Chapters
A trash-collection pony was making his rounds during a late shift. He had just emptied a dumpster into his garbage truck when the engine suddenly died, puzzling him.
“What the hell, what's wrong with this thing?” he muttered as he made a few failed attempts to start the engine back up.
His eyes widened when he saw massive sparks of what appeared to be electricity arcing around a spot next to the truck.
Seconds later, a bright light shone from the spot, forcing the trash-pony to shield his eyes.
The light lasted for a second and then faded, the arcing and sparking also coming to an abrupt end.
The stunned pony got out of his truck and ran, apparently freaked out.
What freaked him out was a large, naked, tough-looking pony that had appeared seemingly out of nowhere, right where the light had shone just a few seconds earlier.
The pony stood up and looked around, taking in the surroundings.
What nopony knew, was that this pony was not really a pony at all. Instead, he was a cybernetic organism from the future; a terminator, specifically, a Cyberhoof Systems model T-101.
The terminator walked towards a nearby lookout point, the area being located on top of a large hill overlooking the downtown area.
He walked towards a trio of punk teenage colts that were drinking while hanging near the edge, next to a coin-operated telescope.
The three stared and laughed at the fact that the newcomer was nude, and walking almost like a drunk.
“Well, well, well, what's wrong with this picture?” one of the colts, an earth pony named Troublemaker, asked.
“Nice night for a walk, eh?” another colt, a Pegasus named Player asked.
“Nice night for a walk.” the terminator repeated, its tone emotionless.
“Fun night at some party, too much to drink, right?” Troublemaker asked.
“Too much to drink, right.” the terminator repeated in the same tone.
“I think this stallion's a couple bottles short of a six-pack.” the third teen, another earth pony named Mischief, said.
The terminator then eyed the punk-rock clothes that they were wearing.
“Your clothes, give them to me, now.” the terminator ordered. “Fuck you, asshole!” Troublemaker replied as they all drew stiletto knives.
The terminator pushed Mischief and Player down, throwing the second against the gate.
Troublemaker drove the blade of his knife into the terminator's stomach, just before he thrust his hand into Troublemaker's chest.
The terminator then pulled out, Troublemaker's still-beating heart in his hoof.
Player, now scared shitless, began stripping off his clothes and dropped them at the terminator's hooves before dashing off into the night.
A similar event began to occur in the alley near the downtown area. The arcing bolts of electricity flashed all over the area as a bright light erupted for a second as a time portal appeared.
A light-blue unicorn stallion dropped out of the portal, which disappeared, along with the arching electric bolts.
The stallion struggled to breath as he slowly got up to his hooves.
'Oh, dear, sweet Celestia, remind me to not EVER do that again!' He thought as he staggered onto his hooves.
The stallion's name was Night Lite, he was a soldier of the Resistance.
'OK, first things first, let's find some threads!' Night Lite thought as he checked his surroundings. He looked around and found a clothing store.
'Well, that's better than nothing!' Night Lite thought as he made his way towards it.
He found it to be closed, but that would not stop him. In desperation, he bucked the back door open and went inside.
He quickly grabbed the first items he found, a simple pair of jeans and a black T-shirt and made his way out.
As he got to the street, a police car drove by, shining the spotlight in his direction.
“Hold it right there!” one of the cops ordered as he saw Night Lite walking out of the alley.
“Hey! I SAID HOLD IT!!” the cop shouted as he got out and started running to chase Night Lite, his partner driving off to cut him off with sirens blaring and lights flashing.
The chase drew on, and the police cruiser drove up one of the corridors, forcing Night Lite to go another way.
He turned another corner, hopping over a stopped car as he crossed another side street.
'I didn't get sent back in time for THIS crap!' Night Lite thought as he dove behind a dumpster, just out of sight of the officer.
The cop stopped near Night Lite's location and looked around, shining his flashlight around to try and find him.
Before he could react, Night Lite jumped out and tackled the cop.
In the struggle, the cop fired a panic shot from his .38 revolver. Night Lite managed to elbow the cop and take the gun, pointing it at the stunned officer.
“What day is it? The date?” Night Lite asked.
“The twelfth...May...Tuesday.” the stunned officer replied, bewildered by the fact that this guy was just demanding to know what the date was.
“WHAT YEAR?!” Night Lite asked, frustrated.
Before he could answer, the police car slowly came driving up.
In a panic, Night Lite ran off, leaving the stunned cop still sitting on the ground.
Another police car pulled up in a nearby small parking lot, forcing Night Lite to change direction.
In desperation, Night Lite decided to force open a nearby door and got inside. He wound up inside a small department store, crawling through the aisles as the cops searched for him.
He grabbed a nearby trench-coat and slipped it on. He then went into a nearby photo booth and hid until the cops passed by, standing on top of the stool to keep his hooves hidden.
He found a pair of sneakers and threw those on as well.
Once the officers had passed, he made his way towards the front door, to see a police cruiser pulling up.
'Crap, gotta find another way!' He thought as he turned around.
He ran up an escalator and out a nearby window.
He then dropped down the fire escape, right behind an empty police cruiser, from which he took a shotgun.
He concealed the 12-gauge in his trench-coat and walked casually into the street, having eluded the cops that were chasing him.
As another police car drove past with lights on and sirens blaring, he ran across the street and into a nearby phone booth.
He opened the phone book within and soon found what he was looking for: the name and address of the one he was looking for, the one he was sent to protect: Twilight Velvet.
He ripped out the page and left.
Enter Twilight Velvet/First Victim
Twilight Velvet was her motor scooter on her way to her job at a local cafe. She pulled up and parked in her spot near the cafe. She got off and made her way inside.
Meanwhile, the terminator walked up to a parked station wagon on the side of the road and smashed the driver's side front window.
He then opened the door after unlocking it and hot-wired the engine to make it start.
He then drove off to search for his target.
Back at the cafe, Twilight Velvet was skillfully using her magic to float the trays of food over to the customers. It was close to the lunch rush, but Velvet was confident that she could handle it with ease.
“Wow, even I couldn't get orders in that fast if I tried!” one of Velvet's co-workers, an earth pony named Fritter said. “Well, you never know, maybe you could.” Velvet replied with a smile.
Meanwhile, the terminator had reached a local gun store and was looking at some of the weapons within.
“12-gauge auto-loader.” the terminator said, pointing to a SPAS-12 shotgun. The clerk floated the shotty down with his magic.
“That's Zebracan, you can go pump, or auto.” the clerk said.
“The .45 long-slide, with laser sighting.” the terminator said. The clerk got out an M1911 with a large laser sight mounted above the slide, which was as long as the slide itself.
“These are brand new, we just got them in. That's a good gun, you just touch the trigger, the beam comes on and you put the red dot where you want the bullet to go, you can't miss.” the clerk said.
The terminator tried this out several times. “Anything else?” The clerk asked.
“Phased plasma rifle in 40-watt range.” the terminator requested. The clerk chuckled upon hearing this.
“It's just what you see, pal.” he said. The terminator then spotted a weapon that looked like a large pistol with a stock attached.
“The Uzi 9mm.” he requested. The clerk brought the sub-machine gun down onto the counter.
“You know your weapons, buddy. Any one of these is ideal for home defense.” he said. The terminator looked down the sights of each weapon.
“Which will it be?” the clerk asked. “All.” The terminator replied. The clerk was astonished by this.
“Wow, I may close early today. So, it's a fifteen day wait for the handguns, but the rifles and shotguns you can take right now.” The clerk explained, oblivious to the fact that the terminator was loading a few shells into the SPAS-12.
The clerk came up with the paperwork and saw the terminator loading the shotgun.
