you've brought?"

"Remember the low mana levels?" I asked. "It wasn't a weapon or device. It was a prison. About forty drainers that were attached to… whatever it was."

She sighed with relief, but she turned back to me. "And why did you bring it here?"

"The enemy of our enemy is our friend, sister," Luna voice called as she trotted over. "We have… a disturbing revelation."

"Those things can talk," Rainbow snorted. Celestia's eyes widened, and the anger from before came back in full force.

"Which means… a thought process… and knowledge on good and bad," she snarled, scaring me a bit. "They're… evil… BASTARDS!"

I jumped some from her outburst, but she took long and deep breaths to calm herself. She started a slow stride to the rock castle, Luna motioning for us to follow. We followed hesitantly, being led into a deeper cavern, where the creature had been taken. We stopped beside an intense care unit, where it was being injected with painkillers and nutrient boosters. A heart monitor was also turned on, using a mana battery to keep its heart rate visible. As we watched them check its well-being, Celestia snorted again.

"I hope you were confident in this decision, Twilight," she sighed.

At the moment, I wasn't so sure, and so I said nothing. After a moment of watching the creature, I finally recognized the significance of the chains. There was a mare that had been taken captive. She had been imprisoned for over a year before escaping and coming here. She was from Manehatten, and she was terrified and bloodied as she walked in. I needed to find her, maybe get some information on what they did to their prisoners. Maybe some were used in experiments. With that notion in my mind, I grabbed the sword from Applejack, said goodbye, and headed for my bunk. I tossed my armor onto the floor, noticing the bed across from mine was bare.

Guess she didn't make it.

I would have a new roommate within another week or two, but for now I only had my own thoughts. I pushed the sword under my bunk, then laid for what seemed like an eternity, just staring at the ceiling.

Little did I know… I had made the best decision of my life.

Entry #62
February 21, 2012

There are more.

More monsters.

A reconnaissance squad just came back, the leader, earth ponies, and pegasi having been eaten alive. The unicorn was missing her horn, blood masking her petrified look as she was carried into a trauma bay. A snapped horn was supposed to be the most painful thing for a unicorn.

But her fear numbed that.

Now every squad is afraid to go outside, and we're losing our volunteers. Was it really that bad? Could there be something worse than the scouts? There can't be.

There just can't be.

Author's Note

Chapter 3! Heads up: He's not human. Just another little alternate to one of my others. So yeah! Like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night! Peaces!

Chapter 4

Entry #71
May 8th, 2012

I lost somepony today.

A mare… no older than 20.

We were scouting the shops near Ponyville, looking for any ponies who were holed up. The assignment was given after a group of ponies came in all the way from Canterlot. How they survived was a mystery, but it opened up the question of enclaves. There was a spike in the number of ponies coming in, so we decided to make sure the areas were cleared.

My squad didn't know each other, we didn't even know each other's names. But they knew me. Who didn't? Element of Magic. Princess Celestia's student. No matter how little we knew about each other, we depended on each other. But that dependence only went so far, because we live by a rule.

Save yourself, because that's all that matters in the end.

We were near Rarity's old shop, since it was near the outskirts of the town. Unlucky for us, there was a group of scouts that had smelled us, and we didn't take any precautions in masking our scents. They creeped in, and we tried our best to sneak out. But we didn't know about the soldiers outside. It was my first glance at them… and they were horrific.

The moment I saw their teeth, their saliva falling from their mouths in hunger, I ordered everypony to gallop. Lyric Stroke, the earth pony, her armor got stuck in the window sill, and she fell from the second story, dislocating her shoulder. We had all rolled and started sprinting, but I slowed some when I heard her screaming. There was fear in her voice, terror would be a better word, and she showed as much when I looked at her. She tried in a vain attempt to crawl after us, tears falling as she saw the scouts upon her. I forced myself to turn around, but I glimpsed back to see her.

The scouts bit into her head, the other biting into her back. The soldiers stabbed the smaller monstrosities with their spears and tossed them aside, even as Tulip groaned lowly. Even with each other, they fought to get her carcass…

…and ended up ripping her apart from the waist.

I would have vomited, seeing her blood and organs spray out as they started to devour her, but I focused on galloping.

I abandoned her… but… I'm glad.

Not that she's dead… but that I'm alive.

Why? What I did was… awful. I should have at least gone back. What if she was Rainbow? Or Rarity? Or any of the others? Could I have done that? Watch as they tore into them without remorse? This… I'm becoming worse than Discord. Nightmare Moon even.

Am I becoming a monster like them?

I have to digress… I don't wanna think about this anymore.

I at least… got a good look at the soldiers. I don't know what else to call them, and from what I saw there were even more of them than there were scouts. So, I have to guess they're the main force.

Here's what I've gathered.

Soldiers:

Average Height: 3-4 meters

Average Weight: Unknown

They're bodies resemble scouts, but they have a full coat of black fur. Also, their heads are a bit more compressed, but they retain a small snout. Their teeth are larger and much more pointed than a small scout. Unlike them, their bodies are more bipedal, but not completely. From the inward-joints of their legs, and their hunched upper backs, they're also able to travel on all-fours.

They're slower than scouts, much so, but they are able to handle weaponry and armor. Their bodies are minimally thick, so strength is undetermined. Like the scouts, however, they are savage and instinctual, fighting amongst each other for food or over dominance within… a pack.

More information to be researched.

~~Twilight Sparkle

~~.~~

I woke up the next morning, my nightmares having left me in a cold sweat. It'd been a while since I had one, and I forgot how shaken they would leave me. I tried a few breathing exercises I'd learned from Zebrecan tomes from my old library. They worked fairly easy, but then again… they couldn't make me forget.

I had only two things in mind today.

Finding the survivor, then… checking up on the creature we brought. Maybe it's sentient, maybe I can learn something about it. Or I could at least make sure it didn't tear apart the others. I kneeled down and grabbed the small chest under my bed, opening it and draping a cloak over myself. I went to the door, left the barracks, and headed down to the shops. If my memory served me correctly, she didn't leave the settlement, and the last pony she came into contact with, that I know of, was a stallion named Crease Draw. Skinny stallion, worked in the slums, shady little guy. The thing about him, though, was that he was clever, tricky, and a slippery little wretch. From what I've heard, he ran all the way from Manehatten's settlement, to Appleoosa's settlement, and finally made it here. He caused a couple of fights, but his skills as a unicorn were pretty impressive.

But no unicorn could best the Element of Magic.

Everypony acted as usual, but there were audible clamors about the thing we dragged in. Some of the guards were chatty, undoubtedly, so it wasn't a surprise that a few of them had learned about it. But… maybe it was better they knew, keep their heads up and aware. I brushed past a few stands, looking for the largest stand in the settlement. It wasn't Crease's, he wasn't all flashy, but the biggest merchant stand was owned by some slob of a noble, who happened to work in the shadier parts of town.

A sudden urge, intuition maybe, nagged at me to glance behind myself, and soon I did. It was brief, a casual and nonchalant glimpse back to look at some stalls. Many of the ponies were going around as usual, but there was one in particular that caught my eye. The pony was wearing a hood, and whoever it was took notice of my glance and stopped at the nearest shop, suddenly, I might add. Being followed for a mugging was common, but I knew the layout of the homes like the back of my hoof. I took the first right, then rounded around the first turn and galloped down, going back into the streets. I pushed my way through the nearest crowd, trying to put as much distance as I could between me and my pursuer. It seemed to have worked, but I kept glancing back occasionally, lest they show up once more.

"Back off, flankhole."

I turned to look at a commotion, noticing the amusement on the face of the stallion sitting behind the stall. That was him. An arrogant smirk like that wasn't something common. I focused on the two stallions arguing, but they were quickly broken apart by a pair of guards. The slums were a different side of the settlement, but the Solars weren't as useless as they were ten years ago. With them out of the way, I approached the stand slowly, looking down at the odd trinkets and beautiful jewelry pieces.

"Anything I could interest you in, ma'am?" He smiled, showing as many teeth as he could without overdoing it.

A charmer, huh? Rarity would put him to shame with a single word.

"Not at the moment," I smiled softly, keeping my gaze lowered so as to not reveal myself. My horn lit up as I ‘examined’ a diamond necklace, which wasn't all that well made. "I was actually wondering if you could help me, if it isn't too much trouble?"

An innocent voice for a small mare who didn't know any better. His smile grew, and I could see the coy look in his eyes. "I'd be happy to assist you, madam," he nodded. "What kind of information?"

I shrugged softly, forcing myself to giggle like a school filly. "Well, I wouldn't say it was much information, more of a rumor," I said, moving on to a horn ring. "Is it true that somepony escaped Canterlot, not too long ago?"

His smile faltered for all but a second, then quickly reestablished itself. "Well, I wouldn't be able to say for certain," he chuckled, shifting a bit. "Where ever did you hear a story like that?"

I shrugged softly, giggling to keep up the ruse. "Oh, just a little gossip one of my old friends told me," I sighed, raising up a pottery piece. It was surprisingly exquisite, something Rarity might find interesting. "But have you ever met the pony?"

His chuckle was weaker this time, surely pushing him to a nervous wreck that would lead to a flight response. "I'm… I'm positive I haven't met her," he smiled, glancing down to the dagger he had on display.

"How did you know it was a mare?" I asked innocently, smirking as he gulped a bit loudly.

"I-I… I never… ma'am, I…" He tripped over his words like a foal tripped over their own hooves. "Ma'am, I'm sorry but this stand—"

"It'd be nice to meet her," I said, my voice returning to normal. I lifted my head so he could know who I was. "Are you sure you don't know?"

His horn flashed, but I casted a blackout spell to counter the flash. He was already galloping down the street adjacent to this one, shoving ponies out of the way. I was just a few body lengths behind him, slowly gaining on him. I brought a couple of crates down on him, but the sly little worm teleported in front of the mess. I tried blasting his leg, but he kept setting up shadow-spells to confuse me. By now, we were at the edge of the settlement, which was a huge space that reached from the cavern wall to the city itself. Nothing but our magic and hooves now.

He turned around, and a wave of crimson mana barreled towards me. I conjured an enormous wall for it to dissipate against, then stretched it out to run alongside him. Nothing to stop me now, but he did have one last ace. One I wasn't prepared for.

He turned quickly, reached into his saddlebag, lit his horn, then shot another beam of magic at me. I deflected it easily, but as it turned out, he teleported right behind me. I nearly got away, but he slapped something onto my leg that cut off my magic immediately. The magic structure I created vanished, and I hit my sides after a few feet. I groaned in pain, looking up to see Crease pull out a dagger and place it against my throat.

"So many questions for a mare like y—"

He was cut off as a hoof slammed into the side of his face, sending him tumbling off to the side. A pegasus pony landed where he once stood, huffing loudly and pulling back their hood.

"Rainbow?" I exclaimed, watching as she kicked the dagger away and pressed her hoof against Crease's horn.

"It would've been a lot easier if you'd let me tag along," she snickered, pressing down on Crease's horn. He whimpered softly, trying to push Rainbow's hoof away. "Didn't think he'd beat you, though."

"He didn't," I snorted, looking down to the brace he slapped onto me. I came over and pulled him up, then slammed him to the ground. "Where did you get this?!"

"She gave it to me! The mare you're looking for!" He frantically shouted, coughing from the landing. "Look, I don't know what you want but—!"

"First, get this thing off me," I snarled, showing him the brace. "And second, I wanna know where she is."

"I don't know how t' get it off," he quivered. "But she knows. And I could show you there. Just… just don't hurt me."

"After you put a knife to her neck?" Rainbow scoffed. "Getting hurt is the last thing to worry about."

"Just take us there, now," I grunted, pushing him towards the streets.

He cooperated without incident and showed us the way, while Rainbow and I kept a few feet back to make sure he didn't try anything. "So… how did you find me?" I asked.

Rainbow chuckled a little, smirking at me. "I never lost you, and second, you chased him across the entire market district," she told me. "Only took a couple seconds to see you couldn't use magic. That brace looks like—"

"The ones on the thing we brought in," I nodded. "I wanted to try and find Tulip so she could tell me a bit about their prisons. Maybe we could find out if it really is an experiment. Hay, it could even be a mutated pony."

The thought made Rainbow shudder some, and she shook her head to cast off the thought. "I'm gonna pray it isn't," she laughed quietly. "But… do you think this thing could help us? It's pretty freaking huge, after all."

I shrugged, and as I glanced back over to Crease, he stopped and waited for us. "This it?" I snapped.

"Y-Yeah," he nodded quickly. "S-So… if ya don't mind…"

"Get out of here, whelp," Rainbow sneered, sending Crease off in a gallop.

I looked upon the slightly-larger shack, noticing that the light inside was on. Normally, ponies would conserve as much oil lamps and candles as they could, since making them without factories took days. I glanced to Rainbow, who shrugged softly, then moved forward and knocked on the door. I heard some shuffling, and the door opened just an inch, a bright-cerulean eye looking through the space.

"W-Who's there?" She asked, her voice breaking repeatedly.

"My name is Twilight Sparkle," I said softly, leaning in some. "My friend and I want to talk."

"…About?" The way her voice cracked wrenched my heart. She sounded like she was 18, maybe a year older.

"Just some stuff," I smiled sincerely. "It could really help us out."

Her eye wandered to Rainbow, then retreated as she closed the door. At first, I thought she locked us out. Then, dozens of locks opening reached my ears. No pony, not even nobles, had a lock. Yet she had twenty-six. The last bolt finally unlocked, and the door opened slowly.

I restrained a gasp out of respect, but she looked terrible. Her neon-yellow mane was ragged and trimmed halfway, her orange coat had tons of claw marks, her legs were bruised in almost every place, and she looked thinner than most ponies should be. To top that off, her left eye was covered with a bandage wrapping… meaning she was partially blind or cut.

"Come in," she whispered, moving over to her bed as she waited for us.

I closed the door gently, trying to look as soft and caring as possible. "Your name is Tulip Petal, right?" I smiled. Rainbow went to sit on a chair while I stood in front of her.

She nodded slowly. "I… I think so," Tulip croaked.

I settled beside her, which she responded to by shuffling away. "Me and my friend are part of the Recon Corps. We're not here on business or anything," I assured her. "I just wanted to ask you about something."

"Is it… about my scars?" She questioned, a hesitant gaze directed towards me. "I'm not depressed o-or anything."

I shook my head, placing a hoof on her shoulder, which she flinched to. "It's fine," I smiled. "How did you meet Crease?"

"W-Well… when I came to the settlement… I didn't have anything except this little trinket I kept," Tulip explained. "I heard that… he bought rare and valuable things. I asked for enough bits to get this shack, and gave him it in return."

I rose my hoof, eliciting a gasp as she looked at the brace. "Is this it?" I giggled softly.

"My goodness, he… let me get it off you," she hurriedly squeaked, her hooves moving in a deft motion that left me wondering. She didn't even use her magic, and the brace unclasped itself. "Is that better?"

I nodded, feeling the mana getting absorbed back into me. "Much better," I nodded gratefully. "Thank you. But… where did you get this?"

Her demeanor shifted instantly, her eyes fogging with memories she had been trying so hard to ignore. "I… I…"

"They did this to you… didn't they?" I asked, whispering it gently. Tears rimmed her eyes, and she nodded slowly. "I came to ask you… what did they do to their prisoners?"

She sniffled quickly, her breathing becoming quicker and more forceful. "W-Why… why do y-you want… to know?" Tulip sniffled, wiping her eyes.

I placed my hoof around her and smiled with as much care as I could muster. "Me and my friend went into Canterlot yesterday," I told her. "We found a prisoner… and it's in bad condition. But we just wanted to know what it was like in there. Maybe you could help us help it. But… only if it's okay."

She nodded, her jaw strained as she refrained from letting a single sob escape her. After a while of breathing deeply, she got off the bed and stood in front of me.

"It was… awful." She lit another candle, even with her oil lamp on. "They… they kept us in these dark rooms. There wasn't any light… but you could still hear everypony next to you. They would leave us there for days, none of us getting fed. Some ponies died… slowly… and whoever made it… was tortured."

She sat down shakily, holding a candle close to herself as she was brought back to those times.

"They didn't do as much punishment on the mares like they did with the stallions… but we still had to watch it all," Tulip croaked. "I watched them tear ponies apart… cut them up piece by piece… they even crushed one of their heads with a hammer… just for fun."

Her tears were falling, and Rainbow looked as though she were ready to as well. It wasn't the fact that she had been tortured, but the fact that she was so young when this happened.

"And when the stallions were done… they tossed them into a huge oven," she shuddered, rubbing her hooves on the heated glass of the lamp. "They burned alive… but that still didn't compare to what they did to us."

She clenched her teeth and curled up, trying her hardest to not sob, instead letting out weak whimpers. I came over and sat beside her, Rainbow doing the same as we listened. She leaned into Rainbow, still withholding any noise.

"They… they took my friend… my friend Butters… and chained her to the ground," she sniffled. "Then… the big one… started… fucking her like some animal."

We were both caught by surprise, and we realized immediately where this was going.

"They did that to get us aroused… because they knew of our damn hormones… It was disgusting…" She let out a choked sob, her tears falling into Rainbow's mane. "Then they did it to me… like some… toy. And… and then… and then they… when they finished… they threw us in, too. If you were tight enough… they kept you for later."

She had been a virgin… I just knew somehow.. She had her innocence stolen from her by… by a monster. An evil… animal.

"They fed you… if you were good enough," she sobbed, reluctantly at first. "But they… kept cutting us… and raping us… until it was just me."

She sobbed into Rainbow's mane, and Rainbow placed her hoof on her back, rubbing gently to soothe her, no matter how vain an attempt it was.

"Everyday… they would line up for me… without waiting to clean up after the last," Tulip whimpered. "I screamed for hours… and I broke my voice. It happened for a year… a whole… fucking… year."

I pitied her. Death sounded better than being used like a piece of meat. Anger rose in my mind. Anger that had been brought forth at the thought of these creatures, sentient and intelligent, deflowering dozens of mares and fillies against their will. They knew what the resistance meant, what the attempts of fleeing meant. And yet they raped her… for an entire year.

"But I got out," she sniffled, sitting back up to tell the rest. "It… it was surprising… but my cell was opened. The chains on me kept me from using magic… but I could still move. There wasn't a single creature around… but the alarms were blaring like crazy. Some emergency… or a fight. The walls were shaking like crazy… so I galloped without turning around. I left Canterlot through the sewers… and I found my way here."

She had been diminished to sniffles now, her sobs having ceased for some time. "And how did you get the shackles off?" I asked.

She wiped her eyes and looked at the brace. "I watched them take it off of the unicorns they threw into the ovens," Tulip sniffled. "It's easier for them, but if you're fast enough it's pretty simple."

She showed me how to unlock it, then had us both practice it with one hoof. It really was simple, just a little tricky at first with timing. I asked her if she could come with me to the castle, but she hesitated about going near a tunnel. Rainbow and I pleaded with her, promising we wouldn't let anything happen to her. After five minutes, she reluctantly gave in and came with us. We passed by Crease's shop, Rainbow shooting a nasty glare at the fragile unicorn.

It wasn't long before we reached the castle, and I was allowed in with Rainbow and Tulip. We headed into the medical cavern, going over to the doctor overseeing the well-being of the creature. He smiled warmly at me, shaking my hoof with gusto.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Sparkle," he nodded. "My name is Quick Aid, but Dr. Aid is fine. I'm sure I know why you're here."

I smiled back, looking over to the creature that still laid as still as ever. It's heart rate was faster than a regular pony's, and it's body temperature matched that of a pony with an enormous fever.

"I was surprised by its body's regulations as well," he chuckled. "But it looks completely fine in almost every other aspect."

"Good," I nodded, glancing behind me and into the room across the hall. "Is General Shadow okay?"

Dr. Aid sighed and went over to the glass. "His coat was pierced in twenty-six different places, the largest ones being in his belly," he told me. "We closed all wounds, but he'll need a few weeks to recover. Perhaps even a couple months. But… he'll live. Maybe a few surgeries on his back to make sure he can stand straight."

It was relieving to hear. But I turned back to go over to the other window. "I need a minute inside, Dr." I said. "My friends and I want to remove those braces."

He nodded, a huff escaping him. "Damn things aren't easy to break. Touching them drains magic, and anything enchanted loses its edge on contact."

"We won't be needing magic," Tulip said. Dr. Aid's eyes widened when he saw the scarred mare, but we walked past him and entered the room.

It was the second time I ever got near it.

The second time I was in the same room as him.

We got to work on relinquishing it of its bonds, working at a slow pace so as to not disturb it. The whole time, Tulip looked very hard at it, almost as if she recognized it. I doubted it, but something else happened that I thought was strange. Rainbow focused on the bonds on its right leg, Tulip focused on the other, and I was working on the arms. I had mastered it fairly quickly, and so I was done faster than either of them. But… every time I worked on the braces on its shoulder… it would always take a deep inhale. At first I thought it was just from its sleep, like somepony having a dream. But it was no coincidence the second time, especially since it murmured incoherently.

I took note of the softness of its skin, no matter how hard I tried to ignore that. The skin felt as thought it were easy to tear, but the stone-hard muscle beneath it said otherwise. When I moved to the bonds around its head, that's when I realized what it was doing. Every time I exhaled, it inhaled deeply. I tried holding my breath as I skimmed its cheek, my grip having slipped, but it kept taking deep breaths, some a bit quicker.

It was smelling me. Whether it was out of instinct or pleasure was beyond me, but I was sure it was taking in my scent.

