The Ultimate Sacrifice

Chapters

Chapter 1: MIA or KIA
Chapter 2: Contact Front!
Chapter 3: Change Of Plans
Chapter 4: Those Who Forget History...
Chapter 5: ...Are Condemned To Repeat It
Chapter 6: Origins
Chapter 7: Diplomacy
Chapter 8: A Step Forward
Chapter 9: A New Arrival
Chapter 10: The Return
Chapter 12: Shock And Awe
Chapter 13: On The Edge
Chapter 14: A Call For Help
Chapter 15: Ready Up
Chapter 16: BCT Day 1 (1/2)
Chapter 17: BCT Day 1 (2/2)
Chapter 18: No Guarantees
Chapter 19: Pathfinder
Chapter 20: Darkness
Chapter 21: Revelation
Chapter 22: The Tournament (Round 1) (1/3)
Chapter 23: The Tournament (Round 1) (2/3)
Chapter 24: The Tournament (Round 1) (3/3)
Chapter 25: The Cavern
Chapter 26: At What Cost?
Chapter 27: The Calm Before The Storm
Chapter 28: A Grand Entrance
Chapter 29: Then You Will Know The Truth...
Prologue: At All Costs
Chapter 11: Event Horizon

Chapter 1: MIA or KIA

“Huh… what happened? Am I dead?"

"Grinch…Truck…are you there? Ugh, I can’t move!” Sandman called out into the darkness.

Everything was dead quiet, until Sandman heard movement to his left. He tried to open his eyes, but they seemed to be glued shut.

“Truck? Grinch? Is that you?”

The sound was moving closer to him, slowly, as if being cautious. Sandman tried to move his arms, but only was able to lift them up what seemed a couple centimeters. The sound continued to get closer and closer. Soon, he could make out distinctive footfalls and breathing from whatever it was that was approaching him. Thankfully, his muscles slowly began to come around, and he was able to open his eyes partway. He could make out a yellow figure approaching him, but it was extremely dark out and his tinted visor impaired his vision further. Next thing he heard was the sound of a distant gunshot behind him. The yellow figure made what sounded to him as a high pitched squeal, turned a full 180 degrees, and ran away out of sight.

After a couple of agonizingly long minutes, Sandman regained felling in his limbs, and gathered the strength to sit up and take a look around and assess the situation he was in. He was in the middle of a dense forest. The moon was out directly above him, although the canopy was very thick, letting in almost no light. There was a light breeze and the temperature was relatively cool.

“Where am I?” He thought out loud as he looked around, trying to piece together how he got from a collapsing diamond mine to the middle of a forest.

He then turned to his gear, which he placed on the ground to take inventory. He had lost his rifle somewhere, but he still had his M9 Pistol with three mags of ammo, a half full canteen of water, two MRE’s, one Frag Grenade, two Breaching Charges, and his serrated knife. He checked his radio and HUD, but neither worked. He didn't even get static. Sighing, he gathered up his supplies and stood up, stretching his aching limbs. Soon thereafter, he heard a second gunshot go off in the distance.

"Truck, Grinch!”

Fearing for the safety of his brothers in arms, he quickly gathered his belongings and set off into a full sprint through the forest towards the sound of the shot.

“Is it gone? Did you get it?” Truck asked nervously as he tried to get back up off the ground.

“Yeah… I think so. Man, what the hell was that thing?”

Grinch walked over to Truck and helped him up. They both had woken up about fifteen yards apart in the middle of an open clearing surrounded by a forest that expanded in every direction. While they were trying to get their bearings, they were attacked by what looked like a large wolf. Truck had aimed his ACR at the monstrosity, but only got one round off that sailed past the creatures left side. The weapon jammed on the second, resulting in a misfire and him being tackled to the ground. Grinch pulled out his knife and stabbed the thing right behind what appeared to be its neck. It did not bleed though, and it did not relent. In fact, it seemed only to piss it off. It turned with unnatural speed and started going at Grinch with everything it had, claws and fangs slashing and chomping. Truck quickly brought himself up on a knee, pulled out his M9, and fired once at the wolf’s large and jagged head, piercing right through its skull. Howver, to the groups dismay, it did not fall over dead. It instead let out a high pitched squeal and tore off into the woods in an odd zigzagged pattern. They heard crashing and the sound of branches snapping in the woods, but eventually everything went silent.

“Where is Sandman?” Truck asked, looking around frantically at the woods. “And where are we?”

Grinch tried to bring up his onboard HUD, but to no avail.

“I don't know..." He responded with a grunt as he slapped his helmet violently in a last ditch effort to bring up the display. "Is your HUD working, Truck?” Truck attempted the same, but nothing would turn on.

“No… neither is my radio, or my red dot sight.”

They both sat in silence for a few moments, trying to piece together in their minds what had happened to them. Last thing either of them remembered was the diamond mine. Price and Yuri had just taken off in the helicopter escorting the Russian president out of the mine, when suddenly a blinding white flash of light appeared in front of them. Next thing they knew, they were where they are now.

“Well… what should we do?” Truck asked with a hint of worry.

“I guess we will sit tight here until dawn, it looks pitch black in those woods.” Grinch said while checking his flashlight he had on his helmet. It took a while, but it finally came on, illuminating the small clearing they sat in.

“Ok, I just hope Sandman is ok…” said Truck.

“Yeah, me too. I better save the battery.” Grinch said as he turned off the flashlight, leaving only the dim moon to give them light.

Chapter 2: Contact Front!

Hours seemed to pass as Sandman aimlessly trudged through thick vines and shrubbery. He hadn’t heard any more shots since he started, but the forest seemed to be becoming less and less thick, until he found himself standing in an open field. He could see in the distance what appeared to be a small town, a source of hope. He began to start running towards it, but stopped mid stride.

"What am I doing?” He thought. He didn’t know where he was, what type of people lived in that town, or if it was hostile. For all he knew, he was still in Siberia. If he walked into that town, he could be shot by some Russian troops stationed there. Plus, he still hadn’t found Truck or Grinch. He couldn’t leave them behind if they were still out there in the woods. After considering his options, Sandman felt as though he had no choice. He would have to enter the town, but he would do so quietly. He would sneak around the side of it and try to watch the place for a while, just to make sure everything was all clear. He could see a lone house on a hill outside the town itself. It seemed like a good vantage point and the most secure place if things were to go south, although it was going to be a bit of a walk. Regardless, he got up and slowly made his way to the hill.

The sun had just begun to creep up behind the horizon when Sandman got to the house. As he approached, he could begin to make out voices coming from inside and shadows passing by the shutters of one of the few closed windows. He could tell that they were speaking English, which gave him some hope that he could find help here, or at least a radio of some sorts to contact Overlord.

“You got to believe me! I wouldn’t make this up! I went into the Everfree forest and I ran into a weird monster looking thing!”

Sandman heard someone shout inside the house. The voice was female. He paused below one of the windows to listen in on the conversation, slightly interested to hear about this so called monster. Although the window was closed, he could still hear everything clear as day.

“Well, what did it look like Fluttershy?”

Did someone just call her Fluttershy? Sandman gave a slight smirk. "Talk about a bad nickname.” He thought to himself.

“It had a tan looking body, but I couldn’t see its face because it was wearing a black mask over it! I walked over toward it to see if it needed help, but then I heard this... really loud noise and it scared me away.”

Wait… was this “Fluttershy” talking about him? He looked down at his tan uniform and at his black visor covering most of his face.

"No, impossible. Who doesn’t know what a Human looks like? But… the gunshot… if this person heard that gunshot and ran away, then was this the yellow figure that ran away from him? Her story fits perfectly with what happened…”

His train of thought was cut short when another female began speaking.

“Hmm... it certainly doesn't sound like any animal I have ever heard of. Are you sure it wasn't another pony? I don’t know anything else that would be tan and wearing a black mask.”

“No! I would have known if it was another pony! Please, you have to beleive me!” The voice announced again, sounding like it was about to start crying.

"Another pony? What does that mean?" Sandman continued listening, letting that odd statement slip out of his mind.

“Do ya remember where it was, sugarcube?”

“No, well… it was really far off into the woods. I was out looking for some herbs that Zecora asked me to gather for her if I found the time. I had just found some of them when I noticed it lying on the ground.”

“Was there anything else you remember about it?”

“No, but I remember on my way back here I heard the same loud noise again. It was a lot closer then, so it scared me a lot more than the first. I thought it was trying to chase me, so I flew as fast as I could back here.”

There was no doubt now. It had to have been this person who was in the woods with him. Sandman turned around and looked out back at the woods.

"Truck, Grinch, where the hell are you?”

Sandman thought for a moment, and knew he couldn’t sit here forever. He needed to ask these people where he could find a phone, radio, or in general anything that could help him get in contact with Overlord.

"Hang on; did she say she FLEW as fast as she could back here?” Sandman pondered it for a moment. "Huh, must be some odd figure of speech.”

“HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT HERE!?”

M9 in hand, Sandman quickly turned around to face the source of the voice addressing him, only to be met with what appeared to be a rainbow colored… horse? A rainbow colored horse with WINGS? All of a sudden, the horse flew up and kicked him square in the face. Sandman fell back, accidently discharging his M9 in the direction of the house. He heard screams from inside the house.

"There! Th-that was the n-noise!" The voice proclamed fearfully.

Sandman quickly scrambled to his feet, only to be met by another kick to his head, resulting in his helmet being flung off and him being planted into the ground. The rainbow horse landed right on top of his chest before he had a chance to get up. He searched frantically for his M9, but found it lying about 5 feet away from his reach. He looked up to see the horse’s face mere inches from his own.

“I said, what are you doing out here? Huh? You trying to spy on us?”

“RAINBOW!”

It turned towards another horse, this one purple with a streak of pink through its mane. Standing next to it was four other horses. One was orange with a cowboy hat on, one was pink color all over, one was white with a purple mane, and the last one was yellow with a pink mane. The yellow one’s eyes widened when it looked down at him.

“THAT’S IT! THAT’S WHAT I SAW IN THE WOODS!"

All of them turned towards Sandman and looked at him in complete confusion.

“What is it?” asked the purple one.

"Ah don’t know. I’ve never see sumthin' like that before." said the orange one.

“Whatever it is, it looks completely ghastly!” said the white one.

“Ooooh! Is it friendly? Does it talk? Does it know what we are saying?” asked the pink one.

Sandman couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Are these horses TALKING? He quickly grabbed the rainbow one on top of him and threw it to the side. He lunged forward towards his M9, picked it up, and rolled over. The rainbow horse was already charging him again. Without a moments pause, he took aim… and pulled the trigger.

Chapter 3: Change Of Plans

“Truck!" Grinch yelled as he frantically shook his comrade. "Truck, get up NOW!”

“Uh… what? What’s going on?”

“I heard gunshots. It could be Sandman.”

“Wait, what? Where? What direction? How many did you hear? Were they close?” Truck spewed forth quickly as he made his way over to his gear and began packing.

Grinch pointed towards the woods. Now that it was light out, he could make out hills breaking over the top of the canopy.

“It sounded like it came from that way. I heard two shots, each evenly spaced out between each other.”

“Well then let’s go! If it is Sandman, we got to go get him! Maybe he knows what the hell is going on here.” He responded as he loaded his ACR.

As soon as Truck finished his sentence, another shot rang out in the distance.

“I suggest we get there sooner than later…” Grinch mumbled.

Without another word, the pair gathered up the rest of their supplies and ran off in the direction of the shots.

The rainbow horse was stopped dead in its tracks. It let out a high pitched squeal, fell to the ground and began screaming out in pain.

“OWW! AHH! W-WH-WHAT D-DID YOU DO?!?! AHH!” It managed to say as it thrashed around, clutching its left shoulder.

The shot had hit the front left shoulder blade, just an inch or two from a neck shot. There was a clean exit wound however, so it didn’t hit the bone directly. Sandman turned to face the five other horses, ready to fire.

“Oh my gosh, RAINBOW!”

The purple one stepped forward towards the rainbow one, but Sandman shot the ground directly in front of it, causing it to jump backwards in fear.

“Stay back!” Sandman yelled out at them.

"What the fuck is going on here?! I just shot a rainbow colored horse with wings and now I am holding five other colored horses at gunpoint! When did they teach us about THIS type of shit in basic?!” He noticed the rainbow one trying to get up, but it kept falling over from trying to put pressure on its leg, crying out in pain each time it tried.

“R-Rainbow, just tr-try to stay down, okay?” The purple one if front said in a shaky voice. The white one, along with the pink and yellow ones, were hiding behind the corner of the house, while the purple and orange one were standing out in plain view. Both were exchanging glances between Sandman and their friend lying on the ground.

“What did you do to her!?” The purple one shouted out at him.

Sandman sat there staring at it, not knowing how to respond. Hell, he wasn't sure what he was thinking right now.

“Ah don’t think it knows what yer sayin’ there Twi…” The orange one responded, staying very close to the purple one whom she called 'Twi'.

Sandman looked over at the one called ‘Rainbow’ on the ground. There was a small puddle of blood on the ground next to it and its breathing was getting shallower. Sandman knew it was going to die of blood loss if it sat there much longer. His mind told him to go shoot it again, put it out of its misery, but his gut was telling him that it would be a bad idea. He didn’t want to stress the already shattered relations with the inhabitants any further than he already had.

"Oh, what the hell am I thinking? Treating them like humans? They are horses! Talking... flying... horses that express themselves in a sentient manner.. His mind was racing at a million miles an hour, leaving him with no idea how to deal with the situation. Finally, he made up his mind.

“Go look after your friend.” Sandman said, slowly backing away from the body, but keeping his weapon trained on the group. Perhaps he could make his way back to the woods, rendezvous with Grinch and Truck, and figure something out then.

All of them looked back at him in surprise that he spoke, but they paid him little attention. Their focus almost instantly drifted back towards Rainbow. The orange one and the purple one called ‘Twi’ sprinted over towards their friend.

“Rainbow, are you ok? Can you hear me?”

“Do somethin’ Twilight! Cast one of yer spells on her or somethin’!”

“I don’t know any healing spells! We need to get her to the hospital!”

Sandman stood and watched in complete amazement as the horse LEVITATED her friend in the air, an odd purple glow surrounding her and what appeared to be Twilight’s horn on her head.

What is going on here?" He thought as he continued to back up slowly.

“We need ta tell the Princess about this here… thing.” he heard the orange one whisper to Twilight as it shot death glares his way.

Next thing Sandman knew, he was hit in his right side by something that blew him a good five feet back, making him face-plant in the dirt. He rolled over to find that he was sitting in what appeared to be a blue bubble that surrounded him on all sides.

“What in the hell is this?” He shouted to nobody in particular.

He saw on the other side the white horse standing next to the bubble, its horn glowing a light blue, the same color as the bubble around him. He got up and ran into it trying to break it, but to no avail. He shot two rounds at the bubble, only to have them both ricochet back towards him, barely missing him and landing in the dirt. He looked up to see two large cracks from where the rounds hit, but they slowly repaired themselves.

He was trapped.

“Rarity! What are you doing!?” Twilight shouted, backing up in horror.

“Well, we can’t leave this... this... monster out here! The Princess needs to see it! It’s too dangerous to leave out by itself! Who knows what it could do? You’ve already seen what it did to Rainbow Dash!” It announced in it's feminine, yet dignified voice.

“Spike is back at the library, he can send a letter to her. Me and Applejack have to get Rainbow Dash to the hospital. Fluttershy, fly over to the Library and tell Spike to write a letter to Princess Celestia asking her to meet us here. Pinkie, stay here with Rarity and watch over that... thing.”

With that, the yellow one called ‘Fluttershy’ flew up into the air and darted off towards the town. He could see that it was crying as it left. Twilight set Rainbow Dash down on top of the orange one who Sandman assumed was ‘Applejack’, and the two sprinted off down the hill towards the town as well. The pink one addressed as ‘Pinkie’ walked over towards Rarity and stood next to her, staring at Sandman in confusion, interest, and fear. Sandman could see Rarity gritting her teeth in frustration as she continued to hold this shield over him. She seemed to be in deep concentration.

"How is she doing that?” He slowly tried to piece together what was happening, and what his captors exactly were. "It looks like a horse, but it’s smaller than a normal horse. It could be a pony or something, but the horn?” It slowly dawned on Sandman what it was. "It’s a pony, it has a horn. Is it a… Unicorn? Wait wait wait… what the hell am I thinking? Unicorns don’t exist! They’re made up! A stupid fairy tale creature you only see in kid’s shows! But… then again… talking ponies aren’t supposed to exist either, and neither are flying ponies, and especially ponies that can cast shields over people. Jesus, what the hell is going on?"

Sandman sat an pondered his options for a few seconds.

"Ugh, they probably won’t talk to me, but I need information. At least I should try..."

“Who are you? Where am I?” Sandman asked, causing both of them to jump a bit. Neither responded though. They continued to only look at him with strange expressions on their faces. “I understand if you don’t want to talk to me, but I…” His sentence was cut short by Rarity.

“Your right we don’t want to talk to you! You hurt our friend! Almost killed her you monster!”

“But you need to listen to me! Where am I? What country is this? I shouldn't be here!”

“I’m not telling you anything! The Princess will know what to do with you!”

“But…”

Before Sandman could finish, Rarity cast another spell on the shield, blocking out all sound from the inside out. "Well, so much for that idea. Who is this Princess Celestia anyway? Perhaps I will be able to reason with her instead. Then again, she’s probably another pony as well, seeing as though those are the only inhabitants I have seen so far.”

Sandman sat in the shield for what seemed to be around an hour. The sun was up in the sky now, making him assume is was around 11:00AM. Rarity and Pinkie sat in silence for the entire time. Sandman could clearly see that Rarity was getting tired of holding up the shield. Her body language told it all. She was slumped over, almost falling over at times. There were obvious signs that she was dead on tired, closing her eyes every couple of minutes.

"Fall asleep dammit!” If the shield was to go down, Sandman would make a run for it. Rarity would be too tired to follow and he doubted Pinkie would do anything that would hinder his escape. She didn't seem like anything specal. Those dreams were dashed away though when he saw Fluttershy and Twilight sprinting back up towards them.

“Pinkie! Rarity!” Twilight called out to them.

Pinkie turned and ran straight towards them, while Rarity stood there motionless until she slowly acknowledged that someone had called her name.

“Oh my gosh, is Rainbow Dash okay? Did they take her in? Is she in surgery?” Pinkie blurted out in quick succession.

“Yeah, she will be fine. We got her there just in time. She is in urgent care right now. Applejack volunteered to stay behind and make sure she was ok.”

“Is the Princess coming?”

“Y-Yes, she w-was in Manehatten when she g-got the letter. She was in the m-middle of a meeting with the m-mayor. Sh- she would be here in about t-two hours.” Fluttershy shakily announced, almost at the point of crying again.

"Fluttershy..." Twilight started as she hugged the poor creature. "Everything will be okay. Got it?" She merely nodded in response.

“In that case... you mght want to switch with Rairty. She is getting really sleepy...” Pinkie announced, pointing a hoof towards the unicorn.

All three looked over at Rarity, who was almost completely oblivious to her surroundings. She was swaying back and forth like she was about to pass out any second.

“Rarity, you can take a break. I got it from here.” Twilight said as she approached her.

“Oh… Twilight. I didn’t know you were here darling, I… uh…”

Twilight took over the spell, causing the shield to change colors from a light blue to a dark purple.

“Thanks Twilight… I am…uh… going to go rest for a bit…”

Fluttershy led Rarity inside the house, while Pinkie and Twilight stood guard over their strange prisoner.

“Twlight?” Pinkie asked.

"Hmmm?"

"You uh... really think the Princess will know what to do with it?"

“I’m sure she will. She has never let us down before. Everything will turn out fine, I promise.”

Chapter 4: Those Who Forget History...

Chapter 4: Those Who Forget History…

After around an hour of running through thick jungle, Truck and Grinch found themselves on the outskirts of a small town. They saw a small cottage sitting on top of a hill outside the town, a strange purple light radiating from it. Inside the odd colored light, they could make out the silhouette of another person sitting on the ground.

“Holy shit, I think that’s Sandman! We got to go get him!” Truck whispered.

He started to get up, only to be knocked back down by Grinch.

“Get the hell down, Truck! What are you thinking? You want to just go rush up that hill without even looking around for hostiles? We don’t know what is up there. Besides, it looks like he’s trapped inside something.”

Both of them examined the odd purple wall that surrounded him.

“What the hell is that thing?”

“I don’t know. It looks like a… purple… transparent… something? I really don't know. I guess whatever it is is blocking him in since he isn't making any attempt to leave it.”

“I guess, I mean..." Grinch started, but stopped as he looked over a little ways to the front door. "Huh? Truck; look up next to that house. Far right side. What does that look like to you?”

Truck turned to look at the right side of the house to see what appeared to be some sort of farm animal walking around the house.

“Uh… it looks like a horse.”

“Why is it all colorful? Hell, it looks pink!”

“I don’t know, who gives a shit? Jesus, do you see any PEOPLE around him?”

Grinch scanned the top of the hill, only to find another colorful horse, this one purple, standing next to the strange shield around Sandman. The pink one before disappeared around the opposite side of the house.

“No, just another colored horse.”

“Then let’s go. I’m pretty sure we can take on a couple of horses.”

"Who the fuck dyes horses pink and purple?" Grinch muttered under his breath.

Quietly, Truck and Grinch slowly made their way up to the top of the hill, using anything they could find for cover. They soon found themselves up against the house. Slowly making their way around, they finally got to the side of the building Sandman was on.

“That’s Sandman all right… let’s go!”

They both turned the corner, guns at the ready, only to find the purple horse standing there. It quickly turned its head towards them, letting out a high pitched scream that startled the two soldiers.

“THERES MORE OF YOU?!” It yelled out at them.

Since Truck and Grinch broke Twilight’s concentration, the shield surrounding Sandman went down long enough to allow Sandman to escape.

“Wait, what!?” Grinch yelled out in surprise, aiming his weapon towards the horse. “Did that thing just talk!?”

Out of nowhere, Sandman sprinted towards Twilight and pistol-whipped her over her horn, making her let out a loud shriek, but also knocking her unconscious.

“Boss, what the hell just happened? That freaking thing just screamed at us!” Grinch shouted, complete confusion written all over his face.

“I don’t know, I will explain later. Right now we need to go, NOW!”

“Twilight? What’s going on out there!?”

Around the corner stepped out Fluttershy. Her eyes went wide when she saw not only one, but three monsters standing next to Twilight, who was lying on the ground motionless.

“Oh… my…” Fluttershy whispered out, only to then fall to the ground in a dead faint.

“What the hell is going on here?!” Truck shouted, just as confused as Grinch.

“Forget about it, I will tell you later! Head for the woods!” Sandman shouted.

Following their CO’s orders, Truck and Grinch followed Sandman back into the woods. The three of them ran for about ten minutes before Sandman stopped to catch his breath. After a few moments, Grinch broke the silence.

“Mind telling us what the hell happened back there?” Grinch asked.

“I’m not exactly sure what happened myself, but… I don’t even know. I woke up out in the middle of the woods…”

“Twilight? Twilight! Wake up! The Princess is here!”

Twilight slowly opened her eyes. She was inside Fluttershy’s cottage on the couch. Pinkie and Rarity were standing next to her, while Fluttershy led Princess Celestia into the room. Her head was still throbbing from her being struck, but she managed to get off of the couch and stand.

“Oh Twilight, you’re okay!” Fluttershy blurted out. “When I saw you lying on the ground, I… I didn’t know what to think! I thought that they had…”

“It’s ok, I’m fine Fluttershy. I just have an absolutely terrible headache though.” Twilight said while clutching her head.

“Well it’s good to hear that you’re not hurt.”

Everyone turned around to face the Princess who was standing right behind them. Most had forgotten that she was even present in the room.

“So, my student, what exactly happened? The letter you sent me sounded urgent, but vague. I can see now that it must have been much more urgent than I had previously assumed." She said as she sat down next the huddled group of ponies. "Oh, and out of curiosity, where is Applejack and Rainbow Dash? I had imagined that they would present as well.”

“They’re at the hospital, Princess. That… thing… did something to Rainbow and Applejack stayed with her there.” Rarity said, a hint of anger in her voice.

“Oh dear, what happened to her? And what exactly was this ‘thing’ you’re referring to?”

“We don’t know, we had never seen something like it before. It used some sort of… metal thing… I don’t know how to describe it. All I know is that it made a really loud noise and it... I don't know... the next thing we saw was... was Rainbow on the ground bleeding.” Twilight said, her ears folding down on her head.

“What did this... 'thing' look like?”

“I guess you could say it looked like a pony if it were standing up on two hoofs. It was wearing some sort of tan clothing with a helmet of sorts as well, but it got knocked off when rainbow attacked it.”

“Do you have it?”

“No, but it might still be out there in the grass.”

“OHH! I will go look for it!” Pinkie yelled out and instantly dashed out the door, her cheery attitude having returned.

“Um… ok well, as I was saying…”

“FOUND IT!” Pinkie announced as she bounced back inside the room with the helmet clutched in her mouth.

“What? But you just… ugh, never mind.” Twilight mumbled to herself.

Pinkie set the helmet down on the living room table for everyone to see. Each studied it in a different way. Twilight looked at it with a keen eye, studying it and trying to remember every detail about it. Rarity sat there and ranted on about how unfashionable it was, pointing out millions of flaws in its design. Fluttershy tried to avoid looking at it, for it brought back memories of the events that transpired earlier that morning. As for Pinkie, well, she really wasn’t paying much attention to it at all. She kept going on about one thing or another. Princess Celestia looked at it for a while, picking it up with her magic and turning it over to look at the inside. As she examined it, a small picture fluttered out of it, landing face down on the table. The Princess picked it up with her magic and examined it. Her eyes went wide and she quickly flipped it back on the table face down.

“What is it Princess?” Twilight asked.

“Its... something I didn't think I would ever see again.” She announced as she tapped the table with a hoof. "Tell me, do you know where the human went?"

“What’s a human?” Pinkie asked.

Celestia paused for a moment, not answering.

"Nothing that I want you to be concerned with."

“Awww... but it sounds really REALLY interesting!”

"Is that what that creature is called? Human?" Twlight asked. "I don't think I have ever heard of something called that..."

The Princess sighed.

"It matters little. However, you must tell me. Do you know where it went?"

The group could obviously see she was withholding information and dodging their questions.

“Princess, please... what’s going on?" Twlight asked, a sense of fear in her words. "Those things hurt Rainbow! We need to go stop them before one of them does something bad! That also means we need to…”

“Wait, one of them? Are you saying that there were more of them?!” The Princess blurted out, a sense of urgency in every word.

“Um, yes. There were three actually. We had trapped one of them inside a shield, but two others came and scared me. He got out and hit me over the head. I don’t remember anything after that.” Twilight said.

“Princess, please…”

Princess Celestia turned to see Fluttershy standing next to her, tears forming in her eyes.

“They hurt Rainbow, almost killed her. I don’t want that to happen to anypony else! Who knows what they could do? Please Princess! We need to know everything we can about them so we can stop them from doing something bad! You must know something!”

Fluttershy burst out into tears and fell to the floor at the Princess’s feet. Pinkie and Rarity both went over to comfort her, sitting down next to her. The Princess sighed in defeat.

“Yes, they are called humans...” she said with another sigh. "...and they are extremely dangerous."

Everyone looked at the Princess, intently waiting for more information.

“They have been around for a very long time, even before me and my sister were born."

"So, they are some ancient race?" Twlight questoned. The Princess merely shook her head.

"I cannot say. Not much is known about them because they hardly are, or ever were, seen in Equestria, or on this planet for that matter.”

“So, they’re ALIENS!” Pinkie shouted out, quickly running over to the window scanning the skies for any UFO’s that could be lurking around. Celestia gave out a small chuckle.

“In a way, yes, they are aliens. They live on a planet much like ours, except that theirs is plagued by war, famine, and poverty. Sometimes, they are able to come to our world by circumstances of which I cannot fully explain nor understand. The last time a human was seen in Equestria was around four hundred years ago.”

“Then... what are these 'humans' doing here now?” Rarity asked.

“I do not know. I have reread all the articles and scrolls that gave information on humans from my personal library countless times. Most gave little information, but one I found shed new light on their kind and their purpose.”

“Well, what did it say?” Twilight prodded.

“I believe that it would be easier to explain if I started from a different direction. I am certain that you are all well aware that there are Six Elements of Harmony; Rarity being Generosity, Pinkie being Laughter, Fluttershy being Kindness, Rainbow Dash being Loyalty, Applejack being Honesty, and Twilight being Magic.”

All nodded their head in agreement at the pointless question.

“Well… there are more than six… a lot more than six.”

Everypony in the room stared at the Princess in disbelief, complete silence filling the room. It was Twilight who broke the ice.

“Well, how many are there?” Twilight asked.

Everyone turned back to Celestia, waiting on an answer. After what seemed to be ages, she finally opened her mouth to give an answer.

“Five hundred… at least…”

Chapter 5: ...Are Condemned To Repeat It

Chapter 5: …Are Condemned To Repeat It

Everypony’s jaws dropped straight to the floor when their brains finally registered what the Princess had said.

“But… thats… wait, how?” Twilight stammered. “Every book I have read has told me that there are only six Elements of Harmony. How can there be five hundred of them?”

“Because most books don’t date back four hundred years ago. Most knowledge on the others has been lost over time. Your six Elements; Laughter, Generosity, Loyalty, Honesty, Kindness, and Magic; are the most current ones. They have been around for four hundred years, since the last humans were spotted in Equestria, which compared to some information I found, said that it would be impossible for that to happen.”

“Why would it be impossible?” Fluttershy asked.

“Because the Elements of Harmony are ever changing. Some are formed by sheer accidents while some are formed by the good deeds of others. But, even though they change constantly, there has only ever been six Elements at a time controlled by ponies. The very first Elements of Harmony, formed before I was even born, were very powerful, capable of doing great things. But with great power, comes great responsibility. A responsibility some were not able to handle.”

“What do you mean?” asked Twilight.

“Well, when you were fighting Nightmare Moon and Discord, the Elements were relatively easy to control, would you not agree?”

“I guess. I mean, when we used them, I felt as though I was in a deep sleep.” Twilight said.

“Same here.” Rarity agreed.

Pinkie and Fluttershy both nodded their heads as well.

“Even though the Elements are very powerful, you all possess Elements that, compared to others that came before them, are very weak. Over time, all of them have slowly become weaker. The very first six Elements, as well as the most powerful, were the Elements of Courage, Wisdom, Knowledge, Equality, and Friendship.”

“What about the sixth Element?” Twilight asked. “You said there were always six at a time, but you only said five. What happened to the sixth?”

Princess Celestia frowned and turned her head away from the group.

“The sixth Element is lost to history. Nopony knows its name, but every book and scroll I have read about the matter told me that it was too powerful to be controlled.”

“How powerful was it?” Fluttershy asked, cowering away behind Twilight.

“Enough that if you were to compare that off one, singular Element with the other five hundred or so Elements, the original Element would, quite literally, blow the others out of the water. Its power was so great, that it almost brought the end of our world as we know it.”

“But how? How can anypony control something that is that powerful?”

“It wasn’t a pony who controlled it. It was a human.”

Silence permeated the room.

“No, impossible!” Twilight shouted. “How can one of those things control an Element of Harmony? They seem to be the complete opposite of Harmony!”

“You are right. By nature, they shouldn’t have the power to control Elements of Harmony. To generalize, they are selfish, careless, and overall blinded by their own personal gain. It doesn’t seem feasible that they could control them. However, this is where things get... well... odd.”

“Wait, what do you mean?” Twilight asked, curiosity hinting in her voice.

“Somehow, in a way that I do not understand, almost all Elements of Harmony come from Humans. Even all of your Elements originated from human owners.. all except for your Element, Twilight.”

Everypony in the room stood there, stunned, not knowing how to cope or respond with this new information.

“But… how?” Twlight muttered.

“Humans don’t have magic in their world. Your Element was created by ponies instead. There are very few though I’m afraid. Yours was formed by ponies in an effort to…”

“NO! How do Elements of Harmony originate from HUMANS?!” Twilight shouted, but quickly brought a hoof over her mouth, realizing she just yelled at her mentor. "Princess, I am so sorry... I didn't..."

Celestia merely held up a hoof.

"It is quite alright." She responded as she let out a long sigh.

“There is an opposite of everything, Twilight. Light cannot exist without dark. This is what I have come up with myself over the years. I believe that the Elements originate from humans because they live in a world full of anger and despair, a world of darkness. But, there must be some good to them, something that outweighs the bad, no matter how small. I think because they can control Elements because they can defeat evil in a way nopony would hopefully ever have to. Humans have the capability to defeat their own evil nature. That in itself is a power beyond anything in the known world.”

“But... then how do the Elements pass from a human to a pony?” Twilight asked.

“When they enter this world, the Element that they possess is released into our world. Once it is released, it desperately finds a host worthy of controlling it. The human can still control it while he is here, but most don’t know how. This allows for a pony and a human to both control the same Element. However, there is a downside to having a new element. New ones will be spontaneously created, or even repeated if there are not six Elements alive. But, if there are six Elements, the new element searches out the weakest Element and replaces it. This process though…”

The Princess cut off mid-sentence, trying to figure out how to say the next part, her eyes looking down at the ground.

“Princess?” Fluttershy asked. “Are you okay?”

Celestia shook her head, keeping her face toward the ground.

“When this process occurs, the host of the Element it replaces is killed as well… and a new host is found.”

Everyone in the room stood motionless, fear building up in their minds. Even Pinkie Pie’s usual smile slowly turned upside down.

“But… but that means…. that…” Twilight stammered.

“Yes. If these humans are indeed bringing over a new element into our world… one... or more of you will…”

Celestia stopped her sentence, not daring to proceed further. She just continued to stand there, facing the ground, a small tear forming in her eye.

“Do… do you know who it will be?” Rarity whispered quiety.

“No. All I know is that it will pick the weakest Element out of you six. I do not know who, when, or where. It is a process that can take a week, a month, a year... however long it needs.”

A dead silence filled the room for what seemed to be hours, when a knock at the door broke their trance.

“Um… I… I will get it.” Fluttershy mumbled, slowly walking over to the door.

As Fluttershy opened the door, a pair of familiar faces appeared in front of her. One with a sling over her left shoulder.

“RAINBOW DASH! APPLEJACK!” she shouted at the top of her lungs. The sudden outburst threw both of them back.

“Ah! Come on Fluttershy. I don’t want to go back to the hospital with a busted ear drum next!” Rainbow said sarcasticly.

Fluttershy went over to Rainbow and hugged her, being careful to not put pressure on her left shoulder. By this time, everyone was over next to the door to great their friends, memories of the conversation that happened only minutes ago slipping out of their minds.

“I was so worried about you Rainbow darling!” Rarity said.

“How did you get out? It’s only been a couple of hours.” Twilight asked, only to then turn her face towards the clock. It read 10:15PM. They had been here since 7:00 in the morning.

“A couple of hours? I’ve been there for the whole day! Nurse RedHeart said that I could use my wings, but that I should not try to walk around a lot for at least one week.”

Rainbow looked around to see the Princess standing behind everyone, a slight smile on her face. Rainbow could tell though that something was wrong, and so could Applejack.

“Did we miss anything? Did you get that weird monster?” Rainbow asked.

Everyone in the room fell silent again, tears forming in Fluttershy’s eyes once more.

“What happened?” Applejack asked, a hint of fear in her voice.

“You have a lot to catch up on.” The Princess said quietly.

“Ok, so…” Grinch started. “We are in the middle of some messed up country where talking, colorful ponies rule the land. Some can fly and some can use magic. They trapped you in a shield and were going to have the Princess of the land come and talk to you?”

“Yes, it sounds really weird, but that’s what I know.” Sandman said.

Grinch let out a chuckle.

“I’m sorry, but how did we even get here? Last thing I remember we were in the middle of a diamond mine in Siberia.”

“Yeah, that part I haven’t figured out yet, and it’s something I think would be valuable to know.” Truck agreed.

“The only way we are ever going to figure this shit out is if we go back into the town. Regardless of what happens, we need to find a radio or something.” Grinch said.

“Unfortunately, your right.” Sandman said. “Although, if we go into that town, they will probably try to attack us or capture us, just like they did to me back at that cottage.”

“Well, we got guns. Anything that gets in front of us we can just drop. Besides, they are a bunch of taking ponies.” Truck said.

“You good with that Grinch?” Sandman asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah, I’m good.”

“Then it’s settled.” Sandman said, reloading his M9. “We are going back into the town. However..." Sandman stated loudly, gathering the two other soldiers attention. "You will only shoot if they try to capture you or harm you. I do not want to piss off the populace any more that we need to, ponies or not." He eyed the two others. "Understood?"

“Roger that.”

Chapter 6: Origins

“Crash Breaker! Wake up! Corosive Dash found Alexander! We got to go help him!”

Crash Breaker slowly opened his eyes, waiting for them to adjust to the light pouring in from the opening of his tent flap. Standing above him was his friend, Grease Gear.

“Crash Breaker! Come on, we don’t have time to mess around! Corosive found Alexander!”

“Wait, they found him? Where is he!?”

“Not far from here, Cloudy Bolt and Sea Breeze already went out after him with Corosive. They said he was about two miles away, heading for some old ruins in the forest. They will need our help. If Alexander tries to use his Element again, the others won’t stand a chance. Only all five of us together have a chance of stopping him.”

"Again…”

The first time Alexander had used his Element, it resulted in the destruction of their village.

Alexander was a human. One day, he came to the outskirts of their village seeking help and shelter. He didn’t know where he was or why he was here, he only knew that his name was Alexander. Humans had been seen before, but they were very rare. They usually just seemed to come and go, vanishing into the wilderness beyond without a trace. Alexander was different though, and everypony knew it. Every time somepony would go near him, they could sense something amiss, especially the unicorns. He had proven to be helpful though. He had tons of knowledge about architecture and politics, and he was a skilled hunter and soldier from his world. He said he gained his talents from a group called the ‘Equestrian Order’ in the ‘Roman Republic’, but nopony knew what that was, or where it was for that matter.

After a while, the ponies of their small village began to accept him as one of their own. It was soon after that they finally discovered what was so off about him. He had control over an Element of Harmony, something that was thought only to be in control of ponies, for there were only five ponies known to control Elements. Crash Breaker was the Element of Wisdom; Grease Gear was the Element of Knowledge; Corosive Dash was the Element of Courage; Cloudy Bolt was the Element of Equality; and Sea Breeze was the Element of Friendship. Alexander was the sixth Element, but nopony knew what his was called though, not even Alexander himself. They only knew that it was very powerful.

One day though, Alexander just seemed to lose his mind. It started slowly at first. He became dishonest and distrusting, refusing to speak to anypony. He began to think that the ponies of the village were stealing from him, plotting against him in his sleep, and that they had all lied to him. Whatever that lie was, nopony knew. After a while, ponies began to get scared of him. The five of them tried to confront him about it, but eventually, he just... lost control. The ground began to shake and the skies turned dark. Then, everything went white, followed by the loudest sound anypony had ever heard, louder than ten thousand thunderclaps. The only reason the five of them had survived was because they used their Elements to create a shield around themselves at the last second, but once the white light had went away and they were able to see, there was nothing left to see. The entire village was gone, as though it were zapped off the face of the planet. In its place was a barren wasteland of smoke and fire that seemed to continue for miles.

There weren't even any bodies to bury.

In the distance, they could see a lone figure running off towards the forest edge in the distance at a speed they had never seen before. The Element had taken him over, giving him abilities nopony or human should ever have.

After that day, they had all taken an oath that they would stop him from doing it again by any means necessary, even if it cost them their lives.

“Um… Crash Breaker? You ok?”

“Yeah, I was just thinking…”

“We don’t have time to think! Alexander could be getting away!”

“Well, then we need to go!” Crash Breaker said as he jumped to his hoofs. He ran outside his tent and flew up above the camp.

“Which way is it?” He called down.

“Corosive said that he was about two miles East, but you will need to lead me. Some of us don’t have wings ya know.” Grease Gear said, pointing towards the horn on his head.

”Ok, follow me!” He yelled down.

Crash Breaker flew off towards the rising sun, while Grease Gear mirrored his image from the ground. They went for around fifteen minutes in that direction until Crash Breaker spotted what appeared to be a broken watchtower sticking out above the trees.

“I think I see the ruins Corosive was talking about!” Crash Breaker yelled out to Grease Gear on the ground.

“Alright, lead the way!” He shouted back up.

They both soon found themselves standing at the entrance of what appeared to be a small castle that had been reclaimed by the forest. Vines grew through cracks in the cobblestone walls and pieces of it were lying all over the place.

“It’s about time you both got here!” Somepony shouted from behind them.

They both turned around to be met by their three friends; Sea Breeze, Cloudy Bolt, and Corosive Dash.

“Nice to see you guys too.” Grease Gear responded with a laugh.

“We saw Alexander run inside the castle, but we wouldn’t follow him in until you guys got here. It will take all five of us to have a chance at stopping him.” Sea Breeze announced.

“But even then, it’s only a chance. We were able to block the power of his Element, but can we take his Element head on?” asked Cloudy Bolt, fear leaking out of his words.

“It doesn’t matter!” Corosive Dash retorted. “We all took an oath to stop him, no matter the cost! If it comes down to it, I’m willing to uphold that oath. Are you?!”

“Yes I am! You know that! I just don’t want to go rushing into there, not even knowing if we can beat him!”

“I know a way we can beat him, or at the very least stop him from ever doing it again. But, it comes with a heavy price…” Crash Breaker interrupted.

Everypony turned towards him, giving him their undivided attention.

“Well, how?” Grease Gear asked.

Crash Breaker let out a long sigh before continuing.