“You can't do that.” he said. The terminator then pointed the barrel right at the clerk.
“Wrong!” he said as he unloaded a load of “00” buckshot into the shocked clerk.
Night Lite had just sawed off the stock of the shotgun he found the previous night after his encounter with the local police.
He had tied a piece of string to the shotgun to allow him to conceal it in his trench-coat and still walk freely with all four hooves. He continued on his way to find Twilight Velvet.
A flock of pigeons flew off as he walked out of the alley that he was at and into the open street.
The terminator drove up to a phone booth, shoving the pony using it away as he got out the phone book.
“Hey, man, you've got a serious attitude problem.” the angered pony said. The terminator ignored him as he looked through the phone book.
He noticed that there were several ponies that had the name “Twilight”. He first drove up to the house belonging to an earth pony named Twilight Fizzle.
He knocked on the door and Fizzle partially opened the door.
“Twilight?” the terminator asked. “Yes?” Fizzle replied. The terminator then forced the door open, startling Twilight Fizzle.
She began backing away, her eyes growing wide as he pulled out his M1911, the laser pointing right at her forehead, in between her eyes.
He fired a single shot, bringing her to the floor.
He fired several more shots to make sure she was dead before moving on.
Twilight Velvet was taking her break when Fritter dragged her into the break room.
“Come on, Twilight, it's about you...well, sort of.” she said as they watched the news on the TV.
“Come on, you're not gonna believe this, just- come on, sit down, your gonna LOVE this!” Fritter said. Velvet sat down as she and the others watched the unfolding story on the news.
The report stated that a mare named Twilight Fizzle, who was a 35-year-old mother of two, was brutally shot to death in her home earlier that afternoon.
“You're dead, honey.” Fritter joked. Velvet elbowed her with a glare.
Night Lite managed to find a car near the edge of town. He managed to hot-wire the car to get it running.
When the car started, music started playing on the radio. He looked to see the lights on a crane that was rotating as it carried out its job on the site.
Without a second thought, he drifted off to sleep.
Night Lite and one of his fellow soldiers, a Pegasus stallion known simply as “Rookie” were crawling through debris, keeping out of sight of the tank-like machines called “Rollers” that were rolling through nearby.
They followed the last of the machines, winding up behind a charred car, only to get fired at by a Hunter-Killer.
They quickly ducked out of sight and waited for the HK to pass, taking shelter under a collapsed wall near a group of civilians, which were elderly and school-age ponies, with a few ponies that were the same age as Night Lite guarding them.
They then got to a spot near the machine's path, taking cover behind a wall.
Night Lite and Rookie armed a pair of cylinder-shaped bombs and threw them into the Roller's path.
Unfortunately, When Rookie threw his bomb, he was completely exposed, and the Roller's plasma gun vaporized him with a direct hit.
'Dammit! At least he's now in a better place with his girl, Rainbow Dash, may they both rest in peace!' Night Lite thought as he anxiously waited.
Seconds later, the bombs detonated, destroying the Roller. Once the bomb detonated, he ran out towards a main roadway.
A charred-yet-still usable car rigged with a machine gun came driving up to meet him.
Night Lite quickly took the wheel and drove off as the original driver, an earth pony named Bon-Bon, took control of the turret, just as an HK was flying in behind them, plasma turret blasting away.
Night Lite drove over piles of debris, the landings hammering the suspension as Bon-Bon blasted away at the HK with the machine gun, which had been modified to fire purple plasma bolts.
Several seconds later, one of the HK's shots hit so close that it caused the car to roll over, killing Bon-Bon in the process.
Night Lite struggled to get out, but was pinned. The gas tank then ignited, causing him to scream in agony as the flames began to consume his body.
Night Lite woke up startled, cocking his shotgun in a kind of reflex as he looked around.
'Wow, even my dreams suck!' He thought as he saw the crane, which was now fitted with what looked like a massive drilling bit, begin burrowing the massive attachment into the ground.
He turned off the radio and drove off.
Twilight Velvet and her roommate Night Chaser were getting ready for a fun night. Velvet had just finished blow-drying her mane when the phone began ringing.
She answered it and grew wide-eyed in confusion when the caller started talking dirty.
She then fought back laughter as she realized that it was Night-chaser's boyfriend, Day Stalker.
“Hey, it's Day Stalker!” She called out. Velvet continued to listen for another minute before she decided to have some fun with him.
“Who is this?” she asked in a mock accusing tone. Day Stalker nearly jumped when he heard Twilight Velvet's voice.
“Twilight? Oh, crap, I'm sorry, I thought you were...could I just talk to Night Chaser, please?” he said, nearly stumbling over his words.
Velvet was now laughing hysterically as Night Chaser grabbed the phone.
“Hello?” she asked. Day Stalker then began the same dirty talk that he accidentally did with Twilight just seconds earlier.
Lieutenant Crime Buster was walking with a detective that was explaining the situation regarding the murder of Twilight Fizzle.
“What'd do you got?” he asked.
“Dead mare.” the detective, Detective Sharp Eyes, replied.
“I can see that.” Crime Buster said.
“Twilight Fizzle, secretary, 35, shot six times from less than ten feet, large caliber weapon.” Sharp Eyes explained.
“You know, these work.” Crime Buster said, pointing to his glasses.
“What's this?” he asked as the officer handed him a second set of pictures.
“Dead mare, too. Sent up from the Valley division this afternoon.” Sharp Eyes said.
“Are you sure there's a point to all of this?” Crime Buster asked. “Look at the name.” Sharp Eyes replied.
Crime buster did and was intrigued.
“Twilight...Dreams. Is this right?” he asked. Sharp Eyes nodded.
“You're kidding me.” Crime buster said.
“The press is gonna be short-stroking it all over the damn place.” Sharp Eyes said.
“A one-name pattern killer...I hate the weird ones.” Crime Buster said.
There was a connection: both victims had 'Twilight' in their name.
Twilight Velvet and Night Chaser had finished getting ready and stood side-by-side to admire themselves in the mirror.
“Wow, better than any mortal stallion deserves.” Velvet said proudly.
Velvet walked out and noticed that the terrarium on the desk was missing its occupant.
“Hey, have you seen Scales?” Velvet asked.
“No, not lately.” Night Chaser replied. She then proceeded to check the answering machine for messages while Velvet searched for Scales.
She grinned when she saw the iguana resting on top of a shelf.
“There you are, young iguana! You mind your mother!” Velvet said in a gentle scolding tone as she carried him into the terrarium with her magic.
Velvet listened to a message from Velvet's boyfriend Racer, saying that he would not be able to go out with them that night. Night Chaser quickly caught on to Velvet's disappointed face.
“So what if he has a sports car, you can't let him treat you like that, it's Friday night, for Celestia's sake! I'll break his kneecaps!” Night Chaser said.
“Well, I'm gonna go to see a movie.” Velvet said as she walked towards the front door.
“You and Day Stalker have fun!” Velvet said. “OK, you too!” Night Chaser replied.
Velvet walked out and found herself face-to-face with Day Stalker, causing her to jump.
“Dammit, Day Stalker!” she exclaimed as she playfully thumped his shoulder with a hoof.
Velvet hopped onto her motor scooter and rode out, blissfully unaware of a presence that was stalking her.
Night Lite watched Twilight Velvet go by and started the engine in his car as he began to follow her.
Crime Buster and Sharp Eyes walked out and found themselves facing a crowd of reporters.
“Aw, shit!” he muttered.
“Lieutenant! Lieutenant, are you aware that these two killings happened in the same order as their listings in the phone book?” One reporter asked.
