UNREAL: United Nations REcon & AssauLt team

by Zorphius

Chapters

Chapter 1: I'm Jacob Maller
Chapter 2: Operation Blue Griffon
Chapter 3: Welcome to Equstria
Chapter 4: Profound Swearing, Hilarity Ensues
Chapter 6: The Truth
Chapter 7: Time to Go
Chapter 8: Baltimare
Chapter 9: Just My Luck
Prologue: Escape
Chapter 5: Another One Bites the Dust

Chapter 1: I'm Jacob Maller

Location: Classified
Time: Classified
UNREAL Headquarters: conference room

"Agent Maller, report."

"Point Alpha has been succesfully scouted, the outpost was there as predicted."

"Excellent. We will commence our attack on the outpost in twelve hours. That will be all agent. Dismissed."

"Yes, sir!"

The doors to the conference room slide open, and a man in a grey cami suit exits the room. He is in his early twenties, and has brown hair, dark blue eyes, and a permanent scar across the back of his neck. As he walks out, he is greeted by another man in a camo suit, only green. Both suits have the symbol of the United Nations, or UN, on them.

"So, how'd it go?" The man in the green camo suit asks.

"We found the outpost that the terrorists are holed up in. We're attacking in twelve hours so better get some sleep, George." the man in grey camo responds.

George sighs. "I can't believe we're still doing this. I thought it would be over after Dying Hope."

"I did too. But apparently, some people are not content with the UN's new policies. I never understood politics."

"What are you guys talkin' about?" a female in a green combat suit approaches the two.

"Hey Jamie. Me and Jacob here are just talking about the fact that we're still fighting, even after Operation Dying Hope." George replies.

"What did you expect would happen? That everything would just be fine, and that the world would be all nice and peacful? War never ends, you know." Jamie retorted.

"It's not that. I just expected things to be a little more... quieter after we saved the world." says George.

"We're not in some fairytale, George. This is reality." Jacob retorts.

"I know that, Jacob. I guess I'll go get some shut-eye before the mission." George replies and walks away.

Jacob sighs after George is gone, and Jamie looks at him with concern.

"What's the matter?" Jamie asks.

"It's nothing." replies Jacob. "I'm just thinking about what George just said. I was expecting everything to get a little calmer too." Jacob adds.

"It's like you said. This isn't a fairytale. We don't always get happy endings." Jamie says to Jacob before she walks off.

James stands there for a while, then walks off in the opposite direction. He was tired, but he needed to do something first.

~Transition to Laboratory~

"Dad, you in there?" Jacob asks.

"Yes, give me a minute." comes the reply.

The door opens and a man near his fifties greets Jacob.

"Well if it isn't the savior of the world! How was the scouting mission?"

"Great. I nearly got lost and stranded in the middle of the desert." Jacob replies with a smile.

"As good as it gets, then. What brings you to my lab, though?" his dad asks.

"Just thought I'd drop by. Haven't seen you in a while." says Jacob.

"Well you're just in time! I've just finished my latest experiment, I'd like you to see the results."

"Don't mind if I do."

Jacob enters the lab, and his dad explains what the goal of his latest experiment is. As they walk by a desk, Jacob notices an old, colorless photo in a simple frame resting on the table.

"Is this when you just married?" asks Jacob.

"What? Oh, that picture. Yes, that was back when your mom and I had just married. We went to Hawaii for our honeymoon. Oh, the fun of being a youth." Jacob's dad continues on what they did during their honeymoon, but stops when he sees the solemn look on Jacob's face.

"Jacob, she had to leave sometime. It would have happened one way the other."

"I know. I just wish she had... stayed for a little longer."

"I miss her too, Jacob. I really do." Jacob's dad replies.

The two stand in silence, both remembering what it had been like when she had still been with them. Back when everything was peaceful, and everyone was happy. Those days were long gone.

"I need to go get some rest. We discovered the terrorist outpost, and we're launching an attack in less than twleve hours." Jacob nervously announces.

His dad just looks up at him with a sad smile. "Ok. See you later, son."

"Bye, dad." Jacob says as walks out the door. After the door closes, Jacob's dad looked at the picture.

"He was always like you Erine. Always straight to the business."

Chapter 2: Operation Blue Griffon

Location: Saudi Arabia
Time: 9:53 P.M.
Operation Blue Griffon in progress

A black stealth chopper flew across the night sky, its advanced mechanics reducing its sound to nearly nothing. Jacob and his team, consisting of him, George, Jamie, and two rookies, are sitting inside of the chopper. Jacob recalls his mission briefing as they approach the drop point.

'Soldiers, today you will be attacking a small terrorist outpost in Saudi Arabia. Normally the military would handle such a small threat, but we have reason to believe that they have a classified asset stolen from a high-security lab located in Saudi Arabia. Any questions?"

George raises his hand, and the commander turns to look at him.

"How did a couple of terrorists break into a high-security lab?" George asks.

"They didn't. From what we gathered, a crime orginization run by a local crime family known as the Dons broke in, and sold the asset before we could track them down."

"What exactly is this asset?" one of the rookies ask.

"That is none of your concern, recruit. Your objective is to clear the outpost. We will handle the rest."

"Sorry, sir." the rookie apologizes.

"That will be all you need to know. Dismissed."says the commander.

"Yes, sir!" everyone says in unision.

'Seems like a pretty simple mission.' thinks Jacob. 'I wonder what this asset is, though.'

His thoughts are interrupted by the chatter between the two recruits.

"Dude, I still can't belive our furst mission is with Omega team! The Omega team!"

"I know! This is going to be the mission of my life!"

"Who makes up these mission names anyways?"

"I don't know maybe they just choose random words?"

"Maybe they have a little roulette or something." one of them snickers.

"Cut the chatter, rookies. The enemies are going to hear from a mile away." joked Jamie.

The two quickly quiet down.

"We'ee nearing the drop point, soldiers. Prepare your parachutes." our pilot says through the intercom.

"Roger. Team, remember the objective! No one escapes that place! Let's go!" Jacob yells.

The five jump off the helicopter, air rushing through their ears.

"Release parachutes on my mark!" Jacob yells. "Three...two...one...now!"

Five grey parachutes blossom in the sky. The five slowly descend to the desert floor below.

"HQ, this is Jacob Maller. We've safely landed and are in position." Jacob reports through the intercom.

"Copy that, Jacob. Proceed with caution. Be ready for anything. HQ out." the monitor reports.

"All right team! Let's do this!" yells Jacob.

The team stealthily approach the terrorist outpost. George gets out his sniper rifle.

"How many, George." asks Jamie.

"About twenty people from what I can tell. Might be a couple more hidden somewhere." George answers.

"So, what's the plan, J?" asks Jamie.

"We need to take out the guard posts first. I think you and me can do that. The rookies will attack on our mark, and George will support us."

Jamie nods, and pulls out her wespons of choice: throwing knices. I don't know why she prefers to use them, there so hard to throw. I guess it's not my place to judge. Each team member is equipped with a standard issue pistol, a combat knive, and an AT-48 assault rifle. The AT-48 is a advanced assault rifle that can fire at twice the speed of a AK-47. The micro ammo it uses allows for extra ammo storage. That being said, such advanced technology is not very cheap.

~and now for a word from Jacob
A veteran soldier is also allowed to bring a weapon of choice, like Jamie's throwing knives. George has his sniper rifle, and I always bring my trusty pistol. My dad designed it, as soon as I was allowed to take a weapon of choice on missions. It has a built-in, state of the art, experimental silencer that makes absolutely no sound at all. It also has a small blade on the end, so I can use it as a knife.

"You ready, Jacob?" asks Jamie.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Jacob responds.

"What is the signal, sir?" one of the rookies ask Jacob.

"When the terrorists start shooting, just charge. George here will make sure they don't get a finger on you. Right George?" Jacob asks George.

"I'll do my best, but there's no gaurantee they'll survive." jokes George.

The rookies exchange nervous glances.

"Come on, Jamie, let's go." says Jacob.

Jacob and Jamie walk away, and one of the rookies turn to George.

"So... do we just wait, sir?" he asks.

George pulls out a cigarette, lights it, and inhales before replying, "Yup."

~Terrorist outpost

"Man, I hate guard duty!" a terrorist guard complains.

"I hear you, man. Why do we even bother? No one gives shit about a small outpost anyways." another guard agrees.

"And what do the headsmen decide to do? They decide that the security isn't fucking tight enough, and double the guard! I swear they're going crazy." the first guard continues.

"I think all this security has to do with that thing that they brought in a couple of days ago." Says a third guard.

"That container? What the hell is so important that they would double security!? And what would such a important thing be doing here!?" the first guard irritatingly asks.

Before the third guard can answer him, however, two knive fly through the air, and hit the third and second guard, killing them.

"What the..." are the only words the remaining guard gets out of his mouth before he gets a bullet to the head.

Jacob and Jamie climb out of their cover, and hide the bodies.

Jamie turns to Jacob. "And that's why I use throwing knives. Silent and deadly." Jamie says to Jacob.

"Yeah, but my pistol is silent and deadly too. Plus it's more accurate." argues Jacob.

"You don't get it. Pistols make it too easy to kill. It's a lot more fun when it's harder." Jamie replies.

"I think I agree with Jacob. I bet your knives can't hit a target from 2,000 meters." George says over the comlink.

"George, how many times have I told you to stop listening to our conversations." says Jacob.

"Hey, what are you gonna do about it?" taunts George.

"Oh, shut up." replies Jacob.

"I'd get going if I were you. Next patroll is coming in 60 seconds." George warns the two.

Jacob and Jamie walk down a road, and dive into cover just before a squad of guards see them.

"Remember to get your knives?" Jacob quietly asks Jamie.

Jamie responds by pulling out the two knives, and aims at the closest guards. One knive goes right into a guard's back, and he deops to the ground. The other hits a guard in the shoulder, leaving him injured. The remaining guard pulls out his weapon. Jacob rushes out from his cover, surprising the guard. Jacob stabs him in the stomach, but not before the guard manages to shoot his weapon. The shot goes wide, but is enough to alert the nearby patrolls.

"Well there goes our stealth." says Jamie.

"Hey George, tell those two rookies they can attack now. We might need them." Jacob says through the comlink.

Just then five guards appear from around the corner. Jacob manages to shoot one before running for cover. Jamie takes cover behind a parked car, and pulls out her assault rifle. Jacob pulls out his. Jacob waites for a space in the enemies' fire, then shoots two more guards, only for them to be replaced by three more.

