Caring Sparkle (Under Revision)

Chapters

Ch.1 : The Elements Call for Twilight
Ch.2: Tear Filled Goodbye's
Ch.3: "Neighborly" Greetings
Ch.4 New World Teachings
Ch.5: Twilight Strikes Back
Ch. 6: No More Running
Ch. 7: Death follows Two
Ch 8: Forgive me...
Ch. 9: Newfound Courage
Ch. 10: Remember Your Past
Ch. 11: A Strong Heart
Ch. 12: Delta 23

Ch.1 : The Elements Call for Twilight

Twilight found herself lying on what seemed to be a stretcher. What was she doing on it? Was she hurt? She felt a throbbing pain in her head. Where was she? Further examination of the area showed remnants of, what seemed to be, a battlefield.

“Ah, I see you're awake,” A voice came from behind Twilight scaring her. “Calm down, none of us are going to hurt you. You were already hurt when we found you. Mind explaining to me what happened?”

From what Twilight could see, the creature standing before her was a bi-ped, like Spike, stood much taller that herself, and carried what seemed to be a metal rod. What was this creature?

“I don't know what happened. I just woke up here. Mind telling me who and, more importantly, what you are?” Twilight rose from the stretcher cautiously, feeling the pain in her head throbbing more intensely now.

The creature removed it's helmet from its head, revealing lush amounts of hair, before speaking. “Well, for starters, my name is Kyle Smith. As for what I am, I guess you could still count me as a human. As much as I would love to enjoy pleasantries, my friend wanted to see you as soon as you were able. If you could follow....”

A high pitched noise shrilled through Twilight's ears and everything became blurry. Her head was now pounding with excruciating pain. She took a few steps before falling to the ground and feeling as the world seemed to move out from beneath her.

******************************************

The alarm clock seemed to be louder than usual. Twilight simply looked out from under her covers, realizing it was just another dream. She turned the alarm clock off and stared at the ceiling. She was back in her house.

These dreams were getting out of control. Twilight slid out of bed, suddenly hearing sounds coming from the kitchen. Spike must have been making breakfast.

Twilight ran a quick burst of magic over her to straighten out her messy mane before making her way downstairs where she was greeted by an unexpected sight.

At Twilight's table sat Princess Luna. It was unusual to see her anywhere, except the castle, during the day. She seemed to be peacefully enjoying a cup of tea. Glancing up as she realized Twilight had awoken.

“Good morning Twilight. Have a pleasant sleep?” Luna said as she put the cup down.

“Um... I guess you could say that. Not to sound rude Princess, but may I ask what you're doing here?” Twilight made her way to the table as Spike came out the kitchen with 3 bowls of cereal in hand.

Princess Luna thanked the small, purple, green-scaled dragon as he smiled and went to eating his cereal. Luna had definitely improved a lot on her social skills since she had been freed from Nightmare Moon's grasp.

“As you know, Twilight, I am the Princess of the night. With that, I am also the Princess of dreams. I've noticed that you've been having the most peculiar dreams for the past few nights. Have you not?” Luna asked as she ate her cereal.

“Well, now that you mention it, I have had these weird dreams of bi-ped creatures for the past few nights. Each night has been getting worse. The creatures call themselves 'humans' and I don't know what they want or what they are doing. But it honestly look like a military group. The land that I find myself in looks like it used to be a town of some sort. But, it seems more like a battlefield with all the destruction,” Twilight finished her bowl of cereal and was chasing it down with some apple juice.

Luna seemed to be taking all the information in piece by piece and thinking hard about it. Luna stood up then walked over to Twilight. Princess Luna was now close enough to realize exactly how tall the Princess was. Not quite as tall as Princess Celestia, but still significantly taller than Twilight.

Luna placed a hoof on Twilight's shoulder, making Twilight feel somewhat more at ease. “Twilight, sometimes dreams have more meaning to them. I hate to eat and run but I have to go and meet with my sister. I thank you both for accepting me into your wonderful home,” Luna then vanished into a flash of light.

“What did she mean by that? Do you have any ideas, Spike?” Twilight asked as she grabbed her bowl and was heading towards the kitchen.

“I don't have a clue. But there's no sense in worrying about it. What's the plan for today, Twilight?” Spike was following behind her with his bowl and the bowl that princess Luna had been using.

Twilight filled the sink with water and put the dishes in the sink. “I think Rarity should be at her shop. I'm sure you would like to see her too,” Twilight said with a giggle as the dragons face turned red with embarrassment.

“Twilight, you know I don't like it when you tease me,” The dragon said as he was lifted onto Twilight's back and they made their way out the door.

********************************

Celestia had just finished reading a report on the recent findings in a cave under Canterlot when her sister had appeared in a flash of light.

“Why good morning sister. I hope your visit with Twilight was most pleasant,” Celestia rolled the report before putting it in a nearby dresser. Something seemed to be bothering her sister.

“It was a pleasant visit. I'm a bit worried about Twilight though,” Luna had walked out onto the balcony and was staring out into the magnificent sun-rise that her sister had made.

Celestia walked over to join her sister on the balcony. “What has got you so worried, dear sister? Is something wrong with Twilight?”

“She is having these peculiar dreams. I've been watching them for the past few nights and I can't help but feel they aren't just dreams. Within the fine outer edge of the dream, I could feel a sort of energy radiating off of it. As though there was life within it. I fear that young Twilight might be having visions,” Luna said as she described Twilight's dreams.

Celestia stood still in fear of the worst. “Are you saying these dreams are visions from that other world? Why would a world filled with such destruction be calling to her?”

Luna looked at her sister with a seriousness that worried Celestia. “I fear that the elements of that world are beginning to awaken. If they are, which I fear that is most likely, then that means something truly horrible has happened.”

Ch.2: Tear Filled Goodbye's

Twilight was awaken from her sleep when she could feel somepony nudging her. Not that she had been sleeping very long, according to her clock, but it had better be a good reason for waking her at this late of an hour.

Her attitude completely changed once she looked up and saw Princess Celestia standing beside her bed. Twilight was so startled, to see her teacher, that she shot out of the bed and hit the floor.

“Twilight, I need you to come with me to the castle. There's something that we need to discuss,” Celestia said as she lifted her student back onto her hooves.

“What? Did something bad happen? Where's Spike?” Twilight was confused. Nothing about this felt right.

“Spike is already on his way to the castle. And so are the other Elements of Harmony. They were all picked up and I came to personally bring you myself. There's something more that you and your friends need to know about the Elements of Harmony,” Celestia had issued the order to gather the other Elements of Harmony quite hastily and last minute, so she expected there to be some confusion.

“Then we mustn't keep them waiting. This sounds serious,” Twilight fixed her mane with a quick burst of magic.

Celestia nodded as her horn glowed and they vanished in the flash of light. Celestia hoped that this decision was the best one. She was never comfortable putting Twilight in instances of great danger.

****************************

“Hey! Can any of you guys tell us why we were ordered to come here?!” Rainbow Dash was getting furious with the guards, who were patiently keeping watch over the Princesses guests.

“Excuse me, darling, not that you all haven't been excellent hosts, but we would really like some answers as to why we are here.” Rarity still had her facial mask on, so did Fluttershy, as they were interrupted while at a sleepover.

“I bet it's a massive monster that's terrorizing the countryside and they've called for us to fight it off in an awesome style which ends with the Princesses' delivering the final blow in a massive explosion that destroys the monster and leaves everypony happy and safe once again! Wouldn't that be amazing?! I think that would be double awesome!” Pinky Pie obviously wasn't fazed by the sudden chain of events and looked as though the was as hyper as ever.

“Oh please. I'm sure the Princesses just want to discuss something with us. Y'all just need to calm down before somepony gets hurt,” Applejack seemed aggravated and was currently watching over Spike, who had slept the entire trip to the castle. Last thing she wanted was for him to wake up and panic.

They all quieted down once they saw Twilight and Princess Celestia appear in the center of the room.

“I'm sorry for disturbing all of you at this hour of the night, but, my sister and I have something we would like to discuss with each of you.” Celestia said as Twilight woke Spike up so he wouldn't miss anything. She could tell that he was confused, but he didn't say anything once he noticed Princess Celestia.

“Now, if my sister is awake from her much needed rest, we can begin,” Celestia mentioned as Luna walked in, almost as if on cue. “Ah, good. Did you get some rest, dear sister?”

“I got a little, but it's enough to get me through the next few hours,” Luna looked as though she hadn't slept for days. The rings under her eyes showed signs from lack of sleep. But Twilight couldn't shake the feeling that the both of them had been stressing over something.

“My little ponies, the six of you have been called here tonight because we have some information my sister and I feel you all should know. As you all know, each of you represents an Element of Harmony. This meaning that the power that is held within each of you will always be strongest when united as a whole. Bringing peace through the land and its inhabitants,” Celestia had to take a breath. The lack of sleep was getting to her.

“It's okay sister, save your energy. I'll tell them the rest,” Luna looked back at the six ponies that stood before her. “Peace is not always the case here. Recently, we have been noticing slips of energy radiating from another world. My sister and I have identified these energies to match those of the Elements of Harmony. These 'slips of energy' are actually the Elements, of this other world, reaching out for help. Twilight, they have been reaching out for you. Through visions, that you take as dreams.”

Twilight was at a loss for words. Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, had plenty to say. “What do you mean?! What would they need Twilight for? Can't these ponies just handle their own problems?!”

Luna's patience with Rainbow Dash's outbursts was running thin. “To answer your question, Rainbow Dash, no, they can't handle it by themselves. These 'humans' live in a world that has been destroyed by its own people. As such, the elements are currently fighting for their lives. Too make things worse, they don't even know, yet, that they are the Elements of Harmony for their world. Unlike us, the humans live in a world without magic. They rely on their own strengths and knowledge on a daily basis.”

Rainbow Dash calmed down, feeling the aggravation coming from Princess Luna.

“That still doesn't explain what they need me for and what it has to do with Equestria.” Twilight was confused with all of this.

Celestia looked at her student, knowing fully that Twilight would understand it better if it came from her. “The Elements need you to help them realize their full potential, Twilight. Just like you helped each of your friends realize their full potential, they need your help as well. Without your help, one, or more, of the elements might come to a gruesome end. There are no records of any Elements of Harmony in their world, thus they have no reason to think of such. If we could help them, it could possibly benefit Equestria in war efforts. If they become aware of another world, and form ties and agreements, we could significantly cut our losses on the battlefield if war were to start again.”

The six ponies sat there, fully realizing the weight of this information.

