A Waste of a Worldby cerealkiller3343ChaptersRefugeReunitedCanterlotRefugeThis was a very desperate time for everyone. That's what a civil war does to you. It makes you feel desperate pretty much for anything. But you can't let that get in the way, because sooner or later you're going to regret it. With your life. I've learned that after a few close calls myself. My name is Brady, and I've been stuck in this war for almost four and a half years now. The Earthodites, or Earth Ponies, have been fighting against the Unicorns non-stop. What side am I on? Neither. So are the Pegasi. I'm actually a human here in Equestria, or Famathine now. We're all outcasts, looked down upon by both sides of the war. I didn't care, because my master plan was almost figured out, and when it was complete, the tables would turn. Hopefully. Anyway, I'm taking refuge in an abandoned house here in what's left of Ponyville. At least eighty percent of the town was in heaps of rubble, only a few houses and shops survived, which have all been looted completely by who knows who. I miss this town. This place is where I made my friends and memories at. Now the town was a memory as well. I lit a candle I found in a nearby drawer and placed it on the kitchen counter. I was planning on hunkering down here for the night, being that no one really comes to this side of Famathine these days now. The only ones that do are the ones that are just so tired of war that they just keep walking away until they can't go any further. Placing my bag on the dusty table, I unzipped it and pulled out my sleeping bag. It was fairly cold tonight, so I pulled out some of my special elixir as well and took a sip, making my whole body adapt so that it felt like spring insted of winter. I guess you could say that I'm well prepared, but I'm just one of the lucky ones that has a firm mind and can endure through a lot. So what happened to the Princesses you ask? Simple, They're dead. Well, Luna and Celestia anyway. Twilight is still alive but her whereabouts are unknown. She hasn't been heard from ever since the Princesses got assassinated by the leader of the Earthonians. I was there when it happened too. It was the annual Summer Sun Celebration which was being held in Canterlot. Celestia was giving a speech with Luna and then all of the sudden a hooded pony hopped up on the stage and stabbed Celestia right through her necklace. Everyone began screaming and running as the assassin pulled out her sword, now covered in the royal blood of a princess. With a blinding slash, Luna had just enough time to clutch where she'd been slashed at her throat with her hoof before falling to the ground and dying in a pool of her own blood. The guards didn't nearly have enough time to catch her. Before they were even fifty feet away from the stage, the hooded figure leapt onto the nearest balcony and disappeared from the crime scene. And that's what started the Earthonian Revolution. All the Unicorn leaders in Equestria got together which was known as the First Act. They agreed and signed a pact stating that they will terminate anyone who is involved with the Earthonians. The Pegasi decided that they didn't want to have any part in it, so they packed up and headed to Las Pegasus, where they tried to still have a good time. It was fairly hard, considering that one in every third pony you meet is most likely associated with the Earthonians in some way. Murder happened daily, and the Earthonians went around and slaughtered anyone who refused to join them. The Peagasi eventually left, but they didn't exactly know where to go after that. To this day, most of them just wander around aimlessly, not sure of what to do next. Some were able to join forces with the Unicorns, where they are trained to be spies and figure out the Earthonian's strategies. Others became mercenaries, which accept any side, as long as they get paid. The rest just do their own thing I suppose. That's basically what I'm doing right now. At the moment anyway. I found a somewhat comfortable spot on the floor and snuggled into my sleeping bag. As ususal, when I'm about to go to sleep, a bunch of questions arise in my head. Will I die tomorrow? How much longer will the war last? Will I ever meet someone that doesn't want to kill me? Eventually I got too tired to listen to myself and fell into a deep, well deserved sleep. I awoke to the sound of the front door of the house I was in open, making me grab my sword from right beside me. There were hoofsteps from a pony from what I could tell, and there were about three of them, maybe more. I slowly stood up and walked toward the doorway. Taking a peek out into the dining room, I saw an orange pony with blonde hair. She had no horn, and no wings. An Earthonian. Not all earth ponies were Earthonians though, but a huge majority of them were. There was also a sky blue colored pegasus with a rainbow striped mane. Wait. A rainbow striped mane? It couldn't be. That means the orange earth pony is... No. They were dead. I was sure of it. Was I? Lowering my sword, I cracked open the door a little more, revealing the third pony of the group: Princess Twilight Sparkle, my bestest friend ever. At least, before the war started. I dropped my sword and opened the door all the way, making the three unsuspecting ponies jerk their heads in my direction. Twilight's jaw dropped as far as it could go, and her pupils widened until most of her eyes were black. Rainbow and Applejack too. There were several seconds of silence before Twilight ran up to me and gave me a powerful squeeze. She started crying on my shoulder, and I returned the hug with the same amount of force. "I-I can't believe it! You're alive!" She said between sobs. My own eyes began to swell with tears. Rainbow Dash and Applejack finally joined in to the hug after they finally figured out what had just happened. I let my tears fall and we embraced each other for several minutes. "I missed you guys," I said, giving them one last squeeze before letting them go. Our reunion didn't last long though. I saw a silhouette through one of the windows, which made me force Twilight's head down. Applejack and Rainbow did the same almost out of instinct. "Twelve o' clock," I whispered to them, making them snap into gear. I was so glad I found them. It made me feel some hope in all of this. Friendship is really rare to come across these days, and honestly, I thought there was none left... Until now. Rainbow pulled something out from under one of her wings, which looked like some kind of glove. When she put it on her hoof did I realize that it had a three inch long blade shaped like a tiger's claw on the front of it. Applejack had the same weapon, but her blade was also serrated with several fine teeth. "Guess you guys have been doing this for a while huh?" I said reaching for my own weapon. "Heh, yeah..." Twilight answered. I was going to ask her where she was all these years and why she didn't take me along, but decided that this wasn't really the best time to get into that now. We neared the window together and took a peek outside, where we saw no trace of the silhouette I saw earlier. "I'll head out first," I informed them heading towards the front door. They nodded and watched me as I headed out. A cool breeze instantly hit me when I got outside, and I popped up my hood of my jacket before I proceeded. I went around to the window the ponies were looking out of and notified them that it was clear to head out of the house. Again they nodded and went outside where they came to my side. We scanned the area of where the figure could have gone, but found no trace, not even hoofsteps, of where it went. "That's odd," Twilight said, analyzing the ground of where there should have been prints. "What do you think it could have been?" I asked, taking a look for myself. "Well, it was shaped like a pony no doubt, and only Pegasi and some Unicorns can hover like that," she explained. I recalled back to when I first saw the silhouette and remembered that it did not have wings. I told her what I remembered, making her stop staring at the ground, but began staring at the few standing buildings between us and the Everfree Forest. The forest. It doesn't scare anyone anymore. Now it's just a dark place full of trees to most ponies. That's how different this world has gotten because of this war. I shook my head without knowing it because of what I was thinking about. "We should check these buildings," Rainbow said, hovering off the ground by a few inches. The others agreed and so did I, so we went to the nearest one: Sugarcube Corner. It surprised me that this building was still standing. Most of it's supports were either snapped in half or burnt to ashes. All of it's windows