"Dammit, there's too many of them! George, can you get a linen of sight on them?" Jacob asks.

"No, but the rookies will be there in about a minute. Think you can hold up?" George replies.

A guard appears on the other side, and recieves a bullet to the chest.

"I don't think so!" yells Jamie.

"Incoming!" a voice yells behind them.

A grenade blows up, taking out four guards with it. The two rookies take cover near Jacob, and follow up by taking out three more guards.

"'Bout time, rookies!" Jamie hollers.

With the odds slowly turning in their favor, the group starts to push back. Jacob scores a hit on a guard, and one of the rookies shoots down another one.

"Eat lead fuckers!" yells one of the rookies.

Suddenly the remaining few guards retreat. Jacob exchanges looks with Jamie, but before any of them could react, the ground starts to shake, and a M1 Scorcher rolls into view. The team barely has enough time to dodge a shell from the tank.

"What the hell is a scorcher doing in a place like this!?" Yells a rookie.

A second shell explodes, this time near one of the rookies. The rookie is thrown back, and falls to the ground with a thud.

"Shit! Rookie!" Jacob yells.

"He's not moving!" Jamie exclaims.

Suddenly Jacob has and idea.

"Jamie, rookie! Get the guy and get the fuck out of here!" yells Jacob.

"What are you planning?" Jamie asks.

"No time to explain! Just retreat!" Jacob answers. He then turns on his comlink. "George, do see this thing?" he asks.

"Yeah, I do." George responds. "You got a plan?" he asks.

"You know I do." Jacob replies, then whispers his plan to George. After he makes sure that Jamie and the rookies had retreated, he dashed out of his cover and into the open. The tank immediately sees him, and turn its weapon weapon towards Jacob. Jacob dodges the shell with a combat roll.

"Gotta get it just right." mumbles Jacob. He runs away from the tank, and dodges another shell with a combat roll.

"Now George!" Jacob yells into his comlink.

Back outside the outpost, George aims his sniper rifle and fires. The bullet almost seems to travel in slow motion as it flew across the sky, heading for the tank. The bullet goes right into the barrel of the tank, and the tank explodes, leaving a burning heap of metal im its place. Jacob pays no attention, instead heading back. He finds Jamie and the two rookies near the outskirts of the outpost.

"Is he gonna be alright?" Jacob asks Jamie.

"I've managed to stabalize him; he should hold till the medteam arrives. I've already called HQ." says Jamie.

Jacob decides to search the area for any remaining enemies. After confirming that the outpost was clear, a large tent attracts Jacob's attention. He walked cautiously into the tent, weapon raised. Finding it empty, he lowers his weapon. Jacob notices a rather large object near the center of the room. Je approaches it, curious as to what it could be.

"This must be the asset that the commander was talking about." Jacob realized.

Suddenly he feels a wave of dizziness, but it quickly subsides. Before Jacob can recover, though, a tearing pain goes through his body as it disappeared. The room was once again left in silence, its precious intruder now gone.

Chapter 3: Welcome to Equstria

Jacob stirred as his mind slowly regained consciousness. What the hell happened? Jacob thinks. As he slowly regains his senses, he makes a vain effort to get up, only to be met with a throbbing in his head. He eventually guves up and settles down, waiting for the pain to cease. Did the terrorists capture me? Jacob wonders. His vision started returning to him, and he could make out the sky. The sky somehow seemed a little more colerful than normal. As his throbbing subsides, he sits upright and scans his surroundings. He was still in the desert, but there was no sign of the outpost, or any terrorists. Did the terrorists leave me stranded in the desert? But why would they do that? Jacob wondered. First things first, better call for help. Jacob turns on his comlink, noting that the teerorists did noy strip him of his equipment.

"HQ, this is Jacob Maller, I have been captured by the terrorists and left stranded. Do you copy?" Jacob asks. The only response he gets is the sound of static. Jacob tries again. "HQ, this is Jacob Maller. I need rescue ASAP." He says again. No response. He tries different frequencies, but with no sucess. Why can't I contact HQ? The UN has satellites across the globe! Jacob feels a sense of hopelessness creep into heart. He was stranded, with no idea where he was, and no way to contact anyone. I can't give up yet. I just need to find a town, find out where I am, and then find a way to contact HQ. I'll need to hurry though, I don't think I can last very long in this desert. Jacob looks around for any trace of civilization, but with no luck. I'm getting thirsty. I need to find a cactus. Jacob thinks. He easily finds one, and pulls out his knife. He cuts off a piece, it's watery insides getting his hands wet. Jacob eats the cactus piece, careful not to tiuch the spikes. Feeling much more refreshed, he decides that he should get going. Better start moving. thinks Jacob and walks off in a random direction. He walks for hours, despite his building fatigue. I'll need to find shelter soon. Jason noted. He knew how dangerous it could get in the wild at night. His line of thought was interrupted by a distant rumbling sound. Jason looks for the source of the sound, and near the horizon, sees a pack of buffaloes heading straight towards him. "Aw shit." is all Jason says before he starts running. Jason was fast, thanks to his military training, but he was no mach for the buffaloes. They quickly caught up, and beagan running in circles around him. When they stopped, Jason found himself surrounded by buffaloes on all sides.

"What the fuck...?" Jason says as some of the buffaloes make way for a larger buffaloe. The larger bison walks up to Jason.

"You tresspass on our land, human." says the buffalo.

"What?" Jason could not believe it. The buffalo had just talked! In English!

"You walk on the land that our ancestors claimed." The buffalo repeats.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't know. I'll leave immediatly." Jacob quickly replies. He didn't understand what was going on, but he could tell it wouldn't be a smart move to make the buffaloes angry.

"Your trespassing, we forgive. What we cannot forgive is your kind's treacherous acts." the leader says.

"What acts?" Jacob asks. He had a bad feeling.

The leader stomps his hoof. "Do not play dumb with me, human! Your kind mercilessly slaughtered our once numerous brethren."

"Let us avenge our brothers by killing this human!" One of the buffaloes shout.

Angry shouts of agreement rise from the herd.

"Then it is settled." The leading buffalo walks forward. Jason tries, to step back, but finds himself surrounded.

I guess this is it. Jacob thinks in despair. He had never expected to die by the hands of talking buffaloes.

A shot rings out. The leader collapsed in a pool of blood.

A ringing shout echoed from the edge of the sky. Jacob and the buffaloes turn towards the sound in unision. A borde of figures could be seen charging. As Jacob focused, he realised what they were. They were humans. The humans started firing their weapons. Buffalo after buffalo fell. The herd of buffaloes fell into terror. With their leader dead, the herd immediately fell into hysteria. As buffaloes ran in random directions, Jacob stood there, stunned. As the remaining buffaloes escaped, the humans slowed their charge. Jason saw that there was only fifteen people in total.

"You all right, partner?" One of them asks.

"Yeah, thank you." Jason says to him.

"What are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere? You're lucky we were out hunting for those nasty things." The man says. "The name's Jim, by the way."

"My name is..." James pauses. Would it be wise to tell them his real name? "...Joseph." He lies.

"Joseph? You don't look like a Jew to me." The man jokes.

"Haha very funny. Now could you please tell me where I am?" Jacob asks.

"You're in the middle of nowhere, buddy. But if you're askin' what the nearest town is, then it's Appleloosa." Answers the man. "We got our kill boys, let's tale 'em home." He hollers. The group start walking back, and Jacob follows.

"Appleloosa? What kind of a name is that?" Asks Jacob.

"I ain't the one that chose the name. If you have a complaint, say it to the original settlers." Jim replies.

"You mean the buffaloes?" Asks Jacob.

"No, I mean the original settlers." Answers Jim.

The group walks in silence.

"Where did you come from, Joseph?" Asks Jim.

"What?" Jacob responds, startled by the unexpected question.

"I asked where you came from. I'm pretty sure you didn't just appear outta nowhere." Jim says. "You get separated feom your towns huntin' party?" He asks.

"Yeah... something like that." Jacob lies.

"Well here we are! Back to the hellhole we call hime!" Jim says.

Jacob looks ahead, and sees a sign with the name of the town printed on it. The town had a western appearance to it, with old buildings lined along a single dusty road. Men walked about the place, and, Jacob noted, what appeared to be unnaturally colored ponies. Each one had a mark on their flank, although each one was different. For some reason all the ponies seemed sad.

"You know how to get back home, partner?" Jim asks Jacob as they entered the town.

"Umm... well no." Jacob replies. At least that was true. He had no idea what had happened, but he was sure he didn't know how to get back home.

Have I gone back in time? Jacob wonders. Of course not, stupid. Still, I should try to keep my identity a secret. Jacob decides.

"I guess you could stay with us... what do you think, Mile?" Jim asks one of the men.

A man with a cowboy hat walks up to Jacob, examines him, and turns to Jim.

"I reckon he could earn his living by working for us. He seems like a sturdy fella." He replies.

"I guess you're right. What do ya say, Joseph? You work for us, we'll give ya a roof, some food, and
If ya work hard enough, we'll give ya two bits a day. Waddya say?" Jim extends his hand.

"It's a deal." Jacob says, then shakes hands with him.

I'm guessing that bit is the currency around here. Jacob thinks.

"It's a little tooate to be workin' today, so you'll be stayin' fer free tonight. Our house is a old red barn. You can see it's roof from here." Jim says as he points to a roof poking out above the budings in the distance. "We need ta go clean these here buffaloes, so you go ahead an' settle right in."

"Thanks. I guess I'll see you later." Jacob says.

As the group disperses, Jacob heads toward the barn. Again he notices the strange coloured ponies.

Why do I get the feeling that something's off about them? And why do they look so sad? Jacob wonders. They're just animals. They probably can't talk like those buffaloes. Jacob decides.

Just then Jacob notices that a few of the ponies had horns.

Oh hell no. I am not seeing things. thinks Jacob. But no matter how hard he focused, he saw the horns on the ponies. He even saw that other ponies had wings. Of course! This is all just a dream! No wonder there's talking buffaloes and unicorns and pegasus. Jacob laughs out loud, attracting a few looks from a passerby or two. I'll just go to the barn, fall asleep, and I'll wake up in the medbay! He concludes. That or in a terrorist prison. He grimly remembers.

Soon he arrives at the barn. He enters through the large doors on the front of the buildings. The inside of the building is mostly bare. Only bare necessities were placed, such as beds, tables, and chairs. Jacob finds a chair, and sits down. Tired, he decides to sleep until Jim and Mike arrive. Drifting off to sleep, he wondered when he would wake up from his dream.