Twilight knew that what her teacher was saying was the truth. If war were to break out, there would be a significant number of losses. Many that could be avoided if these humans join forces with Equestria. Even though Twilight knew none of the humans, she didn't like the thought of their lives being ended as well.

“But Princess, how is Twilight supposed to get this 'ere 'other world'?” Applejack was confused on that one shred of information.

“Quite simple actually. Since the energy, coming from that world, is from their Elements of Harmony, we, essentially, should be able to link our Elements with theirs. Thus creating a bridge, or portal, between the two worlds,” Celestia stated as Luna passed the Elements of Harmony to their respective owners. “Just put them on and let Luna and I do the rest.”

Once they had their Elements on, Celestia walked over to her student, tears starting to form.

“I'm sorry I have to send you somewhere like this by yourself Twilight. If there was any other way...” Luna placed a leg around her sister, assuring her that it would all be okay. Twilight had also embraced her teacher. She didn't like seeing Princess Celestia cry.

"It's okay, Princess. I know you wouldn't ask me to do it if there wasn't a good reason. I won't let you, or Equestria, down," Twilight assured her teacher.

Twilight turned to say goodbye to all her friends. Each, of which, didn't like the thought of saying goodbye to their best friend.

They all gathered together to hug their friend, hoping that it wouldn't be the last time they see her.

As Twilight wiped the tears from her face, Princess Luna passed a bag over to her. “I took the liberty of packing a bag for you. I even included a picture of you and your friends to cheer you up.”

Taking the bag, Twilight thanked Princess Luna for all she had done. Luna had changed a lot since their encounter with Nightmare Moon. She seemed happier lately.

Twilight had one last bit of information she needed answered. “Where should I start? What should I look for?”

“We'll be sending you to a library near where the Element of Generosity was last sensed. If you use your magic to sense the Elements, you'll find your way, my dear student.” Celestia joined her sister on the other side of the room.

With that question answered, Twilight had what she needed to leave. Hugging Spike again before he walked over to Fluttershy. He was going to be taking this the hardest.

“Now, Spike, just because I'm gone doesn't mean you can eat all the candy you want. Okay?” Twilight said with a smile.

Embarrassed, Spike replied with a smile, “Dang it, Twilight. Why do you always have to tease me?”

Twilight smiled. She knew he was a big boy. He'd be okay without her for a little while.

Celestia and Luna focused their magic on linking the Elements of Harmony with the other world. The Elements began to glow and link together with a mystic light. Adding her magic, Twilight finalized the spell and a shimmering gate of light appeared in the center of the room. Smiling back to her friends Twilight walked through the light, which closed once twilight had made it through.

“Will she be okay?” Fluttershy asked as Spike cried softly into her fur.

Celestia's eyes were filled with sadness and worry. “I hope so. I hope so...”

Ch.3: "Neighborly" Greetings

Entering the light filled gateway, Twilight had no idea what wonders she would see on this journey. The sight, that greeted her arrival, was truly a sight to remember. All around her, a vast array of colors coated her surroundings. Flowing in such a fluid motion, it was truly catching to the eye.

The path, Twilight saw before her, led to another light filled gateway. Twilight could feel the Elements power flowing freely around her. Accepting the challenge ahead of her, she stepped into the light. Feeling the Elements embrace wash over her before everything went blurry.

*********************************

“Ughh! What's that smell?” Twilight covered her nose, preventing the rotten aroma from invading her senses.

The rush of energy, from entering the gateway, must have been too much for me, Twilight thought as she became aware of her new surroundings.

This is definitely the library that the Princess mentioned. Well, what was left of it. The library looked like something you would see in a movie after a big fight scene. Book shelves toppled over, paper everywhere, long light fixtures barely hanging from the roof, this place couldn't get any worse. But, almost as if the room could hear her thoughts, a nearby light fixture fell from the roof causing it to shatter loudly against the floor.

Twilight made a mental note never to say, or think, that again.

Twilight made her way over to the large desk in the corner of the room. That looked like the best place to look for information at this point.

“Come on.... There's got to be something around here,” Twilight looked at the wall next to the desk to find a map of the library. It seemed that the humans language wasn't to different from Equestrian. The only information the map offered, that seemed of value, was the name of the Library though. “Ra...Rapides...Parish Library” Twilight read quietly to herself, making a mental note of the name. If she could find a map of the local area, she could now get a better idea of exactly where she was.

Not finding much more of interest, Twilight decided it was time to find out what awaited her outside the library. Finding the exit, she cracked the door open just enough to see outside. Seeing as it was completely deserted, Twilight made her way out onto the road to get a better idea of the area, greeted by the warm rays of the sun.

The reason behind the library being trashed now made sense to Twilight. Everywhere she looked, destruction and signs of struggle could be seen across the street and buildings. The road, cracked and worn, stretched far. On both side, small building stood in straight lines, each worn and trashed just like the library. Vines could be seen growing along the sides of buildings. Some vines, leading into buildings where holes in walls and broken windows could be found.

Before Twilight could examine the rest of the area, she was startled by voices coming from a nearby alley-way. Thinking quickly she hid behind a nearby short, stone wall that separated the Library from the neighboring building.

Peeking out from behind the wall, Twilight saw 3 humans walking out from the alley way, casually talking and laughing. Two males, one female. Each of them carried long, metal contraptions across their shoulders. They looked like tools. Whatever they were, Twilight knew they couldn't be anything good.

The three humans stood next to each other, chatting happily as they made their way down the alleyway. The male that stood on the outer left edge, towered above the other two. Actually, compared to the other two, his height and physique dwarfed his comrades. What stood out more to Twilight, even more than how huge he was, was how large the machine dangling from his shoulder was. A long, metal box closing into a smaller tube. The bottom of the machine had shiny pieces of metal dangling freely. The man, honestly, brought chills up Twilight's spine.

The other male, unlike his larger companion, was the shortest out of the three. But not by much. His hair, much longer than the other male's, stopped at his shoulders. His face showed sign of stress, small black rings running beneath his eyes. But, underneath it, Twilight could see a happy spirit. This male seemed to carry two much smaller metallic machines. They seemed to form an 'L' shape and was small enough to sit easily on both of his sides.

The female carried herself quite confidently. Her short hair flowed slightly in the wind, stood slightly taller than the male with the long hair, and looked younger than the other two as well. Though, her eyes seemed cold as ice. Hanging from her shoulder, a short, fierce looking machine shine in the sunlight. It looked very well taken care of.

They all looked quite happy. Those expressions quickly changed as a loud popping sound rang through the air and the tall male, blood flowing from the now open flesh where his face used to be, fell lifeless to the ground. The world around them suddenly sprung to life with a barrage of popping sounds. Twilight, covering her ears, cowered down beneath the wall. She opened her eyes just as one of the humans swiftly hopped across the wall before ducking below it's cover. The long haired male now pointed one of these machines at her.

***********************************

“What??!! Are you a...???No, Marcus, snap out of it! Wait??? Are you a fucking unicorn?!” The male continued to aim the machine directly at Twilight's face.

The unicorn, obviously stricken with fear, nodded before managing to squeak out, “Yes...” .

“Holy Shit! Society collapses and suddenly mythical creatures appear!And you understand English! Maybe the apocalypse really is starting.” Marcus then poked out from the wall, firing more rounds from his .45's at the man who killed Berin.

Seeing a red mist come from where the man used to be, Marcus knew he had hit him. Bitch deserved worse, but there wasn't much he could do under the current conditions.

Ducking back behind the wall, Marcus loaded more rounds into the magazine's of his .45's. Kristan must have ran across the street back into the alley. The sound of an assault rifle, coming from the alley, assured Marcus that she was okay.

“So, seeing how you look innocent and scared, is it safe to assume you're not here to kill us? Or do I have to put a bullet in your skull right now?” Marcus aligned his iron sights back to the unicorns face.

Fearing for her life, Twilight took a inhaled deeply before speaking. “I'm not here to cause trouble, honestly. I just got here. I don't know what's going on. But I assure you that I'm not with them,” Twilight assured, pointing back over the wall.

Relieved by these words, Marcus lowered his weapon. Last thing he wanted was to start killing mythical creatures under suspicion of being the enemy. Wouldn't that be a story.... “So, do unicorns have names?” Marcus asked, trying to calm the frightened creature.

The unicorn seemed to relax, slightly, at the kind words. “My name is Twilight Sparkle.”

“Nice to meet you Twilight. Wish we could have met when not being shot at. Don't worry, we'll get you out of here,” Marcus assured her as he patted her mane.

Another human dove across the wall, obviously seeking for cover, just as an explosion came from behind the wall. Kristan planted her back against the wall and took a deep breath before look at her friend.

“Marcus..... Is that a unicorn?” Kristan asked her, now smiling, comrade.

“Kristan, meet Twilight Sparkle. She's a purple unicorn that speaks English. Now before we go any further, we need to get out of here. I think Berin had some plastic explosives in his pack. We can use those as a distraction as we retreat. I need you to give me cover fire,” Marcus quickly explained before his, super- hyper, friend was able to ask any more questions.

In a swift motion, Marcus hopped over the wall just as Kristan began firing in the direction of incoming hostiles.

Not too long after, Marcus was back, drenched in sweat. “Kristan, once these explosives go off, you take the lead back to HQ. We don't have long since their on a timer. I'll be right behind you with Twilight.”

“Alright, but I want to speak with her once we get back home. You always get all the fun,” Kristan replied with an excited tone in her voice.

That all changed when a metallic orb landed next to Marcus.

“Grenade! Move!” Marcus yelled as they made a mad dash out from behind the wall. Twilight, confused as to what was happening, followed.

A few seconds had passed before a loud explosion erupted from behind the wall. Shrapnel and debris spread from the blast site.

The blast threw Twilight off her hooves and sent her sliding across pavement.

Marcus ran back for Twilight while Kristan provided cover fire. “Hurry or else we will all die!” Kristan yelled as another round of bullets shattered through the rib cage of one of their pursuers. Bone fragments and blood erupted from the massive hole in the mans chest before he collapsed gasping for air as his lungs collapsed.

Marcus dragged Twilight behind a nearby car before checking for wounds. A large gash on her hind leg indicated that shrapnel, from the grenade, had hit her. Marcus reacted quickly, applying a tight tourniquet at the highest point of her leg. With her unconscious, Marcus had no choice but to carry her. Lifting Twilight over his shoulder, into a fireman's carry, Marcus made a sprint past the point that Kristan had been defending.

Dropping two more enemies, satisfied with their agonizing screams, Kristan followed.

The bombs detonated shortly after. Blocking off the road with the remains of nearby shops.