were smashed and there were several holes in the walls. This place was like my home away from home. It's treats and Pinkie Pie always cheered me up whenever I was feeling down or lonely. I even used to hang out with Mr. and Mrs. Cake's babies sometimes. By now they're probably already learning how to defend themselves in case they were ambushed by a group of Earthonians or Pegasi mercenaries. I sighed and entered through the badly damaged doorway, where I was greeted by almost getting hit on the head with a piece of wood that fell from the ceiling. I crouched down and headed for the kitchen with Applejack, while Twilight and Rainbow went up the stairs. Reaching the door, I looked at Applejack and signaled to her that I was going to count to three, where we'll jump in at the same time. She nodded and watched me closely. With just one finger up, I stopped counting when I heard what sounded like plastic crumpling. I changed our strategy and told her that we were going to sneak inside instead. Opening the door slightly, I quietly stepped into the kitchen and hid behind a cupboard, making me only a few feet away from the source of the noise. Applejack joined me and we listened for a little longer. It moved around some pots and some other bags, and then finally started to head for the door, where I leapt out and stopped it before it passed me. A loud, girly shriek escaped from it as I pinned it to the ground and pointed my blade at it's throat. "Please don't hurt me! I was just looking for some food!" she said. That voice sounded extremely familiar, but I couldn't tell who it was though. That's what happens when you're on your own for four years not talking to anyone, your memories start to get a little fuzzy. I saw a glimpse of some blue hair, where I then knew who it was. Taking off the hood she was wearing, I looked into the eyes of Rarity. ReunitedI immediately got off of her and helped her up. "Brady darling, is that really you?" She asked me, looking up and down my familiar body. I sheathed my sword. "Yep, it's been a while hasn't it?" She nodded but didn't say anything, until Twilight and Rainbow came bursting in through the door. "Who is it?" Rainbow suddenly demanded, holding up her blade menacingly. "It's Rarity," I answered, motioning for her to put her weapon down. Twilight gasped. "Rarity?!" With that, she gave the white unicorn a warm hug. "Twilight! Oh I'm so happy to see you! Where ever have you been?" "Everywhere actually." They broke the hug, and Rainbow got her turn to hug her missing friend. "Kinda weird how we're all suddenly finding each other. In Ponyville." I said. "That is kinda strange isn't it?" Agreed Applejack. "Just a fortunate coincidence perhaps," suggested Twilight as we all exited the near to collapsing Sugarcube Corner together. It was so nice to see my friends again. I've missed them so much it nearly killed me a few times. The only ones missing are Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. Wonder where they could be. Maybe they're in Ponyville also. We've already found all of us, so I'm sure we'll be able to find them as well. Or maybe not. Maybe Twilight was right and it was just a fortunate coincidence. Nothing more. As we continued our way through the town, we all exchanged stories about our separate travels. Rainbow and Applejack had an interesting one about following Twilight for almost a month without her knowing it. That was pretty funny. Rarity's was really sad. I heard that her sister, Sweetie Belle, became a young mercenary and mainly works for the Earthonians. Soon it was my turn, so I just told them what I remembered from my lonely adventure. I talked about how I nearly fell in a pit of lava after a sudden earthquake hit where I was, and when I got stabbed in the arm with the chopped off horn of a unicorn when I was ambushed by a pack of Earthonians. They seemed to be really into what I was saying, because every time I stop for a second, they would all just say: "Go on..." Eventually I just told them that was all I remembered, and that was that. "Sounds like you had a lot of fun, huh?" Rainbow asked me. "Wish I was there." No you don't. We came across Twilight's old home: Golden Oaks Library, which had it's tree roof cave in, damaging a majority of the precious books that were inside. When Twilight herself saw it, she quickly looked away, covering her eyes with one of her hooves. I immediately crouched down and tried my best to comfort her. I hate it when she's sad. If she's sad, then I'm sad, and I don't like either of us to be sad. I know why she's so emotional about the library and it honestly almost makes me want to cry too. Spike was in there when the roof collapsed, and he never came out. We quickly started heading the opposite way of the tragic sight, only to come across Fluttershy's cottage, which still looked decently normal. Only one of the windows was broken and the door had bear claw scratches on it. I winced. Could a wild animal have come into Fluttershy's home and killed her? I threw that thought aside with a grunt, and we went inside. Immediately a stench of rotten food and burnt wood filled my nostrils. The floor was littered with all kinds of bags and decaying vegetables. Luckily, there were no animals of any kind in there. We searched around the entire house but found no trace of Fluttershy, Which depressed me a little. She was the kindest friend I ever had. I would spend hours talking to her, drinking tea, coffee or, on rare occasions, liquor. I really miss her and pray that she is still breathing. After taking a few supplies from the kitchen, we all decided that our next stop would be Canterlot. I haven't been there ever since the princesses were assassinated. Apparently we're going there because Twilight knows of a secret lab under the castle that has an arsenal of weapons, shelves full of rare potions, and a library which contained a wide variety of spells that we could ever need, so I instantly agreed to that. My sword has been pretty reliable, but it is getting somewhat dull, shame on my part. Rarity said she'll try out some of the spells that she can handle. Rainbow and Applejack? Eh, they'll bite. I wonder about those two. They aren't really who they used to be back in the day anymore. They used to be so full of life and adventure. Now, they're just quiet most of the time and pretty much just make sure no one pops up and kills us all. Ah hell, I'm the same way. Since we all can't fly or don't have magic, It looks like we'll have to walk all the way there. Fine by me. We would have taken a train, but first off, no one knows how to operate one. And second, it's controlled by the Earthonians. They took over the railways only a year after the war began, causing a huge dent in the Unicorn's economy and supplies, while also affecting everyone else's travelling strategies. I considered that we just follow the tracks of where the train station was, and go from there so we don't get lost. We would be taking a risk of being seen since a majority of the railway was in plain sight, but it sounded like a good idea to everyone else anyway. So it's settled. We are now traveling to the forgotten city of Canterlot. *Psst!* 'Listen to this song while you are reading. (Optional, especially if you aren't into electronic music, or if you can't listen to music and read at the same time. XD) Five miles later, we took a quick break, mostly because Rarity started complaining that her hooves were hurting. Try scaling a mountain in two days. Until then can you complain that your hooves are hurting. I set up my little travel cooking kit that I got from a merchant back in Fillydelphia and began to make some soup for the five of us. I just lit the fire before we heard rocks rolling around from above us. I scuffed out the newborn flame and we all hid in some nearby brush. I clutched my sword and smirked. Maybe I'll have to use this piece of junk just one more time. Some shadows appeared on the rock wall we were recently just resting at, which informed me that there were three of them, and that they were all males. I whispered the details to the others, and they nodded in confirmation. "-Saw Princess Twilight in Ponyville a while ago," I heard one of them nearly shouting to the group. I shook my head in disbelief. You seriously should not be yelling at each other, especially when you're only two feet away from the pony you're talking to. "You want to take them out?" Applejack asked, raising her hoof blade to her face. I shook my head again. "Not yet." I looked over to Twilight. "They're looking for you Twi," I told her. "I know," she replied, not taking her gaze off the unknown figures. "But I don't know why." That's all the information I needed from her to finalize my