“Here’s what we will have to do…”

The group entered the ruined castle in silence, their plan they made previously their only thought. Their clever, suicidal plan. The only plan they had.

The only plan that would work.

They began to search the castle, which turned out to not be very big after all. Most of it was destroyed, so there weren’t many areas that were accessible. After a few minutes of searching, they stumbled upon a giant hole in the floor that led into a cave system.

“He must be down there somewhere.” Cloudy Bolt said.

“Yeah, let’s go.” Corosive agreed.

One at a time, they dropped down into the cave. At first, it was pitch black, but as they continued onward, they began to see lights further down in the cave.

“He’s here.” whispered Sea Breeze.

They proceeded towards the light, trying their best to make as little noise as possible. Soon, the cave opened up into a giant cavern. Inside the cavern was what appeared to be some sort of altar. It consisted of five pillars in a circle with a larger pillar in the center. Above it was an inscription carved into the wall, but the language was foreign to them all. However, this was of no importance to them, for standing next to the center pillar, was none other than Alexander.

“I knew you would come find me.” he mumbled. “I knew it would only be a matter of time before you came to make me pay for what I did.”

He slowly turned to face the other five Elements standing before him.

“But you must understand… I didn’t want to… but at the same time… I did. I knew that if I didn’t, then you would have come to get me. You all would have tried to kill me! You all lied to me! You pretended to like me, only to more easily stab me in the back!”

“Alexander, you know us!” said Sea Breeze. “We would never try to hurt you! We are your friends, just as you are our friend!”

“No… not anymore. Maybe once, but no longer. Things can’t be changed. History can’t be changed. I can’t be changed.”
Alexander turned back towards the inscription on the wall.

“Do you know what that inscription says? Probably not, for it is not native to your kind. It is written in Latin, a language that I know very well. It says that when five Elements are present, a sixth will be revealed and it will grant one with unbelievable powers. All I need is that Element. When I combine it with my own, it would make me unstoppable! Thanks to you, five Elements are present now, which means that the ritual can begin.”

All of a sudden, the pillars began to glow with multiple colors while Alexander jumped up on top of the middle pillar.

“NO! Stop him now!” Corosive yelled out, but it was too late.

The pillars launched out beams of light at Alexander, causing a giant flash of white that temporarily blinded the others. When they turned back around, Alexander was off the pillar on his feet with a multi-colored aurora surrounding him. He looked stronger and more powerful in every way, shape, and form.

“Now, you will pay for your treachery!” he shouted out at them.

“Remember the plan!” Crash Breaker yelled out to his fellow Elements.

They all grouped together and powered up their most powerful Elemental ability.

An ability that could hopefully stop Alexander.

An ability that would claim their lives in the process.

At the same time, Alexander began to unleash his newfound power. The walls of the cave began to shake, and rocks fell from the ceiling. A shield began to form around the 5 ponies and small flares of light began to shoot off of the shield itself. Alexander began to hover in the air, showing that his Element was ready to be unleashed. All of a sudden, giant beams of light shot out from Alexander in all directions, and then one extremely giant beam shot out straight towards the 5 Elements. It hit the shield around them with unrelenting force, collapsing the sheild in an instant. The group lost concentration on their for a moment, but set the barrier up once more and continued.

Alexander launched another, collapsing it a second time, but the five others continued their spell. He launched a third, seeking to incinerate the group, but it did not have the desired affect. The spell itself latched inself onto the beam, stealing Alexander’s Element from him, but this act had also caused the spell to steal the Elements from the other five ponies as well, and if an Element is taken from its host...

... Its host is killed in the process.

“What? How? No! Impossible!” Alexander shouted as his power was drained from him.

In an instant, the power of Alexander’s Element combined with the power of the other five Elements shot back out in all directions. The ground exploded, and a blast much similar to the one that destroyed their village swept through the forest, destroying everything it its path. Then, there was silence.

“Hey, Twilight! You need to get up! The Princess sent you a letter!” a familiar voice called out.

Twilight woke up with a start, nearly falling out of her bed. She was back in the Library.

“Jezz Twilight, are you okay?” Spike asked.

“Ugh, yeah Spike, I’m fine. I just had a really weird dream. How did I get back here? Last I remember I was at Fluttershy’s with the Princess.”

“Some guards along with Pinkie Pie and Applejack brought you back home around 2:00 last night. You were dead asleep. But anyway, the Princess sent you this letter. She told me that it was for your eyes only.”

“Ok, thanks Spike.”

“Sure thing, Twilight.” He responded as he walked off down the stairs.

Twilight used her magic to open up the letter and began to read it to herself.

My Faithful Student,

I have come across some new information in my Library here in Canterlot regarding the humans and the Elements. I believe you and your friends should know about it. I want you to gather up the other Elements and meet me in Canterlot tonight around 5:00. A train has been acquired for you, expenses paid. I will explain in more detail when you arrive.

Princess Celestia

Many thanks out to the following users who allowed me to use their OC's in this chapter of the story!

Mr. Slireon with his OC: Crash Breaker

saxon with his OC: Grease Gear

corosive dash with his OC: Corosive Dash

Darkakorri with his OC: Cloudy Bolt

superfunnelc with his OC: Sea Breeze

Chapter 7: Diplomacy

“Truck, sweep left and check the front. Me and Grinch will sweep right and scan the back.”

The three men had just entered the town. It was still dark outside, allowing them to more easily maneuver without being detected, but morning would be coming soon, so they would have to hurry. Their plan was to search any of the homes nearby for a phone or radio that they could use to contact Overlord, or at this point, any other human.

“Front’s clear.”

“Back’s clear.”

“Okay… Truck, check the door. Is it unlocked?”

“Hang on… um… yeah, it’s unlocked.”

“Lucky for us I guess.”

“Get inside and sweep the bottom floor. Look for anybody first, then start checking for a radio or phone.”

“Rog’…”

The soldiers slowly opened the door, each taking a different direction once inside.

“Living room clear.”

“Kitchen clear.”

“Dining room clear.”

“Bottom floor clear.”

“Ok, me and Truck will start looking for a phone or something. Grinch, sweep the top floor. Only shoot if one of them tries to attack you or capture you. Otherwise, leave it alone. The last thing we need to do is to start killing off the civies.”

“Got it.”

Grinch slowly ascended the stairs while Sandman and Truck began to search every square inch of the bottom floor. After a couple of minutes, Grinch quietly descended the steps.

“First room on the right, two of those horses are in there, but both are sleeping. Did you find a phone?”

“No… there’s nothing here. How about you, Grinch?”

“No, only paper and inkwells. Talk about some serious tech here, huh?”

“Ok, let’s bug out and check the next house.”

The group repeated the process for the next four homes, only to come up with the same results. No phone, no radio, no technology that would help their problem in any way.

“Jesus man, not a single piece of tech! At this rate, we will have a better chance of getting in contact with Overlord by writing him a goddamn letter!” Grinch mumbled in anger.

The group sat next to the final house, contemplating what to do next.

“Well, what we gonna do boss? The sun is coming up soon, so I would rather not stick around here for too much longer.” said Truck.

“We aren’t, but we are running out of options here. We are almost out of water and rations, and we can’t even find anything of use here. There’s really only one more option I can think of that’s still open.” Sandman said.

“What are you thinking boss? I’m willing to do about anything right about now if it will get us the hell out of this place.” remarked Grinch.

“I’m thinking that we need to get in contact with this ‘Princess’ of theirs. She is probably the only one who can help us here, or at the very least answer some of our questions.”

Moments of silence along with some odd and skeptical glances were exchanged between the three of them.

“Well?” Sandman finally asked.

“Uh… I don’t know how that one’s gonna turn out. We didn’t exactly make the best first impression, and we don’t even know if we could get anywhere close to her. Plus, we don’t know where she is!” Grinch responded, followed by a nod from Truck.

“I don’t think we need to find her, we just need to find one of those horses that tried to capture me. They said that they had called the Princess and that she would be coming down here to talk to me, but obviously that never happened. If she did come here, she’s probably already left by now. Perhaps we can reason with one of them to get the Princess back down here for us.”

“But how do you know that one of those things won’t try something? Even if we do somehow convince them to overlook the fact that we shot one of their friends and in general have been a pain in their side since we got here, and they call their Princess down here to come talk to us, what then? How do we know that their Princess will listen to us? How do we know she doesn’t have some sort of army? Some sort of weapon?”

“Well, to start, the worst things I have seen them do have been kicking people in the face and putting up shields. Not exactly the most dangerous things on the face of the planet. Second, they don’t know much about us from what I can tell. They are probably asking themselves these very same questions right now. For all THEY know, we could have some sort of super weapon with us, so I doubt she would try something if it could threaten her or her people. Third, I don’t think these things want to try and fight us. All of the ones I have seen have tried to avoid combat, or tried to use non-lethal tactics. Well, all except for ONE.” Sandman said, remembering how that Rainbow colored one had smashed his face in twice without a moment’s hesitation.

“But they’re CIVIES. I wouldn’t expect them to try and fight us either, especially if they don’t even know what we are! What I am talking about are soldiers. They have a Princess, which means there must be some semblance of government here. If there is a government, there is a chain of command. If there is a chain of command, there must be SOMETHING in place to uphold that chain of command. Usually, that SOMETHING is soldiers, a police force, some form of authority, something that has the power to keep people in line. After all the shit we have been through, I don’t want to be done in by some colorful horses because we didn’t care to take into consideration the fact that they could have something capable of taking us all down. We are in the dark when it comes to them just as much as they are when it comes to us.”

“You make a point Grinch, but from what I have seen, not a whole lot seems to happen down in this town. I haven’t seen ANYTHING that resembles a police force, an army, or really any type of authority down here.”

“Well, then we are all missing something here. No society, no matter how cheerful and peaceful it looks like, can stay in constant peace without somebody keeping it that way by using some form of force. Laws alone won’t work.” Grinch responded.

“Maybe they don’t need to use force because there is no reason for the people here to become restless.” Truck said, shrugging his shoulders.

Sandman and Grinch both turned to look at him.

“What do you mean?” Grinch asked.

“Well, the way I see it, there are only two ways that a government could get away with not having any form of authority directly over their citizens. The first would be that the people are content and pleased with the way things are going on, so there is no need for restlessness or disturbances to occur. The second reason would be that the government is so powerful, that the people live in constant fear of them and none of them have enough courage or resolve to try to do anything about it. Now, from the looks of it, these things don’t seem like they’re living in a perpetual state of fear, so reason one seems to fit best.”

“In theory that would work, but there is no way it could happen in reality. No place in the universe can be THAT peaceful. There has got to be something else…” Grinch started, but was cut off by Sandman.

“OK, SHUT UP! BOTH OF YOU!” Sandman interrupted.

Both Truck and Grinch turned towards him in surprise.

“All we are doing is talking in circles and getting absolutely NOTHING done! I don’t give a shit how their goddamn government is run or how their citizens feel about their everyday lives! I want to figure out WHERE the hell we are, WHY the hell we are here, and HOW the hell we got here! Now, in my opinion, the only way we are going to be able to figure those three things out is by getting in contact with their Princess. I don’t particularly want to, but I don’t see any other choices. If you guys have any other ideas, please tell me.”

No objections were given from any of them.

“Then we are going to go back to that cottage. It’s the only place I know of where we could get in contact with one of those original horses. We will wait there for one of them to show up, or hopefully find one already there. Let’s go.”

Not a word was spoken between the three on their way to the cottage. They took the long way by going back into the woods and running the edge of it all the way back to the cottage that was on the opposite side of town. It took them about fifteen minutes to get back over to it. As they approached the cottage, they could hear someone talking inside.

“Looks like we got lucky.” Grinch whispered.

Just as they got close, the front door opened up and a purple unicorn, which Sandman recalled to be named Twilight or something like that, stepped outside and turned to address someone else.

“Remember Fluttershy; meet us at the train station at 4:00. It is about a fourty five minute train ride to Canterlot and we will be meeting the Princess at 5:00. Don’t be late, okay?”

“Okay, Twilight. See you then!” Fluttershy called back out to her.

The door shut and Twilight began to trot off down the path that took her back to town.

“Well, here’s our chance!” Truck said.

“Wait, what should we ask here? How should we address ourselves? I doubt saying were US Special Forces would ring any bells to her.” Grinch asked.

“Uh, I don’t know, but it’s worth a shot. We are supposed to identify ourselves as US Special Forces if we come in contact with civilians.” Grinch answered.

"Aw, screw it. I will think of something!” Sandman said as he stood out from behind the building and called out to Twilight.

“Hey!” Sandman yelled.

Twilight turned around to see who had spoken to her, only to be met by the three humans standing next to Fluttershy’s house. Her chin dropped to the floor, but she said nothing. She only stared back in response.

“US Special Forces! We need to talk to you!” Sandman called out.

Just then, the front door opened up and out stepped Fluttershy.

“Twilight? What’s going on?” She asked as she turned to look in the direction that Twilight was staring, only to be met by the gaze of three humans.

“Fluttershy! Get back inside!” Twilight called out to her, but Fluttershy was already darting back inside and shutting the door before she could finish her sentence.

“Wait! Look, we need to talk to you!”

Twilight began to muster up enough courage to respond to them.

“About what? Haven’t you all caused enough trouble already? Why can’t you just go off and leave us all alone!?” She cried out to them.

“We know you don’t want us here, and neither do we! We don’t even know how we got here! We need to get in contact with your Princess so she can answer our questions and get us out of this place!” Sandman called back.

Twilight stopped for a moment and contemplated their offer. She was going to be heading for Canterlot with everypony else to meet the Princess in a couple of hours, but how could she take them? They were dangerous, evil, the Princess had said. She doubted any of the others would feel comfortable with having them on the train with them. For all she knew, they could be lying to her. They could be trying to trick her into letting them get close to the Princess. Who knows what they could do?

They couldn’t be trusted. But, she could call the Princess down here to talk to them. It would be much easier that way, but much more risky.

“We are not here to hurt you! We just need answers and then we will be out of your way!” Sandman yelled out.

“How can I trust you? After what you did to Rainbow Dash, how do I know you won’t try to hurt one of us, or the Princess for that matter!?” She asked.

“I guess you can’t. We can’t offer you anything except our word.” Sandman called back to her.

Twilight stopped and thought for a moment. There was only one pony she knew who could tell if they were lying or not. The Element of Honesty.

“Fluttershy! Come on out! I need to talk to you!” Twilight called out to the house.

Slowly, the door creaked open and Fluttershy peaked on outside towards the three men. Sandman took a couple of steps back to show that he meant no harm to her. Fluttershy darted out to Twilight and hid behind her.

“Why won’t they leave me alone?” She asked Twilight.

“I don’t think they are here for you. I need you to go tell Spike to write a letter to the Princess telling her that the humans want to talk to her. After that, go get Applejack and bring her here. If you run into any of our other friends on the way, bring them here too. These humans want to try and reason with us it seems, but I need Applejack to see if they are telling the truth. She has a sense for people telling lies. Can you do that?”

“Yes, but what are you going to do? You can’t stay here alone with those humans!”

“Don’t worry about me, I will be fine. Just go tell Spike and get Applejack, and hurry!”

Fluttershy nodded and got up and flew off as fast as she could towards the Library. Twilight turned back towards the humans, who were still standing next to the house whispering with each other.

“Um, I don’t think things are gonna turn out well boss. Where did she send that yellow one?” Truck asked.

“Probably to go get help. I knew this was a bad idea.” Grinch responded.

“Well, we don’t have any other choice. We will just have to wait and see.”

Sandman turned his attention back to Twilight, who was still sanding over on the path watching them.

“Have you reached a decision? Will you help us?” He asked.

“It depends… we will see in a few minutes.” She responded, keeping her eyes locked on them.

Around fifteen minutes passed and the situation had not changed. Twilight kept a good distance from Sandman and the others while they sat next to the house in silence. The silence was broken when Twilight heard somepony running up the hill behind her. She turned to see Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash approaching her. This attracted the attention of the three solders sitting next to the house, who rose to their feet.

“Great, they brought the Rainbow one with them.” Sandman muttered to himself.

The four ponies began to whisper in a group while Rainbow Dash shot nasty glances towards Sandman.

“It seems like that Rainbow one doesn’t like you that much, boss.” Grinch pointed out.

“Yeah, it’s pissed at me because I shot it in the shoulder when we first met.” Sandman responded.

…

“Fluttershy, did you get that letter to the Princess?” Twilight asked.

“Yes, she sent one back almost instantly. She said to not do anything until she got here.”

“How long will that be?”

“It didn’t say.”

“Twilight, are ya sure ya can trust those humans? The Princess told us that they are pure evil and such.” Applejack asked.

“I don’t know, they came here asking to see the Princess so they can get out of here and ask her questions. Apparently they don’t know how they got here, but this is why I asked you to come over. You’re the only one who can tell if someone is lying or not.”

All of a sudden, a giant burst of light emerged between the two groups, blinding all of them. After a few moments, the light died down to reveal Princess Celestia along with around ten of her royal guards standing between them.

“Holy shit!” Grinch was the first to say.

The royal guards that came with her slowly began to create a circle around the three men.

“Uh, boss… what do we do?” Truck asked as he slowly took the safety off of his ACR.

“Don’t do anything yet. Let’s see where this goes…” Sandman responded, although he too was gripping his M9, ready to pull it out of its holster and shoot if need be.

“Princess!” Twilight yelled out.

Princess Celestia turned to the four ponies sitting behind her.

“Stay there for the moment, me and the humans have some things to discuss.” She responded.

She turned back around and approached the three humans, who were looking at her in awe and confusion.

“There is only one thing I require from you, and that is that you tell me the truth in everything I ask you. Is that understood?” the Princess asked.

A moment of silence filled the air as the group turned and gave glances to each other.

“Is that understood?” She asked again, this time with more force to her voice.

“Yes, ma’am.” Sandman responded.

“Good, let’s get started then.”

Chapter 8: A Step Forward

“I guess we should start off with something simple. First off, what are your names?” Princess Celestia asked.

Sandman hesitated for a moment. He had never told anybody his real name. Not even Truck or Grinch knew his real name, and vice versa.

“You can call me Sandman, ma’am. That is Truck and that is Grinch.” Sandman said, pointing to his two squad mates.

The Princess studied him for a little bit, but eventually seemed to be satisfied with his answer.

“Very well, my name is Princess Celestia, Ruler of the land of Equestria. What are you doing here in my country?” she asked.

“We are not sure ma’am. We came here unintentionally. We were hoping you could shed some light on that problem for us.”

“Your kind has been coming here for many years. The first humans came around two thousand years ago, while the last humans before you came around four hundred years ago. I do not know exactly how you got here, but I believe we can figure that out. What were you doing before you came here?”

“We were fighting in a war.”

“Can you go into any detail? That seems rather vague.”

Sandman pondered that question for a while. "How could she not know of the war? Its spread all over the place. You would have to be completely separated from the rest of the world to not know of it, but even then it would still be a shock."Sandman turned his attention back to the Princess. "Oh well, I guess I better answer it anyway.”

“We were trying to stop the destruction of earth as we know it by killing an international terrorist known as Vladimir Makarov.”

The Princess sat for a moment, taking in this new information.

“Tell me about this war. What was it about?”

"Seriously, how could you not know of this?” Sandman thought.

“My country, The United States of America, accidently started a war with another country called Russia. We had done something undercover in their country in an attempt to get close to Vladimir Makarov, but something went wrong and it resulted in my country being blamed for something we didn’t do. Russia invaded us, trying to get payback. They were winning for a while until we were able to liberate our capital. Then, we were able to push them back a good deal, although some places were still occupied. The Russian President wanted to make peace with us after that, but Makarov kidnapped him before he could get to the peace summit we were holding in an effort to keep the war going. After some missions of which I cannot go into detail, we were able to track down the Russian President and his daughter, who Makarov had kidnapped as well. We were rescuing him when we got here. I don’t know anything past that ma’am.”

The Princess did not speak. She only stood in front of them with her head towards the ground. Sandman broke the silence in between them.

“Ma’am, where are we? We need to get back to our country as soon as possible!”

The Princess looked back up to them.

“You are in Equestria.”

“Where is Equestria ma’am? What continent?”

“Equestria is here. It is everything you see in front of you.”

Sandman was beginning to get irritated.

“Where can we go to get back to our country ma’am? What direction?”

“I do not know.”

“How can you not know?! Where are we!?” Sandman blurted out.

The Princess was taken aback by this sudden outburst, and Sandman instantly regretted it. Sandman turned away from her for a minute to regain his composure. Grinch stepped forward to take his place.

“We want to know what continent we are on and how we can get back to the United States ma’am.”

“You are not on a continent, you are in Equestria. As for getting back to the… United, um… what was it called?”

“You can call it the US ma’am.”

“Thank you. As for getting back to the US, I do not know how to get back there for I do not know how to travel cross worlds. You humans have been the only ones who have been able to travel into our world, but there are no records of humans being able to get back to your world, or ponies going into your world.”

All three of them looked at the Princess with complete shock and confusion on their faces.

“What do you mean ‘cross world’ ma’am?” Sandman asked.

“Your world and my world run parallel with one another, but they are split apart by a very thin wall. Sometimes, your kind breaks that wall and travels into our world. Nopony here has ever been able to cross into your world though, or at least nopony has on record. So, I do not know how you can return to your world.”

After a couple of minutes of dead silence, Sandman finally spoke up.

“So, what you are saying is that we are trapped in a different world full of talking horses and there is absolutely no way we can ever get out and get back to our world?”

“For the most part, yes, you are correct. However, we are not horses, we are ponies. Second, I would not dismiss the notion of you ever getting back. I have many records in Canterlot and I am sure one would be able to give us some information on your kind or how you can return home.”

“That would be very gracious of you ma’am.” Sandman responded, trying to sound as reverent as possible.

Truck grabbed Sandman on his shoulder and turned him around to face him.

“Boss, you can’t seriously believe that crap, can you? I mean, think about it, us in another world? That’s got to be a load of shit. There is no way that could be possible.” Truck whispered.

“Yeah, I don’t really believe it either, but there have been a lot of things that have happened lately that I don’t believe. We just really don’t have a choice. Just go along with it for now.” Sandman muttered to Truck as he turned his attention back to the Princess.

“However, I still have some questions to ask you.”

“Yes ma’am?”

The Princess thought for a moment about her next question.

“Why do you humans find pride in killing off your own kind?” She asked with a hint of disgust in her voice.

This question took each of them by complete surprise. It took all of them a couple of minutes before they could come up with an answer. Sandman was the one to respond.

“I don’t take pride in killing others. I kill because I must in order to survive and to keep others safe. If it was to come down to it, I would be more than willing to sacrifice myself in order to protect my men and those who can’t protect themselves.”

The Princess’s attitude did not change, but she seemed to give a slight nod of approval.

“What are those weapons you carry with you?” She asked, pointing a hoof towards Sandman’s M9 in his holster.

“These are the weapons we were using in the war ma’am. They are very common in our world.”

“What exactly do they do? Records tell of weapons the humans had that could launch small pieces of metal at things from a distance, but these were only found among the final humans in Equestria and most of them were either destroyed or lost.”

“Well, you are correct ma’am. That is what these do. When did you say the last humans were here?”

“Around four hundred years ago.”

Sandman began to think back to what type of weapons were around during that time. Flintlock rifles and pistols were the common weapons of choice four hundred years ago, so those were probably what she was talking about.

“I believe those weapons you were talking about were Flintlock weapons, ma’am.”

“Hmm, I am not sure what that means. Please explain.”

“I do not know much about them to be honest, ma’am. I know they used black powder, you reloaded from the barrel, and they required you to reload after each shot. They have been outdated for around two hundred years because they were replaced by percussion cap weapons and many other different types, but eventually we were able to create automatic weapons, like the ones we are carrying now.”

“Your kind seems to know much about weaponry. We do not advance in that field for we normally have no need for weapons.”

“You would be very surprised if you knew of the weapons we have back in our world, ma’am.”

A couple of minutes passed between the two with complete silence. The Princess was the next to speak up.

“Well, if any of you have some questions you would like to ask me, you may do so now.”

“Thank you, ma’am.” Sandman responded. “First, could you please go back over exactly where we are and how we got here? I just want to make sure I understand everything.”

“Very well. You are in Equestria. Equestria is another world much similar to yours. Both of our worlds run parallel to one another. Every now and then, you humans find a way to get across from your world to our world. Exactly how, I do not know, nor do I know if it is even possible to return if you cross over, but that is a discussion for another time and the answer will hopefully present itself.”

After a few moments of taking in the story a second time, Sandman responded.

“Thank you, ma’am. Second, what are those tattoos on your side supposed to mean?” Sandman asked as he pointed to the picture of the sun on the Princess’s flank. She turned to look at what he was pointing at.

“Oh, those? Those are Cutie Marks. Everypony gets one when they figure out their special talent.”

Sandman looked at it for a little while with an odd expression on his face.

“So… your talent is… the Sun, ma’am?”

“Yes, it is my duty to raise and set the sun each and every day, while it is my sister who raises and sets the moon each and every night.”

All three humans looked at her with a confused expression on their faces.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but did you just say that YOU raise and set the sun?” Truck asked.

“Yes, I did.”

“It doesn’t just, you know, do it by itself?”

“No. Many things that happen in nature are controlled by us ponies. The Pegasi are in control of the weather and clouds and we have to change the seasons.”

“Okay, that’s it. I’m calling BS on this one.” Truck said in anger. “There is absolutely no way in hell that you can control the sun and nature! The ‘stranded cross worlds’ story was a stretch, but this is pushing it way too goddamn far!”

Sandman turned to Truck and grabbed him by his vest.

“Truck!”

“Shut!”

“The!”

“Hell!”

“Up!”

Sandman turned back towards the Princess, releasing Truck and pushing him back towards Grinch. Her attitude toward the three of them seemed to have diminished slightly.

"Goddammit Truck! We are trying to get some help from these ponies, not piss them off!” Sandman thought angrily.

“Forgive my friend, ma’am. We are under a lot of stress right now and are greatly confused.”

The Princess seemed to accept his apology in a way, for her attitude returned to a more relaxed state.

“I understand, but I am just as confused as you all are. This situation is just as stressful for me as it is for you. Humans are very rare, so I do not know that much of your kind. However, I believe I have come to an reasonable conclusion.”

She turned away from them and called over Applejack from her group of friends. She approached slowly, but the sight of the Princess and all the guards around her were able to make her feel safe.

“Yes, Princess?” Applejack asked.

“I need you to confirm their answers to my next questions. You must tell me if they are lying or not, do you understand?”

“Yes, but… ah don’t know if that’l work or not. Ah can usually feel it if a pony is lyin’, but ah don’t know if Iah can do the same with a human.”

“Well, just try then, Applejack. Listen to your gut.”

“Ok, if you insist Princess.”

Applejack approached the three men with Princess Celestia at her side.

“I am going to ask you some questions, and like I said at the beginning, all I ask of you is for me to tell the truth. If you do that, you have nothing to fear. Do you understand?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Sandman responded.

“Very well. First off, why did you come here?”

“I do not know. We all came here by accident, ma’am. We had no purpose in coming here.”

The Princess turned to Applejack, who was intently staring into the eyes of Sandman. After a few moments, Applejack looked at her and nodded her head in approval.

“Second, do you or did you have any intent on coming here to harm us?”

“No, none at all, ma’am.”

Once again, after a few moments, Applejack nodded her head.

“Lastly, if I was to trust you and allow you some freedom, would you disobey me or go against any of the rules we have set here in Equestria, or attempt to do harm to any of my subjects?”

“No, ma’am.”

After what seemed like ages, Applejack finally turned to the Princess and nodded her head yes.

“Ok then. I guess we should try to find you some shelter for a while until I can find a way to get you home.” The Princess said with a cheery voice.

Sandman breathed a sigh of relief.

“However, you will be under the protection of an armed guard, just to make sure that nothing is to happen to you or to us.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Haybrun! Come here please.” The Princess shouted out.

From behind Celestia, a male pony stepped out. He was wearing gold armor like all the other guards, but he had a couple of stripes of white and blue across his chest plate. The Princess turned her attention back towards Metal.

“This is Haybrun, Captain of the Royal Guard. He will be the one overseeing you over the course of your stay in Equestria, along with some others of course. He will be the pathway between the two of us, and if you have questions, you should ask him. Is that understood?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good. Now, I must say, I have no idea where to place you.”

“If it is okay with you ma’am, we can set up a camp out in the woods like we have been doing.”

The Princess waved a hoof at them in disagreement.

“No, the Everfree Forest can be very dangerous, and it isn’t very accessible for most.”

After a few minutes of pondering, she finally came up with an idea. She turned to Applejack, who was still standing beside her. Applejack already sensed what she was about to ask.

“Oh no… no way! They can’t stay with me Princess! What if they try to do somethin bad! I mean, I got to take care of the farm and…”

The Princess cut her short.

“I know you don’t want to Applejack, but I see no other options at present, unless I am to take them to Canterlot and keep them in the dungeon.”

Applejack had seen the dungeon before. It was dark, cold, dirty, and overall a living nightmare. Only ponies that had done something absolutely horrible were sent to that dungeon. She wouldn’t wish it on anypony, or the humans for that matter, even if they did deserve it for hurting Rainbow Dash.

“Fine… I can renovate the barn to keep them in.”

“Thank you, it will only be for a few days until I can accomadate them a room in Canterlot. Do not fret, you will have guards stationed there to protect you if something was to happen, but nothing will happen, right?” She said as she turned towards Sandman and the others.

“Yes, ma’am. I promise you won't have any problems from any of us.” Sandman responded.

“And plus, you already said that they were telling the truth about them not hurting anypony, correct?” She asked Applejack.

“Yeah… ah guess.”

The Princess kneeled down to meet Applejacks gaze.

“Don’t worry. It will only be for a short time. I would never put any of you in harm’s way, you know that.”

Applejack merely nodded her head in agreement.

“Very well. Applejack, lead us to Sweet Apple Acres. I will remain with you there until I believe things are in order.”

The group turned and followed suit with the Princess. Applejack and her other friends were in front, the Princess and Haybrun were next followed by five guards. Metal was in the middle followed by another five guards.

“Applejack, are you sure about this?” Twilight asked.

“No… no ahm not. But if the Princess is certain that nothing will happen, ah will trust her on it.”

“I still can’t believe we are actually letting them STAY!” Rainbow Dash blurted out. “Sounds to me that the dungeon would be the perfect place for them!”

“Come on Rainbow, I know you got a grudge against them, for good reason, but they seem to be telling the truth, right Applejack?” Twilight responded.

“I sure hope so…”

*Note*

Haybrun is an OC that was given to me by Codexwriter476. This will not be the last time you see him, and he will pop up every now and then in future chapters. So, many thanks!

Chapter 9: A New Arrival

“Metal, this is Overlord. You are approaching the city now.”

“Copy that Overlord. What is the objective?”

“You and your squad are to rendezvous with Onyx and Granite teams at our FOB at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. There, you, Granite, and Onyx will be riding in with the 75th Ranger Regiment into the city itself. We already have troops in the city, but the Russians have a jamming device up in Wooldridge Park causing major disruptions to our forces. Much like the situation was in New York, the jammer is full spectrum, so once you enter the city there will be no radio contact, UAV support, or any form of air cover. Onyx and Granite have separate operations involving taking out some of the SAM sites in the city, but your task is to take down the jammer. Once it’s down, the 457th Fighter Squadron from JRB Fort Worth will strafe the city and destroy any remaining Russian ground based targets as well as any targets you can give them. Helix 8-1 and Helix 2-3 will come in and extract you from the park itself. If the area is still hot, you will be redirected to Republic Square Park to the South. How copy?”

“Copy that. Consider it done.”

“Good luck, Overlord out.”

"Just like New York… I wish it was just like New York.”

“We are three miles out. Everyone check radios. Granite team, report in.” A voice sounded through the radio.

“Stone, check.”
“Red, check.”
“Ace, check.”
“Wildfire, check.”

“Granite is up and running. Onyx team, report in.”

“Yankee, check.”
“Shadow, check.”
“Klepto, check.”
“Neon, check.”

“Onyx team is good. Metal team, report in.”

"Metal team… my team. It shouldn’t be my team. It should be Sandman’s team. I should have been with them… I should have died with them…”

“Langley, check.”
“Splinter, check.”
“Ghost, check.”

"My turn…”

He put his hand to his radio.

“Frost, check.”

“Metal team is up. All squad leaders, you good to go?”

“Ugh, stop thinking like this Derek! You got a mission to complete!”

“Wildfire here, Granite is good.”

“Neon here, Onyx is ready to roll.”

“Frost here, Metal is up.”

“Ok, all teams are good to go. Approaching FOB.”

The 3 helicopters landed out near one of the hangers. As the teams got out, they could see the fire rising from the city of Austin, Texas.

“Ya know… I was born here…” Splinter said to nobody in particular.

“All the more reason to fight to take it back, eh?” Ghost responded.

“Heh, I guess so.”

“Cut the chatter, get inside!” Frost called out.

As the three teams entered the hanger, they were greeted by a group of soldiers from the 1st Battalion.

“Sir!” The man in front of the group said as he saluted them while the others behind him followed suit.

“At ease sergeant.” Wildfire responded.

“Sir, my squad has been given orders to assist you in getting into the city at any and all costs.”

“Good, let’s get started then.” Neon stated.

“What are your names?” Frost asked.

“Sgt. Foley, squad leader of Hunter 2-1. That is Cpl. Dunn, and that is Pvt. Ramirez. The others will be joining us when we mount up.”

Behind them a voice called out to everyone.

“Alright! Mount up! We’re rolling!”

“That’s our cue.” Foley said. “Let’s go! Hunter 2-1 is rolling!”

Each team got into a different APC which would each split up once the entered the city to their different objectives. The teams sat in the back of the APC’s in almost complete silence. The sound of their radios going off a couple of minutes later broke the silence.

“Delta, this is Overlord. You are entering the jamming radius, communications will most…. go…. any…….”

“Radios are down, were on our own.” Frost called out to his team.

“RPG!” Someone in front called out.

A loud explosion was heard outside that shook the APC violently while it came to an abrupt halt.

“Shit, are we hit!?” Ghost called out.

“Front Humvee is down! The road is blocked!”

“Another RPG! Roof of the two story building!” Another voice called out.

Another explosion rocked the side of the APC Metal was in.

“Dammit! Everyone out! We go the rest of the way on foot!” Frost yelled out as the door opened up behind them.

As they exited the APC, the front two Humvees were engulfed in flames. The front APC, the one that housed Onyx team, opened fire on the 2 story building to their right. The back door opened up and Onyx poured out taking cover behind it. The same happened with Granite team behind Metal. Bullets were whizzing past them all over the place.

“Shit! TANK!” Foley, who was at the front of the convoy yelled out.

All of a sudden, a Russian T-90 rolled out from behind one of the buildings. It shot a round that tore right through the first APC; the APC Onyx was next to.

“Shit! Get down!” Neon called out, but it was too late. Shadow and Yankee were caught in the blast, but Neon and Klepto were both able to get up and haul ass to one of the buildings next to them.

“Metal! Get inside that apartment complex to the left!” Frost yelled out to his team. Granite team, who was behind them, soon followed suit.

“We need air support! Like, NOW!” Wildfire called out in frustration.

“Our radios are down, and that won’t change if we don’t destroy that jammer. The 457th will provide air support once the jammer goes down.” Frost pointed out.

“The convoy is down! Enemy forces closing in on this position!” Neon called out to them down the road.

“How far away is the jammer?” Frost asked.

“About four klicks north of here.” Splinter responded.

“Ok, we are hauling ass to it from here! Use the buildings for cover!”

“Copy!”

“Granite, the SAM site is two klicks west of here. Let’s go!”

“Onyx team is inoperable; we can’t get to the other SAM site. It’s around ten klicks east from here.” Neon yelled.

“Don’t worry, we got your backs!” Foley called out to them. “Cross the street now! We will provide suppressing fire! GO!”

Each team went their separate ways towards their objectives. After a couple of close calls with the tank, they were able to pass it by throwing some smoke grenades in front of it. After about ten minutes of maneuvering through narrow alley ways, they came to the area of where the jammer was supposed to be.

“We’re about half a klick away. We’re almost there.” Ghost said.

“I see it! Out there, in the middle of the park!”

They looked out to see about three SAM sites surrounding the jammer, along with around twenty foot mobiles.

“Ghost, Langley, flank to the left. Me and Splinter will draw their fire this way.”

“Copy.”

Frost and Splinter both opened fire on the foot mobiles. Since they had some element of surprise, they were able to drop five of them before they knew what was happening. Having all the fire drawn to them, Ghost and Langley easily picked the rest of them off.

“Quick! Plant the thermite charge on the jammer!” Frost ordered Splinter.

“Planting!” He called out. After a few seconds, he turned around and ran back. “Charge set!”

“Blow it!” Frost said.

A second later, the jammer was split in half and fell over to the ground in pieces with a loud bang. A few seconds past, and their radios were restored back to working condition.

“Overlord, this is Metal. Do you read? The jammer is destroyed!”

“Metal, this Overlord. Solid copy, we are back in business. The 457th are en route to your position to provide air support. Extraction will be there in about 3 minutes.”

“This is Granite! The SAM site is down on our end! Western entrance is open for air cover!”

“Onyx here! The SAM site is down over here as well! Eastern approach is secure for air support!”

“Solid copies Delta. Extraction is en route to you now.”

“Sir! We got tanks closing in!” Splinter called out over the radio. As he said that, three T-90’s rolled out down the road, followed by about fifty plus foot mobiles.

“This is the 457th Fighter Squadron. Requesting targets.”

“457th, this is Metal! We got three T-90’s down here! Request immediate bombardment! Danger close!”

“Solid copy Metal. Sit back and watch the fireworks.”

A few seconds later, a jet whizzed past them, dropping a bomb directly on top of the three tanks. The explosion rocked the whole area. When the smoke cleared, all three tanks were in pieces.”

“Tanks are down! Thanks for the assist!”

“Enemy fast-movers on radar! We got enemy aircraft incoming!” One of the pilots said on the radio. “I’m seeing around eight contacts!”

“Shit! Keep air superiority! Take them down!”

“Metal, this is Overlord. Extraction is twenty seconds out, recommend getting out of there now.”

“Copy Overlord.”

“Metal, this is Helix 2-3. Get the hell onboard!”

“Let’s go! Let’s GO!” Frost yelled out to his squad mates. Each of them pilled in one by one, but just as they were getting ready to take off, a message came across the radio.

“I count three enemy Hinds closing in on your location, Metal! Recommend getting out of there ASAP!”

“We won’t last against three Hinds. We will be shot down before we get two hundred yards.”

“457th, we need air support! We got three enemy Hinds inbound on our position!” Frost called out on his radio.

“No can do, Metal! We are currently occupied with the MiG’s! We can’t… oh SHIT! I got one on my tail!”

The radio went to static as they saw one of their planes in the air explode into a million pieces as it fell to the ground.

“Shit! Splinter, man the door gun!” Frost yelled out as he jumped from the helicopter and begun to run towards the destroyed jammer.

“Sir! What are you doing?!” Ghost called out to him.

“GO! Get out of here! I got a plan! Don't worry about me!” Frost called back to him. He reached the jammer to find an RPG lying next to it on the ground. He picked it up and turned towards the direction of the incoming Hinds. He noticed out of the corner of his eye the helicopter start to lift up off of the ground.

“NO! Get us back down there!” Langley called out to the pilot.

“We can’t! If we stay here any longer, we will be intercepted by the Hinds, and that will be it for all of us!”

“I don’t care! Get us back down, NOW!”

“I can’t! We go back, we all die!”

The three Hinds had just appeared over the tops of the buildings, flying low in a tight knit formation, and heading straight for Helix 2-3. Frost aimed it at the lead Hind and fired. The shot hit the cockpit directly, and the resulting explosion caught one of the other Hinds in it as well. The third Hind was forced to move off course temporarily to avoid crashing into one of the falling parts of the other two, giving Helix 2-3 enough time to gain speed.

“Sir! Do you read me?” Ghost called over the radio.

Frost picked up a second RPG shot and aimed it at the final Hind, but it was too late. It fired a missile directly at Frost, landing directly in front of him. The last thing he remembered seeing was a flash of blinding light, along with the sound of his squad mates frantically calling into the radio. Then, nothing…

“Whoa! What was that?!”

“I don’t know… wait… is that…?”

“Holy shit! Move out of my way, NOW!"

“Boss, is that who I think it is?”

“Frost! Frost! Can you hear me? Frost!”

...

Chapter 10: The Return

“Boss, does he have a pulse?”

“Yeah… it’s rather slow, but he’s alive.”

“Who is that?” Celestia asked the group.

“A friend of ours. How the hell did he get here?” Sandman responded.

“I don’t know. I sensed a magical force at work when that light appeared, but I do not know what exactly happened.”

“Great, another human…” Rainbow mumbled to herself.

“Is he hurt?” Twilight asked.

“For the most part, no. He’s got a couple of cuts here and there, as well as some burns on his chest, but nothing life threatening.”

“Boss, his radio is getting a signal!” Truck shouted out.

They could hear faint static from his radio. Sandman quickly grabbed it up and placed it in his ear. He could make out a faint conversation over the radio, but the signal was failing.”

“Overlord, we….. SAR bird at grid….. 451….. 67….”

“Copy Metal…. who….. looking for?”

“Frost…… somewhere out near….. park….”

“Copy…. reading a faint signal….. his HUD, don’t know where…. the location…. off grid.”

“Overlord, this is Sandman! We need to know our location!”

“Metal…. receiving… from his HUD radio….. response.”

“Overlord! This is Sandman! We have Frost with us! Triangulate our position, track us, something!”

