Author's Note

Wow ya, this chapter took me a while to write. I found that this was literally the one part of the storyline I had neglected to plan to the letter like the rest of the story, so I had to spend some time brain storming to make sure this worked, and it finally did. It's done and I proudly present to you chapter 6 if my counting skills serve me.

As always any constructive criticism, or comments in general are hugely appreciated! :)

The Calm Before

My stomach gnawed and churned in itself, a constant and maddening pain as I waited for the menus to be brought to us.

I had pretty much tuned out the ensuing conversation between Twi and Spark seeing as there was no new information being exchanged as Twilight was bringing him up to speed on the situation. It was nice that Spark was withholding most all of his passive aggression and snide remarks, probably now realising that this was no joke. At least he was grounded in that sense.

The restaurant was nothing to behold. We sat in a booth with I next to Twilight sitting across from Spark and a dull light hanging above the table. I turned back to the conversation after having given up trying to spot the waitress. I looked across the table to Spark. He seemed legitimately enraptured by Twilights recap, his golden irises seeming to burn with intensity in the dim lighting as he absorbed her words.

Just as I was considering dosing off for a quick nap, a voice cut across the room. It sounded familiar, I looked to see its source.

I looked to see three ponies approaching the table with relief plastered on their faces.

"Twilight, thanks Celestia you're alive." The orange earth pony was the first to speak in the same southern tones I remember from the road.

Twilights face brightened and she rose to meet her friends. She gave each of them a brief embrace.

"We saw the dreadful state your home was in and we thought the worst" The alabaster unicorn added.

"I knew some walking dead guys wouldn't get you." The prismatic pegasus remarked with a façade of cool confidence.

"Thanks girls." Twilight said, now looking much more at ease with her friends near."I'm just really glad to see you all okay." She looked around briefly. "Where's pinkie?" She said her face creasing with concern.

"what do you mean?" The pegasus asked, her face filled with bemusement. "She's right..."

Twilight looked to her left to which the pegasus had gestured. She immediately lurched back in surprise as she found herself face to face with a vibrant pink earth pony. How long was she standing there? Come to think of it, I have no recollection of her ever entering the room. Weird.

"I'm so super duper glad to see you're all right!" The pink pony exclaimed leaping forward to embrace her friend.

Twilight shook her confusion away with a wag of the head and returned the embrace of her friend. I couldn't help but get a little sucked in to the incredibly sappy scene unfolding before me. My heart warmed and for a while, almost forgot about my ravenous biting hunger... almost.

Speaking of which, what kind of service is this? This restaurant is... practically empty.

As I looked around it became apparent to me that the eatery was closing down. Curious, I excused myself from the reunion and approached a member of the establishments staff who was putting the stools atop the tables. A pale blue earth pony mare turned to me, looking slightly up at me with round pink eyes.

Admittedly they were quite striking, I hardly noticed her royal blue mane with a silver stripe leading down its length.

"Uh hello" The mare ventured, looking quizzical. "Can I help you?"

I shook from my stricken state. "Oh yes." I said quickly. I cleared my throat. "Why are you guys closing down?" I asked. "Its only just after noon I would guess."

"Yes" She said turning back to putting up the diner stools. "The guard is recommending that everyone "remain in there residence" tonight because the pegasus patrol say they saw something headed toward the town again."

"What?!" I nearly blurted out. So soon? I saw Twilight launched their squad a couple clicks out at least with that ward blast. They must really be determined.

"Yeah" The mare continued. "Can't be good news." She looked back to me. "You folks are welcome to stay if you got no where else to bunker down. I gotta stay here and watch the shop anyway."

"yeah, yeah sure." I said only half paying attention as a left her company to return to the group of friends.

The group was still talking away about the events that had transpired in the past day, I'm assuming Twilight mentioned the missing status of Fluttershy and Spike as there were some sorrowful but hopeful expressions that could be seen around the group.

I approached Twilight from behind and gave her a tap on the shoulder when I felt she was at a passive place in the conversation.

She turned to me with the remnants of a smile from the pleasant conversation still residing in the creases of her face. Seeing my stone faced expression though, it quickly dissipated.

She excused herself from the group so we could have a word in private.

Even away from the group she spoke in hushed tones. "What is it Daniel, is something wrong?" Twilight's voice was quiet but audible to me over the conversation on the one end of the restaurant. It's good that Spark was able to keep the rest of the friends distracted and engaged in twilight's absence .