plan. We were simply just going to ask them what they want with her, if there is a problem, their throats will be slit. Without telling the others what I was going to do, I hopped out of the brush and charged toward them. It was when I was only a few feet away from them did they notice that I was running straight to them, which was way too late for them to react. I shoved the first one aside and pressed the second one against the rock wall, making it crack behind him. "WHO THE-," the third one shouted out. I unsheathed my sword and pressed it against the colt's neck. "What do you want with Princess Twilight?" I asked him. "I-I don't know!" he said quickly to which I shoved my blade into his flesh deep enough so blood started flowing freely down his throat. "Don't lie to me," I hissed. "Ok! Ok! we were sent to Ponyville to-" Before he could finish, one of the other colts tackled me to the ground, making me drop my weapon. He laid a few good whacks to my face before a pinkish aura surrounded him and threw him against the wall. I looked over and saw the ponies hop out of the brush and attack the unsuspecting colts. Applejack immediately went to the one I interrogated and gave him a clean stab through one of his forelegs, where he screamed at the top of his lungs. Twilight got pretty violent and began squeezing the head of the one who knocked me down. Snot started dripping out of his nose as did tears out of his eyes. "TWUFFFLUGS," he sputtered. Twilight intensified the force so he couldn't speak. "That was a BIG mistake what you did to my friend there mister," she said in a voice I had never heard before. It sounded extremely defensive, but it also sounded really dark, like she was being possessed by a demon. It kind of scared me actually, and I know it definitely must have scared the other guy a lot worse. Without any further hesitation, Twilight squished his head so hard that I heard bones in his face cracking, which make him let out a hilarious squeal. "Ok Twilight, you don't have to go that far," Applejack said to her. "Ohh, I don't think it's far enough..." And with that she gave one last burst of magic so that the colt's head exploded. Wow, ok. That's a first for me. A giant splatter of blood decorated the spotless gray wall, and Applejack and Rarity gasped as the headless body of the colt plopped onto the ground. "T-Twilight..." Rarity said. "What's gotten into you?" Twilight looked at her surprised friend. "What do you mean? He was going to kill Brady!" "I know darling, but you didn't have to kill him." "Why?" "B-because dear, he-" She stopped to look for the right set of words. "He was civilized at one point." Twilight pondered this for a moment. "You're right, he was. But he would have killed Brady if I didn't do it. I wish we all were still civilized, but it just isn't like that anymore." A groan made us all look to the ground behind us, revealing the colt who was stabbed in the leg by Applejack. "Well well, looks like my question will get answered after all," I said, walking over and lifting him up by his bleeding neck. He coughed up some blood which got onto my shirt and face. "So," I continued, ignoring the red liquid from the stranger. "What was that you were saying earlier?" Coughing a little more, he finally managed to speak. "We were... heading to Ponyville to look for Princess Twilight because there is a reward for her capture." Interesting. "How much?" "One million bits." "And who exactly is giving out this bountiful reward?" I asked finally. "The leader of the Earthonians." I held my breath. What would the leader of the Earthonians want with Twilight? I let go of the badly injured colt who lost consciousness seconds later. "We have to get to Canterlot, and fast," I told the ponies. "Pretty soon this whole place is going to be swarming with mercenaries and who knows what else." And with that, we continued on our journey to the city where the war first began. CanterlotIt took us about three more hours to get to the city's gates. They were open, so we invited ourselves into the barren kingdom. Small flames littered the ground, along with the bodies of many dead ponies. It was a very depressing sight, and part of me wanted to bury every single one of them and put them to rest. We made our way to the castle without any intrusions, and began searching for the secret room that Twilight told us about earlier. She told me that there was a lever between the two royal thrones that opened a secret stairwell in the middle of the room. I immediately went to that location and began searching for said lever. At first I felt nothing, but my hand then grazed a circular object, so I pressed down on it. The whole room shook, and I looked behind me to see the secret stairwell open up. "It was a button Twilight," I joked, staring down the dark hole. "Whatever," she replied, taking a step inside. The rest of us followed her closely. It got really dark so I couldn't see where I was going, but luckily I didn't have to walk in the pitch blackness that long. I felt flat ground and reached out into the void, where I touched some kind of handle. A purplish glow filled the room from Twilight's horn. "Why didn't you do that earlier?" I teased her. She blushed and looked away from me out of embarrassment. I smiled and opened the door. It was pretty much what I expected, A medium-sized stone room with several shelves and tables along it's walls. Vials and beakers filled some of the shelves, while others displayed a wide variety of tools that I've never seen before. "Over here," Rainbow called to us. We went to where she was and saw a wall filled with all kinds of weapons. "Aww yeah!" I shouted and went up to it to get a closer look. Swords, spears, knives and pretty much anything else I could think of covered the wall. Grabbing a specific sword off the weapon rack, I gave it a few swings to test it's weight and durability. I liked it almost immediately. The green and gold handle really caught my attention. It looked as if it were polished only a few hours ago. The blade was also a goldish color, with beautiful carvings of vines and leaves on either side of it. "Whaddya think?" I asked the crew, swinging it around a few more times. "Oh my goodness!" Rarity exclaimed, her jaw dropping at the sight of my new sword. "It's gorgeous!" Well, it's a keeper. I grabbed it's sheath and pulled my old sword off of my side. "Well, it's been fun," I said to it before placing it where the new one was before. "But I kinda need one that isn't so rusty." I was about to leave, but a certain knife made me stay. "Looks like this sword's got a hot sister." The ponies all had confused looks on their faces until I picked up the interesting blade, making them laugh. It was a perfect match to the sword. Gold and emerald green handle, with a shiny golden blade. It even had the same engravings on it. "Alright Twilight, potion time!" I said, running out of the room. All this energy came from nowhere, but it felt good. I guess it was the fact that I got some new gear that I needed for quite some time, or that I was finding all of my friends again. Or both. Twilight came bounding out of the room after me, and we began picking out some potions together. This was the best. I remember back when we used to read books together in the middle of the night for no reason. We would just cuddle up in her bed and read for hours on end. Obviously we would regret doing that in the morning, so we would take a nap that would last until it was night, where we would read together again. I miss those days. There were actually some really rare concoctions here. One of them can let you be completely invincible for a whole day. Another could allow you to breathe underwater for a week straight. I stuffed them into my pack, and some others in Rarity's. Opening another door between two empty bookshelves in the back of the room, my eyes gazed upon the tallest bookshelves I have ever seen. "Wow," I whispered. "I know right?" Twilight said happily, bouncing around the ginormous room of books. I pulled some off the shelves and sat down in a dusty chair. Opening one of them up, I just so happen to instantly come across a spell that enhanced one's ability to jump ten times higher than normal. "Twilight," I called. "Look at this one." She peeked over my shoulder and read what I did. "That could come in handy for sure." She levitated the book out of my hands and reread the directions carefully. "Ok, I can do this," She said, activating her magic. Eventually I got involved and began floating and spinning at a decent rate. This isn't good for my stomach. I was literally about to puke but Twilight put me down just in time. "Jump," she instructed. I did as I was told and bent my legs. At that moment