Today I understand why, but back then I was confused and nervous as to why it was smelling me in particular. After getting the other bonds off, only five remained. The wrist and ankle shackles, and the clamp around its neck. Without all the chains on it, it had an intimidating posture… somehow menacing yet gentle. Before we left, I noticed one last thing.

Its smile had vanished.

We exited the chamber, I hoofed over the other twenty chains to the guards, and went upstairs. Rainbow offered to take Tulip home, and she was thankful to us. She was also grateful for us being able to listen to her, since she had vented to no pony at all, and we had her trust. I gave her a smile and wave as she was taken back into the settlement by Rainbow, and I turned to go into the throne room. Instead of my old teacher, Princess Luna was sitting atop the throne. Time really slipped by nowadays.

"Hello, Twilight," she said, a faint smile on her muzzle. "May I ask why you are here?"

"I just needed to tell Celestia something," I replied. "Do you remember the creature we brought in?"

"I do," Luna said, tilting her head in curiosity.

"I was able to remove most of the chains with Rainbow and a unicorn mare named Tulip Petal," I explained. "We took off twenty of them, but there are five that can't be removed by hoof. I just wanted to let you both know. Tell her as soon as you can."

"I will. And, isn't Tulip the mare who escaped the monsters prison?" Luna asked. I nodded, and she gave me a knowing smile.

I turned to make my way out, but I turned my head to the side briefly. "General Shadow will be fine," I said to her. "He just needs some rest."

Luna's smile dimmed, but it was relieved no less. "Thank you, Twilight."

I made my way back to my bunk, tucked the hood under my bed and picked up the blue sword. It weighed more than any armor I've ever held, and it was just a sword. What was it doing in that camp? Did it belong to the dead soldier? The length was about the size of a spear, and markings were carved into the blade and handle. I tried sharpening it with a regular iron dagger, but it ended up dulling the small blade. So it was stronger than iron, big whoop. I did the same with a steel knife, and it had the same result. Stronger than steel meant a valuable mineral. Maybe I could make a dagger for myself, then give whatever's left to the guards.

I tucked it under my bed once again, then stared at the ceiling as I waited for sleep to overtake me.

Author's Note

Next chappie, and I'm having an inner struggle on whether or not I should make this a shipfic. Going away from that, hope this is good for you all, and, as always, like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night. Peaces!

Chapter 5

(Information received from a recording of the facility in Canterlot)

The deformed soldier growled as it passed through the lines of its remaining force. Each of the smaller soldiers kneeled and whimpered as their commander growled, deciding who to hold for blame. It chose the two blinded soldiers, tearing its enormous claws into one and ripping out its spine in one deft motion. The monster devoured its shredded carcass, inciting fear into the now whimpering and trembling soldier beside it. Slowly, its claws ran down the creature's front, gradually entering until it reached the stomach area. The soldier was coughing up blood, the heaving of its chest spouting more blood. The mutant tore out its organs, spilling them in a mess of black blood and red flesh. Once the subordinate had died of blood loss, which took eighteen painful minutes, the creature consumed it as well. It turned to the others, who were terrified for their own outcomes.

"Jro urt ulsh bogoro (You let him escape)" It snarled loudly, pacing around impatiently. "Hruuk alk?! (What now?!)"

The soldiers offered no response, growling at each other as they shifted uneasily.

"Teveket ulsho rekansk (Release his armor)" The mutant ordered, followed by heads raising in confusion. "Ut rekansk dot venvagol ot uton ulsh. Jenst i vosko ot nagat dotet bulsko, frolok wepalsh dot. Scondito? (The armor is programmed to find him. Send a fighter to track its progress, then recapture it. Understood?)"

The soldiers nodded hesitantly, then scattered as their commander roared at them. It made its way into the breeding chambers, watching as its former kind mated forcefully. Another two weeks… and an army would be assembled. Most of the whelps would die before maturing, about ten of which would stay behind to rut their own mothers for more runts, and the rest would go off to fight. The inhabitants of the planet weren't the concern, they were easy to overwhelm.

No, this station was breeding an army for war. A war that had been raging for thousands of years. If they could just get the prisoner back, it would be the end of the bloodline, and the powers of a thousand rulers would be lost. Just a little more time.

But that was before we came into the equation.

I went over to the forge the next morning, the blade wrapped in several layers of cloth to make sure no pony saw it. Even if anypony did, it would have been Solars or Recons, but I wasn't taking any chances. I passed through the course built into the cavern, watching the newest recruits train for their graduation, which was a salute and immediate placement. I moved to the back of the base, then walked over to the forge. It wasn't an enormous thing, just a shallow well of smoldering coal and charcoal. The heat coming from it caused my brow to form some sweat, but I ignored that and went over to the blacksmith.

He was a broad-shouldered, ashy stallion with a dirty-blonde coat and orange mane. Years of working iron, steel and gems formed a shaggy and rough beard, along with the muscle in his back and the chisel in his jaw. He was very forward, unwilling to hear imbecilic words or meaningless compliments. He didn't even talk much; even less with the princesses. Yet he'd made nearly every weapon in the Guard for over twenty years. I came over, just as he pulled the newest creation of a sword from the fires.

"Twilight," he nodded in greeting.

"Hammer," I nodded back. He placed the smoldering sword on the stone anvil and grabbed a hammer. "I need to ask a favor."

"Don't do favors, Twilight. You know that," he grunted, shaping the molten blade into shape with his iron mallet. "But, let's hear it anyway."

He didn't do favors, but he always asked anyway. I set down the clothed weapon on his wooden table, then unfurled it. The gleam of the ruby tip caused him to grunt in annoyance, then look at it. His gaze zeroed in on the blade, his hammer stuck in mid-swing as he looked over it. He placed the mallet down and returned the sword to the fires, going over and cleaning his hooves before looking at the blade.

"Where did you find this?" He asked flatly.

His tone betrayed his eager observations. It was reminiscent of a foal examining its latest toy. He looked up and down the sheath, taking note of every little detail before unsheathing it. His eyes widened some, and his mouth hung open slightly as he looked over the blade itself. His hoof ran up the sides of the sword, and then over the markings on it. A small mistake on my part: I didn't tell him how heavy it was. He tried lifting it, and instead managed to lift it briefly before dropping it in surprise, the end digging into the wood with ease. He rolled it back onto it's side, and he turned to me with a shocked look.

"This is one of their weapons, isn't it?" He questioned. I shrugged.

"I'm not sure," I told him. "Out two days ago, found an enclave, it was just sitting there so I took it."

"You stole this?" Hammer questioned.

I shook my head. "Everypony was dead. No owner to worry over it," I shrugged. "So… think you can make something out of it? A new dagger maybe?"

He grinned, faintly, then lugged it over to the flames. "We'll see," he huffed, rubbing his leg from the exertion. "Come back by tomorrow. Should get most of this melted down by then."

"Alright, then," I nodded.

I started out… but I quickly rerouted to head into the medical cavern once again. Call it my sense of curiosity or hunger for knowledge… I had to see it. I brushed past many of the guards, and I descended the same stairs as before. To my surprise, Celestia and Luna were standing in the hall, both looking into the creature's room. My old teacher noticed me, and she smiled softly.

"Hello, Twilight," she nodded, looking back over to the creature. "I assume you've come for the same reasons?"

"If it's to learn more about this thing, then yes," I replied, nodding to Luna. "How can it still be unconscious?"

"Victims of torture often endure such treatment for days, without sleep as well," Luna explained, gesturing to its scars. "This may be its first time to rest peacefully."

It sounded like a reasonable explanation, but I was already thinking of an argument, one sprouting to mind instantly.

"Physical torture isn't forgotten, especially when somepony is awake during it," I responded. "Even if it was deprived of sleep, we should have seen it twitching or spasming out of memory. Maybe even a few shouts or roars."

"Very good, Twilight," Luna chuckled gently. "That was concerning me as well. But I haven't sensed any signs of terra-forming in the dreamscape."

I rose a brow. "Terra-forming in dreams?"

Luna smiled softly, laughing lightly as she glanced over to Shadow. "Ponies, griffons, minotaurs, dragons all create their dreams, most of the time using real images and altering it to their pleasure," she explained. "Just as terra-forming would be altering the land here, we do it in our dreams to mold our own worlds. It's quite simple really."

It made sense… in a strange way. "So… this thing hasn't been dreaming?" I asked.

Luna shook her head. "Not at all," she replied. "I've tried picking up any signs… but it has a mental block of some sort that keeps me from entering. Either it can't dream at all, or it is safeguarding its dream."

To think, Princess Luna, the mare who traveled through our dreams and was nearly as powerful as her sister, couldn't enter this creature's mind. Perhaps… it could manipulate magic? There were magic restraints on it, so it wasn't unreasonable in saying it knew how to do such spells. But it was still unconscious, and no pony could keep up a spell like that while asleep.

"So, have you learned anything, Twilight?" Celestia asked.

I sighed softly, shaking my head. "Not really… just wish it would wake up," I huffed. "So… why were you two down here?"

Celestia and Luna gave each other knowing glances, which they tried hiding from me. "We… were a bit curious. We haven't gotten a good look at it, so now was ideal," Celestia said.

…

She was lying. I… I could just… feel it. There wasn't any mistrust in it… but it was a lie to buy some more time. For what, I couldn't be sure.

"I… I'll be going. I'll see you soon," I nodded, turning to leave.

Behind me, the alicorn sisters watched me go, and when I reached the turn, I slowed down as I rounded the corner.

"…can't be sure. This could be one of them for all we know!"

"Mother told us the stories! You remember, and don't you dare deny it, sister!"

"I haven't. I'm… I'm just not sure. We need to wait before we assume—"

"That we've met her vanguards? ‘The light in the bleakest of nights’?"

"Those were stories, Lulu. Just stories."

Stories? Vanguards? While the revelation that they actually had a mother was interesting, just what exactly had they been talking about?

I tried ignoring it, but since it was the only thing to go by, it kept coming back to my mind, even as I reached my room. I flung open the door, quickly going over to the desk by the door and grabbing some parchment, a quill, and an inkwell. The only other thing I could remember were the symbols from the sword. They were each strange, unique, and mysterious; unlike anything I'd ever seen. Five alien symbols. I went over to the chest between my bed and the bed across, grabbing an old tome of translations from it.

The sword looked alien, no question, as well as the symbols… but I wanted to be sure before I drew conclusions. After flipping through eighteen languages, which had nothing even close to relevant on these images, and also took over two hours, I groaned loudly and smacked the book from my desk. A sharp gasp escaped me, and I practically threw myself to grab it. There was a small tear on one of the pages, and I scolded myself as I used a small fix-it spell to mend the rip.

This tome was the only thing I could get from my library. Out of all my recon assignments near it, this was all I could sneak out. Too many scouts, too much weight, meaning I could've been killed if I tried going for another. And since they've practically nested in the library, there's nothing else for me to save. I grabbed this one in particular because of our situation. Seventy-two languages all held within this book's contents. It would help us understand the ponies that didn't speak Equish, like Germanians, Saddle Arabians, Prench, and other foreign refugees. Oh, what I wouldn't do for another book, something that held vital knowledge.

And as the gods would have it, I got my wish.

Knock-Knock

"Twilight?"

"Come in," I called, standing up as the door opened.

It was Fluttershy. "Hey," she nodded, closing the door behind her.

"Hey," I nodded back. "What are you doing here? I thought—"

"The girls and I are being kept here for now," Fluttershy explained instantly. "Something about training without our presence. I'm not sure, but that's not why I came."

As she walked to the desk, I saw the saddlebag she was carrying, which looked stuffed. The shape was all-too familiar. "Where did you find that?" I asked quickly, following her like a dog waiting for a treat.

She pulled out the heavy tome, struggling to plant it on the desk, then stepped aside so I could get a closer look. "Rarity and I found this in the camp a few days ago," Fluttershy told me. "I thought you would want to see it."

I examined the front and back eagerly, but my eagerness dimmed as I looked closer. The symbols… were similar to the ones I had drawn out. I re-set it on the desk, using my magic to grab the scroll from under my bed. I set it beside the book as I flipped it open. At first, it was just more symbols, but the text started to change. On the left side would be the same writing, repeating for letters and words, while on the left a different sort of text rose, this one roundish and messier. I leaped through a few pages, then came upon another set of symbols, these different from the other two. But the page on the left still had the same ones. The further I went, the more familiar this was looking. It was only when I reached the last section did I understand.

Equestrian Alphabet and Dictionary Translation.

It had the Equestrian alphabet, and on the left was a slew of text in the same order. The next page began the first words of the letter "A".

This was a translation tome. Just like mine… but from them.

My mind flipped a switch, and I skipped ahead to find the matching symbols. I wrote down the meaning of each beside it on the parchment, but the more I wrote, the more confused I became. It read:

Nalc
Rouhsnomala
Nu'uker
Mu'uhsod
Ht598

I looked over it one last time, but I saw something familiar. The Japonese wrote their writing down vertically, as their culture had done so for generations. Maybe… this was similar? Instead of horizontal, or vertical… was it upside down? After rewriting it, I got:

Ht598
Mu'uhsod
Nu'uker
Rouhsnomala
Nalc

It still didn't look right, but Fluttershy gasped and pointed to the numbers. "Maybe it's backwards."

I tried it, I was willing to try anything at this point. I rewrote it again… then stared as I read the translation.

895th
Doshu'um
Reku'un
Alamonshuor
Clan

Clan. Family. Did these things actually have a sense of love for family? And the number… was it referring to the newest ruler of those monsters? If they had a ruler, they had to have some sort of disciplinary system for their army. If we could just understand more, MAYBE, just maybe, we could negotiate something. We could at least make contact.

"So… Alamonshuor is a family name," Fluttershy examined, glancing back to the book for the word ‘Doshu'um’. "So… is the full name Doshu'um Alamonshuor, or Reku'un Alamonshuor?"

"Well, 825th Doshu'um sounds more like a title than a name, and they're the closest things together," I pointed out. "If anything… I'd say whatever the name is of this sword's owner, it has to be Reku'un Alamonshuor."

We both went silent as we thought about it. "That sounds like a weird name," she hummed. "Maybe we read it wr—"

"SHOOT IT! SHOOT IT!"

We heard a barrage of magic bolts fly, and the two of us instantly bolted outside. Fear rose within me again. Did they find us? Would we have to leave again?

Me and Fluttershy reached the castle, seeing a squadron of Solars being reinforced with the rest of the Solar Guard. The unicorns were firing without remorse onto a single spot, which was shrouded with dust and smoke. Me and Fluttershy pushed ahead to the front, my horn primed and ready for an attack. The beams stopped soon after, and we waited for any sign of movement. There wasn't any, but it wasn't long before the cloud had cleared. I gasped softly, Fluttershy doing the same when we both looked at… whatever it was.

It stood at a daunting five meters, its form disfigured and thin. Instead of an organic eye, it had a sort of moving light with two smaller ones that looked over each of us. It looked metal, as it didn't have anything organic and it was moving by moving rotors. The light turned blue, and it slowly moved forward. A guard fired a beam at the ground near it, but the machine didn't register it.

Machines couldn't register fear.

It hummed softly, looking all around for something. Suddenly, its thin structure thickened immediately, frightening some of the guards. Said guards accidentally fired, but the bolts all deflected off of the machine's exterior. It then hummed loudly, and leaped over the entire platoon, landing on the steps of the throne. It turned to its thin form yet again mid-flight, then darted into the castle.

"Fluttershy, go and catch up!" I exclaimed, galloping on as she flew over my head with a group of pegasus guards following.

I teleported into the medical cavern, a sense of concern for it passing through me. My concerns were right, as it entered the hallway above me, just as I shut the metal door. I stood back and waited for an attempt at entry, but I heard a few shouts from Fluttershy. Nothing pained, but she was grunting as she attacked, that much was certain. Silence lingered, far longer than I found comfortable, and I thought about going to check.

But that was before it started leaking out from the cracks. I don't know how, even today, it could do something like that and still work. Its form had completely melted down, and the liquid machine seeped through the cracks and under the door. As the puddle of silver moved towards me, the device started to solidify and regain its previous features. I moved back as it reached its full height, the blue light scanning me inquisitively. Then, it looked into the creature's room. The light turned a bright red, and the skinny arms and legs flared small latches. I had no idea what it was doing, but I wasn't going to wait and see.

My horn instantly lit up in three different hues of purple, each brighter than the rest, and a magic bubble surrounded the machine, a manipulation spell holding it in place while the third spell opened the far door. Fluttershy galloped in with twenty or so guards, each pointing spears and charging spells. It wasn't long before Princess Celestia and Princess Luna came in, gasping at the sight of the machine. Princess Luna tore the door off its hinges and molded it into a miniature, hollow prison. Celestia teleported it inside, then they both placed enchantments to keep it from escaping. After that, a group of unicorn stallions escorted it to the prison cells on the other side of the castle.

"What was that?" I panted, rubbing my horn gingerly. "Fluttershy… what… what happened?"

She showed me her daggers, which were completely bent. "I tried cutting it, but this happened," Fluttershy said, shock in her voice. "Then… it melted and went through the cracks around the door."

"It melted down then solidified?" Luna exclaimed. "How… it would have to destroy itself to do that!"

"But it didn't," Celestia sighed. "Another creation we just can't understand. But why did it come here? And why for that creature?"

I gasped quietly, but my explanation grabbed their attention. "It could have been some kind of assassin machine," I exclaimed. "It only had to track him, even without seeing him. And… if those things sent it…"

"They know we're here," Luna said, her tone grave and bleak. She sighed loudly, her hoof slamming into the nearest wall and smashing a few rocks out of place. "DAMN IT!"

She took some breaths to calm herself, and Celestia nodded softly. "We have to evacuate everypony this instant, before the soldiers or scouts can enter the tunnels," she said. "Luna and I will announce the evacuation, and I want you two at the front with the rest of the Elements."

"Princess… we're going to stay behind," I announced, earning me a narrowed gaze.

"Twilight, there isn't any guarantee we will evacuate everypony in time," Celestia said to me. "And if we can't, then it is my sister's and my duty to make sure we save as many as we can. You won't be a part of the body count…"

She was… afraid of me being with her. The fear of losing somepony so close to her was something she wanted as far from her mind as possible. "I won't be," I assured her. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

No pony would ever break a Pinkie Promise.

She could see that I wouldn't budge, and so she… hugged me close. "You'll stay with me at all times," Celestia whispered. "You and the girls. Understood?"

It took me some time, but I managed to placed my hooves around her and return the gesture. "Understood."

We separated, and Celestia turned to Fluttershy. "Rally the other girls and tell them to meet here," she ordered. "We haven't much time."

"Okay," Fluttershy saluted, then zoomed outside to gather the others.

The announcement went out, and the entire settlement gathered their belongings and headed for the eastern tunnels. We helped navigate them in neat lines, making sure no pony would slow anypony else down. Tulip wasn't among them, so I assumed she had gone on ahead. As we checked the last few homes, I remembered about Hammer. I galloped back over to the forge, seeing him load up his cart.

"Remember that sword you gave me?" He questioned. "Damn thing didn't melt in the slightest."

He showed me the gleaming blade, not a scratch on it, and not a piece out of place. "It's only been a couple hours, but this thing does't look like it'll be melted anytime soon."

I sighed softly, but there wasn't anything to be done. "Just hold onto it for me, okay?" I asked.

"I ain't a thief," he smirked, loading it onto his cart. "Just make sure you make it back. I'll see you soon, then."

I nodded, watching as he wheeled his cart into the crowd. "Twilight!" I heard Applejack call. "They're settin' up the barricades! Come on!"

I galloped to catch up with her, and from there we met up with the rest of the girls. And…

"Tulip?!" I exclaimed, seeing the young mare in an RC uniform. "What… what are you—!"

"Easy, Twi," Rainbow smiled. "She just wants to help set these things up. Right?"

"Right," she nodded, a set of hammers and spike traps in her magic aura behind her. "It's the least I could do for you guys."

I nodded, reluctant to let her stay, but for now we needed all the help we could get.

And yet the biggest help would be what changed our lives.

Entry #87
November 29, 2012

Mom and Dad had to leave. It isn't safe here, especially since this is the closest cavern to Canterlot. If those things got in here… I wouldn't be one of the ponies to mourn. So… I sent them to be with Shining Armor and Cadence, near the Crystal Empire. From what we've gathered from the crystal ponies, the monsters don't go anywhere near the polar regions.

It was hard… but even they knew that they would be safer. I have to say… the hardest part was refusing to go with them. They begged me, my mother cried and my father did his best not to, both of them screaming at me. I screamed back… for the first time I had the courage to yell at my own parents.

I wouldn't let them die.

Too many caverns near Appleoosa are being overrun, refugees pouring into here and Manehatten's caverns. If they could find those away from their main base, who knows what would happen if they made it here? We have the biggest population, after all. It took a couple of hours, during which I think I damaged my voice for a while, but I finally got them to go. The only family I have now is Spike… I just hope nothing happens to either of us.

Stay safe Mom. Take care of Ma, Dad. I promise I'll see you soon.

~~Twilight Sparkle

Author's Note

Next chap, of course, and the usual mental argument. Ship, or no shop? If anything, I'll flip a coin. So, as always, like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night.

Chapter 6

Entry #94
March 9th, 2013

The Griffon Empire fell today.