“Now, what can I tell you guys? No comment.” Crime Buster replied as he and Sharp Eyes went into Crime Buster's office, shutting the door behind the reporters.
Crime buster got himself a cup of coffee, savoring the flavor.
“Did you reach the next mare yet?” he asked. “Nah, I keep getting the answering machine.” Sharp Eyes replied.
“Send a unit.” Crime Buster suggested. “I sent a unit, there's no answer at the door, and the apartment manager's not there.” Sharp Eyes replied.
“Call her.” Crime Buster said. “I just called her.” Sharp Eyes replied.
“Call her again!” Crime Buster cut him off.
Sharp Eyes did so, and got the same kind of response.
“Same shit.” Sharp Eyes said.
“I can hear it now: easier that we call him the Goddamn 'Phone-book Killer'!” Crime buster said.
“Aw, I hate these press cases.” Sharp Eyes muttered.
“Especially these weird press cases.” he added as he lit a cigarette. He then saw Crime buster heading towards the door.
“Where are you going?” Sharp Eye asked.
“To make a statement, maybe make these mules work for us for a change, if I could get on the tube by eleven o'clock...maybe she'll call us.” Crime Buster replied.
He then turned to have Sharp Eyes check his suit. “Well, how do I look?” he asked.
“Like shit, boss.” Sharp Eyes replied.
“Your momma!” Crime Buster joked as he went out.
Twilight Velvet was enjoying a late night dinner as she listened to the news on the TV.
The report was an announcement by police of the name of the second murder victim in the latest string of execution-style murders.
Velvet turned and stared at the TV with interest when she heard the name of the first victim: Twilight Fizzle.
“Let's watch something else.” a stallion said. Velvet was anxious to know who the second victim was.
“DON'T TOUCH IT!” she shouted as she rushed to the bar.
The bartender froze and everypony fell silent, just in time for the second victim's name to be announced: Twilight Dreams.
Velvet watched in shock as she pondered the possibility: this killer was targeting everypony whose name involved the word 'Twilight'.
An uneasy feeling swept over her when she realized that she could potentially become the next target.
She rushed to a payphone and checked the phone-book, to discover, to her horror, that she was next!
The phone itself was out of order, so she left the diner and began trotting down the street. Unknown to her, Night Lite saw her and began following her.
She looked back and, upon seeing him, picked up her pace, with Night Lite doing the same.
She then ducked into the first door she saw, which led into a small nightclub called “Tech-Pony”. She watched out the window from behind a support beam as Night Lite passed.
Velvet then went up to the admission booth. “Hey, you got a phone?!” she shouted over the loud music.
“It's in the back!” the mare in the booth replied. Velvet ran off, but was stopped by the mare in the booth.
“Hey, it's five bits!” she called out. Velvet paid the fee and continued into the club to find the phone.
She reached the phone and dialed the number for the police station. She hung up in frustration when she received a busy signal.
The terminator walked into the building, having found it with the address he found in the phone-book earlier that day.
Night Chaser, having finished her “fun” with Day Stalker, who was now asleep, turned on her Trot-man portable CD player and began jamming out as she went into the kitchen to get a late snack.
The terminator went into the bedroom via the sliding back door, and wound up waking up Day Stalker, who saw him just in time to dodge before the cyborg punched the pillow, sending feathers flying everywhere.
Day Stalker grabbed the tall stand-up lamp and prepared to use it against the unknown threat.
“Don't make me bust you up, dude!” he said as he hit the terminator in the head with the lamp.
The impact didn't even phase the terminator, who then grabbed the unfortunate stallion and threw him out the back door, shattering the glass all over him.
Night Chaser, who had her music going almost full blast, could not hear the commotion, and thus was unaware that her boyfriend was in trouble.
Day Stalker attempted to attack the intruder again, and wound up being tossed into the mirror, which shattered.
Night Chaser was on her way back when Day Stalker was tossed through the door, right in front of her.
She screamed at her boyfriend's injured condition, then at the intruder in front of her, who was now pulling out a powerful handgun with a large laser on top.
She turned to flee, but was shot in the side as she turned.
Night Chaser attempted to crawl away as the terminator approached to finish her off, her hooves covered in her own blood.
The terminator shot her five more times, just as she had gotten to the door.
The terminator then spun around and pointed his gun at the phone when it went off.
Not seeing the ringing phone or the answering machine's recording as a target, the terminator then turned back towards Night Chaser's bullet-ridden corpse.
The terminator reloaded as Velvet's message came on.
“Night Chaser, this is Twilight Velvet, pick up if you're there! I'm at this place on Bridle Boulevard called 'Tech-Pony'! I'm really scared, I think that there's somepony after me! Uh, I hope that you play this back soon, I need you to come and pick me up as soon as possible! The police keep transferring me around, I'm gonna give them another try! The number here is 393-2819! Call me, Night Chaser, please, I need your help!” Velvet's voice spoke on the machine, with loud music in the background.
The terminator opened the nightstand drawer and found Velvet's address book. He then found her college ID card.
At last, he had found his true target.
View Online
They meet/Twilight Velvet learns of the future
“It's her!” Sharp Eyes said as he handed the receiver to Crime Buster.
“Twilight Velvet? This is Lieutenant Crime Buster-” Crime buster was then cut off by Velvet.
“Look, Lieutenant, don't tell me to hold and don't transfer me to another department!” she pleaded.
“Don't worry, I won't, now just relax, can you tell me where you are?” Crime Buster asked, just as Sharp Eyes was getting out a pen and pad of paper to take the information down.
“I'm at this place called, 'Tech-Pony'!” Velvet replied. “I know, it's on Bride Boulevard. Are you alright?” Crime Buster asked.
“Yeah, but I don't wanna leave, I think there's some guy following me!” Velvet replied.
“OK, listen, miss Velvet, now listen carefully, you're in a public place, so you'll be safe 'till we get there, but stay visible, don't go outside or even into a bathroom, we'll have a car out there in a hot minute.” Crime buster explained.
“OK.” Velvet replied before she hung up. She then sat at a table to try to relax. Meanwhile, the terminator had just arrived at the club.
He walked by the admission booth towards the entrance.
“Hey, that guy didn't pay!” the mare in the booth shouted.
A bouncer went to confront him, but the terminator simply took the bouncer's hoof in his and twisted it, leaving the bouncer in pain.
The terminator walked past Velvet's table, looking around to find her.
Velvet looked around and spotted Light Lite at a table near hers, separated only by the crowd on the dance floor.
Just then, the terminator spotted her and began to draw his gun.
Fortunately, Night Lite saw this and got out his shotgun, pushing other ponies out of his way.
Velvet looked up and her eyes grew wide as the laser on the terminator's pistol came up to her head.
Night Lite fired first, hitting the terminator and causing him to miss his shot.
Night Lite fired five more shots, causing the terminator to go down.
The crowd of patrons began running out in a panic at the sounds of gunfire.
The terminator got up just as Velvet got up and ran out.
The terminator then got out his Uzi and began firing at random ponies while he tried to find Velvet.
Night Lite took cover behind the bar and fired potshots at the terminator.
The terminator fired at the crowd, killing the pony behind Velvet, who ended up underneath her body.
Night Lite continued to engage the threat, diving behind a counter while drawing the terminator's fire. Velvet managed to get up as the terminator reloaded.
Night Lite, having managed to reload, fired five more shots, causing the terminator to go down again, falling out the window and onto the sidewalk outside.
He then knelt down next to Velvet, who was stunned, to say the least.
“Come with me if you wanna live!” Night Lite said as he helped Velvet get up. The terminator got up again, shaking off the effects of the gunfire like nothing.