“Marcus, you sure do know how to make an exit. I'm pretty sure I saw a couple of the ones, closest to the bombs, instantly disintegrate,” Kristan said with a chuckle.

“You weren't too bad yourself. Seems like those training sessions at the range payed off. Now lets get Twilight to HQ. She needs medical attention,” Marcus replied back. Twilight was here for a reason, and he'd get his information as soon as Twilight was better.

Ch.4 New World Teachings

Twilight slowly opened her eyes. She felt very light headed, possibly due to the stressful turn of events that met her upon entering the human world. The “pleasant” greeting by this world must have been too much. At least she seemed to be okay now.

Twilight began examining her room. It looked like she might have been brought to a hospital. Though the walls around her were cracked and chipped, the room was definitely one belonging in a hospital.

Her eyes stopped searching the room once she noticed the familiar face of Marcus, standing next to her bed.

“It's nice to see that you're okay. The doctor was amazed at how fast you healed after we removed the metal from your leg. I brought you some breakfast,” Marcus sat a tray, with eggs, hash browns, and a glass of water, on the tray in front of Twilight.

Twilight looked at the area Marcus had indicated to see a faint scar leading down one of her legs. “Thank you for taking care of me. I'm sorry for what happened to your friend,” Twilight said with sympathy for Marcus.

“It's okay. We're all living off borrowed time. He was a brave man and will be remembered as such. Now you might want to eat your food before it get's cold,” Marcus said with a big grin before making his way for the door. “Once you're done, let the guard in the hallway know. We got some questions for you later. But take your time. Regain your strength. You'll need it for the nuts that want to talk to you. Oh, and be careful around the civilians here. They're not as nice as Kristan and I.”

Twilight took a bite of the food and was surprised by how great it tasted. She had never eaten anything that tasted this good. The flavors just melted together. These humans sure knew how to cook.

Twilight, after finishing the food, decided it was time to go and meet this guard. She couldn't help but wonder why these people would issue one of their own as a bodyguard for her. Guess now is a good time as any to get answers, Twilight thought as she opened the door.

**********************************

Expecting to see a tall and muscular human standing by the door, Twilight was confused when she saw the bodyguard the humans had selected for her.

Next to the door, a human, not much shorter than Marcus, leaned against the wall, clutching an odd-shaped sword close to his chest.

His hair was short, allowing Twilight the ability to fully see his face. Much to Twilight's surprise, the human didn't look that old. She didn't quite understand the way humans age, but, by first glance, he looked much younger than Marcus. His outward appearance showed a hardened, cold appearance. It almost seemed as though he was waiting on something bad to happen.

“Um... hello. It's nice to meet you. My name is Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight said as she held out her hoof to shake the mans hand.

The man's face quickly changed to a happier expression. “It's a pleasure to meet you Twilight Sparkle. My name is Tyler,” he said as he turned to face Twilight. Giving her a much better look at his face.

Twilight took a closer look at Tyler's face. As he shook her hoof, she noticed a warming smile. Much more than that, she noticed, behind a pair of glasses, his gentle, blue eyes. Twilight could feel nothing more than pure kindness and innocence from his stare as he released his firm grip on her hoof.

“They weren't joking when they told me I would be guarding a talking unicorn. This is, by far, the weirdest assignment they've ever put me on. But it's quite a pleasure to meet you. Under normal circumstances, they would have killed you on sight. But Marcus said you were friendly and were here for a reason. If Marcus can vouch for you, then you are okay in my book. No matter how odd it feels to be talking to a miniature horse,” Tyler mentioned as he cracked a pleasant laugh.

“Miniature horse? From the looks of it, you're the last one who should be mocking anything small,” Twilight couldn't hold back the smart comeback.

Tyler burst into laughter. “So you come with jokes? Something tells me that we'll get along perfectly.”

Twilight remembered that Marcus mentioned a meeting. “Marcus told me that somepony wanted to see me?”

“Somepony??? I don't know about pony, but our “higher ups” definitely want to talk with you. As for meeting you, everyone here has heard of you and they all want to meet you. Me included,” Tyler explained.

“All of them...?” Twilight nervously asked. This didn't sound good.

“Yeah. When Marcus yelled over the radio that he was rushing a talking unicorn into the hospital, many of the people around here couldn't believe it. I was told to rush to the gate to meet y'all. Once those gates opened, hell broke loose. The Divine Judges, a radical religious cult, declared you a spawn of the Devil. Their followers began to attack before Kristan and I began our defense. Once we got you to this room, my leaders told me that I was to watch over you for the remainder of your stay,” Tyler straightened his glasses before motioning for Twilight to follow him.

Twilight followed, continuing with her questions. “They feel like my life could be in danger?”

“I wish I could say they care about your life. I know these people all too well though. They want to make sure that you don't die till they can get some answers. This place is just as corrupt, if not more, as it used to be. Cowards hiding behind their power and money while we do the dirty work. Leaving the average civilian to rot and die,” Tyler indicated as he opened the door leading out of the VIP wing.

Upon opening the doors, Twilight could heard screams of pain, cries for help, pain and agony lined the walls of this hall. People lied out in the halls, each looking just as bad, if not worse, as the other. They were all either covered in blood, dirt, an unknown stain, or a combination of the three.

A small boy ran up to Tyler, begging for medicine to help ease his mothers pain. Patting the boy on the head, Tyler pulled a bottle, filled with pills, and handed it to the boy. The kid was so moved by the unexpected gift that he broke into tears before running back into a nearby room calling for his mom.

“It seems like these people know they can rely on you. But aren't you afraid of getting in trouble with your leaders?” Twilight asked, happy to see the man was a big softie at heart.

“Honestly, fuck them. These people need help, and the council doesn't care whether they die or not. I can't save them all, but I'll do what I can to help. They're just innocents who don't possess the means of working for the Council. Not that I care too much working for them,” Tyler continued leading Twilight down the hall.

“Why do you work for them if you hate it?” Twilight asked.

“Marcus and Kristan are still here. I can't just abandon my friends. We've been through a lot. I can't just abandon them when...” Tyler held his arm out to stop Twilight. This wasn't good.

*********************

The hallway in font of them had been blocked. Someone really did not want them to make it to that meeting.

Tyler quickly pulled out his radio, hoping Marcus had already made it to Kristan. “Marcus, we got an issue in the third floor hallway. The original route is blocked. I feel this might be the work of the Divine Judges. I recommend we meet at the lobby. Grab your rifle and prepare to give me and Twilight cover fire.”

A second passed before Marcus could be heard on the other end of the radio. “Damn. Why does all the bad shit happen when I leave you alone? Kristan and I will be waiting. You best be careful. Last thing I want is Missy cutting my dick off because you got hurt.”

Tyler put the radio up before heading down a nearby staircase. Twilight following right next to him.

Twilight knew that this was possibly leading into a trap. She suspected that Tyler also knew this. Maybe a change of subject would lighten the situation.

“So, who's Missy?” Twilight asked, trying to change the subject.

“Missy's my wife,” Tyler replied with a smile.

“Wife?! You look too young to be married!” Twilight replied, surprised at his answer.

“For your information, I'm twenty-eight years old. I've been married since I was twenty-five. I am plenty old enough to make my own decisions,” Tyler said with a laugh.

They made their way out the staircase. A diagram, of the floor they were on, indicated that they were on the ground floor now.

Voices, coming from around the corner, warned Twilight that it was probably the people Tyler was talking about. Tyler clearly heard them too as his gaze grew cold. Twilight didn't like this.

“Twilight, is there anything you can do to fight?” Tyler asked, knowing that they would be there for her.

“Yeah I can protect myself. But I don't like the idea of possibly killing a person,” Twilight knew how to use her magic to fight. Her brother taught her in his free time when he was home.

As they rounded the corner they saw a man kneeling in the hallway. He looked strange.

Upon seeing the man and unicorn, the man got up and began hobbling towards them. “Please! You got to help me! They took my wife saying they were going to rape her! Please save her!”

Twilight felt bad for the man. They had to save his wife. She stopped all thought as she saw Tyler point the L-shaped mechanism at the man.

“What are you doing! We need to help the...” Twilight began to say before Tyler cut her off.

“If they attacked you, why do you look unharmed? You're a distraction. Step aside. It won't bother me to end your life right here. You have to the count of three. One...” Tyler's gaze held unwavering on the man.

“What are you talking about?! This isn't a jo...” The man began to shout.

“Two...” Tyler was warning the man.

“Shit!” The man began to reach for a knife before a loud bang rang through the hall.

Twilight stood in shock as the man's stomach began to bleed. As he began to try and put pressure on the wound, his intestines began to roll out from the wound. He cried helplessly before Tyler ended his suffering with another shot to the forehead. The man collapsed to the floor, as all life had left his body.

Two men dove from a hole in the roof above them. Tyler fired twice, hitting one directly in the chest. But the other shot had missed its target. The man began to swing a massive club down towards Tyler before he dodged out of the way.

The fierce thug turned towards Twilight, swinging the blunt weapon. Adrenaline leading her actions, Twilight's horn glowed, stopping the mans attack. Light began to shine from the mans eyes before his body erupted from all the magical force that Twilight had built up inside him. Painting everything in the surrounding area a deep red.

Tyler, not quite understanding how she did it, looked over at Twilight. Her horn was starting to dim and blood covered her entire body. Tyler holstered his weapon before resting Twilight's head against his chest before she started crying upon realization of what she had done. The unicorn had obviously never had to do anything like that before.

“Why did I do that? I didn't mean too... I just wanted to stop him. I've never done anything like that,” Twilight cried deeply into Tyler's chest.

“It's okay Twilight. This stuff happens. Sometimes, in order to save one life, you must take another. It doesn't make you a bad person. It makes you a survivor. You made a quick choice, seeing that this man meant to kill you.” Tyler looked her directly in the eye.

Twilight wiped away her tears. Remembering her brother talk about instances he'd seen in battle. “This is war.... My brother always said it was a horrible thing to see. But, I never thought I would end up killing anypony...”

“You said you had a mission, right? Well, this is a part of that mission. If you have to kill someone again, I want you to do it. I will not have you dying on me,” Tyler explained to Twilight.

Twilight shook her head in agreement as shots could be heard coming from up ahead.

Tyler ran in the direction of the gunfire, Twilight following close beside. As they neared the lobby, bodies could be seen across the floor. Each, a member of the Divine Judges.

In a doorway, across the room, Marcus waved over for them to move into the entrance. Kristan sat beside him holding a rifle of her own.

Smile on his face, Tyler walked towards his friends. Glad that they had cleared the way for their safe exit.