Author's Note

I didn't bother posting notes for the last couple chapters because I posted the story after I finished this chapter. That being said, please hold off the harsh comments and ratings, as they severely demoralize me. I am still in the process of becoming a better writer, and I personally believe I performed very well. Any questions about the prolougue will be answered soon enough, but definitely not in the next chapter. The mane six will appear, as described in the main characters section, but that will be some time later. The main reason I chose Appleloosa as the town he would end up in is because my last story was critisized as an overused plot. I do like the appearance of the buffaloes, though, because I know that was a 100% original idea. Their speaking might be a little different from the TV show, but please understand that I have never heard them before. Sorry for the long note, and rest assired that I am working at my best for the next chapter.

Chapter 4: Profound Swearing, Hilarity Ensues

"Who the buck are you?" A voice asks.

The sudden voice jostles Jacob out of his nap. After regaining his senses, he sees the owner of the voice. A stallion with a light gold coat and bright amber mane stood before him.

Okay, so apperently they can talk. Jacob noted.

"I am Joseph, and I was given permission to stay here, thank you very much." Jacob retorts.

"Oh really?" The stallion says with a glare.

"Yes, really. Now will you fucking leave me alone? I'm really tired." Jacob replies.

The stallion watches him for a while, then trots off.

"Fucking bastard." Jacob mutters under his breath.

Before he can attempt a second nap, however, the barn door opens and Jim walks in, followed by Mike.

"I see you've met Braeburn." Chuckles Jim.

"Yup, he's a real charming fellow." Jacob sarcastically drawls.

Braeburn snorts, and Jim and Mike exchange smiles.

"Well, we got our work done, so I guess it's dinnertime." Says Mike.

Soon dinner is on the table. The main course consisted of apple fritters, apple pie, and plain fresh apples.

"Whats with all the apples?" Jacob intriguingly asks.

"If you haven't noticed, this town is filled with apple trees. We ain't got much else." Replies Mike.

"Apple trees? In the desert?" Jacob asks, surprised. Last time he remembered, apples didn't grow in the deserts.

"Yup, in the middle of the fuckin' desert. Sure wouldn't happen back on Earth." Jim's words make Jacob nearly spit out the apple fritters he was eating.

"What did you just say?" Jacob slowly asked.

"I said, sure wouldn't happen back on Earth." Jim repeated with a quizzical look.

"What... planet are we on?" Jacob asks.

"What were you doing during briefing, taking a shit nap? We're in Equestria, as the planets original inhabitants called it." Mike interjects. Everyone was staring at Jacob now, including Braeburn.

"Right, right... sorry, I have a really bad memory." Jacob fibs.

"Uh-huh... tell you what Joseph. Why don't you go to bed early today? You seem tired." Jim tells Jacob.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea... Where do I sleep?" Jacob questions, hoping to change the subject.

"Right up there, on that hay bed with Braeburn." Mike informs him.

Normally Jacob would dislike the idea of sleeping on a pile of hay, but his mind was still whirling from what he had just heard.

This isn't Earth? And I've never even heard of a damn planet called Equestria. What the fuck is going on? Jacob wonders. Why am I getting a feeling that this isn't a dream?

Jacob gets up, says goodnight to the three, and heads over to his new bed.

It's better than nothing. The thought was supposed to light up the mood, but it barely helped. Jacob lays down to sleep.

Back at the table, the three were still finishing their meal.

"Did you notice that guy's equipment?" Mike asks Jim.

"Sure did. That ain't no ordinary stuff he got. Thise are military grade weapons." Jim replies.

"Should we take 'em?" Asks Mike.

"Are ya stupid? He ain't some street thug if he got weapons like those! We'd be deader than a thirsty desert rat." Jim says with a scowl. "Best be keepin an eye on him though, we got no idea as ta' what he be doin'."

The next morning, Jacob was woken by a bucket of cold water to the face.

"Wake up." Jacob recognises the voice as Braeburn's. Jacob lets out a nearly inaudible groan as he opens his eyes. He is greeted by the sight of braeburn with a pale in his mouth.

"What is it?" Jacob groans.

"Today's yer first day of work. Better get used to wakin' up early, yer gonna be here for a while as I see it." Braeburn answers.

Jacob rolls of his bed of hay, and dusts the hay off of his body.

"So, what kind of work do I have to do?" Jacob asks Braeburn

"Since it's yer first day, Jim said he'd make it easy on ya. Follow me." The light gden pony turns around, and walks out the barn. Jacob quickly follows.

The rest of the day is exasperating. Braeburn tells Jacob that his job for the day would be to carry the barrels of apples that Braeburn bucked from the tree. Jacob thought it would be easy. By the time he was on his tenth barrel, sweat was covering Jacob's body from head to toe. He could hear Braeburn muffle a laugh or two at his appearance. Jacob knew that he must look rediculous. He couldn't have been more happier when he was done. Jim was pleased by the work that Jacob had done, and decided he had earned some bits.

"Yer work is gonna be alot more harder startin' tommorow. Ya better be ready." Mike told him. "Good work anyways."

At the end of the day, Jacob flopped down onto his bed, glad that the day was over. The currency that everyone called 'bits' turned out to be a small gold coin. Jacob could have cared less about them right now, as sleep was the single thought that iccupied his mind. He closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep.

Author's Note

Bronism: the idea that friendship is the true source of happiness, and that making friends is the true goal of life.

Hello readers! I hope that everyone enjoyed the new chapter. The mane six are still far away from appearing in the story, but remember that patience is virtue! I'm planning to make the next chapter a story about the red-eyed figure from the prologue. I warn that you that it will be a very dark episode. Please R&R, or rate&review. Thank you!

Chapter 6: The Truth

Morning was upon the town of Appleloosa. Jacob was already up, doing his job. It had been nearly a week since he had arrived, and he was getting used to the routine. Every morning, he would get up, eat breakfast, then start working. Today he was helping Braeburn carry the apples to the marketplace to sell them. Alothough they hadn't started out very well, they were now getting along nicely.

"...and so I greeted them, and I took 'em on a tour around the town." Continued Braeburn. As Jacob had come to know, Braeburn had alot of relatives, mist of them in other towns and cities. Right now he was talking about when he met his cousin Applejack.

"...those were the good days, yep." Braeburn sighs.

Jacob inquisitively looks at Braeburn. "What do you mean good days?" He asks.

Braeburn's expression turns stern. "It's none of your apples."

"What happened?" Jacob asks.

"What happened!? I'll tell ya what the hay happened. You humans-"

"Well if it isn't Braeburn! Here to sell me some more apples?" A voice interjects. Jacob and Braeburn see a slightly fat man walking towards them.

"Sure am, Sawyer." Braeburn casually replies, as if he wasn't mad at all a second ago.

"Well it's good to see you again. Apple prices have been on the rise these days, and you're one of my top suppliers!" Sawyer exclaims. "Who's your friend there, if you don't mind me asking?"

"This here's Joseph. He's been workin' at the barn for Jim." Braeburn answers.

"Nice to meet you, Joseph! My name's Sawyer, and I sell apples." The jolly man shakes Jacob's hand.

"Nice to meet you too." Jacob responds, slightly startled from the brisk hand shake.

"Now how about we get down to business? How do you want for the apples?" Sawyer asks, his smile never fading.

"These apples are pretty darn good quality, Sawyer. You reckon you can buy 'em for half a bit per apple?" Braeburn bargains.

Sawyer thinks for a moment. Then he picks an apple, examining it. "How many apples do you have?" Saywer asks Braeburn.

"Hundred-and-fifty-eight in this cart, and another forty in the barrel that Joseph's carryin'." Braeburn tells Sawyer.

"I'll take your word, then." Sawyer replies, and pulls out a leather bag. After counting the bits, he hands them to Braeburn, who sizes the bag then ties it around his neck.

"Just put the apples behind my stall, like always." Sawyer says to the two.

Braeburn just nods, and heads into the market. Jacob follows Braeburn closely. Braeburn pulls the cart behind a small fruit stand, which Jacob guessed was Sawyer's. After Jacob puts down his load, They leave the market.

"So, is Sawyer like your main business partner?" Jacob asks on the way.

"He's our only business partner." Braeburn grunts. The rest of the walk continued in silence. As they approached the barn, Mike is waiting for them at the entrance.

"How'd it go, fellas?" He asks them.

"Sold 'em for half a bit each." Braeburn says with a smile.

Mike whistles. "Whoah, that's quite a bargain ya' got there." He says.

Braeburn unties the bag from his neck, and tosses it to Mike. Mike opens the bag, and counts it's contents.

"Hey Jim! Come take a look at the bargain Braeburn made!" Mike excitingly hollers. Jim walks out of the barn, and his eyes nearly bulge at the sight of the pouch.

"We could live off of that stuff fer half the year!" Jim exclaims.

"Yep, I think we've hit the motherload this time, Jim." Mike chuckles.

The rest of the day was taken off, mostly because Jim was toi excited about their profit to do anything. Jacob decided to spend the rest of the day walking around town. Due to the busy season, he hadn't had a chance to see the rest of the town. Jacob took his pouch, filled with twenty bits, and his pistol with him. He figured he wouldn't need his bulletproof armor and rifle.

The town hadn't changed much since he arrived. As Jacob walked around, he noticed the ponies again. They still walked around the place with depressed looks, either carrying something or following a human. Jacob shrugged off the feeling. He couldn't spend the day worrying about some crazy feeling. This was probably going to be the only day off he would ever get this year. He had to enjoy it.

Around afternoon, Jacob rwturned to the barn. Braeburn and Jim were already there.

"Where's Mike?" Jacob asks.

"Out in the field, plowin' the field." Jim replies.

"Already?" Jacob asks in disbelief.

"He's always about work. If he ain't workin' he's either eating or sleeping." Braeburn says to Jacob.

"I think we should celebrate the bountiful harvest, fellas." Says Jim. "How 'bout something other than apples for dinner?"

"Seriously?" Exclaims Jacob.

"Dead serious." Jim gleefully answers. "Bought a little cake while you were out."

Jacob fistpumps the air.

"I see ya told him 'bout the cake." Mike says from the doorway.

"Finally decide it's time to take a break?" Jim jokes.

"Hey, if it fer my ass-haulin' we probably wouldn't have had that harvest." Mike says with a grin.

"Reckon so. Now let's celebrate a good year of apple-growin'!" Yells Jim.

After the celebration, Jacob hops onto his bed. It had been a good season.