“Who are you talking to?” Twilight asked nervously, but Sandman waved the question off.

“Frost? Frost is…. you? It’s Ghost! Where……?”

“No! It’s not Frost! It’s Sandman and Frost is with us! We need a location!”

All of a sudden, the radio lost its signal.

“Hello? Overlord? Anyone?”

There was no response. All they could hear was faint static coming from the radio before it cut out entirely.

“DAMMIT!” Sandman yelled as he threw the radio to the ground in frustration.

At this moment, Frost slowly started to come to. He slowly opened his eyes to see Sandman, Truck, and Grinch standing above him.

“Ugh… what the hell? Am… am I dead?”

“Holy shit, Frost!” Sandman shouted as he crouched back down to help Frost up into a sitting position.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Truck asked.

“Uh… Sandman? Truck? Grinch? Well, I must be dead then if I am seeing you guys….”

“What the hell does that mean?” Grinch asked.

“You… you’re all dead. Killed in that diamond mine. They were never able to recover your bodies because the diamond mine collapsed in on itself.”

“Well, whoever told you that lied. We aren’t dead. Far from it actually. Well, at least I think we aren’t.” Sandman responded.

“So… where exactly… are… um… what?” Frost said as he noticed the other faces looking down at him. They looked like a bunch of colorful horses.

“Uh… what the hell is this?” Frost asked.

“It’s a very long and weird story.” Truck responded.

“Well, um… perhaps you could give me the short version then? Or at least tell me why there are a bunch of colorful horses standing around me?”

“Hey! We are not horses, we are ponies.” Twilight corrected him.

Frost sat there for a moment staring at Twilight in complete disbelief. One of them had actually talked to him.

“I’m sorry, but did that thing just talk to me?”

“Yeah… they do that. Don’t freak on me man, we reacted the same way. Apparently they are trying to help us.” said Grinch.

Frost once again waited a moment before speaking. He examined each one of the ponies standing around him. After a while, he started laughing a little bit.

“Uh, Frost? Why are you laughing?” Truck asked.

“Am I high on something? I must be high on something. Am I alive in the hospital somewhere drugged up hard on a lot of morphine? Wouldn’t surprise me at all! Last thing I remember was me taking a rocket to the chest!”

“Man, you aren’t high. I don’t know exactly how to explain this, but… we are sort of in an alternate world with talking ponies in it that are trying to figure out how we got here and how to get us home. And, about the rocket part, it doesn’t look like it. You got a few cuts and burns here and there, but you would be in pieces if you took a rocket to the chest.” Sandman responded.

Frost’s attitude slowly seemed to be shifting to a more serious outlook.

“Ok, hang on. That’s got to be some bull shit. Seriously, an alternate world? Who the hell made that one up?”

“That’s what I said…” Truck interjected.

“Well, believe it or not, it’s apparently true. Unless we all got stuck in some really awkward limbo full of talking ponies, we got a situation on our hands.” Sandman said while shooting Truck a glance of disapproval.

“Well, I guess we can…” Frost started, but was soon cut off when the sound of a rifle shot echoed throughout the area, and a bullet hit Truck right in the chest.

“SHIT! GET DOWN!” Sandman yelled out as he dropped next to Truck and pulled him off to the side of the trail they were walking on. Frost and Grinch quickly followed suit as another shot rang out that whistled directly past the head of Frost.

“Princess! Put up one of those shields around you!” Sandman yelled out to the group of ponies still standing on the road in shock. Celestia quickly placed a shield around her, the guards, and the six Elements just as a bullet hit it and bounced off the side. Turning towards the humans in the ditch beside the road, she yelled out to them.

“What was that?! What’s going on?!”

“It was a bullet, but just stay there! We will take care of it!” Sandman responded, but quickly turned his attention back to Truck.

“Truck, you good?”

“Yeah… goddamn… I guess Kevlar really does work… heh… AHHH, my ribs are all fucked up though…”

“Your alive, that’s all that matters. Stay down, we’ll take care of him for you.”

“Might want to take… AHH, ugh, my ACR. You aren’t going to be sniping… ugh, people with that M9 of yours….”

“Just stay down.” Sandman responded as he crouched along the side of the ditch towards Frost and Grinch.

“Heh, not like I am going anywhere…. AHH, dammit!”

“Boss, is Truck good?” Grinch asked.

“Yeah, he’s probably got a couple broken or fractured ribs, but he will live. Frost, you stay back with Truck and try to provide a bit of a distraction. Me and Grinch will flank around and try to find the sniper. I saw a flash from that tree line over there. It’s about three hundred yards off… but we can take this ditch about two hundred more yards to get closer, the rest will have to be a sprint into the woods.”

“Here, take these...” Frost said as he pulled out two smoke grenades off of his vest. “Once you need to get across, throw these down. I will keep him occupied over here.”

“Got it, don’t be getting yourself shot though Frost. I don’t think he has a bead on any of us right now, so once you shoot, move to a new location. Don’t let him track you.”

“Roger that.” Frost said as he slowly crouched back over towards Truck. Another shot rang out and hit the shield the ponies were standing behind.

At this point, the mane six inside the shield were quite literally freaking out, for they didn’t know anything about what was going on outside. The guards formed a circle inside the shield surrounding the Elements and the Princess, allowing them to calm themselves a little bit.

“Princess, what’s going on?” Twilight asked anxiously.

“I don’t know, but the humans told us to stay inside the shield and wait. They will take care of it.”

“Wait… and we are actually going to listen to them?!” Rainbow shouted out.

“They have given me no reason not to trust them, so I will trust them in return.”

“No reason!? Look at what they did to me!” Rainbow yelled as she pointed a hoof towards the sling across her shoulder where the bullet Sandman had shot at her left its mark.

“I understand your concerns and why you are angry, but right now, they seem to be trying to help us. I will not tolerate any violence against them as long as they don’t show violence towards us. Is that clear?” Princess Celestia said in a raised tone.

“Yes, Princess...” Rainbow said, a defeated look upon her face.

All of a sudden, automatic gunfire caused all of them to jump. They turned to see the new human shooting his weapon into the tree line across the field. Right when he ducked, a bullet flew across and hit the dirt directly in front of where he was sitting, sending up a small cloud of dust. Meanwhile, Sandman and Grinch were slowly making their way around to the side in order to flank the sniper, making sure to keep their heads below the edge of the ditch. Once they hit the edge of the ditch, Sandman tossed out his 2 smoke grenades, and after a few seconds, a giant cloud of smoke filled the air in front of them.

“Ok, GO!” Sandman yelled out to Grinch. They both got up and sprinted the remaining distance into the woods. Once they were inside, they began to look towards where they thought the sniper was.

“Frost, be careful with your shots, we are in the woods.” Sandman whispered into his radio.

“Got it, I will keep my fire on the left. I will try to draw him out again, watch for a flash.” Frost’s voice sounded back through it.
Sandman and Grinch stopped and sat down, staring along the edge of the forest. Frost got up and shot a couple more rounds into the woods, while a yellow flash appeared about one hundred yards in front of them.

“Got him…” Grinch whispered.

They both slowly crept forward, when all of a sudden, automatic gunfire came from directly in front of them. Sandman hit the deck while Grinch quickly jumped behind a thick tree.

“Shit! Frost, we got at least two shooters out here!” Sandman shouted into his radio.

“Roger that, I will try to keep the sniper occupied.” Frost responded as he shot a few more rounds into the woods. After the gunfire ceased, Sandman could make out a voice in front of them. It was Russian.

“Lyeonid, my poluchili protivnikov, v lesu, my pod ugrozu! Padenie obratno v les!”

Sandman could hear a faint voice respond from what sounded like his radio.

“Vam nuzhno pomochʹ Andryeyu? Skolʹko tam?”

“YA dumayu, chto dva iz nikh, no ne bespokoĭtesʹ obo mne! Prosto zaĭdite!”

Grinch stepped out and emptied a couple rounds in the direction of the voice. A figure could be seen running back towards another tree once the fire stopped. Sandman aimed the ACR and shot three rounds at it. The third hit the figure in its back right shoulder.

“Derʹmo!” It shouted out.

Behind the first, another figure got up and started to run down the edge of the forest away from Sandman. The two of them got up and started to push forward. Every now and then, more fire would erupt through the tree line in front of them, but blindly. Not many shots came close to hitting either of them.

“Frost, you got a bead on anybody?” Sandman asked.

“No, I’m only seeing flashes here and there. Don’t know who is who.”

“Ok, don’t fire then. We are trailing two guys over here. If anybody steps out, light them up.”

“Got it.”

More fire erupted through the thicket in front of them. Grinch got up and fired back towards what seemed as the point of origin, and a shout could be heard from behind it.

“Akh! Chert poberi!”

“To, chto proiskhodit Andryeĭ? Gde ty? The voice from the radio sounded out.

“Prosto zaĭdite! Ne bespokoĭtesʹ obo mne, brat!”

Sandman and Grinch both burst through the thicket to find a body lying on the ground with a bullet wound in his right shoulder and two in his hip. He was clutching an AK47 with one hand and holding his other hand to his radio. The two both approached the man on the ground, guns pointing directly at his head.

“DROP YOUR WEAPON!” Sandman yelled out to him.

The man hesitated for a moment, but ultimately dropped the gun to the ground due to lack of strength in his right arm because of the bullet currently lodged in it. Grinch walked up and kicked the gun aside and removed the man’s sidearm from his waist.

“Who are you? What are you doing here?” Sandman asked.

The man did not respond.

“Do you speak English?”

He slowly nodded his head yes.

“Then what is your name!?”

“Andrei.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I know not. What YOU doing here?”

The radio on Andrei’s helmet began to go off again. The same voice was calling through it.

“Andryeĭ, gde ty? YA na mesto vstrechi.”

A moment passed between the three of them with nobody making a move, but Andrei, already having his hand near his radio, quickly responded.

“Ubiraĭsya ot•syuda Lyeonid! Oni u menya!”

Immediately after Andrei finished his sentence, he was met with the butt of Sandman’s ACR to his face, knocking him out.

“What the hell? Now we got Russians to deal with?!” Grinch shouted to nobody in particular.

“Well, at least it’s something familiar. Come on, we got to bring him back to Frost. Make sure you grab his weapons too. I will keep lookout for that other sniper.”

Grinch picked up Andrei’s AK47 along with his sidearm, a G18. He strapped the weapons over his shoulder and proceeded to pull Andrei out of the woods with Sandman covering him.

“Frost, we are coming out. We got one of them breathing, but we don’t know where the other one went.” Sandman radioed.

“Ok, I got you guys covered from here.”

Sandman and Grinch stepped out of the woods. Once they felt they were relatively safe, Sandman helped Grinch by helping him lift Andrei over towards the road.

“Oh your shitting me… Russians?” Was the first thing Frost said as the two approached the road.

“Apparently so…” Grinch responded.

“Princess, you are all safe now for the time being. You can take that shield down now.” Sandman called out.

The shield surrounding them slowly faded away into nothingness as the Princess’s horn stopped glowing.

“What was that? What just happened?” Twilight asked. “And… who is that?”

“An enemy of ours. We were fighting his country in that war I told you about.” Sandman responded.

“Did he give you anything useful?” Frost asked.

“No, all we got out of him was that he is named Andrei, and that there is another sniper out there. Don’t know where he went.”

“So… now there are six humans in Equestria.” Celestia said to herself.

“Why? Why is all of this happening now?” Twilight said, receiving agreements from the rest of her friends. At this point, Sandman and the others were turning and listening for an explanation.

“Hmmm, I hate to say this, for I have been saying it a lot recently, but I do not know. I need to get back to Canterlot in order to research this problem further. However, we still need to get you all to Sweet Apple Acres.”

“To where?” Frost asked.

“We will tell you on the way, but we need to get to a hospital or something first for Truck. He is hurt badly with multiple broken ribs.” Sandman said.

“And Andrei over there has got three bullet wounds on him.” Grinch added in.

“That can be arranged, but I don’t think having you all running through town will be a good idea. I can have Nurse Red Heart bring out some medical equipment and help your friend at the farm.”

“Speaking of which, how are we supposed to carry Truck and Andrei over there?” Grinch pointed out.

“I can help you with that.” Celestia said as walked over to Truck and lifted him up in the air with her magic.

“Hey, what? What the hell!? Put me… AHHH, damn ribs….!”

“Don’t worry, you will be fine.” Celestia responded.

“Princess, you don’t need to do that. We can carry him.” Sandman said.

“Nonsense, if he is hurt, then having you haul him around will make it worse. At least this way he won’t have to be hurled around on your back. Besides, we can consider this as a thank you for helping us.”

“I guess I will carry the Russian…” Grinch said as he walked over to Andrei, who was still knocked unconscious on the ground. He patched up his wounds with some cloth to help stop the bleeding until they could get to the farm.

“I can help you out.” Frost added in as they both picked him up and threw him over Grinch’s shoulder. “If you get tired, you can switch off with me, ok?”

“Ok, thanks.”

Leaving it at that, the group set off towards Sweet Apple Acres.

“Chert vozʹmi ! Kakogo cherta ya dolzhen delatʹ? YA dazhe ne znayu, gde ya zdesʹ, v etikh lesakh ...podozhdite... Kto vy?!”

“Tell me, what language is that? It sounds rather odd… never heard it before in my life, and I have lived a long life.”

“Eto russkiĭ, kak vy ne znaete, chto? Podozhdi, ty kto?”

“I’m sorry, but can you please speak in my tongue? Your language is strange.”

“It is Russian… what do you want? Who are you?”

“That is not important anymore. I was a friend… a friend who was betrayed by his own friends. Now, I am just a myth. A storybook character that has faded out of knowledge. If they only knew…”

“What do you mean? Who are you!”

“Oh, getting angry I see. I’m sorry, I haven’t been around others in a very long time. It’s only been recently that I have awoken from my slumber.”

“Khvatit s igrami! Skazhite mne vashe imya , ili ya podvezu vas , gde vy stoite!”

“I thought we already went over about speaking so we can understand each other.”

“Tell me who you are NOW, or else I will put a bullet in your head!”

“A bullet… hmmm… not sure what that is. Would you care to explain?”

“Why don’t you find out first hand?”

“Heh, very well. Show me.”

…

Chapter 12: Shock And Awe

“Boss! Boss, get up!”

“Quickly, drag him out!”

“I will go check on Applejack!”

“You three, go check Ponyville! Come back and inform me of the damage! You two, go to Canterlot and have them dispatch a regiment of guards to Ponyville and the surrounding towns, but leave a few to go towards that cloud of dust out there! I need to know exactly what just happened!”

A blur of conversations swept over Sandman as he struggled to wake up from his semi-conscious state. He could tell he was being dragged, but he didn’t know who was dragging him. His ears were ringing loudly, making him unable to hear who was trying to address him.

“Boss! Are you okay?” A voice next to him yelled out, but it was barely audible to him. A familiar face crouched down in front of him. It was Grinch.

“Boss! Snap out of it!”

“Ugh, Jesus Christ… what the hell happened?” Sandman mumbled out as he slowly began to regain his faculties.

“I don’t know, but it looks like someone goddamn nuked us!” Grinch responded, pointing a finger over towards the forest on the outskirts of Ponyville. Sandman turned his head to see a slightly deformed mushroom cloud of dust far off into the forest. It was rather small, but it definitely resembled a mushroom cloud.

“Holy shit…”

“Yeah…”

“Wait, where’s Truck and Frost?”

“Frost got Truck out, but we all would have been dead if that purple unicorn hadn’t put up a shield so the whole barn wouldn’t cave in on us.

“What about Andrei?”

“Yeah, he got out. The bastard managed to crawl out after the support beam he was tied to cracked in half.”

From behind Grinch, Nurse Red Heart came into focus. She approached them both.

“Are you two okay?” She asked.

“Yeah, I think I’m fine.” Sandman said as he stood up, using Grinch as some support.

“Same here.” Grinch responded.

“Okay, good. I need to check on everyone else..." She started, but her attention was drawn away as she looked out towards the cloud. "Sweet Celestia, what was that?”

“I have an idea, but I don’t think it is right. If it was what I think it was, we all would have been dead by now.”

Nurse Red Heart was going to respond, but was quickly interrupted by the sound of someone calling for help. She got up and trotted off to the sound. Princess Celestia walked up to the two humans, replacing Nurse Red Heart’s position.

“What was that?” She asked them angrily. “I have never seen something like this happen before! Was it something you brought here?”

“No ma’am, we didn’t bring anything with us that could do that. I’m not sure about Andrei, but I am almost positive he wouldn’t have been able to get his hands on a WMD.”

“A WMD? What is a WMD?”

“A Weapon of Mass Destruction. However, that blast from the looks of it was not powerful enough to be a WMD. If it was, we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now, but that thing sure as hell had the destruction part right.” Sandman responded, taking in the extent of the damage. Trees were fallen over everywhere, along with half of the barn they were staying in. The main house had some pieces here and there knocked off, but nothing too dramatic. Same with Ponyville in the distance. Most houses appeared to be standing, but a few here and there were either toppled or partially destroyed. It seemed as though the violent earthquake that followed did all the damage, not the blast itself, which allowed Sandman to relax a little bit.

“Do you know if any of us are injured?” Sandman asked the Princess.

“As far as I can tell, no. Only a few scratches here and there, but nothing serious. It looks like everypony got out alright.”

“Well, that’s good to hear. We need to check on the others in the town though…”

“I already sent some guards out to do that. I am having an entire regiment split off and sent to each town for the time being. I need to make sure that nothing horrific has happened, so I must return to Canterlot as soon as possible. Whatever is happening here started when you all got here. Forgive me for saying this, but the sooner we get you home and out of Equestria, the better.”

“No offense taken, ma’am. We want to get out of here just as bad, especially if we are indirectly causing this, but what should we do in the meantime, ma’am? The entire plan of staying here and laying low seems to have literally blown apart.”

“Not entirely, but I don’t know of anywhere else to put you. You have to stay here and treat your wounded. Haybrun will be here with you along with a couple guards, but I require most to aid in searching the towns for wounded and to make sure everypony is safe. I will try to contact you all in the event something happens.”

With that, she turned to the other Elements of Harmony who had gathered near the house.

“Applejack, is your family alright? Celestia asked.

“Yea, although Granny Smith and Applebloom were mighty scared when that… whatever that thing was went off.”

“Good, at least none of you were hurt. I have to take my leave though. I will have Haybrun and some others remain with you for the time being. I just can’t stay here while the town is in chaos. I need to return to Canterlot to inform the others as well as Luna about this.”

“But, what about the humans?” Rarity asked.

“They will have to remain here with you. I’m sorry, but there is nowhere else I can take them. This is the safest place for them and you to be at this time. I must hurry, if anything happens, contact me with a letter and I will come as quickly as possible.”

Hearing the letter part, Twilight’s eyes went wide.

“Oh no! Spike! He was at the Library! I’ve got to go get him! I need to make sure he is alright!”

“No, I will have one of the guards retrieve him. Stay here, you will be safe here.”

With that, Princess Celestia’s horn ignited into a burst of gold, and then she was gone. A moment of silence was exchanged between the two groups, until Haybrun spoke up.

“Is the house structurally sound?” He asked.

“Yea, ah believe so…” Applejack responded.

“Ok, I suggest we all get inside for the time being. We will be able to better protect you all there.”

“What about THEM?” Rainbow hissed, pointing a hoof over towards the humans.

“They will come inside with us as well. We can separate the lot of you if it would make you feel better.”

“I don’t want them anywhere near me!” She shouted out. “YOU probably caused this! I knew you were all lying!” She made an attempt to fly at them out of anger, but was held back by Applejack who grabbed her tail with her mouth.

“Whoa, Rainbow! Now simmer down sugarcube!” Applejack said, trying to restrain the infuriated mare.

“Let go of me!” She yelled out.

“Hey! We didn’t do anything! How could we have? We have been with you the entire time!” Sandman said, trying to reason with Rainbow. Behind them, Nurse Red Heart was treating Andrei, whose wounds had gotten worse and was bleeding profusely. She quickly gave him a shot of penicillin and wrapped some clean bandages around his wounds. She was almost completely oblivious to the argument going on next to her. Truck was doing rather well. He suffered very little injury in the barn, with only a bruise on his right arm and a small gash on his right leg.

“You did something! Everything was fine until you all got here! You probably wanted to kill us all, just like you tried to kill me!”

“Hey, that was me reacting to having something tackle me to the ground and kick me in the face! I did nothing to instigate any form of aggression! You just outright attacked me without warning! Maybe in the future, you shouldn’t be so stubborn and go attacking random strangers before you even know anything about them!

“Who are you calling stubborn?!”

“CALM DOWN!” Haybrun yelled out to Rainbow and Sandman, stepping in front of them to block their view of each other. “The Princess gave me full reign over you all until she gets back or until otherwise instructed, so I am ordering you to restrain yourselves!”

“Yes, sir.” Sandman said, backing away from Rainbow Dash. It took Rainbow a moment, but she eventually backed off as well.

“Good, now all of you get inside. Humans, you will stay in the spare bedroom downstairs. The rest of you will have reign over the rest of the house. White Flash, Storm Breaker, you two will stay outside and guard the home. The rest of you will stay inside with me.” With that, Haybrun turned to Red Heart who was treating Truck by wrapping his leg and chest up and giving him a shot of pain medication.

“Nurse Red Heart, you have no further need here. I want you to go back into town and help those injured there. I will have Wind Dancer escort you back.”

“O-Okay, thank you.” She responded shakily.

With that, Wind Dancer and Red Heart gathered up her medical supplies and went off towards the town. She left a couple of clean bandages and a few shots of pain medicine and penicillin with them just in case something was to happen. Silently, the group entered the house. As the humans entered, they were met with the stares from three new ponies. One was rather big, almost exactly the same height as Sandman, possibly bigger. It had a red coat and an orange mane. Another was rather small and frail with a green coat and white mane. It looked to be rather old, more than likely that Granny Smith Applejack had mentioned. The last one was very small, more than likely a foal. It had a yellow coat with a light red mane. Each one of them stared at them with confusion and interest.

“Applejack, who are they?” The foal asked.

“And what was that noise? Was it an earthquake?” The old one asked.

“They are some animals that got lost and we are gonna to be keepin’ em here for a while. As for the earthquake, I don’t know. It looked like somethin’ exploded out in the Everfree forest.”

“Something really really really really BIG.” Pinkie added on.

“Okay, you humans have this room here.” Haybrun said, pointing his hoof to a room off in a corner. “You will remain there unless I tell you otherwise, understand?”

“Yes, sir.” The group responded in unison. They picked up Grinch and Andrei and carried them into the room. There was a small bed along with a couple chairs, a table, and a couch. They set Truck down on the bed and Andrei on the couch, followed by Haybrun peeking in the door.

“If you need anything, call me.”

With that, he shut the door and the humans were left alone.

“Well, this is an interesting turn of events.” Truck said.

“You can say that again. Boss, do you really think it could have been a manmade explosion?” Grinch asked.

“Oh, I am almost positive that the explosion was manmade. From what I have seen, these ponies are using completely outdated technology, AND their Princess said they don’t focus on weaponry or warfare, so saying they made it would be completely ridiculous.”

“So, what does this mean?”

“It means we got a serious goddamn problem. I’m pretty sure any trust we had with the Princess just flew out the window with that. I just hope that nothing horrible happened, because if it did, well, we are going to be completely fucked.”

“What makes you say that?”

“She asked me if we knew what the explosion was, and I mentioned the possibility of a WMD. Even though I said it more than likely wasn’t, she now knows we have the capability to do something like that. Now, with that new information, who do you think the prime suspects, and for that matter the ONLY suspects here with the capability of causing an explosion like that are right now?”

“The people sitting in this room.” Frost responded without any emotion.

“But it wasn’t us! We didn’t do anything!” Grinch reasoned.

“Yeah, maybe not US, but maybe someone else in this room knows what happened.” Sandman said, turning around to face Andrei.

“O, ne smotri na menya! How could I have done this? I was with you!”

“If not you, then who? Maybe that friend of yours that got away had something up his sleeve?”

“Net, ne Leyonid! He is my brother! We have no WMD’s! How would we launch one?”

“Well, if he was out in those woods, he is either dead or the one responsible for causing that thing to go off. More than likely both.”

“Chert amerikantsy! Ne smey mesto eto odnomu yemu!"

“In English Andrei, we barely understood a word.”

“Not Leyonid… not him. It can’t be him…”

“Well, looks as though I still have control over my Elements. What is the count now… seven I believe? I got the original five from those foolish ponies who tried to stop me. Heh, what a backfire of a plan. All they did was slow me down, imprison me for an amount of time. Huh, I should have asked that poor fellow what year it was… oh well. Where was I… oh yes! I have those five plus my own element… then the one from the temple. Yes, seven Elements. Now, I wonder where I am.” The man said to nobody in particular.

He was standing alone in the middle of a barren field of dirt and charred remains of trees and plant life. It was a familiar sight. A very familiar sight. A sight he remembered seeing long ago when he first came to this land and met those that he had once called his friends. That was, until they turned on him. Having all these memories flood back to him filled him with anger, an anger none had ever seen before.

For as long as he could remember, a voice inside his head kept telling him…

“Make them pay for what they did to you. Make them suffer. They don’t care about you, so why should you care about them?”

At times, his own thoughts would try to fight back and reason with the voice.

“But, what did they do? They did nothing to me but accept me and keep me safe! Why should I hate them?”

But this was to no avail. The other voice always seemed to win. Now, his own thoughts seemed to be non-existent.

This voice invaded his thoughts in every action, every time he spoke, every time he met another individual. It consumed him from the inside out. There was no stopping it, no blocking it out. It continued to gather strength. It continued to consume his mind. It wasn’t him, it was something else. Something nobody could see or hear or feel. It was something that you could sense though. Like when you sense something is wrong, but can’t exactly tell what it is. It was something that clouded his thoughts, making them not his own.

Chapter 13: On The Edge

A knock at the door interrupted the unnatural silence that filled most of the house. Some conversations would start up between a few of the ponies, but most remained quiet, trying to comprehend the events that had transpired over the course of the past couple of days, especially the most recent one which almost claimed their lives.

“I will get it.” Haybrun said as he got up from his seat in the kitchen and opened the door. He was met by another royal guard who was standing next to Spike.

“Miss Sparkle! Your assistant is here, safe and sound!” He called up the stairs to the second floor. Almost instantly, she was down the stairs and at the door, grabbing Spike in her hooves.

“Oh Spike, I was so worried about you!” She said with a tear in her eye.

“Gezz, Twilight. It wasn’t that bad of an earthquake. It just knocked a couple of the shelves down. I was almost done picking them up when that guard came by saying I had to come with him to Sweet Apple Acres.”

“I’m just glad you’re safe.”

“Sir, I was given orders to remain here with you.” The guard said to Haybrun who was still standing in the doorway.

“Very well, go outside and watch the perimeter with White Flash and Storm Breaker.

“Yes, sir!” He said. With that, he trotted off to the side of the house.

Almost immediately after Haybrun closed the front door, a shout came out from the room the group of humans were in. Haybrun trotted up and opened the door to see an argument taking place between them.

“I told you! Leyonid would not do this!”

“He was the only one in the woods! What the hell else was it?”

“Is there a problem here?” Haybrun asked, causing the entire group to turn around with a start.

“No sir, we are just having ourselves a conversation.” Grinch responded.

“Yeah, I’m sure you are. Now, why don’t you tell me who this ‘Leyonid’ is?”

After a few moments, Andrei was the one to speak up.

“He is my brother. We both came here by some... accident. He ran off into woods when I was captured by these Americans.”

“So, there is another human out in the woods that you didn’t tell us about?”

“No, well, at least we don’t think he is out there anymore. I don’t think he would have survived that explosion, sir. He is more than likely dead."

“Well, I am sorry for your loss. However, what exactly did he ‘not do’?”

“Vot derʹmo...” Andrei mumbled out.

“We were trying to figure out if he had anything to do with the explosion, sir.”

“Wait, are you telling me that you actually caused this?”

“No, not us! We didn’t do anything! We were trying to figure out if Leyonid had caused it!” Grinch shouted out, trying to defend the group.

“And I am telling you, he did not!” Andrei shouted at the top of his lungs at Grinch.

“So you di lie to us!” Haybrun said accusingly.

“What? No! We didn’t even know he was out there until recently! We saved the Princess from him!” Grinch reasoned.

“Hey! We weren’t aiming for those ponies on the road! We were aiming for you!” Andrei shouted.

“Then why were you shooting at them?” Truck asked.

“They were in the way! You cowards were using them as a shield!” Andrei shouted out to them with disgust.

“That’s a lie! We were nowhere near them!” Frost argued.

“Shut the fuck up!” Sandman yelled out at the top of his lungs, causing everyone in the room to go dead quiet and attracting the attention of the every other pony in the house. “We are getting absolutely NOTHING accomplished here by arguing back and forth like a bunch of school children! None of us know what the hell happened out there! For all we know, it could have been a WMD or a goddamn UFO crashing! None of us know! So, instead of sitting her pissing each other off to the point of wanting to shoot each other, we should just drop the whole goddamn conversation and sit in complete silence until the Princess comes back!”

By this time, everypony was crowded around the door to the bedroom, listening on the conversation. Everyone in the room was exchanging glances between one another until they eventually managed to sit back down. At almost the same time, a flash of light was emitted from outside the house, quickly followed by a knock at the door. Haybrun approached it and slowly cracked it open, only to have the rest of it swing open into his head. In the doorway stood Princess Luna.

“Princess Luna? What are you doing here? Where is Princess Celestia?” Twilight asked.

“She is in an emergency meeting with the rest of the council. We have a serious threat to the safety of Equestria.”

“Why? What’s happening?” Sandman asked.

“Ahh, you must be the humans. I am sorry we can’t meet under better circumstances, but you must come with me, as well as the Elements.”

“Where are we going?”

“To Canterlot. Celestia believes it is the only place in which we can keep you, or for that matter, anyone safe now.”

“Why? What is going on, ma’am?” Haybrun asked.

There was a pause. After a few seconds, she let out a long sigh.

“Cloudsdale is gone.”

The ponies sat in complete silence. The humans exchanged glances, not exactly sure what that meant.

“WHAT? What do you mean GONE?” Rainbow asked angrily, flying up directly in front of the Princess.

“It’s not there anymore. Apparently it was caught within the range of that blast. We can’t find it anywhere. The only remnants of it we found were some of the white pillars that had fallen and shattered on the ground. The landscape below it was charred and destroyed.”

“But.. but… That’s my home! That’s where I was born! That’s… that's where my parents live! Was there anyone alive? ANYONE?”

“I… I’m sorry… but our scouts didn’t see anypony nearby. However, these were just a couple of scouts. We are sending more out as we speak to search the area.”

Rainbow Dash slumped back to the floor, unable to speak, her gaze falling to the floor. Tears began to well up in her eyes, but she tried her best to contain them.

“Rainbow…” Twilight started, putting a hoof on the distraught mare’s shoulder. She didn’t react. “Rainbow, it’s going to be okay… I’m sure that your parents are fine.”

“Yeah, ahm sure that they are all fit as a fiddle and headin' on back here to make sure that you're ok!” Applejack joined in.

Everypony else just stared at Luna, mouths agape, unable to comprehend this information. An entire city… gone? Impossible…

“P-Princess, how can this happen? It c-can’t be true. H-How could s-something do that? W-Wipe out an entire city?” Rarity asked, complete disbelief written all over her face.

“I don’t know. I’m sorry, but I MUST get you all back to Canterlot immediately.”

“Ma’am, two of us are hurt and need rest. How are we to move them over such a far distance?”

“Don’t worry, just bring them outside.”

“Very well, ma’am.”

With that, the group of ponies exited the house with the guards, leaving the Apple family, excluding Applejack, behind. After a few minutes, the humans exited the bedroom to see that Rainbow Dash was still standing in her spot, locked in place. Twilight was trying to get her to move.

“Rainbow, come on! We got to go!” Twilight shouted, but there was no reaction. Only a blank stare in return. All of a sudden, Rainbow just burst out into tears and slumped down to the floor. Twilight laid down next to her, trying to comfort her.

“Rainbow, it’s okay. Everything is going to be fine.”

“How… how do you know?!” Rainbow mumbled out in anger. “How do you know they are safe? How do you know nothing happened to them?” She managed to choke out.

“I just know. I promise you, everything is going to be fine.”

“Jesus… what have we done? What did we do?” Sandman thought to himself as he slowly passed by the two ponies. Twilight raised a hoof and pointed towards the door, signaling them to get out. Following her order, the humans made their way outside. Luna was standing in the middle with everypony else standing around her.

“Where is Twilight and Rainbow?” Rarity asked as she looked around.

“Inside… don’t go back in. She had a meltdown.” Sandman responded.

“Who, Rainbow?”

“Yeah, she burst out into tears and we got ushered out.”

“Well, what did yall expect? She hates yall and she just heard that her family is probably dead, along with the fact that her home town was destroyed.” Applejack almost screamed at the group of humans, but managed to keep it to an angry whisper.

“It doesn’t surprise me in any way. However, I probably wouldn’t have reacted quite like that. Crying over anything won’t get anything done, but I would have been overwhelmingly sad if that had happened to me.”

“Oh really, how would you have reacted then?” Rarity asked, a hint of anger in her words.

“I have seen some horrible shit in my life. After a while, you start getting used to it. You start becoming numb to your feelings. Forgive me if I come off cold when I talk. It’s because this isn’t any different than our world now. Death and violence. It seems to follow me everywhere...”

At that moment, Rainbow and Twilight both walked outside. Rainbow had her head hanging low, staring at the ground.

“Are we all accounted for?” Luna asked, taking a quick head count.

“I believe so Princess.” Haybrun responded.

“Good, let us go then.”

With that, Luna’s horn ignited and the world around them slowly faded away into blackness. When it came back into focus, they were standing in what appeared to be a giant foyer. Columns of white went parallel with one another with beautiful craftsmanship.

“Whoa, what did you do?” Frost asked, as he tried to balance himself.

“Okh, ya dumayu, chto ya syeĭchas stoshnit...” Andrei mumbled to himself.

“I teleported us to Canterlot. It was the only way to travel here ast enough, and with your injured.”

"Great... fun..." Truck mumbled, trying to keep down his lunch.

“Ok, where do we go now ma’am?” Sandman asked.

“You are going to be split off into separate wings of the castle. The humans will be given a room in the East Wing, and the Elements will be given one in the West Wing. Haybrun, you and the guards are to stay with the humans. Others will be sent with the Elements.”

"Yes, Princess.” Haybrun responded with a bow. “Which room?”

“Second floor, fourth room on the left. I will escort the Elements to theirs.”

“Ok then, let’s go humans.”

With that, the group set off to their respective destinations.

Chapter 14: A Call For Help

“Here is your room, humans. You will remain here, but I will be in the room next door. Two guards will be out in the hallway at all times, so if you require something, ask them.”

“Yes, sir.” Sandman responded respectfully. The group entered to see a wet lit room. It was rather bare though, much like the spare bedroom at Sweet Apple Acres, except more elegant. It had a large bed in the middle, with a dining table and six chairs around it, as well as a sitting area which consisted of 2 couches with a fireplace across from them.

“Damn, compared to most places I have had to stay, this is heaven!” Grinch said in an unnaturally cheery tone.

“You can say that again.” Frost agreed.

“Excuse me sir, but we have been without food for around a day or so. Can we have some refreshments, or perhaps some water at least?” Sandman asked Haybrun.

“Yes, you can. I will send one of the guards to retrieve some food and water for you all.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“It’s not a problem. I would recommend getting some rest though. We will have a big day tomorrow, if not sooner.”

“Okay, thank you once aga….” Sandman started, but was cut off with Haybrun abruptly leaving and shutting the door behind him.

“Ok, I guess he hates us now too.” Sandman said as he sat down on one of the couches. Truck was set down on the bed while Andrei was given the couch across from Sandman. Frost and Grinch sat down at the dining table.

“No, he is probably stressed out though, being the Captain of the Royal Guard and all.” Frost reasoned.

“Yeah, especially since one of their towns just got wiped off the face of the planet.” Grinch added.

“AND most of them think we had something to do with it.” Truck interjected.

“Leyonid did not do it…” Andrei mumbled the group with a hiss.

“Oh Jesus, no! Not this again! We are not getting into another argument over this! None of us did it, and we will leave it like that for now.” Sandman said with force. The rest of the group just slumped down into their chairs or let out a sigh.

“Man, I just want to get the hell home. I would rather be in the middle of our war with the Russians than getting involved in this weird shit.” Frost said to nobody in particular.

“Yeah, I think most of us would agree with that one, but right now, all I want is some damn food.” Sandman said, causing everyone to laugh a little bit.

Princess Celestia walked down the hallways of Canterlot Castle with a solemn attitude, occasionally letting out a small sigh or allowing a tear to fall to the ground. For once, she couldn’t think straight. He mind kept racing around into thousands of different scenarios, dilemmas, problems. It was something that she couldn’t fully grasp in such a short amount of time. The events over the past few days had been some of the most odd and terrible days of her rule. Too many questions, not enough answers, and now the floating city of Cloudsdale was nowhere to be found. It was as though it had just vanished. So many ponies lived there… and now they were nowhere to be seen. Even though she tried to think positive, there was no getting around it. Whatever that explosion was, it was powerful enough to level a giant chunk of the Everfree Forest, as well as cause the destruction of Cloudsdale… which meant that anypony who was in Cloudsdale….

“Tia, I am back!” Princess Luna called out to her sister from down the hall, causing Celestia’s train of thought to be cut short.

“Oh, thank heavens your well. Are the Elements safe?”

“Yes, as well as the humans. Each has been given different rooms. They are in the East Wing, while the Elements are in the West Wing.”

“Good, but was it necessary to split them off so far away?”

“Yes, I don’t think you know how distraught the Element of Loyalty is right now. If she was near the humans, I think we would end up having one or both hurt rather badly….”

“I see… I must go talk to her then. I need to make sure that all of them are in their right minds if they are needed to defend Equestria.”

“What do you mean?”

“They are the Elements of Harmony, our strongest… and probably our ONLY weapon we have at the moment. If whatever caused that explosion is still out there, we will more than likely need them to stop it. I know of nothing that could do this much destruction.”

“Speaking of which, how did the meeting with the council go?”

“About as well as you would expect. The citizens are afraid, and we can’t do anything to help them because we don’t even know what’s going on ourselves. They recommended to me that we reopen the ESDF… at least until the problem is resolved.”

“What? The ESDF hasn’t been in use since the reign of Discord! It was discarded after he fell because it had no more need!”

“Yeah, I know. We also don’t have any ponies with a skill set required to reopen it.”

“Well…”

“What?”

“I think I know where we can find some recruits, but you might not approve.”

“I’m about willing to accept any help from anypony we can get at this point. Who do you have in mind?”

Princess Luna did nothing but nod her head off in the direction of the East Wing.

“… Oh, you must be joking…”

“Well, who else can we choose?”

“Anypony BUT them… I cannot ask that of them, not now. I am supposed to be getting them home, not drug into a mess that they need not burden themselves with!”

“You said their planet is at war most of the time and that they are soldiers.”

“Yes… but…”

“Then why not ask for their help? I mean, the worst that could happen would be them saying no. They have experience, and are skilled in the art of warfare. They are the perfect choice, for there are no ponies I know of who are knowledgeable… or for that matter willing to take part in something like this. We can’t rely on our guards forever! They are spread out thin as it is!”

“But… I… ugh, why is this happening to us? It feels like this is all Discords work, but it can’t be, for he is currently standing outside as a stone statue in the garden. At this rate, I would much rather have it be Discord. At least that would be something familiar.”

“Nopony said it would be easy. We both knew the challenges we would face when we stepped forward to take the crown so many years ago.”

“Yes, but unfortunately, this happens to be one of the hardest I have faced in a very long time. Let us go, I will ask them…”

“Well, it wasn’t the most filling meal I have ever eaten, but I have eaten worse for sure.” Truck mumbled to the group.

“It was apples and celery, don’t complain. Plus, we got water.” Sandman said.

“I could have done with some meat…” Andrei mumbled to himself.

At that moment, the door opened and in walked Haybrun with the two Princesses following close behind. Each one of the humans, excluding the injured Truck and Andrei, stood up.

“Humans, the Princesses wish to speak with you.”

“Yes, sir. What is it you would like to speak to us about, ma’am?” Sandman asked.

Princess Celestia thought for a moment of how to best ask them, but couldn’t come up with anything. She just got straight to the point, trying to reflect on how the humans seemed to be. Straight to the point.

“We need your help.”

After a brief exchanging of glances between the humans, Sandman spoke up again.

“With exactly what, ma’am?”

“We believe that whatever caused that explosion and the destruction of Cloudsdale was no sheer accident. Our country of Equestria is at risk, and the citizens are very scared. I just got out of a council meeting with other nobles, and it was recommended to me that we reactivate an old group that hasn’t been active since Discord’s rule.”

“I’m sorry, who or what is Discord, ma’am?”

“An old enemy of ours, but that is beside the point.”

“Go on, ma’am.”

“This group was called the ESDF, the Equestrian Special Detachment Force. It was used as a more flexible group of ponies who would carry out certain missions we needed to get done without the use of our royal guards or, at the time, the Equestrian Military.”

“So, you have had a working army before, but just got rid of it, ma’am?”

“Yes, once Discord was overthrown, peace and harmony spread throughout the land. We felt that there was no more need of a standing army then, so we got rid of it to help make our jobs easier. You know, less things to control and pay for.”

Sandman facepalmed.

“Vy s uma soshli?! Why would you get rid of your army?” Andrei asked, a hint of disgust in his voice.

“Like I said, the need for one vanished. We haven’t even considered bringing it back before because there was never any conflict, until now.”

“So, where do we come in?” Frost asked.