Twilight followed close behind, stopping as she noticed a familiar aura flow between the three. They seemed to flow into each other, calmly dancing around them.

Twilight knew she was in safe hands now. Knowing she had good friends with her, she ran for the group. Curious as to what the Council had in store for her.

Ch.5: Twilight Strikes Back

“It’s about time you two got here,” Marcus moved out from the flipped table he had been using as cover, “You know the Council hates waiting.”

“It isn’t my fault that we ran into a bit of trouble. Maybe next time the Council will let me use my weapons instead of this shitty pistol they confiscated from a drug addict,” Tyler threw the pistol to Marcus with a chuckle. “Kristan, can you help Twilight clean up? I’m sure she doesn’t want that color stained into her coat.”

Kristan peeked out from the bookcase she had been lying behind. “Holy fuck. What happened to you?” Kristan ran over to Twilight and ran her fingers through Twilight’s mane. “Good, it hasn’t dried yet. I’ll get you cleaned up.”

“Thank you. If I stay like this much longer, I’ll puke,” Twilight followed Kristan into the nearby bathroom. As the door shut behind her, she could hear Marcus and Tyler continue their conversation.

Kristan flipped a nearby light switch, making the overhead lights flicker to life. “That’s quite a bit of blood. Would you mind telling me what Tyler did?”

Twilight could feel a headache starting to form due to the flickering lights. “Why do you think Tyler did this?”

“Oh please. I can’t begin to tell you how many times he’s made a mess of things. Not to mention he’s more accident prone than a hyper cat, high off meth, in a bathtub full of water,” Kristan turned on the sink, running her hand under the water till it was warm enough.

Twilight didn’t understand what meth was, but the mental depiction of a cat being thrown into a tub of water would have been quite comical if blood hadn’t have been splattered across her mane. “It… it was an accident. He just ran straight for me. I had nowhere to run. I just….. reacted,” Twilight fought the urge to cry. It was obvious she was losing due to the tears that were now running down her face.

“I killed someone….” Twilight’s emotions were becoming unstable as her heart felt like it had just sunk deep into her chest. “I took his life! I had no other choice but to attack, but, I didn’t mean to kill him!” The tears were now running freely like a rushing waterfall.

Without skipping a beat, Kristen slapped Twilight to snap her out of it. “Sorry if I hurt you. You need to get over that. I don’t know how it is in your world, but thousands of people die every day in our world. If you don’t fight for your life, someone will take it from you without giving it a second thought. I don’t like to kill anyone. And neither does Marcus or Tyler. But we have to do it. If you plan on lasting longer than 3 days here, you best toughen up and accept the idea of killing someone.”

Before Twilight could say anything back, Kristan poured a bucket of warm water across her head before scrubbing soap into her mane.

Even with everything that had happened recently, a bath felt amazing to Twilight. Blood and soap began to run down her mane, revealing the natural, light-purple, color of her coat.

Twilight held the spot where Kristan had hit her. Even though it hurt, Twilight couldn’t help but feel the caring emotion that Kristan had put into that slap. “Thank you. I guess I have a lot to learn if I’m to ever return back home.”

Kristan poured a final bucket of water onto Twilight, washing out the last of the blood. “We all have a lot to learn Twilight. None of us are perfect, but, we work with what we know and we adapt as we go.”

Twilight sent a purge of magic through her coat, collecting the remaining water into a ball before releasing it into the sink. “I feel tons better. I needed that.”

“Oh, I know what you mean. I love a good shower.” Kristan finished washing her hands and dried them along her pants. “Well, I think we should get back to the boys. With how clumsy they are, they might end up bringing down the whole buildin--” Kristan was interrupted as shots rang from outside the door.

Kristan was only able to grab her rifle before an explosion sent debris collapsing onto both her and Twilight.

Kristan’s vision was suddenly flooded with a bright purple light.

*************************************

[Moments before the explosion went off]

Marcus made a quick examination of the pistol Tyler had thrown to him. “This is a piece of shit. I don’t see how you would even be able to hit anything. The sights are bent, the spring in the magazine is rusted, and to put the icing on the cake, theres a crack in the receiver. If you did anything else with this, it wouldn’t have been pretty”

“Hey, I made it work even though it was a shitty weapon. If the Council would have given me enough time to grab my own equipment, I wouldn’t have used it.” Tyler smiled as Marcus lifted a large duffel bag from behind the desk he used as cover. “Did you seriously grab some of my stuff for me?”

“Of course. Even I know it’s best to use your own stuff. The equipment they issue us sucks,” Marcus dropped the pistol and reached into the duffel bag, pulling out a M-500 shotgun. “I also grabbed some of my stuff of course.” A big grin began to form across Marcus’s face.

“Ah, I see you found a replacement spring for your shottie?” Tyler began to empty the bag of its contents.

Marcus always knew a good weapon when he saw it. In the bag, Marcus had packed a bullet proof vest, a Fighting Load Carrier vest, four M33 fragmentation grenades, Tyler’s favorite boot knife, an M4 with a bipod deployable grip, and, Tyler’s personal favorite, a full-tang tanto sword.

“Marcus, you are the best,” Tyler put on all of his gear, making sure everything felt right. “This gear brings back both good and bad memories.”

“Maybe this will help. I know you really liked it,” Marcus reached into his cargo pocket and pulled out a black beret before tossing it to Tyler.

Tyler caught the beret and slid it onto his head. “Still a perfect fit. Thanks man.”

“Anytime brother,” Security troops ran into the room, securing every possible corner and doorway. “Looks like our reinforcements decided to finally show up,” Marcus gave the hand signal for all clear.

Almost as if he had just taken someone hostage, every security officer in the room instantly focused their weapons on Marcus. “What the fuck….. What is the meaning of this!”

Marcus went to lift his shotgun before Tyler placed a hand on the barrel of it, holding it down. “Marcus, just calm down for a second. Something doesn’t feel right. Look at their eyes,”

Marcus focused on the eyes of the closest guard, a young male with brown hair who couldn’t be any older than 20. There was no possible way….

Instead of a normal human eye, the young guard had an eye Marcus could only describe as a cat’s eye after another cat had walked into it’s territory. The pupil was pointed on both sides. It felt as though the boy had been staring blindly at the two men.

“This isn’t right. Some of these people have massive wounds that should make it unable for them to move. Much less be alive,” Tyler indicated as he pointed to a few guards with missing limbs and gaping wounds.

A wispy, deep voice brought their attention to the hallway Tyler and Twilight had come from. “It’s been quite amusing watching the bunch of you fight your way through up to this point,” A man in a dark, priest-like, robe walked out from the hallway. Across his chest, Marcus could make out a symbol that appeared to be a crescent moon.

“Who are you? What do you want?” Marcus was getting annoyed. What were the security personnel doing with this guy?

“You don’t need to worry about that. Just know that, if you had just kept your nose out of other people’s business and followed the path with everyone else, this could have been avoided. Take them! And make sure that unicorn is killed in the process!” The priest ordered the guards.

Two guards reached for them before gunshots echoed through the entire room. Following the gunshots, meat flew from where the two guard’s heads used to be. A guard, on the second floor walkway, aimed an RPG at the bathroom the girls had gone into while the other guards focused their weapons on Marcus and Tyler.

“Shit!” Tyler, quickly slinging his rifle, grabbed Marcus and leapt over the nearby security desk before the rocket erupted in a ball of fire against the entrance to the bathroom. Sending the entire room crumbling in on itself.

“Marcus! Give me cover fire!” Tyler pulled the pin on two of his grenades before hurling them out into the crowd.

As the grenades went off, Tyler used the smoke as cover and ran over to the remains of the bathroom. Marcus, using the rifle he had before, opened fire, hitting and killing many guards.

Tyler noticed some of the rubble move. A purple orb, pushing away the remaining debris, emerged from the destroyed bathroom. Inside, Kristan could be seen staring at the remains of what should have killed her. “What the fuck is going on!?”

Twilight stood in the center of the orb, looking just as confused as Kristan. Tyler finally realized that Twilight must have used her magic. “Kristan! Twilight! These guards aren’t who they appear to be! Shoot them on sight!” Tyler slid into the cover of a chunk of wall before tossing another grenade into the crowd, sending bodies flying in a mess of blood and meat.

“Tyler, I swear if I get in trouble for this, I will kill you!” Kristan yelled as she knelt behind a remaining chunk of the wall and opened fire into the crowd.

The guard’s numbers quickly started dying down as the group fought back. One of the guards made a mad dash for Twilight, swinging a sharp machete. Twilight hesitated, not wanting to cause more death. Across the room, Twilight could hear Marcus yell, “Twilight, help us fight! If you’re friends from home were here, wouldn’t you fight to protect them!”.

The words hit a nerve for Twilight. Hardening her heart, Twilight used her magic to send a wave of energy towards the enemy, now feet from her. The energy shredded through flesh and bone, leaving nothing but shreds of bloody meat across the ground.

“Fuck yeah! That was some awesome shit!” Kristan impaled her knife into the throat of a guard that had ran past the corner. With a swift jerk, the knife easily tore through the flesh. The guard collapsed to the floor, gargling and choking on his own blood.

Tyler, empty on ammo, pulled out his tanto and thrusted the cold steel through the gut of a nearby guard. Using the body as a shield, Tyler grabbed the guard’s weapon and began to fire at the four guards that had been following the other.

A loud gunshot rang louder than any of the others as Marcus closed the gap between himself and the remaining guards, firing shell after shell into anyone who opposed him. Three rounds impacted his right shoulder, making him stagger to the floor.

Kristan, receiving cover fire from Tyler and Twilight, ran to Marcus and kneeled beside him as she shot two more guards with her sidearm. “Get up! You’ll be fine!” Kristan grabbed Marcus by the back of his shirt and dragged him behind the cover he had previously been using while Marcus used his shotgun to repel anyone who got close.

A guard, in the middle of the last handful of them, raised an RPG onto his shoulder before firing a rocket in the direction of Twilight. The rocket traveled a few feet before being stopped in mid air by a purple light. Twilight crushed the rocket under tons of pressure, igniting an explosion that killed the last of the guards in a bloody mist.

Not a single guard was left standing. The priest, that they had seen earlier, had disappeared sometime in the middle of battle.

Twilight and Tyler ran, quickly, over to where Kristan and Marcus now rested. “How bad are you hit?” Tyler knelt next to Marcus seeing where the padded armor had done it’s job.

“I’m fine. Just a few bruises.” Marcus got up off the ground, brushing the dust off himself.

“Tyler…. What the fuck just happened! Why did we just kill every civil guard in the entire damn complex!” Kristan was furious. She didn’t like killing her own people.