Maybe farm life won't be so bad after all. thinks Jacob. There's no way that the UN can find me anyways.

"Have fun?" Braeburn asks Jacob.

"Yep." Jacob replies.

"Most of the season's we don't get this much apples. Jim and Mike say we got lucky, but I think that yer helpin' hand had a part in it." Braeburn says with a grin.

A thought went through Jacob's head.

"Hey, by the way... what were you going to say at the marketplace before Sawyer came?" Jacob asks, interested as to what Braeburn was going to say.

"That's not funny." Braeburn says with a scowl.

"I'm not joking." Jacob's response made Braeburn sit up. Jacob was already sitting up, staring at him with a serious look on his face.

"You can't be serious."

"I am." Jacob annoyingly says.

Two can play at this game. "How can you not know?" Braeburn asks.

"Gee, thats a toughie. Maybe because I don't know how I got here in the first place!" Jacob snaps.

After a moment of silence, Braeburn finally speaks. "You're serious." Is all he can say.

"Yes, that's what I've been trying to fucking say!" Jacob yells.

Braeburn stares at Jacob for a while. "It all started nearly a year ago," He begins, "Humans came out of nowhere, and conquered the Crystal Empire, which is a neighbouring kingdom. They killed all of the ponies there. Then they came after us. They had weapons, guns they called them, that outmatched our weapons completely. We never stood a chance." Braeburn's face was filled with anger. "Your kind took over our kindom and enslaved us! And you act as if it's some silly-"

"I'm sorry." Jacob says.

Braeburn is startled by what he says. "You're what?" He asks.

"I'm sorry I ever asked. I didn't know." Jacob says gloomily.

"So you didn't know?" Braeburn confirms.

"Yes." Jacob was stunned. He didn't want to belive it, couldn't belive it.

"How can you not know?" Braeburn asks again.

"I don't even know how I came here. One second I was on Earth, next I'm here." Jacob replies with a blank face.

"A dimentional rift." Braeburn whispers.

"What?" Jacob asks.

"You got caught in a dimentional rift. I've heard if them before. They say the chances of it happening are next to none." Braeburn answers.

"Well lucky me." Jacob sarcastically says.

"So then you didn't know about this?" Braeburn asks.

"Not until now." Jacob confidently answers.

"Joseph-"

"My name's nit Joseph." Jacob cuts off," It's Jacob."

"Why did you lie about your name?" Braeburn questions.

"I didn't think I could trust anyone yet. But now I know I can trust you." Jacob says, a smile slowly appearing on his face.

Braeburn returns the smile. Then his face grows dark. "Our town has it lucky. At least the people here recognise us as sentinent beings. It only gets worse in other towns."

"Not if I haveu anything to say about it." Jacob says with determination.

Braeburn looks at him with a shocked expression plastered to his face. "Why would you even care about our species? You have no reason to help us!" He exclaims.

"Your kind is suffering what we did. For me, that's enough." Jacob simply says.

"Better not tell any other humans that, you'll get yerself killed." Braeburn says with a chuckle.

"I don't intend to." Jacob replies.

"Do you even know what to do? Where you should start? Do you even have a plan?" Braeburn asks.

"For once in my life, I don't have a clue as to what I should do." Jacob sadly replies.

"Oh." Braeburn looked a little crestfallen. But then, his expression lightens up. "I know! You need to find the Bearers of the Elememts of Harmony!" He gleefully exclaims.

"The Elements of Harmony?" Jacob questions.

"Right, I guess you wouldn't know avout them. None of the humans here even have a clue as to who they are." Braeburn says. "The Elements of Harmony are six artifacts that were used to vanquish evil and restore order to the kingdom many times. The Elements are each wielded by a pony called the Bearer of Harmony. The Elements of Harmony are honesty, kindness, laughter, generosity, loyalty, and magic. My cousin Applejack is actually the Bearer of the Element of Honesty."

Jacob recalled Braeburn talking about her. "Do you have any idea as to where they are?" He asks Braeburn.

Braeburn slumps down on his bed. "No. When your kind attacked, they spread out across the country. Thankfully your kind doesn't know about the Elements, or they would be hunted down." Braeburn suddenly pauses, and Jacob gives him a questioning look. "Wait, I remember! I heard a rumor that Rarity, the Bearer of the Element if Generosity, is hiding in the city of Manehatten."

"Manehatten?" If the situation wasn't so grim, Jacob would have bust out laughing.

"Yeah, why?" Braeburn asks Jacob.

"Oh nothing. It's just that we have a city in our world called Manhatten." Jacob says, surpressing his laughter.
"Huh. Creepy coincidence. When do you plan on leaving?" Braeburn cheerfully says.

Hearing that a human is helping him is giving him alot more hope than I expected. Jacob marvels. "I plan on leaving in the morning." Jacob declares.

"In the mornin'!? Don't ya wanna spend some time preparin' for your journey?" Braeburn asks.

"I'll buy some food on my way out of the town. I'll need a map, though..." Jacob tells Braeburn.

"You won't need to worry about that." Braeburn replies with a grin. Jacob watches as Braeburn pulls a map out from underneath his bed. "When you humans invaded, you either confisticated or burnt all the maps to discourage us from escaping. I got lucky enough to hide one." Braeburn proudly proclaims.

Jacob takes the map from Braeburn, and examines it. With some help from Braeburn, he finds Appleloosa and Manehattan.

"This would be a lot more easier with my compass working." Jacob half-jokingly says.

"I have one." Braeburn siply states. He digs around in his bed, then pulls out a gem with runes engraved on it.

"How can that possibly work as a compass?" Jacob curiously asks.

"Watch." Is all Braeburn says. Jacob watches in amazment as Braeburn lists up the gem begins to glow, and a small beam of light shines from it. "That way is north." Braeburn says matter-of-factly.

Jacob was stunned. "How... did you do that?" Jacob manages to ask.

"I didn't do anything. It's a magical gem." Braeburn answers flatly.

Magic!? So now there's magic!? Jacob thinks to himself. He takes the gem from Braeburn.

"Good night, and good luck in the mornin' partner." Braeburn says with a yawn.

Jacob feels a yawn escape his lips, and decided to go to sleep too. I'm in real deep. Was his last thought.

Author's Note

The plot's getting deeper, isn't it? Will the rumors be true? Will Rarity really be in Manehatten? Stay tuned for the next chapter!

Chapter 7: Time to Go

Jacob left early in the morning. Telling Jim and Mike that he was going to free the ponies did not sound like the best idea. He was out of Appleloosa before a single being had stirred. Luckily the food market was always open, and he managed to buy a weeks worth of food before he left. After he had put enough distance between himself and the town, he checked his compass stone to make sure he was heading the right way. A quick check confirmed that he was going in the right direction. He puts away the compass stone and map and continues on his way.

By noon he had made remarkable progress. Maybe I'll get there quicker than I hoped. Jacob thought with enthusiasm. After he eats a hearty meal, he continues his journey, reinvigorated. As he continues to travel, Jacob begins to wander what kind of pony Rarity is. All Braeburn told me is that she is a white unicorn with a purple mane. As Jacob thought these things, his his mind returned to to more serious matters. What good does gathering the Bearers of Harmony do anyways? They may have vanquished an ancient evil, but I don't think they stand a chance against an entire army of humans. Jacob sighs. He had alot of work ahead of him.

His first day was uneventful. The second day followed, as noneventful as the first. By the third day Jacob found himself only a few miles away from the city of Manehattan. Guess all that farm work helped my muscles. Jacob thought as he confirms his direction. In the morning of the fourth day, he arrived at the city of Manehattan. To his surprise he discovered that the place was a large, metropolitan city. The city was bustling with people and ponies of every color and kind. But, Jacob noted, the ponies here also look downcast.

Jacob knew that walking around, asking for this pony called Rarity would no doubt raise suspicion. Where would I hide if I was avoiding detection in a metropolitan city? Jacob wonders. Then it hits him. Of course! The slums!

Finding the slums turned out easier than he expected. The further he walked, the poorer the inhabitants became. Finally he reached a area void of people. A place lined with run down houses. No humans were there, only dirty, shaggy ponies.

"What a hellhole." Jacob mumbles under his breath. A wave of sympathy washed over his heart. These ponies probably lived much more happy lives before his kind had invaded their land. Whoever is responsible is going to pay. Jacob swore in his heart.

As he walked by, many a pony cast a look at him. Some watched him with curiosity, puzzeled as to what a human was doing in the slums. Others cast glares of hate. Hatred for what humans did to them. Hatred for ruining their lives.

Who could blame them. Jacob thought. As he walked, the more he realized he had no clue as to where to find Rarity. And the more he walked, the more nervous he felt. A human in the slums was suspicious beyond doubt, and it wouldn't be long before a pony reported him to the police. Or some other so-called law-enforcement Jacob grimly thought. Jacob notices a little pony rummaging through a harbage can. "Hey there little filly." Jacob calls out. Immediately the filly jerks his head out of the garbage and runs down an ally. "Wait! I don't mean to hurt you!" Jacob yells. But by then the filly was long gone.

As the sun sets down, Jacob began to panic. He was hoping he would be able to find this Rarity easily, and be out of the city by the end of the day. He decides to settle in a alleyway.

Bot the best option, Jacob gloomily thinks, But I need to leave as little trace as I can. He lays down in a dark corner, and falls asleep.

A sharp pain in his chest wakes Jacob from his sleep. He wakes to find himself cornered by three ponies, one a unicorn and the other two normal.

"What are you doing here, human?" One of the ponies spits.

"Yeah, you think you can just sleep in our territory!?" Another asks.

"You may have conquered us, but we still have some fight left!" The first pony yells.

The unicorn, apparently the leader, steps toward Jacob.

"Human or not, we'll show you how we treat people on our territory." His horn begins to glow.

Jacob's hand slowly creeps toward his pistol. If need be, he would kill all three. He felt sorry, but he wasn't going to just let them kill him.

"Stop!!" A voice calls out.

The three ponies turn around. Jacob sees a pony, wearing a cloak, approaching them.

"What do you think you're doing, stranger? Are you siding with this filthy scum!?" One of the ponies yell.

"I will not let any blood be spilled. He was only trying to sleep." The cloaked figure argues.

The pony that yelled at the figure charges toward it. Instantly a purple glow comes from under the hood, and the charging pony is suspended in midair. Jacob watches in awe as the pony is thrown into a wall.

The unicorn scowls. "Come on, let's go." He says. After a glance at the unconscious pony, the remaining pony follows.