did I feel the sensation of what it felt like when there was no gravity. Straightening my legs out, I rocketed up the height of the room and landed on top of one of the bookshelves. "I think it worked!" I shouted down to Twilight, who began flying up to where I was. "Pretty neat. How long does this spell last?" "Hmm," she said, rereading the contents of the book in her mind. "I think it said for a day or so." I looked down to the floor of the library, which made me want to puke all over again. "C-could you bring me b-back down?" I asked her nervously. She laughed and extended out her arms, inviting me into them. "Come here you dork," she said with a warm smile. I sheepishly smiled back and embraced her, where we began to slowly lower to the ground. "I didn't know you were afraid of heights," she said, giggling. Instead of replying, I squeezed her tighter. Mostly because I didn't want to slip out of her grasp, but also because it's been such a long time since we've seen each other and all I wanted to do was hug her and never let go. When we reached the floor, I didn't let go, and neither did Twilight. "Hey Twilight, I found a-," Rainbow began but cut herself off when she saw the two of us. "Never mind," she said quietly. Twi's body was so soft. And warm. Her cheek pressed against mine, sending a wave of comfort throughout my body. "Let's promise to never leave each other again," she said, squeezing me even harder. "I promise you Twilight," I said into her ear. "I will never leave you behind, no matter what." She broke the hug and stared into my eyes. It was only a few seconds later before the whole room began to shake, making some of the books fall off the shelves. We grouped up while Twilight prepared a shield spell for us. "What's happening?" Rarity asked, looking up to see if any books were falling towards her. "I think this place is about to cave in," I answered, to which the ponies looked at me in horror. "Run!" Rainbow shouted, darting towards the door we came through. The rest of us immediately followed. I glanced back and saw an entire bookshelf begin to rock back and forth. Oh crap. "Hurry!" I screamed, resulting in the others moving faster than before. Luckily, the stairs we came down on were still intact, giving us somewhat of a safe way out. We all made it out okay, and we all watched from the top as the secret library collapsed in on itself. Dust filled the air, and some pages of the books below managed to float up towards the castle ceiling before hovering back down into what was now a pitch black hole. Apparently one of the pillars in the throne room collapsed and fell onto the ground, making it shake the entire library. I guess it was structured like that on purpose, so in case this place ever got attacked, the books would all be destroyed, along with the weapons and potions. What made me wonder though was how the pillar even fell. It instantly gave me the assumption that somepony was following us, and whoever it was wanted us dead big time. Not on my watch. "Let's get out of here," I said to the group. With one last look at the fallen library, we left the castle, making it abandoned once again. We took shelter in a nearby clothing store, where we took a look at the loot we got from the secret chambers. I love my new sword. It was sharper than a razor blade and could almost cut through anything like butter. I tested it out on some of the window curtains, a chair, and even a mannequin, all of which didn't stand a chance. Rainbow got a neat little gadget that can warp itself into a spear and a sword, and can also split itself in half to make two tactical knives. Applejack had obtained a whip, something she had never had before surprisingly. It was funny watching her flail it around aimlessly, having no idea how to use the strange weapon. Twilight didn't need a weapon apparently, since she has magic. Fair enough. The only thing Rarity grabbed besides a few potions was a large red book titled: "A Guide to Dark Magic For Beginners," which made Twilight gasp. "Why in the world would you need a book like that Rarity?!" She shouted, stealing the book from Rarity's clutches. "Why would I not? It's times like these that we may want to start considering the possibility of using dark magic every now and then." Rarity explained, stealing it back from her friend and placing it back into it's correct pouch. "Where are we gonna go now?" Rainbow asked randomly. I placed my sword down and thought about what she just asked. "Honestly, I have no idea." I said, looking around the room at the other ponies. "I mean, we could stay here, but I have a feeling that someone is watching us and wants us dead. That pillar couldn't have knocked itself over. Anyway, that's just me, I don't really care where we go at this point, I just want all of us to be safe." They all nodded, and the room fell into an eerie silence for several minutes. "Well," I said, standing up and grabbing my pack. "I don't know about all of you, but I'm gonna get some sleep." Twilight's ears immediately perked up. As I headed upstairs to look for a decent room to settle down in, I noticed that she began to follow me. "You tired too?" I asked her, opening one of the doors in the hallway upstairs. Too dirty. "Uh, yeah... It's been a crazy day," She said, helping me look for a room. I grinned. "You don't plan on sleeping with me do you?" Her cheeks suddenly glowed a bright pink. "No! I mean, not in that way." She said hesitantly, looking away from me as she opened another door. "But, maybe... In time?" My heart skipped some beats hearing that specific arrangement of words, and it was my turn to blush profusely. I seriously did not know how to respond to what she just said, and I just stood there with my hand on a door handle. "Brady?" Twilight said, coming over to where I was. "Yeah?" "I um, found a room..." She pointed at a dark opening in the wall, and I could see very faintly that there was a giant bed inside. "Oh, thanks," I said, smiling warmly at her, which was hard to do by the way. I was still recovering to what she said a little bit ago. Entering the room, my eyes confirmed that there was a big, poofy looking bed against the far wall, along with a guest bed beside it. "Take your pick," I said to Twilight. Instead of answering me, she hopped onto the large one and smiled at me. Her smile. God, it's so cute. So is the rest of her. No, sexy is a way better word for how she looked right now. Placing my pack on the bed, I unzipped it and pulled out my warmth potion. Being at a higher elevation just made it colder, and on top of that the window in the room was completely shattered. I popped it open and took a sip. Letting out a satisfying "Ah!" I offered some to Twilight without explaining what it was. Apparently she didn't care, because she snatched it out of my hand and downed a huge gulp. "Cold much?" I joked, receiving the bottle back from her. "Hey, at least you have clothes on!" she snapped, making me snicker a little. After dusting off her side of the bed, she crawled in, while continuing to sit up. "Get in," she commanded, patting the other empty half of the bed beside her. Doing as I was told, mostly because I've learned to never argue with Twilight, I slid in between the covers and managed to get comfortable. Twilight scooted closer to me so that we were in arms reach of each other. "I've missed you," she said, grabbing one of my hands with her hoof, which was still surprisingly cold even though she drank almost half of the potion. "Me too," I said back, tightening my grip on her. "It's been really lonely without you." We stared into each other's eyes for what felt like forever, making it feel even warmer in the room. Finally, after what was only two minutes, Twilight inched even closer to me so she was able to rest her head on my shoulder. It felt nice. "Sorry," she said suddenly. "Your potion didn't work or something I guess." I saw she had a small grin on her face, making me realize that she was lying. I didn't care obviously. Her eyes began to flutter closed, but she snapped them back open immediately. "I... um, want to give you something," she said, lifting her head off of my shoulder. "I've actually wanted to give it to you for a long time now, but I never got the chance to." My eyes searched around her, hoping to see a glimpse of it before she revealed the mysterious item, which made her giggle, which in turn made me confused. "You can't see it dork. You feel it." I became even more confused. That is, until, she planted her lips onto mine. Soft was the first word that entered my mind. Followed by words like squishy, and tantalizing. We parted after only three seconds of contact with each other but she pulled me into her for another kiss. This was going somewhere, and fast.