“Well, there are currently no ponies alive that have the skill set necessary to restart it. You however, have been through war most of your life and are trained. I hate to ask this of you, and we will not think any less of you should you refuse, but we want you to be a part of the ESDF.”

“Ma’am, I am afraid we cannot do that. We are already members of a Special Forces group on our planet. We cannot stay here and act as one for you. We need to get home to make sure nothing horrific has happened on our planet as well.”

“Well, perhaps you could help train some volunteers for us while you wait?” Princess Luna blurted out.

“Luna, they already said no. Do not pressure them any further.”

“Well, at least they can be helpful while they wait! If they can’t be a part of it, why not help train ponies who will be?”

“Luna! Please forgive her; it is difficult to change her mind.”

“Ma’am, I am sorry, but we have to discuss this over with the rest of our group in private.”

“Oh, that is quite alright. We will leave you be.”

With that, the two Princesses and Haybrun walked out and shut the door.

“Boss, we can do that though.” Grinch started.

“I don’t want to get involved in this ordeal. It’s not our problem, so let’s let them solve it on their own. It will make them stronger.”

“No, not about joining them, but about training them. I would much rather do that than sit up here all day long.”

“I agree with Grinch, they are being generous enough to help find us a way home. It’s the least we can do in return.” Frost reasoned.

“We aren’t in a position to make agreements like this. We are soldiers, not diplomats.”

“But wasn’t it your idea to talk to the Princesses in the first place?” Grinch asked.

“Soldier, what is your rank?”

“Sergeant First Class, sir.” He responded, standing straight.

“And what is mine?”

“Master Sergeant, sir.”

“Exactly, so stop being a smartass and follow your orders! We are NOT helping them with this! We don’t make these kinds of calls. We came to negotiate with the Princesses because the situation we were in required us to do that. This one does not.”

“But we still don’t know who caused the explosion.” Truck said from across the room.

“It doesn’t matter to us who caused it or not. It wasn’t us, so we don’t have to worry.”

“Don’t have to worry? Gospodi, kak glupo eti amerikantsy?” Andrei mumbled.

“WE may know we didn’t cause it, but THEY don’t know that. They probably still suspect us.”

“Oh, for the love of God! This is really starting to piss me off!” Sandman said with a sigh. After a few moments of thinking, he spoke again.

“Ok, fine. I don’t know how exactly the Rules of Engagement and all those other rules work cross worlds, but I guess we will vote. If you want to help them, raise your hand.”

Frost, Grinch, and Truck each raised their hands.

“Ok, so that leaves me and Andrei over there against. Two to three…” He mumbled as he rested his head in his hands.

“So, does this mean we will help them?” Truck asked.

“No, it means we will TRAIN them. Nothing more. Hand to hand… or, I guess hoof to hoof combat.”

“Etot plan obrechen na proval! How is this going to work? How are WE supposed to train ponies? We have two legs, they have four. Not to mention some use magic and others fly. We can’t help them.” Andrei reasoned.

“Well, it will be something they can use. None of them have any experience excluding some of the guards, but even that is a long shot. At least we can give them something to branch off of and lay a foundation.”

“This will be interesting to say the least. I doubt the recruits will be happy to have a bunch of strange creatures teaching them combat tactics. We don’t even know if they are fighting anyone. But… we voted. I will respect it.” Sandman said while he walked up to the door and opened it. He stepped outside to see the Princesses nowhere in sight. Haybrun was standing next to the door.

“What are you doing?”

“We need to talk to the Princesses again, sir. We came to an agreement.”

“Very well, come with me.”

“Thank you. Grinch, come with me. Frost, you stay here and make sure everyone gets along.”

“Yes, sir.”

With that, Haybrun, Sandman, and Grinch set off down the hallway. After a couple of turns here and there, they found the Princesses entering the West Wing of the castle.

“Princesses!” Haybrun called out to them. Each turned around in surprise to see Haybrun with two of the humans standing next to him. “The humans wish to speak to you again.”

“Very well. What is it you have to say?” Celestia asked as they approached one another.

“We came to an agreement about this ESDF issue, ma’am. We have agreed to help TRAIN new recruits, but nothing more. We cannot join it, but we can help it that way.” Sandman said, causing Luna to nearly jump for joy.

“Thank you so much, humans. You have no idea what this means to us.” Princess Celestia began.

“We do have a problem though.”

“Oh, and what might that be?”

“How are we supposed to train ponies? All of our training and tactics are meant for humans, and thus things with two legs. I am not sure how effective it will be with ponies.”

“Well, it will be something at least. Haybrun, come here.”

“Yes, Princess?”

“You will be assigned to watch over the humans during training, and will give them help and information about ANYTHING they need to better help us. Is that understood?”

“Yes, Princess.”

“Good. Now, I will have some ponies go out and begin recruiting ponies that they believe would be suitable.”

“Princess, when are we going to announce to the public the destruction of Cloudsdale? We can’t keep it a secret forever, and I am positive most are starting to hear about it now.” Haybrun asked.

“I have sent a letter to each mayor of every town describing what we know. They will hold a town meeting and explain it to the ponies, which I hope doesn’t cause too much trouble.”

“Ma’am, doing that will start a panic. The citizens will become even more afraid than they are now, and there will be chaos in the streets.” Sandman said.

“How do you know?”

“Because I have seen it happen many times, ma’am.”

“Well, what do you suppose I do? Lie to them? Withhold the information from them? What will they think of me then?”

“Ma’am, I don’t know. I am just saying that is what will happen. If you are set on not withholding the information, then you better send a lot of guards to each town to help keep the peace.”

“I already have a regiment of guards in each town to help protect them.”

“How many guards are in a regiment?”

“Around thirty or so, why?”

“Thirty? That’s it? How many guards do you have in total?”

“Well, I have one regiment in Baltimare, Hoofington, Manehatten, Ponyville, Las Pegasus, Trottingham, Fillydelphia, Appleloosa, and two here in Canterlot. One regiment was in Cloudsdale at the time… but… I think we can assume they are no longer with us. So, that totals to around three hundred.”

“Three hundred service members?” Sandman said while he facepalmed… again. “You need to recruit more, ma’am.”

“Well, we never needed a large army. We needed something small to keep the peace.”

“Do you have weapons, ma’am?”

“What type of weapons?”

“Anything your guards use, ma’am. Please tell me they don’t just fight with their hooves…”

“We have some weapons, but they haven’t been used for a while.”

“What type?”

“Spears, some swords, and a catapult.”

“Does the catapult have ammo?”

“We used large boulders, but mostly anything we can get our hooves on is ammo.”

“At least it’s something.” Grinch interjected. Sandman let out a long sigh.

“I’m sorry ma’am, but you don’t have anything to work with here. Not enough troops, not enough weapons, no GOOD weapons excluding the catapult, but even that can be borderline useless depending on the situation. A catapult is slow and takes a hell of a long time to manually load it. Plus, it is giant and unarmored, making it a relatively easy target.”

“Our physical weapons may be less than adequate, but we have a weapon more powerful than anything in existence.”

“Well, what is it ma’am?”

“The Elements of Harmony.”

“The what?”

“The Elements of Harmony. They were used to defeat Discord twice, along with Nightmare Moon. They are the most powerful force we have ever encountered.”

“Where are these… ‘Elements of Harmony’? May I see them, ma’am?”

“You already have.”

“Wait, what? What do you mean?”

“Those six ponies you met when you first arrived, they are the Elements of Harmony. Kindness is Fluttershy, Generosity is Rarity, Loyalty is Rainbow Dash, Laughter is Pinkie Pie, Honesty is Applejack, and Magic is Twilight Sparkle.”

A moment passed with nothing but blank stares from Grinch and Sandman.

“I’m sorry, I am lost.” Grinch said.

“I figured you would be, for it something that is difficult to understand. Elements of Harmony are thing that’s bond with certain ponies that best represent the Element. For example, Twilight is one of the most magically gifted unicorns in all of Equestria, so the Element of Magic chose her. There are only six Elements active at a time. Once the bearer of an Element dies, either the same Element or a new Element is formed and takes the place of another pony. Elements of Harmony hold great power, and can be channeled if all six Elements are together.”

Once again, blank stares were all that was returned form the two humans.

“Does it make any more sense to you?”

“Um, a little bit I guess, but nevermind that, we need to focus on recruiting troops to this ESDF.”

“It was in the letter I sent to the mayors earlier to ask for volunteers. Although, I believe we should start with more experienced ponies, such as some of the guards. Do you have any recommendations, Haybrun?”

“Yes Princess, I do. White Flash and Storm Breaker. They are loyal and are some of the best guards I have seen. I believe they would be excellent additions to the ESDF.”

“Ok, it is settled then. Tomorrow, we will start organizing this out. In the meantime, get some rest.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

With that, the humans and Haybrun returned to their respective rooms. Sandman and Grinch walked into the room without a word and shut the door behind them. Everyone inside turned and eagerly waited to hear what had happened.

“So boss, what happened?”

It took Sandman a minute to respond.

“A lot of things, but I can tell you one thing I know for certain.”

“What?”

“These ponies are completely fucked.”

Chapter 15: Ready Up

The sun shone in through the lone window in the room. Sandman slowly opened his eyes and looked around the room. Truck and Grinch were still asleep, while Frost and Andrei were wide awake. Frost was over at the table writing down something on paper and Andrei was looking through some sort of handbook. Sandman sat up on the couch and wiped his eyes.

“What are you doing over there Frost? Sandman asked.

“Oh, just writing down stuff I remember from basic. If we are going to be training these ponies, we need to remember as much stuff as we can.” Frost responded.

“YA ne mogu poveritʹ, na samom dele my postaraemsya perekhoda etikh poni…” Andrei mumbled to himself.

“You know, you really need to learn to speak up Andrei, or at least speak in English. What is the problem now?”

“I said that I can’t believe we are going to try and train these ponies.”

“Well, we voted, and it was two to three. I am not liking it that much either, so it looks like we have something in common.” Sandman responded. Andrei did nothing but give a shrug in return. Sandman turned back to Frost. “But I don’t think it will be impossible, but it will be a challenge for sure.”

“Heh, trying to train ponies how to defend themselves and kill those who try and harm them. Happens all the time. These things are peace loving. I don’t think we can just, you know, whip them into shape like you would with a person.” Frost reasoned.

“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure about that. I think that it won’t be hard because of Cloudsdale. Having that happen to any country would create patriots who want to get back at whoever did it.”

“Raw anger won’t win battles for them. They need to be skilled and trained. They need to be able to hone in that anger and control it.”

“Jesus, when did you become a philosopher, Frost? Last I remember, you barely talked at all.” Sandman said, causing both to laugh a bit.

“Yeah…” Frost responded with a sigh.

At that moment, Grinch was starting to wake up along with Truck.

“Rise and shine.” Sandman said to them in a cheery tone.

“Ugh, what time is it?” Grinch asked, still trying to fully wake up.

“I don’t know, there aren’t any clocks in here.”

“It is 9:37AM.” Someone from behind them said, causing all of them to turn around with a start. They found that Haybrun was standing in the doorway. “At 8:00, the announcements were given in each town about Cloudsdale and the need for recruits. The lists, along with those who enlisted, will be here around 2:00PM. At that time, I will introduce you to them and you will begin training.”

“Damn, no time to get acquainted then. Where are we exactly going to train them, sir?”

“You don’t have to call me ‘sir’ anymore. The Princesses saw it fit to appoint you all Captains of the ESDF for now. So, we are both the same rank for the time being.”
This caused all the soldiers in the room to glance at each other.

“So, what does this mean?”

“You will have access to more restricted areas of the castle, as well as the armory and Canterlot storage. The Princesses are putting a lot of trust in you. Don’t waste it.”

“What’s in Canterlot storage?”

“I don’t really know. It holds many strange artifacts and tools that we have found throughout history. I have only been down there twice, both times accompanied by the Princesses.”

“Interesting… but anyway, back to my original question, where are we going to train them?”

“Inside the castle, there is a giant training room filled with any equipment you would need. It is used when we train royal guards.”

“May we go see it? We need to know what we are going to be working with before the recruits get here. You know, set up some form of training course.”

“Certainly, follow me.”

“Hang on, I am coming too.” Truck said as he slowly got up off the bed.

“No, Truck. You aren’t in any condition to be moving around.”

“Hell, I wouldn’t miss this for the world. I am coming with you. I just won’t exert myself too much.”

“Ugh, fine. What about you Andrei?” Sandman asked, turning to the Russian on the couch.

“Nu ... shtrafa. I guess I shall go see how much of a failure this is going to be first hand.” He said with a chuckle, even though their was evident pain across his face as he stood up.

“Well, glad to know you’re confident.”

“Twilight, wake up! The Princess has summoned us to the main chamber!” Rarity said, trying to awaken the lavender mare. Slowly, Twilight opened her eyes.

“Ugh, wait… what?”

“The Princess summoned us to the main chamber. We need to go.”

“What? Where is everypony else?”

“They are already on their way. We are going to be late, come on!”

Twilight was up in an instant and started to brush out her mane to the best of her ability. After a rather quick and shoddy job, they left the room and trotted off down the hallway. After a few twists and turns, they ended up in the main chamber. Twilight's other friends were already there conversing with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, well, except for Rainbow Dash. She was standing behind the others, not talking and staring at the ground.

“Ah, well it looks as though everypony is here. I have some good news and bad news to share with you. Which would you like to hear first?”

After a quick discussion between the group, Twilight spoke.

“We will have the good news first, Princess.”

“Very well. The good news is that we are setting up a force to help find out who has caused this terrible event. This morning, each mayor addressed their town with what we know so far, and asked for recruits to join a force that we haven’t used in quite some time, the ESDF. We have already picked its leaders and those who have chosen to enlist are on their way here. Plus, we already have plans for rebuilding Cloudsdale after the problem has been solved.”

This caused everypony in the group to let out a sigh of relief or give a smile. It even brightened Rainbow’s mood a little bit.

“Now… the bad news...” Princess Celestia began, but Luna interrupted.

“I don’t really see how this is bad news, Tia.”

“To them, it might be.”

“What do you mean ‘to us’?” Twilight asked.

“We had no ponies we knew of with the skills required to lead such a force. After some consideration, we saw that we only had one choice.”

”I don’t see where this is going.” Rarity said in confusion.

“We asked the humans if they would be willing to help us, and they agreed. They will be the leaders of the ESDF and train the new recruits.”

Everypony in the room stood there in shock, staring at the Princesses.

“But… but why? Why the humans? Why not Haybrun or somepony else?” Twilight asked in a distressed tone.

“Because even though Haybrun is Captain of the Royal Guard, he doesn’t have much combat experience, and it is quite a stressful job to have. The most anypony got was during the Changeling invasion, and you all saw how bad that went. The humans have experience. Their planet is at war almost all the time and they were a part of one. They know how to fight, so they are going to help train our recruits on how to do the same.”

“Do ya think it was the Changelings that did this?” Applejack asked.

“I don’t know, but it is always a possibility. We believe it was either them or the Griffins.”

“The Griffins? Why would the Griffins do something like this?”

“Well, the Griffins and us don’t have the best history together. During Discord’s reign, we asked them for help and they refused. After we were victorious and me and Luna took the crown, we found out that the Griffins actually had a pact with Discord. It said that if Discord was victorious, he would give them full amnesty and they would be able to take us as slaves for whatever purpose they saw fit. After we found that out, we demolished their trade and government, labeling them traitors to the free world. Of course, this was a very long time ago and since then, things have gone back to normal, but there is still much hate between the two of us.”

“Why haven’t we ever heard of this? I don’t remember reading that in any books…” Twilight asked while she scanned her brain for anything she remembered about the subject.

“Because this happened a very long time ago. It has faded out of the knowledge of many. Only some records and books have information regarding the reign of Discord.”

“Rainbow, you have been awfully quiet, what’s your take on…” Twilight began, but turned around to see Rainbow Dash nowhere in sight. “Where did Rainbow go?”

Everyone looked around, but she was nowhere to be seen.

“Oh dear…”

“Wow…” Was all that was said from anyone when they entered the training facility. It was absolutely GIANT.

“How big is this thing?” Sandman asked Haybrun.

“The ceiling extends up around four hunred yards, while the distance end to end is around one thousand yards."

“Damn... well, we got room. That’s for sure. Let’s go look at this equipment of yours.”

They approached one side of the room to see a bunch of weights on racks and other items spread across the floor and walls.

“Can you explain to us what some of these things do?” Sandman asked, causing Haybrun to look at him odd.

“Do you not have these items in your world?” He asked.

“Well, we have some of these, but others look completely new to me.”

“Why would you have a three thousand pound weight?” Grinch asked from behind the group. They turned to see him standing next to a giant metal ball sitting in the corner of the room.

“We use that for Unicorns. They have to levitate it up in the air as high as they can and hold it there for as long as possible. Helps build magical endurance.”

“Hell, what if they drop it? It would leave a giant ass hole in the floor.” Frost asked.

“You would be surprised. This room is enchanted with a magical force field. If somepony was to drop it, it wouldn’t even dent the floor, or the weight. It would just make a really loud noise.”

“Well, we are used to loud noises, so that won’t be a problem.”

“What is this here?” Andrei asked while he picked up an odd fan looking mechanism.

“Oh, please be careful with that. It is an Anemometer, the only one of its kind. Twilight Sparkle created that to measure a pegasi’s wing power.”

“Wing power? What does that mean?”

“It tells you how fast they are flying and how strong their wings are.”

“Ok, well that will come in handy. How about normal ponies? Do you have anything that is used to measure their strength?” Sandman asked.

“Yes, it is rather simple.” Haybrun said as he pulled out what appeared to be a giant tackling dummy used in American Football. It was connected to a metal bar and had an inflatable bag on the bottom. A pressure gauge stuck out on the back, much like on the Anemometer.

“How do you use it?”

“Well, I will show you.” Haybrun said while he walked in front on the contraption. “You have somepony walk in front of it and buck it as hard as they can.” He demonstrated by turning around and raising his back hoofs and bucking it violently. The inflatable bag on the bottom filled up with air. Sandman went behind and looked at the pressure gauge. It read 27 even. “The force exerted inflates the bag. The more force, the more air is pushed in, and it reads how powerful the buck was.”

“What is this measured in?” Sandman asked. “It said you got a 27 even.”

“That is a little above average. The standard for bucking is around 25, while wing power is averaged around 8.”

“But what is this measurement?”

“Buck-power.”

Sandman stood there staring at him for a moment.

“…That’s what the measurement is called?”

“Yes, why?”

“Well… oh nevermind. It’s just different than what I am used to.”

“Okay, well, anything else that I should explain to you?”

“No, I think that is about it, but it looks like the rest is just your average weight room stuff. Nothing here that we can really use for a makeshift boot camp, but it will have to do.”

“Heh, I got an idea.” Andrei said mischievously

“Oh, I don’t like the sound of that.” Haybrun said cautiously.

“Oh don’t worry, it’s nothing THAT bad, but it is something that happened to me when I enlisted. The instructors wanted to see new recruits react under pressure when they were not expecting it. They would see who were brave and who were cowards.”

“Sounds interesting, so what is it?” Sandman asked with a raised eyebrow.

"However, we may need to do this outside..."

Rainbow Dash walked down the hallways in silence, occasionally having fits of anger or sadness. She didn’t care where she was going. She only wanted to be alone. As she walked, she began to make out voices nearby. Not wanting to see anypony, she tried to avoid whoever it was and turned down a different hallway, only to run into Haybrun head first.

“Ah, sorry… I wasn’t looking where I was going…” Rainbow mumbled out.

“Oh, it’s fine. What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be with the Princess right now?”

“Yes, but…” She began, but cut herself off when she saw the humans standing behind Haybrun. “Oh for Celestia’s sake… LEAVE ME ALONE!” She yelled at them, then turned away and galloped off down another hallway. Sandman let out a long sigh.

“You must have really screwed her up when you shot her boss…” Grinch whispered to him.

“That’s probably only part of it. She lost her parents in Cloudsdale, so more than likely she is a train wreck of emotions. Best to leave her be considering we are the last people she wants to see.”

“I will have some guards go find her, but in the meantime, we best be getting ourselves prepared. It is 1:30PM, so the recruits will be here soon.”

The group set back off down the hallway towards the entranceway. As they walked, something dawned on Sandman.

“You know, I have a question…”

“Ok, what is it?” Haybrun asked.

“While the Princess was talking to us about their troops, she mentioned the names of the cities. I don’t know why it took me this long to realize this, but why are almost all the names of your cities similar to the names of cities on our planet?”

The group slowed down while Haybrun pondered the question.

“I don’t know. Why? Is there a Manehatten or a Fillydelphia on your world?”

“No, we have a Manhattan and a Philadelphia, as well as a Las Vegas and a Baltimore, matching you’re Las Pegasus and Baltimare. Why are they so similar to one another?”

Haybrun did nothing but return a shrug.

“Oh well, it doesn’t matter. It just seems really weird.”

“Maybe we are not so different after all.” Haybrun responded without much emotion.

“Wait, what do you mean by that?” Sandman asked. By this point, the entire group had stopped and was waiting on an answer.

“I don’t know, I am just saying. It seems the longer I spend time with you, the more resemblances I see between you and us.”

“Well, the Princess did say there were many humans before us. Perhaps some of our culture seeped into yours.”

“Yeah… perhaps…”

Chapter 16: BCT Day 1 (1/2)

*Note*
Just a quick word before the chapter. If your OC doesn't seem to get much time in the chapter, they will in later chapters. Each will have their 'time to shine' moment and I will try to make it as even as possible. I am trying to keep them as close to their personality you gave me about them. If you find anything that isn't like them, or want to add in more detail about them, mail me. ANYWAYS... here is the chapter!

Chapter 16: BCT Day 1 (1/2)

“What time is it?” Sandman asked Haybrun while they waited near the entrance of the castle. Haybrun pointed a hoof towards the clock on the wall behind them.

“1:53PM. The recruits should be here any minute now.”

“Well, actually, two are already here.” Sandman corrected.

“Ah, White Flash and Storm Breaker. Well, they are going to be the ones leading the recruits up the path to the castle and more than likely end up being the squad leaders, as you said. I didn’t tell them about the plan, however. Are you sure that it is a good idea though?”

“Of course it is! We will be able to see who is courageous and who is cowardly by doing this.” Andrei said proudly.

“Well, none of them know about guns. All of them will probably run or freak out. I consider it a waste of ammo.” Grinch said from behind the group.

“It’s better than tossing a flashbang at them.” Andrei replied.

“Well, of course it is! Toss a flashbang at them and they will probably look straight at the damn thing out of curiosity. Then, add in the possibility of permanently screwing up their vision and hearing and/or having them hurl and lose consciousness. We want to see how they react, not put them out of commission.”

“This is why we decided to do away with the flashbang and go with the gunshots.” Andrei said slowly, antagonizing Grinch.

“Ugh, so what’s the actual plan boss? After we do this here, what’s next?”

“We take them down to the training room and do the IST… well, as close to it as we can that is.”

“Um… IST?” Haybrun asked.

“Initial Strength Test. We will rate all the Pegasi’s wing-power, time all the Unicorn’s on their endurance, and all of the recruits buck-power. After that, we will do the timed run of 1.5 miles. That room is one thousand yards long, and there is one thousand, seven hundred and sixty yards in a mile, so I will just round and say they have to run down to one end, then back, then to the middle…”

“Sounds like one hell of a suicide to me…” Frost thought out loud.

“Anyway, that’s what I have set up so far. Don’t know if we can do crunches with them though...”

“Yes, you can.” Haybrun said.

“Wait… you can actually do crunches?”

“Yes, it’s not THAT difficult.” He responded. “Why, can you not do them?”

“No, it’s not that. I can do a shit load of them if need be, but HOW do YOU do crunches? You’re a pony!”

“Um, you lie on your back and lift your chest up off the ground until it touches your hind legs?” He said while looking at them strange.

“Show me.”

“Really? You want me to SHOW you how to do a crunch?” He asked.

“Yes, I have got to see this myself.”

“Oh what the… ugh, fine.”

He laid down on his back, and sure enough, he was able to tuck in his hind legs, and do a couple of crunches. It looked almost exactly like how a human would do one.

“Well I’ll be damned. Ok, we will add that one in too. I am just going to take out limits and we will just see how many of them they can do in two minutes.”

“Can you do push-ups?” Frost asked out of curiosity.

“Yes, must I demonstrate that as well?” Haybrun said, starting to get a little annoyed by all the questions.

“No, it’s fine, but if they can, we will add that in as well.”

Out from behind the group, Princess Celestia walked up them.

“I trust you are all ready?” She asked, causing all of them to jump slightly.

“Yes, ma’am. Wait, did you tell her the plan Haybrun?” Sandman asked.

“Yes, she knows. She informed the other guards of it as well so they won’t be out on this side and nothing will get in your way.”

“That is correct. However, I do ask for you to be as careful as possible. I understand your meaning behind it, but it still worries me. Do try to not hit them with those weapons of yours.”

“Don’t worry, ma’am. We are only going to be shooting the ground a couple of times.”

“Hey, that’s the train. They are here.” Haybrun announced to the group.

“Okay, we are here! Everypony exit one at a time.” A royal guard at the front of the cabin said as everypony got up and formed a line inside.

There weren’t that many ponies that volunteered for the ESDF. Only ten had been brave enough to step forward out of everypony, plus two royal guards from Canterlot, or so they were informed. None had stepped forward from Hoofington or Las Pegasus. Two had come from Manehatten, a unicorn called Wise Free and a Pegasus named Swift Wind. One had come from Trottingham, another pegasus called Silent Blade. One from Fillydelphia, an Earth Pony by the name of Gallant Force. Three from Ponyville, all of which were Pegasi. Night Arrow, Breeze Chaser, and Dual Ties. Two from Baltimare, another Earth Pony called Black Night and a pegasus named Cloud Sabre. Finally, the last one came from Appleloosa, a unicorn named O’Tipsey.

Throughout the entire trip, none of them had spoken much to one another. Most just sat by themselves, looking out the window, waiting for the scenery to change. Really, only three of them seemed to have any conversations. Breeze Chaser, Swift Wind, and O’Tipsey all sat near each other the entire trip, talking away with one another, looking as though they had known each other their entire lives.

After everypony was out of the train car, they were met by two new pegasi.

“Hello there, glad to see you all got here safe. If you would please follow us, we will lead you up to the castle where you will meet the Princesses and your trainers.” The one on the left said.

“I am sorry, but who are you?” Dual Ties asked, examining them both closely.

“I am White Flash, and this is Storm Breaker. We are going to be training with you as recruits from Canterlot.”

“So, you are the two royal guards that were selected?” Wise Free asked.

“Yes, we are. Now, if you don’t mind, we have no time to waste. Please follow us.” White Flash said as he turned around with Storm Breaker and began to trot off towards the castle. Slowly, each one of them followed suit and began to go after them. After a couple minute journey, the entranceway to the castle came into sight. As they approached, Dual Ties began to slow down, looking around cautiously.

“Something’s off here…” She whispered to the closest pony, which happened to be Gallant Force.

“What do you mean?” He asked.

“All this way, I haven’t seen a single guard. Everything is really peaceful… almost TOO peaceful.Aren't we in a state of enemrgency or something?”

“You’re being paranoid. We are in the middle of Canterlot. What could possibly happen to us here?”

“I don’t know…” She said. After a couple more steps, she casually slowed down behind the group and flew over the hedge along the pathway and walked on the opposite side, off of the path. No more than ten seconds later, she saw up on the entranceway a figure hiding behind one of the columns. She quickened her pace, passing the group and heading up along the side of the entrance. As she approached, the figure moved out from behind the column, as well as several others behind various pieces of cover, followed by extremely loud and repetitive bangs coming from something they had in their hands. She flew up and rammed the closest one to her, knocking it to the ground. She almost went for the second, hadn’t she been stopped by another pony blocking her path.

“CEASE FIRE!” One of them yelled out, causing the noises to stop, and the rest of the figures to step back and lower whatever was in their hands. She looked out to the courtyard and saw that everypony appeared to be ok, just really frightened. Most were hiding behind anything they could find, with the exception of Wise Free who had placed a shield around himself, Cloud Sabre, White Flash, and Storm Breaker.

“What are you doing up here?” The pony in front of her asked. She turned to see it was wearing gold armor, used only by the royal guard. It had a couple of medals strapped to the front, suggesting he was a high ranking officer.

“Well, I saw these… things… hiding behind the columns, so I went around to see what they were doing. When I started hearing the noises from those things in their hands, I thought they were trying to attack us, so I went and attacked them.” She responded proudly.

“Did anyone see her come up the side?” One of the strange creatures asked, followed by all of the others shaking their heads no. The one that she had tackled began to slowly get back up.

“Glupyĭ proklyatyĭ poni! Yeblya vybila veter iz menya!” It shouted out, not seeming to be directing it towards anypony around.

“Heh, so much for this plan of yours Andrei. Looks like she managed to smell us out before we even had a chance to do much of anything.” Another one said, followed by laughing from the rest of them.

“What the hay just happened?” Swift Wind called out from down below them as everypony else began to step out of their cover.

“We wanted to see how you all would react when you weren’t expecting anything to happen. Test Number One.”

“Who are you all? Or… better yet, WHAT are you all?” Dual Ties asked, examining them all thoroughly.

“I will explain that to you all.” A voice called out from behind the group. They turned to see Princess Celestia walking out of the castle. Everypony bowed out of respect. After everypony rose, the Princess began to explain. “They are called humans, and they will be your trainers throughout the course of your time in the ESDF. They are highly experienced in the art of warfare and will be of great benefit to you. You are to respect them as you would respect me and listen to everything they tell you. Humans, please tell them your names."

“My name is Sandman. This here is Truck, Grinch, Frost, and Andrei, but you will refer to us all with Sir at the end. Like the Princess said, we are going to be training you so you all can become the best of the best. It will not be easy, as the training we have set up will push you not only physically, but mentally as well. At first, it may seem easy, but I promise you this… it WILL get harder. With that said, if any of you wish to back out, now would be the time.”

Nopony moved.

“Good. Now, follow us inside and we will lead you to the training facility.”

Everypony quickly followed suit and entered the castle. Dual Ties stayed back for a second and approached the one called Andrei.

“Um, sorry sir. I didn’t know you were here to help us…” She began.

“Okh, Iisus Khristos… It is fine. Now get up with the rest of the recruits!” He shouted back at her.

“Uh, yes sir!” She said as she galloped back towards the others. When she got closer to the group, she walked up next to Gallant Force, and with a sly smile on her face, whispered into his ear.

“Told ya so.”

“… Oh shut up…”

After a couple of minutes, the group entered the training facility. All of the new recruits gave the same expression as the soldiers did when they first entered the room.

“Wow, this place is absolutely GIANT.” O'Tipsey said to nopony in particular.

“Oh really? I didn’t notice…” Gallant Force responded sarcastically.

“Oh yeah, one more thing. No starting fights with the other recruits, else all of you will pay for it. Same goes for the training. If one of you fails, you all fail with them.” Sandman announced to them.

“Wait… so, if someone screws up, ALL of us get punished? What is the point of that?” Night Arrow asked angrily.
Sandman did nothing but turn around and stare at him expectantly.

“Oh, um… why do we all get punished if one of us screws up, SIR.” He reiterated, putting a good emphasis on the SIR.

“That’s better. Now, to answer your question… it is because it only takes ONE of you to put the entire squad in jeopardy. All of you must work together as one single unit, or else you WILL fail. It is better to learn it here than out on some battlefield where your life is on the line.”

“Hmm… makes sense.” Wise Free mumbled to himself.

“I almost forgot, these are for the recruits.” Princess Celestia said as she walked in the room with a couple of boxes levitating in front of her. She set them down in front of the group of humans at the front. Frost pulled out his knife and opened up the first one, revealing a bunch of vests. Each of them were black with the Equestrian flag stamped on the side. Above the flag in big yellow letters was the letters ESDF. Some had holes in the side for pegasi, but the rest were just normal vests. He did the same with the other two boxes. Each held the same thing.

“Ok, well, how about this…. Haybrun, give me the lists with the names on it.” Sandman said. Haybrun pulled out the list from a saddlebag and handed it to him. “When I call out your name, walk forward and get a vest. Once you get it, stand over next to Grinch and Truck.”

Sandman cleared his throat before he began.

“Wise Free.”

Out stepped a unicorn wearing a white scarf around his neck. The same unicorn that had put up the shield in the courtyard.

“Why are you wearing a scarf?” Sandman asked, looking at him strange. The temperature outside was burning hot.

“I don’t know, I just like wearing it, sir.” Wise Free responded.

“Well, take it off. You can’t wear it in here.”

“Wait, why sir?”

“Because I told you so. Take the damn thing off.”

Reluctantly, Wise Free levitated the scarf off of him and set it down near the entrance. Sandman picked up a vest and tossed it to him.

“Next, Breeze Chaser.”

A pegasus walked out from the group, his eyes mostly trained at the ground. Sandman tossed him a vest and he quietly walked off to join Wise Free.

“Next, Gallant Force.”

Out walked an Earth Pony with a serious expression across his face. Sandman looked at him for a bit, for he didn’t seem as big as the other Earth Ponies he had encountered. After a couple of seconds, he gave him a vest and looked back at the list.

“Next, Silent Blade.”

Another pegasus walked out. Sandman studied him for a little bit. He looked really agile and had a neutral expression on his face. Sandman gave him vest and he went off to join to join the others.

“Ok, Swift Wind.”

Out walked what appeared to be a pegasus, but his wings didn’t look right.

“What is wrong with your wings?” Sandman asked him as he approached.

“It is a birth defect, sir. I was born with bat wings.”

“Can you fly with those?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Ok…” Sandman said as he handed him a vest.

“Next, Dual Ties.”

Out walked yet another pegasus. The same pegasus that had sensed their ambush and planted Andrei in the ground.

“Heh, Andrei, I found your friend from earlier.” Sandman said, causing Andrei to mumble something in Russian and the rest of the group to let out a small laugh. Sandman tossed her a vest.

“Next, Night Arrow.”

A dark colored pegasus slowly walked out from behind all the others and slowly trotted up to the front. Sandman gave him a vest and returned to the list.

“Ok, Black Night.”

Another Earth pony walked out with what seemed like a really pissed off attitude. He approached and stood in front of the humans expectantly. Sandman debated asking him why he looked like he was about to kill someone, but instead just threw him a vest and went back to the list.

“Next, Cloud Sabre.”

Another pegasus walked out from the group and walked up to the humans. He seemed to be smiling a little bit when he did. Sandman gave him a vest and looked back at the list.

“Next, O’Tipsey” Sandman said, looking it over again to make sure he said it right.

Out walked a unicorn with a rather odd smile on his face. He walked up to the group in a less than straight line.

“Are you drunk or something?” Sandman asked, although he already knew the answer to that question. He had seen enough drunks in his life to know what one looked like, even if this one was a pony.

“No, sir.” He said in a heavy Irish accent. Sandman just stared at him.

“Ok, well… maybe a little bit sir.” He said again.

“Well, you better drop it, because it isn’t going to turn out well for you or your squad mates over there if you don’t.”

“Don’t worry, sir. I know a spell that makes me sober again.”

Sandman looked at him for moment before responding.

“If that is true, then why haven’t you used it yet?”

“Well, it isn’t much fun if you’re sober ALL the time, sir.”

“Well how about you use the damn spell right now and not show up in this room drunk again?”

“Sounds like a plan, sir.” He said as his horn lit up. After a couple of seconds, it faded away and O’Tipsey was standing there like he was a brand new pony.

“See? I’m perfectly fine, sir.”

“Yeah, make sure it stays that way.” Sandman said as he thrust a vest towards him.

“Ok, White Flash and Storm Breaker.” He called out. The two pegasi approached him as he threw them both a vest.

“Well, we got ourselves a rather odd mix of recruits here.” Frost whispered to Sandman.

“You can say that again. Let’s just do the IST. Then we will know what we really have to work with.”

Sandman turned back to the group of ponies. All had their vests on and were quietly talking amongst themselves.

“Ok, listen up!” Sandman shouted out to them, causing all of them to instantly shut up. “You got your gear, so we are moving on to the second part, the Initial Strength Test. I want all the Pegasi to move over to the left, all the Earth Ponies in the middle, and all the Unicorns on the right.”

After a moment of the ponies looking at each other, they started to move into the correct order, but ended up in a jumbled mess, not knowing where to go.

“Jesus… what is the problem? Don’t you know you’re left from your right?” Sandman shouted out at them.

“Sir, whose right? Yours or ours?” Wise Free asked.

“MY right.” Sandman responded angrily.

“Then this way.” O’Tipsey said, walking to the left.

“No, over here.” Wise Free said from behind him.

“No, it’s over this way!” He reiterated, pointing towards Sandman’s left.

“That is YOUR right. He said HIS right.”

“Oh for the love of God…” Frost said as he was about to walk forward towards them, but was held back by Sandman.

“Don’t help them. I want to see how they handle it on their own.” Sandman whispered to him.

“I can’t find the middle until you find the right.” Black Night said angrily to the two unicorns.

“This is the left.” White Flash announced to the group. “Pegasi over here.”

“No, that is the right!” O’Tipsey said once again.

“Oh for Celestia’s sake!” Silent Blade yelled out to the group. He walked over to O’Tipsey, grabbed him by the tail, and pulled him over to Wise Free. “RIGHT!” He yelled into his face. He then walked over and pointed at the two Earth Ponies, then down at where he was standing. “MIDDLE!” He shouted out to them. Then he walked back over to where the pegasi were bunched up. “LEFT!” He announced before rejoining them.
Sandman just stood there with the others watching with a less than content expression on his face.

“This is going to be one long ass day…” He mumbled to himself.

“Does your training usually start off this bad in your world?” Haybrun whispered.

“No… not normally, well, at least ours didn’t.”

“They got into order at least.” Frost whispered to the group.

“Yeah, took them long enough, but they don’t seem to work together well.”

“They are lucky I am not running this.” Andrei said to the group. “If they questioned me at all, I would have made their life a living hell.”

“Heh, don’t worry. You will get to spend some time with them. They look as though they need it, because I don’t think they know what they are getting themselves into. How about this, after the IST, you can be in charge of training them in hand to hand combat AND be the one who gives out discipline. Sound good?”

“Hell yes!” Andrei said as he cracked his knuckles.

“Now, let’s try to keep the discipline within reason here? This means not physically beating the shit out of them, ok?”

“Fine.”

Sandman turned back to the group of ponies. They were standing at attention, waiting for their next orders. He did a quick overview of all the ponies. There were eight Pegasi, two Earth Ponies, and two Unicorns.

“Ok, all the Pegasi, come with me and Haybrun. Earth Ponies head over to Andrei and Grinch. Unicorns go with Truck and Frost. Think you can do that without screwing up?” Sandman asked the group of ponies. A couple of mumbles and some indistinct yes sir’s were heard from the group.

“I CAN’T HEAR YOU!” Sandman yelled out to them, causing all of them to jump slightly.

“YES SIR!” A collective shout came back from the group.

“NOW GO!”

Each group quickly galloped to their designated locations without another word. Frost went and passed out a piece of paper and a pencil to Sandman and Grinch.

“To keep track of the scores they get.”

“Got it. It’s time to really see what these ponies can do.”

Chapter 17: BCT Day 1 (2/2)

Unicorns

Truck and Frost walked over with the two Unicorns, Wise Free and O’Tipsey, to the three thousand pound metal weight sitting in the corner.

“Damn, he didn’t tell us what the average was for height and length of time…” Frost mumbled over to Truck. He turned around to ask Haybrun, but saw he was rather far off and busy reading out numbers off of the anemometer set up for the Pegasi.

“Oh well, we will just record what they get and worry about averages later.”

The two humans looked over to the Unicorns, who were both standing at attention waiting for their task.

“Listen up, your job is to levitate that weight right there as high as you can, and hold it there for as long as possible. We will record the height and time. Understand?”

Wise Free shook his head yes, while O’Tipsey had a rather uneasy look on his face.

“Um… I can’t, sir…” He mumbled to them.

“What? What do you mean you can’t?” Frost asked.

“I don’t know any levitation spells… well, actually any spell besides the detox one.”

Truck and Frost exchanged confused glances to one another, while Wise Free did the same with O’Tipsey.

“Wait… hang on. You are a Unicorn, and you don’t know ANY spells? None? Isn’t it like… second nature to you or something?” Truck asked.

“No, you have to learn spells. Some things you are born with, but you have to learn new spells, which can take an extremely long time to perfect, sir.” Wise Free answered.

“Ok… what do we do then?” Frost asked Truck, who responded with a shrug.

“Well, um… Wise Free, you go ahead. I guess you can just go on over with the Earth Ponies for now, O’Tipsey. You’ll have to go over there eventually anyway.”

“Yes, sir.” He responded as he trotted off to where the Earth Ponies were waiting.

“Ok, you can go when your ready. You got the time?” Truck asked Frost.

“Yeah.” He responded as he set his stop-watch on his wrist.

Wise Free then proceeded to lift the giant metal weight. His horn lit up and a magical aurora surrounded the weight and it slowly began to lift off of the ground. It began to get higher and higher, but they could tell that seemed to level out around fifteen feet off of the ground thanks to the markings on the side of the wall showing heights.

The Unicorns face was twisted in an expression of determination and pain as he continued to hold the weight up for as long as he possibly could.

After a few more moments, the sheer weight of it started to take its toll on Wise Free, as it slowly started to lower, until it finally dropped to the ground with a loud thud.

“Three minutes, fourteen seconds at fifteen feet up.” Frost said as he read off his watch.

“Ok, well… our job is done then. Wise Free, head on over with the Earth Ponies.” Frost ordered.