I'm not sure how they lasted this long, Tartarus I thought they had been wiped out, but the monsters finally broke them. Maybe the ships had just recently reached their empire's borders. Maybe they actually put up a fight. All I can say now, is that the hunger crisis is only getting worse with all the new griffon refugees. Rations have been reduced to either an apple, roll of bread, or some hay. Per pony. There's no need to worry about the Recon Corps, or the Solar and Lunar Guard. I know it's unfair, and cruel to keep our stomachs satisfied while ponies fight for an apple core.

I still haven't heard about the Minotaur Republic, or the Dragon Kingdom. The dragons can hold their own, even if they're all scattered. The miniature having a good chance on the ground, but the ships above make that advantage useless unless they can lure them somehow. If only they would work together, maybe then they could make a push against them. I just hope they can hold out… but then again…

…they're facing an entirely different planet.

~~Twilight Sparkle

"Let's go! Where are those damn boulders I ordered in place?!" Commander Ace shouted, his voice shaking each of us. "Unless you wanna be soldier shit in a couple days, I suggest you move your worthless flanks! What the Tartarus are you staring at?! Lay down those clampers!"

Geez, was he loud. And for a pegasus. He wasn't huge in any way, but his speed, cunning, and loud mouth all made him more than a flankhole. The assigned pegasi grunted as they dropped the boulders in place, blocking off the exit tunnels near us. Around that, unicorns were melting bricks of iron and a few extra steel weapons to mend the boulders together and into place. Around that, were an array of clampers. Sort of like hunting traps, but bigger, and meant for a scout. A soldier would be wounded, giving us a chance to abuse its injury. My horn buzzed as me and Rarity worked on the boulder mending, while Tulip got more into place. Behind us, Rainbow and Fluttershy were placing crossbow launchers between and on top of the nearest homes. Pinkie was quickly loading them, and Applejack was setting up a few oil canister tripwires. Anything got past that: Boom.

"Where's Celestia?" Ace called. "Somepony get over to the southern tunnel and bring her here!"

"Aye, sir!" Rainbow saluted, unclasping herself from the boulder-moving gear as a new pegasus worked with Fluttershy.

At the mention of Celestia, I realized something from before. I hadn't spoken to her about the creature. It was in no condition to move, and General Shadow wasn't capable either. I held my tongue and told Tulip and Rarity to hurry, confusing them as we started to rush through the melding process. Just before I turned to go, I noticed some… someone else carrying a new load of iron. He'd grown up well over the years, and he was slightly taller than me now. It took him a few steps to realized just who I was, and his pace quickened until I met him in an embrace.

"Hey, Twi," Spike chuckled, smiling softly. "It's been a while."

"Yeah… a year, Spike," I chuckled softly. "Short or long version?"

He glanced over to the boulders, shrugging with a laugh. "I'd say we're pressed on time," Spike said.

"Me and the girls went to Canterlot, snuck into a building, freed this weird creature, broke it out, and got back here," I recapped, nodding towards the boulders. "They want him back. Everypony's getting out while we hang back. So… why are you here?"

He smiled softly. "Couldn't leave my sis behind," he said. I nodded warmly, then gestured towards the smaller rocks.

"Think you can get them in place?" I asked.

"Yep," he nodded, going over and quickly hoisting up a large rock. "I can't keep it up forever!"

The girls all looked to him, and I just smiled and went to work with Tulip and Rarity. With another hoo—claw to help, we were speeding through, using up our iron and going over to the launchers and securing their legs. Celestia came back with Rainbow, the two heading over to Ace.

"Good work, Dash," he nodded. "Princess, this tunnel is locked down, but we're short a stallion. We need somepony big to handle that main launcher there."

Celestia nodded. "Applejack," she called, waiting for the farm mare to run over. "I need you to bring your brother here. Quickly."

Applejack hesitated… and I could see she was uncomfortable with having Big Mac at the front lines. "Um… yes, Princess," she nodded, galloping away immediately.

We felt a slight rumble, and everypony stopped and waited. When it calmed down, everypony started for their positions. "Everypony get ready! Stallions to their launchers! Pegasi above the boulders! Unicorns behind the archers! Let's move, let's MOVE!"

"I'm going to get Luna, you six stay behind cover!" Celestia called, taking flight.

"Princess! What about—"

"I've enchanted a barrier around the castle!" She called back. "I'll be back in a moment! Just stay down!"

I sighed, looking to Spike and nodding. "Come on, grab that crossbow. I'll cover you." He picked up the weapon and ran over to the crude barricades we had made with me.

We leaped over and took aim at the covered tunnel, Rarity and Pinkie to our right in a similar formation. The sounds of launchers loading their enormous bolts reached my ears, and the pegasi above flapped constantly as they waited, Rainbow and Fluttershy closest to the tunnel. We waited… and waited… but nothing happened. Soon, another pair of flapping wings got louder as Luna and Celestia approached. They landed behind us, pulling up their own crossbows. These, however, had been modified to have a belt of arrows feed it before requiring a reload. Around their armored bodies were belts of iron arrows, their personal spears mounted on their backs.

"Spike?" Celestia gasped.

He smiled and waved quickly. "Just came to help," he said.

"Stay near us at all times," Luna sternly ordered.

"Better for me," he nodded.

The ground shook from impact, and then we heard faint roaring. I could picture what was going on: The ladder had been blown up, and soldiers and scouts were starting to pour in, each fighting to get through. Little did they know, the clampers and oil snares were waiting to be tripped. But even with those, thousands more would be behind them, using those who fell to get through. Spike shifted onto a knee, the archers alongside me doing so as well as they nervously awaited for a breach.

"Princess," a stallion called. "Echo and Delta are pulling out."

That would mean… "Tell Charlie and Bravo to be ready to move as soon as possible."

"They're leaving already?" Pinkie asked.

"It seems we were early enough to get everypony out," Luna said. "We need only hold this position for a few more minutes."

A more audible slew of roars echoed in the enclosed tunnel, and then the distinct sound of bodies hitting rock reached our ears. The wall shook with each impact, and I could imagine what they were doing in there. Just aimlessly hitting the wall with their own bodies, unaware that the boulder was solid and practically glued to the walls and ground. More roars, impatient this time, sounded as the number of bodies started to frighten some of the stallions and mares around us. They kept at it for some time, gaining nothing, even as they repeatedly blasted the boulder. That bit was my hoofwork, as I enchanted the boulder with a miniature barrier.

GROOOOOOAAAAAAAAHHHH!

That roar was different from the others. It was louder, more ferocious than the others. And only seven of us knew what had made that roar. Luna stepped forward, her horn lighting up in anxiety.

"What is it, Luna?" Celestia questioned quietly, unsure of the silence and halting of body slamming.

"There was a soldier different from the others," Luna quickly said. "Taller, larger, and very much deformed. It's their leader, and it's behind those rocks."

We each adjusted our aim, waiting to see what could happen. I'll never forget… what it did. The ponies to either of my sides all gasped and dropped their weapons. I was horrified, terrified, fascinated, and confused all at once, just as much as Spike, the girls, and the princesses.

A claw phased through solid rock, the rest of the body coming through as easily as any regular pony walking in the streets. Its ugly face appeared with a smirk, and it took several steps forward, looking down at the traps. We held our breaths in fear, those of us who could grabbed our weapons and shakily took aim, and the princesses each charged powerful blast spells. As if to mock us, it slammed its foot into a trap, driving the metal teeth closed faster than it should have.

The metal bent around its lower leg, not a strand of fur cut nor a scratch baring blood. It kicked that aside and moved on to the tripwires, its claw lowering and cutting three of them, releasing the oil and dropping torches from above. The liquid caught on fire at once, an explosion of flames spreading across the area. That was the moment, I believe, that we found this fight hopeless. It walked out from the flames, unscathed and fully furred. My hooves were numb as I watched it approach, standing in front of the very first barricades. The stallion trembled miserably, frozen in fear and unable to move in any way. The monster smirked at him, then turned around. Its claws opened up as far as they could, and I felt magic being pulled from the air as it pooled into two masses.

Those masses were black spheres growing in its palms.

With a roar it thrusted its arms forward, sending two beams of black into the boulder. The smoke cleared… when dozens of soldiers started pouring in. Few were trapped in the clampers, slightly more getting set ablaze. And still, hundreds more made a dash for us.

"FIRE EVERYTHING!" Ace screamed, fear overwhelming even him.

Dozens of launchers fired, the entire platoon letting loose combinations of arrows and beams. The monsters' leader stood motionless as its kind were hit all around, some beams and arrows deflecting off its chest and face. The launchers had made a gap in the advance, but the rest rammed the barricades, trapping some ponies beneath them. Spike reloaded as quickly as possible, as well as the launcher teams behind us. I sent beam after beam into face after face, Celestia's and Luna's beams piercing their skulls easily.

The pegasi above dropped the rocks they had been carrying, crushing a few but drawing attention to themselves. Blaster lasers hit many of them, but what shocked me was the fact that some of the soldiers climbed the wall and tackled them out of the sky. Rainbow and Fluttershy made sure to keep away from the chaos, swooping down with daggers and burying them into the heads of soldiers. The narrow walls leading to the hole gave us scattered shots at them, and by now I could hear screams of the living being eaten. Another barrage of launcher arrows were sent flying, hitting a few square in the chest and piking some together. Even with lost limbs and arrows sticking out of their bodies, they charged forward.

"SECONDARY POSITIONS!" Ace screamed, a scout pouncing on top of him. "G-AAAHHH!"

His scream was joined with several others as the number of them already overwhelmed us. Celestia grabbed me and Spike, and Luna grabbed Pinkie and Rarity. Rainbow swooped down to get Applejack out of the front lines, but she screamed down to her brother to fall back.

Half of the platoon was left as we headed back, reaching the crossbow pelters. They were like the princesses' crossbows, except they were mounted and had much longer belts. Spike took the handle while I rose the belt, Pinkie and Rarity doing the same, and we fired immediately. The soldiers had stopped briefly for a quick taste at the bodies, but our hail of steel arrows drew their attention. The pegasi still alive tried beaming spears from above, which was sort of helpful, but it drew more attention to them again. Blasters started picking off our gunners and support easily, forcing the unicorns to focus on setting up magic barricades to protect the crossbow gunners. I gasped as a shot hit Spike's arm, but I realized that it hadn't penetrated or even dug in.

"Princess!" The same stallion from before shouted, dodging blaster fire as he dashed behind cover. "Bravo and Charlie pulled out! It's just us!"

"Everypony! Fall back to the eastern—!"

BANG! BANG!

The cavern shook violently, pieces of rock falling from the ceiling as it gradually eased. "Rainbow, go see what those explosions were!" I shouted above the laser fire.

She pulled out, but she didn't go far before zooming back over. "WE HAVE TO RUN!" Rainbow screamed. "THEY BROKE THROUGH THE EAST AND WEST TUNNELS!"

I turned my attention back to the front, where the soldiers had started slaughtering the vanguards. "We have to find somewhere else to hold out!" Spike shouted, running out of arrows in that moment. "Now!"

My mind raced for any backup plan, one particular image sprouting to thought. "The castle! We can collapse the arches and funnel them in!" I exclaimed.

"Everypony, retreat to the castle!" Luna ordered, her and her sister's horn brightening as they sent several volleys of paralysis spells into the oncoming horde.

The princesses stayed behind as the last few squadrons retreated to the castle, each group half of what their original numbers were. Spike grabbed a spear and ran alongside me, just as Rainbow and Fluttershy landed and joined us. We ran back into the city, seeing the soldiers approaching from the opposite streets. I glanced over my shoulder and saw the rest of the soldiers sprinting toward us, their weapons slung over their backs as they ran on all fours. My legs pumped harder in response, begging for a break as we approached the castle. A pack of scouts redirected their attention to us, pouncing into our lines. Applejack and Big Mac met them head on, literally, just as the rest of us joined in. The two that had been head-butted fell to the ground, while the rest tried going for the others.

A few tussles ensued, but we all ganged up on them hastily, messily piking them with spears and daggers. Applejack and Big Mac ran ahead, going to the arch supports and bucking at them. The rest of us poured into the castle between the pillars, unicorns and archers with ammo stopping to hold off any soldiers that weren't part of the main force. Rainbow flew in through a higher arch, but a blaster blew past her wing and sent her into a crash landing. I ran over and pulled her away, looking at the sear along the fragile vertebrae.

"I'm fine!" She strained through gritted teeth. "Just… come on!"

I dragged her to the barricades, turning to Applejack as she and her brother kept bucking. "Hurry up!" I screamed.

"We're trying!" Applejack shouted. "Put your back into it, Mac!"

"This ain't… like… buckin' trees…" He grunted between kicks.

The soldiers reached the stairs, forcing the two siblings and the others to fall back. I made way to the barricades, the rest of our force running away. Rainbow was fussing as she repeatedly hit a small cylinder against the ground.

"What are you doing?!" I shouted, pulling her away.

"I found this in Canterlot!" She shouted, glancing to the approaching soldiers. "It has to do something!"

"We don't have time, come on!" I started pulling her along, and she ultimately gave up on it, throwing it into a soldier's eye.

They instantly backpedaled, some tumbling and tripping over each other. I didn't understand why, until the cylinder Rainbow had thrown started beeping wildly. It broke apart, five small marble-sized objects rolling out. The soldiers ran back, but many were caught in the powerful explosion that tossed me, Rainbow, and Spike backwards. The arches weren't sent flying, more like they were vaporized instantly. Once I gathered my bearings, I glanced to Rainbow, who was smirking evilly as she reached into her satchel and produced five more.

"Time for some payback," she grinned. Spike grabbed two, I took the rest, and we threw them over to the dazed soldiers.

We retreated back into the castle, just as twenty-five explosions rocked the cavern. I couldn't help but smirk as we managed to make it back to the throne room, the doors slamming shut as the unicorns melted down the edges to mend it in place. I realized one flaw to this plan.

This was the last room.

I took a glance around myself, counting how many of us remained.

Aside from the girls, Spike, and Big Mac… only ten others survived. The stallions were shaking violently, their spears raised as they waited for an attack. A flash of gold and indigo prompted us to look to the side, watching as Celestia and Luna trotted over with slight limps.

"They've… blocked off every tunnel," Celestia grunted, silver blood trailing down her left foreleg. "There's… no way out."

"Even the main tunnels… were collapsed," Luna strained, her right hoof lifted from the floor, undeniably broken or fractured. A bit of blood hung at the corner of her mouth, even more coming from her side.

"Is this it?" A Solar questioned.

The doors were being attacked again, and the guards snapped back to attention. Big Mac, Applejack, Pinkie, and Fluttershy each moved up, followed by Celestia and Luna. Spike too, Rarity keeping back to look after Rainbow. I trudged over to the line, my horn fizzling as it tried to light itself. I would only last a couple of shots, then I would have to rely on my own hooves. The roars and growls didn't cease, even as the metal started to crack around the edges. We each breathed with growing anticipation, my leg wobbling out of fear.

"Didn't think Ah'd go out like this." I glanced at Applejack, who bore a small smile. "Thought Ah'd get old like Granny an' pass in mah sleep."

The cracks worsened, and the roars became more audible.

"I… I thought I'd die out there," Fluttershy sighed. "With… Angel Bunny… and some others."

Rainbow chuckled grimly, wincing as her wing throbbed in pain. "Tank's gonna kill me if I don't come back," she said, getting onto her hooves and limping to us. "Didn't even feed him today."

Some of laughed softly, the slow realization of our imminent deaths setting in. "I thought… maybe one day…" Spike lowered his head and sighed, glimpsing over to Rarity. "I could… get Rarity's attention. More than just a friend, I mean."

It had to take a lot of courage for him to say that. Then again, it wouldn't matter after that door, bending against their skulls now, broke down.

"I'm not going back," Tulip sniffled, a spear too heavy for her grasped in her hooves. "I'm not going through any of it again." Tears fell freely as she glared at the door, ready to die if need be.

None of us said any more, instead waiting for the final hit. And when that door fell, we charged forward, bellowing in pure madness as we went to meet them.

GRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!

The soldiers skidded to a halt, and the rest of us stopped immediately, fear kicking back in. The soldiers turned around, but their height allowed them to see what we couldn't. But… we could still see one thing from their body language.

…

Fear.

"Rah! Ngh! GRAAAAAAAHHHH!"

The grunts and roars became louder, and we could hear a battle raging closer. I got on my hind legs, looking over their shoulders. The others tried the same, and our breaths caught in our throats. Soldiers were being sent flying all around, many of which missing limbs. A scout's body was sent across the horde, causing us to jump back as the body landed in front of us. Well… half the body, which included half the torso, one leg, an imploded muzzle, and a pool of blood. We were shocked… but that was moved aside as the rest of the soldiers ran at us. Celestia and Luna fired whatever remained of their magic, me and Rarity included, and we were forced back as Big Mac, Spike, and Applejack kept fighting. A soldier punched Spike to the ground, and my instincts forced the rest of my magic into a single blast that blew the soldier's brains out. Big Mac wrestled with a larger one, and was ultimately thrown backwards, Applejack following after a spear slashed her face and the soldier kicked her away.

Just as they readied to move on to us, their weapons were pulled from their grasp, and they were slammed onto their faces. They whimpered and yelped as they were pulled back, only three left now.

I saw a figure similar to the soldiers tear the others apart, launching them backwards with a single hit. The three in front of us started firing their rifles frantically, hitting their brethren and the figure as well. Three weapons were sent into their chests, knocking them back as a form spun above them and landed in front of us with a shuddering impact.

It… it was the creature. It was awake… snarling… and…

…it made it through all those soldiers.

The remaining three regained their senses and shakily aimed their weapons, even as the creature growled and panted. Several swords and spearheads protruded from its body, which it paid no mind to. The soldiers roared at it, but it let loose a roar far worse than them, so demonic and boisterous it made the Royal Canterlot Voice seem like a whisper. The soldiers dropped their guns and charged, just as their backup arrived. The creature didn't care in the slightest, and it only ran with growing eagerness. It jumped up, kicked one in the face, twirled around, grabbed a sword, and slashed two across the neck, spraying black blood. It snapped one's neck, brought its fist into another's skull, then grabbed their clubs and twirled around.

We watched… shocked… stupefied… afraid… all sorts of things I can't explain, as it just tore through them. It fought with skill they lacked, ferocity they couldn't match, and a roar that shook even them. To think, that this one creature was tearing apart the most horrifying enemy we've ever faced…

…as if they were insects.

But, like a nest of fire ants, their numbers started to overwhelm it. It roared and screamed as they piled on, and it stumbled to carry them all. With a final bellow, it tossed a pile of them back and threw itself toward us, landing on its feet and collapsing to its knees as the soldiers surrounded us. It reached behind itself and pulled the large object on its back in front of itself. It unwrapped the cloths, and we recognized the dark grey coat and scarred left eye.

"Shadow!" Luna exclaimed, grabbing the Lunar general and pulling him away.

The creature looked at each of us, examining us quickly and sniffing loudly. It looked at me, obviously pinpointing my scent. For a moment… I swore I saw a hint of sadness in its eyes… but that was replaced with a snarl as it snatched Rainbow's satchel. "Hey!"

It tore the small bag open, grabbing yet another device Rainbow had taken. This one was a small cube, and it crushed it instantly. Celestia gasped suddenly, clutching her horn as it flashed. An enchantment was broken… but which one?

My answer came, literally, when the soldiers looked behind themselves again. The machine bounded through their lines, leaping up and locking onto the creature in front of us. It latched on, then started changing. The metals flowed over its body, solidifying in familiar patterns and places. When it had fully changed, all that remained uncovered was the creature's face, which was then hidden by the mask of its helmet. The machine… it was living armor. It wasn't here to kill the creature. It came to protect it.

It rose its arms, and I felt a displacement of magic coming from the end of the limb. A shield flew into the room, nestling onto its left arm, and then…

…the blue sword flew in.

It gripped the heavy blade with ONE hand, then lowered itself into a stable stance.

"DERK NOOOOOOK! (COME OOOOOON!)" It bellowed, raising its shield and readying its blade.

That was the day we met.

The day I met the one who would change us all for the better.

He would inspire us with courage, honor, unity, and friendship that we had all forgotten.

That was the day, I met him.

Author's Note

Yes, it is upon us! As always, like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night! Peaces!

Chapter 7

For a while we just stood there, waiting for the creature or the monsters to make a move. The creature lowered its blade and rose its shield in a sort of regal stance, then snarled loud enough for all to hear. The soldiers paced around him, glancing to us but quickly averting their attention to the creature.

They were scared, and the creature knew as much. Even with the hundreds of soldiers to back them up, they didn't dare to make a move. The creature roared loudly, then charged forward. The rush forced the soldiers to attack, but they proved useless against it. We watched it skillfully swing its blade and use its shield as much more than a defensive tool. Soldiers were sent in every direction, some toward us even, as it fought without remorse. The soldiers completely ignored us, even when they were tossed in our direction. The fight went on for some time, the creature getting soaked in black blood, as well as its sword. The floor was slowly pooling with the black fluids of the soldiers, and the living monsters ignored it as they fought in the blood of their fallen. A soldier was sent flying in our direction, getting hung against the wall by the blue sword piercing its chest. It struggled for a moment, until a club smashed its head open.

The creature used its bare hands to tear them apart, punching and kicking deftly as the onslaught of soldiers came. It roared and bellowed constantly, and I could hear emotion in them. Anger, rage… sadness… a thirst for vengeance. It had been imprisoned for Creator-knows how long, and I could understand most of it… but why sadness?