Velvet sat there, stunned by the fact that the terminator was getting up as if nothing had happened, despite taking no less than eight or more shogun blasts.
“COME ON!!” Night Lite ordered as the two got up. The two ran towards the back door, the terminator in hot pursuit.
Night Lite reloaded as he and Velvet ran. They got to Night Lite's car and he opened the door. Night Lite then shot the gas tank of another car, causing it to blow up.
Night Lite got Velvet in before he got in and took the wheel.
Just as he began backing out, the terminator managed to jump onto the hood, causing Velvet to scream at the top of her lungs.
The terminator punched through the windshield, trying to grab Velvet's throat.
Luckily, Night Lite turned onto the street, striking a parked car. The shock from the impact threw the terminator off, and Night Lite floored the accelerator.
A police car that was on patrol nearby stopped and the officer got out.
“This is 1L29, I've got a hit-and-run felony, suspect vehicle, a late model...” the cop began describing Night Light's car to dispatchers.
Meanwhile, the terminator got up again, and began walking towards the cop. The cop spotted him and drew his weapon.
“Hold it!” the cop ordered before the terminator grabbed him and knocked him out before he got into the police cruiser, using the police radio to track his targets.
“Hold on!” Night Lite ordered before he floored the accelerator, cutting through an alley onto another main road.
“Are you injured? Are you shot?” he asked. Velvet didn't reply, instead, she began freaking out and panicking.
He managed to subdue her while driving.
“Do exactly what I say, exactly! Don't move unless I say, don't make a sound unless I say! Do you understand?” Night Lite asked.
Velvet said nothing, too frightened to respond quickly. “DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!” Night Lite repeated loudly.
"Yes, yes! Please don't hurt me!” Velvet managed to reply as Night Lite swerved through an intersection in a left turn. He skillfully maneuvered the car over a sidewalk and through the next intersection.
“I'm here to help you! I'm Night Lite, Sergeant, TechCom, V/N 38416, assigned to protect you. You've been targeted for termination!” Night Lite explained as he swerved to avoid a parked car in his path.
“This is a mistake, I didn't do anything!” Velvet said, confused as to why she was being targeted.
“No, but you will, it's very important that you live.” Night Lite replied. Velvet was still shocked.
“This isn't true. How could that pony just get up after you just-” Velvet began top ask, but Night Lite cut her off.
“It's not a pony, it's a machine, a Terminator, Cyberhoof Systems model one-zero-one!” Night Lite explained.
“A machine? L-like a robot?” Velvet asked. “Not a robot, a cyborg, cybernetic organism.” Night Lite replied.
“No...no, he was bleeding!” Velvet said. “Just a second.” Night Lite said as he saw a police car pulling alongside them.
“GET YOUR HEAD DOWN!” He ordered as he bumped the police car off the road.
Another police car was in pursuit of them. He caused the car behind them to spin out in an alley and become stuck, allowing them to slip away.
Night Lite eventually eluded the cops in a parking garage.
“OK, listen, the Terminator is an infiltration unit, part pony, part machine. Underneath, it's a hyper-alloy combat chassis, microprocessor controlled, fully armored, very tough! But outside, it's living pony tissue: flesh, skin, fur, cutie marks, everything, grown for the cyborgs!” Night Lite explained.
“Look, Night Lite, I don't know what you want from me!” Velvet said.
“Pay attention! I gotta ditch this car.” Night Lite said as he parked the car.
“The 600 series had rubber skin with artificial fur, we spotted them easy, but these are new, they look just like real ponies, sweat, bad breath, everything, very hard to spot. I had to wait until he moved on you before I could zero in on him.” Night Lite explained.
Velvet became as frustrated as she was baffled.
“Look, I'm not stupid, you know, they cannot make things like that yet.” she said.
“Not yet, not for about forty years.” Night Lite explained. Velvet was shocked by this.
“Are you saying that it's from the future?” she asked.
“One possible future, from your point of view, I don't know tech stuff.” Night Lite replied.
“Then, you're from the future, too, it that right?” Velvet asked.
“Right.” Night Lite replied.
“Right.” Velvet finished with a disbelieving look as she opened the door to get out of the car.
Night Lite grabbed her, causing her to struggle. Velvet then bit down on his hoof as she struggled.
He grabbed her again and held her in place to keep her from running away.
“Cyborgs don't feel pain, I do, don't do that again.” he warned. “Just let me go!” Velvet demanded.
“LISTEN! Understand, that terminator is out there, it can't be bargained with, it can't be reasoned with, it doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear, and it absolutely will not stop, EVER, until you are dead! Night Lite replied.
Velvet shook as she let his words sink in. “Can you stop it, Night Lite?” she asked.
Night Lite ran a hoof over his forehead, below his horn as he sighed.
“I don't know, with these weapons, I don't know.” he replied.
The terminator drove around in search of Twilight Velvet and Night Lite. Another police cruiser drove up and found their vehicle.
Upon hearing of this on the radio, the terminator drove towards the garage.
Twilight Velvet and Night Lite had already escaped from the car and were staying out of sight as they moved in search of a new vehicle.
They eventually found a Clydesdale sedan that had its windows open and they got in after Night Lite unlocked it.
“Night Lite, why me? Why does it want me?” Velvet asked.
Night Lite sighed as he prepared to tell his story.
“There was a nuclear war, a few years from now. All this...this whole place, everything, it's gone...just, gone. There were survivors here...there, nopony even knew who started it. It was the machines, Twilight Velvet.”
“I don't understand.” Velvet replied. “Defense network computers; new, powerful, hooked into everything and trusted to run it all. They say it got smart, a new order of intelligence. It saw all ponies as a threat, not just the ones on the other side. It decided our fate in a microsecond: extermination.” Night Lite continued as he broke off the ignition cap with him.
Velvet was now shocked beyond belief. “Did you see this war?” she asked.
Night Lite suddenly had her duck down and ducked down himself as he saw a light heading towards them. Night Lite waited for the car to pass before continuing.
“No, I grew up after, in the ruins, starving, hiding from HK's.” he said.
“HK's?” Velvet asked.
“Hunter-killers, patrol machines built in automatic factories. Most of us were rounded up, put in camps for earlier disposal, branded by laser scan.” Night Lite said as he showed her the bar code that was seared onto his hoof.
“Some of us were kept alive, to work, loading bodies. The disposal units ran night and day, we were that close to going out forever. But there was one mare, who taught us to fight, to storm the heart of those camps, to smash those metal motherfuckers into junk! She turned it around, she brought us back from the brink. Her name was Sparkle, Twilight Sparkle, your daughter, Velvet, your unborn daughter.” He finished.
Is Night Lite crazy?/Police Station Attack
The terminator drove by, just as Night Lite attempted to start the car.
Too late, the terminator spotted them and fired a blast from the shotgun he found in the police cruiser. Velvet and Night Lite ducked down just as the terminator fired three blasts.
Night Lite managed to start the car's engine and sped off, the terminator giving chase.
Night Lite and the terminator exchanged shotgun fire as they exited the garage and took the chase into the streets.
Night Lite swerved to throw off the terminator's aim.
He then tried to run the terminator off the road.
“DRIVE!” Night Lite ordered as he climbed on top and fired more shots.
Velvet saw a wall ahead and tried to warn Night Lite.
After two warnings, she hit the brakes and managed to stop the car as the terminator kept going, slamming into the wall full force.
“No! They'll kill you!” she said. “You, in the Clydesdale, let me see your hooves, now!” one of the officers ordered.
They both raised their fore-hooves up in full view. “Get out of the car!” the cop ordered.