“I don’t know. They weren’t acting normal. But I will find out.” Tyler grabbed his blade and darted into a mad sprint towards the Council’s quarters.

“Tyler, wait up!” Twilight took off after him, Kristan and Marcus following close behind.

Ch. 6: No More Running

“Guys, now that we have some time, can someone explain to me what the fuck just happened!” Kristan bellowed in a fit of confusion and rage.

“Calm down Kristan. You know just as much as we do,” Marcus stated, using the tail of his shirt to wipe sweat from his glasses. “Whatever those things are, they aren’t human. Tyler, what do you have to say about this?”

Tyler stopped in his tracks, Twilight stopping right beside him. “The alarms aren’t going off…”

“What?” Marcus and Kristan quickly realized that he was right. Everything was unusually quiet.

“You know what that means. Something has happened in the Council’s quarters,” Tyler sat along the ground, resting his back against the wall. “This is all a trap. I can feel it.”

“Wouldn’t it be best if we turned back around instead of sitting here then?” Twilight couldn’t believe Tyler was choosing a time like this to rest.

Marcus rested his hand on Twilights mane, gaining her full attention. “It’s too late to turn back. I’m pretty sure Tyler already knows that they are waiting for us on both ends of this hall. I hate to say it, but it looks like we have nowhere else to go. Am I right Tyler?”

Marcus was right. Tyler could hear the deep, hungry breaths of those creatures further down the dark hallway. There was no other way out.

“Tyler? Where exactly would the armory be from our current position?" Kristan asked as she looked up at the ceiling.

Tyler visualized, in his head, the layout of the building. "If I remember correctly, it should be the floor above us. Not too far from where we are, actually."

Kristan smiled with a wicked grin. "Marcus, you spend a lot of time in the armory. Do you suppose our gear is still locked up?"

"Well, yeah. The only ones who know the codes to them are us. And, if they tried to blast the lockers open, the amount of explosives needed would destroy everything inside. So, if they havent tried to use explosives, they should still be locked up." Marcus knew exactly what Kristan was thinking. But it would be a suicide run if they tried.

"Then I suggest we just use some explosives to make a hole to the floor above us. If we manage that, then we can grab our gear and get out of here," Kristan knew they could get out if they had all their gear.

"We'll be doing nothing but killing ourselves if we use explosives in this hallway. We have no cover to protect us from the blast and there's a possibility, with all the fighting that happened, we would send the ceiling crashing on top of us," Tyler indicated, pointing at the small fragments of concrete that had fallen from the ceiling.

Kristan slouched against the wall in defeat, knowing that Tyler was right.

Breaking the silence that had settled over the group, Twilight knew a solution to the problem. "We could use my magic! I could teleport us there and avoid the risk of sending the roof down on our heads."

The three humans looked blankly at Twilight, as though they weren't comprehending what she had said.

"You can teleport!!!!????" The three said in unison, not knowing how much Twilight's magic could do.

With a nod, Twilight was tackled in a flying hug by Kristan. "You are so awesome! When we have time, you have to show me all the tricks you can do." The two tumbled to the floor as Twilight lost her balance, causing the two to laugh uncontrollably.

"You're just full of surprises. Once we get to safety, we'll all relax over drinks," Tyler said, laughing at the two as they sat on the floor. It felt good to laugh after all they've been through.

"Hey now! I'm always up for a celebration. The sooner we get out of here, the better," Marcus chuckled as he helped them get back up.

"Everyone stand close. This might feel a bit weird for you all." With a flash of light from Twilight's horn, the group saw the room change right before their eyes.

They were no longer in the hallway to the Council's chambers. They were now in, what appeared to be, a supply closet for cleaning supplies.

"That. Was. Awesome!" Kristan jumped in excitement before Marcus, Tyler, and Twilight all covered her mouth to keep her from revealing their position. Kristan gave a thumbs up, indicating that she was calm now.

"We have to be careful. There's no way of telling if those monsters are up-" Tyler was interrupted as a familiar, dark voice boomed over the intercom.

"You think using magic will save you?" The priest chuckled. "You're merely avoiding the innevitable. None of you are getting out of here. I'll enjoy watching each of you suffer as my children rip you to shreds."

"Is that the guy you two met in the lobby?" Kristan asked. "Because he's quite the people pleaser."

“Yeah we thought so too. Maybe he’ll have some milk and cookies ready for us if we stop by,” Marcus joked, making everyone chuckle.

“Let’s get serious guys,” Tyler said, regaining his composure. “It’s obvious that they know where we are. I assume he’s watching us from the security cameras.”

“Which can only be accessed from the security room or the Council’s Quarters. So we were right… The Council is gone.” Marcus said, smashing the butt of his shotgun into a nearby camera. “Damn monsters. This was our home…”

“Does this mean all the people who lived here are dead?” Twilight asked, her head lowered so that the others could not see her face.

Tyler, seeing the depression cloaking over her, lowered himself to a knee. “Twilight, I’m sure they’re fine. I’m sure they were able-”

“Don’t lie to me!” Twilight cried, as tears ran down her face.

Tyler couldn’t think of what to say. His heart felt like tons of force had been pressed down upon it. All Tyler could do was wrap the pony in his arms as she wept into his shoulder.

“A lot of people have died, Twilight,” Marcus said, abruptly.

Twilight looked up from Tyler’s shoulder as they both stared up at Marcus. The sudden statement had confused them, for it wasn’t what they expected to hear.

Marcus continued, “ The monsters out there used to be comrades of ours. Some of them didn’t even look injured, yet, you could practically smell the stench of death radiating from their bodies. I’m sure other people, innocent people, were involved,” Marcus cleared his throat, holding back tears. “But not everyone here is hopeless. There are good people that we worked with. They all are great warriors, willing to give anything to protect this place. But they have families. I will not hold anything against them, upon seeing everyone else die, if they decided to protect their families and get the fuck out of here. We’re still alive, and we are in the heart of this shit hole. I’m sure others were able to make it out.”

Twilight wiped the tears from her face. “How could you possibly know if others did survive?”

Marcus gave a small grin. “I just know, Twilight. Humans are a tough race to deal with. We have reasons to fight. And a fight with a reason is more deadly than any weapon.”

“He’s right, Twilight. I’m sure others made it out alive. But we need to keep moving if we want to stop these monsters here and now,” Tyler patted Twilight’s mane as he rose to his feet.

Kristan helped Twilight up, brushing dirt and fragments of glass off of her. “Everything will be fine, Twilight. We aren’t just crazy people. We are crazy people who care for one another. And you’re one of us now so that means we will take care of each other as well.”

The smile across Twilight’s face was infectious, as it made everyone else smile. “Thank you. It means a lot to me knowing I have friends here with me. So what do we do now?”

Tyler picked up a fragment of glass from the nearby broken mirror. “We let the Priest know exactly who he’s messing with.

*********************

“This is becoming quite entertaining,” The priest sat in the head chair at the Council’s desk.

The room was in shambles. Corpses cluttered the doorway, one by one rising to their feet.

“I see you decided to stop by?” The priest looked to the center of the table where a dark mist emerged from the polished wood.

“With what ‘pleasure’ may i give this unwelcome visit?” The priest began to laugh before shrieking, horribly, in pain as fire engulfed his body.

A dark, wispy voice came from the mist. “Don’t forget who rules you now, you pathetic worm!”

Struggling through the pain of being turned into a living bonfire, the Priest continued to retaliate. “My master is much worse than you, witch!”

The fire withered away and a large, clawed hand emerged from the mist, smashing the Priest’s face against the wall. “Your master is no longer in control of you. Either follow my instructions or I will make sure that you feel every bit of pain leading to your death.”

The priest let out a snarled growl. “Fine! I’ll make sure my children devour their souls.”

“Good. The puppy finally realized who its master is,” The mist let out a sinister chuckle before vanishing.

“Damn witch…” The Priest rose from his seat, making his way towards the hallway. “I think it’s time to show my guests to the door.”

Ch. 7: Death follows Two

Tyler placed his ear against the splintered, wooden door, listening for any monsters in the adjacent hallway. "I don't hear anything. Their either waiting for us or they haven't made it here yet."

Twilight looked questionably at the mirror fragment in Tyler's hand. He might be thinking of using the mirror to see out into the hall, Twilight thought.

A soft grip of a hand was placed on Twilight's shoulder, followed by Kristan whispering into her ear. "Twilight, I know this must all be pretty scary for you. It's the same way for us. We've never come across anything like this. But we need you to be strong. Do whatever you need to do to survive. No matter what the cost, do what you must to survive."

The one happy and caring face, that Kristan usually sported, was now straight and serious. Looking into Kristan's eyes, Twilight could see the fear she had tried to mask under a shroud of determination. Marcus and Tyler both shared the same look. Each of them were ready to risk their life to protect one another. It reminded Twilight of the look her brother had when he went to war...

Kristan, noticing Twilight's body posture become more solid and stand with a sense of confidence, knew her words had reached Twilight. "Good. Now let's show these fuckers exactly who they're messing with."

Kristan gave Tyler a thumbs up. With a nod, Tyler slowly cracked the door open. Using the mirror as an extension of his eyes, Tyler peered out into the hall.

"I can't see anything. The armory should be three doors down on the right hand side. When the last person gets in, we will seal the door from the inside," Tyler tossed the mirror shard off to the side and readied his rifle.

Tyler nudged the door open with the barrel of his rifle as he stepped out into the hall. With nothing in sight, Tyler gave the hand signal for the others to move out, Kristan leading the group. As the group made their way out of the room, Marcus being the last one out, Tyler closed the door behind them and joined the group at the end.

Arriving at the first door, Kristan held her hand up for everyone to stop. Kristan nudged Twilight with her foot and pointed at Marcus, indicating that Kristan wanted her to pass it down. Twilight nudged Marcus, and he did the same to Tyler. At that last nudge, Tyler steadily made his way to the door and opened it, turning his attention the the hall as Kristan and Marcus made their way into the room.

Twilight, not knowing what was happening, made her way to Tyler and watched the other end of the hall.

In a matter of seconds, Marcus and Kristan were back out into the hall. Tyler shut the door behind them and they continued their way down the hall.

Twilight connected the dots in her head. This must be a method they used to check rooms. Quite tactical, in Twilight's opinion.

The process was repeated at the next door, Tyler and Twilight watching the hall like last time.

Twilight felt a slight rumble in the floor. An earthquake maybe? No, there was a pattern. Felt more like footsteps. Looking at Tyler, she could see he noticed it as well.