I glanced off to the side, noticing a dying soldier reaching for a rifle. Its left arm was bent incorrectly, and a deep gash in its chest poured a ridiculous amount of blood. The soldier took aim with the rifle, and panic rose in me, only one thing acting in response.

"Watch out!"

The creature turned to me, then to the soldier. Alerting it may have been the worst decision, as the rounds pierced it in several places and a group of soldiers pounced on top. It screamed in agony, but those turned to roars as it pulled them off and threw them into the rest of the horde, forcing many into a tumble. After that, it kicked up a dagger, caught it, then beamed it straight through the injured soldier's head. It jumped toward us, grabbing its sword from the hanging soldier and sheathing it, then turned to the assembling horde. I could feel another surge of mana funneling into two places, then displacements of magic throughout the room. The room began shaking violently, and the soldiers halted immediately. The creature grunted with effort as its arms moved with invisible resistance. The rumbling intensified, enormous cracks opening on the ceiling. Sensing the danger, the soldiers scampered over each other as they fled for the door, but they didn't make it far before boulders fell from above.

All we could do was stare… none of us sure what to do. There was no denying the fact that that thing was doing all of this alone. It was slaughtering them, even with the four holes in its armor and body. The onslaught of soldiers had ceased, and the roars and growls had lowered. But… it was still on high alert, drawing its sword and raising it in a readied stance. I couldn't believe those monsters were still coming back for more, after what it did. Now that it was closer, I had a better view of something that had been bothering me. Around its neck, and still active from the look of it, was the final brace. There were imprints of its fingers on it, meaning it had tried to force it off but failed. If it still had on that brace… we still hadn't seen the extent of its abilities.

My attention snapped back to the mess of boulders and bodies as the true monster of the horde reappeared. I couldn't see the creature's expression because of the helmet, but I could see the glare from the deformed soldier. I guessed it was doing the same, as it readied its blade and let out a low snarl. The soldiers waited behind it, shifting around and growling at the creature and us. Their leader stepped forward slowly, and the creature rose its blade, ready for an attack. It stopped a few meters away, its gaze straying to us… but… I could feel its eyes bearing down on me.

"Fün'ak erko bruut olokt dot (Don't even think about it)" the creature snarled.

The mutant across from it started chuckling softly, then shook its head. "Gef grat igiskonolp, jro erk'ak ül bondosht ül jro vuvikat ek, Doshu'um (With that neutralizer, you aren't as powerful as you would be, Doshu'um)" It chuckled grimly, snarling soon after. "Def utla jro vorsh (If only you knew)"

The creature stiffened slightly, lowering its blade as it stepped forward. "Hruuk erk jro nuklak gorot?! (What are you talking about?!)" It shouted forcefully.

The Alpha started laughing maniacally, then smirked as it reached into a pouch and held out its balled fist. Several of its claws opened, save for the thumb and first claw. Dangling from it…

…was a necklace.

The gems on it were foreign and beautiful, much more than any diamond we've ever seen. There was a very intricately carved shape dangling from the silver-looking chain. It looked like a heart, made from a series of lines with symbols carved into it. The jewelry was obviously feminine… and it didn't belong to the creature in front of us.

But there wasn't any doubt that it recognized where it was from.

I felt a massive amount of mana surging, then darker magics surfacing in the air. The room shook with enough power to rock us all, and I noticed the creature had its fists clenched. The armor separated from its body, then moved towards us. It dispatched into five smaller pieces, four of which planting themselves in the wall around us and creating a field that connected to the fifth. The shaking stopped, but outside the boulders and rocks continued to fall.

"JRO NORTOOOOOOOOOOK! (YOU BASTAAAAAAAAAARD!)"

They charged forward, and I felt a huge displacement of magic as they collided. To our surprise, they completely vanished, but gusts of wind and explosive cracks rang throughout the room. The creature and mutant reappeared briefly, the former stabbing the latter with its blade, both roaring viciously. Then, they became blurs, and that's when I noticed the horde running to the barrier around us. The mutant was sent flying across the room, and several red objects dropped between the soldiers. The canisters exploded, vaporizing those unlucky to be near, and creating a deep crater from the blast. The creature was tearing open their blasters and destroying the cores, using them as makeshift explosives to fend them off. It kept lobbing them into the craters made, deepening it and widening it with each explosion and making it impossible for the soldiers to reach us.

The mutant tackled the creature, and they flew across the room before slamming into the wall. I couldn't make out what was happening then, as there were soldiers forming up on them. The two beasts fought savagely, occasionally leaping above the horde and crashing back down, sending many flying and a few into the hole. The creature roared as it was thrown to the small piece of floor still around our barrier, after smashing into said field. The mutant was right behind it, crashing down feet first. It rolled out of the way, then spun on a hand and kicked the wolf in the snout, flipping to its feet and launching forward, its fist ramming into its cheek.

They engaged in a quick fight; blocking, deflecting, and landing kicks and punches on each other. The mutant landed a crippling kick into the creature's arm, snapping it inwards and forcing a scream from it. It spun mid-air and brought its other leg around, digging its claws into its head and slamming it to the ground. The creature screamed and weighed in agony, growling as it grabbed hold of the mutant's ankle and tossing it into the field. It roared as the barrier shocked it, but it managed to pull itself away and look around for its opponent. The creature was clutching its awkwardly positioned limb, gingerly trying to grab it as it grunted in pain. The mutant chuckled hoarsely, panting as it started forward. The creature grabbed a dagger from its side and tried digging it into the collar brace, but it only slashed it as the mutant punched it back, sending it into the wall at the far side of the room.

It groaned as it fell out from the rock mold, yelping in pain as its arm hung limply. The mutant pounced once more, but this time, the creature punched the inverted joint back into place and roared. They collided, their fists meeting their marks on the other's face. The mutant flipped into the wall while the creature tumbled beside the barrier, panting as it laid on its back and forced itself to stand.

It was getting weak. The continuous fighting was tiring it out, and its gashes and cuts were only weakening it further as it leaked blood. The mutant didn't look any different, except for the fact that it was out of breath. This wasn't a fair fight. The creature was strong, but the mutant was stronger. And with that brace was making it even weaker.

But… it drew its sword and stood up, raising an arm and leveling its blade to the side of its head. Even as the gash on its side bled, it held its stance and waited as the mutant approached with its own sword. Its blade wasn't as finely made, more like it was heated for several hours then molded by an apprentice well under a teen's age. But the crude craftsmanship made it as ugly and menacing as its wielder. The two stared silently, then swiftly swung their blades, sparks flying as they entered a blinding duel. The mutant roared as its chest was slashed horizontally, spraying black blood out. It punched the creature back, then tried stabbing it, but it deflected it and kicked it backwards. They went at it again, and the creature pinned the mutant's sword to the ground then uppercut it in the throat, spinning around and kicking it backwards.

It was excellent with a sword, but it was still getting weaker by the minute. And the monster took notice. We watched in horror as it grunted and rose its arms, stumps growing out from its sides. Those stumps grew claws, and those claws stretched out until they were exactly like the other pair of arms. It dropped its sword and tackled the creature, wrenching the blue blade free and dropping it near the barrier. They tumbled and lashed out at each other, but the mutant got the upper paw and slammed it into the barrier. As it screamed in anguish, the deformed and transmogrified alien stabbed it with the extra pair of limbs, raking its body without remorse.

The gears in my head restarted, as well as some other ponies. I used my magic to pick up a club from outside the barrier and toss it into the mutant's head, drawing its attention to me. Celestia fired a beam at its face, and Luna created a portal spell to drive it into the back of its skull. It released the creature and clawed at its head, and was then thrown back by the creature's abilities. The mutant regained its senses quicker than we expected, and it countered the creature's attempt at punching it, driving all four fists into its midsection and driving it into the ground. The creature didn't stop, even as the former soldier jumped on top of it. It was able to hold down one pair of arms, and use that to keep its chomping maw away, but the second pair continued to claw up and down its chest. The screams shook me, but it tilted its head towards us and screamed.

"DURK JRA UT MIISH!"

I realized it was speaking, and I grimaced as the amount of blood began to register in my mind.

"DURK JRA UT MIISH!!!"

"W-What?!"

It bellowed in pain, but headbutted the mutant and kicked it off, standing with a gored front.

These were his first words. The first words he told me.

"GIVE ME THE FUCKING SWOOOOOOORD!"

…

I never said it was the perfect first impression, but that's not important.

With the last of my mana, I sloppily tossed it with a spell and yelped as my horn sparked from magic depletion. It didn't hold out its hand, just kneeled and raised its head, showing its bloody and restrained neck. The blade… slashed his throat.

Our jaws dropped when the blade clattered to the ground with its own blood, and the creature slowly fell to its knees and grinned… victoriously? It collapsed at last, and the mutant looked on with a smirk. I… I was at a loss for words. We all were. Each of us bore the same shocked and fearful faces. The only thing keeping that thing away from us… was dead. And…

…I killed it.

But that was before we all felt the burst of mana, excluding Spike. A single mass of magic properties began growing bigger, and bigger, and bigger still. The mutant lost its smirk… and fear replaced it. The creature shakily rose to its arms and knees, then to its feet. The neck brace remained on the floor, a clean cut where it had been damaged. The mana levels had easily overshadowed Luna's, and soon the mass eclipsed Celestia's as she would to a unicorn foal. The gashes began sealing, even the one on its neck, as it spread its arms and looked up. Silver began flowing from the wounds still open, and it crawled over its body and covered a majority of its skin, save for a few strips and patches here and there. The mutant steeled its nerves and roared as it gathered dark mana in its four palms, then fired it in an enormous beam. With one swift motion, the creature sent a smaller beam of brilliantly light-blue to meet it. Instead of being overwhelmed, the dark beam was pierced through the center, dispelling the magics as it gradually closed the distance to its palms. Once there, the beam went straight through its chest, and the creature ceased it and grabbed its sword.

A strange and intimidating mask of silver formed over its face, covering everything but its eyes as it took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. The silver shined as bright as any metal, and the creature took on a more natural form. It came closer to the fallen mutant, who jumped up and tried attacking. The creature moved with renewed vigor and even more speed than before. It dodged every arm it used, almost mockingly. It slashed off both left arms, then both right arms. The creature stabbed its sword into its chest and pinned it against the wall, then reached an arm towards us.

The barrier vanished, and the armor pieces flew to the mutant. They clamped down on its neck and ankles, turning into shackles that hung it against the wall. Four pieces floated in mid air, however, and I was answered when the four bloody stumps began to regrow bones and muscle tissue. It was gruesome and vile, but I could see now that they were both able to regenerate, which explained how the mutant had gone on for so long, and what the creature was counting on to happen. Once the arms had regrown, the four pieces of armor clamped down on its arms, spreading them out as far as they could go. The creature stepped forward and placed the blade at its throat, glaring at it, I assumed.

"Hriik. Dot. Alsh? (Where. Is. She?)" It growled, a bit distorted and more terrifying than before.

The monster chuckled hoarsely, earning it another stab to the stomach, which healed after some time.

"OQ GRO VESH DUDEKET TRUKK JRA! (DO NOT PLAY GAMES WITH ME!)" It roared, a more demonic voice than the previous one. "HRIIK DOT ALSH?! (WHERE IS SHE?!)"

The monster spat a glob of black blood at it, and the creature went berserk. It pulled out each arm, one by one, then clawed at the exposed flesh while it regenerated. It then proceeded to send a flurry of punches into its midsection and into its face, letting loose a demonic screech that rattled my very soul. After slowing down and placing its sword back to its throat, it cut a deep line into the base of its neck.

"HRIIK DOT ALSH?!"

It still chuckled weakly, and the creature turned and roared in frustration, spewing words I couldn't make out from the demonic tone. It smashed a couple of boulders to pieces, clutching its head in anger and rage as it continued to shout.

"Jro rurikat vrut korsk fraol (You should have been there)" It laughed weakly, raising its head up. "Jro rurikat vrut felsh alsh nrak loke (You should have seen her that day)"

The creature froze in place, its arms slowly lowering to its sides.

"Ahh, ut toortoket od jrom beshka… ut toortoket od jrom nilak (Ahh, the screams of your people… the screams of your spouse)" It chuckled, more maniacally this time. "Nrik folsh certok alshana nrak loke, ürk jra zotok yursh jro ip alsh (There were many women that day, but I could smell you on her)"

The creatures arms strained… the veins bulging, just as a darker mana began flowing through the room once again.

"Jra renkop alsh beshnaga. Jra welt fel hraak jro vork alsh. Naga… londaku (I defiled her personally. I can see why you chose her. Very… tenacious)" It snickered.

The creature's fingers curled slightly, twitching as they flexed out of intense emotion.

"Alsh toortok… grak toortok… hyal jro gush'ak nrik (She screamed… and screamed… yet you weren't there)" It said with mock curiosity. "Ty veg dot jra fexgra: Vuvikat jro vrut salemek ut nenjorok ot jra zrex nrak frot yorst alsh paqat? (So here is my question: Would you have loved the offspring of my seed that came from her womb?)"

The mutant waited as the creature's hands balled into fists, its arms curling inwards in pure anger. Two small pikes began pushing out from the creature's shoulder blades, and its spine began to crack and squelch as it move. The pikes turned towards the ceiling, and the creature's snarls became louder with each passing second. Black began to spread across the silver, and the pikes reached full length, just as something started to moved under its spine. But, the pikes began to recede, along with the black, and its spine realigned, its arms lowering slowly. It turned around, its very eyes acting as windows into Tartarus. It slowly walked over to the mutant, drew its sword… and sliced the head clean in half.

We each looked over the carnage that had been left. Hundreds of soldier bodies were strewn about, puddles of black blood pooled around the bodies while some streamed into the deep trench. Limbs and pieces of flesh were scattered, and the stench of death lingered. We all turned to the creature as it fell to its knees, then leaned its head against the wall beneath the deceased monster. It shuddered several times, its muscles straining visibly as it growled lowly. It reared its head back one last time, looking towards the ceiling.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Author's Note

It's been a while, but Writer's Block is officially gone. Don't worry, this thing won't be completely filled with gore like that (*lies*) and it will be mostly calm and violent instead of batshit insane. Also, I've made up my mind, and shipping will NOT happen. So, as always, like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night. Peaces.

Chapter 8

It was… crying.

We could hear it sniffling… growling occasionally and punching the wall, which made large dents in the solid rock. The armor had detached from the mutant soldier, observing its user as it continued to shudder and weep. I glanced to the girls, then to the princesses, and we all shared confused and unsure looks. Beside me, Rainbow nudged Fluttershy gently, encouraging her since she was good with animals. Even though this wasn't an animal, it looked as though it could use some kindness. Fluttershy gulped nervously, shying closer to the creature with us in tow, in case anything were to happen.

It may have saved us, but it could easily turn on us for its own reasons.

She gestured for us to stop a few feet away, and we waited with anticipation as she stood directly behind it. Slowly, she moved around to its side and got on her knees, watching it cry for a minute. Whether it let go of any tears or not, she placed a hoof on its shoulder, which had reverted back to blood soaked skin. The creature didn't do anything in response, just continued sobbing as she started to run her hoof over its back comfortingly. Soon, the silent whimpering softened, and it wiped its eyes before letting out a trembling sigh.

"Thank you," Fluttershy whispered, the silence allowing us to hear her gentle voice. "For saving us."

The creature glanced at her, staring at her I presumed, as it just looked at her for some time. It ran a hand through its short and ragged mane, then reached over to its dead adversary, taking the necklace and tossing it to the armor. It caught it in four spindly fingers, then absorbed it into the main mass. The creature took off its sword, placing the strap and sheathed weapon beside itself, then pulled a dagger out from its side, allowing the wound to heal itself.

Fluttershy, from the look of it, wasn't sure what to do next. "Are… are you okay?" She asked, putting on a warm and genuine smile.

The creature turned its head fully, giving us a view of its emotionless expression. Even with the neutral gaze… I could see its eyes puffed around lids and the small frown.

"I'm fine."

I gasped silently, forgetting momentarily it could speak. Fluttershy seemed a bit surprised as well, but she kept herself composed. "Um… we want to thank you for keeping us safe," she nodded softly.

The creature nodded as well, settling onto its rear as it sighed. "It was no trouble," it said, a deep and smooth voice deferring from the demonic roars it released minutes ago.

Since she was speaking to a sentient, intelligent being, I couldn't blame her for asking, "Are you a male or a female?"

The creature chuckled, which I took as a good sign. "Male," he laughed softly. He glanced to us, his eyes darting over each of us before he turned back to Fluttershy. "I presume you are all female, save for him," he said, gesturing to Big Macintosh.

"Yes," Fluttershy smiled. "Oh… um, I should introduce myself. My name is Fluttershy."

She held her hoof out, expecting it to bump her hoof. "Reku'un. Reku'un Alamonshuor," he nodded, taking her hoof and shaking it. Fluttershy twitched as he wrapped his large hand around her hoof and shook gently.

So… he was the Doshu'um. The owner of the sword. He obviously wasn't the leader of the horde. So then, what did his title mean?

Fluttershy gestured to us, then said, "Maybe they'd like to know you, too," she smiled.

Reku'un chuckled softly, then stood up. "Thank you, Fluttershy," he smiled, walking over to us with her at his side. His height completely overshadowed us, and he was at least a head taller than Celestia, forcing her to look up as well.

Princess Celestia took the initiative and cleared her throat. "I am Princess Celestia," she smiled, holding her hoof out but flinching as she remembered it was injured.

Suddenly, the creature shot out an arm and grabbed the hoof. We went on high alert, but our bodies were kept still against our will.

"What are you—?!" Fluttershy went silent as a blue aura emanated from the creatures palm and onto Celestia's hoof.

She watched incredulously as the slash marks on her foreleg sealed instantly, and the aura traveled up to her bleeding cheek, healing it as well. Reku'un freed us from the telekinetic grip he had us in. Celestia and Luna were shocked about as much as we were, but Reku'un only smiled and chuckled.

"Reku'un Alamonshuor, Your Highness," he chuckled, getting onto a knee and bowing. "From what I gather, she would be your… daughter?"

Luna rolled her eyes as Celestia giggled. "She isn't that much older than I," the Princess of the Night huffed. "I am her sister, and co-ruler of Equestria."

Reku'un noticed the firm tone, and he quickly lost his smile. "My mistake," he nodded respectfully.

"Don't mind her," Celestia smiled. "She can get very flustered at times."

Luna rolled her eyes, but Celestia nudged her to quit acting as she was. Reku'un took her broken hoof anyway and healed it as well, smiling softly as she thanked him. "And… who are you all?" He asked us.

Brash and bold as ever, Rainbow stepped up and shook his hand. "Rainbow Dash," she nodded. "Fastest pegasi around."

I didn't think she would actually use that old, self-given title. "Nice to meet you," he chuckled, gauging the self-confidence that Rainbow couldn't shake.

"Pinkie Pie," Pinkie smiled, shaking his hand next.

"Rarity," my fashionista friend greeted.

"Ah'm Applejack," AJ nodded, giving him a firm shake. "And this is mah brother, Big Macintosh."

The macintosh-red stallion gave him a knowing nod and firm shake. He finally moved to me, his nose twitching quickly and his eyes widening just a bit. He waited for me, and I swallowed the lump in my throat, then cleared it.

"My name is Twilight Sparkle," I said, extending a hoof out. "Princess Celestia's student."

He slowly took my hoof, then kneeled down. "You were the one who took the chains from my body," he said, earning surprise looks from us.

"So you were awake?" I asked, a bit more quickly and more rudely than I intended.

He shook his head. "I was… drifting," he sighed. "I… remember being chained inside… a fortress."

"We got you outta there," Rainbow told him. "And we got those things off of ya because of Tulip."

Reku'un turned back to the young mare to my right, and he smiled gratefully, but eyed the scars over her body. "Thank you," he nodded.

She nervously nodded. "I-It was… nothing," Tulip said.

It was then that I realized that he was still holding my hoof, and I think the others noticed as well. I withdrew my hoof from his hand, snapping his attention back to me.

"So… are they all dead?" I quickly asked.

Reku'un nodded, a frown forming as he glanced at the bodies. "I made sure of it," he snorted. "Are there more of you?"

"Yes, they've evacuated to another settlement," Celestia said. "Through the eastern tunnel."

"Then let's get you to safety," he said. "Nalo."

His armor whirred and sprinted over to him.

"Yungok i deget (Create a bridge)" He ordered.

The armor split into four pieces, two planting themselves across the small gorge while the other two planted themselves on our side. A flicker of light connected them, and a bridge of light formed.

"We should move quickly, before another horde comes," he warned.

We trotted cautiously over the bridge, then made our way out of the castle. Outside, even more bodies of dead soldiers laid around, piles of them here and there. Reku'un walked beside us, his armor following at the back as we made our way to the eastern tunnel. When we reached the exit, we discovered that it had collapsed on itself. We each reacted similarly, turning around and dreading the fact that we needed to go through the tunnel the soldiers had came through.

"Hold on," Reku'un said. He kneeled down and placed his palm on the ground, closing his eyes and slowing his breathing.

Another pulse of mana passed over me, as well as the princesses and Rarity. He stood back up, aimed his palm at the door, and fired a large beam straight through the pile of boulders. The beam brightened until it was blinding to look, but it only lasted for a few seconds. The mess of rocks had been cleared to nothing, a new hole having been carved to make sure it didn't collapse. He sighed softly, lowering his arm and clutching his head before he turned to us.

"This is where we part ways," he informed us.