They slowly got out. Night Lite was cuffed, and Velvet was sent to Crime Buster's office.
Twilight Velvet sat on the couch, crying silently as the events of the night caught up with her.
Just then, Crime Buster and a psychologist walked in.
“Velvet, try to drink some of this.” he said as he handed her a glass of water. She had just been informed of Night-chaser's death, as well as that of Day Stalker.
“Are...are you sure it's them? May...may I should look at the bodies.” she shakily said.
Crime Buster shook his head. “Nah, they've been identified; I'm sorry.” he replied.
Velvet broke down at this, knowing now that her friends were dead.
Crime Buster wrapped a comforting hoof around her shoulder.
“Twilight Velvet, this is Dr. Mind Checker.” Crime buster said, pointing to the psychologist.
“Hi, Twilight.” Mind Checker said.
“I want you to tell him everything Night Lite told you. Are you feeling up to that?” Crime Buster asked.
“I...I guess so.” Velvet replied. “So, you're a psychologist, right?” Velvet asked.
“Yes, I am.” Mind Checker replied. “Is Night Lite crazy?” she asked.
“Well, that's what we're gonna find out.” Mind Checker replied.
The terminator climbed into the window of an abandoned apartment building that he was using as a staging point.
Using a nearby scalpel, he cut away the skin on his right hoof, revealing the mechanisms within.
He adjusted the metal rods and links that operated his fingers.
Mind Checker was questioning Night Lite, who was in hoof-cuffs, trying to find out if he was indeed crazy.
“So, you're a soldier, fighting for whom?” Mind Checker asked.
“With the 122nd under Caramel, from 16 to 22.” Night Lite replied.
“That's the year 2022?” Mind Checker asked. Night Lite nodded.
“This is fucking great!” Sharp Eyes said from the other side of the one-way mirror as the questioning session went on.
“...under Twilight Sparkle.” Night Lite said in response to the previous question.
“So, who was the enemy again?” Mind Checker asked.
“A computer defense system built for SAC-ERAD by Cyberhoof Systems.” Night Lite replied.
“I see, and this...computer thinks it can win by killing the mother of its enemy...killing HER in effect before she is even conceived? A sort of..retroactive abortion?” Mind Checker asked.
Crime Buster and Sharp Eyes looked on as they heard every answer to each question.
“...just kill Twilight Sparkle then, why this elaborate scheme with the Terminator?” Mind Checker asked.
“It had no choice, their defense grid was smashed, we'd won, taking out Sparkle would have made no difference. Starnet had to wipe out her entire existence.” Night Lite replied.
“Is that when you captured that lab complex and found that, what is it called, that time-displacement equipment?” Mind Checker asked.
“That's right, the terminator had already gone through, Sparkle sent me to intercept him, they blew the whole place.” Night Lite replied.
“Well, how are you supposed to get back?” Mind Checker asked.
“I can't; nopony goes home, nopony comes through, it's just him, and me.” Night Lite replied.
The terminator washed his face, where his left eye had been damaged.
He decided to cut away the flesh surrounding the eye, revealing the mechanical eye behind it, a red glow coming from within.
He decided to conceal the eye with a pair of shades.
He then grabbed his weapons and set out to find his targets.
Everypony was watching the tape recording of the interrogation.
They were stunned by Night Lite's answers to all of Mind Checker's questions.
They watched a few more minutes before Mind Checker turned the TV off.
“This is great stuff, I can make a career out of this guy! You see how clever this part is, how it doesn't require a shred of proof? Most paranoid delusions are intricate, but this is brilliant!” he said in excitement.
He then resumed playing the tape.
They were at the moment in which Night Lite was getting furious over the numerous questions being asked.
The tape ended with him shouting a warning to the camera:
“You still don't get it, he'll find her, it's all he does! IT'S ALL HE DOES!!” before the officer took him out.
Mind Checker stopped the tape again.
“So, Night Lite is crazy?” Velvet asked.
“In technical terminology, heh, he's a loon!” Mind Checker replied.
Crime Buster showed her a set of body armor and offered to have her sleep on the nearby couch.
Crime Buster put his coat over her so she could keep warm as she slept.
“You'll be perfectly safe; we've got over thirty cops in this building.” he said.
“Thank you.” Velvet said as she finally tried to get some sleep.
In the lobby, Mind Checker was leaving, unaware of a pony walking in behind him.
That pony was in fact, the terminator. He walked up to the receptionist's desk.
“I'm a friend of Twilight Velvet, I was told that she's here, can I see her please?” the terminator asked.
“No, you can't see her, she's making a statement.” the officer replied.
“Where is she?” the terminator asked.
“Look, it may take a while, if you wanna wait, there's a bench over there.” the officer replied, pointing a hoof at a nearby bench.
The terminator looked around and leaned towards the desk before saying,
“I'll be back.”
The terminator then walked out. The officer looked up from his paperwork seconds later to see a pair of headlights closing in fast.
The car smashed through the door and into the desk, crushing the unfortunate cop.
Velvet woke up with a jolt as she heard a loud crashing sound.
The terminator came out of the car, guns drawn. He then began making his way through the hallway, gunning down every cop he saw.
He was sweeping from office to office, killing every officer in sight.
Velvet sat up and began shuddering. She got up and opened the door, only to see Crime Buster walking in.
“Stay here!” he ordered. Velvet's eyes grew wide in horror as she heard the unmistakable sounds of gunfire nearby.
The officers tried to make a final stand, but were no match.
The terminator found the main power panel and pulled the main wire until it broke, then forcing the exposed wire against the main power panel.
This caused an overload that caused all light bulbs to burst, darkening the entire place. Emergency lights came on, providing some light.
Meanwhile, Night Lite and the cop that was with him listened as gunfire rang out nearby.
“Watch him!” Sharp Eyes ordered as he ran past.
After the cop closed the door, Night Lite saw his chance and tackled the cop, despite being cuffed.
He managed to knock the cop out with a single hoof slam to the head.
He used his magic to unlock the cuffs and get them off him.
The terminator continued his rampage as Twilight Velvet froze in terror.
The surviving officers armed themselves with M16 assault rifles to counter the threat.
Velvet his behind the desk as the cops attempted in vain to stop the terminator.
The terminator gunned down several more officers as he searched for Twilight Velvet.
Velvet pressed her fore-hooves over her ears to try and block out the noise of gunfire. She slowly peeked out from behind the desk, only to dart back behind it in a panic.
She froze when she heard the doorknob being moved around.
She nearly jumped when she heard the sound of glass breaking from the door.
Night Lite got the door open and looked around.
“TWILIGHT!!” he called out as he searched for her. Velvet's eyes lit up when she heard his voice.
“Night Lite!” she called out as she got up and turned towards him.
Together, the two began their escape from the devastated police station, avoiding flames from the overloaded electrical panel.
The terminator continued his search as Twilight Velvet and Night Lite got into a Pacer and drove off.
The terminator saw this and fired at them, forcing them to duck down as they drove off.
Hideout/Love From the Future
Later, they pulled over to the side of the road as the car ran out of gas.
The two got out and Night Lite opened the trunk, grabbing a flashlight and a first-aid kit.
“Let's get this off the road.” Night Lite said. Twilight Velvet helped him push the car off of the road before they walked off.
They went under a nearby bridge and sat down to rest.
Night Lite grew concerned as he saw Twilight Velvet shivering. “You cold?” he asked.
“Freezing.” Velvet replied. Night Lite sat next to her and wrapped a fore-hoof around her to help keep her warm.
“Night Lite, what's it like when you go through time?” Velvet asked.
