Caring Sparkle (Under Revision)

“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.”