RefugeThis was a very desperate time for everyone. That's what a civil war does to you. It makes you feel desperate pretty much for anything. But you can't let that get in the way, because sooner or later you're going to regret it. With your life. I've learned that after a few close calls myself. My name is Brady, and I've been stuck in this war for almost four and a half years now. The Earthodites, or Earth Ponies, have been fighting against the Unicorns non-stop. What side am I on? Neither. So are the Pegasi. I'm actually a human here in Equestria, or Famathine now. We're all outcasts, looked down upon by both sides of the war. I didn't care, because my master plan was almost figured out, and when it was complete, the tables would turn. Hopefully. Anyway, I'm taking refuge in an abandoned house here in what's left of Ponyville. At least eighty percent of the town was in heaps of rubble, only a few houses and shops survived, which have all been looted completely by who knows who. I miss this town. This place is where I made my friends and memories at. Now the town was a memory as well. I lit a candle I found in a nearby drawer and placed it on the kitchen counter. I was planning on hunkering down here for the night, being that no one really comes to this side of Famathine these days now. The only ones that do are the ones that are just so tired of war that they just keep walking away until they can't go any further. Placing my bag on the dusty table, I unzipped it and pulled out my sleeping bag. It was fairly cold tonight, so I pulled out some of my special elixir as well and took a sip, making my whole body adapt so that it felt like spring insted of winter. I guess you could say that I'm well prepared, but I'm just one of the lucky ones that has a firm mind and can endure through a lot. So what happened to the Princesses you ask? Simple, They're dead. Well, Luna and Celestia anyway. Twilight is still alive but her whereabouts are unknown. She hasn't been heard from ever since the Princesses got assassinated by the leader of the Earthonians. I was there when it happened too. It was the annual Summer Sun Celebration which was being held in Canterlot. Celestia was giving a speech with Luna and then all of the sudden a hooded pony hopped up on the stage and stabbed Celestia right through her necklace. Everyone began screaming and running as the assassin pulled out her sword, now covered in the royal blood of a princess. With a blinding slash, Luna had just enough time to clutch where she'd been slashed at her throat with her hoof before falling to the ground and dying in a pool of her own blood. The guards didn't nearly have enough time to catch her. Before they were even fifty feet away from the stage, the hooded figure leapt onto the nearest balcony and disappeared from the crime scene. And that's what started the Earthonian Revolution. All the Unicorn leaders in Equestria got together which was known as the First Act. They agreed and signed a pact stating that they will terminate anyone who is involved with the Earthonians. The Pegasi decided that they didn't want to have any part in it, so they packed up and headed to Las Pegasus, where they tried to still have a good time. It was fairly hard, considering that one in every third pony you meet is most likely associated with the Earthonians in some way. Murder happened daily, and the Earthonians went around and slaughtered anyone who refused to join them. The Peagasi eventually left, but they didn't exactly know where to go after that. To this day, most of them just wander around aimlessly, not sure of what to do next. Some were able to join forces with the Unicorns, where they are trained to be spies and figure out the Earthonian's strategies. Others became mercenaries, which accept any side, as long as they get paid. The rest just do their own thing I suppose. That's basically what I'm doing right now. At the moment anyway. I found a somewhat comfortable spot on the floor and snuggled into my sleeping bag. As ususal, when I'm about to go to sleep, a bunch of questions arise in my head. Will I die tomorrow? How much longer will the war last? Will I ever meet someone that doesn't want to kill me? Eventually I got too tired to listen to myself and fell into a deep, well deserved sleep. I awoke to the sound of the front door of the house I was in open, making me grab my sword from right beside me. There were hoofsteps from a pony from what I could tell, and there were about three of them, maybe more. I slowly stood up and walked toward the doorway. Taking a peek out into the dining room, I saw an orange pony with blonde hair. She had no horn, and no wings. An Earthonian. Not all earth ponies were Earthonians though, but a huge majority of them were. There was also a sky blue colored pegasus with a rainbow striped mane. Wait. A rainbow striped mane? It couldn't be. That means the orange earth pony is... No. They were dead. I was sure of it. Was I? Lowering my sword, I cracked open the door a little more, revealing the third pony of the group: Princess Twilight Sparkle, my bestest friend ever. At least, before the war started. I dropped my sword and opened the door all the way, making the three unsuspecting ponies jerk their heads in my direction. Twilight's jaw dropped as far as it could go, and her pupils widened until most of her eyes were black. Rainbow and Applejack too. There were several seconds of silence before Twilight ran up to me and gave me a powerful squeeze. She started crying on my shoulder, and I returned the hug with the same amount of force. "I-I can't believe it! You're alive!" She said between sobs. My own eyes began to swell with tears. Rainbow Dash and Applejack finally joined in to the hug after they finally figured out what had just happened. I let my tears fall and we embraced each other for several minutes. "I missed you guys," I said, giving them one last squeeze before letting them go. Our reunion didn't last long though. I saw a silhouette through one of the windows, which made me force Twilight's head down. Applejack and Rainbow did the same almost out of instinct. "Twelve o' clock," I whispered to them, making them snap into gear. I was so glad I found them. It made me feel some hope in all of this. Friendship is really rare to come across these days, and honestly, I thought there was none left... Until now. Rainbow pulled something out from under one of her wings, which looked like some kind of glove. When she put it on her hoof did I realize that it had a three inch long blade shaped like a tiger's claw on the front of it. Applejack had the same weapon, but her blade was also serrated with several fine teeth. "Guess you guys have been doing this for a while huh?" I said reaching for my own weapon. "Heh, yeah..." Twilight answered. I was going to ask her where she was all these years and why she didn't take me along, but decided that this wasn't really the best time to get into that now. We neared the window together and took a peek outside, where we saw no trace of the silhouette I saw earlier. "I'll head out first," I informed them heading towards the front door. They nodded and watched me as I headed out. A cool breeze instantly hit me when I got outside, and I popped up my hood of my jacket before I proceeded. I went around to the window the ponies were looking out of and notified them that it was clear to head out of the house. Again they nodded and went outside where they came to my side. We scanned the area of where the figure could have gone, but found no trace, not even hoofsteps, of where it went. "That's odd," Twilight said, analyzing the ground of where there should have been prints. "What do you think it could have been?" I asked, taking a look for myself. "Well, it was shaped like a pony no doubt, and only Pegasi and some Unicorns can hover like that," she explained. I recalled back to when I first saw the silhouette and remembered that it did not have wings. I told her what I remembered, making her stop staring at the ground, but began staring at the few standing buildings between us and the Everfree Forest. The forest. It doesn't scare anyone anymore. Now it's just a dark place full of trees to most ponies. That's how different this world has gotten because of this war. I shook my head without knowing it because of what I was thinking about. "We should check these buildings," Rainbow said, hovering off the ground by a few inches. The others agreed and so did I, so we went to the nearest one: Sugarcube Corner. It surprised me that this building was still standing. Most of it's supports were either snapped in half or burnt to ashes. All of it's windows were smashed and there were several