"Thank yo-" Jacob is about to say but is cut off by the mystical unicorn.

"That is all the kindness you will recieve. Leave before you meet the same fate as him." The hooded pony says, gesturing at the unconscious pony.

Jacob is about to tell the unicorn why he was here, then takes a closer look at the figure. The pony had hooves with white skin poking out from under its hood. As Jacob looked even closer, he could see a purple mane inside the cloak.

"You're Rarity, bearer of the Element of Kindness." Jacob gasps.

The figure freezes, surprised. Then the figure remeves its cloak, revealing blue eyes and a white face. She has a angry scowl on her face.

"How do you know my name?" She asks in a demanding tone.

"A pony named Braeburn told me." Jacob simply answers.

"Braeburn that coward! Hiw dare he reveal our presense! Why the next time I see him I'll..." Rarity begins to rant.

"No, you don't understand. I'm not here to hurt you." Jacob says to Rarity.

"Oh really?" She asks with a sneer. "Then why are you here?"

"To gather the Elements of Harmony." Jacob boldly replies.

Rarity busts out laughing. After ten seconds, she manages to settle down. "You? Gather the Elements of Harmony? Why would you do that?" She asks.

"To free your species." Jacob tells her. "If I can gather all the Elements, then maybe we can-"

"We!?" Rairty cuts in. "What do you mean we? Why would you help us? You may have fooled Braeburn, but I'm not like that simple-minded country pony."

A groaning sound makes the two turn around. The unconscious pony was waking up. As soon as he sees Jacob, his eyes widen and he tries to scramble away. The pony winces, and Jacob notices a cut on one of his legs.

"You're hurt." Jacob says. He walks toward the injured pony. The pony whimpers and tries to get away. "Relax, I'm not going to hurt you." Jacob reassures. Rarity just watches as Jacob disinfects and wraps up the wound. "There, is that better?" Jacob kindly asks. The pony dashes off into the alley. Jacob let's him go. Behind Jacob, Rarity looks amused.

"Tell you what. I have a little sister. She is locked up in a prison. You rescue her, I'll consider what you said." Rairty says to Jacob.

Jacob looks at her. "Look lady, I have no reason to help you. I'm doing this of my own will. I don't-" Jacob is about to continue, but Rarity interrupts.

"Then why are you here?" She asks. "You talk as if you don't want to be here, but you still came to look for me." She continues. Jacob notices tears streaming out of her eyes. She was crying. "Please." She begs.

Jacob stays still for a while. Then he sighs. "This just gets worse every second." He says. "I've come this far, might as well go all the way."

Rarity's face brightens up. "Come with me." She says.

Jacob follows her. As they exit the alleyway, a newspaper on the ground catches Jacob's attention. A single article stands out.

Man found dead in alleyway at Las Pegasus.
30-year old Niwes Booker was found dead in an alleyway four days ago in Las Pagasus. The body was brutally torn apart. Local officers suspect that this case is also related to the chain of murder cases occuring lately. Officials advise citizens to exercise caution at night.

I've seen something like that before. But where... Jacob thinks.

"Are you coming, darling?" Rarity asks.

Jacob looks up from the newspaper. "Yeah, just saw something that caught my attention." Jacob replies.

The two soon reach the prison. Rarity tries to enter, but Jacob stops her.

"We can't just walk straight in there. We need a strategy." Jacob tells the mare.

They walk around the building several times. Jacob notes all the windows, size of the building, and places where he suspected the cells were.

"Do you have a plan yet?" Rarity impatiently asks.

"Yeah, in fact I do. You stay outside." Jacob orders Rarity.

Rarity is about to object, but then thinks better of it. Jacob walks toward the front door.

"I thought you said not to go through the front door." Rarity says.

"Not without a plan." Jacob replies.

Inside the prison was smaller than Jacob had expected. The hallway was dark, and trash was strewn about the place. As he nears a corner, Jacob pulls out his pistol. He had loaded it with tranquilizer rounds beforehand. He quickly whipped around the corner. There was a desk, with several items place on it. The desk was unoccupied.

That's weird. Jacob thinks. There's no guards. He looks at some files stored in the desk. At last he found what he was looking for. The prisoner records. Jacob thinks to himself. He flips through several pages, then finds what he's looking for. Two prisoners in block 3A. Jacob stores the file back to where it was, and continued down the hallway.

As he walked down the halls, Jacob could not help but realize the extreme lack of guards. It's too quiet. I don't like this at all. Jacob could tell that something was wrong. Soon block 3A was just around the corner. Jacob slowly creeps around the corner. He walks down the narrow corridor. He stops at a single cell from which he hears a sobbing sound. A small, white colored filly with a purple and pink mane was in the prison sail.

"Are you Rarity's little sister?" Jacob softly asks. The filly jolts, realising for the first time that somebody was watching her.

"Go away." She sobs. "I'm not going to eat any of that disgusting food."

"I'm not a guard." Jacob tells her.

The filly looks up. "Really? Then who are you?" She timidly asks.

"I'm Jacob. I'm here to get you out. What's your name?" Jacob asks.

"S-sweetie Belle..." The little pony says between several sniffles.

"Well Sweetie Belle, I'm going to get you out of that cell. Don't be scared, okay?" Jacob asks the filly.

"O-okay..." Sweetie Belle says, and stops sniffling. Jacob pulls out a lock picker from his pack, and puts it into the key hole on the cell door. After several minutes of twisting and prying, he is rewarded with a soft click sound. He slowly opens the cell door.

"Okay, you can come out now." Jacob reassuringly says to her. The little pony walks out, and Jacob notices as she walks out of the dark cell how lean she is. She probably hasn't eaten for weeks. Jacob thinks to himself.

Jacob is about to leave, but then the filly asks him something.

"What about my friend?"

"What?" Jacob turns around.

"What about my friend? Arn't you going to help her?" The filly innocently asks.

I can't risk being in this place too long. Jacob thinks to himself. "I don't think it would be safe if we stay here too long." Jacob tells her.

"I'll yell if you don't." She says.

Jacob tensed. Surely she wouldn't yell. She's just trying to scare me. Jacob reassures himself. Sweetie Belle takes a deep breath. Oh crap. Jacob thinks. She's serious.

"HEE-" Sweetie Belle is cut off by Jacob's hand.

"I'll get your friend out, just don't yell." Jacob pleads. The filly nods, and Jacob removes his hand. The little pony waits while Jacob checks the other cages. He didn't beed to look far. He found Sweetie Belle's friend in the neighboring cell. Sweetie Belle's friend was a orange pegasus with a mane that was between pink and purple. Her wings were clipped, like all other pegasai. "Hey, wake up." Jacob calls out to the little pagasus. The pagasus lets out a barely audible moan, and opens her eyes. Jacob notices that she is also rather bony. "I'm here to get you out." Jacob reassures her.

The pegasus frowns. "Why would you let me out?" She asks.

"It's okay Scoolatoo! He let me out too." Sweetie belle joyfully says.

Scoolatoo's eyes widen at the sight of the child unicorn. "Sweetie Belle! You're all right!" The pegasus happily exclaims.

"Of course I am, silly!" Sweetie Belle replies.

While they continue to talk, Jacob repeats the previous procedure on the lock. He opens the door, and Scoolatoo gratefully walks out.

"So who's this guy, Sweetie Belle?" The orange pegasus asks her friend.

"His name is Jacob. He says my sister asked him to help us get out of here." The unicorn answers.

Suddenly a loud scream echoes throughout the prison. The fillies eyes widen, and Sweetie Belle cowers behind Scoolatoo.

"W-what w-was that?" The white filly nervously asks.

"Whatever it is, it can't be good. Come on, let's get out of here." Jacob quickly says.

"And leave this mystery unsolved? I think it's time for some crusading!" The pegasus exclaims.

"U-um Scoolatoo, I don't think that's a good idea..." Sweetie belle says but is cut off by Scoolatoo.

"Cutie Mark detectives, yay!" Yells Scoolatoo, and runs down a corridor.

"Wait!" Jacob and Sweetie Belle yell after her, but it's too late.

"Quite a friend you have." Jacob mumbles. Sweetie Belle sighs. "Come on, we need to get her begore she's found by a guard." Jacob tells the unicorn. She nods and they run down the same corridoor that the pegasus had gone.

They find her rather quickly, as the prison was not very big. Sweetie Belle tackles her, and anigrily glares at her.

"Are you crazy!? You could have been caught!" She yells, but is hushed by the pegasus.

"Hush, I think the guy who screamed is in that room." Scoolatoo says and points a hoof at a room. Jacob pulls out his pistol, and stealthily walks toward the room. He sees the fillies follow him, and signals them to stay where they are. The pegasus frowns, and is about to keep on walking, but us stopped by her friend. Another scream comes from the room but this time more faintly.

"Stay away from me!" The voice yells. A chilling laughter erupts from the room, and the two fillies hug each other. Jacob stops completely.

"No." He whispers. "It can't be." He jumps out, and stands in the doorway. The sight before him made his heart skip a beat.

A man was flailing, blood gushing out of a wound on his stomach. But to Jacob, the man might as well as not existed all of together. All he could see was the person that stood before him.

"The Skull." Jacob gasps.

The figure slowly turns around, and stares at Jacob with menancing eyes that glowed red. It's body was covered with plates of metal. Machinery was visible in the spaces between plates.

"Well hello Jacob, glad to meet a familiar face." The figure says with a grin.

"You're supposed to be dead." Says Jacob.

"And ponies arn't supposed to exist. What's your point?" The figure asks. "The first thing you humans do after I'm gone is enslave a race of talking ponies in another dimension? How disgraceful." The figure chuckles.

"I had no part in this." Says Jacob.

Footsteps echo down the corridor. Jacob thinks it's the fillies, but then realizes that there were too many footsteps for it to be them.

"Well, looks like your acquaintances have arrived, Jacob." The Skull says in mock surprise. "We'll finish this later." With that the figure leaps past Jacob, and walks fown the corridor. The approaching guards halt at the sight of the monster. One of them points his pistol at it and fires. The bullet bounces off the Skull. The guards watch agape with horror as the thing's arm morphs into a blade, long and sharp. He is occupied with the task of slaughtering the helpless humans.

Jacob takes the chance to run.

He searches for the two fillies. "Where are you two!?" He yells.

"Over here!" Jacob looks ahead and sees the orange pegasus' head popping out from a room. "What was that- OH CELESTIA WHAT IS THAT THING!?" Scoolatoo exclaims as Jacob grabs the her and Sweetie Belle, who was beside her.