“White light, pain...it's like being born, maybe.” he replied. Velvet then felt a warm fluid on her fore-hoof and pulled it away from Night Lite.
“Oh, Celestia!” she exclaimed as she recognized the fluid as blood, her eyes growing wide.
They looked to see a wound on his shoulder.
“I caught one back there.” he said. “You mean you got shot?!” Velvet asked.
“It's not bad.” Night Lite said, trying to keep her from panicking, while slightly surprised that he didn't feel the wound. “But, we gotta get you to a doctor!” Velvet replied.
“It's OK, forget it.” Night Lite replied.
“What do you mean, 'forget it', are you crazy?!” Velvet asked, determined to get his wound treated.
“Take this off.” Velvet ordered. Night Lite shrugged and took off his jacket.
Velvet opened the first aid kit from the car.
“Oh, my...!” Velvet exclaimed as she saw the wound in full detail.
“Looks like it passed right through the vein.” Night Lite said as Velvet began.
“Oh, this is gonna make me puke! Just...just talk about something.” Velvet said, trying to get herself distracted from the sight of the wound.
“What?” Night Lite asked in confusion.
“I don't know, anything, just talk! Tell me about my daughter.” Velvet replied.
“She's about my height.” Night Lite said. He then winced in pain as Velvet began cleaning his wound.
“She has your eyes.” he continued. “What's she like?” Velvet asked.
“She's incredibly smart, a highly intelligent strategist and can organize anything like no other pony can, from units to battle plans, accounting for anything and everything. I'd die for Twilight Sparkle.” Night Lite said.
Velvet chuckled. “At least now I know what to name her.” she said as she wrapped a bandage around Night Lite's wound after using her magic to stop the bleeding.
“I suppose you don't know who the father is, so I won't tell him to get lost when I meet him.” she added.
“Sparkle never said much about him, I know he dies before the wa-” he continued before being cut off by Velvet.
“Wait...I don't wanna know.” Velvet said.
“So, was it Twilight Sparkle who sent you here?” she asked.
“I volunteered.” Night Lite replied. “Why?” Velvet asked.
“It was a chance to meet the legend: Twilight Velvet, who taught her daughter to fight, organize, prepare from when she was a filly, went into hiding before the war.” Night Lite continued.
Velvet chuckled again.
"You're talking about things I haven't even done yet in the past tense! It's driving me crazy!” Velvet replied as she tightened the bandage, causing Night Lite to wince again.
Velvet still couldn't believe what he was telling her.
“Are you sure you have the right pony?” she asked. “I'm sure.” Night Lite replied in a simple, yet firm tone.
Velvet rolled her eyes. “Come on, do I look like the mother of the future?” she asked.
“I mean, am I tough, organized? I can't even balance my checkbook!” Velvet replied in frustration as she got up.
“Well, I didn't ask for this 'honor' and I don't want it, any of it!” she spat as she sat back down.
“Your daughter gave me a message to give to you, she made me memorize it: Thank you, Twilight Velvet, for your courage through the dark years. I can't help you with what you must soon face except to say that the future is not set. You must be stronger than you can imagine you can be. You must survive, or I will never exist; that's all.” Night Lite calmly said.
Night Lite then checked the bandaged wound and was impressed by its effectiveness.
“That's a really good field dressing.” he said.
“You like it?” Velvet asked with a smirk.
“It's my first.” she added.
“We should get some sleep, it'll be light soon.” Night Lite said.
“OK.” Velvet replied. She sat down next to Night Lite.
“Talk to me some more.” she said.
“About what?” Night Lite asked.
“Tell me about where you're from.” Velvet replied.
“Alright, we stay down by day, but at night, you can move around. You still have to be careful because the HK's use infrared. They're not too bright. Sparkle taught us ways to best them. That's when the infiltrators started to appear, the terminators were the newest, the worst.”
-------------------------------------------------------------------FLASHBACK-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Lite was with his unit hiding in the ruins in what used to be Ponyville, near the area where the town square was located.
“Let's go!” he ordered as his squad began to move.
They made their way into their hidden underground bunker, near the spot where town hall was located.
Night Lite knocked on the door. A small window opened in the door.
“Night Lite, V/N 38416.” Night Lite replied.
“Right, let him in!” the pony in charge ordered.
The door slid open and Night Lite's squad went inside. He walked through a nearby tunnel, where numerous civilians were taking refuge.
He felt his heart break at the sound of mares and young fillies crying. He took out a picture of Twilight Velvet and stared at it.
Suddenly, a group of dogs near the entrance started barking. Night Lite quickly got up and prepared for action.
A group of ponies walked in, one hidden by a blanket.
The mysterious pony uncovered himself and wielded a large gun.
“Terminator! Terminator!” one soldier shouted as the terminator started gunning down everypony in sight.
The civilians ran for cover as the soldiers returned fire, going down one by one.
Night Lite fought viciously, but was thrown to the floor by a blast from the terminator's fire.
He watched as the picture of Twilight Velvet landed in the flames and began burning.
---------------------------------------------------------------END FLASHBACK-----------------------------------------------------------------------
By the time they woke up, it was morning, and Celestia’s sun shone bright in the sky.
“I was dreaming about dogs.” Velvet said as she sat up.
“We use them to spot terminators.” Night Lite replied.
“Your world is pretty terrifying.” Velvet replied.
They walked out and heard birds chirping away as if nothing had happened.
In his hideout, the terminator read through Velvet's address book. He turned as he heard a knock on the door.
“Hey, buddy, you got a dead cat in there, or what?” the janitor pony outside asked.
The terminator's computer processor chose the preferred response: “Fuck you, asshole!”
The terminator found the address to Velvet's vacation cabin and walked out.
<9:12AM>
Twilight Velvet and Night Lite had hitched a ride to a motel called the Ponyville Traveler's Inn.
The two walked up and checked into a room. The room was a very simple rustic style. Not too many furnishings.
A table, nightstand, bed, a small kitchen, bathroom and shower. Velvet sat down on the bed and sighed.
“I'm dying for a shower, we should check your bandage, too.” she said.
“Later...I'm going out for supplies.” Night Lite replied as he walked towards the door.
He then turned towards her and got out his revolver.
“Here, keep this.” he said as he handed the gun to her and left.
Velvet called her mother, who, needless to say, was very worried.
Only, it wasn't really her mother, it was the terminator!
The terminator duplicated her mother's voice after killing her and then called the motel after getting the number from Velvet. He was able to obtain the address with this, and set out.
Later, Night Lite returned with a few bags of supplies.
“OK, what do we got?” Velvet asked as she looked through the supplies.
“Moth balls...corn syrup...ammonia...what's for dinner?” she asked. “Plastique.” Night Lite replied.
“Mm, that sounds good, what is it?” Velvet replied.
“Nitroglycerine basic, it's a bit more stable, I always wanted to make it ever since I was a colt.” Night Lite replied.
Meanwhile, the terminator rode towards their location on a stolen motorcycle.
At the motel room, Night Lite was showing Twilight Velvet how to make pipe bombs with the explosive compound he had made with their magic.
“Make sure there's none on the threads...like this.” he said as he wiped the threads of the pipe free of excess explosive.
He then had her screw the end cap onto the explosive-filled pipe, making sure she did it very gently.
“You must have had a fun foal-hood.” Velvet said as she finished screwing the end-cap on.
Night Lite then checked Velvet's handiwork.
“That's good, six more like that, and I'll get started on the fuses.” he said.
Velvet picked up another pipe and got started.
Later, several pipe bombs were finished and the two relaxed.
“He'll find us, won't he?” Velvet asked, her voice filled with uncertainty.