“Yes, sir.” Wise Free responded. After catching his breath for a couple of seconds, he turned and made his way towards the Earth Pony group.

Pegasi

Sandman turned around and walked back to the large group of pegasi. Haybrun was standing next to the anemometer, which was set up about seventy five yards out from the group.

“Ok, your goal is to fly past the anemometer out there next to Haybrun as fast as you can so we can calculate your wing-power. The average wing-power is eight, so I expect all of you to get above ten. Give it all you got! First up, Breeze Chaser.” Sandman announced.

The Pegasus walked out from the crowd towards the location at which Sandman was standing.

“You can go when you are ready.”

Breeze Chaser looked down towards where the anemometer was positioned and then back to the starting line a couple of times, and then got down into a sort of stance that you would see a lineman in American Football in. He was leaning back on his hind legs, while one of them was further back from the other to get more power on his launch. After a couple of seconds, he was off, leaving a gust of wind in his wake. In what seemed like seconds, he was already past the anemometer and coming to a stop.

“11.7” Haybrun called out.

“Good...” Sandman mumbled as he wrote down the score on the sheet of paper.

This process was continued with each one, with all of them getting really close scores to one another. Sandman recorded each score. Breeze Chaser with an 11.7, Silent Blade with an 11.9, Dual Ties with an 11.8, Night Arrow with an 12.0, Cloud Sabre with an 11.9, and Storm Breaker with a 12.0. White Flash went up next, and finished with an 11.6.

“White Flash! How are the others getting a higher wing-power than you? You were a member of the Royal Guard! You should be smoking them! Go again!”

“Yes, sir!”

He went once more, and finished with an 11.9.

“That’s better, now get back with the group! Last one… Swift Wind.”

The last Pegasus, the one with the bat wings due to a birth defect, came forward. He approached the line and got down in his stance, getting ready to go.

"Well, time to see if he can actually fly with those things. Doesn’t look like he could…” Sandman thought to himself.

After a moment of silence, Swift Wind literally launched himself off the line in an instant, leaving a giant boom sound and a gust of wind behind him enough to knock over Sandman and the other bystanders. The boom echoed throughout the room while it shook violently, sending everyone else in the room to the ground.

“Jesus! What the hell was that!?” Sandman yelled out as he got back up after the shaking subsided. He looked down towards Haybrun, who was sprawled out on the floor holding the anemometer in place. Swift Wind was circling the room, looking like he was trying to slow down.

“I… I think he broke the sound barrier!” Cloud Sabre called out to the group as he got back to his hooves.

“No… that can’t be possible.” Night Arrow pointed out. “The only time I have ever seen a pony break the sound barrier was when Rainbow Dash did it during the Best Young Flyers Competition last year, but she was going straight down. How in the world could somepony break the sound barrier on takeoff?”

“Boss! What in the hell just happened?” Truck called back from the Unicorn group.

“I’m not really sure... hey, Haybrun! What was his wing-power?” Sandman called out down the room.

“Uh… well… I don’t know…”

“What? What do you mean you don’t know?”

“The anemometer maxed out at 25.”

By this time, Swift Wind had landed and was walking back over to the group, in which most of them exchanged high-hooves with one another. However, Swift Wind didn’t make eye contact with any of them, and kept to the back of the group.

“Holy shit… ponies breaking the sound barrier? Huh, I really shouldn’t be surprised…” Sandman mumbled to himself. “Ok, well… on that note… we are all done. So, all of you head over to the Earth pony group to have your buck-power measured.”
After a collective, ‘Yes, Sir’, from the group, they all made their way over to the Earth Ponies, with Swift Wind still following from the back of the group.

Earth Ponies

The two Earth Ponies, Gallant Force and Black Night, along with Grinch and Andrei, went over to the bag used to measure buck-power.

“You two, listen up. This is rather self-explanatory, but I have to explain it anyway just to make sure.” Andrei started out. “You have to buck that bag as hard as you can so we can see how strong you are. Do you somehow have any questions?”

“No, sir.” Both said in unison.

“Good, you! The one with the black coat. What is your name?”

“Black Night, sir.” He responded with little emotion.

“You are first.”

After a nod, Black Night walked up to the bag and, just like Haybrun had done earlier, bucked it as hard as he could. Grinch was standing behind it with his piece of paper, reading the measurement.

“28.4” Grinch called out as he wrote it down.

“Impossible, that is better than Haybrun’s score.”

“Well, that’s what its reading.”

“Hmm… that will not do. We need Haybrun to redo his sometime later… anyway, what is your name?” Andrei said, pointing towards the only other Earth Pony.

“Gallant Force, sir.”

“Your turn.”

He proceeded to do the same thing Black Night did before him, and finished with a 28.0.

“Lord have mercy! What has the world come to when the new recruits are stronger than their Captain?”

“Well, you know, he was just demonstrating. He could have not been trying.”

“That better be the reason…”

After a minute or two, one of the Unicorns walked over to the group. Andrei remembered him… he was the one who was drunk… O’Tipsey. He approached the group and stood in front of the two humans, looking like he didn’t exactly know what to do.

“Well?” Andrei asked, raising an eyebrow at him. “You waiting for an invitation? Your turn.”

“What do I exactly do, sir?”

“Knock the shit out of that bag.” Andrei responded in a flat tone, pointing towards the bag next to him.
Hearing those words, O’Tipsey lit up like the sun. Hitting stuff was his specialty, something that comes after winning a lot of bar fights.

“Yes, sir!” He responded with enthusiasm. He approached the bag and hit it so hard that the bag actually slid a couple of feet backwards. A great feat considering it weighed a ton.

“It is reading 28.8.” Grinch called out, resulting in Andrei mumbling something in Russian.

“At least we know they are strong…”

“Um, sir? Can I go again?” Black Night asked, obviously a little vexed about being beaten by a Unicorn in strength.

“Yeah, can I too sir?” Gallant Force joined in.

“Perhaps later, but we have to let him go first.” Andrei said, pointing to Wise Free, who had just gotten over to them.

“What do I do sir?” Wise Free asked.

“Oh Lord, if I am going to have to explain this to each and every one of you…” Andrei started, but was interrupted by Grinch.

“Hit this bag as hard as you can.” Grinch said, stopping Andrei from saying something that could possibly come and bite him later.

Wise Free went and, like those before him, hit the bag as hard as he possibly could.

“26.5.”

At that moment, the entire room shook violently and a loud ‘boom’ sound echoed loudly through the room, sending everyone to the ground. After a couple of seconds, it faded away, leaving in its wake the noise of frantic chatter.

“What was that?” Wise Free asked as he got up and helped O’Tipsey off the ground.

“I don’t know…” Grinch responded. He turned around to see one of the Pegasi flying around the room at an incredible speed, looking like he was trying to slow down.

“Boss! What in the hell just happened?” Truck called out from the Unicorn group.

“I’m not really sure... hey, Haybrun! What was his wing-power?” Sandman called out down the room.

“Wait, what? Did that Pegasi do that?” Grinch asked Andrei, who merely returned a shrug.

“I have come to stop getting surprised over all the crap that happens here.” Andrei responded with little emotion.

“Uh… well… I don’t know…” Haybrun responded to Sandman.

“What? What do you mean you don’t know?”

“The anemometer maxed out at 25.”

Andrei and Grinch just exchanged surprised glances with one another.

“Ok, well… on that note… we are all done. So, all of you head over to the Earth pony group to have your buck-power measured.” Sandman called out to the group of pegasi, who were currently exchanging high-fives… well, um… high-hooves with the one who had just landed.

“Well, back to work I suppose…” Andrei muttered to himself as he saw the group heading over to them.

They proceeded to measure each of their buck-power, which ended up looking something like this.

Black Night: 28.4
Gallant Force: 28.0
O’Tipsey: 28.8
Wise Free: 26.5
Breeze Chaser: 27.3
Silent Blade: 27.5
Dual Ties: 27.2
Night Arrow: 27.8
Cloud Sabre: 27.7
Swift Wind: 27.4
White Flash: 27.8
Storm Breaker: 27.6

After having the lists made for each of the groups, the soldiers decided it would be best if they just called it a day and left it at that.

“Ok, we are done for today. Haybrun will escort you to your new barracks. Dismissed.”

After yet another collective, ‘Yes, sir!’, they were walked out by Haybrun who disappeared down another hallway.

“Well… by improvising standards, I would say that went rather well.” Sandman spoke up.

“Heh, yeah… I guess so.” Truck agreed.

“By the way, what exactly happened with that pegasus? What did he do?” Grinch asked, receiving a nod from Andrei and Frost.

“I don’t know. Some of them were saying he broke the sound barrier.”

“Wouldn’t surprise me.” Andrei responded.

“He was going pretty damn fast. That much I am sure of.” Frost said.

“Yeah, maxed out the anemometer. Anything interesting happen on your ends?”

“Well, that O’Tipsey character got the highest buck-power out of all of them.” Grinch said as he looked down at his sheet.

“Oh, and he can’t use magic.” Truck pointed out.

“Wait, what?” Sandman asked.

“Yeah, he can’t use magic. Said he only knew how to use that detox spell of his. So, we couldn’t measure him on magic endurance.”

“But, aren’t they like, born with that kind of knowledge?” Andrei asked.

“That’s what we said, but apparently not. They got to learn everything.”

“Wow, we really got a band of misfits, don’t we?” Frost said, chuckling a bit.

“Almost as bad as my outfit in boot camp was… and we were pretty messed up, let me tell you.” Grinch responded with a laugh.

“Well, we are done for today. We will pick this up tomorrow. I just hope that the Princess is working on a way for us to get back. I don’t think I could handle this for an entire twelve weeks.” Sandman said as they began to leave the room.

“This will be interesting, to say the least.”

Princess Celestia was sitting up in her study for the past couple of hours going through scrolls and old books having anything to do with cross-world travel, which wasn’t a lot, or was sketchy beyond all belief.

“Princess?” A voice called from her door.

She looked up to see Twilight standing before her.

“Oh, Twilight. How are you doing? Are your friends okay?”

“Yeah, we found Rainbow Dash in the castle. She was kind of shaken up, but she calmed down and went back to the room with us.”

“That’s good news. Say, would you like to help me with something?”

“Of course, Princess! With what?”

“Well, I have been going through all these scrolls and books, trying to find a way to get the humans back home, but I haven’t had any luck. If you want to, you could help me look through some of them. Perhaps a fresh set of eyes could stumble upon something I may have missed.”

“Sure, Princess. I would love to help.”

“Thanks, Twilight.”

*Note*

Ok, I am not too proud of this chapter, even though I worked on it a lot. It seems rather repetative and confusing to me, but I dont know. Anyway, I have had a lot of people inform me of the off-balance of OC's (2 Earth Ponies, 2 Unicorns, 8 Pegasi). I was thinking about it, and I agree that there should be a more balanced group. Therefore, I have decided that I will take in 2-3 Earth Pony OC's and 2-3 Unicorn OC's, if anyone wants to add theirs in. Once again, if you decide to enter a OC, give their race (Earth, Unicorn, Pegasus), gender, and a description about them. Try to give as much info as possible, as it makes my life a lot easier with writting them. But... yeah. I be back, so... um...talk to yall later!

Chapter 18: No Guarantees

Twilight and the Princess had spent a good portion of the night chatting and sharing stories while they looked for a way to return the lost humans back to their world. However, Twilight had fallen asleep sometime during that time while Princess Celestia stayed strong throughout most of the night, but eventually decided it would be best to retire as well for a few hours before she was due to raise the sun. She was the Princess after all, and she had many obligations and responsibilities to tend to. Doing them half asleep was something she did not want to have to do. She allowed Twilight to sleep where she was lying, slumped over on a couple pillows on the ground, since she didn’t want to disturb her. She went and fetched a blanket and gentle placed it over her before crawling into her bed.

A thought hit her as soon as she placed her head on the pillow. She remembered an old legend about an ancient tome that the great pony magician, scientist, and astronomer, Starswirl the Bearded, had created long ago. It was meant to be a powerful, long-range teleportation spell that could take up to fifty ponies with one go to almost anywhere in the known world, a great feat during the time. Perhaps, if used in a certain way, the spell could send the humans back to their world. However, it had some… problems. Due to some rather horrid outcomes to some of the users and the lack of accuracy to the intended location, it was scrapped and hidden from the rest of the world. Although it was risky, it was exactly what they needed. She remembered reading a story about that legend that told of the suspected location too... but what was it?

Princess Celestia pushed those thoughts into the back of her mind as she slowly drifted off to sleep. It could wait for one more night.

A lone figure walked slowly through the woods in complete silence. He knew where he needed to go, and what he needed to find… but his sense of direction was off greatly. Probably due to the effects of being stuck in a half-dead limbo for the past couple thousand years. He had been seeing more and more of those ponies in the gold armor flying around the woods, no doubt looking for the one responsible for leveling that patch of woods a few miles wide.

He had been walking through these woods for the past two days, even since he met that other human in the woods, the one with the odd accent and language. He almost regretted killing him. It wasn’t every day you find a human out here, and perhaps he would have stayed with him and maybe even helped him. At least he could have gotten more information out of him. He didn’t know how much things had changed in his absence, and the more he knew, the better. Judging from the fact that he didn’t remember guards in gold armor, he figured that there must be some form of government now, or a military. Probably both.

His thoughts were cut short when he stumbled upon what he was looking for. Pieces of rock and cobblestone were littered all over the ground. As he walked a little further, a portion of a wall came into view. A little further, and another wall. Eventually, an almost complete castle stood in front of him. It had seen better days, that much was for certain. It was missing giant chunks and looked as though a strong breeze would topple it. It had a great history, this place. A history that he had almost unearthed. Maybe this time there won’t be any interruptions.

After a very rough night’s sleep, the sun slowly rose above the horizon, shining into the room where the five humans were. After a couple of minutes, everyone began stirring.

“Man, I wasn’t able to fall asleep to save my life.” Truck said groggily as he slid off of the bed.

“Same here.” Frost agreed.

“I slept fine.” Sandman said as he stood up from the other couch. “Maybe we should switch spots every night. Truck probably didn’t sleep well because of his ribs and that splint, and you two had to sleep on the floor.”

“Yeah, I would enjoy sleeping on the couch. This floor is made out of marble. Hard to get comfortable sleeping on a damn rock.” Grinch said, followed by a nod from Frost.

“Hang on… where is Andrei?” Sandman asked as he looked over to the vacant couch next to him.

“I don’t see why this is necessary…” Haybrun asked tiredly.

“Almost every single one of the recruits beat you in buck power! Where I come from, that is unacceptable! You are their captain! You should be stronger than all of them!” Andrei said angrily.

“If I do this can I go back to sleep? I didn’t get any last night…”

“Yes, you can if you beat a 28.8, the highest score they got.”

Haybrun then went and bucked it again, resulting in it reading a 28.5

“28.5, you didn’t beat it.”

“Sweet Celestia… I just woke up!”

“I don’t care.”

After two more tries, Haybrun hit a 28.9

“There… you can go now.”

“If you didn’t have the Princesses favor…” Haybrun mumbled to himself as he walked out of the training room.

“He better not be causing trouble…” Frost said angrily.

“Yeah… for his sake.” Sandman responded.

“Well… I am sure he will turn up. It’s not like he wouldn’t stick out like a sore thumb anywhere he goes, but I am starving. Any idea on how we can go get food?” Truck asked, his stomach growling at him.

“Can’t we just go get it? We are all captains after all. I’m sure we could find some form of kitchen, or have one of the guards lead us to it.” Frost asked.

“Doesn’t sound like a bad idea… I mean, if we have guards with us, I am sure the Princess wouldn’t mind.” Sandman responded. “Here, I will go ask.”

Sandman got up and went to the door. There were always two guards outside the door, so he could ask one of them. When he opened the door, he wasn’t expecting to see what he did. There was one guard at the door, but it didn’t look like the rest of the ones he saw. It was a dark grey pegasus, but it had bat wings much like Swift Wind. Its mane and tail didn’t look normal either. It was wearing a dark blue chestplate and helmet and had yellow, almost glowing eyes.

“What the hell?” Sandman shouted out a little too loud, causing the guard to jump a little and spin around quickly. The other humans shot up and rushed to the door at the sound of Sandman yelling.

“Oh… humans.” He said in a deep, guttural voice.

“What are you?” Sandman asked, receiving agreements from the rest of his squad mates behind him.

“I must be the first Lunar Guard you have seen, yes?”

“You certainly don’t look like the other ponies I have seen around here… what is a Lunar Guard?”

“I am part of the Ruler of the Night’s personal guard. The other guards wearing golden armor are the Ruler of the Day’s guard.”

“You mean Princess Luna and Princess Celestia?” Grinch asked from behind Sandman.

“Yes, that is correct.”

“Why haven’t I seen more of you?”

“Two reasons. We patrol the castle at night, when most are asleep… and…” He begun, but stopped short.

“And the other?” Sandman asked, interested.

“Almost all of us are gone.” He finished, staring at the ground.

“Gone? You mean dead?” Truck asked, but instantly regretted it. The Lunar Guard turned and shot glares of hate at him.

“Yes…” The guard mumbled hatefully.

“I’m sorry… we shouldn’t be pestering you like this. We are kind of new around here, in case you didn’t notice.” Sandman said, trying to remove some of the tension. It seemed as though it worked, since he sort of calmed down.

“Yes, I know. I am sorry… it is a rather sensitive topic for us. But… anyway, did you need something?”

“Uh, yes actually. We were actually wondering if you could lead us to the kitchen or mess hall… basically anywhere we can get food.” Sandman asked rather sheepishly. It was kind of awkward that they almost insulted the guard and now were asking him to go help them get food.

“My shift is almost over, but I…” He began, but was cut off when another Lunar guard walked up to them, followed by none other than Andrei.

“Well, look who decided to show up.” Frost said.

“Sorry, I had some unfinished business with Haybrun I needed to settle.” Andrei responded.

“Usually, when someone says they had ‘unfinished business’ with someone, it never ends up being good.” Sandman asked accusingly. “What did you do?”

“Hey, I didn’t do anything to him. I just wanted to make sure he was stronger than the new recruits.”

“You made him redo his buck power test, didn’t you?” Grinch asked without emotion.

“Yes, I did.”

“Why didn’t you say that the first time?” Sandman asked, relieved.

“It sounded better the other way.” He responded, resulting in Sandman facepalming.

“Shifts up, Night Weave.” The guard leading Andrei said to the guard Sandman had been talking to. With a nod, they both turned and walked away down another hallway. A few minutes later, two guards wearing gold armor turned the corner and approached the huddled group outside the door.

“Night Weave said you wanted to go to the kitchen to get some food?” One of the guards asked.

“Yes, that is correct.”

“Ok, if you will follow us then. We will lead you to it.”

“Thank you.”

The group was lead down around five hallways, passed the throne room, and eventually ended up in the kitchen. Needless to say, their presence there was rather… unexpected. Some of the ponies who were working dropped what they were doing and just gawked at them for the longest time. It wasn’t the best experience they had. After gathering up some food, which once again consisted of fruits and vegetables with water, they headed back up to their room to eat. Along the way, however, they were stopped by none other than Princess Celestia.

“There you all are.” She said, letting out a sigh of relief. “I was getting worried when I did not find you in your room.”

“Sorry, Princess.” One of the guards said as he bowed. “They requested that they were lead to the kitchen to gather up some food.”

“It is quite alright. Next time, however, please inform me or leave a guard near the door who can give out that information.”

“Yes, Princess.”

“Anyway, I have some things to discuss with you humans. Please, follow me.” She said as she turned and began trotting down the hallway. The group soon followed as well with the guards at the Princess’s side. After a few minutes, they ended up in what appeared to be a giant library.

“I wish to speak to the humans in private.” Princess said to the 2 guards. They both bowed and exited the room, closing the doors behind them.

“I have some good news for you all.” She said with a smile on her face. “I believe I have found a way for you all to return to your world.”

Hearing those words, all of them began to start cheering and sharing high fives with one another.

“Ok, ma’am. What is it?” Sandman asked happily.

“There is a tome that was created long ago that was meant for long range teleportation. If I could alter it a little, I believe I can change it to send you back home. There is, however, one problem… well, actually… two problems.”

“What would those be, ma’am?”

“One, it was never used because it sometimes did not reach the intended location and sometimes even killed the users…” She said, causing everyone’s smiles to drop.

“And the other, ma’am?”

“I do not have it here with me.” She responded.

By this point, everyone was irritated that she basically just got their hopes up for nothing.

“Well that isn’t very helpful then, is it?” Andrei said angrily.

“Where is this tome, ma’am?”

“At first, I did not know… but I believe I now know where it may be kept. There is an ancient castle that used to stand in what is now the Everfree forest. I know not of its current condition, for I have not been there in over a thousand years. Nor am I 100% certain that this tome is there.”

“So… what does this mean, ma’am?”

“The Everfree is a very dangerous place, even for my own guard. I hate having to risk this, but I believe that it is our only option. I can have some of my pegasi guards fly to it, but if they encounter trouble, there won’t be much they can do in the way of offense or defense. Under the canopy, pegasi cannot fly very well. Plus, it is very hard to find things in the Everfree due to the thick canopy of trees overhead.”

“So, are you trying to say WE need to go get it?” Andrei asked.

“Unfortunately, yes. You have weapons that can deal with almost anything you may encounter. I will only ask two of you to go, and you will be escorted by some of my guards and some of the ESDF if you feel as though they would be good choices.”

“Hang on, can’t you just like… teleport there?” Truck asked.

“No, not at that distance, and you have to know exactly where it is. I am not certain of its exact location, and what things may have changed. If I tried, we all may end up inside of a tree or on the edge of a cliff.

“Oh lord…” Frost said as he facepalmed.

“Is this the only way to get back?” Sandman asked.

“As far as I know, yes.”

The group exchanged glanced with one another for a moment, as though they were telepathically giving their opinions with one another. Sandman was the first to speak again.

“I guess we are in then. I will go, who else will go with me?”

“I got your back.” Frost said almost instantly.

“Ok, Grinch, Truck, and Andrei will stay here. You want to take some of the recruits?”

“I don’t think it is a good idea.” Frost responded.

“Neither do I, but I would like having backup.”

“If I had to pick, I would say Storm Breaker, Wise Free, Swift Wind, and O’Tipsey.”

“I agree with all of those… but why O’Tipsey? He was the drunk.”

“He is strong as hell.”

“Eh, makes sense. Ok, we will take them.”

“What are we going to do while you are gone?” Grinch asked.

“You all are going to take the rest of the recruits and do another training session. Do what you see fit.”

“Got it.”

“I shall have Haybrun and a few of my own guards go with you.” Princess Celestia said as she pulled a roll of paper off of one of the shelves. She set it down on the table and opened it up. It was a map of Equestria. She pointed a hoof to the Everfree forest on the map, and man was it HUGE. It took up a good portion of it.

“Assuming my knowledge is correct, it is somewhere around here.” She said, circling a section of it off with a hoof.

“What is the scale?” Sandman asked.

“Every inch is approximately three miles.”

“Damn… this place is around twelve miles off! That’s around twenty klicks away…” Frost said, obviously a little skeptical about going that far on foot through rough terrain.

“It will take a while, that is for sure. Round trip of fourty or so klicks.”

“Well… might as well get going, eh?” Sandman asked. “I will go get the ammo, you go round up the recruits.”

“Roger that.” Frost said as he exited the room.

Sandman grabbed the map and proceeded to walk out of the door. It certainly wasn’t going to be a walk in the park, but hey, if it had a chance of getting them all home, he was willing to risk it.

“Talk about shoddy intel…” He mumbled to himself as he exited the room.

Chapter 19: Pathfinder

“Hey, Sandman!” Andrei called out.

The small group of humans and ponies were just about to board the train that would take them to Ponyville, where they then would enter the Everfree forest and begin their search for the Tome that would hopefully be the ticket to taking them home.

“Yeah, Andrei?” He called back.

“If uh… you know… just… maybe keep an eye out for Leyonid while you out there?” He said in a rather sad tone.

“I will.”

“Thanks…”

“Train leaves in two minutes!” The conductor called out down the train station.

“Good luck.” He said one final time before turning around and walking back towards the castle.

Before Sandman could do anything, he was stopped by a certain pony he was not expecting. Princess Luna.

“Human. We are here to give our aid.” She said, causing Sandman to look at her funny.

“Uh… we, ma’am?”

“What? Oh… forgive me. I sometimes slip back into the old Canterlot speak. I wish to give my aid and advice on your journey.”

“You are coming with us too?” Sandman asked, shocked.

“No, but I am sending two of my own guard to aid you. My night guards have excellent vision in darkness, and the Everfree is always dark, no matter the time of day. I believe they will be of great use to you on your quest.”

“Oh, thank you, ma’am.” Sandman responded. Sure enough, two lunar guards walked out from behind the Princess. They looked a little out of sorts, but that was probably because they weren’t used to being outside during this time of day, when they would be sleeping. He recognized one of them though as Night Weave, the one who was guarding their door that morning.

“I wish you the best of luck on your journey, but I must warn you. The Everfree is a very dangerous place, inhabited by some of the vilest creatures in Equestria. You must stay alert, for one false step could be your last.”

“Ok, thank you for your help, ma’am.” Sandman responded, trying to sound as thankful as possible. Although he was glad to have more information on the place, it still was a bit of a morale killer to hear that they were basically walking into a pitch black forest filled to the brim with things that can kill you.

“Oh well… I have been through a lot worse.” Sandman thought as he boarded the train.

“One minute!” The conductor called out again.

Sandman entered the train car they were staying in and took his seat next to Frost, who was going over their ammunition and weapons.

“We got two mags each for the ACR’s and three mags each for the M9’s.” He said as he gave Sandman his allotted ammo. “And we each get one frag and one flash.”

“Keep the flash bangs. I still got one of the 9-Bangers with me, as well as a breaching charge, just in case.” Sandman responded. “But uh, how much did you leave with the others?”

“Well… they got two mags of ACR and M9 ammo left, along with three frags and tree flashes.”

“Damn… we are starting to run low.”

“Well, Andrei still has his AK-47 with about four mags left on it and his G18 with three.”

“Eh… doesn’t matter. For the moment, we are stuck with what we got so if we run into trouble, pick you shots carefully.”

“Got it.”

Sandman turned around in his seat to make sure they had everyone onboard. There was Swift Wind, Wise Free, O’Tipsey, Storm Breaker, the recruits who they brought along with them. Then they had four royal guards, two unicorns, one pegasus, one earth pony, and the two lunar guards, as well as Haybrun. That, plus Sandman and Frost, totaled to thirteen.

“Looks like we are all good to go.” Sandman said as he slumped back down into his seat.

As if on cue, the train slowly began to move forward, away from the station. It would be a little bit before they got to Ponyville, so Sandman thought it would be a good time to catch up on some much needed sleep.

The remaining three humans, Grinch, Truck, and Andrei, watched as the train departed down the mountain, until it was no longer in view.

“I hope they will be ok…” Truck mumbled to nobody in particular.

“Oh come on, we have all been through a lot worse. It’s just a forest.” Grinch said reassuringly.

“Yeah, but remember when we first got here? We got attacked by that wolf looking thing. You shot it in the head and it didn’t die. If what the Princess said was true, and it really is as dangerous as she believes, what else could be in there?”

“They will be fine, trust me.”

“I hope you are right…”

The group turned and walked back inside the castle, to be met by an unfamiliar group of ponies standing in the lobby. At their entrance, they all turned to face them. There were six ponies altogether, three Earth Ponies and three Unicorns.

“Um… who are all of you?” Andrei asked.

“You are the humans, right?” One of the earth ponies asked.

"Yes?”

“So you are here to help train us for the ESDF, correct?” Another one asked, this time a unicorn.

“Yes, we… wait, wait, what? What do you mean train YOU?”

Before an answer could be given, a guard came trotting up to them at a brisk pace, followed by Princess Celestia.

“Here they are, Princess.” The guard said. “And it appears they have already met the humans.”

“What is going on?” Truck asked, confused.

“I wish you had informed me sooner, or given me some sort of warning that there was going to be more recruits.” Celestia said to the guard.

“I tried to find you earlier, but could not, Princess.”

“Oh god, there are more?” Grinch said, lowering his head a bit.

“Apparently so. I was not informed of this either.” Celestia said.

“Ok, well… what are all of your names?” Truck asked. One of the earth ponies spoke up first.

“My name is Buckwild. It is a pleasure to meet you.” He said enthusiastically while sticking a hoof out towards Truck.

“Uh, same here.” He responded as he uneasily took his hoof into his hand and gave a rather odd handshake.

“That’s certainly a new one, shaking hands with a pony.” He thought to himself.

“I’m Blackburn.” The next in line said, a unicorn.

“Nexus is my name.” Another Unicorn spoke up, however, his eyes were white and glazed over, giving him the impression that he was blind.

“Uh… are you blind Nexus?” Truck asked, waving a hand in front of his face.

“No, I look like it, but I am not.” He responded.

“Hmm, ok then.” Truck said, and continued to go down the line. “And your name is?” He asked, looking at the last of the three unicorns.

“Cold Hoof.” He responded with a nod, which Truck returned. The next was an earth pony who, in contrast to the others, actually was wearing clothes. However, he looked a little bent out of sorts.

“Your name?”

“Jinx…” He mumbled, almost to the point of being inaudible.

“Sorry, I didn’t catch that. What was it again?” Truck asked.

“Jinx.” He said once again, this time with more force.

“Ok, and your name?” Truck asked the last of them, an earth pony.

“I’m Spade.” He responded, but in an almost sad tone. Brushing it off, Truck turned back to Grinch and Andrei.

“Well, what are we going to do?” He asked, receiving shrugs from both of them.

“I guess train them like we did with the others.” Andrei replied.

“But we are shorthanded. I mean, Sandman and Frost aren’t with us.” Grinch pointed out.

“Doesn’t matter. Boss told us to train them, and we are. We will just have some new guys with us. Nothing big.” Truck said reassuringly, but Grinch was not as confident.

“We still got to get their basics, like their buck-power and magic endurance.”

“Shouldn’t take too long, and it’s not too much of a challenging job. All you do is write down numbers and watch.”

“You got a preference Andrei?” Grinch asked, receiving nothing but a mere shrug.

“I don’t care either way.” He responded. Something had been off with him since that morning, but they shrugged it off.

“Oh well, it’s your call Truck.” Grinch said, taking a step back. After a few moments of consideration, Truck turned back to the group.

“Ok, follow us. We will take you to your barracks and let you meet the other recruits. We will go over a few things there.”

With that, the group did as they were told, and set off towards the barracks.

The train rolled to a stop as Sandman and company reached Ponyville. The short nap he had on the way there had lifted his spirits, and he felt as though he was ready for anything. However, the town seemed in a state of depression. The vibrant colors that he remembered when he was walking near the town almost seemed gone, or dulled. No doubt the other ponies were distraught over the loss of Cloudsdale.

“Ok guys, get your gear off the train. You got five minutes to do whatever you need to do, but then we are out of here.” Sandman called out as he and Frost exited the train. Soon the others followed suit, carrying saddlebags full of water, food, and other supplies, along with their weapons, which consisted of swords and spears. Sandman and Frost had their gear together, almost consisting of the same items, with the obvious exception of having ACR’s instead of swords.

“I still think it was risky to bring the recruits here. They have had only one day of training.” Frost spoke up.

“Well, at least they will get to see what it really is like to go out on missions. I don’t feel absolutely comfortable with it either, but it’s a simple snatch and grab. Nothing too complicated, and nothing that bad should happen.”

“I hope your right… I just don’t have a good feeling about this.”

“What do you mean?” Sandman asked, interested in his reasoning.

“Look at it this way… when have we EVER been on a mission where NOTHING went wrong? Something horrible, debilitating, or unexpected ALWAYS happens. I don’t see this being much different.”

“Yeah, but look at it this way. Every single time something horrible, debilitating, or unexpected happened, we always came out on top. Like you said, I don’t see this being much different.”

“Yeah, like how you guys came out on top in that diamond mine, right?” Frost said sarcastically, causing Sandman to give him a stern look.

“Let’s just get this over with, ok? We all want to get home, and this looks like our best opportunity.” Sandman responded after a few moments of silence. As he turned to walk away, he was blindsided by a giant lump of grey and blonde, sending him sprawling into the cobblestone road.

“Oops, my bad!” The lump said apologetically.

“Goddammit! It’s always me!” Sandman yelled out angrily as he got back on his feet, with a little help from Frost. He looked around, trying to find the source of his misfortune. He eventually hit his mark, which was a grey and blonde, wall-eyed pegasus, which was frantically picking up what appeared to be a bunch of letters that now littered the street. Sandman went and began to help pick up some of the letters that were near him.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you there and I was in a hurry and I didn’t…” She began almost hysterically, but Sandman stopped her mid-sentence.

“Hey, it’s fine. Just be more careful next time, ok?” He said kindly as he attempted to hand back her letters. She obviously must not have gotten a good look at him the first time, because when she looked up, her entire mood switched and she flew up in the air in astonishment.

“Whoa! You look funny!” It said, giggling a little bit after finishing.

“I look funny? You looked in a mirror lately?” Sandman said internally.

“Yeah, I probably do. I’m not from here, in case you didn’t notice.”

“What’s your name?” It said eagerly.

“I’m Sandman, and that is Frost over there.” He said, pointing to Frost, who returned a small wave to the pony.

“That’s an odd name for a pony… Oh well! My name is Derpy Hooves! Ponyville’s loyal mailmare!” She said with extreme excitement, flying a bit into the air.

"Derpy Hooves? Jesus, that’s almost cruel to name someone that.” Sandman thought, but it seemed as though she didn’t mind it.

“Well, it was nice talking to you Miss Hooves, but we have got to be going.” He said politely as he handed her the letters he had been holding. After giggling for a second, she took them in her mouth and placed them into her saddlebags.

“Nopony has ever called me Miss Hooves before!” She said, giggling again.

“I guess there is a first for everything. Well, we got to go. Have a nice day Miss Hooves.” Sandman said, and got up and began to walk off.

“You too!” She called back, and took off back into the sky.

“Well, that was interesting.” Frost said.

“Yeah… I guess you could say that.” Sandman responded as he turned back to the train. The rest of the ponies were gathered near the back.

“Ok, everyone good?” Sandman asked, receiving a few nods and some “Yes, Sir’s”.

“Good, we are going to be splitting off into two groups once we hit the woods. One will take the front and the second will be a little ways behind us. I will take the first group in front, while Frost will have the one in the back. Each of us will take two royal guards and one of you lunar guards.”

“I will take Haybrun, Storm Breaker, and Wise Free.” Frost announced.

“Ok, I will take O’Tipsey and Swift Wind.” Sandman responded.

After a minute of getting settled into their groups, they set off towards the Everfree, taking a route on the outskirts of the town instead of through it. The less attention, the better. After about fifteen minutes, they reached the entrance to the Everfree Forest. It was just about noon, so they had plenty of time if they moved quickly. Sandman was already plotting out time management in his head.

"Twenty Klicks total… Approximately three hours there, one hour to secure the tome, Approximately three hours back…” Sandman thought to himself.

“One final check, does everyone got everything they need? Once we go in, we are not coming back out till the job is done.” Sandman called out to the two groups. Nobody spoke up, so Sandman took that as a yes.

“Ok, time to get a move on. I want to be done and out of here before it gets dark.” Sandman called out for the last time as his group headed in first, while the second group hanged back for a little bit, but they eventually ventured into the forest as well, and were all soon out of sight.

Chapter 20: Darkness

The Princess did not exaggerate when she said it was dark. It was damn near pitch black! It was still morning too, and yet it seemed like it was midnight. When the group first went in, it was still decently bright in the woods. A little gloomy, but not really dark. It was after they travelled for a half hour that it really got bad. However, the night guard who was in their group looked as though he was in heaven. Sandman had to use the flashlight attached to his helmet, which was graciously given back to him before they left. Apparently the Princess had been holding on to it, and had forgotten to return it. He didn’t have it on for more than two seconds until the night guard whispered in an urgent tone to him, which made him jump like hell. He forgot how deep their voices were.

“Turn it off!” It whispered harshly.

“Turn it off? I can barely see!” Sandman whispered back.

“Yeah, don’t turn it off! I can’t see either!” One of the royal guards behind them whispered, followed by some whispers of agreement.

“Many of the monsters that lurk in these woods are attracted to light. Keep it off, I can guide you.” The night guard said reassuringly, but Sandman was still not completely convinced.

“Your eyes will adjust to it if you keep the light off.”

Sandman sighed, and eventually gave in and turned it off, leaving him and the others reliant on the one night guard to keep them on the thin trail.

“Just keep moving forward. It is an almost straight path for a while it looks like.”

“I doubt we will be able to stay on it for very long. The castle is North East from here, so once the trail turns we will have to go off-road.”

“Very well… I will inform you when the trail turns.”

The group walked for a about another ten minutes until the night guard stopped in front of them, causing Sandman to run into his flank.

“What is it?” Sandman asked as quiet as possible.

“The trail turns sharp to the left here… but there is something in front of us…” It said in a hushed tone. “Something is moving in the bushes, about twenty five feet away.”

Sandman slowly switched off the safety on his ACR, making only a faint clicking noise.

“I can’t see anything, remember? I can only see about five feet in front of me.” Sandman whispered angrily.

“Is it big?” A voice whispered behind Sandman, who he believed was O’Tipsey.

“I don’t hear anything.” Swift Wind whispered, coming from somewhere to his left.

All of a sudden, a deep growl came from in front of them, causing all of them to freeze on the spot.

“It’s a Manticore… a really big Manticore…” The night guard said, taking a small step back.

“I don’t know what the hell a Manticore is. Does it have naturally thick skin?”

“No, not really.”

“Does it use shields like a Unicorn?”

“No…”

“Then I can kill it…”

Sandman raised his ACR up, pointing it in front of the group. He raised his hand up to the light, but hesitated at the night guard’s voice.

“If you turn on that light, that thing is going to charge us…” The night guard whispered slowly. “It doesn’t see us right now…”

Sandman hesitated, staring into the pitch black. After a few more deep growls, heavy footfalls could be heard in front of them, slowly fading off until everything became quiet. The night guard let out a long sigh of relief.

“It is gone now. He did not see us.”

“What are you guys doing? Why are we stopped?” A familiar voice said from behind Sandman. He turned to make out the outline of a figure standing next to him.

“Frost?” Sandman asked.

“Yeah, it’s me. Why did we stop?”

“A Manticore was sitting in front of us.”

“What the hell is a Manticore?”

“An animal you do not want to mess with…” The night guard said in a more normal volume.

“Anyway, the trail cuts off here. We have to go off-roading from here on out. Hey, how well can you really see out here?” Sandman asked the night guard as he fumbled around in his pack.

“Very well. How do you think I saw that Manticore?”

“If I leave behind small white reflective tacks on the trees, do you think you could see them on the way back?”

“I suppose so.”

“Good. Frost, tighten up the splits between the two groups. Since it is not easy going anymore, I don’t want to get separated.”

“Got it.”

“Ok, let’s go.” Sandman said, but just as they start to move forward, another loud growl came from in front of them. Heavy footfalls followed, and it sounded like it was coming straight for them.

“What the hell is that?” Frost said, unclicking the safety on his ACR.

“I thought you said the Manticore went away…” Sandman asked the night guard.

“It was… it went off into the woods…” He responded a little shakily, turning his head this way and that, trying to lock onto the location of the noise.

“The hell with this, I can’t see shit!” Frost said angrily as he moved to switch on his light.

“NO!” Sandman almost yelled, trying to pull Frost’s hand away, but it was too late. His light flicked on, illuminating the small patch of forest they were in. No more than thirty feet away, a large figure stood, a small glare off of its eyes shining back at them. It let out a bloodcurdling roar that near shook the ground, and began to charge right at them.

“YOU IDIOTS!” The guard yelled out, pulling out a sword held on his small gear pack with him, and launching himself up into the tree branches out of sight. Night Weave, the other night guard, followed suit and did the same.

“Oh screw this! OPEN FIRE!” Sandman yelled as he turned on his light as well. Both him and Frost aimed and began to shoot directly at the charging mass of angry animal. The bursts went and hit the target directly, peppering its chest and head. After a few rounds, the Manticore fell to the ground mid-charge and slid to a stop in front of them.

“Well, that wasn’t so…” Sandman started, but simultaneous roars in the distance cut him off.

“Oh… that is not good…” Frost said. His voice was nearly a whisper.

Sandman took out the current magazine and replaced it with his fresh one, and Frost did the same.

“TURN OFF THE LIGHTS!” He heard a yell from up above him.

“GET OFF OF THE TRAIL!” Another one yelled down.

In one swift motion, both lights were off and the group began scattering off into nearby bushes and behind fallen trees. Most of the pegasi launched themselves up and landed in some branches hidden by the canopy. The roaring kept getting louder and louder, until footfalls were audible, and soon enough, about six or seven Manticores came bursting out from the woods.

“Don’t move… don’t make any noise…” Haybrun whispered quietly to the surrounding ponies.

The group of Manticores began to gather around their fallen comrade, roaring and making all sorts of noise that echoed throughout the entire forest. It continued on like this for what seemed like hours. Eventually, the biggest looking of them grabbed the dead one and threw it over its back, and made its way back into the deep woods along with the rest of them.

None of them felt like moving for a good while, but eventually, Sandman stood up and tried his best to walk back on the trail.

“What do you make of that?” Frost asked. The rest of the group made their way back onto the trail as well. The two night guards flew down out of the trees and landed in front of the two humans.

“Well… I… I don’t even know.” Sandman grumbled. “What is your name?” He asked to the night guard in his group.

“Shadow Prowler.”

“You think we are going to see any more of these, Shadow Prowler?”

“Hopefully not, but more than likely so.”