Returning her eyes to her section of the hallway, Twilight caught her breath seeing the monster down the hall.

This one was not like the others. While the others looked like the other humans, this one was much larger. It almost took up the entire hallway. And it was making its way straight for them at a rapid pace.

Tyler grabbed Twilight by her bag and pulled her into the room, shutting the door behind them. "Nobody make a sound."

The rumbling in the floor became more intense as the creature got closer. The loud footsteps stopped just outside the door, sending a cold chill through the room.

The few seconds that the monster stood outside the door felt like an eternity. The footsteps started again and dimmed as the monster got further away from them.

Tyler slid to the floor, wiping the sweat from his face. "That was a big fucker."

"Are we seriously fighting monsters as big as the hulk?" Marcus took in a deep breath to relax his nerves. The entire time the beast was outside the door, Marcus had held his breath.

Tyler stood back up, regaining his compsure. "It would seem so. We need to get to the armory as fast as possible. When I open this door, we make a run for that door. I'll go first. Marcus, you and Twilight will go next. Kristan, you follow up from behind. We need to make this qui-"

Two sets of arms shot through the door, grabbing Tyler's arms and legs before smashing his body through the door.

"Tyler!" Twilight ran out into the hall, coming face to face with a horde of the monsters they saw earlier. With a blast of energy, Twilight sent the first two monsters, the ones that grabbed Tyler, flying into a nearby wall.

Marcus and Kristan follwed out into the hall. Marcus helped Tyler up while Kristan and Twilight started fending off the monsters.

"Tyler, are you okay?!" Marcus checked him for any wounds, noticing a massive cut going through his kevlar vest.

"They didn't hit flesh," Tyler pulled the safety cord on his vest, sending it falling to the floor. "Don't let them hit you. One of those fuckers cut straight through my rifle before hitting my vest. I would be dead if I didn't have it on."

"Can you still fight?" Marcus's question was answered as he looked into his friends eyes. "I see. Stupid question I guess."

Tyler no longer felt the pain in his chest. His breathing slowed back to normal as he pulled his sword out from its sheath. His eyes held a dead, blank stare on the monster. The look sent a chill down Marcus's spine.

"You know I ain't leaving you buddy..." Marcus Stood to the side as Tyler walked towards the battle.

*****************

Twilight sent another wave of energy into the monsters, sending them flying back. She was about to send another wave when Tyler walked past her without saying a word.

"Tyler, are you alright?" Twilight felt a hand rest on her head as Marcus stood beside her.

"Kristan, you and Twilight make your way to the armory. It's not far. We will hold them off. I'll page you on the radio when we reach the door. We need it open as soon as you get that page," Marcus looked down at Twilight, rustling her hair. "Don't argue with me. We got this."

Twilight, feeling her head was messing with her, rubbed her eyes. She swore she could see a spark of energy beween Marcus and Tyler.

As Marcus walked towards Tyler, Kristan knelt beside Twilight. "Don't worry Twilight. If Marcus says he's going to do something, he's going to do it. We need to get out of here."

With a nod, Kristan and Twilight made a run for the armory.

Twilight looked back at Marcus and Tyler.She knew her mind wasn't playing tricks on her. There was an energy flowing between them. Just like when Marus and Kristan had found Twilight.

******************

“Are you sure about this, Tyler?” Marcus reached down, pulling a fire axe from one of the dead monsters. “We almost died last time we did this…”

Tyler chuckled as he tightened his grip on the sword. “You know what I say? What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. And, I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling pretty good right now.”

Marcus smiled. “Don’t you dare die. I’d hate to have to face both Missy and Twilight.”

Tyler looked at his friend. “What if you die?”

With a large grin, Marcus raised his axe. “Bitch, someone this fabulous can’t die.”

Tyler readied his sword at his side as the monster got closer. “I guess that means I’m absolutely gorgeous.”

With an ear-piercing battle cry, Marcus and Tyler plunged into the horde of monsters.

Ch 8: Forgive me...

Kristan and Twilight ran down the hall, both eager to rest once in the armory. Besides the enemies that were behind them, which was currently being dealt with by Marcus and Tyler, there was no sight of any other monsters. The empty hall sent an uneasy feeling of paranoia down Twilight's spine

"Kristan, are Marcus and Tyler going to be okay by themselves?" Twilight asked, feeling like it was a mistake to leave them.

"Oh yeah," Kristan giggled, " they'll be fine. When those two are together, everyone knows to stay clear of making them angry. Some of the guards spread a rumor that if they were to go to hell, they would take over and overthrow the Devil himself. And, to be honest, I wouldn't doubt it."

Twilight didn't quite understand the words hell or Devil, but she understood what Kristan was trying to say. There were many questions Twilight had about this world, but they could wait until a better time. Right now, all Twilight wanted was to get to the armory so she could relax.

Almost as if Celestia herself was granting her wish, the large, metallic door to the armory came into sight. "Thank Celestia, we finally made it."

"I don't know who this Celestia is, but if she made it this easy for us I'll have to treat her to a drink," Kristan laughed as she put in the code for the door.

The smile quickly disappeared from Kristan's face as a large hand flew out of the room, grabbing Kristan by her left leg. Lifting Kristan into the air, the giant monster from earlier emerged from the large door frame.

Twilight sent a shockwave of magic straight towards the giant's face. The giant seemed unfazed as chunks of flesh were ripped from the lower portion of it's face. With a deep grunt, the monster used its free hand to back-hand Twilight, sending her flying into the wall.

Looking through the blood that was now flowing down her face, Twilight could do nothing but watch as the monster tightened its grip on Kristan's leg. The loud crunch of bones breaking, followed by Kristan's pain-filled screams, sent a fierce chill down Twilight's spine. The monster seemed to play with the broken limb as it loosened and tightened its grip over and over, almost as if grinding the bones to dust. It wasn't long before the immense pain made Kristan pass out. Bored without the screams of its victim, the giant released it's grip.

Time seemed to slow down as Kristan fell to the floor. Reaching out her hoof, Twilight felt completely useless as her friend hit the floor with a loud thud.

"KRISTAN!!!!!" Twilight screamed at the top of her lungs. Using every bit of strength that she had, Twilight pushed herself off the ground. Ears reared back and hair standing up, Twilight charged towards the monster. With a leap into the air, Twilight smashed a hoof into the monsters face. The force was just enough to make the monster stumble backwards. Twilight took another charge at the monster, smashing her bleeding forehead into the giants gut. Though the force did nothing, the monster deffinately felt Twilight's horn puncture through its abdomen.

Roaring with rage, the monster swung its massive hand downward, smacking Twilight into the tile floor.

Lifting her head, Twilight struggled to focus her eyes on her target. Everything went red as blood ran down her face. "Big brother... I need you..."

The monster laughed as it raised its fist for the final blow. Twilight closed her eyes as the massive fist sped downwards at her.

Twilight's eyes opened wide as she heard the monster's pain-filled screams. Standing in front of her, wielding a long, black scythe, was a familiar face.

At the last moment, Tyler had sliced through the monster's arm. The giant screamed, almost as if in terror, as it looked at where its arm used to be.

"Don't sound as if you know what true pain is," Tyler made another swift swing with his scythe, cutting clean through the giant's legs. The giant hit the floor, almost breaking straight through.

"Marcus, is Kristan okay?" Tyler asked without taking his eyes off the monster.

Twilight looked behind her to see Marcus knelt over Kristan. "It's not good. Her leg is completely shattered. It looks like she passed out. Probably due to the severe pain."

Tyler's body shook in rage. "You brutally beat my friends, nearly killed them..." Tyler smashed the heel of his boot into the giant's eye, crushing straight through.

The giant sent a horrible shriek through the hall as blood ran from its eye. In its other eye, you could see the sheer terror and immense pain it was feeling. It attempted to crush its attacker with its only remaining arm, only to have it sliced off as Tyler swung the scythe straight through the bone and flesh.

"Marcus, get Twilight and Kristan into the armory and shut the door. I don't want any of you to see this." Tyler demanded with a cold, merciless tone to his voice.

"T..Tyler..." Twilight struggled as she pushed herself off the floor.

"I said now, Marcus!" Tyler roared, his voice almost challenging that of Luna's royal voice.

"Come on, Twilight. You don't want to see this," Marcus put his hand on Twilight's back.

Fearful of seeing what Tyler was going to do, Twilight did not argue as she turned her back and limped for the door. Once Twilight was inside, Marcus picked Kristan up in his arms. Stopping right outside the doorway, he looked back at his friend. "Tyler, when you come in, I want you to be yourself again. Twilight won't be able to handle you how you are right now.... Missy wouldn't want to see you like this...."

As Tyler heard the door shut behind him, the monster's screams faded from his thoughts as he looked towards the ceiling. "Our Father, who art in heaven..."

*******************

Ch. 9: Newfound Courage

"Twilight, grab the two boxes on top of locker 23 and dump them in the corner," Marcus adjusted Kristan in his arms, trying to avoid putting too much tension on her shattered leg.

Twilight levitated the boxes off the locker, dumping a collection of security uniforms in the corner. "Marcus, let me see if I can do anything about her injuries."

Resting Kristan on the bundle of clothes, Marcus gave Twilight a quizzical look. "You can use your magic to heal a wound this bad?"

"I'm not sure," Twilight sat and observed the battered leg. "One of my friends, Rainbow Dash is her name, had an accident a while back. She was trying to perform one of her many tricks and ended up breaking her wing in the process. After that day, I started studying the art of healing magic."

Kristan's leg glowed with a bright, purple aura. The dangling shreds of skin slowly began to merge back together, healing before Marcus's eyes. "My God, Twilight. You are absolutely incredible."

"Don't say that yet," Twilight winced as a spark shot from her horn. Taking a deep breath, she regained control of her magic. "The wound is very bad. Even if I can completely heal it, she'll have some pretty nasty scars for the rest of her life."

Twilight slowly lowered Kristans' leg, taking in a deep breath to calm her nerves. "Suprisingly, I was able to completely repair the muscle and bone. Given a few days, she'll have full use of her leg. But, for now, we need to get it bandaged."

Without skipping a beat, Marcus removed his shirt, using his knife to cut it into long strips. "Thank you, Twilight. I don't know what we would do if you weren't here."

The entrance creaked open as Tyler walked in. Closing the door behind him, Tyler propped the scyther against the wall as he removed his jacket. "Is there anything we can do to save her leg?"

"Don't worry about it, bro. Twilight used her magic to fix Kristans' leg. She'll be perfectly fine in a few days," Marcus brushed the dirt off his pants, having finished wrapping Kristans' leg.