"This is the only way to go," Luna told him. "The other entrance—"

"Is where the Arthanians poured through," he interrupted. "I know. And that is where I intend to go."

"WHAT?!" We all shouted, even Big Mac.

"You're not serious, right?!" Rainbow exclaimed.

"You could die!" Fluttershy added.

"There are thousands of those things!" I continued, stepping forward. "We have to leave before more come!"

He didn't answer, instead waiting for his armor to wait behind him. "Those neutralizers made me weak," he told us. "I've yet to fully understand what you all are, and I think you feel the same, but I can battle armies of those bastards and survive," he stated matter-of-factly. "My partner is being held still, and I won't leave her. Now, would you mind telling me where it was you found me?"

We stared at him with disbelieving and incredulous looks, unsure if he was arrogant, stubborn, stupid, or all three. "There are too many for me and my sister to handle, even together," Celestia said, trying to warn him. "You may have handled these soldiers, but there are much more in Canterlot."

Reku'un laughed, not mockingly, but we were still a bit offended. "I guess this is a reasonable time to tell you about my kind," he chuckled. "My planet is many star systems away. It is much bigger than this one, more than twice its size. My people train upon our third cycle to fight these abominations."

He drew his blade, looking over the symbols with pride.

"My father gave me this sword," he chuckled. "As his father did the same, and his father before him, and his father before him, and so on for four hundred and eighty-nine generations. They used this sword and that very same armor to guide my people, and now it is my turn."

That would mean…

"Each of my ancestors have cleansed planets of these things, for the past million years," Reku'un smiled. "My brothers are out right now, looking for me with my father. Their powers completely overshadow my own, and they aren't as merciful as I am. But… right now, my mission is to find Nyla, signal my kind, and hopefully bring in a fleet to save this planet before it is a barren wasteland."

His kind had been at war… for millions of years… and there were more like him… and they had lasted this long. And their mission was to kill these things?

"You are the Doshu'um!" Luna exclaimed. "I told you, Sister! I knew he was one of mother's vanguards! They weren't stories, and he is living proof of that fact!"

Reku'un looked surprised that she knew who he was, and what his title represented. "You… You said… your mother's vanguards?"

Celestia stepped forward, a more stern look on her face. "If your power is as plentiful as you say it is, then I am ordering you to help us," she said. "My little ponies have suffered for a decade, living in fear of those monsters and destroying any hope the foals can come up with."

Reku'un looked a bit angered by the fact that she had ordered him around, and he said as much. "There are races that have suffered for centuries," he shouted. "My own people lose millions of our own for the protection of each race! What gives you the idea that I should drop everything and help only you?!"

Luna stepped forward as well. "Because we are ordering you, as the daughters of Minira," she said.

Reku'un gasped softly, looking over each more thoroughly. He saw the sun and moon cutie marks, then the similarities in their faces and forms. To our surprise, he dropped to both knees and bowed with both hands resting on the ground.

"I-I… I apologize," he quickly said. "I… did not realize you existed on the mortal plane."

"Then make amends and help us," Celestia said, desperation settling in. "I want my ponies to see the sun again. To witness my sister's moon and stars. And to live as we once did."

"We need something, a glimmer even, to bring hope. And with you, we found a ray of light that has burned since the dawn of your kind," Luna added. "Please. Our mother has asked much, and she knows this better than either of us. But we ask again, that you help us protect our subjects and give our lands back to us."

Reku'un stood up, sheathing his blade and nodding with a new demeanor of loyalty. "I promise, Ichima and Limir, that I will free this planet," he stated. "But I still must find my partner before I am at full strength. And signaling my people would make this a short battle. But it will make the body count practically zero. So I ask you, will you allow me to find my partner?"

"We shall," Celestia said, placing a hoof on his right shoulder. "But after that, you must come into hiding with us, and protect our settlements. Just until we can figure out our next move. Understand?"

Reku'un nodded. "Clearly," he nodded. "Lead the way."

Me and the others were still completely unsure as to what they were talking about, but I felt that we would find out real soon.

For now, we needed to run.

But this would be the last time we ran. The last time we fled from our enemy.

Because now, we had met him.

Now, we had his trust and undying loyalty to his gods.

With him, we would become free.

With him, we would take back our world.

With him… we would reclaim our freedom.

Author's Note

Yep, that's who he is. Another alternate to my main story. But, as I said, this is my attempt at darker stuff. But now, we get into some lighter and meaningful writing. So, as always, like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night! Peaces!

Chapter 9

We walked down the eastern tunnel, complete silence throughout the enormous cavern. Reku'un walked at the back, his armor equipped to his body as he watched our rear. Me and the girls occasionally glanced his way, eyeing him with curiosity as he spoke with Celestia and Luna. Luna seemed more eccentric to talk with him, but that wasn't to say Celestia wasn't happy to speak with him.

"So, Celestia and Luna do have parents," Rainbow said, earning sarcastic looks of surprise from us. "Hey, there are idiots that say Celestia made Luna."

I sighed with a shake of my head. "He said something about being the next ruler of his kind," I said. "Would that make him a prince?"

"He doesn't act like one," Rarity pointed out, respectfully. "You'd think being the ruler of an entire species would tune his behavior."

"Well, it could have been worse," Fluttershy shrugged. "He just acts a bit… too quickly?"

"Like Rainbow?" Pinkie chuckled, just as the rainbow mare gave her a playful shove.

"I could be way worse, y'know," she laughed, scratching her mane. Her smile faded as she entered her thoughts, which was made obvious as she started to slow down a bit and keep her gaze to the ground.

"Somethin' bothering you, Dash?" Applejack questioned, snapping out of her thoughts and trotting to catch up.

"Do… do you guys remember what he did… after he killed that thing?" She asked. "Flutters, was he—"

"Crying?" I rose a brow as Fluttershy nodded softly, the scenes of the battle raging before returning to my mind. "Yes… a lot, actually."

We glanced back at him, watching him listen closely to Celestia and Luna's words. "Why, though?" Rainbow asked quietly.

The necklace passed through my thoughts. "Maybe… maybe the necklace had something to do with it," I said softly, thinking what it could mean. "A mother… a sister… a marefriend…"

"A daughter." I glanced to Fluttershy, who kept her eyes to the floor as we kept walking. "So… he knows how we all feel."

"Well how couldn't he?" Applejack said. "He's been fighting longer than us. Ah don't think he hasn't lost somepony."

I glanced back at him as the girls debated who he could have lost, sighing as I noticed him behind the princesses, holding the necklace up to his face.

I guess he's one of us now.

My gaze lingered on the beautiful gem until he close his hand over it and looked away, accidentally meeting my eyes. I have to say, his eyes were very… interesting. Ponies usually have the colored iris and the pupil, as all of us do. His were sort of the same, except they were hazel, which was very rare for us, and they looked like a star formation. The pupil was regular, but his irises looked as though I was staring straight into the cosmos. Only after I realized his armor had started whirring behind him, which snapped me out of my trance and caused realization to set in, did I turn back around, awkwardly, I might add.

"What's wrong?" Spike asked, nudging my shoulder.

I forced my voice past the lump in my throat. "N-Nothing," I said, my voice cracking slightly. "Just… just thinking how close that all was."

He didn't believe that, as much as he tried acting as though he did, but he only shrugged and looked ahead. I could see his own panic and awkward look as he continuously glanced between the ground ahead of him and Rarity. After looking myself, I noticed Rarity had actually adjusted her gaze towards the girls. I'm no idiot, and I think I've seen enough looks from Orion to know that they were trying to catch a glimpse of each other.

"Oh…" I chuckled weakly. "You, uh… admitted it?"

He showed me a hopeless frown, then sighed as he lowered his head. "I thought… this would be the last time I'd ever be alive to see her so… y'know…" The blush on his cheeks was adorable; it reminded me of the assistant that used to be only shoulder high to me.

"Relax," I chuckled, putting a hoof on his shoulder. "Maybe she won't remember."

It seemed to have the exact opposite effect of what I was going for. "Yeah… maybe," he sighed.

I forced him to look at me, giving him a stern gaze. "Spike, you're not the same dragon you were ten years ago," I told him. "If Rarity doesn't like you, even a little bit, she's crazy. And even if she doesn't, there are lots of mares for you. They can be just as good as Rarity. Maybe even better. But don't doubt yourself, okay?"

He sighed softly, but I grinned as a smirk worked its way across his snout. "I never said I was giving up on mares, Twi," he laughed. "But thanks… it means a lot to me."

I nuzzled him softly, then gasped as I saw torches up ahead. "There's the settlement," Celestia said, turning to Reku'un. "Now… I need you to understand that the ponies… won't be as comfortable as we are. Not after what we've seen."

He nodded softly, whistling to his armor. "Nalo, ercef ut buvuglo. Neel urt anek jakotet jro fel, grak orshot ot ut zukan (Nalo, secure the perimeter. Wipe out any packs you see, and dispose of the bodies)" He ordered in a grim tone, his machine clicking before morphing into a ball and rolling back the way we came.

"Where's it going?" Rainbow asked.

"Just to clear the area," he replied, gesturing towards the camp. "We should keep moving."

The princesses nodded, then walked ahead as we approached the enormous stone wall. Their magics flickered, but magic depletion was still a problem for them. Reku'un passed between me and Fluttershy as he walked up to the doors. The stone was at least thirty to fourty meters tall, easy, and had to weigh at least a couple hundred pounds. But, with a quiet grunt and a quick shove of his arms, the doors flew open, revealing the larger, and very crowded settlement ahead of us. We kept still for a minute as he stood there, looking over the camp before turning back to us. A sly, and sort of arrogant, grin appeared briefly, and he gestured for us to go first.

Celestia and Luna walked into the camp with Reku'un behind him, and me, the girls, Mac and Spike walked in after. The raucous from the cave-city reached us as we walked down the stone path, the voices of many ponies calling out for each other and the sobs of others reaching us. Everypony made it out… except for our platoon at the western end. Mothers, fathers, and family of the Solar Guards that were lost. I noticed many of the ponies quiet down as the princesses got closer, but their relieved and worried expressions changed to fear as they saw Reku'un walk up with them. A regime of Solars that had survived, Bravo I presume, marched out from the crowd and surrounded us, aiming their spears with mixed emotions of fear, anger, and bravado as they edged closer.

"Lay your weapons down!" Luna shouted, glaring at the lead Captain. "Now!"

"What is that thing?!" A mare shrieked.

"It looks like those monsters! Just without fur!" Yelled a gruff stallion. "You've brought them here!"

"Kill it before it can call the rest of them!" Another mare shouted. Shouts and yells of agreement echoed throughout the crowd as they slowly gave into their fear.

"He is not one of those things!" Celestia shouted, her voice booming louder than any of them. "He protected us from them! He is the reason they didn't make it here! The reason we survived!"

"And what about the others?!" An elder mare screamed, her eyes reddened from excessive weeping. "How come they weren't saved as well?!"

The princesses held their tongues, but I looked down to Reku'uns clenched fist. That remark had hurt him more than it did the princesses, but the more he heard, the harder his fist clenched, the knuckles quickly turning white as a stallion screamed that they had let them die so the princesses could escape.

"We all fought our hardest!" Rainbow yelled, stomping in front of the princesses. "They did too, but we couldn't protect them!"

"Because you were at the back with those princesses, just because you six are the ‘Elements of Harmony’!" A young mare sneered. "That's why you made it and they didn't! Not my brother, or my father!"

I heard the ground beneath Reku'un crack softly, and the thin black cloth over his body, which he had kept from the armor, began to part in several places. Mana poured into the air at an alarming rate, and the princesses and many other unicorns in the crowd noticed.

"Why would you protect one of our enemies?!" Another pony screamed.

"We're suffering enough! Don't keep any to wipe us out in our sleep!" Somepony else cried.

The more and more ponies that yelled, the more and more cracks began spreading and growing out from underneath him. One split beneath Pinkie's hoof, prompting her to glance back. The girls looked as well, including Spike, and we realized it was Reku'un's own magic essence doing this. The fact that it wasn't focused like before shocked me, but my shock worsened when the openings in the cloth showed us his skin splitting apart in several places, the silver secretion from before gradually crawling out. He fought it down quickly, forcing the gashes shut as his fists unclenched.

"Are we going to let them—!"

"I WASN'T STRONG ENOUGH!" He roared, much more loud than anypony currently screaming. The guards rose their spears again, their false courage and anger wholly replaced with terror. "IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR?! FINE! I COULDN'T PROTECT YOUR SONS, YOUR HUSBANDS, YOUR FAMILY FROM THESE MUTTS! I TRIED, MINIRA KNOWS I TRIED! BUT I WAS WEAK! I AM WEAK! BUT DON'T YOU DARE COMPARE ME TO THEM!"

He rose his arm, and a few moments later, the body of the deformed soldier flew in, just as he grabbed it by the back of the neck and showed it to the crowd. They gasped in horror, some vomiting at the sight of the split head still bleeding black.

"THIS IS WHAT MY KIND FACE EVERY SINGLE MOMENT!" He yelled, stepping closer to the guards. "MY FAMILY HAS FOUGHT THEM FOR MILLENIA, MY PEOPLE SACRIFICING OURSELVES AT THIS VERY MOMENT! YET YOU, CREATURES WHO HAVE ENDURED A SECOND OF WHAT THE UNIVERSE HAS FACED FOR GENERATIONS! AND WORSE, YOU BLAME YOUR GODDESSES?! DO YOU REALLY THINK THEY'D SEND THOUSANDS IN THEIR WAY TO PROTECT THEMSELVES?! THOSE ANIMALS SHOULD HAVE UNITED YOU ALL, BUT INSTEAD, YOU FIGHT AMONGST EACH OTHER AS IF YOU'RE ENEMIES! THE ENEMY IS HERE!" He yelled, shaking the dead body. "THIS IS THE ONLY ENEMY. THIS IS THE CAUSE OF ALL YOUR SORROW AND GRIEF. DO NOT TURN ON THOSE WHO PROTECT, BUT FOLLOW THEM! FOR IF YOU WISH TO MAKE THEIR DEATHS MEANINGFUL, YOU'LL HONOR THEM BY KEEPING THOSE AROUND YOU ALIVE! CAN YOU DO THAT?! CAN YOU FIGHT FOR ONE ANOTHER, AND NOT FOR YOUR OWN PURPOSES?!"

The guards had lowered their spears, and many of the ponies looked on with surprised curiosity… but also looks of shame and regret. I noticed something glimmer as it fell to the floor, and a spot near Reku'un looked… moist.

"Can you do what my brothers have sworn to? What I swore when I saw an entire army of my people die in my name?" Reku'un said, a more gentle and pleading voice. "I know nothing of your old lives… but I know how sudden and violently they were taken from each of you. But that doesn't matter anymore. If your enemy needn't tear you apart, then you've already lost."

General Stomper stepped forward, removing his helmet and revealing the scar across his left eye. "Son… we've lost long ago," he sighed, glancing to the ponies around. "We just need to survive. For as long as we can."

Reku'un stepped forward, grabbing General Stomper's head, just as Celestia and Luna rose a hoof for the guards to ease up. Stomper looked defiantly at Reku'un, but the man had a much softer expression as his hand began glowing. Just like before, when he pulled the hand away, the scar that left him blinded was gone, and his eye was no longer a hazy grey. The ponies were shocked, intrigued, and relieved all at once.

"My people have fought for every type of being there is, but now, I declare another planet as an ally," Reku'un announced. "As Doshu'um, heir to my father's throne, and future ruler of my people, I declare that we will stop at nothing to wipe out the horde and give you back the homes you once had. I promise you all, that we will help rebuild, we will help your crops to regrow, and we will make sure that every death you have suffered will not have been for naught. You can be sure that they will pay for everything they have done, but you must band together, not only with me, but with every other species on this planet. Cast aside your differences, and you can truly be a threat to these monstrosities."

Celestia stepped forward, joined by her sister as they eased General Stomper back. "Our mother had told their kind to us as foals. They are guardians of all things living and non; vanguards against any evil that is too strong for any one culture. And now, they wish to help us by giving us an army and powerful fighters. But we cannot rely on them." Luna cleared her throat softly.

"We must gather the griffons. Call to the dragons. The minotaurs. The Empire. And the Diamond Dogs as well," she said, her voice booming throughout the cavern. "We must take our home ourselves, even if we are being assisted. We must be there when our flags are raised, when we retake our cities and cast them off to the stars. But only if you are willing to risk such a thing. It will be long… harsh… and many of us won't live to see the fruits of our labor. And yet, your foals will. Your grandfoals will, and all generations after."

"So I ask you, my little ponies: Will you trust our decision one last time?" Celestia asked.

The silence lingering could be pierced by just about anything, even another gust of wind. I waited for something, anything at this point, to happen. Jeers: not so much. Them turning away, or even telling us how hopeless that was: sort of. Stomping: very much.

And yet, no pony made a move. No sound. No other expression.

Until Rainbow stepped forward.

"I'm tired of running and hiding," she shouted, standing next to Reku'un. "So… I'm with him."

Applejack trotted up next. "If ya'll ever wanna get back home, Ah think ya might wanna stick with the big fella," she laughed. "Pretty darn strong, let me tell ya."

Mac joined his little sister, followed by Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rarity. Spike and I were the last ones to join him, and Celestia and Luna moved to us as well.

Soon… the guards mounted their spears on their backs, signaling we had their support. Separate groups began stomping their hooves, until more and more came around to the idea. Many actually left… but knowing we still had a good number of ponies, nearly all of them from Ponyville, behind us, we could at least inspire hope. We were looking for a glimmer… but we found a ray.

General Stomper tossed aside the eye patch he usually wore and stuck his hoof out to Reku'un. "As long as you keep your end, I'll keep these boys in check," he chuckled, raising a brow as Reku'un placed a hand on his left shoulder instead.

"This is how my people greet leaders of war," he explained chuckling softly. He moved to Celestia, then placed his hand on her right shoulder. "And this is how we greet close friends and family. I thank you, daughters of Minira, for believing in me. And to all of you as well."

Rainbow laughed awkwardly and scratched her head. "Yeah, but if this doesn't work, we're all gonna look like idiots, huh?" She questioned playfully.

I laughed softly…

…

I laughed.

…

I laughed.

…

And so did they. Even Reku'un.

No matter how brief it was, they all still laughed. "Twilight."

I snapped my attention to my former teacher, who gestured to Reku'un. "I'll need you and General Stomper working with Reku'un to develop strategies with any information he can provide," Celestia told me. "And I'm also very curious as to what my mother actually made of them and their culture. I apologize, Reku'un, but the new settlers will be homeless and starving unless we arrange living areas for them and some in our other camps."

He bowed respectfully. "I understand," he nodded. He then glanced to me, and again I swore I saw something close to sadness in his eyes. "It will be an honor to work with both of you, especially your student."

Spike nudged my shoulder, snapping me out of my inquisitive stare as I realized Reku'un was kneeling in front of us. Even at half his height he was still bigger than me. But he was still waiting with a hand outstretched, waiting for me to take it. I slowly placed my hoof in his hand, shifting as I felt his fingers wrap around it gently. It felt… different, but not uncomfortable or unpleasant in any way. After a soft shake, he stood up, and turned to Celestia and Luna.

"Where shall I rest?"

Author's Note

Yeah, I said no romance, but I never said anything about sequel romance. Anyway, hope you're all enjoying it so far. I hope to make it long enough, but not to an extent. So, as always, like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night. Peaces.

Chapter 10

It took a few days for everything to settle down, what with a new species showing up out of nowhere. The girls were going to stay for a while, at least until we would start recon assignments, and Reku'un was given a place to sleep. Given how massive he was, a normal bed wouldn't be enough, so the princesses, the girls and I gave him any spare blankets and cushions to sleep on. He insisted on us keeping them, as he didn't mind sleeping on the ground. He said he'd slept on worse.

Only a few days and we were starting to plan out the taking of Equestria.

Celestia asked any of the recon, Solar AND Lunar veterans if they would volunteer to send a message to the four nations around. Very few did… but enough would be sent. Now we just have to wait for a reply… if they don't die, at least.

Over the few days, Reku'un was familiarizing himself with the cavern, and Celestia, Luna and I showed him most of the tunnel system maps. He only took one glance and never looked again, but he remembered them as if it was the back of his hand (as he's told us).

Today, Celestia, Luna and most of their commanders and generals would speak to Reku'un on plans of attack. I would have to be there to decide whether or not we would have enough unicorn support or if we would even be able to cast enough barriers in the first place.

Honestly, I've never done something like this before. I led recon missions, but never a full-on assault – especially against these monsters. But now, I had to. If we wanted any chance of making an attack, I had to give it my all. No lies, no doubt, just facts and variables that could ruin the mission.

Knock knock

"Miss Twilight?" A firm voice of a guard called. "The Princess would like to see you."

I gathered a few things, slung it over my back, and opened the door. He stepped to the side as I started for the castle, and the moment I reached it, he shut the door behind me. I could guess why Celestia didn't want anypony interrupting, or even seeing for that matter.

I navigated through the halls, trying to recall where the war room was. It only took a few turns and a lot of voices to guide me towards it. The moment I stepped in, the room fell silent. I glanced emotionlessly to each of the stern and grim stallions in the room, then slowly made my way over to Celestia and Luna.

"Have a seat, Twilight," Luna said softly, gesturing to the chair beside her.

I nodded and placed the bag beside my chair before sitting. "Where's Reku'un?" I questioned.

"We were hoping you'd seem him," Celestia said, almost disappointed.