"No time for that. We need ti get the hell out of here!" Jacob hastily says as he runs.

Jacob busts out of the prison doors. He quickly releases the two fillies, who run to Rarity, who was waiting for them.

"Rarity!" Sweetie Belle happily exclaims.

"Sweetie Belle, dear, you're alive! And Scoolatoo too! Was he mean to you?" Rarity asks them.

"Nope! He was-"

"Come on, let's go." Jacob says.

"Wha- I haven't even told you if I'm going with you! Don't you have any-" Rarity fumes but is cut off by Jacob.

"We don't have time for that. We need to go. NOW." Jacob snaps. The sound of gunfire, followed by an agonising scream comes from the prison.

"What did you do?" Rarity questions, eyes wide with fear.

"I didn't do anything. What's happening is that the most fucking worst nightmare of your life multiplied by a thousand has come to life." Jacob replies.

Rarity quickly follows, and the the two fillies go with Rarity.

"That *pant* should be far enough." Jacob says between pants. They had run well away from Mamehattan by now, and all of them were trying to catch their breath. Jacob had ended up carrying the two fillies.

"That was *gasp* not what a lady does." Rarity says as she gasps for air.

Jacob raises his eyebrows at her remark. "We just ran for our lives, and you are complaining that what we did was not fit for a lady?" He retorts.

"That was awesome!" Yells Scoolatoo.

"Scoolatoo, you aren't scared at all about the fact that we could have died, are you?" Sweetie Belle says as she rolls her eyes.

"Yeah, but we didn't! So I think it all turned out good." Scoolatoo argues.

"Whether it all turned out well depends on if this human has a plan." Rarity says. All three ponies turn to Jacob.

Jacob pulls out his map. "Well, the closest town is... Baltimare, so I say we go there." Jacob says as he looks at his map.

"And what about food? What about shelter? You expect me to stay out here, in the wilderness!? Havr you no manners?" Rarity rants.

"You wanna go back then? Back into the city?" Jacob angrily asks her.

"Well, no one else knows that I told you to break into prison, so I think that I can go back to the city without being arrested." Rarity argues.

"What about those kids? They have prison records of them. They'll be looking for them throughoit the city." Jacob says to Rarity. His words cause her to stop.

"I think we should go with him." Sweetie Belle says. Everyone turns to look at her. "You're gathering the Elements of Harmony, aren't you? If we can get all six of them tohether, then maybe we can win!" She joyfully exclaims.

"But-" Rarity is about to object, but Jacob stops her.

"I'll give you three the food that I have left. I'll live off what I can find in the wilderness. Any questions?" He asks her.

Rarity, is speechless, but then regains her composure. "Why are you foing this? Why are you going through all this trouble to help a someone you don't need to help?" She asks. Jacob saw the look in her eyes.

She trusts me. Kacob realises. "My job back on our homeworld, Earth was to protect the innocent. I guess it kind of grew on me." He honestly answers.

Rarity just smiles. Jacob pulls out the compass stone and points in the direction they would be going. As they set off, a figure watches them. His body covered with the blood of his most recent victims, he smiles. Not with a smile that showed happiness, or any other emotion. His smile was a smile of wickedness.

"What are you planning, Jacob?" He siletly hisses.

Author's Note

CLIFFHANGER!! They think they're safe, but there not quite out of the fire yet! Jacob has convinced Rarity to join him. But will they make it? Stay tuned for my next chapter!

Chapter 8: Baltimare

As the four walked into the town,one of the four, a cloaked unicorn sighs in disgust.

"I daresay that this town has an extreme lack of beauty! Whoever built this place must have no mind at all!"

The human, named Jacob, turns his head and looks at her. "I think they have more to worry about than what the town looks like." He says.

Humans were all over the town. As rhe group walk through the town, Jacob stops to buy a newspaper for one bit. He opens up the paper and groans.

"Just like I thought." He says as he looks at the front page. It read:

Murder at Manehattan Prison
Another murder case has occured, this time at Manehattan. A local resident found all of the guards at the prison dead when going in to turn in a pony that had commited a crime. Records show that two fillies had escaped from the prison. Officials say that this is the first time anything has been taken from the crime scene, and that it may not be related to the recent chain of murders.

"The longer we stay here, the greater the risk that somebody will report us." Jacob tells the group.

"Um," One of the fillies, a white unicorn with a purple and pink name by the name of Sweetie Belle speaks up, "don't you mean somepony?" She asks.

"Somepony?" Jacob asks the filly.

"It's our version of your somebody." Rarity informs him.

"Right... let's just hurry up." Jacob says, and drops the conversation.

They easily found a small food shop in the town. Jacob bought ten bits worth of food.

Only ten bits left. Jacob thinks as he pits his remaining money away.

"Going somewhere, stranger?" The shopkeeper asks. "Not a very good idea to take two fillies with you, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I guess it's not the best plan." Jacob nervously says. Does this guy know? Jacob thinks inside his head. But he shakes the thought off.

"Most people don't even keep fillies," the shopkeeper continues, "I wonder how you ended up with those little things?" He eyes the group suspiciously.

He definitely knows. "I think I need to get going," Jacob says, "I want to be gone by nightfall."

"Sure, sure. Be careful, stranger." The shopkeeper says.

The group hurry out of the shop.

"Does he know that we escaped from the prison?" Scoolatoo, the other filly, asks.

"I'm sure as hell he does." Jacob replies.

Jacob catches the shopkeeper watching them from the door to the shop.

Jacob calms himself down and tries to act casual. If I act casual enough, he'll just think we're unrelated to the prison break. He thinks. The shopkeeper walks to a pair of officers. Or not.

The group book it, and dash through the town. Rarity carries Sweetie Belle on her back, and Jacob holds Scoolatoo under his arm.

"Why do we always end up running?" Rarity yells as they run from the now approaching policemen.

"Just our luck." Jacob mumbles.

The officers were in hot pursuit now, as they weaved throughout the town. They separated for a second, then rejoin, only to separate again.

Jacob could see the edge of the town up ahead. "Just a little more!" He yells encouragingly.

As they dash out of the town, the policemen give up their chase, seeing that their target had escaped.

"Where's Sweetie Belle?" Scoolatoo asks.

Jacob and Rarity skid to a stop. They both hesitantly turn to look at Rarity's back. It was empty.

"Oh God," Jacob says, "we lost her in the town."

"We need to get her!" Rarity exclaims and runs back towards the town. Jacob stops her.

"You stay here and watch Scoolatoo," He tells her, "I'll go."

Rarity and Jacob stare at each other for what seemed like an eternity. "Fine." Rarity finally agrees.

Jacob slowly retraced his way back through the town. Luckily the people did not recognise him. But he was sure the guards would. As he slowly searched for the lost filly, a figure continued to watch him. For this figure had been following him from Manehattan.

"Looks like he could use a little help." The thing says with a mechanical chuckle. He ducks behind a sign post on the building he hiding on as a passerby glanced in his direction.

As Jacob continues his search, he hears a voice shout, "There he is!"

"Shit." Jacob mutters under his breath, then takes off. This time he couldn't just run out of the town. He needed to find Sweetie Belle.

Jacob rounds a corner, and weaves his way through a crowd. More policemen were on him now.

I don't want to shoot unless I have to. Jacob thinks as he continues his efforts to shake off the pursuers. Two more were heading towards him. He looks for a escape route, but any of them that existed were wuickly cut off by more policemen.

"Freeze!" One of th shouts. Jacob is wuick to obey.

Looks like this is it. Jacob thinks with a gulp.

A loud roar of laughter erupts from above. Everyone instantly looks at the source if the sound.

"And I thought it couldn't get worse." Jacob says to himself.

The Skull jumps from the roof he was standing on, landing beside Jacob.

"Looks like you're in trouble, Jacob." The monster says with a grin.

Jacob takes a step back.

"Freeze!" A police officer yells at the Skull. "You're under arrest!"

The Skull laughs and extends his hand toward the guard. "Today's your lucky day, Jacob." The Skull says. "For I have decided to spare your life.

A gun extends from the Skull's arm, and he manically laughs as he mows down the policemen.

Jacob runs as fast as he can, his legs starting to feel like they were burning.

"Seweetie Belle! Where are you!" Jacob desparately calls out.

"I'm in here!" Jacob hears a voice answer. Jacob looks for her and sees her hoof waving from inside a barrel.

Jacob quickly grabs her, and pulls her out of the barrel. He runs through the town, not caring if he hit anything. It was fight or flight, and Jacob had chosen flight.

"I fell off of my sisters back, and I didn't want to get caught. Soo..." Sweetie Belle explains as Jacob carries her.

"That's great, but I think we should talk about this later, okay?" Jacob asks her.

"Okay!" The filly chirps.

Jacob runs to the area where he had left the other two. Rarity was trying to fix Scoolatoo's mane as Jacob ran towards them.

"Sweetie Belle! Where did you go? I was-" Rarity exclaims but Jacob interrupts her.

"That thing that was at Manehattan followed us here. We need to go before it catches up again." Jacob hastily explains.

"Oh I wouldn't worry about that." A voice says.

Jacob whirls around, pistol aimed at the monster's head. It laughs.

"Oh, how pitiful, Jacob. You know that little toy can't kill me." The Skull says.

Jacob stays put, but after a while lowers his weapon. "Why are you still alive? How is this possible?" Jacob questions.

"Remember that little trinket I stole from a certain top of the line laboratory? I used it at the last second to escape." The Skull answers.

"You knew this place existed all along?" Jacob asks in disbelief.

The robot frowns. "No, I didn't lucky for you humans the teleporter failed and I ended up here. Or should I say unlucky?"

"Jacob, what in Taurtus is that horrid thing?" Rarity asks, mouth open. The two fillies were hiding behind her.

"Well that's not very nice of you to call me horrid." The Skull says in mock dismay. "Almost makes me want to cry."

"His name is the Skull. He's the one that was in the prison. I bet he's responsible for the other murder cases too." Jacob tells Rarity, never once taking his eyes off of the Skull.

"Bingo! And I was also planning to kill you. You know, for revenge?" The thing laughs, it's voice twisted and raspy. "But I see that we may be able to form a temporary truce." The Skull adds.

"A truce?" Jacob asks. He didn't like this at all.

"If you accept, I promise not to kill you until we free all the ponies." The Skull tells Jacob.

"And if I don't?" Jacob asks.

"Well we all know what happens then." The Skull sarcastically says.

"How can we trust you?" Rarity questions.