Tyler froze as the words processed in his head. "Twilight? You were able to completely heal her?"

Twilight lowered her head, feeling ashamed for not being able to protect Kristan. "I felt like I, at least, owed her that. Seeing how it was my fault that---" Twilight's thoughts were scrambled as Tyler collapsed to his knees, wrapping her in a tight hug.

Tears streamed down Tylers' face, running into Twilight mane. "Thank you.... Thank you so much, Twilight..."

Twilight returned the embrace. He must have been keeping a lot of emotions inside,Twilight thought. Tyler really does care about his friends.

"Tyler.... Why are you crying like a baby..." Kristan mumbled, slowly opening her eye.

Within a split-second, everyone crowded around Kristan. Marcus was the first to speak. "Kristan, you're awake! Do you feel any pain?"

"I'm fine you dopes. My leg just hurts a little," Kristan gave a quizical look to her bandaged leg. "Um, guys, what the hell is that?"

"That would be your leg," Marcus cleared his throat, "A little bit ago, it was a stress toy for that giant beast out in the hall."

Kristan's eyes went wide with fear. "Don't tell me that thing is still alive?!"

Twilight rested her hoof on Kristan's shoulder. "Don't worry, Kristan. It's.... It's dead."

Kristan fell back, letting out a relieved sigh. "Don't scare me like that. That bitch looked like someone tried to fuck-start its face with a floor buffer." A few minutes passed before Kristan brought up the question about her leg. "So, exactly how is my leg in this good of a condition. I specifically remember that big fucker crushing my leg."

Marcus gave a soft smile. "You can thank nurse Twilight for the fix up. She used some of her magic to heal you."

Twilight, being put in the spotlight, turned a slight shade of red. "I just wanted to make sure you got better. I mean, even though it was a very serious injury, I'm surprised I was able to repair your leg as much as I did. Thank Celestia I've been studying rapid material regeneration. I simply used my magic to regenerate your bone structure and repair the torn muscle tissue by speeding up your bodies natural regeneration process."

Twilight blushed even harder as everyone stared at her with a confused look. A fit of laughter took them by surprise as they looked to the source to find Tyler laughing uncontrollably.

"Um, are you okay? Did I do something funny?" Twilight was confused. This was the first time she had seen Tyler laugh.

Tyler gave a big smile as he calmed down enough to talk. "Oh I'm quite fine. Twilight I was very wrong about you. When I first spoke with you, I honestly thought you were quiet and shy. But now I see that I was wrong. You are really quite smart and tough. I was even impressed when I noticed the injuries inflicted to that giant. I know Kristan didn't inflict those injuries. You put quite a hurting on that monster. I'm proud of you."

"Yeah, Twilight, you handled yourself a lot better than I expected. Especially when we were surrounded back in the lobby. Not only did you save Kristan's life, twice, but you also held your own. I'd gladly fight next to you any day." Marcus patted Twilight on the back.

"You're awesome! I saw you blow that monsters face in half when it had me in the air. Sure it shook it off, but that was still an awesome attack. I would have been a gonner if it weren't for you," Kristan smiled from ear to ear as she gave Twilight a tight hug.

They don't think I'm a lost cause,Twilight thought. It wasn't long before she felt the tears run down her face.

Marcus knelt down, wrapping Twilight in a hug. "It's okay. We all understand you must be scared."

"It isn't that," Twilight said, fighting back the tears. "This whole time, I've missed my home. But, you all have done so much for me that, in a way, it's helping me feel less homesick. I'm so happy to have you all with me."

Without saying anything, the group huddled around Twilight, wrapping her in a warm embrace. A small voice echoed in Twilight's mind. "Home is where the heart is, Twilight."

Ch. 10: Remember Your Past

Twilight woke from her sleep feeling exhausted and worn out. Tyler had kneeled beside her and was looking worriedly at the unicorn. "Twilight, are you okay?" Tyler asked in a low voice.

Twilight stretched her muscles, feeling multiple pops from her joints as she stretched. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just feel like I haven't slept at all. What happened to Marcus? I thought he was standing guard?" Twilight looked around the room to see Marcus, sleeping heavily, in a sleeping bag.

"We changed out for the rest of the night. I came to check on you because you were crying in your sleep. Is everything okay?" Tyler asked as he took a rag from his pocket and wiped the tears from Twilight's face.

Twilight looked at the, now wet, rag in confusion. "I don't know why I was crying. Other than feeling really sore and exhausted, I feel perfectly fine."

Tyler stood up and walked to his locker, pulling a brown towel from a low shelf. "I think you might have had a nightmare. I need to jump in the shower. If you want to talk more, I'll be right here," Tyler pointed at the shower room door on the other side of the room.

Twilight didn't feel like going back to sleep. Thinking back on her dream, she couldn't remember anything. Maybe it would be best to stay awake. "Yeah, that sounds alright."

Twilight stood from her sleeping bag, feeling more joints pop as she straightened her legs. I've never felt this worn out before, Twilight thought. Maybe, if I walk around the room, I'll wake up a bit more. Twilight began to walk along the edge of the room, steeping softly so as not to wake Marcus or Kristan. Twilight examined the contents of the room as she passed by them. Near where she slept, duffel bags covered the floor, all of which were missing their contents. A large box, filled with rolled up sleeping bags, had capsized near where Marcus and Kristan slept, spilling its contents along the floor. Not that Marcus nor Kristan seemed to mind. Kristan had gathered a dozen sleeping bags and formed a mattress while Marcus used one to sleep in and one to lay his head on.

Twilight stopped as she looked at the only four lockers that had not been looted. Twilight read the names on the lockers from left to right: Marcus, Kristan, Tyler, Berin... Twilight read the last name slowly as she recognized it as the man who died when she first arrived in this world. A necklace with a metal tag dangled from the handle on the locker. Looking closer, Twilight was able to read out the name Berin Sneider. The necklace must have belonged to Berin,Twilight thought.

Twilight noticed that Tyler's locker was hanging open, squeaking on its hinges. Pictures covered the entirety of the locker, but, a few pictures, in particular, caught her attention.

The first picture was of Tyler. A much younger Tyler in fact. The hair on his head was all gone and he was wearing a multi-shaded green uniform. In his left hand he held a sign ,which read," Hey mom, I'll be home soon. I love you!". He looks so happy. I wonder where he went at that time?

The second picture looked to be of another man holding Tyler in a head lock as they laughed. They both wore their military dress uniforms, judging off the multiple medals and ribbons they wore. The name "Vick" was scribbled along the bottom of the photo. That must be a friend of his from the military, Twilight thought as she smiled. I'm sure times were much easier back then...

The last picture showed Tyler kissing a woman on the cheek. The woman in the picture had a big smile and was blushing bright red. Along the bottom of the photo, Twilight read the word, "Buttercup". A big heart encircled the word, hinting Twilight that the woman must be Melissa. She does look really pretty, Twilight thought with a slight giggle. "Best watch yourself, Tyler, she looks like a handful," Twilight jokingly said to herself.

"Oh, trust me, she is." Tyler said, leaning against the locker. Tyler could tell he had scared the unicorn as she jumped, accidentally smacking her head against the shelf of the locker.

"Tyler! I'm sorry. I wasn't snooping on your personal stuff, I swear," Twilight said as she rubbed the fresh bruise along the base of her head.

"Ah, don't worry about it," Tyler said, running a towel through his hair. "You're not the first person to look at my pictures. So which ones caught your eye?"

Twilight, unsure of how to answer, simply pointed at the three which stuck out to her. Tyler gave a soft laugh, "I see. Well those are some quite interesting memories". Tyler pointed at the picture of him without hair, "This is when I was in basic training. I went to a religious seminar that a priest held for the soldiers. I had a lot of fun and they took pictures of us to show to our loved ones while we were there. I didn't know what else to say but to tell my mom that I love her. She was always such a strong woman.... She raised me by herself till I was fourteen years old. Sure, my stepdad was around, but, he never did anything to help me. He would just show up and sleep all day. But that's a story for another day..."

Tyler pointed to the picture of him and the other man, "That's me and Vick. Vick is an old buddy of mine. We met at training and found out that we were both from the same state. Do y'all have states where you're from?"

"I'm not sure what a state is but we are broken up into separate lands. I'm from the land of Equestria in the town of Ponyville," Twilight explained, listening intently to Tyler's stories.

"Well, here in our world, we are in the country of the United States. Inside that country is a collection of states. And that leads us to where we are, in the state of Louisiana," Tyler noticed Twilight's large interest to learn more. Clearing his throat, Tyler focused back on the subject at hand. "Well, that was the day Vick and I graduated from training. My family wasn't able to come, so his family was nice enough to bring me with them on family day."

"Why was your family not able to come to family day? Did something happen?" Twilight couldn't imagine how much it must have hurt Tyler to not see his family after so long. Twilight made it a point to see her brother whenever they had a special occasion while he was at training.

"It wasn't like they had a choice. The air conditioning unit broke and it was the middle of Summer. It was going to take a lot of money to get cool air flowing back into the house so I told them to just forget about coming. Sure, I really wanted them there, but I had gone all that time without seeing them. So why not wait a few more days, right? Missy kept me happy because we talked on the phone almost the entire day," Tyler laughed as he remembered the conversations that day. "As long as my family was safe, I didn't care what happened. I just wanted them happy."

Twilight smiled at the selfless act. His family means the world to him, Twilight thought. As Tyler pointed to the last picture, Twilight noticed a mixture of happiness and sadness wash across his face.

"This picture.... was a both a beautiful day with my, at the time, fiancé, and a horrible day for humanity.... Missy and I were enjoying a day together. I had proposed to her only three days prior. As we were driving back to her house, the emergency broadcast streamed across the radio. Satellites in Earth's atmosphere were going down one by one and nuclear bombs were detonating world wide. Not long after the broadcast, the radio went out and that's when all hell broke loose..." Tyler threw his towel into his locker, pulling out a pair of jeans and a dark green t-shirt to change into.

"I hate to ask, because I'm sure it's not comfortable to talk about, but may I ask what happened?" Twilight didn't like that she had to ask that question. The expression on Tyler's face was cold and lifeless. It almost looked as though he could cry at any second, but the tears never came.