“Probably.” Night Lite replied. Velvet got up and sat next to him, a slight blush showing on her face as she saw him with no shirt on.
“Night Lite, the mares in your time, what are they like?” she asked.
“Good fighters.” Night Lite replied.
“That's not what I meant.” Velvet replied, disappointed with his answer.
“Was there somepony special?” she asked. “Somepony?” Night Lite asked, not sure what she meant.
“Like, a mare, you know.” she asked.
“No, never.” Night Lite replied, a hint of disappointment in his voice.
“Never? I'm sorry...I'm so sorry.” Velvet replied as she gently placed a fore-hoof on his shoulder.
“So much pain.” Velvet added, a tear falling down her cheek.
“Pain can be controlled, you just disconnect it.” Night Lite replied.
“So you feel nothing?” Velvet asked. 'Might explain why he didn't feel himself get shot last night!' Velvet thought.
“Twilight Sparkle gave me a picture of you once. I didn't know why at the time, it was very old, torn, faded. You were young like you are now. You just seemed...so sad. I used to always wonder what you were thinking at that moment.” Night Lite said.
Velvet sniffed back some more tears as Night Lite continued.
“I memorized every line, every curve.” He said as he turned to look at her.
“I came across time for you, Twilight Velvet...I love you, I always have.” he said.
Velvet was astonished, this stallion who was from the future came to the past, risking his life countless times in the process, for her!
Night Lite got up and placed the pipe bombs into a duffel bag.
Velvet got up and saw that he had a look of regret on his face.
“I shouldn't have said that!” he said as he placed the last bombs into the bag.
Velvet placed a fore-hoof on his face and pulled in into a deep kiss.
She did not regret this action; after all, he had traveled back in time and risked his life many, many times, just to protect her, and he just told her the real reason why he did, he loved her, and she knew that the least she could do was love him in return.
Night Lite was surprised by Velvet's sudden move, but went with it, kissing her back with equal passion.
The two wound up in the bed, kissing passionately and made love into the afternoon.
They then fell asleep in each other's embrace.
<7:34PM>
Outside of town, the terminator closed in, determined to kill Velvet and Night Lite.
The two had just gotten dressed after their fiery act of passion.
"Think fast!" Velvet exclaimed as she started to toss the bag of pipe bombs at him, but did not release her magical grip.
They both chuckled at the rather dangerous yet funny joke.
They then froze and became extremely alert as they heard a dog barking outside.
Outside, the terminator had arrived at the motel and was approaching the room. He got to the door and busted it down.
He fired his weapons all over, repeating the process with the bathroom door.
Meanwhile, Twilight Velvet and Night Lite had just hopped into a nearby truck and drove off to make their escape.
The terminator heard the sound of the truck's engine and rushed outside.
Night Lite rammed the terminator with the truck and quickly backed out as the killer cyborg was knocked down.
The terminator quickly got back up and got onto his motorcycle to give chase.
They drove on to the freeway and made their way back towards Los Pegasus.
Night Lite looked in the mirror and saw the terminator closing in.
The terminator fired at their truck as it swerved to avoid the gunfire.
"TRADE PLACES!" Night Lite ordered as Velvet picked up a pipe bomb.
They switched, with Night Lite using the pipe bombs while Velvet drove, avoiding several bursts of fire.
"FASTER, DRIVE FASTER!" Night Lite ordered as he lit the fuse of the first bomb.
He tossed the bomb backwards towards the terminator with his magic.
The bomb detonated behind him. He repeated the process with the remaining bombs, one exploding in front of the terminator.
"AUGH!" Night Lite grunted as he was hit by a stray bullet from the terminator.
He dropped the bomb, which detonated behind the truck.
Velvet looked over and saw him leaning out the window, and could tell that he was wounded.
"NIGHT LITE!" she called out as she pulled him in.
"OH CELESTIA!" she exclaimed as she drove on.
The terminator dropped his assault rifle, for it was out of ammo, and got out a .44 magnum revolver.
As he fired, he slowly pulled up next to the rear of the truck.
One bullet hit the driver-side mirror as Velvet looked on.
In desperation, she rammed the terminator's motorcycle into the guardrail.
The terminator fell off and slid along the road.
"OH, HORSEAPPLES!" she exclaimed as she lost control and the truck flipped onto its roof.
Velvet desperately tried to check the weakened Night Lite's wound.
The terminator slowly got up and wound up getting run over by a gasoline tanker truck.
The driver stomped on the brakes and the truck's wheels slid along the roadway as it came to a stop.
By the time he stopped scrapping along the road, a third of the flesh on his face was gone, exposing the metal underneath.
The driver got out to check on the pony he just hit, only to be thrown down by him.
Velvet saw this and tried in desperation to pull Night Lite out and get away.
The terminator walked towards the truck and climbed into the driver's seat.
"Let's get out of...here." the driver's passenger trailed off as he saw the stranger climb in.
"Get out!" the terminator ordered in an emotionless tone.
The startled earth pony did not hesitate to comply, and dashed out of sight once on the roadway.
The terminator got the truck into gear and began accelerating towards the overturned truck.
"Come on, Night Lite! Come on!" Velvet pleaded as she saw the truck approaching.
In desperation, she managed to use her magic to pull Night Lite out of the truck.
They managed to get clear of the wreckage just in time as the terminator ran it over, shattering the crippled pickup.
The terminator quickly turned around as he saw them running off.
Night Lite collapsed to the ground, weakened by his bullet wound.
"DON'T STOP, RUN!" he ordered as Velvet continued her escape, the terminator in hot pursuit.
Night Lite desperately lit a pipe bomb and tossed in into a pipe next to the tank on the truck's trailer, diving for cover just after to avoid the imminent blast.
Twilight Velvet desperately galloped for her life as the terminator relentlessly pursued her.
Seconds later, the pipe bomb detonated, setting off the gasoline in the tanker's trailer, which was obliterated and engulfed in a raging inferno.
Seeing that the truck was destroyed, Velvet managed to take some time to catch her breath as she looked on.
The terminator, now covered in flames leapt out, only to collapse as the flesh on his body was consumed by the raging fire.
Velvet barely managed to prevent herself from vomiting as she slowly approached the fire, to see Night Lite approaching.
They fell into each other's arms and knelt down.
"We did it, Night Lite, we did it!" Velvet exclaimed in excitement.
As if Discord were watching the entire situation unfold, the now-fleshless terminator got up and stared at the two with his glowing red eyes.
Night Lite and Velvet's eyes grew wide as they got up. Velvet picked up a nearby metal bar and both of them started galloping away.
"No! No!" Velvet exclaimed. The terminator began to chase them as they ran towards a nearby building.
Velvet smashed the door's glass in with the bar and unlocked the door as the terminator began to close in.
The two ran inside and desperately searched for a place to hide.
She opened a heavy metal door and the two got inside, Velvet shutting the large door with the built-in heavy-duty latch as the terminator got close.
The terminator began to smash the door repeatedly to try and get in.
"Wait!" Night Lite said as he began flipping switches on a nearby control panel of some kind.
Instantly, various machines began activating as a result of Night Lite's actions. It didn't take long for them to figure out that they were in some kind of factory.
"What are you doing?" Velvet asked.
"Cover, so he can't track us!" Night Lite replied as he continued.
Velvet's eyes widened in horror as she saw the door begin to give way.
"Come on!" she pleaded. Night Lite tried to follow, but his bullet wound and the resulting blood loss took its toll and he collapsed to the floor.
"NIGHT LITE! COME ON! COME ON!" Velvet pleaded as she tried to get him up.
"Leave...leave me here." Night Lite said weakly.