"yes" I said flatly.

There was a brief silence with Twilight staring at me expectantly.

"well?" She finally hissed.

"Right sorry." I shook my head. "They're on their way back already, they've been spotted by the pegasus patrols. A curfew is in effect."

"Nonononono" Twilight sputtered. "Not again, not already." She looked at me with panic in her eyes. "We don't even have a plan yet what are we gonna..."

Twilight's word were cut short by an all too familiar bellowing cry which tore through the air.

Twilight's expression of panic flopped into a mask of pure terror as the cry waned and echoed through the, now admittedly stale, air.

Two more cries rang out, of similar nature but of different orientations.

The cries waned as the first did till they fell silent.

The restaurant had fallen eerily silent in the absence of the cries.

No one dared to move a muscle.

Just as Twilight shifted slightly toward a window, all three cries retuned in all their terrifying glory, obliterating the air with the full might of their screams in unison.

Everyone in the restaurant crumpled to the floor covering their ears from the wrath of the charging beasts the town had known all too well.

Though my hands were gripped firmly over my ears as I writhed on the floor of the restaurant, another voice wormed its way into my ears. A familiar and terrible voice.

The voice of Wilhelm swam clearly in my ears.

"No Quarter!" His voice harsh as ever, rang out with gut wrenching finality.

Wilhelm was back, and he was prepared.

Finally, the screams reached their climax followed by the three distinct shock waves of impact.

Oh no.

I remained on the floor in admittedly quite a panicked state. This can't be happening again.

My panicked thoughts were shaken from me by Twilight. "Get up Daniel" she whispered harshly.

I rose up and looked around to see that everyone had retreated to some hiding place or another within the restaurant. I then saw Twilight who was peering through a small window by the staircase. She spared me a quick glance, then waved me over with a hoof.

I got to my feet and swiftly but softly swept up beside the librarian.

"What's the situation" I breathed in a soft subdued tone. I didn't have to speak too loudly seeing as her ears were literately inches from my mouth as I struggled to look through the same window as the librarian.

She suddenly ducked down and took me with her as stomping foot steps which shook the ground approached.She looked me in the face and gestured up toward the window.

"That's the situation." She almost seethed.

I slowly rose to the windows level once the foot steps had ceased.

I peered out of the small round pane to see a giant magnificent flaming Minotaur abomination standing in the centre of the road, flames flowing off of its ashen scarred tissues.

The beast twitched and I instantly fell back down to the position at Twilight's level.

"Yeah," She said. "And they're not burning out this time, they've torn though the entirety of the towns guard now and their still burning bright."

How long was I on the floor? I guess I've never been too good at controlling panic once I reach that point. I've sort of got a threshold for that sort of thing and this whole situation is pushing it.

"And what's worse, I think that Wilhelm guy is kicking around." Twilight exclaimed in hushed and panicked tones, as if she feared he'd hear her at the mention of his name. "I mean did you hear that when the beasts were charging?" She looked on me with panicked expectancy.

"Yeah" I breathed. I looked back up to meet her gaze. "The voice right?"

"Yes" She said shivering. "Its like he was right..."

"In your ear." I completed in utter understanding. "I know."

My ears were suddenly filled with the roar of the beast outside. I immediately cupped my hands to my ears in reflex to the pain in my drums.

They were much louder up close.

The beasts charged outside as stomping foot steps could be heard outside. Soon after a sickening crash could be heard with the frenzied screams of the beast.

I rose back to the level of the small round window pane. I looked upon the beast standing in the middle of the flaming wreckage of a building. It stood stark still, almost like a statue surrounded by adoring plank wood observers set ablaze.

"Well there goes Sofas and Quills" I heard Twilight whisper next to me as she gazed on in solemn despair.

Not very clearly at first, though surely and consistently I could hear in growing clarity the familiar light clanking of metal which would only herald the proximity of one man-corpse.

Wilhelm.

Along with the cacophony of clinks and clanks of his armour, the grinding sound of his Zweihander could be heard dragging in the dirt behind him. I listened on in stunned silence, as though I were waiting for death itself to come and claim me. For the moment I forgot all about the ones surrounding me, in my mind I was utterly alone as I despaired in silence.

We're all going to die, painfully and fearfully, writhing in our own misery as the greatest of our fears fall upon us with swift indifference to our cries and pleas.

There is no hope.

I felt a cool tear tread down my face as horrors of futility and inevitability tore at my innards.