After a few glances between Sandman and Frost, they both spoke up.

“Good enough for me.” Sandman said.

“Same.”

“Well, we need to get moving. Catch up on lost time.” Sandman called out to the group. After regaining their bearings, they set back off into the woods, hoping there wouldn’t be anymore delays.

Alexander walked down the deep, dark passageway that he had walked a couple thousand years ago. The place inside was torn apart, no doubt by his battle with the other elements so long ago. After a while, he managed to stumble into the central cavern, which was somehow still intact. Over at the center, what remained of the six pedestals stood. Most of them had large chunks missing or were completely toppled over. However, the sixth, and by far the most important, was still standing strong.

He approached the central pillar, and as he did, it slowly began to emit a faint aurora around it. The closer he got, the more pronounced and colorful it got.

“Could it be? Could it still work?” He thought out loud. It required at least five elements to be present, and he already had more than he needed at his disposal… but could it really still work without the other pedestals? He slowly reached out and touched the top of the central pedestal, causing the cavern to begin to shake. Fearing the whole place would collapse, he pulled his hand away as quick as possible, and the shaking stopped… but a second passage was revealed before him into another chamber.

He stepped inside, only to find what looked like a giant library. Books lined the walls and shelves of bookcases, although many looked tattered or near destroyed. He searched around for a little while longer, believing he was wasting his time. Just as he was ready to leave, he stumbled on a rather important looking book sitting in the middle of the cavern on a small pedestal. He stepped towards it, only to set off what appeared some form of trap. A small burst of magic shot out of the celling down on him, creating a shield around him.

“Well… this is going to be irritating…”

The group had been walking for a very long time now, and they were actually starting to be able to see. The tacks that Sandman had placed were almost gone, and they only had a few left. They walked a little further, and hit a clearing. The newfound sunlight hit them like a train, causing them all to shield their eyes from such brightness after enduring what seemed like never ending darkness. It drastically affected the lunar guards, who kept to the edge of the forest.

“How far have we gone?” Haybrun asked Sandman when the groups rejoined one another.

“I believe we are almost there…” He responded, looking up at the sun. It looked as though it was around 4pm, a little off schedule

“Ok, I need one of you to fly up and see if you see anything.” Sandman called out. Swift Wind was the first to respond.

“I will do it, sir.” He said as he flew up into the sky.

The group began to lay around for a little bit, waiting for Swift Wind to come back. After a few minutes, he returned and landed down next to Sandman.

“I think I found it, sir… well, at least some form of structure.” He said excitedly.

“Where? What direction?”

“A little ways to the East. I saw what looked like a tower sticking up out of the trees, sir.”

“Ok, we are moving out! Get your gear!” Sandman yelled to the groups. After a minute or two, they were off towards what they hoped was the castle. Sandman and Frost were damn near ecstatic. There was only one thing on their minds… and that was home.

After a few more traps and a few more incinerated books and destroyed walls, he managed to get to the book. It looked old and tattered, just like most of the other books, but it had a different feel to it. He opened up to find that it wasn’t a book, but really a tome of some sort, but he could not figure out the language that was scribbled all over the torn pages. He caught a few words in Latin, but most seemed like gibberish.

“Hmm… its some sort of… teleportation spell?” He thought out loud. “Could come to be useful…”

He took the book up off of the pedestal, only to set off another trap.

“Oh, for the love of…” He started, but ended up getting trapped in the middle of multiple shield traps. About eight went off at the same time, all hitting him and trapping him in another bubble.

“Irritating indeed…”

After a few more minutes of travel, they indeed found the tower sticking up above the canopy. After a few more steps, a castle came into view… well, what was left of it anyway. It was torn apart in many places, and looked as though a bomb went off on it.

“Well, I guess we are here.” Sandman said as he stumbled around the ruins until he found a good entrance.

“My group, stay out here. Frost’s group, come with us.” Sandman announced as he turned on his light and began to walk inside. It was dark and gloomy on the inside, and overall seemed like a deathtrap. A strong wind looked like it would knock it all over on them. They all searched the remaining rooms and passageways, but to no avail.

After some time, they managed to find a passage that lead down into some tunnels.

“Did anyone find anything up here?” He called out, receiving a lot of no’s from the group.

“Well, down it is then…”

They didn’t have much trouble on the way down, as the tunnels were mostly straight. Although, many passages were blocked off by rubble.

“I sure hope the tome isn’t behind one of these blocked passages…” Sandman said to no one in particular.

“If it is, we got some serious problems…” Frost replied.

The passages widened into a large cavern that looked like all hell had broken loose in it. Chunks of the ceiling and walls were blown apart, and the center was littered with rubble. In the dead center, they saw what appeared to be some form of ritual altar. It consisted of a few knocked over pillars and a standing center pillar. As Sandman approached it, it started to glow with vibrant colors.

“Whoa… um… Frost?” Sandman asked cautiously.

“Yeah, Boss?”

“What is this?” He asked, pointing towards the pedestal.

At this point, most of the group had begun to gather around the pedestal, as it was the only portion of the room still intact. As Frost got closer, it began to glow even brighter.

“It’s a… wait, what? It’s glowing!” He said, causing Sandman to facepalm.

“Oh, thank you. I didn’t notice… Do you know what it is or why it is doing that?”

“I think I do…” A voice across the room said in a strong voice, which echoed throughout the rest of the cavern. They all turned to find a human standing near an open doorway that looked like a library of some sorts with a large leather book in his hands. He looked like he had been through hell and back. His clothes were torn in some places, and he was absolutely covered in dirt and mud.

“Who are you?” Sandman asked cautiously, keeping his hand over the trigger on his ACR.

“Who I am doesn’t matter. What DOES matter is the fact that the altar sees you two as element bearers. So, you must tell me. What element do you represent?”

“Element bearers? What the hell are you talking about? Who are you?!” Sandman shot back.

“Oh… so you don’t know… Oh well, it doesn’t matter. Makes things easier for me.”

Chapter 21: Revelation

Andrei, Truck, and Grinch walked in a small cluster through the grand hallways of Canterlot castle, followed by the new recruits. They all had a lot on their mind. Assuming everything went as planned with Sandman and Frost and they recovered the tome, this could be their last day here. None of them were disappointed.

“I still got a bad feeling about it…” Truck said solemnly.

“Man, you got to let it go. I promise you, they will be fine. You know them. It would take a lot more than a forest with some animals in it to take them down.” Grinch said reassuringly, but it did little good. Something was up, and Truck could feel it.

They turned the corner to meet up back into the training hall. The other recruits, excluding Wise Free, Storm Breaker, O’Tipsey, and Swift Wind, were already waiting for them. A lot of them put on surprised faces when they saw the new horde of ponies coming into the room with them.

“Ok, you new guys can go get acquainted with the rest of the group for a bit. We need a minute.” Grinch said to the group, and they all did as they were told. They all went over and began mixing with the crowd. Grinch turned back to his friends.

“Well, what are we going to do with them?”

“We have to do the standard test with the new guys, and the rest of them can… well, what should they do?” Truck asked.

“We can do actual TRAINING instead of this bullshit that we did yesterday.” Andrei cut in coldly.

“Ok then, what do you have in mind?” Grinch asked hesitantly, obviously a little nervous about what he was thinking of.

“I say we do the standard test for the new ones, and make the others run laps or do some other petty drill until they get done. Afterwards, we set up a tournament of sorts. Figure out who here is good enough to be here.”

“What kind of tournament?”

“One versus one, hand to hand combat… or in their case, hoof to hoof combat. Whoever yields first or is knocked unconscious loses. It would determine who here has raw skill and talent.” Andrei said proudly, as though it was the best thing he had ever come up with.

“That… can slide both ways…” Grinch responded, thinking about the proposition. “It would work, and it would help us figure out what we got strength wise… but I preferably don’t want to have any of them taken out of the fight because of some dumbass move that breaks one of their legs or something.”

“Well, it could happen, but if we are going to do all these pointless drills, how are they ever going to manage to stay alive in a REAL fight? They need experience. So what if they can run miles upon miles without getting tired? So what if they can do 500 push-ups and sit-ups? I want to know what they will do when they take a hit, when the going gets tough. I know all too well what happens when you send a soldier into battle who isn’t ready. It’s different when you have all the time in the world to train, but they don’t. For all we know, this may be their last time.” Andrei responded.

“He’s got a point.” Truck said looking at the ground. “If this really is our last chance to train them, it would probably be best if we did do something along those lines.”

Grinch sighed.

“Yeah… I suppose so. Oh well, let’s do it.”

The 3 humans turned back to the group of ponies.

“Ok, listen up! All the new recruits, get up here. The rest of you, I want you all to run laps around the training hall until these guys get done. I want the Unicorns over with me, while the Earth Ponies go with Truck and Andrei.” Grinch said, pointing to the respective locations. After a few, “Yes, Sirs”, they went off into their designated tasks.

“Hey, Truck. Keep an eye on those other ones. Make sure they aren’t slacking off.” Grinch whispered.

“Got it.”

The tests were rather uneventful, and mostly resembled the same scores that the others had the day before. A few of the records held before were broken though. For example, Buckwild got a buck-power score of 31.7, and Nexus was able to hold up the 300lb weight for 4 minutes, 51 seconds at 24 feet up. At the end of it all, the scores looked like this.

Magic Endurance
Nexus: 4:51 (24ft)
Cold Hoof: 3:11 (14ft)
Black Burn: 3:43 (18ft)

Buck Power
Buckwild: 31.7
Spade: 27.1
Jinx: 28.5
Nexus: 26.5
Cold Hoof: 26.7
Black Burn: 26.8

After all the scores were taken up, the 3 humans let the ponies rest for a few minutes while they discussed how this “tournament” would play out.

“Ok, so… for starters, who will go up against who?” Grinch asked.

“And what about the Unicorns and Pegasi? They have an unfair advantage right at the get-go against an Earth Pony.” Truck added.

“Hmm…” Andrei grumbled, thinking carefully. “How many ponies do we have total?”

“We have 14 right now. We have 6 Pegasi, 5 Earth Ponies, and 3 Unicorns.”

“Damn, we really can’t set this up well. One vs. one on the first round will have 7 left over. Someone will have to sit out the second time around. Four left, then two, and then we have our champion.” Andrei reasoned.

“That would work, but once again, how do we deal with the unfair advantages? A Unicorn will have to go against an Earth Pony.” Truck reiterated. “Plus, how would we determine who sits out for the second round?”

“Maybe whoever wins the fastest?” Grinch answered, earning a nod of approval from Andrei.

“Well that’s obviously going to be the Unicorn that goes against the Earth Pony. I’m telling you, the Unicorns will tear em up.”
Truck retorted.

“And they aren't ever going to have to face an unfair advantage in a real fight?” Andrei fired back. “I would think you all would know that better than anyone else.”

“I’m not saying that. The only advantage an Earth Pony has is strength, if that buck-power test is anything to base it off of. A Pegasus can just fly around above it if it gets hurt or tired. A Unicorn can just blast it with magic or throw him into a wall.”

“So, let’s use your reasoning.” Andrei began, who was beginning to get irritated. “If we take away their wings or magic, whichever applies, then the Earth Ponies will have the unfair advantage.”

“How about we let them use their respective abilities, but only to a certain extent.” Grinch reasoned. “Why not let the Pegasi use their wings to attack, but not to run away? Let the Unicorns use their magic to defend, but not to attack outright, such as flinging them into a wall or shooting fire at them or something.”

After a few minutes of thinking, Truck spoke up.

“Ok, I can deal with that I suppose.”

“As can I.” Andrei agreed.

“However… I don’t think going until someone loses consciousness is a good idea.” Grinch added. “How about making it like wrestling or boxing? Fight until someone is down on the ground for too long or until they yield.”

“I agree. Seems like a better alternative than possible brain damage.” Truck said with a laugh.

“Very well.” Andrei responded. “I suggest we get back to them. They are starting to think that we have no idea what we are doing.”

“Let’s be honest, we really don’t…” Grinch added, causing the group to share a laugh.

Luna had just checked the Library for the 2nd time and was becoming impatient. She had been looking for her sister for the past 30 minutes, but to no avail. She first went to the courtroom, only to be redirected by a guard to the Grand Hall. Once there, she was redirected to the Royal Chambers by another guard, and then to the Library. The cycle kept continuing.

“Thou would think that thy own guard would know the location of their own Princess!” She muttered angrily under her breath.

Finally, impatience got the better of her.

“Sorry ‘Tia, but we need to speak to you.” She whispered to herself as her horn lit up. She sent out a wave of invisible magic throughout the castle, seeking out her sister. She ‘searched’ the upper floors and the Royal Chambers, but no Celestia. It was the same with the Royal Halls and the Training Area.

“Where art thou ‘Tia…” She whispered again, not sure where to look.

She checked the Royal Gardens, the outdoor training yard, and the guards Barracks, yet still no Celestia. After a few moments of thought, she sent out her magic to the basement and Canterlot Storage, where she finally hit a familiar magic.

“There thou are…” She said with relief, and began to walk towards her destination.

“Oh… wait…” She said to herself, as her horn lit up and she disappeared in a flash of light.

The next thing she knew, she was in Canterlot storage, standing next to her sister.

“Thank the heavens ‘Tia! We have been searching the castle high and low looking for thou!” She said angrily, but with a sense of relief mixed in. “What is thou doing down here?”

Celestia merely looked at her expectantly.

“What? Oh… um… What ARE YOU doing down here?” She repeated again with an annoyed expression.

“You are only going to get better with your speech if you practice it.” Celestia said, noticing her sister’s plight.

“But there is nothing wrong with the way we… err… I speak!”

“Perhaps, but if you wish to regain the trust of the ponies, you need to begin to act like one of them. That starts with talking like a normal pony.”

“You are dodging my question. What are you doing down here?”

”Yes, about that… I thought I sensed your magic floating around. Didn't I tell you how dangerous that is?” Celestia said with concern. “Other ponies can hijack your magic like that.”

“Who in Canterlot would DARE to attempt such a feat? Especially on one of the Princesses?” Luna scoffed. “I do not even know of any mage who could be successful anyway, except maybe your student.”

“You would be surprised sister. There are a great deal of enemies out there who would wish to do us harm.”

“But, once again sister, you are dodging my question. What are you…”

“I’m looking for something…” She responded quickly, looking around the stacked masses of items and crates.

“Looking for what?”

Celestia ignored her question, seeming to be lost in her thoughts, and merely moved on to another pile. She opened one of the crates, but sighed as whatever she was looking for was not in there.

“Perhaps we… I mean...” She grunted loudly in frustration. “CAN I HELP?” She said a little too loud. Celestia turned around and looked at her in concern.

“I… I am sorry… I just… I don’t like being left in the dark…” She said, her cheeks reddening.

“No, I am sorry.” Celestia began. “I shouldn’t have ignored you. I am just lost in thought… but I am not sure if you can help.” She said as she moved to another pile. “I am looking for something that was recovered while you were…” She paused. “…away.”

“Ahh… I see. Well, if you…” Luna began, but was interrupted by Celestia.

“There you are!” She said happily, as she levitated out the items she had been looking for from a nearby crate.

She began to lay out the items on a nearby table, although half the items looked completely foreign to Luna. The ones she could make out consisted of a tattered book, some colorful cloth neatly folded up, and a rather impressive sword. Among the things she did not recognize was a small bag of some greyish powder, another bag of some round metal balls, a long metal and wood… stick or cane or something, and a smaller version of the former.

“What is all of this?” Luna asked, picking up the sword in her magic to examine it.

“This, we believe, is the most current evidence of humans in Equestria. Well, actually, make it the second current now.” Celestia said with a chuckle.

Luna set down the sword and began to rummage through out the objects lying before her.

“So…” She began, picking up the long metal/wood thing. “This must be one of their weapons! It resembles the weapons the humans had before they left on the train... Oh, that reminds me!” Luna burst out. “Did you feel anything… strange… about the humans?”

“You mean did I feel anything… such as, say, magic?” Celestia responded.

“Yes… when I was speaking to the leader of their group… what was his name? Sandman?” She asked, receiving a nod from Celestia. “Well, I felt some form of magic radiating off of him… I couldn’t put my hoof on it… I was looking for you to ask if you had noticed the same.” Luna finished.

“That is what I am worried about. I fear that they cannot stay here much longer.” Celestia said solemnly as she began to unravel the cloth on the table.

“Wait, what do you mean by…” Luna began, only to stop in shock as she saw what was sitting in the middle of the unwrapped cloth. A small, dulled, golden necklace lay in the center, adorned on the front with the picture of an eagle.

“Is that a…” Luna began.

“Yes, an Element of Harmony.” Celestia finished. Luna just sat there, completely shocked. It took a minute for her to respond.

“But… but how?” Luna asked, looking over at Celestia in an emotion mixed with confusion and fear.

“This is why we believe that the Elements of Harmony originate from humans. This element is not of this world, but at the same time, finds power in this world.

Luna merely continued to look down at it.

“I don’t understand… What does this Element represent?”

“We believe that this element is from the world that the humans come from, which makes it difficult to exactly pinpoint what it represents, but after reading this…” Celestia said as she levitated up the book from the table. “… I think I can give you a good estimation of what this one represents.”

“What would that be?”

“Freedom.”

Chapter 22: The Tournament (Round 1) (1/3)

“You want to do the honors?” Grinch whispered to Andrei as they approached the group of recruits, who were already scurrying into a line.

“Very well.” He responded as we walked out in front of the line.

“Listen up!” He boomed, his voice echoing thought the large training room. “We are going to have a… tournament of sorts between you all to determine who here deserves to be here. One versus one, first one to get their opponent on the ground for five seconds wins the fight. Pegasi, you may fly if you are attacking or dodging, but flying to flat out avoid confrontation will count as an automatic loss. Unicorns, you may use magic, but excessive force with magic will result in a loss as well. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir!” The group echoed. The emotions throughout ranged greatly however. Some looked very excited, while others looked nervous or scared, and some just seemed to not care. A hoof shot up from the line.

“What is it?” Andrei asked to the Unicorn, who he remembered was named Black Burn.

“What exactly falls under the category of, ‘Excessive Force’, Sir?” He asked.

“Flinging your opponent into the opposing wall.” Truck chimed in. “Or burning them alive… or freezing them solid… you get the picture.”

“Also…” Andrei started up. “At least for the first round, you are going to be facing one of your own kind. So, Earth Pony vs Earth Pony, Pegasus vs Pegasus, Unicorn vs Unicorn. However, we have an odd number of Earth Ponies and Unicorns, so one of the former will be fighting one of the latter from the start. Anyone want to volunteer for that?”
One of the Earth Ponies, Buckwild, raised his hoof.

“I will take on a Unicorn, Sir.” He said, puffing out his chest.

“I will fight him.” Cold Hoof, one of the Unicorns, said almost immediately afterwards.

“Then it’s settled.” Andrei said, exchanging glances with the other two humans. “Oh, last thing. Whoever beats their opponent fastest gets to rest through the second round, since we have an oddball number. We will pick the rest of your fights.”

After a few moments of picking and choosing, the list came out as this…

Cold Hoof (Unicorn) vs Buckwild (Earth Pony)
Nexus (Unicorn) vs Black Burn (Unicorn)
Jinx (Earth Pony) vs Gallant Force (Earth Pony)
Cloud Sabre (Pegasus) vs Dual Ties (Pegasus)
Black Night (Earth Pony) vs Spade (Earth Pony)
Breeze Chaser (Pegasus) vs Night Arrow (Pegasus)
Silent Blade (Pegasus) vs White Flash (Pegasus)

“Ok, we got our fights sorted.” Grinch said as he looked down his list. “Want them to go in this order?”

“I suppose so.” Truck answered. “You good with that Andrei?”

“Yes.” He said as he read off the list. “Ok, let’s go with the mismatch first.” He announced to the group. “Cold Hoof and Buckwild.”

The two ponies stepped out of the group and moved forward towards Andrei.

“Where are we fighting, Sir?” Cold Hoof asked. “Do we have the entire room?”

“No.” He responded sharply. “You, come with me.” He said, pointing to the nearest pony, who happened to be Cloud Sabre.
Following his orders, he walked out and began following Andrei. After a few steps, he stopped, turned, and pointed at the ground.

“Stand here.” He ordered as he turned to Truck and Grinch. “Truck, you stand here, and Grinch stand there.” After they got into their respective spots, he went over to the unoccupied corner with a timer. “See how we make a box? Stay inside of it.” He said as he reset the timer to zero seconds. It wasn’t a very large box, probably about 25 feet by 25 feet.
The two ponies instinctively went over to two opposite corners and stood, waiting for Andrei to tell them when to go.

“Go!” Andrei shouted out as he started the timer.

Buckwild reared up his front legs and began to charge straight at Cold Hoof, who has just taken a step out of his corner. Seeing his blatant charge, Cold Hoof easily moved out of the way at the last second, sending a hoof down onto the back of Buckwild’s neck as he moved past. He toppled over and did a summersault into the corner, but quickly got back up and turned to face his opponent.

At this point, the group of ponies not in the fight began to start picking sides and cheering for who they wanted to win. Naturally, the Earth Ponies wanted Buckwild, and the Unicorns wanted Cold Hoof. The Pegasi seemed to mostly lean towards Cold Hoof as well.

Taking a more cautious approach, Buckwild began to slowly move forward towards Cold Hoof, trying to make him move first. After a few steps, Cold Hoof got an idea. He took a step back, taunting Buckwild to move forward. When he did, his horn lit up, and he spread out a thin sheet of ice right below Buckwild’s hoof, causing him to slip a bit and lose his balance. Utilizing the opportunity, Cold Hoof charged and sent a hoof towards his head. However, before the blow landed, Buckwild lost his balance and dropped to the floor, causing Cold Hoof to stumble over his body on the ground and face plant into the hard floor. Seeing as though he may not get another chance, Buckwild got up and jumped on top of him and began to pin down hooves, causing a fury of excitement from the sidelines.

After some struggling, Buckwild managed to get Cold Hoof pinned on the ground. Andrei began to count.

“One…Two…Three…”

In a last ditch effort, Cold Hoof’s horn lit up once again, sending a gust of cold straight into Buckwild’s chest, flinging him back a few feet, which was enough for Cold Hoof to spring back up on his hooves just in the nick of time, resulting in a few sighs and a few cheers coming from the side. Wasting no time, Cold Hoof was the one to charge this time, smashing into Buckwild’s chest. However, sheer strength began to take hold and Buckwild began to push him back. After a brief struggle, Cold Hoof attempted to move back away to gain space, but was grabbed around the neck and pulled to the ground once again. Another struggle occurred as Cold Hoof attempted to break free from the grasp, but to no avail.

“One…Two…Three…Four…”

Once again, resorting back to magic, he sent a blast of cold straight into Buckwild’s face, temporarily disorienting him. He pushed him off and jumped back onto his hooves just as Andrei was about to say, ‘5’. In his frenzied state, Buckwild sent a blind punch towards Cold Hoof, who summoned up a wall of ice directly in front of him. His hoof smashed into the ice, shattering it, but at the cost of an extremely sore hoof.

“AHH!” Buckwild yelled out as he stumbled back on 3 hooves, trying to protect his injured one. Once again seeing an opportunity, Cold Hoof rushed forward, sending a hoof straight into Buckwild’s muzzle. Another followed soon after, this one hitting him in the chest. Feeling overconfident, Cold Hoof rushed forward to send in a final blow. Buckwild, in his last effort, did a 180, reared up his hind legs, and bucked Cold Hoof straight in the chest while he was mid strike. The force knocked the breath out of him, and sent him on his back, gasping for air. Buckwild then jumped on top of him, and pinned him to the ground for the third and final time.

“One…Two…Three…Four…Five!”

An eruption of cheers came from the side, along with some discontent. Andrei looked over at Truck and gave him a smirk. He looked down at his timer, which read 2 minutes, 24 seconds.

“And you thought that the Earth Pony wouldn’t have a chance!” Andrei called out to Truck amidst the cheering. He received nothing but the middle finger, causing him to laugh a bit.
Buckwild walked over to Cold Hoof, who was starting to get up. He held out his good hoof to him.

“Hey, good match!” He said. After a moment, Cold Hoof returned the hoofshake.

“Yeah… good match…” He responded half-heartedly, obviously sore about losing a fight he should have won.

“Hey.” Grinch called to Buckwild as he walked past.

“Yes, Sir?”

“If you need to, go put some ice on that hoof. You are gonna be fighting again later today.”

“Yes, Sir.” He responded as he took a quick trot outside the room to the medical station, which happened to be right across the hall. Some of the ponies who were working there at the time had heard the commotion and came out to watch. By the time he got over there, one of the ponies had already gotten a bag of ice and tossed it to him.

“Good show out there.” One of them said as he placed the ice on his hoof.

“Yeah, thanks.” He responded as he walked back to the group.

“Ok, settle down.” Grinch called out to the group of ponies. After they calmed down a bit, he nodded to Andrei.

“Next up, Nexus and Black Burn.”

The last two Unicorns stepped out of the group and got into their respective corners, readying themselves.

“Go!” Andrei shouted.

Both ponies flinched right at the sound of ‘go’, but neither made any attempt at moving forward. After a few moments hesitation, they both began to circle each other, as though they were sizing one another up. Black Burn looked down at his hooves and saw a chunk of ice left over from the last fight, and he got an idea. He picked it up with his magic and began heating it up, causing loud popping and sizzling sounds. After a few seconds, he sent it flying towards Nexus, who obviously saw what his plan was. He placed up a small shield in front of where the chunk was flying, and it shattered upon it, but it also sent out a giant cloud of steam directly in front of him, obscuring his vision slightly. Through the steam, Black Burn lunged out and sent a blow down towards Nexus’s head. However, he blocked it with his hoof and sent his other free one into Black Burns chest, knocking him back.

After a moment, both Unicorns charged at each other, resulting in a fury of blows coming out from both sides. Hooves found muzzle, chest, legs, head, everything. It was a quick struggle though, as both eventually backed off, trying to recuperate. Seeing as though a straight up hoof fight wouldn't end it, they both decided to resort back to what they both knew best… magic. Black Burn’s horn lit up just as Nexus’s did. Both sent out a burst of magic, Black Burn’s being fire, while Nexus sent out a blast of pure force. Both bolts collided with one another in midair and dissipated. They attempted the same thing again, only to have it result in the same outcome.

They both backed off for a quick second, contemplating how to go about this stalemate they had themselves in. The group behind them started to get quiet while the three humans exchanged glances. Black Burn was the one to open up again, as he sent another charge towards Nexus. He placed up a shield right in front of Black Burn’s path, but he deftly dodged it by swerving right, only for another to appear, which he was unable to avoid. He crashed into it, and in his frenzy, shot out a small burst of fire in the direction of Nexus. Before it reached him, he summoned up a blob of water and threw it at Black Burn’s fire, dissipating it. He summoned yet another, and sent it hurdling towards Black Burn himself, drenching him and causing him to slip on his way up on the now slick floor. Nexus then leaped over to the flailing Black Burn and tackled him, and begun to pin down hooves.

“One…Two…”

Seeing that things were not going his way, Black Burn sent out another burst of flame that hit Nexus in the tail, igniting it.

“AHH! HOT! HOT!” Nexus yelled as he jumped off and began to furiously pat his tail, causing a few ponies in the back to start laughing. He quickly summoned up some more water and splashed it on his tail, dousing the fire. He turned back, only to have a hoof smash into his muzzle, and another to the side of his head. The next thing he knew, he was being brought to the ground with a hoof around his neck and one around his front right hoof. A struggling match occurred, and random bolts of magic flew out in different directions, barely missing some bystanders. Eventually, Black Burn got a good grip on Nexus, and he couldn’t get back up.

“One…Two…Three…Four…Five!”

Much like before, there was some cheering, and some discontent. He looked down at his timer, which read 2 minutes, 5 seconds. As he reset it, he heard some arguing starting from the group.

“Hey, I thought you said they couldn’t burn each other, Sir!” Cold Hoof called out from the group.

“The rules were you couldn’t burn them to death. Setting fire to the opponent’s tail is hardly burning them to death. More like a distraction.” Andrei responded, receiving some nods of approval and some hateful glares, especially from Nexus. Black Burn offered him a hoof up, but it was rejected.

“Well… if I knew that bit of info a little sooner…” Cold Hoof mumbled to himself as he fell back into the crowd.

“Fight me when they are not holding me back.” Nexus whispered to him as he stood up. “Then we will see who the better Unicorn is.”

“I might just take you up on that offer.” Black Burn whispered back before they both trotted back over to the side.

Andrei looked back as his list to determine the next two to fight.

“Next up, Jinx and Gallant Force.”

Author's Note

Well, the next chunk of chapters are going to be the Tournament from here on out. (I know some of you want me to get back to Sandman and Frost, and I will. Just not yet). I am trying to base winners off of the descriptions you all gave me for your OC's, but the number of OC's you have entered also plays a role. If you have more than one OC invested with this fic, the chances of both of them winning goes down to keep it fair. Also, I would like to know if you all like this format I have it in for fights and in-between (The separating lines). Anyways, thanks for reading!

Chapter 23: The Tournament (Round 1) (2/3)

“Next up, Jinx and Gallant Force.” Andrei announced.

The two Earth Ponies both stepped out of the group, and like those before them, went into separate corners. However, Jinx moved very slowly towards his corner, like he was in a daze. Even so, it seemed like an even match. Both were about the same height, and looked about the same strength wise.

“Should be a good match…” Andrei whispered to himself as he started the timer. “Go!”

Gallant began to slowly move out of his corner, walking towards Jinx. It was rather odd though. Jinx did not make any movement, even as Gallant Force drew closer. Hell, he wasn’t even looking at him. He seemed almost detached from the whole ordeal.

It was obvious that Jinx’s lack of participation, or even the acknowledgement that he was in the midst of a fight was causing Gallant Force some mental distress, making him hesitate on his approach. He took a quick look over at Andrei, who shrugged. A few seconds past, and nothing changed.

“If he isn’t going to defend himself, then hurry up and put him down.” Andrei shouted out to Gallant Force.

After a few seconds, Gallant Force closed the distance between him and his opponent and raised a hoof to strike. However, just as his hoof was about to make contact with Jinx’s muzzle, he deftly blocked the hoof, took a quick sidestep, and landed two blows to Gallant Force’s head, sending him staggering back. Jinx did not pursue his opportunity though, as he returned back to his corner. At least he was watching his opponent now.

Gallant Force, after wiping the small trickle of blood that was now dripping down his muzzle, merely returned Jinx’s stare. It was one the weirdest fights that anyone in that room had ever seen. The three humans exchanged glances, but merely continued watching. After another long pause, Gallant Force attempted to go on the offensive again. He closed the distance once again, and tried to get in a blow, only to have it blocked again. Jinx apparently decided to follow up on his attack this time, as he began to barrage Gallant Force’s chest and muzzle with blow after blow, not allowing his opponent to gain a moments rest.

Finally, after taking around four blows, Gallant Force decided to change his tactic. He dropped to the ground right as Jinx threw another hoof, which resulted in him hitting nothing but air and staggering. Taking advantage, Gallant Force grabbed hold of Jinx’s legs and knocked him over. Now in a frenzy, Jinx began to throw punches in every way, landing in any place he could. Gallant Force began doing the same while attempting to pin him.

In conclusion, nopony really won that battle. Jinx managed to knock Gallant Force off, but both paid a price. Both were badly bruised from the massive cluster of punches that they had landed on each other. Neither of them really possessed the strength to get a good clean knockout blow, and the unusual strategy of Jinx made it hard for a counter to be found.

After a moment of recovery, Gallant Force decided to take advantage of Jinx’s injuries and not allow him the chance to recover himself. He rushed him head on, but at the last second, dropped and slid under Jinx, knocking his hooves out from under him. Gallant Force quickly climbed on top of the flailing pony and began to pin down hooves.

“One… Two…”

A wild, lucky hit from Jinx managed to land right into Gallant Force’s exposed neck, causing him to fall off of Jinx and cough and wheeze violently. Using the opportunity, Jinx jumped on top of him and sent a blow to the back of his neck, causing him to fall completely down. Jinx then began to quickly pin down hooves, while sending blows to his side if he decided to move.

“One… Two… Three… Four…”

Gallant Force, in his final act of defense, flung his head back, connecting with Jinx’s muzzle. The shock temporarily stopped him, but not for long enough. Soon, Jinx was back upon him, and managed to get his front hooves down.

“One… Two… Three… Four… Five!”

Jinx got up off of Gallant Force’s back and slowly made his way back towards the crowd. Some congratulated him, most didn’t say anything. Gallant Force sluggishly got up on his hooves as he was assaulted with another coughing fit.

“Hey, go to the infirmary if you need to.” Truck shouted to him. “Same goes for you Jinx.”

Both of them decided to heed his advice, and made their way over towards the infirmary, whose staff happened to be sitting right at the door. Andrei checked the stopwatch, which read 3 minutes, 23 seconds.

“Very well, the next two up are Cloud Sabre and Dual Ties.”

The two Pegasi walked out and moved to their respective corners. Cloud Sabre had a look about him though. It wasn’t exactly nervousness, nor excitement, but it was enough to cause Grinch to question him.

“Hey, you good to go?” Grinch asked Cloud Sabre, who happened to be in his corner.

“Yes, Sir.” He responded, although his voice was lacking confidence.

“You don’t sound or look like it.”

“Why did I have to get paired with the mare?” He responded in a whisper to nobody in particular, but Grinch picked up on it.

“Well, you might want to try and get over it, because it might happen in a real fight. Ready yourself up.”

“Go!” Andrei shouted as the familiar ‘click’ of the timer sounded, signaling it was going.

Cloud Sabre hesitated right at the get-go, doing a false step and returning back to his original spot. Dual Ties merely walked out of her corner and started to make a slow beeline for him. Once she got about three-fourths of the way there, she stopped. Cloud Sabre began to slowly move out of his corner at an angle, and they began to circle each other.

Dual Ties decided to open up the fight, and took a quick lunge forward and sent a hoof towards Cloud Sabre’s head, which he blocked. She sent another to the opposite side, which was once again blocked. She backed up away from her opponent, and the circling commenced once again. Cloud Sabre decided to attack next, as he took flight to the side of Dual Ties, but quickly course corrected and turned to tackle Dual Ties from her side. However, she deftly took flight as well, missing the blow by a few inches as Cloud Sabre took a nosedive into the floor.

After a roll or two on the ground, he steadied himself and got back onto his hooves, only to be met with a quick blow to the face. Stunned, he let fly a wild punch, which Dual Ties easily sidestepped and countered with her own hoof, connecting with his head yet again. Once again, Cloud Sabre tried to follow through with a hit of his own, but Dual Ties sidestepped yet again and sent another blow to his head. Seeing as he was in a very bad position, Cloud Sabre took a quick back step and took flight above Dual Ties.

The flight, however, exposed his under belly, which Dual Ties realized. She took flight as well, hitting him directly in the stomach as he passed over her. The hit resulted in Cloud Sabre to lose control of his flight, and he spiraled back to the ground, landing head first with a loud thud. He quickly got back onto his hooves, readily raising his hooves to block the inevitable attack Dual Ties would try to commence in his weakened state. Sure enough, just as he turned, she was already there, a hoof coming towards his muzzle. He deftly blocked the hoof, and swung an uppercut that connected with the underside of her chin, which was his first successful hit of the fight. A few gasps and grunts could be heard from the spectators from the mere look of the blow.

Dual Ties staggered back a few feet from the blow with a dazed look on her face, almost falling over. Taking the advantage, Cloud Sabre rushed forward and managed to land two blows in quick succession. One to her muzzle, and then another to her chest. Dual Ties immediately retreated from her opponent, only to get drawn back in when Cloud Saber used his wings to quickly close distance. She sent a blow towards his head, only for it to be blocked. He attempted to do the same, only for Dual Ties to block his as well. She sidestepped, and sent another blow, which Cloud Sabre easily blocked. However, just as her blow was deflected, Dual Ties did another quick sidestep to his exposed side, using her wings to increase her speed. Before Cloud Sabre had any time to react, another blow landed on the side of his skull. He quickly tried to turn, but found that she had already moved yet again to his other side, sending two blows quickly to his head.

Trying to make a move of his own, Cloud Sabre purposefully copied his previous move, expecting Dual Ties to move to his exposed side, which she did. Just as she sent another hoof towards him, he did a quick back step, resulting in the hoof passing by his head by mere centimeters. He turned and sent a hoof of his own square between her eyes, which she blocked with incredible speed. Seizing the opportunity, Dual Ties grabbed Cloud Sabre’s hoof before he could retract it, and pulled him towards her, while using her other hoof to deal a devastating blow square to the forehead. She then sent yet another blow to the chest, and then knocked him away with yet another forceful blow to the head, almost toppling him over.

A second or two passed, with both of them just standing in front of one another. Dual Ties raised another hoof to strike again, but just as she got close, Cloud Sabre dropped from where he stood to the ground, unmoving. A moment of hesitation passed, until Andrei began counting.

“One… Two… Three… Four… Five!”

There were not many cheers from the side, as most just gawked or stared at Dual Ties, who had managed to flat out knock her opponent unconscious. She looked over at Andrei, who merely let out a small chuckle as he checked the timer, which read 3 minutes, 57 seconds. Grinch and Truck soon intervened, rushing over to Cloud Sabre’s side. They could both see his chest rising and falling, seeing that he was alive. After a bit of visual checking, they concluded that he was merely unconscious.

“Is he well?” Andrei asked, walking up to two Americans.

“Well, I mean, he is friggin’ unconscious here.” Grinch responded, sending a glare over to Andrei. “I knew one of em’ would end up on the ground like this.”

As if on cue, the few medical ponies that were off on the side came in to check on him. While the did their examination, Dual Ties merely trotted off to the side and rejoined the cluster of recruits.

“He will be fine, he is just unconscious.” Andrei said reassuringly.

“Being knocked unconscious isn’t something to be taken lightly. Many health complications can arise in the near future.” One of the medical staff said matter-of-factly. One of the others, a unicorn mare, lifted him up in her magic and began taking him over to the exit.

“We will need to evaluate him when he wakes up, and before he does anything else.” She said as she trotted off. After a moment of silent thought sharing, the three humans decided to return to their respective corners and continue on.

“Black Night and Spade.” Andrei shouted out to the group.

The two Earth Ponies walked out from the group. A few of those behind them seemed visibly shaken from the last match. The two moved over to their respective corners, while the three humans sized them up. Spade looked like an average Earth Pony, but was smaller compared to Black Night, and not as strong. However, the humans reasoned that it would probably make him quicker than his opponent.

Both ponies readied themselves, just as Andrei clicked the timer.

“Go!” Andrei shouted yet again.

Black Night took a rather hasty approach, and did a full on charge out of his corner, trying to take Spade unaware and surprised. It didn’t work though, as Spade dodged his rush, and sent an extremely quick blow to Black Night’s exposed neck. He recovered quickly though, and spun around, hoof raised, to bring it down upon Spades muzzle. With a speed none of the spectators had ever seen, Spade dodged the blow and sent two quick jabs to his opponents face. Recovering, Black Night sent another hoof flying, but it was dodged and countered with yet another blow to his head.

A number of the crowd was surprised at the sheer speed that Spade was moving. Black Night closed the distance and tried to send a blow, but Spade backed up quickly and sent two blows to the head. Black Night sent another hoof flying, only for it to be dodged and another two hits land on his head. The hits, although quick and repetitive, did not carry much force behind them. Another two attempts were made by Black Night to land hits of his own, nut each attempt was met with the same result.

“Proklyatiye…” Andrei muttered to himself, taking a quick glance over to the two Americans. Both returned his glance, each sharing their own surprise.

Black Night, deciding he needed a new approach, tried to draw his opponent in close. He took a step forward and lunged with a hoof, expecting a side step, which Spade did. Just as the blow was launched, Black Night dropped to the ground, hoping for Spade to stumble over him or stagger. However, Spade utilized his forward motion and leaped over Black Night’s sprawled out body on the ground. Just as he landed, Spade quickly bucked Black Night in the face while he was trying to get up. The force knocked him back with an audible thud and a loud grunt.

Realizing that this may be his chance, Spade leaped over to his opponent and began to pin down hooves. He realized rather quickly, however, that he was no match up close. Black Night pushed him off of him before Andrei could even count ‘One’ and send a devastating blow to Spade’s muzzle. Another was sent to his chest. Another landed on his side. The fury of blows continued from Black Night, who managed to topple Spade over onto his back, resulting in him unable to properly defend himself. Another six blows met flesh as Spade vigorously attempted to escape from the hold he was in. Eventually, once he was satisfied he wouldn’t be able to get back up, Black Night began to pin down hooves.

“One… Two… Three… Four…”

Just as Andrei neared ‘Five’, Spade shook off one of Black Nights hooves that were pinning him, quickly grabbed him from behind the head, and pulled it forward, sending it flying into the floor next to his own head. The resulting hit made Black Night lose all control over his opponent as he was forced off, and then pinned himself. Unable to properly recover, Black Night couldn’t manage to get his attacker off of him.

“One… Two… Three… Four… Five!”

Spade slowly got up off the ground as Black Night did the same. There was a visible trickle of blood flowing from Black Night’s nose, as he clutched it with one hoof. Spade, however, seemed the worse for wear, as he had a visible limp to his stride.

Andrei read his timer, which was showing 2 minutes, 11 seconds. He glanced up, to see Grinch glaring at him.

“Go to the medical staff you two.” Truck ordered them. Both complied, although keeping a distance between each other as they moved for the door. One of the medical staff walked in just as they neared the door, let out a grunt of irritation, and moved for them to follow. Just as the left, Grinch moved over to Andrei.

“They are going to kill each other like this! All we are accomplishing here is them hurting themselves!” He whispered angrily.