Tyler finished lacing up his black boots when he continued. "The sky went very dark. It was four in the afternoon, so it shouldn't have been that dark. First we heard a loud explosion, off in the distance but still close enough to hear. Then Missy screamed as pieces of metal rained from the sky. Houses, cars, even people were crushed by the falling debris. We couldn't go any further by car so I grabbed Missy and we ran for it. I saw many people die as we ran. Some by the falling metal, some by other people who just wanted their stuff. Society crumbled that day. I can't remember how long it lasted... A few minutes? Maybe a few hours? All I remember is holding missy close to me as we hid under a table in the basement of a nearby hotel." Tyler reached into his locker, pulling out a long black duster jacket. "My parents died sometime during all of this. Our house sat on a steep hill, which collapsed during all the destruction. The house rolled down the hill and crashed at the bottom."

Twilight fought back the urge to cry. "I'm sorry for your loss, Tyler. I'm sure they were nice people."

"They were good people. Even better parents..." Tyler started checking his weapons for any deficiencies. It kept his mind preoccupied.

"What happened to Missy's parents?" Twilight asked, seeing Tyler's mood brighten up slightly.

"They survived the chaos. It didn't hit too bad where they were. They died of natural causes about a year ago though. It tortured Missy and I to see them go, but, in the end, they were just happy to know that they're daughter is safe. Their graves are located at an outpost in Alexandria, not too far from here. That's actually where Missy is now. Her mom was a nurse, so they asked Missy to provide some first aide classes for their troops," Tyler gave a warm chuckle. "For a woman who is deathly scared of needles, she sure knows how to patch you up if you're injured."

"She sounds like a nice woman," Twilight pulled the picture of them down from the locker, dropping it in Tyler's hand. "Even though things have happened, I'm sure she's glad that you were there for her through it all."

"Yeah... She is an amazing woman," Tyler folded the picture and slid it into his pocket. "I'd do anything for that woman."

A loud knock came from the vault door, startling Twilight and Tyler, and waking Kristan and Marcus. Kristan aimed a pistol at the entrance while Marcus grabbed his shotgun and ran to the security monitor.

"Who is it Marcus?" Tyler pulled a more compact shotgun from his locker, loading shell after shell into the drum attached to the bottom.

With a flip of a switch, the security monitor, hooked to the outside camera, came to life. Marcus observed the screen with a look of disbelief.

Tyler stood between Twilight and the door, centering the bead of his shotgun where center body mass would be on the door. "Well, Marcus? What's out there?"

Marcus backed away from the monitor rubbing his eyes in disbelief. "It's... It's Councilman Briggs..."

Tyler ran to the security monitor. With a screech of static, Tyler spoke into the speaker system. "Briggs? Briggs, if that's you, look up and present your code."

The elderly man looked up into the cameras view, pulled the golden ring from his finger, and revealed, to the camera, the words inscribed on the inside border of the ring. In bold, cursive letters, was the phrase, "Roses for Dawn".

Tyler released the locks on the door, wrappng the elderly man in a hug as the door swung open.

Twilight stared in confusion. "Can someone tell me what's going on?!"

Ch. 11: A Strong Heart

"Ms. Sparkle!" Chairman Briggs gasped in surprise, "I did not expect you to survive up till now."

Twilight took a step back, trying to decode what the chairman was hiding behind his words. The answer hit Twilight, feeling her heart sink in her chest. "They're here because of me..." The room grew quiet as Tyler, Marcus, and Kristan looked to Briggs for confirmation. "Yes, it is true that our enemy is here for you, Twilight Sparkle," Briggs rested his large body against a nearby locker, taking in a deep breath as he set the right word in his head so as to explain the current situation.

"Not too long after you arrived here, a small trade caravan passed by. In the midst of trading supplies, the priest, that had been traveling with the caravan, requested refuge in our small commune. We granted his wish and set him up in the guard quarters. The three of you should remember him," Briggs pointed out, looking directly at Tyler, Kristan, and Marcus.

Marcus smacked his hand against his forehead, "Damn, I forgot that he had shown up just a day after Twilight was admitted into the hospital."

"He's also the one in charge of those deranged corpses that are roaming the halls," Kristan stretched her healing leg along a kevlar helmet, feeling a slight pull from the healing tissue. "He must have been pretty pleased with the pain he caused me," Kristan said, biting into her lip out of frustration.

Tyler pulled a small book from his trench coat. Across the top, in faded, gold letters, were the words, "Holy Bible". "I never trusted him from the start. After Berin's funeral, I stayed to pray for my lost friend. It was around this time I head a voice, behind me, reciting Genesis 19:24: 'Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven'. When I turned to see who was speaking of such death, I saw the preacher sporting a crooked grin."

"Do you think it was a warning? Is it possible that this is the Apocalypse?" Kristan rose to her feet, feeling less pain in her leg than she had only moments before.

"But Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed due to their wickedness and sins, right?" Marcus asked.

"Yes, but they didn't kill everyone. Lot and his daughters were spared and led to safety by the two angels sent by God," Tyler searched through his mind for an explanation. "Wait! Twilight, what is the reason behind your being here?"

The question left everyone in shock, as the puzzle pieces began to fit together. "It's very complicated. I was sent by my Princess on a task that could, essentially, not only save your world, but also ensure safety in Equestria," Twilight answered. Thinking over what she just said, she finally realized how bad it all sounded.

Briggs approached Twilight, eyes staring directly into hers. "To save our world? Bullshit!" Briggs pulled a pistol from his coat, pointing it directly at Twilight.

"Briggs! Put the weapon away!" Marcus pleaded.

Briggs shook with rage. "Why?! So she can manipulate us to abandon our way of life and work for her evil kind?!" Briggs pressed the cold barrel against Twilight's skull.

Twilight was too shocked by the unexpected threat to react. "No! It's nothing like that! Yes, we are at bad terms with the griffins, but we don't mean to control any of you! We just want to help and work together!" Twilight couldn't stop shaking. She could attempt to use her magic to disarm him. But there's no way she could stop the bullet in time at this range.

Briggs stopped trembling as he felt sharp, cold metal pressing against his throat. "Put the weapon down..." Tyler pressed the scythe's blade against Briggs' jugular.

Twilight looked in terror as Briggs' eyes became as sharp as a snakes eyes. "You know, Tyler, your mother was a great woman. But the best thing she ever did was die and leave you by yourself in the hell. I do enjoy hearing her cry as she is repeatedly tortured in the blaze." Briggs chuckled as his voice fluctuated into a sinister growl. "I wonder what she would say if she were to see your rage became such a mighty weapon..."

Tyler stood unwavering as the scythe began to change color. The dark, black pole became a sky blue color, shining with a peaceful glow. Briggs trembled in fear as the light began to burn his skin. Tyler twisted the scythe to turn Briggs toward him. "Look at me, uncle!"

Briggs stared into Tyler's eyes with a look of horror. In Tyler's eyes, Briggs saw no rage. The only emotion in his eyes were that of strength. "The greatest thing my mother ever did was teach me that rage doesn't make someone strong. It's when you have a strong heart that you realize your greatest strength. My uncle Briggs would know that better than anyone."

Briggs' fear turned to sheer rage as he rose the pistol to Tyler's face. "You know nothing!!! Your uncle was a weak simpleton who could barley lift himself up in the morning. When his pain vanished, he thought your 'God' had blessed him! The only God he has now is me! And I'm not going anywhere!!!!" Briggs roared, laughing maniacally.

His laughter was short met as Tyler appeared inches from his face. "May God find your soul and shelter you in this time of pain, unlce..." Tyler's swung with devastating speed as the scythe cut clean through Briggs' neck. As he collapsed to the floor, a smile could be seen across Briggs' face.

Everyone stared in shock as the scythe vanished into fragments of light across Tyler's hand.

Twilight stared at the body of the deceased Briggs. Looking closely, Twilight could see that the scythe had burned the flesh as it cut through, cauterizing the wound in one swift motion.

"Tyler? Hey man are you going to be okay?" Marcus said as he patted Tyler on the back. Without warning, Tyler fell to his knees and began to cry. Twilight felt the pain radiate off Tyler as he mourned over the fact that he had just killed his uncle.

Feeling sad for his loss, Twilight approached Tyler and rested her head against his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Tyler... I didn't mean for any of this to happen. But I swear to you, we will find the priest and get answers. I promise..." Twilight felt Tyler's hands wrap around her as he pressed his face further into her fur and cried harder. Marcus and Kristan watched as the person, who they felt was the strongest of them all, suddenly collapsed under a wall of emotion.

"The priest will pay, Tyler. For everything he has caused, he will pay..." Marcus said as he clenched his fists, fighting the urge to cry. Kristan nodded in agreement as she wrapped her arms around herself and wiped the tears from her own face.

As Tyler cried into Twilight's fur, Twilight thought back to home. Princess Celestia, what do I do in a situation like this? Twilight answered the question the best she could. I have to be strong. Not just for me, but for my friends. Both the ones at home and the ones I have here. Twilight rested her head against Tyler's shoulder as tears ran down her face. This is going to be the hardest test, of my strength, that I will ever take...

***************************************

Tyler walked towards his locker, wiping the remaining tears from his face, and opened a large bag.

"Um, Tyler? Are you going to be okay, bro?" Marcus grabbed Tyler's shoulder, making Tyler freeze.

"Tyler, you know that you're not alone, right? You have Marcus and me. Hell, you even have Twilight here for you." Kristan said, wrapping Twilight in a playful headlock.

Tyler glanced over his shoulder, a cold pain showing in his eyes. Looking at his friends sparked a fire in his heart. Thinking back on the weapon he had just used to kill his uncle, Tyler looked down at his hand. A symbol, resembling that of a burning torch, had been burned, straight through his glove, into the back of his hand. "Twilight, we appreciate that you're here to help us, but, why us? What is so special, about us, that they would send you?"

Marcus nodded, pondering the question himself. "And why would they send just you? Not saying you suck or anything, it's just weird that they would only send one of you."

Twilight took in a deep breath and sat next to Kristan. "Back home, in Equestria, there used to be stories told about a mighty force called the Elements of Harmony. A great evil descended upon the land and it was thanks to Princess Celestia that the evil was banished from the land. She had used the Elements in a final attempt to save Equestria. It might be hard to understand, but I am one of those elements."

"Wait, so does that mean you're not really a horse?" Marcus asked.

"I am still a pony. But, I am the Element of Magic, the binding force of the other elements. The other Elements, Loyalty, Generosity, Kindness, Laughter, and Honesty, are my friends. The reason why I'm here is that Princess's Celestia and Luna have sensed the same aura, as the Elements of Harmony, here in your world. Only one of us could go, so they sent me to find the elements of your world." Twilight, expecting looks of confusion, was taken by surprise when they all seemed to understand.

"Well, you're here. Where are you supposed to find these 'elements'?" Tyler said rummaging through his bag.

The room seemed to freeze as Twilight answered, "I've already found three..."

Ch. 12: Delta 23

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