"Didn't we send a guard for him?" A stallion snorted. "He should be—"

The door bursted open and a Solar guard saluted while panting breathlessly. "What is it?" He questioned quickly.

"We can't… find the… the creature, sir," he forced himself to say. "Half a squad checked the entire camp."

"You've brought it here, and now it abandons us?!" An older stallion shouted.

"We weren't told that he would be leaving," Celestia calmly stated, a slight jerk of her temple displaying a second's irritation.

"But why didn't you keep somepony around it?" He practically bellowed.

"Because I trust him," Celestia said loudly, venom slipping in gradually. "You don't have any right to judge him."

Before any more shouting occurred, the door swung open and slammed into the wall. Reku'un ducked under the doorway and stepped inside, his armor slinking behind him. He greeted the princesses formally, bowing to them, then nodded with a small smile to me. I returned the gesture, then peered at the officers in the room. Mixed emotions of fear, interest, and distrust were obvious, but mostly fear.

"Nalo." The machine whirred to a standing position. "Yugvka ut ika (Display the city)"

His armor detached into four different pieces, startling the officers and causing them to step back from the table. The four pieces crawled their way to the corners of the war table, then clicked as miniature poles stuck out, the spherical tips glowing bright orange.

They flashed once… and Canterlot was displayed before us.

The officers had shielded themselves when the flash emitted, but now they could only stare in shock and wonder. Reku'un moved closer and put his hands on the image. He spread his arms further apart, and the images became smaller and smaller as we were given a birds' eye view.

"I apologize for my absence," Reku'un said, nodding to the officers in the room. "I needed to make one last reconnaissance trip around the city."

"You left the settlement?" Luna questioned.

Reku'un nodded. "I can't connect with my partner," he sighed. "I just needed to see where she's most likely to be."

"I thought we were here to discuss how we would retake our country," another lieutenant angrily stated.

"We can discuss that after I rescue my partner," he replied, a tone that was not to be trifled with.

Unfortunately, we had our own stallions like that.

"We can't risk hundreds of stallions for one of your kind!" General Thunder, a Pegasus pony, shouted. "You said you'd help us! How is this—"

Reku'un slammed his fist onto the table, disrupting the hologram and cracking the stone table. The guards at the door pointed their spears at him the moment he did.

I went to say something, but Celestia placed a hoof in front of me.

"I DON'T HAVE TIME TO EXPLAIN MY REASONS, ALRIGHT?!" He snarled, glaring daggers at Thunder. "I promised to help… I have, but to be of any use I NEED my partner. She holds as much power as I do."

He stepped back and exhaled softly, then looked to Celestia, Luna, and me.

"Forgive me. I haven't dealt with offworlders at all," he admitted. "

"From now on, I'm going to ask that you allow him to FULLY explain," Celestia announced. "His kind knows what these monsters are capable of, and they've fought longer than any of us have been alive."

The old stallions glanced to one another, then retook their seats with mixed dispositions. "Thank you," Reku'un said. "You said you'd found me in this city. Those Arthanians didn't to keep us separate for long."

"And why not?" Luna asked.

"My partner would die, if they did," he told her grimly. "They were most likely planning on killing her in front of me… or torture me even more."

I couldn't imagine what that would look like. A female version of him… and was what worse was that it was his partner. I still didn't know exactly what he meant by "partner". Was it his partner in battle, his marefriend… his wife?

"Where do you think she is?" Commander Lance asked.

Reku'un turned the image, then zoomed in on the castle. "From what Nalo recorded, they have a considerable amount of activity in this particular structure," he explained. "And he was able to detect energy suppressors and sub-zero pillars."

"Sub-zero pillars?" I interrupted. "Why do they need those?"

Reku'un turned to me and sighed. "Nyla is a pyro Nera'ak. She can manipulate fire through her eternal flame," he informed us. "But they're trying to keep her element suppressed. Her energy is drained, and the pillars keep her from being able to fight back."

I nodded slowly. "Could you destroy the pillars and suppressors?" I asked him.

"Not exactly," he sighed. "They'd drain enough energy to force me to smash them apart. And touching one would cut my energy in half."

He zoomed back out, then swiped his hand to move through the city. "What are those?" Luna asked.

"These are smaller versions of the prison you broke into," he answered. "They're usually used in order to stock prisoners for torture later on, but they keep generators here for the prisoners to work."

"So we attack them and you could free your friend?" Thunder questioned. "It isn't going to be easy to sneak enough guards in without attracting their attention."

I stared with a look of disbelief as he… smirked.

"We'll need a distraction, then," Celestia said, rubbing the side of her head softly. "I don't think any—"

"I'm going to be the distraction," Reku'un announced.

We all fell silent, looking at him as if he were crazy. And still, he was smiling. "You're not serious, are you?" Major Crawler exclaimed.

"This mission will fail before it even starts!" Major Streak pointed out. "Our stallions will get caught!"

"Reku'un, I don't think even you could handle that many of them," Celestia softly said. "Luna or I could—"

"I'm not arrogant," he firmly told us. "I can buy you all enough time to destroy the generators and free your own. But you'll need to be quick about it."

"How can we know?" General Thunder insisted. "You survived the attack in the first settlement but—"

"He can do it."

All eyes turned to me, even my mentor and her sister.

"How do you know?" After Crawler asked that, I gulped and tried to use what knowledge I had.

"He was powerful enough to take out the entire pack that came into the tunnels," I calmly said, which I was surprised I could pull off. "If he's telling the truth, and he could get stronger, then there's no telling what he can and can't do. As long as we do our part, he can save his partner and we would have TWO powerful allies."

Some of their moods changed, and I took it as a sign I was getting through to them.

"Reku'un could lead a frontal assault, but I don't know how the stallions could sneak in," I said, my inexperience finally forcing me to stand back.

"We'd need a force of at least 20 guards," Luna said. "That many camouflage spells will severely limit our movement."

"Or," Reku'un began, pointing to the mountain, "you could come up from behind."

"Setting up our force would take hours," General Thunder informed us. "There needs to be another way."

The officers started speaking among one another, offering various ideas from spells to covering themselves in mud. Reku'un slowly looked over the city's infrastructure, the streets, even some underground sewer pipes. I thought about all I knew of Canterlot… it's history, it's progress through history, old tunnels, sewers… tunnels…

"The old train station!" I shouted. They all turned to me as I pointed to the cliff near the south-most edge of the city. "Here! There used to be a subway project back then, a second train to get around Equestria."

Reku'un resized the image to make it clearer, and we all noticed the solid cement wall standing out from the jagged cliffside.

"There," I said, my hoofing pointing to the wall. "We could break down the wall and sneak into the city from there."

"Wouldn't that make enough noise to compromise us?" Major Crawler deadpanned.

"I could destroy the wall, then go on with my distraction and you could slip your forces in," Reku'un suggested. "You only need a force of ten or so."

"Ten?" I parroted, just as confused as the rest of the table.

Another smirk, and Reku'un swiped across the projection, highlighting a specific area. "They'll send everything after me. They know I won't give in… so you'll have enough time to do your part, however you can."

The princesses seemed concerned and unsure, as did the officers. I myself didn't know if we could pull this off. And with 10 squadmates; only 10 squadmates. An entire platoon could barely handle half of a pack… what would happen if we were caught? We'd be surrounded, outnumbered, and outmatched. This was a suicide mission if he failed on his part, and we would probably be taken prisoner… especially any mares on the mission.

But this was a chance to get stronger. To even the odds by just a bit more.

It was enough for me…

"I'll go."

Everypony, and Reku'un, turned silent as they stared at me. I wasn't physically strong, and magic abilities was a meager factor against these things. I could buy us time, I could protect us probably… but I volunteered because I needed somepony to see that if I could go, so could they.

"Twilight," Celestia softly said, obviously exasperated. "Twilight, you can't—"

"The girls and I are the only ones who could coordinate well enough to pull this off," I quickly said, "and we're the only ones who've seen what he can do."

Her argument seemed to falter, as did Luna's. Reku'un kept a stoic and neutral gaze, but I knew he was thinking. Would he force us to stay? Would he let us go? Would he even explain why?

"Explain why you want to come," he finally told me.

"Reku'un, any of our guards are more suited than her, and I mean no offense when I say this," Thunder said.

"In my culture, we don't choose a warrior based on his skill. We base it on their reasons." He went around the table, kneeled in front of me, and gave me a solemn stare. "Why do you want to fight?"

…

"Because I'm tired of my life."

…

It came out grimly… almost sociopathically.

"I'm tired of running. We don't even remember what it was like back then… there's no happiness like there used to be…" I could see his expression lighten up, but he was still waiting. "I want to go home… I want to wake up in my home… I want to laugh with my friends… fight with them… just be plain dumb like we used to be."

He only stared for another minute, then turned to the side. "Nalo… yuurikk (Nalo… deactivate)" The projection disappeared, and the armor pieces reconnected before waiting by the door.

"Reku'un, what is your decision?"

…

"Bring me the others… I'll see if they have enough reason," he told us, handing his blade to his armor.

"They will," I stated proudly, a small smile working its way across my lips. "And thank you."

He turned to me, nodding softly. "This is your home we're fighting for," he reminded us. "When we fight, you must all be there when it happens. When our forces fall, when blood is shed… and when your flag rises once more."

Nalo, his armor, covered his body, but didn't create the helmet. "We'll be sending specialists to help with the infiltration," Luna said. "We can send our best."

"Alright… but be blunt when you tell them who is leading," he said.

"I'm sure they'll listen to y—"

"I am not leading this attack."

My eyes widened as he turned back to me and pointed.

"She is."

Author's Note

Been a while since I updated. Trying to get back into this, so look out for more chapters! As always, like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night! Peaces.

Chapter 11

One day later…

"Guess he found us all worthy to go on the mission," Rainbow chuckled. "So when does the big guy say we move out?"

"Well… he told me to decide," I said. "He wants me to lead this mission."

The girls looked at me with surprised expressions. "Really?" Applejack questioned. "Ah thought he'd be the one keepin' us safe."

"He will be," I assured them. "I forgot he didn't tell you the plan. There's an old abandoned train system that was meant to connect the train to every city, but underground. They found it hard to do since they were ON a mountain, but now it's our ticket in."

They nodded in understanding, but Rarity gasped softly. "Twilight, the tunnel was sealed off. How are we going to get through several feet of cement?"

"Reku'un's going to be a distraction. Before he does, he's going to blow the hole open for our team, and then draw them away from us while we take out the generators." I took out a map from my saddlebag and pointed to the most eastern part of Canterlot. "Around here, there are supposed to be miniature buildings that have them. We take them out, fall back, and wait for Reku'un to pick us up near the train station."

"Won't we be followed by the hundreds of ships?" Fluttershy deadpanned.

I sighed and shrugged softly. "He told us not to worry about that," I told them. "He told me to trust in him and whoever it is we're rescuing."

"I hope they're worth it," Pinkie said. "We might get caught in a sticky situation."

"Let's just do our best," I said. The girls all nodded again, and I stuffed the map back into its bag. "There they are."

Luna led two other Lunar guards down the narrow tunnel towards us, Reku'un following beside her. I heard two stifled laughs, and I could only imagine it was because Reku'un stood about a stallion's-height taller than the lunar princess. They hurried over, and Reku'un nodded in greeting.

"Are we ready?" Luna asked.

I nodded, and we made our trot to the nearest hatch. Reku'un's armor lit the way for us this time, his helmet carrying the small flashlight that illuminated the tunnel. It wasn't long before we reached the hatch. We climbed up one by one while Reku'un helped us up, climbing out after the last of us. We kept low to the ground, the grass keeping us camouflaged. I was surprised that he could keep up with us, since he didn't look quite natural going on all fours. But we were able to keep out of sight of the fighters above.

The hatch we'd taken had left us near the northern part of the Everfree, which was near the train tracks leading up the mountain. The metal tracks were hidden with grass and whatever else grew, but made it easier for us to move and keep on track. Just as the rails tilted upwards, we veered off to the left, working our way to the base of the mountain once again. Like last time, we had to work around the debris and buildings that had survived the fall. We all did our best to scout out the side of the cliff, but the entrance eluded us.

"Anything?" I called to the others.

"I don't see anything," Applejack reported.

"Nothin' here," Rainbow groaned.

"Sorry," Fluttershy said.

"No luck here, either," Rarity sighed.

"What about up there?" Pinkie called, pointing towards a deep dimple in the rock.

"I'll check," Reku'un nodded. He leaped up higher than anything I've ever seen, clinging to the rock gracefully. Once he moved around a bit, he came back down. "We've got it."

"Okay, remember," I said, "stay close, be careful, and take care of those generators ASAP. Got it?"

"Right," my team answered.

I turned back to Reku'un. "Are you sure you'll be fine?" I asked.

His helmet receded just enough so we could see his expression. As I predicted, he was smirking. "I've a bone to pick with these mutts," he chuckled grimly, cracking his knuckles. "Just do your part, and we'll all get out of here alive."

It was as good a yes as any, and so we kept close as Luna's spell fired up. We pulled down our goggles, and waited for Reku'un to move.

"Stand clear," he warned. We separated to cover, then watched and waited.

Reku'un opened his palm and pulled his arm back, a sphere of cyan sparking to life in his grasp. He leaped up and let loose a deafening roar as he shot his arm forward, sending a blast directly into the side of the cliff. Chunks of stone were sent flying in every direction, a few being smacked away from Reku'un as he floated there. We heard the whine of fighters and ships, and Reku'un roared once again as he ascended to the city, shooting down a fighter just before he disappeared in the smoke.

"Go go go!" I exclaimed, bracing myself as a Lunar lifted me towards the opening.

We dodged the pieces of burning metal from the fighter, and managed to land safely inside the opening. Reku'un's shot had broken apart the cement filling, and we had a clear shot through. We started our gallop inside, following the tunnel as fast as we could. Rarity, Luna, and I lit our horns to make it brighter, but I had Luna cease that so she could maintain our cloak longer. The standard cobblestone walls were replaced with tiled ones. Which meant we were almost to the end.

"Slow down," I called. "We need to see what the other side is like."

Our gallop turned back into a trot, slowing our progress a bit. The tunnel rumbled every so often, the sound of explosions muffled through the meters of dirt and stone. An especially loud one caused us to stumble around.

"Guess he wasn't kidding," Rainbow nervously laughed.

"It sounds like a war zone up there," Fluttershy said, picking up her fallen dagger.

There was another violent rumble, followed by the sound of crashes. "He still has a limit," I reminded them. "We'd better hope he doesn't reach it before we get his friend out."

Up ahead, the tracks ended and to the right was a small platform. We climbed up, looking around for any signs of Arthanians. When I was sure it was clear, I motioned for everypony to form up on the wall near the stairs. Pinkie glanced around the corner, then nodded to me. Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rarity moved up, moving ahead of us to make sure we wouldn't have any surprises. They were out of our sight for a while, but I could hear them trotting up the steps.

"Uh, you guys…" Fluttershy called.

When we reached them at last, they were standing in front of a solid cement wall. "Damn… it must have been here when they blocked off the outside," I sighed.

"The only way we'll get past this is if we destroy it," Luna stated. "Shall we give it a try?"

"Isn't that gonna make a lot of noise?" Rainbow questioned.

"If we don't do this fast, then we'll fail this mission," I reminded them. "Alright… ready, Princess?"

"Whenever you are," she nodded.

Our horns ignited, our mana funneling into them as we charged our own beams. When we were sure we had enough to take down the wall, we shot our beams. When the dust cleared, two large holes were visible in the wall, going straight through. However, we didn't tear down the whole thing, and no pony could fit through the openings.

"Applejack," I said. She nodded to me, then moved up and turned with her flank to the wall.

She leaned forward and bucked the wall, breaking through some of the weakened cement. Cracks formed as she kept it up, and pieces of cement were being pushed out of place. With one last spring of her legs, the stone knocked out of place, bringing down some of the upper part as well.

We climbed over the rubble and found ourselves in a collapsed building. The sounds of battle were clearer than before, and we made our way out of the structure. Luna pulled me back as a trio of fighters zoomed overhead, their weapons firing in unison.

"GRAAAAAHHHHH!"

His roar echoed throughout the city, and he had to be on the northern side already. There weren't any soldiers in the streets, aside from a few bodies. Luna took point and led our sprint to the buildings just past the remains of the downtown of Canterlot. The grim and bloodstained remnants of shops and homes passed my vision as we kept on, each of looking in every other direction for the target building.

"I see them," Rainbow called to us from above. "They're right up the block."

"The eastern building, right?" One of Luna's stallions asked.

"Right," I nodded. "Okay. Luna, Applejack, take cover near the entrance. Pinkie and Fluttershy, you're with me. Everypony else wait for my go."

We formed up by the entrance, my horn charging gradually as everypony took their positions. Applejack smashed the console, and the door slid open slightly. Luna's magic tore it open while I jumped in with my small team. Only two soldiers to guard the door, and they were waiting with pointed spears, but they were confused to seeing nothing. Fluttershy slunk behind one while Pinkie went to its front, and my horn ignited freely. Pinkie tripped up the one to the right and Fluttershy sunk her daggers into its neck.

The other was still confused, even when my spell pierced his head. I took its spear and hit the wall twice, prompting the others to join us. We trotted inside, using Rarity's magic to light the way. Another explosion knocked us off balance, but we kept it together and hurried in. Instead of a level hall, it veered off to the right and started getting slanted upwards. When we reached the top of the slope, we found a large opening in the structure, and we were on a sort of level. It looked like there was one more floor, but what really mattered were the four generators below us. They were in a sort of protective barrier, and the barrier didn't look organic-friendly.

"So how do we get past that?" Pinkie huffed.

"Teleporting would save us a lot of trouble," Luna pointed out, her horn already glowing.

She vanished in a flash of blue, but a distorted yell pierced the room, and she reappeared near the field below.

"Luna!" We yelled.

Rarity and I used our magic to teleport our group down, and I rushed with the others to help her up. "Are you hurt?!"

"I'm fine," she grunted. "We should have looked this over better, wouldn't you agree?"

I heard the feigned playfulness in her voice, but she looked fine. "Yeah. I think we can start now," I sighed.

"So we can't teleport in," Rainbow recited. "I don't think touching this thing's the best idea, either."

"So we have to take the field down," Fluttershy said. "Maybe there's a power source for it."

"I think those generators might be a part of that," Rarity sighed. "Let's have a look around."

We split up and rushed around the lower level, looking for any sort of power source. All we found were empty prisoner cells… but some had dead occupants. Moving on to the second level - where we were before - we found a few utility rooms… a room with chains on the ground… a miniature armory, and a few rooms filled with ovens. I remembered what Tulip Petal told us… and I shuddered at the thought of that happening here.

"Up here, guys," Rainbow shouted from the third level. We rushed up and found a few rooms with unconscious stallions and a few mares. "Help me with them."

We unchained and dragged the ponies out of their rooms. Luna used her spell to keep them invisible as well, and I had Pinkie and the two Lunar guards stay with them.

"What now?" A Lunar questioned.

I thought about it long and hard… thinking over what we could possibly do. It was a protective field, sort of a like a barrier spell. It had a power source, but we couldn't find it, or it could have been one of the generators. If it wasn't going to run out soon… maybe we could make it run out somehow. Unicorns usually only last as long as their mana does, but attacking their barrier forces them to use up more to keep it active. Maybe we could overload it or cause a small break in it.

"Rainbow, Fluttershy," I called, "grab the rifles in the armory and bring them to me."

They glanced at each other, but flew into the rooms and did as they were ordered. I held up my hoof when we had thirty of the weapons.

"Rarity, Luna, take ten and spread them around the rails," I told them, using my magic to take ten as well.

They were confused as well, but started to move the guns along the rails until they were about equal lengths away from each other.

"Plan on fillin' us in?" Applejack huffed.

I adjusted a few of the rifles, making sure they were pointed at the barrier. "Unicorns use magic with every second when they're casting a barrier," I began. "When it's hit, we use up more to make sure it survives the attack and keep active. If we keep hitting this thing, maybe we'll cause it to lose power, overload, or even let up for a couple seconds."

"Twilight," Luna said sternly. "This will definitely draw attention, and even if they can't see us, they'll swarm this place and eventually find us. Are you completely sure this is the best option?"

I sighed to myself and thought over anything else we could attempt.

"This could be our only option," I murmured, making sure they knew I was out of ideas. "Ready?"

"Ready," Rarity nodded.

"Fire and I'll follow," Luna said.

I focused my grips on the triggers, then pulled them as hard as I could. Thirty blasters started firing away, forcing us to cover our ears as their shots echoed off the walls. I glanced at the field, watching as the rounds dissipated against the barrier. We didn't let up, and soon I saw sparks come off of its surface. I heard growling and roaring below, and a group of scouts started barking and yapping as they tried to find the gunners. I knew our scents were already returning, since our bodies weren't as wet as before.

"Look!" Luna shouted over the rifles.

I could see the sparks getting more violent, a small trail of smoke beginning to billow from one of the generators inside. "Keep it up!" I yelled.

The scouts started sprinting throughout the levels, yapping at the freed prisoners near us. The Lunar guards started to attack them, along with Pinkie. They did their best to take them out in single shots, which started drawing their attention.

"Rainbow! Applejack! Help them out!" I shouted.

They galloped over, and I looked over as the field started to blink and dissipate briefly. "We're almost through!"