holes in the walls. This place was like my home away from home. It's treats and Pinkie Pie always cheered me up whenever I was feeling down or lonely. I even used to hang out with Mr. and Mrs. Cake's babies sometimes. By now they're probably already learning how to defend themselves in case they were ambushed by a group of Earthonians or Pegasi mercenaries. I sighed and entered through the badly damaged doorway, where I was greeted by almost getting hit on the head with a piece of wood that fell from the ceiling. I crouched down and headed for the kitchen with Applejack, while Twilight and Rainbow went up the stairs. Reaching the door, I looked at Applejack and signaled to her that I was going to count to three, where we'll jump in at the same time. She nodded and watched me closely. With just one finger up, I stopped counting when I heard what sounded like plastic crumpling. I changed our strategy and told her that we were going to sneak inside instead. Opening the door slightly, I quietly stepped into the kitchen and hid behind a cupboard, making me only a few feet away from the source of the noise. Applejack joined me and we listened for a little longer. It moved around some pots and some other bags, and then finally started to head for the door, where I leapt out and stopped it before it passed me. A loud, girly shriek escaped from it as I pinned it to the ground and pointed my blade at it's throat. "Please don't hurt me! I was just looking for some food!" she said. That voice sounded extremely familiar, but I couldn't tell who it was though. That's what happens when you're on your own for four years not talking to anyone, your memories start to get a little fuzzy. I saw a glimpse of some blue hair, where I then knew who it was. Taking off the hood she was wearing, I looked into the eyes of Rarity.
ReunitedI immediately got off of her and helped her up. "Brady darling, is that really you?" She asked me, looking up and down my familiar body. I sheathed my sword. "Yep, it's been a while hasn't it?" She nodded but didn't say anything, until Twilight and Rainbow came bursting in through the door. "Who is it?" Rainbow suddenly demanded, holding up her blade menacingly. "It's Rarity," I answered, motioning for her to put her weapon down. Twilight gasped. "Rarity?!" With that, she gave the white unicorn a warm hug. "Twilight! Oh I'm so happy to see you! Where ever have you been?" "Everywhere actually." They broke the hug, and Rainbow got her turn to hug her missing friend. "Kinda weird how we're all suddenly finding each other. In Ponyville." I said. "That is kinda strange isn't it?" Agreed Applejack. "Just a fortunate coincidence perhaps," suggested Twilight as we all exited the near to collapsing Sugarcube Corner together. It was so nice to see my friends again. I've missed them so much it nearly killed me a few times. The only ones missing are Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. Wonder where they could be. Maybe they're in Ponyville also. We've already found all of us, so I'm sure we'll be able to find them as well. Or maybe not. Maybe Twilight was right and it was just a fortunate coincidence. Nothing more. As we continued our way through the town, we all exchanged stories about our separate travels. Rainbow and Applejack had an interesting one about following Twilight for almost a month without her knowing it. That was pretty funny. Rarity's was really sad. I heard that her sister, Sweetie Belle, became a young mercenary and mainly works for the Earthonians. Soon it was my turn, so I just told them what I remembered from my lonely adventure. I talked about how I nearly fell in a pit of lava after a sudden earthquake hit where I was, and when I got stabbed in the arm with the chopped off horn of a unicorn when I was ambushed by a pack of Earthonians. They seemed to be really into what I was saying, because every time I stop for a second, they would all just say: "Go on..." Eventually I just told them that was all I remembered, and that was that. "Sounds like you had a lot of fun, huh?" Rainbow asked me. "Wish I was there." No you don't. We came across Twilight's old home: Golden Oaks Library, which had it's tree roof cave in, damaging a majority of the precious books that were inside. When Twilight herself saw it, she quickly looked away, covering her eyes with one of her hooves. I immediately crouched down and tried my best to comfort her. I hate it when she's sad. If she's sad, then I'm sad, and I don't like either of us to be sad. I know why she's so emotional about the library and it honestly almost makes me want to cry too. Spike was in there when the roof collapsed, and he never came out. We quickly started heading the opposite way of the tragic sight, only to come across Fluttershy's cottage, which still looked decently normal. Only one of the windows was broken and the door had bear claw scratches on it. I winced. Could a wild animal have come into Fluttershy's home and killed her? I threw that thought aside with a grunt, and we went inside. Immediately a stench of rotten food and burnt wood filled my nostrils. The floor was littered with all kinds of bags and decaying vegetables. Luckily, there were no animals of any kind in there. We searched around the entire house but found no trace of Fluttershy, Which depressed me a little. She was the kindest friend I ever had. I would spend hours talking to her, drinking tea, coffee or, on rare occasions, liquor. I really miss her and pray that she is still breathing. After taking a few supplies from the kitchen, we all decided that our next stop would be Canterlot. I haven't been there ever since the princesses were assassinated. Apparently we're going there because Twilight knows of a secret lab under the castle that has an arsenal of weapons, shelves full of rare potions, and a library which contained a wide variety of spells that we could ever need, so I instantly agreed to that. My sword has been pretty reliable, but it is getting somewhat dull, shame on my part. Rarity said she'll try out some of the spells that she can handle. Rainbow and Applejack? Eh, they'll bite. I wonder about those two. They aren't really who they used to be back in the day anymore. They used to be so full of life and adventure. Now, they're just quiet most of the time and pretty much just make sure no one pops up and kills us all. Ah hell, I'm the same way. Since we all can't fly or don't have magic, It looks like we'll have to walk all the way there. Fine by me. We would have taken a train, but first off, no one knows how to operate one. And second, it's controlled by the Earthonians. They took over the railways only a year after the war began, causing a huge dent in the Unicorn's economy and supplies, while also affecting everyone else's travelling strategies. I considered that we just follow the tracks of where the train station was, and go from there so we don't get lost. We would be taking a risk of being seen since a majority of the railway was in plain sight, but it sounded like a good idea to everyone else anyway. So it's settled. We are now traveling to the forgotten city of Canterlot. *Psst!* 'Listen to this song while you are reading. (Optional, especially if you aren't into electronic music, or if you can't listen to music and read at the same time. XD) Five miles later, we took a quick break, mostly because Rarity started complaining that her hooves were hurting. Try scaling a mountain in two days. Until then can you complain that your hooves are hurting. I set up my little travel cooking kit that I got from a merchant back in Fillydelphia and began to make some soup for the five of us. I just lit the fire before we heard rocks rolling around from above us. I scuffed out the newborn flame and we all hid in some nearby brush. I clutched my sword and smirked. Maybe I'll have to use this piece of junk just one more time. Some shadows appeared on the rock wall we were recently just resting at, which informed me that there were three of them, and that they were all males. I whispered the details to the others, and they nodded in confirmation. "-Saw Princess Twilight in Ponyville a while ago," I heard one of them nearly shouting to the group. I shook my head in disbelief. You seriously should not be yelling at each other, especially when you're only two feet away from the pony you're talking to. "You want to take them out?" Applejack asked, raising her hoof blade to her face. I shook my head again. "Not yet." I looked over to Twilight. "They're looking for you Twi," I told her. "I know," she replied, not taking her gaze off the unknown figures. "But I don't know why." That's all the information I needed from her to finalize my plan. We were simply just going to