"Why of course you can trust me. I always keep my promises." The Skull says in mock shock.

"I don't trust him." Rarity says flatly.

"I know, but we have little choice." Jacob reminds her. "Fine, we accept."

"Well then, I think I have some information for you. I overheard some chatter from some of those poor little ponies that one of these 'Elements of Harmony' is hiding in a place called Foal Mountain." The Skull informs them.

"I think it's too late today to set out. I say we stay here for tonight." Says Rarity.

Jacob looks at the sky and realises that she's right. The sun was already setting, and they needed to set camp. The Skull watches as the four set camp.

"Aren't you going to help?" Jacob asks.

"Why would I help? I'm not going to be sleeping in those tents you're setting up, and you know I can't eat." The Skull says. Jacob could have swore that he had just rolled his eyes.

"Never mind." Jacob grumbles. After he sets up the tent, he glances at the Skull again. What is he planning? Jacob wonders.

Chapter 9: Just My Luck

Jacob had stayed up all night, keeping an eye on the group's newest member. The second I let my guard down, he'll kill me. Jacob continuously thought. This new member had not done anything yet, but Jacob knew better than to fall asleep.

"Feeling tired, Jacob?" The Skull taunts.

"I'm not trusting you." Says Jacob. "Not in a thousand years."

"Too bad your feeble body won't last that long." The Skull says with a grin. Chills went down Jacob's spine just by looking at that face. Even after he thought that the Skull was gone for good, nightmares had haunted him. Nightmares of this monster ruthlessly killing his friends while Jacob helplessly watched...

"What you tried to do was unforgivable." Jacob says to him.

"No, what is unforgivable is what you filthy humans did! You polluted your environment, made multiple species of animals extinct, and now this!" The Skull anigry yells. "If I had killed all of your kind, this would have never happened." He hisses.

"You were once human too." Jacob retorts. The Skull roars in anger.

"Stop it, both of you!" Rarity calls from the tent.

"You're awake." Jacob comments.

Rarity snorts. "How could I not be? No one could sleep through all that yelling."

"My apologies." The Skull says, slightly irritated by the interruption.

"Apology accepted. Now will you two keep it down?" Rarity asks between her teeth.

"Alright." Jacob agrees.

Rarity walks back into the tent. Jacob glares at Skull as soon as she's out of sight.

"You touch any one of them, and you'll regret it." Jacob threatens.

The Skull slowly shakes his head. "You don't understand, do you Jacob? It's humans I want to kill, not those peaceful creatures. They are not the ones destroying their planet." He says.

"That still doesn't justify what you've done." Jacob says coldly.

"Jacob." Jacob turns around to see Rarity watching them from the tent. "Can I talk to you for a moment?" She asks.

Jacob slowly walks toward the tent, his eyes still intently watching Skull.

"What is it?" Jacob asks.

"Look Jacob, I understand that this thing has been following us, and that he's a little creepy. But your behavior is unacceptable." Rarity tells him in a motherly tone.

"Unacceptable!? I think my behavior is rather calm considering what he tried to do. What he did do." Jacob says in a quiet voice, making sure that the Skull did not overhear their conversation.

"What did he do?" Questions Rarity.

"Some things are better off-" Jacob begins but is cut off by Rarity.

"Jacob Mallers, you are going to tell me right here, right now what he did before I lose it." Rarity says in a hushed but harsh tone.

Jacob sighs. "He... he killed millions of people back on Earth. He wanted to kill every single human that exists. He hates us." Jacob reluctantly tells her.

Rarity looked aghast. "Why would he do such a thing?" Rarity asks.

"He used to be human. Then a accident happened, and now he's that. I don't know much about what happened." Jacob explains.

Rarity finally regains her voice. "That's horrid Jacob! I feel sorry for him."

Jacob becomes mad. "Sorry!? You feel sorry for that thing!? He's a monster, Rarity. A monster. No one should be sorry for him." He yells.

Rarity shushes him. "Shhh. You'll wake up the kids." She says.

"We're already awake." Sweetie Belle says from the bed inside the tent.

"Oh, darling, I'm sorry Jacob woke you up!" Rarity exclaims.

Jacob leaves the tent while Rarity begins to fuss about Sweetie Belle's mane. Jacob walks out of the tent. The Skull seemed to be crouching down, his back open revealing a solar panel beneath the armour.

"What the hell are you doing?" Jacob asks.

The Skull looks up. "Recharging myself. I do need a dource of power, you know." It simply explains.

"You never struck me as a eco-caring freak." Jacob says smugly.

The Skull just laughs. "I care about the environment, different from your kind." It retorts.

Jacob drops the conversation. Soon Rarity and the two fillies come out of the tent, and the group eat breakfast, all except for Skull.

"Why aren't you eating?" Scoolatoo innocently asks it.

"Why little child, that's because I already had breakfast." The Skull gently replies. To Jacob it only sounds like the voice of a predetor.

"What do you eat?" Scoolatoo asks.

"Scoolatoo, it's not very nice to ask things like that." Warns Rarity.

The Skull seems unoffended. "I can't eat food like you do. I live off of energy from the sun." The Skull says, and turns around, revealing his still open back.

Sweetie Belle instantly hugs Rarity, but Scoolatoo's eyes just widen. "That is totally awesome!" The pegasus exclaims.

"I think that's enough questions for now." Jacob says, and begins to pack up the tent. After they store all their equipment and check the their location and that of Foal Mountain's, the group set off.

"It'll be about a two day walk from here." Jacob informs the group.

"Two days!" Groans Rarity. "I don't think I'll last two days in this pony foresaken land!" She complains. The group just ignore her, and sett off.

"My feet are tired!" Complains Scoolatoo after two hours of walking. Sweetie Belle was already on Rarity's back.

Jacob sighs, and picks up Scoolatoo.

"Do you want me to carry her?" Skull asks.

"Beat it." Jacob says dismissively. But Scoolatoo has a different opinion.

"Ooh! I wanna ride on your head!" She exclaims and tries to squirm out of Jacob's grip.

"No, you will not be taking a ride on his head." Jacob tells her.

"Jacob, give him a chance." Rarity pleads.

Jacob and Rarity stare at each other. Finally Jacob relents. "Not my responsibility if she get's hurt." Jacob grumbles. He lets Scoolatoo go, and the filly trots ove to the robot. It picks her up, and Scoolatoo shivers.

"Why are you so cold?" She asks.

"Why dear child, that is because my body doesn't need to be warm, like yours, but my head does." He answers kindly.

"Why just your head?" She continues to ask.

The Skull pauses. "It's the only part of me that's not dead." He answers flatly.

"What do you mean?" Scoolatoo presses.

"Scoolatoo." Rarity warns.

"Oh, um sorry... what's your name?" Scoolatoo asks appologetically. Rarity hoofpalms.

"My name is the Skull." It answers.

"Skull? That's a weird name." Scoolatoo comments.

"That's just what people call me." The Skull says as he places the little filly on his head.

Scoolatoo stops asking questions after that, and the rest of the walk is done in silence. As night falls, their objective can be seen in the distance.

"Time to set camp." Jacob declares. Skull lowers Scoatoo, and Sweetie Belle hops off of Rarity's back.

As Jacob sets up the tent, the Skull aproaches him.

"Anything I can do to help?" It asks.

"Nope." Jacob answers.

"Jacob, he's just trying to help." Rarity says.

"He's trying to fool us." Jacob snaps back.

"Why can't you trust him? He hasn't hurt us yet." She points out.

"She does have a point." Mutters the Skull.

"He's waiting for us to let our guard down." Jacob responds.

"Jacob, you know if I wanted to kill you, I would have already done so. You should know that beyond anyone else."

Jacob knew it was right. It had had plenty of chances to kill him, yet it had kept it's words.

"Go find some food in the wilderness. We need to resupply our food." Jacob mutters.

The Skull walks off into the wilderness without response.

"Can't you be a little nicer?" Rarity scolds Jacob. She is trying to keep the fillies from tunning off, specifically Scoolatoo.

"I say it's time for some crusading!" The pegasus filly shouts.

"Scoolatoo, it's not very safe out here. I think we should hold off on the crusading for a while." Sweetie Belle objects.

"What's with all this talking about crusading?" Jacob asks.

"We're crusading so we can get our cutie marks!" Scoolatoo happily yells.

"What the heck is a cutie mark?" Jacob inquisitively asks.

"A cutie mark shows our special talent. Grown ponies like my sister already have one." Sweetie Belle calmly explains.

Jacob wondered what those strange symbols on the ponie's flanks had been.

After the two fillies had been put to sleep, Rarity sneaked out of the tent. She was visibly exhausted. She sees Jacob poking the fire with a stick, keeping the smouldering coals hot.

"He's not back yet?" She asks.

Jacob know who she's talking about. "Stop talking about it like it's a person." He grunts.

"But he is!" Rarity says to him.

"It was. But not anymore. It's just a shell of what it used to be." Jacob replies.

Rarity turns around, and walks back into the tent. Jacob just watches her go. After she reenters the tent, Jacob watches the glowing coals.

"Why do you want me to do this?" The voice wakes Jacob up. When did I fall asleep? Jacob wondered, but for now he needed to find the owner of the voice.

"It's the only way to keep you from killing him." A femenine voice says.

"Why do you not want me to kill him!? He stopped our plan." Jacob recognises the voice as Skulls.

"Terrel, sometimes killing isn't the answer." The femenine voice replies. Jacob is close to the source of the voices.

"Don't call me that. That was my old name. Terrel is long gone." Jacob hears the Skull say with a growl.

Jacob risks a peek. He sees Skull, but cannot find the owner of the female voice. Jacob quickly hides behind a tree again.

"You still are Terrel. You just pretend that you're different. If only-" the femenine voice says but Skull cuts her off.

"I am not Terrel! I am the Skull, the one who shall bring judgement upon those foolish humans!" The Skull says with a roar.

"I can't let you kill all the humans. No matter what they did, killing them isn't right." The femenine voice calmly replies.

There is a pause. "You did it." The Skull begins. "You revealed the base's location, didn't you?" It coldly asks.

"I did what you have to." The femenine voice answers.

"I should destroy you right now, Navi." The Skull hisses.

Navi!? So she didn't die!? Jacob is bewildered by the revelation.

"But you won't." Navi says.

Jacob nearly holds his breath.

"No, I won't." The Skull replies.

Jacob stealthily sneaks his way back to camp. The coals were dead by the time he returned. As he rekindled the fire, Skull returns from his search for food. In his robotic arms several types of fruit and plants were being cradled.