I gasped silently when an Alpha leaped up, growling loudly as it looked around for us. The scouts backed off, and the Alpha shot the rifles one by one. Ten of them exploded, while eight others fell to the level below. Most of them had been Rarity's, and she was clutching her head from the pain of having her spell interrupted.

"Rarity! Shoot as many bolts as you can at the field!" I screamed, my mind straining as I tried to keep my mana alive.

Luna looked a bit uneasy herself, especially since the rifles had dwindled to five, which were mine. "Keep moving and don't stop!" Luna yelled, her horn lighting up to start sending a barrage.

The Alpha roared and tried swiping the last rifles down, but I started moving them so it couldn't. The beast growled angrily, then slammed its fist into the platform. Everypony yelled as the floor beneath us fell, sending most of us into a tumble besides Rainbow, Fluttershy and Luna. The Lunars were still fending off scouts while the Alpha tried to knock away the guns.

"Applejack!" I screamed. "Buck it in the leg!"

She nervously obliged, galloping over and bucking with as much power as she could. The hit took it off guard, I assume, and a loud sickening crack reached my ears. It roared deafeningly and tried swiping her, barely missing her as she rolled to the side.

"Twilight!" Fluttershy called. "The barrier!"

I looked over and saw it start to fade away, some of the rounds hitting the generators.

"Luna! Get in there!" I yelled.

I directed the rifles at the Alpha for a moment, forcing it to shield itself with its arms and take hits to the body. Luna kept her beam strong as she threw herself in, the field resetting the moment she was in.

"Rarity! Take the others out of here!" She stopped her beams and stumbled for a moment, but got a grip and formed up with the Lunars and the others.

"We're not leaving you two behind!" Applejack shouted.

"We'll be right behind you, now go!" I yelled, feeling another rifle get destroyed.

The Lunars, Rainbow, Applejack and Pinkie Pie grabbed a prisoner and made a gallop for the exit, followed by Rarity and Fluttershy to keep them safe.

The last four rifles were pulled out of my hold, and the Alpha smashed them apart. It looked at me… directly at me. I pulled off my goggles and looked at my leg, but it was still transparent. Then I remembered what Reku'un had said about them.

They had the abilities of a Signa.

"GROOOOOAAAAAHHHHH!"

I barely rolled out of the way of its paw, galloping towards the armory. I had just made it to the threshold when it's foot pinned me down. It roared at the back of my head, sending a shiver of terror down my spine. I wriggled frantically and lit my horn, shooting the last of my mana into its face. It roared again, clawing at its face to get rid of the heat.

"Luna!" I screamed. "Take those generators out already!"

"I have!" Her magic blasted into the Alpha, piercing its chest as she flew into it and slammed it into the wall.

She bucked it in the head one last time to daze it, then grabbed me and pulled me up. "What—"

"We must get out of here!" She screamed.

I fumbled to my hooves as we galloped for the ramp, my legs burning as we rounded the turn and got back to the second level. Once we reached the exit ramp, I heard the Alpha roaring as it came after us. Luna turned and slid to a halt.

"Go!" She yelled.

"Luna—!"

"GO, TWILIGHT SPARKLE!"

I watched as the Alpha sprinted at her with a large sword in its grasp. I made my mind up right there, and galloped to Luna's side.

"I promised I wouldn't abandon a friend," I said.

She smirked softly, igniting her horn to a three-layered aura. "Then blast it with all your strength."

My horn fizzled, but I forced it to ignite, creating a similar three layers of purple aura. We yelled in unison as we let the beams go.

BANG!

The explosion knocked us all out of the building, sending me and Luna tumbling into a crashed fighter. The Alpha dug its claws into the ground, managing to save itself.

"We did it," I weakly laughed.

Canterlot Castle

The hum of the nullifiers quieted down to silence. The cooling towers crackled briefly, then went silent as well. An enormous eye slowly cracked open, the frost over her body crackling as she started to move. Her mouth lit up as flames started spewing from her maw, melting the ice keeping her down. Her strength returned to her, and she stood up slowly, the ice falling to the ground as she reached full height. The chain on her neck kept her from moving too far, and so she melted it away.

Nyla!

Re…Reku'un?

Nyla! Ngh! Come on! We have to move!

What… are you talking about? Why are you speaking this tongue?

I'll explain later, but you to collect yourself right now!

She shook her head quickly, trying her best to get out of her daze. Nyla slashed the chains holding her legs, then slipped her tail out of its brace. Her wings spread far, knocking into the walls and punching holes in them. Soldiers started flooding into the room, and she spewed more flames into their lines, charring them beyond recognition.

There's going to be a group of equines headed towards you! Get them to safety and I'll join you soon!

I sense them already. Make sure you're careful.

Nyla reared her head back and let loose another spiral of flames, punching a hole in the ceiling. Her wings tensed and she started to ascend, breaking apart the structure as she made her way out into the open air. Once she was out, she let loose her own roar, one of anger and promise.

Promise that they would pay.

Author's Note

Hey guys! That_Random_Pony here! It's been a while since I last uploaded, and I'm sorry for that :twilightblush: But don't worry! I'll try to update as frequently as possible! So I'll leave you with this, and remember (if you haven't already), like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night! Peaces!

Chapter 12

I felt a stinging in my shoulder, and I saw that I'd been cut on a jagged edge of metal from the fighter. Luna looked banged up too, but she was still conscious and her spell was still holding. There was a deep, enraged growl that came from our front, and I remembered we weren't through just yet. A slab of stone was thrown off to the side as the Alpha got back to its feet. Its armor, which looked like some sort of heavily woven material, was practically hanging from its body, and it tore the cloth off as it approached us, grabbing its sword as it did. I glanced to Luna, who stared defiantly at the monster in front of us.

"Luna," I grunted, pulling myself away from the sharpened metal digging into my flesh. "Go… I won't slow you down."

I saw the mental battle in her mind as to whether or not she was going to obey the order. Her hooves shook often, and I knew she was having a harder time than I was. I used my good hoof to touch her shoulder, prompting her to glance at me. The Alpha stopped just a few yards away from us, anger evident in its void-colored eyes.

"Please… they need one of us… and I won't make it like this," I said, wincing as the numbness in my leg turned to sharp aches.

Her jaw clenched in anger… but she knew I was right. The Alpha rose its blade, getting into a charging stance as Luna started to trot. She looked back to me, and all I did was nod. With one last look of pain, she disappeared behind the fighter. The monster in front of me growled, watching closely as my horn faintly lit. I was completely out of mana… so I tapped into the only source of magic I had left.

My soul.

I could feel the migraine already, and my nose started to run as I used what little magic my own souls contained. A blast from this wouldn't even bring down a stone wall, let alone the super-charged beast in front of me. My vision blurred, but for some sick reason, I could still see the Alpha's smirk. It lowered its blade, bringing its right claw up and cutting an X into its own coat. My horn bursted into life, a billowing aura of white and faint sparkles of purple surrounding it. My body felt heavy, my knees weak. I felt something wet run down my forehead and onto my snout… which turned out to be more blood. It was from my horn, without a doubt.

"Ot dot (Do it)" The monster chuckled maliciously.

I laughed weakly, finally looking forward to something like this. I'd hit it, my body would falter completely, and either it would rip me apart or let me suffer from my own foolishness. I don't know why… but either one would be just fine with me. I laughed louder as the aura blinded my sight from anywhere but my target.

"I'll save you a seat in Tartarus!" I shouted.

I closed my eyes and screamed as I fired my last bit of magic, surprised to feel the wind kick up around me. The Alpha roared in agony, which made me even more confused. When all of my soul's mana was wasted, I collapsed. I barely had enough energy to tilt my head towards where the Alpha once stood. There wasn't enough energy for me to gasp, so I simply stared at the hole in the monster's chest. It kneeled motionlessly, slumped over in a state of death.

That's when I felt a pair of hands touch my head and chest. "Rishiga!"

I surge of mana poured into me, giving me the strength to cough hoarsely and wheeze as I tried standing. I looked up, my vision allowing me to see Reku'un's face, and some of his blood marred body. Reku'un grabbed me, however, and pulled me onto his back.

"I'd suggest you hold on," he said. "Nalo!"

Nalo chirped electronically before clinging to me, then covering my body in its master's suit. My body started to feel a bit more relaxed, but I was still slipping in and out. But I used what little strength I had left to look up when I heard a familiar roar. There was… a dragon… a blood red dragon breaking out of the castle… flying into the town…

…and then everything turned black.

Several hours later… (No one knew exactly how long after)

"Twilight? Please, if you can hear me, let me know you can. Twilight. Twilight." My eyes lazily cracked open, and I could see my own body covered in a patient's gown.

"She took a beating," a deeper voice sighed. "Give her a moment."

I looked to my left, then to my right, surprised there weren't any IV's in my forelegs. Once that was off my mind, I looked up to see who was calling me. I wasn't surprised to see Celestia, but I was thankful. To the left, I saw a tan stallion with a darker mane in a doctor's coat. My doctor, if I was unmistaken.

"Twilight?" Celestia gently said, coming up to my side.

I brought a hoof up to rub my eyes, clearing away the daze. "It's nice to see you, Princess," I smiled weakly.

She smiled softly, concern in her eyes. "We were worried about you," she laughed. "How do you feel?"

I lifted my legs and rested them a few times. "A little sore," I chuckled. "And very grateful."

Celestia smiled just a bit more broadly. "That's wonderful to hear," she nodded.

"Did… Did everypony make it back?" I asked.

Her smile brightened. "Yes. And from what Reku'un told me, they'll have trouble finding this tunnel," she chuckled. "You did a good job… Luna told me what happened as well."

I thought back to my last moments of consciousness. My soul was used… I shouldn't have been able to talk to her like I was. And… the dragon. It came from the castle… was that what was there? Did the generators let it go? It looked stranger than any other dragon I've seen around here. I've seen fighter and carrier dragons but never one like the one I saw.

"Wait… I should be… a vegetable right now," I stammered. "Princess… I did something that should've killed me."

Her smile faded away, and she touched my cheek with her hoof. "I know… that's why I'm so relieved," she told me, a tear forming in her eye.

"Did… did you cast a spell to restore the mana I used?" I questioned. She shook her head slowly, then stepped aside as Reku'un walked in, along with the girls and Luna.

"What'd I tell ya?" Rainbow laughed. "I told you girls she'd be fine."

"Considerin' you were pacin' like a broke gambler that just lost a bet," Applejack laughed.

Fluttershy smiled at me while Pinkie and Rarity came to my side. "I'm glad to see you awake," Rarity said, nuzzling me.

"Yeah," Pinkie giggled. "We thought you'd never wake up."

Princess Luna stood with Reku'un and Celestia. "How are you faring, Twilight?" She grinned.

"I'll be better soon," I chuckled awkwardly. I looked at the bandage wrap around her shoulder, then to the nick on her cheek. "I guess you're doing better."

"Thanks to Reku'un, I am now," she smiled. "We both are, a actually."

I turned to him, and he simply nodded respectfully. "You were bold to take on the Alpha alone, Twilight Sparkle," he smirked. "At least you distracted it long enough for me to arrive."

I remembered hearing his voice when I was given some mana, and the feeling of Nalo covering me resurfaced. "So… that's why there was a hole in the Alpha," I laughed, hearing the others join in as well. "Thank you… but how did you get us back here?"

"Nyla helped us with that, actually," Fluttershy told me. I tilted my head questioningly.

"Nyla?" I parroted. "Is she your partner?"

"Yes," Reku'un nodded. "She rescued them and the prisoners while I hurried towards you and Limir."

I still didn't understand how she took the six of them out of there and made sure the Arthanians didn't follow. "Oh! Nyla's a dragon," Rainbow quickly explained.

My jaw dropped. "Nera'ak would be a better term," Reku'un corrected. "From what I've heard, you have them here as well."

"'Cept they don't look like her or have powers like her," Applejack chuckled.

My mind went back to the memory of the red dragon. It was enormous, probably the size of a hydra. But dragons were supposed to he MUCH taller than that.

"So… Nyla was the one we were supposed to get?" I asked. They all nodded in unison. "Why didn't you tell us this before?"

"I didn't imagine you had a term for her kind," Reku'un chuckled awkwardly. "My apologies."

"It's fine, Reku'un," Celestia said. "We probably should have asked anyways."

"I thought she was gonna be like you, actually," Rainbow laughed, scratching her head. "It's still pretty awesome how you rode her and made a mess of those fighters."

"What?" I blurted.

"Perhaps we should explain it to you later," Luna smiled. "Come,everypony. We should let her rest."

"Aww, but it was fun getting the egghead fired up!" Rainbow snickered.

The girls rolled their eyes playfully and started heading out, save for Celestia and Reku'un. "If it helps, I could answer some of your questions," he grinned.

"That sounds great," I said, sitting up straight to get comfortable. I was the exact opposite when my headache kicked in, forcing me to put a hoof to my head.

I gasped when I felt his hand touching my head, then a gentle feeling of ease washing over my mind. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "Ichima and I had trouble before… I haven't much energy left to use. Otherwise I'd try to heal you."

"It's fine… thank you," I smiled. My thoughts ran amok as I went over what he said. "Wait… you were here when I was unconscious."

Celestia's smile vanished, along with his grin. He sighed deeply, glancing to the princess as she rubbed her head. "When he brought you… I felt your mana makeup falling apart," she said with a trembling breath. "I knew what you did… it's the only way something like that could happen. Normally… a unicorn is beyond saving once they tap into their soul's magic properties. I tried anything and everything to help, Twilight… I did… but nothing worked."

I felt my skin get goosebumps at the thought of what could have happened… of what should have happened. And I still didn't know what helped me.

"So… what did you do?" I asked them.

Reku'un brought his right hand into my view, and I gasped when I saw it was bandaged. He could heal, so why wasn't he now?

"On my world, our healers can do impossible treatments," he sighed, looking down at his palm. "My mother is a master healer, and she was able to teach me many things. One of which was how to save a Signa dying of the loss of their mark."

He showed me his left palm, which was resting on the side of my head. He had a black mark that looked like a dragon, only swirled.

"Some Alphas can drain a Signa's abilities, and from there the mark disappears," he explained. "My mother taught me how to… replenish any lost energy to keep their Rites from vanishing completely. Your soul… was healed similarly."

"It took some time… but I was able to pour enough energy into you to keep you from Nedafan's gate. You'll be sore for a time… but that'll wear off soon."

I could feel he was holding something back, especially since it looked like it had something to do with his hand. Instead of questioning it, I nodded gratefully to him and smiled.

"Thank you… for saving my life," I said. "I owe you… two now?"

He laughed louder than I would have expected. "I'd say 3, considering I blasted that drek trarg (Translation terminated for the safety of the reader) to all hell," he reminded me.

I laughed as well, clutching my side as it stung in pain. "Yeah… there's that," I sheepishly laughed.

Celestia's chuckles faded as she gave me one last smile. "Reku'un, I believe it'd be best if we leave now," she said to him.

He nodded, giving me one last smile and nod as he left with the princess. I touched where he had left his palm, some of the heat lingering. His hand felt oddly hot, but not in an unwelcomed sort of way. It reminded me of the heat of a fire during Hearth's Warming. I wasn't sure if it was natural for his kind or not. Hopefully, it was.

Was it wise to give the female THAT much energy?

I wouldn't let her die, Nyla.

Reku'un, you nearly killed yourself in the process. Your Heraj (Mother) told you about that sort of healing technique. It was reckless to test yourself in a dire situation.

But it worked, didn't it?

…

Ah, that's what I thought.

It was still reckless. I pray that you at least have enough energy for the both of us. It'll be long before you can regenerate once again.

It was a temporary price, Nyla. I promise not to do it again.

Good. Now, how am I to deal with the younglings and these creatures?

I'm sure you can handle them peacefully. And I know you LOVE younglings.

I can hear the sarcasm in your thought.

I know.

Reku'un chuckled as he heard his partner's mental groan, then cut their connection as he went to rest in the room Celestia had assigned him. The "bed" was actually a heap of blankets and a few pillows. He didn't ask for it, but he was thankful in any case. He sat against the pile of cloths and looked at his bandaged palm. Running his fingers over the tender wound, the man thought back to the hours before.

Helping Ichima heal the mare… pouring his own energy into her. A small chuckle left him as he thought about what his mother would say to him, concerning his actions. She'd berate him, lecture him about how dangerous and ignorant his actions were. Still, even she knew that it was a necessary risk. She of all healers had her own moments of compulsiveness. Even so, he knew she would explain how he should have done it.

Now, it didn't matter. He wondered where his mother and father were… if his brothers were looking for him… if they had learned what happened. It was safe to assume so… they would never forget him… they wouldn't.

Reku'un grunted as he felt his hand sting from the pressure he'd been putting on it.

I'd better keep us away from battle… for a while, at the very least. I mustn't let them know what's happened to me… they'll only hold me back if they knew.

He slumped against the bed and sighed, closing his eyes and resting his injured hand on his chest. Drifting off to sleep was easier than he'd thought, and it wasn't long before his breathing had calmed and his breaths came slowly.

Author's Note

SO, I may or may not have forgotten that this chapter was done :twilightblush: Sorry for the really long wait, but I'm one of those writers that has a lot of stories and sparodically updates them. In any case, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and as always, like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night! Peaces!

Chapter 13

It took a couple of days before I was allowed back out, but eventually the doctors, and Celestia, thought I would be fine. The days weren't that bad, save for the frequent checkups, since the girls all stopped by as often as possible. For some reason, none of them had seen Reku'un. They'd all been wary of checking Nyla's den, and I didn't blame them. I didn't see him either. I expected to hear from him after what happened, but he just seemed to be staying away.

Now that I was allowed back out, I wanted to know why. And... I would be lying if I said I wasn't interested in meeting his dragon. And a dragoness, too. Ponies barely ever see female dragons, which is why there's so little known about them. So, after I left the infirmary, I headed down to the barracks to see if I could find Reku'un. On the way, I spotted Rainbow and Rarity chatting by the mess hall. The former spotted me a couple feet away.

"Looks who's on all four," she laughed, holding her hoof up for me to bump. "Feeling better?"

"Definitely," I smiled. "I'm glad I don't have a scar from that mess."

"As are we," Rarity said. "A scar would ruin your complexion. But you look better than before."

Rainbow rolled her eyes and nodded inside the mess. "We were waiting for Flutters and Pinkie. AJ's helping some of the other guards build some shacks, so we were gonna eat together until she finished. Wanna come?" she asked.

"Actually, I was headed down to the barracks," I told them.

"Are you tired?" Rarity questioned.

I shook my head softly. "I'm fine, Rarity," I laughed. "I've been sleeping a lot these past few days."

Rainbow rose a brow and scratched her head. "So... what are you gonna do there?" I hesitated for a moment, then shrugged softly.

"I'm... curious about Nyla," I admitted. "A dragoness is barely seen outside of the mountains west of Equestria, and for one to actually be here is a once in a lifetime opportunity!"

The two of them were picking up on my little bookworm moment, and Rainbow rolled her eyes again. "Riiiight," she slowly said. "Maybe you shouldn't visit."

I rose my brow, and Rarity stepped forward. "What Rainbow means is that she wasn't exactly... happy about us seeing her, personally."

I chuckled nervously, not exactly liking the picture they were painting. "Well, maybe Reku'un could help. They're partners, right?" I asked. They nodded in unison, but Rainbow coughed to grab my attention.

"We haven't seen him, lately," she told me. "Sometimes he goes outside of the camp, but those are the only times he's out. We checked his room but he doesn't stay there."

"It's strange, really," Rarity commented, looking up in thought. "What does he do with all that time? And he isn't visiting the princesses, either."

I shrugged softly, starting to trot past them. "Maybe I'll ask him when I find him," I smiled. They waved to me as I went down the hall and turned the corner, making my down to the barracks.

I passed through several bunks, trying to find Reku'un's room. It was towards the back of the stallions' bunks, unassuming since it had been a supply closet before his arrival. The other officers saluted and gave me curious glances when they saw me head towards his room, but I ignored them as I knocked on his door. There was no response, so I tried opening it. It was unlocked, surprisingly, so I poked my head in to see.

It was just like the girls said: the room was empty. His bed was basically a pile of spare blankets and pillows for him to sleep on. Across from his "bed", the wall looked bashed and dented... and raked somehow. It wasn't a blade's imprint, that much was certain. I ignored that and closed the door, sighing as I wondered where he could have gone.

"You just missed him." I turned back and gasped as General Stomped made his way over. "He's gone around this time every day. Not sure why exactly."

I nodded slowly, sighing again in frustration. "So what are you doing down here, anyhow?" I questioned.

He shrugged with a nervous laugh. "His first night in there ended up with shaken guards," he told me, glancing at the others with a grin. "Princesses asked me to make sure nopony caused a conflict."

It made sense... and it sort of explained the busted wall. "Any idea where he went?" I questioned.

Stomper shook his head and sat on a bunk beside us. "He's a big sucker, but he moves as quiet as a mouse. I barely ever see him, and I'm too chicken to peek into that dragon's den," he chuckled. His words circled in my head, and I stood up as I came up with an idea. "Twilight, think about what you're doing."

"I'll be fine. It's not like I haven't dealt with a dragon before." He rolled his eyes softly, and patted my shoulder.

"Just don't get roasted," he smirked, getting up and heading towards the exit. "And, a word of advice, try not to get into his head. Must be awful to talk about his time in that place."