ask them what they want with her, if there is a problem, their throats will be slit. Without telling the others what I was going to do, I hopped out of the brush and charged toward them. It was when I was only a few feet away from them did they notice that I was running straight to them, which was way too late for them to react. I shoved the first one aside and pressed the second one against the rock wall, making it crack behind him. "WHO THE-," the third one shouted out. I unsheathed my sword and pressed it against the colt's neck. "What do you want with Princess Twilight?" I asked him. "I-I don't know!" he said quickly to which I shoved my blade into his flesh deep enough so blood started flowing freely down his throat. "Don't lie to me," I hissed. "Ok! Ok! we were sent to Ponyville to-" Before he could finish, one of the other colts tackled me to the ground, making me drop my weapon. He laid a few good whacks to my face before a pinkish aura surrounded him and threw him against the wall. I looked over and saw the ponies hop out of the brush and attack the unsuspecting colts. Applejack immediately went to the one I interrogated and gave him a clean stab through one of his forelegs, where he screamed at the top of his lungs. Twilight got pretty violent and began squeezing the head of the one who knocked me down. Snot started dripping out of his nose as did tears out of his eyes. "TWUFFFLUGS," he sputtered. Twilight intensified the force so he couldn't speak. "That was a BIG mistake what you did to my friend there mister," she said in a voice I had never heard before. It sounded extremely defensive, but it also sounded really dark, like she was being possessed by a demon. It kind of scared me actually, and I know it definitely must have scared the other guy a lot worse. Without any further hesitation, Twilight squished his head so hard that I heard bones in his face cracking, which make him let out a hilarious squeal. "Ok Twilight, you don't have to go that far," Applejack said to her. "Ohh, I don't think it's far enough..." And with that she gave one last burst of magic so that the colt's head exploded. Wow, ok. That's a first for me. A giant splatter of blood decorated the spotless gray wall, and Applejack and Rarity gasped as the headless body of the colt plopped onto the ground. "T-Twilight..." Rarity said. "What's gotten into you?" Twilight looked at her surprised friend. "What do you mean? He was going to kill Brady!" "I know darling, but you didn't have to kill him." "Why?" "B-because dear, he-" She stopped to look for the right set of words. "He was civilized at one point." Twilight pondered this for a moment. "You're right, he was. But he would have killed Brady if I didn't do it. I wish we all were still civilized, but it just isn't like that anymore." A groan made us all look to the ground behind us, revealing the colt who was stabbed in the leg by Applejack. "Well well, looks like my question will get answered after all," I said, walking over and lifting him up by his bleeding neck. He coughed up some blood which got onto my shirt and face. "So," I continued, ignoring the red liquid from the stranger. "What was that you were saying earlier?" Coughing a little more, he finally managed to speak. "We were... heading to Ponyville to look for Princess Twilight because there is a reward for her capture." Interesting. "How much?" "One million bits." "And who exactly is giving out this bountiful reward?" I asked finally. "The leader of the Earthonians." I held my breath. What would the leader of the Earthonians want with Twilight? I let go of the badly injured colt who lost consciousness seconds later. "We have to get to Canterlot, and fast," I told the ponies. "Pretty soon this whole place is going to be swarming with mercenaries and who knows what else." And with that, we continued on our journey to the city where the war first began.
CanterlotIt took us about three more hours to get to the city's gates. They were open, so we invited ourselves into the barren kingdom. Small flames littered the ground, along with the bodies of many dead ponies. It was a very depressing sight, and part of me wanted to bury every single one of them and put them to rest. We made our way to the castle without any intrusions, and began searching for the secret room that Twilight told us about earlier. She told me that there was a lever between the two royal thrones that opened a secret stairwell in the middle of the room. I immediately went to that location and began searching for said lever. At first I felt nothing, but my hand then grazed a circular object, so I pressed down on it. The whole room shook, and I looked behind me to see the secret stairwell open up. "It was a button Twilight," I joked, staring down the dark hole. "Whatever," she replied, taking a step inside. The rest of us followed her closely. It got really dark so I couldn't see where I was going, but luckily I didn't have to walk in the pitch blackness that long. I felt flat ground and reached out into the void, where I touched some kind of handle. A purplish glow filled the room from Twilight's horn. "Why didn't you do that earlier?" I teased her. She blushed and looked away from me out of embarrassment. I smiled and opened the door. It was pretty much what I expected, A medium-sized stone room with several shelves and tables along it's walls. Vials and beakers filled some of the shelves, while others displayed a wide variety of tools that I've never seen before. "Over here," Rainbow called to us. We went to where she was and saw a wall filled with all kinds of weapons. "Aww yeah!" I shouted and went up to it to get a closer look. Swords, spears, knives and pretty much anything else I could think of covered the wall. Grabbing a specific sword off the weapon rack, I gave it a few swings to test it's weight and durability. I liked it almost immediately. The green and gold handle really caught my attention. It looked as if it were polished only a few hours ago. The blade was also a goldish color, with beautiful carvings of vines and leaves on either side of it. "Whaddya think?" I asked the crew, swinging it around a few more times. "Oh my goodness!" Rarity exclaimed, her jaw dropping at the sight of my new sword. "It's gorgeous!" Well, it's a keeper. I grabbed it's sheath and pulled my old sword off of my side. "Well, it's been fun," I said to it before placing it where the new one was before. "But I kinda need one that isn't so rusty." I was about to leave, but a certain knife made me stay. "Looks like this sword's got a hot sister." The ponies all had confused looks on their faces until I picked up the interesting blade, making them laugh. It was a perfect match to the sword. Gold and emerald green handle, with a shiny golden blade. It even had the same engravings on it. "Alright Twilight, potion time!" I said, running out of the room. All this energy came from nowhere, but it felt good. I guess it was the fact that I got some new gear that I needed for quite some time, or that I was finding all of my friends again. Or both. Twilight came bounding out of the room after me, and we began picking out some potions together. This was the best. I remember back when we used to read books together in the middle of the night for no reason. We would just cuddle up in her bed and read for hours on end. Obviously we would regret doing that in the morning, so we would take a nap that would last until it was night, where we would read together again. I miss those days. There were actually some really rare concoctions here. One of them can let you be completely invincible for a whole day. Another could allow you to breathe underwater for a week straight. I stuffed them into my pack, and some others in Rarity's. Opening another door between two empty bookshelves in the back of the room, my eyes gazed upon the tallest bookshelves I have ever seen. "Wow," I whispered. "I know right?" Twilight said happily, bouncing around the ginormous room of books. I pulled some off the shelves and sat down in a dusty chair. Opening one of them up, I just so happen to instantly come across a spell that enhanced one's ability to jump ten times higher than normal. "Twilight," I called. "Look at this one." She peeked over my shoulder and read what I did. "That could come in handy for sure." She levitated the book out of my hands and reread the directions carefully. "Ok, I can do this," She said, activating her magic. Eventually I got involved and began floating and spinning at a decent rate. This isn't good for my stomach. I was literally about to puke but Twilight put me down just in time. "Jump," she instructed. I did as I was told and bent my legs. At that moment did I feel the sensation of what