“I had to go through this when I was in training. They can handle it.” Andrei responded coldly. Grinch let out a sigh and muttered something inaudible.

“Fine… but if one of them gets badly hurt, or worse, it’s on your head.”

“Very well.”

Grinch muttered something again, and made his way back to his corner.

“Next, Breeze Chaser and Night Arrow.”

Chapter 24: The Tournament (Round 1) (3/3)

Breeze Chaser and Night Arrow, like those before them, moved from the group and got into their corners. Both appeared to be equally matched, with Night Arrow perhaps having a bit more weight to him. Overall, Night Arrow looked calm and collected while Breeze Chaser had a bit of hesitation in his step.

“Go!” Andrei shouted as the timer clicked yet again.

Night Arrow was out of his corner in an instant, heading towards Breeze Chaser. Expecting a blind charge, Breeze Chaser took to the air, attempting to land on top of Night Arrow. However, Night Arrow, using his own wings, juked to his left and took to the air himself. The two of them collided in midair, and both tumbled down onto the hard floor in a pile of fur and feathers. Both attempting to use the others weakness to their advantage, they hurled themselves at one another at the same time, once again ending up in a tumbling pile.

Night Arrow managed to get a lucky hit on Breeze Chaser that landed straight between his eyes, stunning him and pushing him out of their pile. Night Arrow was on top of him in an instant, attempting to pin hooves as fast as he could. Breeze Chaser sent one of his free hooves into Night Arrow’s muzzle, and sent one of his hind legs into his gut, knocking him off and leaving him stunned on the ground. Breeze Chaser hopped back onto his hooves and tackled Night Arrow as he tried to get back up, and the two began yet another close quarter hoof-fight.

After another few seconds of trading blows, the two of them separated, retreating from one another. Both looked like they had been through hell, with each having their own share of cuts and already forming bruises. They both hesitated to restart the fight, each tending to their own wounds.

Night Arrow was the first to open up again, as he charged, much like the start. Breeze Chaser lunged out of the way, then did a quick dive at Night Arrow’s legs, once again sending both to the ground. This time, however, Breeze Chaser was not about to let this carry on any longer. He sent three powerful, repetitive blows to Night Arrow’s head, resulting in a few cheers from the side. However, just as he began to pin down his hooves, Night Arrow began thrashing about wildly, doing everything in his power to get his attacker off of him.

“One… Two…”

A lucky, wild blow connected with the side of Breeze Chaser’s head, causing him to lose his grip. Just as he did, Night Arrow shot up and sent another blow that landed in his chest. Breeze Chaser staggered backwards, and just as he did, Night Arrow sent a blow straight into his exposed left wing.

“AHHHH!” Breeze Chaser screamed as he fell onto the ground, clutching his left wing. Many shouts of disapproval came from the side. Regardless, Night Arrow dropped on top of him, and began to pin hooves. This time, however, Breeze Chaser showed no resistance.

“One… Two… Three… Four… Five!”

Night Arrow got up off the ground, badly beaten with visible bruises and deep cuts across his body. However, Breeze Chaser didn’t get up. He continued to stay on the ground, clutching his left wing and letting out a few moans and held back sobs.

Andrei looked down at his timer, which read 3 minutes, 19 seconds.

“That was just flat out cheap!” One of the ponies called out from the back of the group.

“Yeah, you don’t take cheap shots like that to a wing like that!” Another called, this time from White Flash.

The humans, once again, came rushing to his side. A few of the remaining medical staff came over as well when they saw that he Breeze Chaser wasn’t getting up.

“What happened?” One of the medical staff asked.

“He got him in the wing.” hey Grinch responded while giving a glare over to Andrei.

“They obviously aren’t ready for this type of thing.” Truck whispered to Andrei. “We should just finish the last fight and call it a day.”

“I am starting to agree with you. They don’t have what it takes.” Andrei responded coldly. “Give them a week or two to heal up, and then continue on with the tournament.”

“Hell, I don’t think we will continue it. Sandman will probably have our heads for doing this, and who knows what Celestia will think about it.”

One of the medical staff, a Unicorn Stallion with dark brown fur and mane, came up to the two conversing humans.

“He has a dislocated wing. It will be a while before he can do anything with it. I would recommend stopping this… whatever you are doing. So far, all that it seems to be doing is getting ponies hurt.”

“Yeah, we are after this last fight.” Truck cut in before Andrei could speak.

“Good.” The stallion said as he turned away and picked up Breeze Chaser.

“Night Arrow.” Grinch called out. “You go too and have yourself looked at.”

With a grunt, he made his way over as well. Grinch then approached his fellow humans.

“We are finishing this last fight and then we are done.” Andrei said quickly. “They apparently are not ready for this.”

“Good. Hurry up and call it.” Grinch said as he made his way back to his corner.

“The next and last fight is between Silent Blade and White Flash.” Andrei announced as the two remaining contenders went out to their corners.

“Go.” Andrei said, giving neither side time to prepare.

Both hesitated for a moment at the sudden start of the match, but recovered rather quickly, with both coming out of their corners at the same time. White Flash sent the first blow, attempting to hit Silent Blade in the side of his muzzle. However, with extraordinary speed, Silent Blade dodged and began to send a barrage of attacks on White Flash. He managed to land seven quick blows before White Flash had time to react. White Flash managed to block one of the incoming attacks and sent one of his own back, which was dodged yet again as a new set of attacks began.

In an effort to escape, White Flash blindly lunged towards Silent Blade. However, the second he did, Silent Blade side stepped and sent a blow directly to the back of his head as he passed by. White Flash hit the ground hard and slid to a stop and he struggled to get back onto his hooves. Before he even had time to turn around, Silent Blade was in midair hurdling towards him. They both collided and tumbled on the ground for a few feet, skidding out of the set arena.

“You left the arena! Get back inside or you both lose!” Andrei shouted.

As quickly as the words left his mouth, Silent Blade was back inside the boundaries as White Flash struggled to get back up.

“I will give you 5 seconds to get back inside. Otherwise, you forfeit.” Andrei called out again. “One… Two…”

White Flash quickly jumped to his hooves and lunged back towards the boundaries. Unfortunately, the moment he entered it again, another barrage of blows were threw at him. A lucky one landed straight into the tip of his muzzle, and he fell backwards, back out of the arena.

“Let him get back in.” Truck called, to which Silent Blade complied as he took a step backwards.

“One… Two… Three…” Andrei began counting.

However, White Flash didn’t get back up off the ground this time. He merely sat there on the ground and waited till the time was called.

“… Four… Five. You forfeit the match.” Andrei called.

Andrei clicked the timer, which was the quickest of them all, reading 54 seconds.

“You are all free to go.” Andrei called out to the group as he himself began to walk out of the room.

“Show up here tomorrow morning. We will tell you if you are doing any training then. Dismissed.” Truck said as he and Grinch began to follow Andrei out of the room.

“Sandman is going to be so pissed…” Truck whispered to Grinch.

“You think?” Grinch responded sarcastically. “Hey, Andrei! I was being serious when I said that this was on your head. So, if the Princess or Sandman comes around asking questions, I am pointing them in your direction.” Grinch called out to Andrei, who was a few feet in front of them

“Very well.” He responded quietly.

“You know, just giving you a heads up!” Grinch reaffirmed, to which he received no response.

“I’m getting hungry. Want to go get some food or something?” Grinch asked to Truck.

“Yeah… sure I guess.” He responded.

The two of them made their way to the cafeteria while Andrei went his own way back to their room.

It was well into the evening when Truck and Grinch decided to make their way back to their room. They had both decided to take a bit of a tour of the castle to pass the time. After getting lost more times than they could remember, they finally managed to make it back to the main hall. However, worry began to creep into their minds with each passing minute. Sandman and Frost should have been back by now. They had left early that morning around 8AM or so, and it was nearing 8PM now. They had expected a round trip of, at most, ten hours.

“Hey, I’m sure they are fine.” Truck reassured, seeing the worry on Grinch’s face, although his voice betrayed his actual feelings.

“You don’t look or sound like you believe that yourself.” Grinch responded, giving Truck a good look.

“I’m that bad at lying, huh?” He asked, chuckling as he said it.

“Yes, you are.” Grinch responded flatly. A moment passed, and then the two of them burst out laughing for a moment or two.

“Excuse me.” A voice called from behind them. They turned to see one of the guards approaching them.

“Yes? Is there a problem?” Grinch asked.

“No, but the Princess would like to speak with you. If you would please follow me.” He said as he turned and began heading towards the main hall.

The two humans complied and followed close behind. When they finally made it back, the guard opened the door for them. As they entered, the door shut behind them. In front of them, Princess Celestia was talking to a pony, which the two of them recognized as one of the medical staff from the training hall.

“Oh great…” Truck mumbled to himself as they approached.

“Hello humans, I wish to speak with you.” Celestia said as they approached the throne. “Where is the third member of your party?”

“Andrei? He went back to the room last time I saw him, ma’am.” Grinch responded respectfully.

“Are you positive? My guards checked the room for you and none of you were there.”

Grinch and Truck shared a quick glance of concern.

“If he wasn’t there, he may have decided to go on a walk to get some fresh air. Today was a rough day of training, ma’am.” Truck responded, after which he mentally kicked himself for bringing up the training today.

“Ah, yes, about that…” Princess Celestia began, resulting in both Grinch and Truck cringing. “My medical staff has been reporting to me that a good number of the recruits were injured today, some severely. Can you explain what happened?”

“Of course, Andrei is nowhere to be found…. The sneaky bastard probably planned this…” Grinch thought as he eyed Truck, who returned the glance.

“Andrei came up with an idea of a tournament to measure raw talent and skill when fighting others, ma’am. We were quick to criticize it, but against our better judgment, decided to go with it anyway. A few of the recruits were injured by one another during the fighting and were sent to the Infirmary to be looked at, ma’am.” Truck clarified, hoping for the best.

“I see…” She responded, thinking carefully. “I was informed that one of them was knocked unconscious and another had his wing dislocated. Both of which are rather serious injuries. Is this true?

“Yes, it is true, ma’am.” Grinch interjected. “However, injuries are inevitable when there is fighting and conflict. We specifically had rules in place to prevent anything truly serious happening to any of them, ma’am.”

“Well, I am appreciative that you would take such precautions. However, I must ask that you refrain from any activities that would cause serious harm to any of them. You can pass that along to your friend, Andrei, as well.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The two said in unison.

“Oh, and just out of curiosity, who won this ‘tournament’ of yours?”

“We never got through them all, ma’am. We had finished the first round when we decided to stop. There are still six fights left in order to dictate a winner, ma’am.”

“Hmm… in that case…” Princess Celestia thought out loud for a moment. “I may let you continue your ‘tournament’ to its conclusion. However, I will be present to supervise the remainder of them to ensure the safety of the recruits. Does that sound fair?”

“Yes, ma’am.” The two said in unison once again.

“Good. It is getting very late, so I would recommend returning to your ro…”

“Princess!” Someone yelled out as the doors to the main hall were thrown open as an exhausted guard ran into the room.

“Yes, what is it?” Princess Celestia asked, standing up from her throne. “Has something happened?”

“The humans… the ones that were sent into the Everfree… They have returned!”

Truck and Grinch both let out a sigh of relief at the sound of those words. They would finally be able to return home!

“They need a medical team immediately! They have many injured!”

And just as quick, that sense of relief was swept away.

“What!?” Grinch almost yelled. “What happened?”

“Do they have the tome with them?” Princess Celestia asked.

“I did not see it, but they may.”

“Healing Touch…” Princess Celestia said as she addressed the medical pony beside her. “I want you to gather as many spare staff and supplies that you can and make your way down to the train station, and do it quickly.”
With a quick bow, the pony known as Healing Touch galloped off into a nearby passage.

“I need to speak to them immediately.” Princess Celestia stated as she made her way to the center of the room. “Gather around me humans.”

The group quickly did as they were told. Before they knew it, they were surrounded in a golden aura, and in another instant, the world around them vanished. However, just as quickly as it vanished, it came back, this time near the train station. Many shouts could be heard coming from down the tracks. The humans raced on ahead of the Princess and turned the nearest corner. What they saw shocked them to the core.

Ponies were lying around on stretchers or being carted off the train by Unicorn magic. Many of the faces they could recognize, such as Swift Wind, who had a large burn on the left side of his face and many cuts across his body. Each pony they looked at was in the same state. They looked vigorously, until they finally managed to hear a familiar voice. They turned another corner to see Sandman storming down the terminal clutching his right arm and limping on his left foot. His uniform was absolutely torn up, and he had numerous gashes and burns across his body.

“Sandman!” The tow called out as they approached their squad leader. “What the hell happened to you? Where’s Frost?”

Sandman attempted to respond, but before he could, Princess Celestia appeared behind them. His face distorted into one of pure anger as he reached into his tattered pack on his back and pulled out a large book… or what was left of it. It was charred black with pieces of it falling off as he held it. He threw it on the ground in front of her.

“Here is your damn book!” He croaked out as he was assaulted with a coughing fit, collapsing to the ground.

“Sandman!” The two humans cried as they fell to their knees, attempting to help their fallen brother in arms. “Sandman, what happened?”

He began mumbling words, but couldn’t get past a sentence without coughing and wheezing violently. A bright flash was seen from behind them as the medical staff appeared on the platform, with Princess Luna at their center. One of them rushed over to Sandman with a kit of his back. Luna approached Celestia and they began quietly talking to one another.

“Sandman, where is Frost?” Truck asked again, but he didn’t get a response as Sandman fell limp in his arms.

“Oh SHIT!” Truck screamed as he began shaking him vigorously.

“Stop! He is only unconscious!” The medical pony cried as another came and picked him up in its magic and placed him on a stretcher.

“Grinch, go find Frost!” Truck screamed as he got back onto his feet.

“… ambushed us…” Truck heard someone say weakly to his side. He turned to see Haybrun leaning against the wall. He looked no better than any of the others.

“What? Ambushed?” Truck nearly screamed as he got closer to him.

Haybrun merely nodded his head.

“Who? Who did!?”

“I… I don’t know… he… all I know was… that he was a human too.” He responded. “A human… with magic…”

Chapter 25: The Cavern

Author's Note

Just a heads up, this chapter gets rather violent/graphic. So, fair warning.

I must say, I am proud of this chapter. I feel as though my writing has come a long way from when I first started writing this way back when. Anyway, hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 25: The Cavern

Flickers of light shone through the curtains of the room as Sandman creaked open his eyes. At first, his memory was hazy regarding the details of the previous day, and the fact that he didn’t know where he was at that moment wasn’t helping jog his memory. He looked around slowly, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the light. The room he was in was white and clean, and he was lying in a neatly made bed. His ears began to pick up a faint noise, a quiet, repetitive beeping could be heard nearby. He looked to his left to see a heart monitor sitting next to his bed along with a few medical IV’s leading to his left arm, which he could see was bandaged up in many places.

“A hospital…?” He thought to himself. “Why am I in a….”

And all of it suddenly came back to him in one giant, crashing wave.
…

“Who are you?”

“Who I am doesn’t matter. What DOES matter is the fact that the altar sees you two as element bearers. So, you must tell me. What element do you represent?”

“Element bearers? What the hell are you talking about? Who are you?!”

“Oh… so you don’t know… Oh well, it doesn’t matter. Makes things easier for me.”
…

In an instant, a nagging and all-encompassing panic began to take hold as Sandman attempted to get out of the bed. He needed to get out of here! He needed to find his squad! However, he didn’t make it very far. The instant he tried to sit up, a shot of pain went through his entire body, forcing him back down on the bed. He attempted to slide out of the bed again, but with the same result.

His ears picked up faint talking emanating from outside his door, and a silhouette appeared below the door frame. Suddenly, the door opened. A Unicorn dressed in a nurse’s outfit walked into the room, a clipboard held in her magical grasp. She looked up to see Sandman staring back at her, which appeared to startle her as she almost dropped the clipboard from her magical grasp.

“Oh goodness, you’re awake! This is excellent news! The others were quite worried about you.” She said in an almost patronizing way.

Sandman tried to speak, but his voice was hoarse and his throat was extremely dry. Seeing how he was struggling to speak, the nurse floated a jug of water from across the room over to her, poured some in a glass, and levitated it back to Sandman. He took it with his right arm, which seemed to be okay overall, and downed it vigorously. After two more glasses, he began to speak more clearly.

“Where am I?” Sandman croaked out, cutting straight to the chase.

“You’re in Canterlot Hospital. You were seriously injured when we…”

“How long was I out?” Sandman interrupted.

“Um… you were unconscious for a day and a half. The injuries you sustained were…”

“Where is my squad?” Sandman interrupted yet again, flustering the mare.

“They are outside, if you would like me to bring them in.” She finished quickly.

“Yes, I need to speak to them immediately.”

“Very well, but I must inform you that your injuries were very severe. We had to bandage most of your body, and you had a few broken bones. To be honest, it was a miracle you made it back here. Even the fact that we managed to get a grasp of your physiology was astonishing.” She said, the last part a bit of a mumble, as if it was too herself. Regardless, the mare continued, reading off her clipboard the list of injuries. “Two broken ribs, a fractured arm, multiple third degree burns, multiple lacerations…”

“Ok, I understand, I am in extremely poor physical condition and may not be leaving this bed for quite some time.” Sandman responded coldly, yet summing the conversation yet to be in one sentence. “Now, I understand that you are trying to do your job, but I need to speak with my squad… and the Princesses if at all possible.”

With a silent nod, the mare trotted out of the room and shut the door behind her. The room was once again engulfed in complete silence except for the faint beeping of the heart monitor. Sandman sat in the silence, attempting to rearrange and prioritize the information that was jumbling around his head. Before he knew it, the door opened once again. He looked up to see Grinch and Truck walking in, followed by Princess Celestia and Andrei. The two former made a quick beeline for the bed.

“About damn time you woke up!” Grinch announced, giving Sandman a firm hand-grasp.

“How you feeling?” Truck asked.

“About as good as I look.” Sandman responded with a forced chuckle.

“It is good to see you are recovering.” Princess Celestia chimed in from behind the group in a very calm and caring voice. All of them turned towards her at the sound of her speaking. “Although it pains me to do so, I must inquire as to what happened during your mission resulting in… well… this.” She paused, as if contemplating something. “If you feel as though you need time, I will let you recuperate…”

“No, I… I can tell you now.” Sandman mumbled, barely audible to those in the room. The whole room seemed to grow somber and dark as Sandman thought back to the castle.

“Boss…” Truck interrupted. Sandman slowly turned towards him. “When you got back, we started searching the train for Frost but…” He began, but trailed off.

“We couldn’t find him…” Grinch finished for him. “Do you know where he is?” He asked, although Sandman could easily see what they were all thinking.

“He’s dead.” Sandman whispered, hanging his head low. Silence filled the air for a brief moment, although it seemed to last for an eternity.

“What happened?” Celestia asked again. The caring and compassionate voice she used when she entered had disappeared, instead replaced by what seemed like a cocktail of anger, sorrow, and curiosity.
Sandman had to sit for a bit and collect himself before he could manage a response.

“Everything went as planned at first. We got off the train in Ponyville and headed into the woods. We didn’t have many problems in there besides it being dark as hell and running into a few manticores, but everyone got out fine. We managed to find the castle easily enough. So, we searched it and found nothing. That’s when we found what looked like catacombs. We… we went inside…” Sandman paused. “… and that’s when everything went to shit.”

“Oh… so you don’t know… Oh well, it doesn’t matter. Makes things easier for me.”

“I don’t like the sound of that…” Frost whispered to Sandman. Something caught Sandman’s attention as he looked down at the book that the human was clutching.

“Is that…?” Sandman thought, wondering how he could have gotten his hands on it.

It took him somewhat by surprise when the other human dropped the book unceremoniously to the ground and kicked it off to the side of the room. That’s when something VERY unexpected happened. The human had raised his hand, and there was a ball of fire forming in his palm.

“What the fu…?” Frost began, but was cut off as a fireball flew from the human’s hand straight at the group. The all dived out of the way, barely missing them as it hit the back wall, shaking the cavern slightly.

In an instant, both Frost and Sandman were up, letting rounds fly at their assailant. The other unicorns behind them began firing different spells at him as well. To their dismay each and every one passed through him or deflected off of him, leaving him standing there without a scratch. More of the fireballs began to form in his hands, resulting in mass panic.

“Cover!” Sandman called as he and Frost backed up and dived over a fallen pillar. The others did the same as two more fireballs passed by, hitting rock and causing the cavern to shake yet again.

“What do we do?!” Someone called from nearby. The unicorns began firing at him again, but it was a worthless endeavor. More of the fireballs came whizzing by and hitting their cover and the wall near them, showering them in hot, shattered fragments… fragments that should be in the wall holding up this four millennia old cavern that could collapse at a moment’s notice. Some of the unicorns took it upon themselves to cast shields and barriers around them and their squad mates. Unfortunately, there were only three of them, and they could only do so much. Chaos spread through the group, as many began shouting in panic or locked up in fear behind their cover.

“Boss, how are we supposed to fight this?” Frost asked worriedly. Sandman couldn’t come up with an answer. A quick glance to his left saw that two of the ponies, Night Weave and the Pegasus Royal Guard, were rushing out of their cover towards the human. He turned swiftly, firing one fireball straight into the face of the Royal Guard, who screamed out in agony as he fell over on the ground flailing wildly. His second missed Night Weave as he approached and dived, sword drawn and in stabbing position, straight at him. The sword suddenly caught flame when he was no more than a few feet from his target, burning his hooves and forcing him to drop it mid-flight. The human moved out of the way with incredible speed as Night Weave crashed into the ground.

The guard who had got hit earlier was no longer moving, but one of the unicorns was levitating him over to cover regardless. The Earth Pony guard jumped out, followed by Shadow Prowler, Wise Free, and one of the other unicorn Royal Guards. The unicorn and Wise Free created a shield around the two encroaching ponies in front of them. The human turned and began firing his fireballs at it, sending visible shockwaves through it. Cracks could be seen forming as well, although they were slowing repairing themselves.

“Frost, go get the book!” Sandman half yelled, half whispered as he stood up and began firing at the human again, trying to distract him, but to no avail. When the group got close enough, the human stopped firing his gouts of fire. Instead, his left hand began shimmering a deep red, engulfing the entire hand up to the forearm. He raised it, rushed towards the shield, and slammed his fist into it. The resulting hit shattered the once blue shield into an off-purple explosion that sent both unicorns in the ground in pain as they clutched their heads and horns.

The Royal Guard and Shadow Prowler rushed forward in two different directions the second the shield fell, swords raised and ready to strike. The human, with his fist still glowing its devilish red, turned and sent an absolutely violent punch straight into Shadow Prowler’s side. Bones could be audibly heard breaking as he was flung a good few feet from the blow. The Royal Guard got up to him and landed a swift slice on the humans exposed left arm with his sword, but the steel blade literally shattered in pieces the second it touched him. The human turned and sent a horrific uppercut to the guard, sending his neck in a way that it wasn’t supposed to go as he fell to the ground lifeless.

Frost made his way unseen to the other side of the chamber where the book lay untouched. He swiftly grabbed it and turned away, only to see a flaming ball coming straight towards him. He ducked and it slammed into the wall. He dived behind another pillar and readied his weapon, even though he feared it would do him no good. Off to his side, he could see Night Weave slowly rising to his hooves behind the human. Once he regained his bearings, he rushed forward unarmed in a blind rage and attempted to tackle the attacker.

Sandman looked over to see the other unicorn casting a shield over his two fallen squad mates while O’Tipsey, Storm Breaker, and Haybrun were furiously beating on one of the few standing pillars. It was noticeably giving way, and if it were to fall, it would fall directly on top of the fire-wielding human. He was currently distracted with Night Weave’s blind rush. He turned at the last second with his fist and sent it straight into the top of his head, crushing it into the ground with a sickening noise. Just as he turned back towards the remainder, the pillar collapsed from its perch and fell right towards the human. He deftly stepped out of the way as it crashed harmlessly in front of him, but he did appear to be somewhat stunned by the force of it hitting the ground so close to him.
By this point, the entire cavern was shaking violently as visible chunks were falling from the ceiling. The room could not take much more of this abuse. Frost made a mad dash for the group and slid his way behind cover next to Sandman, book in hand.

“Let’s get the hell out of here!” Sandman shouted to the rest of the group, as those that were alive started to funnel towards the exit while the three unicorns shot beams and placed shields for them. Swift Wind and Storm Breaker flew out towards the human and flew circles above his head, keeping him occupied.

“O’Tipsey, Wise Free…” Sandman counted as they funneled through the opening. A wild bolt of flame hit Storm Breaker in his left wing as he tumbled to the ground, his wing on fire as he went, with a loud thud. Before he could even manage to get back up, another one came and hit him in the chest, setting the rest of him on fire. He let out a bloodcurdling scream as he tried to douse the flames, but to no avail. The screaming subsided as he fell to the ground unmoving.

“Is this truly the best you can offer?” The human said in an extremely deep voice, much different than the voice he had when they first met. He turned to see the rest of the group diving through the collapsing opening of the cavern. Sandman took a quick glance back to see that the human was looking at the roof of the cavern with a look of fear plastered on his face. A large sizeable chunk broke lose that fell straight on top of the center pillar.

“NOOOO!” The human yelled as the boulder smashed onto it, shattering it into hundreds of pieces. However, the second it split apart, it let out a large red explosion that engulfed the room in a vibrant light. Swift Wind dived into the exit just as the rock that had previously smashed the pillar exploded into thousands of tiny, red hot shards throughout the room. Sandman and Frost, the last two, both dived in at the last second as the exit collapsed, trapping the other human inside.

“Goddammit!” Frost yelled out, causing Sandman to turn and see an extremely large gash leading up Frost’s left leg. About half way up, there was a sizeable chunk of rock sticking inside of it.

“Oh shit, stay still!” Sandman said as he rolled Frost over onto his side and examined the damage. “Is everyone else alright?” He called out, receiving a few responses, but not many. The rest seemed shell-shocked, staring into nothingness or crying, and he didn’t blame them. None of them looked too messed up physically, but many were cut up from the flying rock and burned from the fireballs.

The rock had embedded itself in his leg deep by at least a few inches. Taking it out was going to be one hell of a task, one that they didn’t have time for sitting in this still unstable cave. He looked over to see the book sitting next to Frost on the ground. It was torn in some places and an edge was a little charred, but nothing serious.

“Ok, everyone get up and get out of this damn cave as fast as you can. Meet back up in the field.” He called out. The group gathered their gear and made their way back up top as Sandman grabbed Frost by the shoulder and lifted him up. Sandman picked up the book and they began hobbling their way out of the cave.

“Well, this was one big clusterfuck…” Frost whispered, letting out a small chuckle.

“You can say that again.” Sandman responded with not much emotion.

“How are we gonna explain this?”

“I don’t know… I guess the…” Sandman began, but he and Frost were thrown off balance as the once collapsed entrance was thrown open violently. In the dust, they could see the human walking out of the now gaping hole with one of the swords that the recruits had brought in clutched in his hand as the remainder of the cave began shaking violently.

Sandman turned and raised his ACR and let rounds fly, but yet another flaming ball flew from the human’s free hand and hit Frost square in the chest as he turned. Before Sandman could react, another one came and hit him in his left arm. He screamed out in pain as he was forced to drop the book that was clutched in that hand. Before he knew it, the human was right in front of him, his sword raised in the air and glowing red hot, preparing to strike him down. Sandman raised his ACR in front of him to defend, and it served its purpose, but at the cost of the blade coming down and slicing halfway through the weapon. Sandman stumbled backwards, falling to the ground and landing on hard, jagged stone that dug into his back, even though his uniform.

He could hear yelling and shouting coming from the exit and sounds of the others running back through towards them. The human raised his hand and let fly another fireball that struck the nearest pony turning the corner, which was one of the unicorn guards. He was hit in the neck and fell to the ground in agony. The rest quickly stopped and backed up behind the corner, the other unicorns pulling their fallen comrade back into safety.

Frost wearily pulled out his M9 and shot the entire magazine in quick succession at the assailant. He turned towards the downed soldier, raised his sword, and stabbed it straight through Frost’s chest. Frost made a loud grunt as the blade entered him. Blood began to pool in his mouth as his M9 fell from his hands. Frost went limp on the floor as the human retracted the blade and turned towards the other soldier.

Before Sandman’s mind could catch up with what he had just witnessed, he was heaved off the floor and violently thrown into the nearest wall. He could hear and feel his ribs crack at the sudden abuse. The human was staring at him, holding him a few feet off the ground.

“Pathetic…” He said in his deep voice as he pushed harder against Sandman’s chest. The group began to shoot beams of magic towards the human in an effort to save Sandman, but he merely raised his hand, which now turned a deep blue, and pointed it towards the group. A blue aura engulfed the exit and solidified into a wall of magic, sealing the group on the other side. “Know that you have failed, and that your failure will bring about the destruction of this world, with or without the altar.” The human raised the sword into a stabbing position aimed directly at Sandman’s chest. “Now die.”

A faint clinking was heard behind the two of them. Sandman looked over the humans shoulder to see Frost holding a flashbang in his hand, pinned pulled. He tossed it over towards the two weakly, and then fell limp again. It landed directly beneath the two humans, one of which was staring directly at it. Sandman attempted to turn his head the other way and close his eyes in a meek attempt to shield himself from what was to come, but he was not quick enough.

BANG

Chapter 26: At What Cost?

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Chapter 27: The Calm Before The Storm

The sun, as it always did, slowly fell behind the mountain city of Canterlot. A cool, crisp evening breeze blew throughout the numerous cities, towns, and villages across Equestria, giving the land a peaceful quality that had been lacking for the past few days. Ponies and animals alike made their way back to the comfort and safety of their homes and loved ones, seeking a nice meal and a good night's rest. To any other pony, it would be described as a perfect evening. However, one such pony could not enjoy what nature had to offer tonight.

Celestia sat up in her study scanning the horrifically charred pages of the ancient tome. She rubbed her forehead with a hoof, overcome by the frustration of the current task. Many of the pages were burned to the point of being unreadable. Out of those that remained intact, half of them were in a foreign language that Celestia could barely understand. What little knowledge it remained to hold was, to say the least, unimportant. Overall, the book was a jumbled mess of nonsense

With a sigh, the Princess gently pushed the tome away and rested her muzzle onto the wooden desk, turning her head so she could stare out one of the many windows of the room. She could see the light slowly fading across the green plains down below that surrounded the city. The breeze leaked in through the open window, gracing her with a little bit of comfort. Slowly, she closed her eyes, letting the gentle whistling of the wind and the fading sounds of the city lull her into a peaceful slumber.

The beautiful nights influence even seemed to extend into the darkness of the Everfree Forest. The monsters and creatures that lurked deep inside the confines of that forest kept to themselves, opting to instead remain inside their homes and rest. For once, the forest seemed at peace. No roar, cry, or howl came from the treacherous jungle. Only the whistling of the wind echoed throughout the land.

Far in the distance, near a long ruined castle, a loud boom echoed out across the forest. Another rang out soon thereafter, then a third. Finally, a fourth a final boom sounded. Large chunks of cobblestone flew into the air from the sounds origin, revealing the entrance to a long forgotten cavern. From it, a lone figure emerged, clad in bloodied and torn military gear. He paused, taking in his surroundings with a careful, methodical gaze.

Suddenly, a bright light was summoned forth from his hand, casting the entire clearing in a bright, almost blinding light. As the light faded, a small, tiny reflection of it answered back from the side of a tree on the edge of the clearing. The figure made his way over to the reflection, disregarding any of the possible dangers that may have been alerted to his presence. As he got closer, he could make out a small, white tack stuck into the side of the tree. He gazed back into the darkness of the forest, creating another light. In the distance, even more of the tacks could be seen reflecting the light, creating a makeshift trail throughout the maze of shrubbery.

A smile crept onto his face as the figure trudged forth into the woods, fearless and undaunted of the dangers ahead.

"Tia?"

Celestia woke up with a start, glancing at the clock. She had been asleep for almost an hour.

"Tia, you forgot to set the sun." A voice called from behind her. Celestia turned to see Luna standing in the doorway. Glancing back out the window, she could see the sun just barely sitting above the horizon. The light it gave off was minimal, but it should have set a half hour ago.

"Yes, I... I suppose I did." She responded with a soft chuckle as she stood up and made her way to the balcony. Her horn lit up, and with it the sun slowly set the rest of the way till it disappeared completely below the horizon. As it vanished from sight, Luna's horn lit up, and the moon rose up, taking the suns place.

"Sister, you seem... distressed." Luna questioned, resting a hoof on her sisters shoulder. Celestia let out a long sigh.

"Yes, I most certainly am." She muttered, glancing back at the tome on her desk.

"Can I help?"

"Maybe..." Celestia muttered, thinking deeply. "Come here."

The two approached the tattered book. Using her magic, Celestia opened the book and turned to the last page she was on.

"Can you understand any of that?" Celestia asked. After a few seconds of browsing, Luna shook her head.

"Not much... this and that..." She answered, her ears drooping on her head. "And this is what is needed to bring the humans home?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Celestia responded as she shut the book. "I am going to be honest with you Luna..." She started, but paused.

"Yes?"

"I... I do not think I am going to be able to get them home anytime soon..." Celestia muttered sadly, staring at the ground. Luna turned away from her sister and opened the book once more, gazing through the numerous pages.

"Have you consulted your student, Twilight? Perhaps she could..."

"No, she wouldn't know." Celestia cut in, gazing out upon the surrounding landscape. "This language... it’s strange. I have no memory of it. Nothing I remember reading... nothing I remember seeing... nothing I remember hearing..." She paused. "Only bits and pieces of it seem to make any sense, and even then I am just guessing."

"Whenever this language was in use, it was lifetimes ago, sister." Luna stated, still browsing. "It is understandable that neither of us remember it." After a few more turned pages, Luna stopped. "There are a few words that seem to repeat many times..."

"Like?"

"Copulatio... that word is on almost every page."

"Yes... it means 'couple' or 'conjoin'... something similar to those."

"Then there is... uh... reperio."

"I believe that means 'find' or 'discover'."

"Successus... That means 'success' I assume." Luna mumbled to herself. "Um..." She scanned the pages some more. "Excisio? That sounds familiar..."

"Hmm..." Celestia pondered. "I cannot say..."

"Destruction!" Luna announced happily, pleased that she remembered one of the words. There was a pause, and then her attitude changed to one of confusion. "Wait... but that doesn't make any sense. Hardly any of these words should be in a tome about teleportation..."

"None of it makes any sense. I found a few words that I understood, but together it is all gibberish." Celestia responded as she sat down, rubbing her head yet again. "I'm sorry sister, but I do not think we will make any progress tonight."

With a defeated sigh, Luna closed the book and set it back down onto the desk. She made her way for the door.

"Luna..." Celestia called.

"Yes, sister?"

"Tomorrow night, if you are not occupied, would you mind helping me with this?" She asked, nodding her head towards the book.

"You... want me to help?"

"Of course! You have already proven that you know some of this language that I myself do not. You never know... and besides..." Celestia laughed. "Perhaps the company will keep me from going insane."

Luna joined in on the laughter.

"I would love to help." She responded with a smile. "Goodnight, sister."

"Goodnight Luna"

And with that, the door closed.

It was a restless night for the four humans. All of them failed to get hardly any sleep. The injuries that Andrei and Truck had sustained a week ago were finally beginning to take their toll. Truck found it difficult and painful to exert much energy, and Andrei was beginning to form a visible limp. Of course, with Sandman in the hospital, this left Grinch being forced to cater to their needs and make sure that none of them tried to go for each other’s throats.

As the morning sun slowly climbed above the horizon, Grinch had breakfast brought to them. After the meal, Grinch made his way down to the training room by his lonesome, leaving the other humans to tend to their wounds. He had to, as Truck put it, 'give them some busy-work or some shit'. To top it all off, all of the ponies who went with Sandman were still in medical care as well, including Haybrun. This forced Grinch to run the show himself, at least for a while.

As he entered the large room, he saw what remained of the group already gathered inside. They all were talking quietly to one another, but immediately fell silent as the lone human walked through the door. They arrayed themselves into a line quickly, staring expectantly at him. He could see from their faces that many of them looked fearful.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Five laps around the room to get yourselves warmed up!" Grinch shouted, and the group darted away without hesitation, forming themselves into a large cluster as they made their way around the large room's outskirts.

"Ugh, when are they gonna let us go back home?" Rainbow Dash questioned as she slumped into a large couch that sat within her room.

"Ah don't know, but ahm hopin' it's soon." Applejack responded, staring out the window. "Ah miss my family..."

"I hope my animals are doing okay..." Fluttershy mumbled quietly from where she sat, reading one of the many books that were placed in the room. Twilight sat next to her, doing the same.

"Don't worry girls, I doubt we will be here much longer." Twilight announced, flipping the page to her book.

"Ah don't know Twi..." Applejack responded, glancing her way.

"You heard about what happened to the humans in the Everfree." Rarity joined in. "And with Cloudsdale being..." She winced, glancing over at Rainbow Dash. "Er... I mean, who knows how long we will be here?"

"Oooohhh! I am totally throwing us a welcome home party when we get back to Ponyville!" Pinkie chimed in, bouncing around the group.

"Oh, I do hope Sweetie is doing fine." Rarity murmured to herself, ignoring Pinkie and her antics. Applejack glanced her way, a stern look on her face.

"Ah told you that mah family was lookin' after her, didn't ah? If ya had a problem with that, ya should have told me."

"Oh no no no, I am not questioning the parenting abilities of your family Applejack!" She quickly defended. "I just… I am still worried."

Applejack merely laughed.

"Aww, Ah am just pullin' yer tail, Rarity."

The group shared a quick laugh. Twilight, closing her book, turned to the group.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I am starving!" She announced, rubbing her stomach to emphasize her point. "Who wants to come with me to go get breakfast?"

Everypony in the room shot up, looking for any excuse to get out of the confines of their room. As a group, they all made their way out of the room and into the hallway, taking a nice, slow trot towards the kitchen.

As the sun made its slow ascent, a lone human burst through the thick tree line of the Everfree Forest. He held up a hand, shielding his eyes from the intense light after enduring such a long trek through the eternal darkness that plagued the cursed jungle. It took him a while, but his eye finally adjusted. As he scanned the landscape, he could make out the outskirts of a small village no more than a half hours walk away.

However, his attention was immediately drawn away as he stared at the large shape looming beyond the village in the distance. A single mountain peak stretched towards the blue sky in the distance. Although the view was beautiful, only one thing caught his attention about the mountain. Clasped to the side of its rocky face, a majestic castle sat, reflecting the light off its colorful towers and intricate architecture.

A loud whistle echoed out across the landscape, causing the figure to glance out warily. Soon, a jet of smoke became visible, followed by yet another loud whistle. From a patch of woods in the distance, a very large set of metal boxes came barreling out of the tree line, making its way towards the peaceful village. The figure studied the metallic boxes as they slowed down and stopped at a building near the outskirts of the tiny settlement. Ponies hopped off the side and new ones entered. Distant shouts could be heard, but it was too far away to be able to understand. He could see now that it was attached to metal beams and planks of timber that ran along the ground. His eyes followed the track, which he could determine led towards the mountain castle.

The figure glanced back at the village, then the train, and finally the castle. After a few minutes of thought, another smile crept onto his face as he made his way forward towards his desired destination.

Chapter 28: A Grand Entrance

Alexander slowly made his way towards the large, moveable boxes that were currently sitting idle upon the timber and iron road. Chatter and shouts could be heard from the platform to his right. The human stuck to the shadows of the surrounding buildings and shrubbery as he neared his target.

“All aboard!” A shout called out, drowning out the residual chatter. “The train for Canterlot leaves in two minutes!”

“Hmm…” The human thought to himself. He once again eyed the mountain city the loomed over the plains that surrounded its perch. “Canterlot... so that’s what you are called…” He turned his attention back to the monstrosity before him, which he could only assume was called a ‘train’. Another whistle from the ‘train’ brought him back into realty. After a quick glance up and down the platform, Alexander quickly made his way across the small space and into the back of the train.

The inside was quite cramped and dark, but he could still make out his surroundings. Boxes, bags, and other items were strewn about in what could only be described as ‘ordered chaos’. A final whistle blew as the whole box gave a lurch as it slowly began to move forward, taking the human by surprise as he grasped at the walls for support. After a few moments, everything began to even out again. Only the occasional bump caused the box he was in to move.

“Hmm… interesting…” He whispered to himself as he glanced out one of the two windows. The ground passed by his eyes at a rapid pace, causing him to feel slightly uneasy at the new feeling. “What a strange contraption…”

“Hey, you can’t be… huh?” A voice called from behind him. The human turned quickly, already feeling the magic beginning to form in his hand. A lone earth pony stood inside the room with him, near what appeared to be a door that would lead to the others parts of the train. “Who… err… what are you?” The pony stuttered as he slowly shuffled towards the door behind him. Alexander quickly lunged forward, grabbing the pony by the neck and slamming the door shut behind him.

“AHH! I… I don’t w… want any…” The pony tried to say, but was interrupted as Alexander slammed himinto the nearest wall.

“Now, listen here…” Alexander demanded coldly as he pushed harder, causing the pony to begin flailing in a desperate attempt at escape. “STOP MOVING” The human screamed as he sent a punch into the pony’s ribs, causing a sickening crack to pierce the air.

“AHH! Pl…please… I…”

“QUIET!” Alexander bellowed, slamming the pony even further into the wall, resulting in a few cracks to appear over its wooden surface. After a few more stuggles, the pony stopped his movements, tears leaking from his eyes as he looked back up in horror.

“I have a few questions that need answering…” He stated in a chillingly calm voice. “You are going to answer them.”