I understood, and I had no intention of bringing any of it up. I saluted to him before making my way out. From what the girls had told me, the den was just beside the castle. Before, the entrance had been open to anypony, but guards were set in place after Nyla had scared a couple of fillies and colts away. Since I was a Captain, I was granted access. The tunnel was pretty large, nearly the size of a Manehatten building. I felt my hooves getting cold out of anxiety, and it only got worse as I smelled smoke and... meat.

The smell was nauseating, but I shook that off and moved onward. There was a sharp turn up ahead, and after rounding it, I came face to face with one of the most frightening experiences. Teeth the size of my body spread apart as a snarl reverberated in that massive maw, a bit of smoke billowing out from the snout. A large, yellow eye glared down at me, looking me over before letting out a deep growl.

Every part of my body itched to start galloping, and from what I've heard it was what most ponies did. But the snarling died down, and the dragon closed its mouth. It still looked aggravated, but for some reason it was less aggressive. That didn't change that fact she was giving me a stink eye.

"You truly are mindless." I turned back quickly, Reku'un walking around the corner with a slight grin. "You stood up to an Alpha, and now Nyla."

I swallowed forcefully and exhaled, trying to calm my trembling heart. "How did you know I was here?" I asked him.

He took a moment to answer me, looking at Nyla until he decided to answer me. "She told me you came," he said, a hint of amusement in his voice.

I would have been offended he found my fright amusing, but his answer drew my attention. "She... told you," I repeated slowly. He nodded his head, glancing back up to Nyla with another smile.

"She says you froze at the sight of her," he chuckled, moving past me to set a chunk of stone beside her.

I frowned and narrowed my eyes at him. "Well around here, it isn't exactly normal to see a dragon with its teeth in your face. Those ponies never make it home." His smile ebbed, and a small inkling of regret flashed across his face.

He glanced up to Nyla, who huffed a small puff of smoke before lowering her head. Reku'un sighed softly and turned back to me. "I am sorry... where I'm from, Nyla's kind are a part of life," he said. There was sadness in his voice, barely noticeable because of his smile. "She knows you are one of those who rescued me, and she's grateful as well."

My annoyance receded, and I nodded softly. "It's not like we could have left you in... whatever it was," I murmured, forgetting Stomper's words.

He didn't seem to mind, or he didn't hear that part, and he stood up and walked over to me. "Is there a reason why you're here?" he questioned, genuinely curious.

I nodded and cleared my throat. "I was wondering if you could share some information with me," I said. "A cultural exchange."

He glanced over to Nyla, who was busy trying to doze off. He turned back to me, then shrugged. "I suppose. But let us do it elsewhere. Nyla wants to rest."

"Sure. The meeting room should be empty." He nodded softly and went over to the far right wall, grabbing his sword and pressing a panel on Nalo.

"Lead the way," he smiled, gesturing with a hand to the exit.

We made our way out of the tunnel and back towards the castle. It was a silent walk, which was a bit awkward since everypony stared at him as we passed. I heard several loud whiffs of the air, and I peered over my shoulder to see him sniffing the air, making weird faces and grimacing a few times.

"What are you doing?" I questioned. He disregarded me for another minute before rubbing his nose and grunting.

"The meal being prepared... how can you stand it?" he asked, covering his nose.

I sniffed the air, but I still couldn't smell the chef's cooking. "You get used to it after a while," I shrugged. "The kitchen is a floor above us and across the castle. How can you smell the food?"

He chuckled again and tapped his nose. "It's very sensitive to any scent. Especially the smell that comes from others," he explained.

It was interesting to know, and it explained how he'd picked up my scent when we first met. Another thing came to mind... something he told me. Smelling like someone he knew.

"Where is this meeting room?" I shook from my thoughts and glanced around the hall, spotting the entrance to the right.

"Right here." I opened the door and glanced inside, opening it fully when I saw it was empty. "Just take a seat where you want."

He grabbed several of the cushions and sat on top of them, while I moved across from him. "Strange," he murmured.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

"Where I'm from, learning about one another doesn't include acting formally," he explained, rubbing the back of his head. "It's a sign of distrust. Indifference."

I was surprised to hear it, knowing it held an ounce of truth. "Well, no offense, but I don't know anything about you or your kind," I sheepishly answered. "It's not that I don't care. It's the fact that I don't know enough to believe I should care."

He smirked slightly, then shrugged. "Then at least we have one difference in our societies." I nodded, then reached into my saddlebag for parchment and a quill. "What more do you want to know?"

"First, I'd appreciate if you share what you know on those... Arthanians, right?" His expression hardened, but he nodded. "Anything valuable helps."

Entry #812

May 5th, 2020

Update

With Reku'un's knowledge, the Arthanian race sounds worse and worse with every new piece of information. His kind study them from the age of five, and their lives are just training to fight them. It sounds impossible that this war has raged for nearly 1000 generations. But he was too proud and passionate to seem like a liar.

In any case, here's what I know about them.

There are FOUR kinds of Arthanians.

Soldiers: 100-150 pounds. Grow to be between 3-4 meters. Have a lifespan of 2 years and fully mature 2 weeks after birth. Skilled blacksmiths, born with the knowledge of their predecessor.

Scouts: 50-80 pounds. About a meter tall. Lifespan of four years, grow into adults in a month. They are used for CQC action and meat shields, or distractions. Rarely ever used in full fledged battles.

Queens: Female versions of soldiers. 90-110 pounds. Average height of 3 meters. They are rarely ever born, mostly 1 out of thousands of other newborn. Like soldiers, they mature in 2 weeks, but can live for a decade. Throughout their adult life, they mate constantly with the sole purpose of giving birth. A single queen can birth an army in less 2 months. Strangely, they can give birth to either scouts or soldiers, depending on which one impregnates them.

Alpha: 4-6 meters tall. Soldiers with the blood of a species of Loki'irian called Signa. The Signa are gifted with unnatural abilities, which are transferred into the soldier it mutates. Each mutation varies in intensity and product, making any Alpha unpredictable. Their strength and skill can surpass that of a Signa. Their transformation also unlocks parts of their brains that are shut out from its own nervous system, making them able to coordinate and lead.

The lights out policy came into effect before I could get anymore information, but I'll be informed tomorrow. Reku'un is willing to help us learn more.

There's something about him that I can't understand. He is an entirely different being, but he acts like one of us. He is an heir to a throne and a warrior, but he doesn't act it. And... he doesn't show fear. The Arthanians horrify me much more than before, now that I know more about them. He's grown up with this information, and yet it only makes him more eager to fight them. He wants to fight an enemy that can replenish itself overnight, but that doesn't stop him.

Is he crazy, or is he ignorant?

...both?

Author's Note

Hey guys! Just wanted to let everyone know I haven't abandoned this story, and that it's still alive :twilightsmile: Just a heads up, I'm not gonna be able to post as frequently, but I'll do my best! So, if you're enjoying this story, remember to like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night! Peaces!

Chapter 14

I woke up the next morning to a knock on my door. It wasn't the usual wake up that my superiors often did, so I let out a groan and slunk out of bed. My horn illuminated the room as I moved over to the door, then pulled it open with magic. I gasped softly and widened my eyes, rubbing them vigorously to make sure I wasn't dreaming.

"Did ya miss me, Twily?" I practically threw myself onto him, clinging tightly and knocking him to the ground. "Gee, thanks for that."

I laughed weakly and got up, pulling him back up to give a slightly less powerful glomp. "What are you doing here?!" I exclaimed. "Cadence and the others-"

"Relax, sis. Those things don't go far into the tundra, even with their machines," he assured me, glancing to my chest. "Captain already, huh?" He ruffled my mane, and I playfully pushed his hoof away. "Congratulations. At this rate you're gonna make me look bad in front of the Royal Guard."

"I'm sure I will," I laughed, nuzzling him softly. "Why are you here? Even without the Arthanian presence in the Empire-"

"Arthanian?" Shining questioned, tilting his head with a smirk. "Don't tell me you're naming them now, Twi."

"Shining Armor, I'm not," I said sternly. "They're not exactly what we think they are. There are different species, a language, a chain of command, their officers and so much more that I don't know yet. We're not the first to fight them."

He stared at me, puzzled at what I was saying. "Did you actually talk to one and it somehow spoke Equish?" Shining asked me, skepticism in his tone.

"No... I spoke to their enemy." His eyes widened slightly, but he still couldn't shake that look of doubt.

"So does it speak-"

"He speaks Equish, and yes, he's the one who showed me what they are," I stated, a bit aggravated.

Shining's demeanor shifted when I mentioned Reku'un. "Wait, he's here? In the castle?" he asked.

"Probably not right now, but he's staying to help us. Shining, we don't know anything about his kind other than the fact that they've been fighting a thousand year war, and that the only reason those monsters are still out there is because they can breed faster." I dug through my saddlebag and skipped through my journal until I came to my latest entry. "This is what he's told us so far."

Shining glanced at me, then sighed as he took my journal and started to read the bolder text. His expression went from interest, to shock, to disgust, and ultimately, horror. I slowly guided the book away from him and waited for him to say something, no matter how badly this situation had become.

"So... all those few we managed to kill... they've already been replaced by more..." I nodded, putting my hoof on his shoulder. "Heh, you shouldn't give that information out, y'know. The last thing we need is a hit to whatever morale's left."

I knew as much, so I closed my journal and set it under my pillow. "Don't worry. We're not out of this yet," I told him. He gave me a half-hearted smile, but I returned a genuine one. "Alright, so what's going on?"

"The princesses wanted me to come here so I could coordinate with the other Generals for one of their recon missions," he told me. "You're probably gonna hear from your division's CO about this."

Which meant Reku'un wanted to know something. If Generals were meeting from across Equestria, along with my brother, then he was talking about something important. It might not have meant he wanted to see something, either. Maybe... just maybe... he wanted to make a move. If so, he'd need help. And the princesses were willing to do what was necessary.

"Twily?" I looked up at him, and he ruffled my mane once again before turning to leave. "I'd better get there before they start. Wouldn't look good for the newest general to be tardy."

I rolled my eyes at his joke and nudged him along. "Then get going. It sounds important," I laughed. He chuckled as he fumbled out into the hall, but turned back to me quickly.

"I almost forgot!" He reached into his bronze breastplate, the armor of a general, and pulled out a letter. "It's from Cadence. She says to open it when you get a chance. Don't forget!"

"I won't, now go!" He grinned as he started galloping down the hall until he exited the barracks. From there, I was left standing with the letter still in my hand.

I wanted dearly to hear from Cadence, seeing as she was my favorite babysitter in the world; and now sister-in-law. But... knowing that the princesses needed all of their available generals made it unbearable to keep away. I went over to my saddlebag and placed the letter in a hidden pocket, then shoved it back under my bunk.

"I'll talk to you soon, Cadence. I promise."

I followed after my brother, but I knew I would have to find which meeting room they were having the discussion. The guards paid me no mind as I glanced at each door's threshold, looking for signs of light that would lead me to the right room. It was the one nearest to the throne room, one of the larger meeting rooms and one of the most secure. A platoon of guards surrounding the throne room could defend them instantly. 3 of said guards were guarding their current meeting.

Luckily, I outranked them.

"You three," I said loudly. They saluted to me, and I pointed down the hall. "I'm going to need a moment in absolute privacy. Stand by the eastern entrance until I return."

They briefly glanced at one another, then replied with, "Yes, Ma'am."

The trio marched down the hall without another word, and I released the breath I'd been holding. The voices on the other side of the door sounded like murmurs, although it was obvious there was some tension. I lit my horn and casted a clairvoyance spell on the door, making their voices audible and clearer than before.

"That journey would take weeks! We don't have enough supplies to send even the smallest regime with him!" General Ashen hollered.

"But we would be able to send word to the Griffon Empire ourselves," Stomper retorted, calmer than Ashen. "With Reku'un there, they'll see we have a chance."

"And what if there's a conflict? The griffons barely trusted us before all this, and even less since our messengers never reached them!" Ashen reminded them. "If that biped so much as implies an insult, they could throw them out on their flanks! Or the monkey can start a fight and get them all killed!"

"Ashen." My brother's voice silenced the room, and I listened closer to try and hear better. "From what I've heard, whatever he's capable of is doing unbelievable things. Not to mention there are more of his kind. We should help him until he gives us a reason to believe we shouldn't. They made it out of Canterlot!"

I smiled softly, sitting down and waiting for more words. "General Ashen, we know you lost your nephew during the griffon war, but that's in the past," Celestia softly spoke. "You know they would make a strong ally in this fight. You know that."

"But allowing old hatred in our current living conditions to impair your judgement is ignorant to the ponies you've sworn to protect," Luna added, her voice as cold as winter. "Ponies will die if you cannot leave it in your past."

Ashen was silent, along with the rest of the room. I knew Ashen was a hard-flank because of his nephew dying 30 years ago, we all did. It was why we all put up with his stiff attitude and hefty training.

"Do whatever you need to," Ashen sighed, grabbing my attention again. "I'm going to be sloppy if I try to help. Just tell me what it is you need."

I gasped softly as a hand placed itself above me, and I glanced up to see Reku'un's hardened, neutral face. He gestured for me to follow him as he pushed open the doors, and the room focused on us. The generals and princesses all stared at us as we walked in, and I held back a grin when Shining looked up at the titan of a creature. He looked back down to me, and I just smiled.

"I want you all to know something," he said. "This mission to this Griffon Empire isn't my main focus. My dragon and I can have your team there by dawn if we left at dusk. They are a side-mission, of sorts."

He pointed to the map on the table and followed the edge of its borders until he stopped just inside Diamond Dog territory.

"There is a prison here that these mutts assembled," he informed us, crossing his arms and smirking. "Similar to the one used to contain me. I want to know who's in there."

...another Signa?

"How do you know that?" Shining questioned. I smirked at him to let him know I could hear his anxiety.

Reku'un reached into his pocket and pulled out an Arthanian dagger coated in black blood. "As your kind say... I have my ways."

So that's what he was doing all this time.

The others looked at the dagger for some time, then to him in mixed emotions. Fear was most prominent.

"Reku'un, we understand how personal this war is for your kind," Celestia began, a mild hint of shock and horror in her voice, "but we won't allow... brutal methods."

"Don't devolve to their level," Luna added. She was glaring at him, much more offended than Celestia. "Are we clear?"

Reku'un looked ready to disregard them, but he gave a submissive nod and turned back to the others. "Rescuing this Signa is our priority. Whoever it is inside there can double our efforts if we extract them," he stated. "Once we return, I'll get started on contacting my people."

"And why haven't you started before?" Shining asked. His eyes narrowed at the Loki'irian with a piercing gaze. "We couldn't survive out there, and you want us to give away our position?"

Reku'un furrowed a brow slightly, then stood closer to the table and leaned in. "I'm doing this because there isn't another option." He shook his head, a flicker of fear passing over his expression, then sighed. "I understand your concerns, but with another Signa to defend this place, you won't need to run. I can guarantee they wouldn't make it past the two of us... in one attack."

The generals gave each other wary and unsure glances, murmuring amongst one another as Reku'un waited. I'd be lying if I said the situation wasn't awkward. Reku'un brought me into this meeting, right after he caught me eavesdropping, and now they were debating another mission while I just stood there. I peered over to the princesses, hoping either of them could catch on to my discomfort. Thankfully, I caught Luna's eye and stared back at her. She nodded for me to come over, and I all too eagerly trotted over. I took my place beside her as Celestia spoke with Stomper, occasionally speaking to my brother as well.

"What say you?"

I perked my ears and gave her a questioning glance. "About this?" I asked, a bit foolishly.

She nodded her head, briefly scanning the room full of militants. "There is merit in this rescue... but it could come at too great a price." I knew what she meant. Well, who she meant. "The journey itself will be harsh and undeniably dangerous. And now he wishes to lead an assault."

There was drastic potential and consequence to the attack. On one hoof, we could rescue another Signa and have two freakishly powerful beings to defend us. Along with that, they apparently wanted to contact the griffons. Our two nations have never been friendly with one another, especially since there have been several major wars between us. Now on the other hoof, they would need to send a team across the border and into their territory, then they would have to find their bunkers. And the assault would draw attention. They would all die, or bring another army of Arthanians with them.

"It isn't an easy decision," was all I could say in response. Luna grinned, barely, and nodded in agreement.

"I'd like to change your plan, Reku'un," Luna announced, silencing the room. All eyes were on Luna, especially the Signa's. "What you're currently proposing could send an entire platoon of our guards to their deaths." He didn't respond, but he understood it plainly. "Which is why you'd need somepony able to assist in your assault."

"I have Nyla," he replied immediately.

She smirked, shockingly, and shook her head. "Without somepony who knows the land, you'd have a greater chance of leading them here," she replied. There was truth in her words, and all of us knew it too. "As such, I'm going to accompany you."

Celestia stiffened noticeably, but the ponies in the room all gasped. "You can't be serious!"

"Accompanying them to the Empire is dangerous enough, but you are going for a prison!" General Ashen added. "There could be thousands of them! And what if he fails?"

"We can't send anypony with you!" Shining shouted, about as exasperated as the others. "What will the rest of the camps think if you don't return?"

"Enough!"

I recovered from my sudden jump and turned to Celestia. Everypony quieted down and waited to hear what she intended to say. Reku'un looked apprehensive as well, which surprised me a bit. Celestia sighed gently, then lifted her head.

"Luna... you've already been to Canterlot, and you barely survived." Luna frowned at her sister, irritated at her disapproval. "Now you will only have Reku'un, which makes this much more risky."

Luna went to rebut, just before Celestia rose her hoof.

"Sister... you are to stay here... because I'm the one who will guide him."

Entry #813

May 6th, 2020

There's another Signa.

Reku'un wants to go out to rescue whoever it may be, and now Celestia is going to join him. It took an entire hour before the princesses could force the generals to stay shut. I don't know what's worse. Losing Celestia or seeing her come back. I've only seen her fight with weapons and basic spells. Now she has to fight hoof and horn to survive what Luna, I, and the rest of us had to. Reku'un isn't going to protect her 24/7, and she knows this better than I do.

Maybe one day I'll see her in a primal manner. When her flank is against the wall and there's no way out. I've been there... we've all been there at some point... and we have the scars to prove it.

In any case, they settled on leaving in a week. The generals want to make sure they remember where to go, and Celestia is taking a small course on their tunnel network. She wanted me and the girls to join the platoon headed for the Empire. She said we're known throughout the nations, and that it would be meaningful to the griffons.

I'm not so sure about that anymore... but then again, we're the ones attacking them. I still need to update the girls about it, but I'm pretty sure they'll be up for it. I just hope we can say what needs to be said how it should be said.

"What are you always writing in there?" I peered over my shoulder to see Rainbow strolling in. "Doing anything sciencey?"

I rolled my eyes and closed the journal, then sat up so I could face her. "Just holding onto my sanity, I guess." Her smile faded away, and I realized what I'd said. "Sorry. It's a journal."

Rainbow's smirk reappeared. "You mean a diary," she chuckled.

I grinned and shook my head. "Whatever floats your boat," I told her. "So, I'm guessing you didn't come around to see my journal."

She nodded softly, then sat beside me. "We heard... something big was going on," she hesitantly said, "and we were wondering if you heard about it."

I laid back on my bed, gazing up at the ceiling without any real interest. "Reku'un wants to go back out already," I said. Rainbow's eyes widened briefly, and I continued. "The Arthanians have a prison like the one we found him in. Which means-"

"-there's somepony else like him," Rainbow finished, smiling madly. "Twilight, there's somepony like him! Imagine two of him! We're gonna-!"

"There's a problem." She closed her mouth and tilted her head. "Reku'un needs somepony to guide him so he doesn't lead them underground. And that pony has to go with him to the prison. So... Celestia's going."

"What?!" She jumped up and flared her wings. "That's... she can't... why... it's crazy!" I shrugged, which prompted Rainbow's jaw to drop. "How can you be so calm about that?!" she exclaimed, stepping closer.

"Celestia is more than capable of holding her own. And with Reku'un, and his dragon, she'll be fine." Rainbow tucked her wings back in and exhaled, but she still looked pretty anxious. "Besides, we have a mission of our own."

"And what's that?" Rainbow questioned, relieved to hear she would be getting outside.

"We're going on a trip to the Empire." She looked even more surprised than before. "Reku'un will reach out to his kind once we rescue the Signa, but he wants to unite the nations before then."

"Unite the nations?" Rainbow and I glanced over to the door as Fluttershy walked in.

"I thought you were gonna wait with the others?" Rainbow told her.

"You were taking a while," she meekly replied. "I just wanted to check on you both. So... what's this about uniting the nations?"

"Before Reku'un calls for his race, he wants to have each of the nations allied," I repeated.

She sighed and shook her head. "It's not easy to get us all together," Fluttershy murmured. "And it's never been done before."

"With the world near its end, I think they'll at least consider it," I shrugged, turning to Rainbow. "We have a week, so we shouldn't worry about it just yet. Let's go grab something to eat. I'm starving."

"Rarity and Pinkie should still be in the mess. Applejack's with her family," Fluttershy informed us, turning to leave. "We'll update her when we see her."

We started to leave, but I remembered I hadn't put my journal away. I backed into the room and quickly stuffed the journal in my saddlebag. Before I left, I saw the inside was less cramped than usual. One of my books was missing, and after skimming over the labels I knew which one was gone... and a good idea of who took it. But I had lunch with my friends, and I could always confront him about it before the week was over.

Author's Note

Ye :derpytongue2: Overcoming Writer's Block is a challenge, but for you guys I'd suffer! Anywho, if you're enjoying the story so far, remember to like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night! Peaces!