"Here." The Skull gruffly says, and lowers the fruit and plants on the ground next to Jacob.

"Took you long enoughe." Jacob mutters.

The Skull doesn't reply. Jason inspects the food, seeing if it was edible. He couldn't identify most of them.

"Are you sure these are safe to eat?" Jacob dubiously asks.

"I've been stuck in this dimenyion longer than you. I think I should know." Skull retorts.

"Yeah, but you don't need to eat." Jacob replies.

"I didn't say you had to eat them." It tells Jacob.

Jacob gives another glance at the supplies. He slowly picks up the food, and stores it in his pack. Jacob catches himself before he snoozes off. He still didn't trust the Skull.

I don't think I'll ever will. Jacob thinks to himself.

As the sun rises up, Jacob yawns. Two nights of no sleep were weighing down heavily on him. As he prepared that morning's breakfast, peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and some apples he had found. He was still hesitant to test the food Skull had found last night.

Rarity walks out of the tent, and is noticably surprised by Jacob's appearance.

"Jacob," she says, "have you been sleeping lately?"

"Not while it's here." Jacob states.

"Why can't you give him a chance? Ust one little chance?" She pleads.

"I'll never trust it. Never." Jacob repeats.

"...I'll go wake up the fillies." Rarity finally says.

Soon the two fillies are up, and after a rather plain breakfast, the group is ready to go.

Within hours they are near the foot of the mountain. They stop outside of the forest surrounding the mountain.

"Looks like we'll need to go through the forest." Jacob says with exhasperation.

Rarity gasps. "T-through the f-f-forest!? Do you know what kind of beasts live in the forest!?" Rarity says, teeth chattering.

"If we stay quiet, we won't run into any animals." Jacob promises.

Rarity is reluctant, but in the end she follows the rest of the group into the forest.

Navigation was difficult in the maze-like forest. The trees blocked the mountain from their sight, and Jacob was forced to rely on his instinct most of the time. Occasionally he would catch a glimpse of the mountain, and correct their course. Rarity turned towards every little sound in the forest.

"It's fine, Rarity." Sweetie Belle reassures. "What's the chance that we'll run into a monster?"

Just then a roar resounds in the forest. The group looks towards the sound, and see a guant bear with a faint purple glow emitating from it.

"Just my luck." Mumbles Jacob. He pulls out his pistol and shoots at the bear. This serves to only irritate the bear even more, and it charges. The group scatter in all directions. All except the Skull.

"Skull!" Shrieks Rarity.

The bear raises his claw to strike. It brings the paw down on Skull. The Skull stops it with one hand. A grin, deep and wicked, forms on the Skulls face. The bear is stunned by this feat, but only for a moment. It swings it's paw from the side, scoring a direct hit. The Skull goes flying into a tree, and for a Jacob thinks he is dead. To his relief, or shock, the Skull stands back up, unharmed.

"My turn." He hisses in a deep voice.

The Skull runs head on towards the purple bear. The bear roars in frustration, angry that it's attack is ineffective. It goes for another swing but the Skull is faster. The Skull slides under the bear's claw, and lands a double foot kick on the bear's stomach. The bear howls in pain, and falls over.

"Now for the kill." The Skull says in dark delight.

The fillies are cowering behind a tree, and Rarity's eyes looked like they couldn't open any wider. Jacob was stuck between stopping him and letting him finish the bear.

Suddenly the Skull finds himself staring with a pair of cyan eyes. The Skull takes a step back. The owner of the cyan eyes, a yellow pegasus, closed in even further.

"What do you think you're doing, mister? Hurting a poor little ursa lika that! He's not even a adult yet!" The pegasus yells.

"Fluttershy? Is that you?" Rarity asks.

The yellow pegasus backs away from Skull. "Rarity!? How did you get here!?" She asks in surprise.

"I was escorted by these two gentlecoats." Rarity says with a gesture towards Jacob and the Skull.

"Oh! Oh my, I'm so sorry! I didn't know you were with her! I'm so sorry about my dear ursa minor, he was only trying to protect me!" Fluttershy appologetically exclaims.

"No problem, we only got nearly killed by your 'dear' pet." Jacob says sarcastically.

Fluttershy hides behind her mane. "Jacob! You don't need to be that mean to her!" Scolds Rarity.

"I-I'm sorry if h-he hurt you... and he's not my pet." Fluttershy says in a near hushed voice.

"No problem, Skull handled that ursa just fine." Jacob says with slight disgust.

"Skull?" Asks Fluttershy.

"That's me." The Skull replies.

Fluttershy turns to Rarity. "Um, Rarity, if you don't mind me asking..." She whispers.

Rarity tilts her head. "What is it?" She asks.

"Umm... well, not to be offensive, but why are you with humans? Aren't they bad?" She asks.

"He's not really a human." Jacob says, pointing a finger towards the Skull.

"Jacob!" Rarity says, her teeth clenched. She turns back to Fluttershy. "Don't worry, Fluttershy, these people are nice." She reassures.

The ursa groans, and Fluttershy quickly rushes to it's side.

"I'm sorry deary, I forgot all about you." She soothingly says. She comforts the bear, and it coos. Jacob is appaled by this pegasus' behavior towards this huge bear. Wasn't she scared of it?

Rarity sees Jacob's face, and giggles. "Fluttershy's talent is the ability to talk with animals. She loves them." She explains.

"What is your talent?" Jacob asks. "Just wondering."

"My talent is finding gems, dear. I use them to decorate my dresses." Rarity says, elaborately gestures to her cutie mark. Then she takes on a sad expression. "I guess it's useless now."

"I'm sure you'll be able to make clothes again someday." Jacob reassures.

"Umm... guys, can I ask something?" Fluttershy timidly says.

Jacob and Rarity jump in surprise. Dang she's silent. Jacob thinks to himself.

"What is it, Fluttershy?" Rarity asks.

"Why did you come all here? It's not like I'm much help most of the time..." Fluttershy quietly asks.

"Why dear, that's not true! You can be a great help to us now!" Rarity exclaims.

"R-really? How?" Fluttershy asks, slightly blushing.

"Jacob is trying to gather all the Bearers of Harmony, and you are a Bearer as much as I am." Rarity explains.

"O-okay... oh my! It's almost night! You can stay in my cottage!" Fluttershy exclaims, and leads the way. Rarity gathers the fillies, and they follow their new acquaintance deeper into the woods.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Author's Note

With two Bearers of Harmony gathered, this story now comes to an end. But don't worry! I'm already working on the sequel to this story. I decided to split it up so readers won't look at it and say, "OMC, this thing has like fifty chapters. I bet it's lame."

Thank you to all readers for putting up with my writing skills. This is one of my first stories, and I think I learned patience in a whole new way. I felt like I just wanted to rush straight to the ending and wright it. Seriously, I have the whole ending planned out. Anyways thank you all!

Prologue: Escape

Location: Carribean Islands
Time: 11P.M.
Base Delta status: Code Red

The base was shaking. It was desingned to withstand a nuclear explosion, but not a volcanic eruption. The plan had failed.

"Activate the portal, Navi." a metallic voice commanded.

"Sir, the chance of a successful teleportation is only 2.47 percent. You will most likely not survive it." a feminine voice answers.

"I've had worse. They may have defeated me this time, but this is only the beginning." the voice says with a vengful tone. Yes. He would get his revenge. It just wouldn't be today.

"Sir, if you would just consider what you are trying to do! You don't have to have revenge. You don't have to-"

"Silence! You do not understand my hatred. You have not gone through the pain that they gave to me. Activate the portal. Now."

"...Yes sir. Activating portal."

A figure approaches a complicated piece of machinery. The machine starts to hlow in a variation of colors, and the figure seems to smile.

"Set the charges in the base, Navi destroy the machine. We don't want them following us."

"Sir, the seismic actions could have destabalized the teleporter. It could-"

A violent tremor cuts off the feminine voice, and the figure growls

"Just do it! And after your done, upload yourself to me. We're in this together." The figure snarls.

"It's done, sir. Charges will set off in five minutes."

The figure walks closer to the teleporter, feeling the energy pouring from it.

"This isn't the end, humans!" the figure yells out into the air. "I'll be back! And you will all realize your mistakes!" The figure turns around, revealing a glowing red pair of eyes.

"I'll see to it."

With those words, the figure steps into the portal, and the light envelops him. Soon he would be in another remote base he had built in case of a-

"Warning! Teleporter's energy output is going haywire! It's changing our destination!" the femenine voice reports.

"What! Where-" before the figure can finish his sentence, he is teleported to a location that he had not intended to go to. To a different destination. To a different place.

To a different dimension.

Author's Note

For those of you who don't understand what's happening, I assure you that everything will make sense in the end. Please rate and review, I just started writing and every evaluation helps me become better. Thank you for reading.

Chapter 5: Another One Bites the Dust

Three days ago

Las Pegasus is known largely for it's casinos and other entertainment facilities. A man steps out of one of these facilities, drained of his cash.

"Damn it, I knew I should of stayed away from the casino." He grumbles as he heads home.

As the continues his grumbling, he fauls to notice a figure perched on the roof of a building, observing him.

All alone in the middle of the night? Thats not very safe. A predatory smile creeps onto the figure's face.

The man, unaware that he was being watched, turns around abruptly to a clattering noise coming from an alleyway.

"A drunkard." The man mumbles. Then an idea pops into his mind. "It's late, there's nobody around. I could mug him, and he'd never know it." The man approaches the alleyway, careful to not alert the drunkard.

As the man walks into the alleyway, the figure continues to watch. This alleyway was a dead end. Too easy.

"Where the fuck is that drunkard?" Wonders the man. There was no sign that anyone was ever here. Almost as if-

"What do we have here?" A dark, menancing voice pierces through the night. The man whirls around to meet nothing but empty air.

"The hell?" The man turns around, only managing to see a glimpse of a shadow.

"A poor, moneyless man. Let me put you out of your misery." The voice continues.

The man pulls out a pistol. "Show yourself!" He yells.

A chilling laugh echoes through the alleyway. It's pure wickedness shaking the man to his bones.

"Do you really intend to hurt me with a toy like that?" The voice echoes.

"I said show yourself!" The man shrieks.

"Why I'm right above you." The voice answers.

The man only has enough time to look up before the thing bears down on him. A loud, agonising cry rings throughout the night. The last thing the man sees is a pair of red glowing eyes. Then it was over.

Author's Note

I think my heart stopped.