I was shaken back to reality by Twilight pushing me against the wall below the small window, just as Wilhelm peered in with his glowing green avaricious eyes.

Narrowly escaping the gaze of the ultimate pursuer, I held my breath, dedicating every muscle in my body to remaining as still as possible.

For what seemed like aeons the bone-man's green projection could be seen being cast about through the window in search of anything worth his ire. Eventually, the faint green glow faded away, and after a fair amount of time, I rose back to the window to look after what would, at a moments notice, end me.

Wilhelm strolled along the street, still dragging his sword in tail. He continued for decent while at a pace that seemed to fit his leisure.

He then stopped suddenly.

He turned and dropped his sword, facing the town post office.

He cracked his knuckles, then his neck, audible even from this distance.

Then like a bolt of lightening, his entire body sprang into action. He kicked the door in with a swift boot and charged in.

A symphony of clamour could be heard from the post office.

A great crash.

Ear piercing screaming, then silence.

I looked on in utter horror waiting for any other sounds to give an inkling as to what had or was transpiring.

Finally, a small clamour could be hear. Then the voice of a child.

"nononononoooNO!" The voice screamed.

The scream became more clear as its source came careening through the air, out the gaping front door and slammed into the side of the opposite building to the post office. My stomach sank at the bone crunching impact.

I looked to see what had been thrown.

A pale purple filly with large golden eyes, and an equally golden mane, lay coughing and hacking as she attempted to recover from the cruel force that had afflicted her. She attempted to return to her feet and almost made it to a wobbly stance when Wilhelm came bolting out the door at breakneck speeds.

As swiftly as though it were his Zweihander he was manipulating, he stooped and grabbed the filly by the neck with one bony hand and hoisted her up then thrust her against the wall. The filly cried out in pain, then gasped for air and freedom in the unwavering grasp of Wilhelm. Wilhelm narrowed his eyes at the filly and stared her in her fearful eyes, watching on in bitter determination. It went on for what seemed like minutes as Wilhelm slowly tightened his grip on the fillies neck as her breathing and screams became more raspy and erratic. The grip was now drawing blood from the fillies neck as Wilhelm's boned claws dug into her nape.

Suddenly a small crunch was heard. The noise hit me before I could recognise what had happened. All I saw was Wilhelm's closed fist around the fillies neck as she made a few last futile attempts to fill her lungs with air through her crushed trachea before her eyes fell still and a single drop of red could be seen drip from her lip.

"Dinky... no" I heard Twilight cry softly from beside me.

A wide grin fell upon Wilhelm's face, he stared the lifeless filly in the face for literal minutes, seeming to relish in his work.

Suddenly, he whipped the lifeless filly to the ground kicking up a puff of dust upon impact.

Wilhelm, coolly strolled back over to his Zweihander, stooped to grip it and returned to his path after swinging his Zweihander up to rest upon his right pauldron.

Still, stunned by what I had just witnessed, I stared on in shock and awe.

A soft groaning danced upon my ears as I saw a grey pegasus mare crawl from the hanging doorway of the post office. Her blonde mane matted and bloody, one of her golden eyes was bruised shut and bled profusely. She crawled on in agony and determination toward the filly. As she entered full view of me, it became apparent why she was crawling. Her hind legs had been broken and mangled.

She finally reached her destination, took the still filly and cradled it in her arms. She sobbed audibly and hung her head.

"oh Celestia... Derpy, no" Twilight cried with even more futility than before.

Suddenly, a whistle could be heard off down where Wilhelm had gone.

Even more suddenly a skinless hound leapt into view and snatched the lifeless filly from the mare, the mare cried out but it was cut short by another dog that tackled the mare, latched on by her neck and swiftly twisted it. With a sickening crack, the mare fell limp. The bone-dog carried the filly off in its mouth back where it had came.

Another dog came and assisted the one with the mares neck still in its skinless muscled jaws. Together the two dogs carried the mare's corpse in the same direction.

A sob escaped Twilight behind me, to which I reacted by slapping my hand over her mouth to silence her as another dog remained right outside the window. It twitched at the sound of Twilights sob. It began sniffing around. It turned suddenly and tapped its head against the window, staring directly at me with hollow, unseeing eyes sockets. It was blind. But it may have heard us.

I stared into it, not daring to move with my hand over Twilight's mouth, frozen with fear.

Faintly, but just loud enough to be heard, the dog growled.