Velvet saw that to door was about to give way and, with time running out, she got a rather crazy idea.
"Move it, Night Lite! On your hooves, soldier! ON YOUR HOOVES!" she ordered like a squad commander as she used her magic to pull him up.
They both ran into the maze of machines.
The terminator finally got through and began searching for his targets.
As Velvet and Night Lite searched for refuge, Velvet's hoof accidentally pressed a nearby button.
She ducked back as a hydraulic press came down and back up.
The terminator spotted this and moved towards it.
Velvet and Night Lite moved on, Night Lite grabbing a nearby steel bar as they did.
"Go back, go back!" Velvet said as they reached a stairway that would expose them.
They turned around and found themselves face-to-face with the terminator several yards away.
The terminator spotted them and closed in, forcing Velvet and Night Lite to back up, and onto the stairway.
"Run, Velvet!" Night Lite ordered. He had decided that he was going to make his last stand here, to protect her.
"No!" Velvet replied.
"RUN!" Night Lite ordered.
Velvet climbed down, out of the terminator's sight.
"RUN!" Night Lite ordered again and Velvet galloped away.
Night Lite then turned his attention to his adversary, now that Velvet was taken care of for the time being.
"Come on, motherfucker!" Night Lite said as he swung the metal bar, which smacked into the terminator's head.
He swung several more times with similar results.
The terminator them smashed his hand across Night Lite's face with lightning speed repeatedly, throwing him down.
Night Lite got out his last pipe bomb and quickly lighted it.
Velvet watched as Night Lite jammed the lit pipe bomb into the terminator's rear torso. He rolled away just seconds before the bomb detonated.
Twilight Velvet was knocked down by the concussion of the blast and the terminator's hind legs were blown off.
Velvet regained her senses and winced as she felt an intense pain in her left foreleg.
She yelped in pain as she tried to move.
She cringed as she used her magic to slowly remove a piece of metal that had been embedded in her leg.
She crawled over to the area where the blast occurred and found Night Lite lying motionless nearby.
'Oh, no! Oh dear, Celestia, please don't let him be dead!' She thought as she turned him over.
The look on his face was enough for her to realize that her worst fear had come true: Night Lite was dead, killed instantly by the pipe bomb going off.
"No...no!" she whimpered as her eyes began tearing up.
Her mourning was short-lived as the damaged terminator got up and began crawling towards her.
She jumped back as the crippled cyborg began reaching out towards her. She crawled away in desperation as the terminator began crawling towards her in a last-ditch attempt to get her.
They wound up on a conveyer belt, which Velvet got off several feet down and onto the bottom of the hydraulic press.
She crawled over to the other side, her movements restricted by the low clearance.
Desperately, she lowered a set of safety bars down as the terminator began reaching out towards her.
She looked and saw the controller for the hydraulic press. She reached for it as an idea came to her.
"You're terminated, fucker!" she said as she pressed the START button.
The press came down and began to crush the terminator. Blue electrical sparks began arching around as the terminator was being crushed by the powerful machine, which subjected the cyborg to many tons of pressure.
After several tense seconds, the now-flattened terminator's red eyes grew permenantly dark as his power system failed.
Velvet breathed a huge sigh of relief, thankful that it was over. She eventually heard sirens approaching and realized that help was on the way.
A few minutes later, Velvet was loaded on a stretcher.
She watched with sorrow as Night Lite's corpse was sealed in a body bag.
"Night Lite..." she whispered as she was taken away from the area.
Outside, she was loaded into a waiting ambulance.
<2023 AD>
Bolts of blue plasma zipped across the charred, barren landscape as silver pony-shaped machines wielding plasma rifles fired away at a group of ponies hiding out near a collapsed building.
The ponies were survivors of a massive global nuclear attack, launched by the advanced computer known as Starnet, which became self-aware and saw pony-kind as a threat.
This group of survivors was spread all over the world and called itself The Resistance, forced to fight for survival as the machines of Starnet waged a war to exterminate all pony-kind, a war that has raged for years.
The machines that this group was fighting were called Terminators.
The ponies suddenly ducked down behind a downed wall as a flying machine powered by three jet engines and armed with a plasma cannon turret floated past.
These flying nightmares were called “Hunter-Killers”, or simply, HK's. They were dangerous day or night because their targeting systems were enhanced by infrared sensors.
“Come on, we have to keep pushing them back while we have the advantage!” one of the ponies, a brown stallion with three horseshoes on his flank commanded.
He and the soldiers under his command got out and began firing again once the Hunter-Killer had passed.
Several Terminators went down as the stallion, named Caramel, tossed a grenade at them.
They froze when a large,well-armed machine with tank-like treads and a turret-style upper body rolled near, crushing a mass of pony bones under its treads.
One of the unicorns picked up a rocket launcher and fired, damaging the large machine and stopping it in its tracks.
Caramel ran up and planted a C4 charge on the machine, setting it off after getting back in cover.
“Fuck this noise! Damn these fucking machines!” he muttered.
A command station had been set up on a hill outside of town. Several pony soldiers were monitoring radar consoles while listening to radio transmissions that were giving sitreps and other important information.
One unicorn, who appeared to be high up in the chain of command, stared at the carnage through a set of binoculars.
Her lavender fur was covered in dust from past battles, her mane and tail, indigo with a pink and purple streak running along the length, was slightly singed from past encounters with the machines.
She had a look of determination in her eyes as she watched the action. She was the leader of the Resistance, pony-kind's last hope for survival. The one who would lead the Resistance to victory over the machines of Starnet.
Her name: Twilight Sparkle
Epilogue: A Storm is Coming
Twilight Velvet was driving in a Jeep down the desert road.
She was in the process of recording a tape for her future daughter.
"...What's most difficult for me is trying to decide what to tell you and what not to. But, I guess I have a while yet before you're old enough to even understand these tapes. They're more for me at this point just so that I could get it straight."
She had a .357 magnum revolver on her lap, which she then placed into the center console storage area.
She approached a gas station and pulled up to an open pump.
She got out and the attendant walked up to her.
"Well, howdy there, ma'am. What can ah do ya fer?" he asked.
"Fill her up, please." Velvet requested.
"Sure thing, ma'am, no problem!" he replied as he began the process of filling up her car's gas tank.
She levitated her tape recorder and began recording again.
"Should I tell you about your father? Boy, that's a tough one. Will it affect your decision to send him here knowing that he is your father? If you don't send Night Lite, you could never be." she sighed as she continued.
"Celestia, a pony could go crazy thinking about this. I suppose I will tell you. I owe him that. Maybe it'll help if you know that, in the few hours that we had together, we loved a lifetime's worth."
She was surprised by a camera flash and looked down to see a brown unicorn colt floating a camera in front of him.
"Well, hello there." she said with a warm smile.
"Howdy, you seem real nice. I want ya ta have this here photo, Ah hope y'all like it." the colt said.
"Thank you." Velvet said as the colt floated the photo into her lap.
She held it up with her own magic and looked at it before placing it on the passenger seat.
Just then, the wind picked up, blowing dust from the desert into the air.
"Uh oh, a storm's a'comin'!" the attendant said after finishing up filling the car's gas tank.
"I know." Velvet said as she stared ahead, a look of determination filling her face.
She put on a pair of sunglasses and paid for the gas before driving away.
She drove off into the mountains as the storm approached.
Twilight Velvet now knew that her unborn daughter would rise up to save pony-kind from certain extinction at the hooves of the machines of Starnet.
After the events of that fateful night, she realized that it was up to her to insure that Twilight Sparkle became the hero and leader she was destined to be.
The End...for now