“Please… just let me go… I… I won’t tell…” The pony blubbered. Another punch to the ribs sent him over the edge as he began to sob into the wall. However, his flailing ceased.

“YOU are going to answer them.” Alexander stated again, staring it in the eyes. “If you don’t, I am going to crush your skull against the side of this wall. Do you understand?”

The pony didn’t give a response.

“Do you understand!?” The human nearly shouted, causing the pony to flinch and shiver.

“Y... yes…” It muttered, holding back its sobs.

“Good! First off… that mountain city there, what is its name?”

“Ca…Can…Canterlot…”

“That is our destination, correct?”

“Yes…”

“What is the name of this land?”

The pony looked at him oddly. Another shove into the wall extinguished all other thoughts.

“AHHH! Ah… Equestria…”

“Hmmm…. Who rules this place?”

“Pr…Princess Celestia and… her… sis… sister… Luna...”

The pony's answer made Alexander pause, visibly paling.

"Princesses you say..." He pondered, a scowl forming on his face . "Tell me, are they Alicorns?"

"Y-Yes..."

“Do they have a guard? An army? City defenses?”

The pony stared back in horror at his last question. Alexander shoved him again, but it didn’t relent this time.

“No… no… I wo… won’t tell you anything! You monster!" The pony screamed as best as it could. Alexander sent another punch into its already shattered ribs, causing it to cry out in pain.

”You WILL answer the question or… well..." He chuckled menacingly. "I already told you what would happen.”

The pony sobbed quietly beneath him, coughing up some blood onto the floor.

“I… I won’t…” It whispered quietly, hiding his face from the human.

There was a pause, the only sound being the rattling of the train and the pained breathing of the injured pony. After a few tense moments, Alexander merely shrugged.

“Very well."

He raised his fist.

"Hey, wake up." A unicorn mare commanded, slapping the hat off of a sleeping pegasus.

"Ugh..." The pegasus groaned, sitting up from the chair he was reclining in. A few audible cracks came from his back and neck. "How long was I asleep?" He asked.

"About an hour." The unicorn answered. "You are lucky the shift supervisor didn't walk over here."

"Oh come on, Shade. The supervisor never comes over into the western storage room. And besides..." The pegasus chuckled, standing up. "You would of covered for me, right?" Shade merely laughed at the question.

"I dunno, Swift, you getting fired might finally let me have some peace and quiet around here!" She jested, picking up his hat and throwing it back at him. "Anyways, the train is here. You gotta get back to work for a change."

"Yeah, yeah...." He grumbled, putting the hat back on.

The duo exited the storage room and walked out onto the platform just as the train pulled into the station. Ponies began funneling out of the passenger cars as workers began pilling into the storage cars, unloading whatever goods were supposed to be dropped off here.

"Ugh, I don't get why they had us to come in today. Ponyville hardly ever sends anything up to Canterlot." Swift complained, opening up the rearmost car.

"Yeah well, at least we are getting pai..." Shade started, but cut herself short as she gazed into the back car.

"What are you looking... at...?" Swift asked, taking a peek inside. "Oh my Goddess..." He mumbled to himself as he saw what had caught Shade's attention. In the far back lied a pony, or at least what was left of one. Blood stained the back wall and bits of flesh lay mangled nearby. However, what truly frightened the pair was that the pony had a distinct lack of a head.

"We... we need to go get the guard! There's been a murder!" Shade shouted as she began to back out of the car. However, a hand shot out of the darkness and pulled her into one of the far corners with a scream that was quickly silenced. Before Swift could react, the same had went out and grabbed him as well, the door shutting behind him. There was a moment of struggle, then all went still.

A few seconds went by until the door opened again. A lone human peered out across the platform, searching for an exit. His eyes settled on the very same storage room the pair had just previously walked out of. In a flash, he was out the back and into the room before anyone could ever bat an eye. The room was mostly uninhabited with the exception of a few workers on the far end stacking crates of random goods. Directly across from him, there was a door leading out behind the train station.

Seizing the moment, the human leapt across the open space and slipped through the door, being careful to not make any sounds. He found himself on the side of a large stone laden street with buildings on every side. Numerous ponies made there way to and from the train station with some entering or exiting the nearby buildings. However, across a few intersections to the humans front, a road lead directly up to the castle that towered over the city. The human, fearing that he may be spotted, ducked to his right behind a stone wall seperating the town from the platform he has just came from.

He didn't want to attract any unnecessary attention before he got the castle. Although he figured he could easily deal with whatever forces came to stop him if he were to reveal himself, he would rather not have the Alicorns aware of his precence until it was far too late for them to so anything about it. He had heard of Alicorns before, long ago, and he knew that they were very powerful. Perhaps they would be the only ones who would stand a chance in challenging him. Regardless, he would deal with them when the time came.

Shaking away his thoughts, he lurched forward, dashing across the street with remarkable speed and into some alleys hidden from plain sight. Slowly but surely, he made his way towards his destination.

"Princess!" A guard rushed into the throne room, bowing low as he approached Celestia's throne. "I have urget news!"

"You may rise." Celestia commanded, standing up herself. "Now, what is it?"

"There has been murders on the train that has just arrived from Ponyville."

"Murders? What are the details?" She asked, stepping towards the guard.

"Platform workers found two dead bodies in the rearmost storage car. One was a train operator and the other a platform worker herself. Both of them had sustained horrific injuries." The guard undid a sachel attatched to his armor and removed a piece of parchment from it, offering it to Celestia. "However, there was a third pony who had survived whatever had attacked them. He was taken to a nearby hospital, but he told us what he saw."

"And what did he see?" Celestia asked, taking the parchment from the guard, a sinking feeling beginning to form in her gut. The guard looked up at her with fear in his eyes.

"A... a creature the likes of which he had never seen." The guard pasued, gulping audibly before he continued. "A creature that stood on two legs..." He paused once more, looking Celestia in the eyes. "A creature that could wield magic..."

Celestia nearly lost her magical grip on the parchment.

"Are you sure of this?!" She nearly shouted, causing the guard to flinch.

"I-It is what the s-surviving po-ony said." The guard stammered. "O-Of course, he was in shock and badly injured. It was h-hard to make sense of..."

Celestia wasn't listening anymore. She marched across the throne room, shouting orders to any guards nearby.

"Assemble the guard!" She shouted. "I want double sentries on the walls! Send the rest into the city proper! If any of them see anything that matches that description with the exception of our current guests, they will seek me out immediately! Is that clear!?"

"Yes, your Highness!" Numerous guards cried out as they galloped off.

Celestia turned towards a pair of regally clad guards standing next to her throne.

"Gather my personal guard. Send a detachment to protect the elements. The rest come with me. I must speak to my sister."

On the outskirts of the castle walls...

Alexander slowly surveyed the towering walls that surrounded the castle. It truley was a magnificent piece of architecture. It shone in the sunlight, beautiful statues and etches carved into its stone masonry. It aslo lacked any form of visible weakness. No cracks or lose bricks blemished the fine stone wall as far as the eye could see. It is a shame that he would have to tear it down.

Clearing his head, Alexander began to scale the part of the wall closest to him. However, he had barely gotten a few feet up when he heard shouting from above him. He looked up to see numerous guards running along the walls as well as similarly clad guards running into the city behind him. No doubt they would of found the bodies by now, but it was of little consequence. Now, perhaps, they would spend their time focusing on the station rather than the castle itself. Of course, now he had numerous guards blocking his path from scaling the wall. While they posed no threat to him, he still did not wish to revel himself just yet.

Dropping back down to the stone streets, he began to circle the walls, taking care to keep himself in cover the entire time. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he found a gap in the guards patrol. Using as much speed as he could muster, Alexander rushed his way up the side of the wall, watching carefully for movement along the outer edges of his peripheral. A few seconds later, he was over the wall and scaling his way down the other side, jumping into nearby trees and shrubbery to conceal himself. Seeing that nobody had been made aware of his presence, he sprinted across a small grass field up to the base of the castle itself, just below a stained glass window. Carefully, he peered inside into a grand, although empty, hallway.

In one quick movement, he had smashed a small portion of glass away and slithered inside, diving behind a marble pillar in the corner of the hall. At the end of the hall was two massive doors.

"The throne room, I assume." He thought to himself.

There, he sat for a moment, gazing down both directions and listening for any movement. To his surprise, nothing came dashing down the halls in alarm. In all honesty, it seemed rather deserted. However, just as he made to move, footfalls sounded from his side. He dashed back into hiding just in time to see two guards and a very familiar human walking with them.

"So what the hell is going on!?" Grinch shouted as he was lead down the hall.

"There has been two murders down at the train station" A guard spoke. "A third pony was also attacked, but survived. He stated that the thing that attacked him was something that looked a lot like you and your friends. Celestia isn't taking any chances, so she is putting the castle and the city on a temporary lockdown."

"Wait... you aren't saying that..." Grinch slowly spoke, trying to process the information. Suddenly, his face turned into a snarl. "That son of a bitch!" He screamed as the group passed by Alexander's hiding place. The two glanced at him nervously. "Are you telling me that asshole that Sandman and Frost ran into is here?"

"I am certain the Princess thinks so."

"That motherfucker killed Frost..." He seethed "I swear to god, if he shows his face I am going to feed the fucker his teeth!"

"Unlikely...." Alexander calmly spoke as he walked out of his hiding place.

Startled, the group turned, only to be met by a large burst of flame that engulfed a large portion of the hallway. Screams echoed down the hall, no doubt alerting anyone remotely nearby to his presence. One of the guards flailed about to his right, half of his fur alight with flame. The other guard stumbled up to his hooves, readying his spear as Grinch desperatly tried to douse the flame that had spread on his vest.

The guard launched his spear straight at Alexander who merely stood still as it flew through him, chiping a marble column behind him as it bounced harmlessly to the ground. In one swift motion, he was face to face with the guard before he could draw his sword. Alexander grabbed the pony by the neck and launched him into one of the nearby pillars with such force that the pillar itself cracked. As the pony slumped to the ground motionless, Grinch ripped his vest off of him and threw it towards the intruder, who merely watched it fall to the ground. In an instant, Grinch had his M9 unholstered and fired blindly towards the human, watching in surprise as each bullet phased through the man and embedded themselves into the walls and pillars.

"What the fuck?!" Grinch shouted as he desperately attempted to reload.

However, it was of little use.

Alexander dashed forward and smashed Grinch into the wall, throwing the gun down the hallway. Grinch cried out in pain as he felt his ribs crack and the air leave his lungs. Before he had a chance to retaliate, a hand had wrapped itself around his neck, cutting off his cries of protest.

"I must say, you are hardly a challenge." Alexander sighed as he conjured up a familiar magic in his right palm.

"F-Fuck you!" Grinch yelled out between sputtering for breath. In one swift motion, Alexander raised his hand and smashed it into Grinch's face. There was a sickening crack as Grinch fell limp in his hands. He let go, allowing the corpse to fall to the floor, motionless.

"Hmm...." Alexander grunted as he looked back at his handywork. Hooffalls echoed down the halls as guards raced towards the sound of the commotion.

Turning back to the large ornate doors, he sighed as he walked forward.

"Time for my grand entrance..." He murmered to himself as he pushed them open.

Chapter 29: Then You Will Know The Truth...

What Alexander saw on the other side was not exactly what he had anticipated. Before him, numerous guards clad with much thicker armor and brighter colors stood before him. Each had their crossbows, swords, spears, and magic all pointing directly at him. In the air, dark bat like creatures circled him, obsidian colored weapons gleaming with magical energy as they took aim. However, what he focused on most was directly in front of him. Behind the veritable army stood a tall and imposing figure.

Princess Luna stood at the rear of the guard. Gone was her normal regalia, instead replaced by thick, dark armor encrusted with magic imbued gemstones that twinkled like the night sky. Held within her magical grip was an onyx halberd, magical energy practically seeping off of it from its gemstones. Luna herself stood calm and collected, yet her eyes showed an unbridled fury waiting to let loose.

"WHY HAVE YOU COME HERE?!" Luna boomed, shaking the very foundations of the castle with her voice. Even so, the guards remained stalwart in their positions despite the outburst.

Alexander merely chuckled.

"I take it you are Princess Luna?" He stated, performing a mock bow. "I am honored." He slurred sarcastically as he stood back up.

""I WILL ASK YOU ONCE MORE! WHY HAVE YOU COME HERE?!"

"Why, Princess, I have come for you!" Alexander yelled back, gesturing at her and the guards. "As I have come for all of you as well!" He began pacing around the small space not occupied by bodies. "I have come for everyone..." He added, barely audible to those in attendance.

There was a awkward pause between the two forces. Gracefully, Princess Luna leaped from the raised platform that the thrones stood on. She slowly walked forward through the sea of guards, eventually making it so that she and the lone human stood face to face.

"What is your name?" The Princess asked calmly, her booming voice instead replaced by a quiet, almost hushed tone.

"My name is of little importance..." Alexander seethed.

"You obviously have some sort of grudge against me and my ponies...." Luna began, slowly pacing, making sure to keep her halberd at the ready. "Am I to give up all hope of knowing why?"

"My reasons are my own, pony!" He spat. "You would never understand them..."

"And why is...?" Luna inquired, but was cut off by the human.

"Tell me, where is your sister? Hmmm?" He asked, glancing around the room. "Last I heard, there were two Princesses."

"I have no sister. She died long ago." Luna retorted, not missing a beat. A few guards glanced quizzically at the Princess, but none showed nor voiced their confusion. Alexander merely continued, either not hearing her or not caring what she said.

"Oh, what was her name... Celestia I believe." He stated, glaring back at Luna.

"That was her name, yes." Luna softly replied.

After a long pause, Alexander stepped forward cautiously, raising an eyebrow.

"What game are you playing?" He asked, magic slowly beginning to form in his palm. Luna merely shrugged, a small smirk appearing on her face.

"Misdirection...." She smiled before turning around. "DOWN!" She called to the guards in attendance, raising a magical shield between her and the human.

15 Minutes Earlier

"Where is Grinch?" Truck questioned.

"I sent two of my guards to fetch him. However, we have little time to lose." Celestia started, sighing as she paced in front of the small group amassed in front of her. "The human you encountered down in the ruins?"

"Yes?"

"He is here..." She announced. Sending mixed reactions throughout those in attendance.

"Holy shit..." Truck murmured to himself while Andrei did the same.

"That son of a bitch!" Sandman weezed, banging his hand on a desk that sat nearby, only to elicit a pained groan from himself. "I guess the fucker came to finish the job..."

"What would bring him here?" Luna asked quizzically. "Would he indeed be seeking further harm to you and your comrades?"

"All I know is that he killed Frost. I intend to make him pay in kind..." Sandman responded coldly.

"Unfortunately, I doubt any of you are in the physical condition to fight this monster, especially if your accounts of your first meeting were accurate." Celestia stated, instead turning towards Haybrun.

"Is my guard in position?" Celestia asked him.

"Yes, Princess." He responded, leaning on the nearby wall for support. "They have detected no intrusions as of yet."

"I doubt they would be able to do anything about it even if they did find him..." Sandman cut in.

"Sadly, I would have to agree." Haybrun added. "We lacked the strength to do anything against him when we met in the ruins, and we lack numbers here as well."

"Magic couldn't touch him." Sandman said, pacing over towards a nearby window. "Spears, arrows, swords... even our weapons did nothing. Shields merely slowed him down."

"Nothing worked?" Luna questioned. "He had no weakness whatsoever?"

"None that I...."

"Wait, your friend's bomb!" Haybrun added, causing the group to all turn and face him.

"What bomb?" Celestia inquired.

"The uhh... flash... bomb." Haybrun stuttered.

"The flashbangs?" Truck corrected, turning to Sandman. "Did those work?"

"It slowed him down... hell, maybe even stunned him." Sandman sighed. "It wasn't exactly lethal though."

"Perhaps it doesn't have to be lethal..." Princess Luna stated. The group glanced quizzically at her.

"What do you mean? Do you suggest we trap him?" Celestia asked.

"In a way yes." She responded as she levitated the charred tome into the center of the group and setting it down.

"Sister..." Celestia started, gazing nervously at the book. "You can't possibly be suggesting that..."

"I know." Luna interrupted. "However, it may be our only choice."

"Sister, have you gone mad!? The two of us can barely decipher it! Casting a spell that we can't even read nor understand could be devastating!" Celestia shouted. "No, I refuse to attempt such a thing!"

"If we do nothing, the consequences will be even dire!" Luna retorted. "This is our only chance to stop this monster and bring our guests home at the same time!"

"Wait wait wait wait..." Andrei cut in. "Are you ponies suggesting we teleport that thing back with us!?" He shouted, disbelief etched across his face.

"You humans do not have magic in your world, correct?" Luna asked.

"Yes, but...!"

"Then it stands to reason that if he is sent to your world, he would lose his power."

"That is one hell of a gamble..." Truck interjected. "One that I am not keen on taking."

"I have to agree, Luna." Celestia added. "If we were to attempt such a thing..."

"It can work!" Luna shouted. "I know it can!"

"But what if you are wrong?" Celestia questioned.

"I am not wrong."

"But what if you are? You would be condemning their world! They do not have a defense against a creature such as this. We do." Celestia turned to a group of mares sitting quietly behind the Princess. "Twilight... I fear we will need to use the Elements of Harmony."

Twilight stepped forward, her element already adorned on her head.

"Don't worry Princess, we have faced worse things! We won't let you down." She stated confidently. The five mares behind her cheered in agreement.

"And if the elements should fail?" Luna asked. Celestia sighed, turning slowly.

"Luna... if the elements do indeed fail..." She sighed once more. "We will follow through with your plan as a last resort. Do you understand?"

There was a tense pause between the two rulers. Finally, Luna sighed.

"Yes, I understand."

"Wait..." Truck interjected. "Can't you just use the tome on him, and once he is gone, then use it on us?"

"Sadly not. Tome's like this one usually only last once, especially in the condition this one is in." Luna answered, gesturing at the burnt and brittle book.

"Great..." Truck muttered as he sat down in a nearby chair.

"Hopefully, it will not come to that. Now..." Celestia started, turning back to the group. "How to execute this plan of ours...."

Two Minutes Earlier

A large group of ponies and humans marched down the spacious corridors of Canterlot castle. The three humans, Sandman, Truck, and Andrei led the group alongside Princess Celestia. Behind them trotted around a dozen guards, all surrounding the six element bearers in a defensive formation. They slowly made their way to the throne room doors, making sure to be quiet on their approach. All of a sudden, a booming voice shot out across the castle, shaking the walls.

"WHY HAVE YOU COME HERE?! Luna bellowed from down the hall.

"Looks like he has fallen for the trap." Celestia whispered, the group slowing as they rounded the last corner. The sight they saw brought Sandman and Truck to a dead stop. Lying next to the partially open throne doors were two royal guards next to a familiar looking human, blood pooling beneath them. Some small gasps came from behind them.

"Oh fuck..." Truck whispered.

""I WILL ASK YOU ONCE MORE! WHY HAVE YOU COME HERE?!" Luna roared once more, but nobody paid it any mind.

"I guess we know why they never made it to the meeting..." Andrei stated, keeping pace with the group.

"That motherfucker..." Sandman seethed, clenching his fist angrily.

"I am sorry for your loss." Celestia whispered. "But you must stick to the plan... do not do anything rash, or his death will be in vain."

Shaking with uncontrollable rage, Sandman and Truck made their way to the edge of the doors, flashbangs at the ready. The few guards that accompanied them continued to stand in a defensive posture around the elements, while Celestia stood alongside the two humans.

"Wait for her signal..." Celestia whispered to the group as they listened in.

"My reasons are my own, pony!" They heard the human yell. "You would never understand them..."

"And why is...?" Luna tried to question back.

"Tell me, where is your sister? Hmmm? Last I heard, there were two Princesses."

"I have no sister. She died long ago." Luna answered back. The guards and element bearers glanced at Celestia in confusion. She merely shrugged.

"She is meant to stall him..." She said to nobody in particular.

"...her name... Celestia I believe." He stated.

"That was her name, yes." Luna softly replied, barely audible from the groups position.

There was a long pause before someone spoke again.

"What game are you playing?" The human asked.

"Misdirection...." Luna retorted. Celestia nodded to the group, the two humans readying their flashbangs as they glanced inside the throne room.

"DOWN!" Luna called to the guards in attendance, raising a magical shield between her and the human. Unicorns did the same while ducking behind front line guards who hid behind their large ornate shields. Pegasi and bat ponies alike flew up as far as the roof would allow, covering their ears and closing their eyes. In panic, Alexander threw a fireball at the Princess, only for it to dissipate upon connecting with her magical shield.

"What nonsense is this?" He screamed, readying another fireball. The sounds of metal clinking from behind drew his attention as he turned around, only to be met with two large metal cylinders being thrown his way.

BANG

"AHHH!" He screamed as the first flashbang hit him. He hobbled backwards, covering his eyes.

BANG

The second detonated, forcing the human to keel over, clutching his head in pain.

Within a second, Celestia had marched in, horn charged, and launched a searing hot blast of raw magic straight at the reeling human. The blast found its mark, searing the ground around him but injuring him little. Small burns etched themselves into his arms and legs as his clothing caught alight.

In the next second, the element bearers shot out from the group of guards, elements glowing with harmonic energy.

"Ok, girls!" Twilight shouted about the clamor of the throne room. "Now!" In a flash, beams of harmonic energy shot out of the group, arcing high into the air until they crashed back down onto the lone human. Shouts could be heard from inside the blinding light, but were quickly silenced as the spell took effect. The element bearers continued to channel their power for a few more seconds, until finally they spell ran its course. They all dropped back down to the ground, utterly exhausted.

"Did we get em'?" Applejack called out from the group, holding her head.

"I think so..." Twilight responded, standing up on wobbly legs.

At the center of the room, a lone figure stood encased in stone, its features forever struck in anger and rage.

"It worked...." Celestia muttered under her breath, slowly approaching the statue, followed close behind by the trio of humans.

"Not so tough now, are ya you little shit..." Truck sneered, spitting onto the stone coffin.

"Good job, sister." Celestia shouted, walking across the throne room.

"As to you." She responded, glancing over at the element bearers. "Although I think they deserve much of the praise."

"Indeed." Celestia sighed, gazing at the group. After a brief pause, she turned towards the collective group of guards.

"You all may stand down!" She ordered. "The threat is dealt with."

CRACK!

Chunks of the stone statue broke off, littering the ground with rock. The entire throne room turned at once, aiming their weapons back at the lone human. Another crack rung out, sending another plume of dust into the air. Small bouts of flame erupted from where the cracks had formed.

"I... I don't understand!" Twilight stammered. "How... is he...?"

"Son of a bitch!" Sandman shouted, slowly backing from the figure. "I knew that was too damn easy!"

"Just so you all know..." Truck called out. "I am out of flashbangs..."

"I have the nine-banger on me." Sandman shouted, pulling it out and readying it in his hand. Meanwhile, Andrei readied his AK-47, taking aim.

"Is it time for the 'last resort'?" Luna whispered, leaning towards Celestia.

"Maybe..." She whispered back, readying her magic.

Spider-web cracks spread across the entire surface, small gusts of flame dancing across the statue.

BOOM!

The stone effigy exploded, sending chunks of searing hot rock whizzing through the air. Unicorn guards quickly raised walls of magic around themselves. A few guards fell, clutching gaping wounds left by the stone projectiles. Where the statue once stood, Alexander now stood, waves of fire dancing across his body. He turned towards the element bearers, his face contorted into pure, unbridled rage. In an instant, a veritable hurricane of flames swept towards them. Just as it neared...

Princess Luna dived in front of the group, mustering as much magic as she could into a shield. The flames smashed into the shield, sending vibrations throughout the entire castle. Windows shattered and marble columns cracked and collapsed from the sheer force. Many present in the throne room stumbled and fell as the flames danced backwards towards them. Celestia, copying what he sister had done, jumped and raised her own shield, trapping the flames inside with the human.

The room remained still for a moment as the flames faded. Just as a few guards began to lower their weapons, another bout of flame launched itself outwards in all directions, engulfing many of those nearby.

"Agh!" Sandman shouted as he was flung to the ground, the nine banger still firmly held in his grip.

"SISTER!" Celestia shouted above the roar of flame.

"GET THE BOOK!" Luna shouted back, launching a beam of magic into the flames. "I WILL DELAY HIM!"

Numerous unicorn guards launched their magic into the fray as well. Spears and arrows flew in soon after, none seeming to have an effect. Alexander allowed a deep red magic form in his palm as he aimed it towards a group of guards. In a flash, a searing red stream of magic shot out, blowing a hole clean through everything in its path, including the wall.

The entire castle shook as another column fell from the force, various minerals raining upon those within the castle walls. Screams could be heard throughout the halls, numerous ponies not clad in armor fleeing for their lives. Celestia magically pulled the book from where it sat behind the dual thrones, flipping it open to what she hoped was the desired page. With a heavy breath, she began muttering the words on the page, the book glowing a faint yellow.

"HUMANS!" Luna shouted towards the group behind her. "YOU NEED TO GET CLOSE TO HIM IF YOU WISH TO GO HOME!"

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MIND?" Truck screamed. "WE WILL BE BURNED ALIVE!"

"I CAN KEEP YOU SAFE, BUT YOU MUST GO NOW!" She retorted, glancing over at her sister. The book was glowing brighter and brighter. Another red beam shot from Alexander, blowing a massive hole into the ceiling, bringing down large chunks of rock. A third flew by, shot low to the ground, blasting through the floor and knocking out multiple columns beneath them. The whole floor shook as the castle slowly started to become unstable.

"I DO BELIEVE SHE IS TRYING TO KILL US ALL!" Andrei shouted, laughing as he emptied another magazine into the red glow.

"WE HAVE NO CHOICE!" Sandman yelled. "I CAN USE THE NINE-BANGER TO DISTRACT HIM FOR US!"

"THEN DO IT!" Luna answered, launching more beams into the fray. She ducked as another beam shot back, piercing right through her shield and collapsing the two large doors behind them. "BUT IT HAS TO BE NOW!"

"Sumptus per interitum uiam unde venerunt." Celestia finished, the tome glowing a bright yellow just as Sandman threw the grenade towards the center of the room.

BANG! BANG! BA-BANG! BANG! BA-BA-BANG! BANG!

A scream came from inside the storm of fire and magic, the hurricane slowing slightly. Luna quickly cast a shield around the three humans who gathered behind her.

"GO! NOW!" She shouted. The trio, steeling themselves, dived headlong into the fray. The others still in the room backtrotted quickly as the tome took effect. Yellow tendrils shot out, engulfing a large majority of the room. Guards galloped away to safety, as did the two Alicorns. In a blink, the tome had disintegrated in front of Celestia's eyes. A horrendous roar broke out through the castle, echoing for miles in every direction. A great flash erupted from the center of the room, blinding everyone looking its way. Then, in the same moment, it ended.

Screams sounded out across the landscape as Celestia opened her eyes to the destruction before her. The entirety of the throne room was gone, along with many of the floors above and below, seemingly sucked away. Towers on the outside of the castle collapsed from the shock. Large chunks of the castle rolled down the side of the mountain, many of which crashed into the town below.

However, the four humans were nowhere to be seen.

Instead, something much more horrifying had taken their place.

A dark, almost incorporeal figure hovered at the center of what used to be the throne room. Black tendrils of magic wafted around it. It turned slowly, gazing directly at Celestia. Two blood red eyes caught hers, and a wicked smile spread across its face.

Prologue: At All Costs

*Transcript #451*
*Radio Transmissions Sent/Received*
[“Down the Rabbit Hole”]
[October 14th – 11:08:14]
[Delta Force/Task Force 141 - Disavowed]
[Eastern Siberia, Russia]

Signal Located: CMD-01

*Begin Transmission*

Sandman: Price - we lost the girl. Looks like the helo took her to a diamond mine in Siberia.

Price: We're gonna have one shot to grab the President before he gives up the launch codes and Makarov turns Europe into glass. Once we get boots on the ground, it's going to get lively down there.

Sandman: Hopefully you can keep up, old man.

Price: I know you Yanks like to take all the credit, so Yuri and I will keep the neighbors in check while we roll hard to secure the hostages.

Sandman: Okay, weapons tight, guys. No one likes a dead hostage.

Truck: What's the score, boss?

Sandman: Everyone's hostile.

Grinch: Ain't that the truth.

Transmission Interference

*Resuming Transmission*

Sandman: Overlord, this is Sandman. We're at the bottom of the mine. We're gonna need air support.

Overlord: Affirmative, Sandman. We'll chop a predator to you.

Sandman: Ready?

Price: Try and keep up.

…

Viper 4-1: Viper 4, troops are on the deck.

Viper 6-1: Viper 6, team is on the ground. Going into cover pattern.

Overlord: UAV is on station with a full load of AGMs. Ready for targets.

Viper 4-1: Viper 4, taking out targets at the construction site. Inbound and hot. Viper 4, hostile movements on the construction deck at top floor. Engaging/Gun run.

Viper 4-1: Vehicles coming from north-east of the construction site. Inbound hot.; Vehicles on the road orienting west-east. Engaging/Gun run.

Sandman: Cut through the construction yard! There's more cover! Viper Six, we're moving in to the construction yard! Watch your fire!

Viper 6-1: Copy that, 0-1. We're movin' to the next area.

Sandman: Overlord, a SAM just took out our UAV! We need another way into the mine!

Overlord: Solid copy, Sandman. Odin Six, payload target coordinates are as follows: 7 9 4 4.

Sandman: Everyone sit tight!

…

Sandman: Overlord, we're in! Approaching the target now.

Transmission Interference

*Resuming Transmission*

Overlord: Metal 0-1, what is your status? Have you secured the President?

Sandman: Negative, Overlord, but we have the girl.

Overlord: We'll prep a team for extraction. Continue searching for the President.

Transmission Interference

*Resuming Transmission*

Sandman: Overlord, jackpot. The President is secure.

Overlord: Solid copy. Gather your team and proceed to the RV.

Transmission Interference

*Resuming Transmission*

Sandman: Overlord, the place is gonna collapse any minute. The birds need to come to us!

Overlord: Copy that. Hammer 1 is now en route. ETA: thirty seconds. Standby.

Sandman: Hold this position! Evac will be here in thirty seconds!

*Transmission Interference*
*Signal Lost: Searching for new signal*
*Signal Located: VLT-61(Unit ID: Vulture 6-1)*

Switching Channels

*Resuming Transmission*

Sandman: Hammer 1, you gonna bail us out of this or what?!

Hammer 1-6: Almost there. Just hold on.

…

Grinch: Looks like our ride's here!

Hammer 1-6: Metal 0-1, this is Vulture 6, let's get the hell out of here.

Sandman: Sounds good, 6-1! Alright, let's move! Go!

Hammer 1-6: RPG! Move! Move!

Vulture 6-1: I'm hit! I'm hit! Going down!

*Transmission Interference*
*Signal Lost: Searching for new signal*
*Signal Located: HUD-01(Unit ID: Sandman)*

Switching Channels

*Resuming Transmission*

Price: Yuri! Yuri!

Hammer 1-6: Get the President on board! We got to get the hell out of here!

Grinch: President's secure!

Sandman: Price! You go to go! Make sure the president gets out!

Price: Don't even think about it, mate! We're in this together!

Sandman: Get your man!

Grinch: RPG!

Sandman: Truck, cover the right side!!

Price: You better be right behind me!

…

Price: Sandman! It's time to go! C'mon!

Sandman: Just go! Get out of here!

Truck: RPG!

Hammer 1-6: Hang on!

Sandman: Just go! Go!

Hammer 1-6: We can't stay here! We gotta leave!

Price: No! Get us back down there!

Hammer 1-6: It's too hot! We go back, we all die!

Price: Sandman, do you read me?! Sandman, come in! Sandman, do you copy? Sandman, are you still there?

Signal Lost

*End Transmission*

Chapter 11: Event Horizon

“So… this is Sweet Apple Acres?” Sandman asked as they walked past the gate to the farm, the brilliant sun setting behind it. What should have been a relatively quick journey took them all almost three hours because of all the distractions they had to go through. By this point, all of them were worn out and wanted nothing but to go to sleep, but that wouldn’t be possible since they had to treat Truck and Andrei as well.

“Yes, this is Sweet Apple Acres, your temporary home until we can either find better accommodations or we send you back to your world. For the time being, you will be staying in the barn.”

“Good enough for me. I would take a barn any day over sleeping outside in the woods.” Grinch said, followed by a nod from Sandman. The group opened up the door to the barn and stepped inside. After setting down Truck on a pile of hay, the Princess turned towards Applejack, who was still feeling uneasy about the whole dilemma with the humans, especially since they had to stay HERE.

“Don’t worry about a thing. I promise that they won’t hurt you in any way. Plus, I will have wight guards here with them along with Haybrun. They won’t let a thing happen to you.” Celestia said, trying to comfort the orange mare. She did nothing but return a nod. The Princess called over two of her guards, who both rushed to her side.

“Go into town and retrieve Nurse Red Heart. Escort her here and help bring some of her medical equipment. If she asks why, tell her I sent you and that it is an emergency.”

Both of them nodded and, both being pegasi, flew up towards Ponyville.

“We might want to tie Andrei up over there, just in case he wakes up. I doubt he will be very understanding about the situation.” Grinch pointed out. He and Sandman both walked over to the wall of the barn and grabbed a length of rope off of it. They tied Andrei by his hands to one of the support beams inside near the back.

“Ahm gonna go inside and tell Big Mac, Granny Smith, and Applebloom about this so they don’t go cuckoo when they see all of you standin’ out here.” Applejack said as she turned and made her way inside.

“Well, I guess we got time to burn then. Mind telling me exactly what’s going on here? I barely know anything about this place.” Frost asked.

“Yes, I can do that. What would you like to know?” The Princess asked.

“Well, I don’t see what’s so dangerous about these… ‘bullets’ of yours. They are rather… ineffective… to say the least.” The man said as he looked down at round casings lying on the ground. “They do make an awfully loud noise though, if I may add.”

“No... no kak? Kak vy...?!”

“Ugh, must I say this again?”

“You… you just… how?!”

“How did I what? I didn’t do anything except stand here. You said you were going to… ‘put a bullet in my head’, so I asked you to show me. As far as I can tell, it didn’t do much.”

“They… they went THROUGH you, like you were a ghost! How are you still standing?!”

“I don’t know, am I not supposed to be standing?”

“NO! You’re supposed to be lying on the ground with about thirty bullet holes across your chest! I emptied a whole magazine at you!”

“Well, this has been interesting. Care if I show you what I can do? It’s been so long though, I’m not entirely sure I could pull that off again…”

“What… what do you mean?”

“Well, I guess I can just… ‘show you first hand’, as you say.”

“Wait… so you’re telling me that you can literally raise the SUN? Like, manually?” Frost asked, completely lost.

“In a sense, yes. If I felt like it, I could allow it to not rise, but I have no reason to do that. My sister raises the moon each night.”

“Princess, the guards are back.” Rarity announced as the two guards approached with some bags of medical supplies and Nurse Red Heart following close behind. Celestia approached Sandman.

“If you can, please try to avoid telling her that you are from a different world. I want to try and keep this a secret as much as possible. I don’t think the citizens of Equestria are ready for that kind of knowledge.”

“Understood, ma’am.”

“Princess!” Red Heart said as she bowed before her.

“It’s quite all right, you may stand. These two are in need of medical assistance.” She said, pointing a hoof over towards Truck and Andrei.

“But… what are they?” She asked, a confused expression written all over her face.

“Oh, forgive me. Let’s just say they are travelers who happened to be lost in Ponyville.”

“Um… okay, but I have never seen anything like them. How do I know what to treat them with? What’s exactly wrong with them?”

“Ask that one. He will tell you what the problem is.” Celestia said, pointing a hoof towards Sandman. Red Heart approached him, slightly scared of what he was, or more so the lack of knowing what he was.

“Okay, that one over there on the hay pile. His name is Truck. I believe he has multiple fractured and/or broken ribs. The other one over there, his name is Andrei. He has three gunshot wounds. One is to his right shoulder, and two are in his hip.”

“Very well, but may I ask how they got these injuries? And what is a... um... 'gunshot' wound?”

“A gunshot wound is… well… just… nevermind. Imagine that he got pierced by a small flying piece of metal.”

“Okay. Well, for the one over there… um… Truck, was it? Very odd name, but anyway, there isn’t much I can do to treat ribs. If a pony has broken ribs, all they can do is rest and let them heal all on their own, but I can bandage up his chest to make a form of a splint so they will heal up better, as well as give him some pain medication. I will need to examine the other one though. His name was what again?”

“Andrei.”

“Once again, very odd name. Oh well, let me take a look at his wounds.”

As she was examining his wounds, Andrei slowly started to come to. He slowly cracked open his eyes to see what appeared to be a white horse with a pink mane standing above him, looking around at the wounds on his waist.

“Why is he tied up?” She asked Sandman

“Because he can be dangerous.”

“A? Chto proiskhodit?” He mumbled out, causing Red Heart to jump back and Sandman to grab the ACR and point it at him.

“Kto ... chto? Eĭ! Razvyazhite menya!” He yelled out. He began to thrash around, but stopped rather quickly due to the pain in his waist and shoulder.

“Hey! Calm down! We are trying to help you!” Sandman shouted at him, lowering his ACR to show he meant no aggression. Seeing this, he relaxed slightly, but was still tense, looking around frantically.

“How did you get here?” Sandman asked. He didn’t respond, just like before. He only looked around at his surroundings with confusion in his eyes.

“Hey! Over here!” Sandman said as he flicked his fingers together, like something you would do to get a dogs attention. Andrei instantly turned and looked at him.

“How is it that you are here with us?” Sandman asked again.

“I… I know not. What in hell is going on here?! What are those things?!” He shouted out, nodding towards the ponies standing behind Sandman.

“They are friends and they are trying to help us. Now, we need to take a look at those wounds or else you’re going to bleed out. So, try to relax, ok? Nurse, you may continue.” Sandman said as he motioned for Red Heart to return to what she was doing.

"Okay." She said. As she approached, Andrei quickly tried to slide away from her.

“Net! YA ne khochu etu veshchʹ u menya!” He yelled out again, causing Red Heart to jump back once more.

“Ok, what’s the problem now?!” Sandman asked, anger beginning to build up in him.

“I don’t want that… that… whatever it is near me!”

“It’s a pony for God’s sake, It’s not going to kill you! Haven’t you ever seen a pony before?”

“No! That’s no pony! It speaks!”

“Why is he so violent?” She asked with a hint of fear in her voice.

“I don’t know, he is probably freaked out right now just as much as you are.” Sandman said as he turned back to Andrei. “Look, at this rate you are becoming more trouble than help. I can just have you sit there and take the bandages off; let you bleed out and get rid of you. However, me and my men are in a situation in which keeping you alive is more valuable than killing you. So, how about letting Miss Red Heart here do her job so we don’t have to go to the other option, okay?”

“Chto ya vvyazalsya…” Andrei mumbled to himself.

“What was that?”

“Fine…” He said with a hiss.

“Good, now he shouldn’t be a problem anymore for you.” Sandman said to Nurse Red Heart. She approached him again for the third time, but he didn’t make any movements. She continued to examine the wounds on his hip and his shoulder, slowly unwrapping the cloth around each wound.

“Oh my…” She said when she saw the full extent of the damage. The rounds hadn’t gone straight through on his hip, which meant the bullets was still lodged inside of him. However, the shoulder round had went through, leaving an even larger hole on his back than the one on his front.

“This will require some work. It is starting to look infected, so I will need to give him some antibiotics…” She said as she reached into one of her saddlebags and pulled out a vile and a needle.

“I’m sorry Miss Red Heart, but what is in that vile?” Sandman asked.

“Penicillin, why?”

“Um… I don’t think that will help much…” Sandman trailed off.

“Why? What do you mean?”

“Well, on our wor… um… well, we are kind of immune to it. It won’t work well.”

“Why? It works fine on everypony I use it on. What makes it different for you?”

“O vashem shutishʹ… How have you not received better antibiotics!? Penicillin is outdated!” Andrei shouted out.

“What? No, we have been using it for around eight years with no problems! It is one of our greatest discoveries in medical history!”

“Lies! We have used Penicillin since 1940’s! What age you live in?”

Quickly, Sandman ran over and put a hand over Andrei’s mouth to shut him up.

“Chto… mmmph.. .vozʹmi! Mmmph… Vozʹmite ruku… mmmph!”

“Shut up! Stop arguing with her!” Sandman angrily whispered in his ear. “You got to trust me on this, just go with it! We can explain this later!”

After a small amount of time, Andrei finally relaxed, so Sandman took his hand away.

“Sorry about that…” Sandman apologized.

“Oh, it’s fine, but you all are very confusing. What exactly are you things?”

A moment passed and some glances were exchanged between the men and Princess Celestia.

“I can tell you Nurse Red Heart, but if I do, you must swear to never tell anypony else. Is that clear?” Celestia said.

“Um… I guess… but why exactly?”

“Do you swear?” Celestia reiterated.

“Yes.” She responded, looking a litle bit fearful.

“Good, now, these creatures that stand before you are called humans, and they…” Princess Celestia started, but was interrupted by a bright flash of light from outside the barn, blinding everyone temporarily. For a moment, everything seemed very quiet, almost as though everything went silent at the exact time. After what seemed to be ages, but what was really only half a second, a giant explosion was heard in the distance that caused the entire ground to shake violently, sending everyone standing inside the barn to the ground. The sounds of the barn’s support beams cracking was almost inaudible over the intense sound of what seemed like a million thunderclaps going off at the same exact time. Sandman tried to regain his balance, but was knocked down when a piece of the barns roof caved in and landed on him, pinning him down on the ground. The last thing he saw before his vision was blocked by another giant piece of roof falling on him was a small purple aurora fill the room.