it felt like when there was no gravity. Straightening my legs out, I rocketed up the height of the room and landed on top of one of the bookshelves. "I think it worked!" I shouted down to Twilight, who began flying up to where I was. "Pretty neat. How long does this spell last?" "Hmm," she said, rereading the contents of the book in her mind. "I think it said for a day or so." I looked down to the floor of the library, which made me want to puke all over again. "C-could you bring me b-back down?" I asked her nervously. She laughed and extended out her arms, inviting me into them. "Come here you dork," she said with a warm smile. I sheepishly smiled back and embraced her, where we began to slowly lower to the ground. "I didn't know you were afraid of heights," she said, giggling. Instead of replying, I squeezed her tighter. Mostly because I didn't want to slip out of her grasp, but also because it's been such a long time since we've seen each other and all I wanted to do was hug her and never let go. When we reached the floor, I didn't let go, and neither did Twilight. "Hey Twilight, I found a-," Rainbow began but cut herself off when she saw the two of us. "Never mind," she said quietly. Twi's body was so soft. And warm. Her cheek pressed against mine, sending a wave of comfort throughout my body. "Let's promise to never leave each other again," she said, squeezing me even harder. "I promise you Twilight," I said into her ear. "I will never leave you behind, no matter what." She broke the hug and stared into my eyes. It was only a few seconds later before the whole room began to shake, making some of the books fall off the shelves. We grouped up while Twilight prepared a shield spell for us. "What's happening?" Rarity asked, looking up to see if any books were falling towards her. "I think this place is about to cave in," I answered, to which the ponies looked at me in horror. "Run!" Rainbow shouted, darting towards the door we came through. The rest of us immediately followed. I glanced back and saw an entire bookshelf begin to rock back and forth. Oh crap. "Hurry!" I screamed, resulting in the others moving faster than before. Luckily, the stairs we came down on were still intact, giving us somewhat of a safe way out. We all made it out okay, and we all watched from the top as the secret library collapsed in on itself. Dust filled the air, and some pages of the books below managed to float up towards the castle ceiling before hovering back down into what was now a pitch black hole. Apparently one of the pillars in the throne room collapsed and fell onto the ground, making it shake the entire library. I guess it was structured like that on purpose, so in case this place ever got attacked, the books would all be destroyed, along with the weapons and potions. What made me wonder though was how the pillar even fell. It instantly gave me the assumption that somepony was following us, and whoever it was wanted us dead big time. Not on my watch. "Let's get out of here," I said to the group. With one last look at the fallen library, we left the castle, making it abandoned once again. We took shelter in a nearby clothing store, where we took a look at the loot we got from the secret chambers. I love my new sword. It was sharper than a razor blade and could almost cut through anything like butter. I tested it out on some of the window curtains, a chair, and even a mannequin, all of which didn't stand a chance. Rainbow got a neat little gadget that can warp itself into a spear and a sword, and can also split itself in half to make two tactical knives. Applejack had obtained a whip, something she had never had before surprisingly. It was funny watching her flail it around aimlessly, having no idea how to use the strange weapon. Twilight didn't need a weapon apparently, since she has magic. Fair enough. The only thing Rarity grabbed besides a few potions was a large red book titled: "A Guide to Dark Magic For Beginners," which made Twilight gasp. "Why in the world would you need a book like that Rarity?!" She shouted, stealing the book from Rarity's clutches. "Why would I not? It's times like these that we may want to start considering the possibility of using dark magic every now and then." Rarity explained, stealing it back from her friend and placing it back into it's correct pouch. "Where are we gonna go now?" Rainbow asked randomly. I placed my sword down and thought about what she just asked. "Honestly, I have no idea." I said, looking around the room at the other ponies. "I mean, we could stay here, but I have a feeling that someone is watching us and wants us dead. That pillar couldn't have knocked itself over. Anyway, that's just me, I don't really care where we go at this point, I just want all of us to be safe." They all nodded, and the room fell into an eerie silence for several minutes. "Well," I said, standing up and grabbing my pack. "I don't know about all of you, but I'm gonna get some sleep." Twilight's ears immediately perked up. As I headed upstairs to look for a decent room to settle down in, I noticed that she began to follow me. "You tired too?" I asked her, opening one of the doors in the hallway upstairs. Too dirty. "Uh, yeah... It's been a crazy day," She said, helping me look for a room. I grinned. "You don't plan on sleeping with me do you?" Her cheeks suddenly glowed a bright pink. "No! I mean, not in that way." She said hesitantly, looking away from me as she opened another door. "But, maybe... In time?" My heart skipped some beats hearing that specific arrangement of words, and it was my turn to blush profusely. I seriously did not know how to respond to what she just said, and I just stood there with my hand on a door handle. "Brady?" Twilight said, coming over to where I was. "Yeah?" "I um, found a room..." She pointed at a dark opening in the wall, and I could see very faintly that there was a giant bed inside. "Oh, thanks," I said, smiling warmly at her, which was hard to do by the way. I was still recovering to what she said a little bit ago. Entering the room, my eyes confirmed that there was a big, poofy looking bed against the far wall, along with a guest bed beside it. "Take your pick," I said to Twilight. Instead of answering me, she hopped onto the large one and smiled at me. Her smile. God, it's so cute. So is the rest of her. No, sexy is a way better word for how she looked right now. Placing my pack on the bed, I unzipped it and pulled out my warmth potion. Being at a higher elevation just made it colder, and on top of that the window in the room was completely shattered. I popped it open and took a sip. Letting out a satisfying "Ah!" I offered some to Twilight without explaining what it was. Apparently she didn't care, because she snatched it out of my hand and downed a huge gulp. "Cold much?" I joked, receiving the bottle back from her. "Hey, at least you have clothes on!" she snapped, making me snicker a little. After dusting off her side of the bed, she crawled in, while continuing to sit up. "Get in," she commanded, patting the other empty half of the bed beside her. Doing as I was told, mostly because I've learned to never argue with Twilight, I slid in between the covers and managed to get comfortable. Twilight scooted closer to me so that we were in arms reach of each other. "I've missed you," she said, grabbing one of my hands with her hoof, which was still surprisingly cold even though she drank almost half of the potion. "Me too," I said back, tightening my grip on her. "It's been really lonely without you." We stared into each other's eyes for what felt like forever, making it feel even warmer in the room. Finally, after what was only two minutes, Twilight inched even closer to me so she was able to rest her head on my shoulder. It felt nice. "Sorry," she said suddenly. "Your potion didn't work or something I guess." I saw she had a small grin on her face, making me realize that she was lying. I didn't care obviously. Her eyes began to flutter closed, but she snapped them back open immediately. "I... um, want to give you something," she said, lifting her head off of my shoulder. "I've actually wanted to give it to you for a long time now, but I never got the chance to." My eyes searched around her, hoping to see a glimpse of it before she revealed the mysterious item, which made her giggle, which in turn made me confused. "You can't see it dork. You feel it." I became even more confused. That is, until, she planted her lips onto mine. Soft was the first word that entered my mind. Followed by words like squishy, and tantalizing. We parted after only three seconds of contact with each other but she pulled me into her for another kiss. This was going somewhere, and fast.
