Darkest Hours in Equestria

One day later......

Twilight walked into the small, hastily-made dugout as she found Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom all doing tasks inside of their small home. Behind her, Steeltrix was slowly coming inside as he wiped himself of what mud had covered him during the Chaos artillery bombardment as he followed her inside slowly.

Rarity was sitting at a table as she tried to mend her uniform, which had snagged on some barb wire during a raid. She moved with speed and accuracy as the needle wove its way skillfully through the fabric of the uniform as she muttered silently under her breathe. She looked up to see Twilight caked in mud and as she got up to take Twilight's battle saddle, she saw the flecks of blood on Twilight and asked her, "Are you okay, Twilight?"

"I'm fine. The Stallion next to me died, that's all." Twilight said as she plopped down into a chair that had been set up at the table.

Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom were keeping the floorboards and the walls clean as they could be, considering they were using the bottom of a bunker as a ceiling. They used the remains of brooms and their E-tools to shovel away mud that had accumulated on the floor boards and to sweep away any dust that had come from the ceiling. A lamp was in the corner and on the table and as Steeltrix walked to where his small cot was, he put down his saddle and his armor before he said, "I'm gonna go outside and shake myself off before I get more mud inside, if you don't mind."

No one said a word as he stepped outside and though Twilight was thankful he did this every time he came into their home, she wondered what else he did when he went outside. Relieved himself? She shook her head at the disgusting thought, blaming the perveted minds of all of the ponies around her besides her friends. When he came back in, Pinkie Pie had finished starting up the heater they had and had begun to cook some MRE's for their lunch. Twilight looked up from her book as she looked over and saw that the majority of the mud he had on him was now gone and as he sat on his cot, he took a nearby cloth rag and wiped the remainder from him. It felt strange to her, having a stallion sleeping within the same room as herself and her friends. It made her uncomfortable but she also relished how much she had gotten to know him better.

Which actually was nothing, since he often was more busy keeping everything he had in top shape and spent little time talking to herself or her friends. She assume that he was still mad at them for calling him a war monger.

So as he took his rifle from his battle saddle and began to clean it, she put her book down as she sat down on his cot next to him as she asked him, "Are you still mad at us for calling you a psychopath?"

"Maybe." His voice was a little strained from not trying to blow up and start screaming at her. He continued to clean the lasrifle, undaunted by the fact she was talking to him.

"Well," She took the rifle from his so suddenly, he nearly jumped off the cot, " why don't you actually tell us what's wrong."

He looked at her and stared deep into her eyes, like he was trying to pierce the veil of her soul. But then he sighed as he looked away before he said, "Why do you want to talk to some war psychopath?"

"Because you're our squad mate and we all look out for each other... Now tell me what's wrong before I make it an order." Twilight looked at him sternly as if to try and break his resolve so he can just say what was on his mind.

He sighed as he kept his face away from her and she almost groaned because of how stubborn he was being when he said, "Yes, I am still upset from when you called me a psychopath. Considering I was pretty much the only one who actually stood his ground in defense of our Equestria, why does everyone have to criticize how I lived before...." Twilight almost thought he was done speaking when she heard him quietly mutter, "We're all in the same mess now..."

She straightened as she looked down and said, "You're right, we all are in the same mess now... and now that I know you're still mad at us... can you forgive us of our misgivings?"

Steeltrix glanced over at her as he once again stared hard into her soul but this time he wasn't doing it like he was crutinizing her. This time he was looking at her with eyes... of fellowship and kindness. The change to her was a little bit shocking, to the point he lowed an eyebrow and asked her, "Are you alright?"

She shook her head to get her out of the daze as she said, "I'm fine.... but can you forgive us?"

He almost sighed but he merely looked down as he asked everyone in the dugout, "Does anyone else have anything to say about me before I say anything?"

Everyone stopped whatever they were doing as they looked at him and Twilight realized that they all were looking at him like he was definitely crazy.

"Well... You snore really loudly at night." Said Apple Bloom.

"You are no fun!" said Pinkie Pie from the stove.

"You're just the only stallion in the group!" said Sweetie Belle.

"And you have no appreciation for what I do!" Rarity shouted as she turned her whole body from him.

He sighed now as he put his head in his hooves and Twilight almost thought he was going to start crying. But then he straightened up as he said, "Okay, I forgive you all... I snore because I'm a stallion... can't do much to stop it.... I am fun but only at the right times... I don't know if I'm going to be the only stallion in the group forever, although you make me wonder why you even asked that question."

"And when you patch my uniform up, I am thankful. Had it not been patched up, for all I know I could be wearing rags. So thank you, Rarity." Steeltrix said as he looked over at the white unicorn.

She slowly turned to look at him as she said slowly, "Your welcome." Before she went back to repairing her uniform. Twilight beamed at everyone, knowing that they should all feel more comfortable with Steeltrix when Sweetie Belle said, "Well, it's just that we seem to be no more than a harem to you."

Everyone froze and the only one to do anything was Steeltrix, who cracked a smile and laughed as he got up and suddenly picked her up as he said, "Ha! Have you been listening to the stallions around you?"

"But is it true?" Apple Bloom asked from nearby.

"Oh heck no! I would never date any of you, especially you three because your under aged!... uh, no offense to you three that is." Steeltrix sheepishly grinned to Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight.

"Its okay! Besides, if I took offense, I would just ruin your meal!" Pinkie Pie said from the stove as she finished at least half of their meals.

"And I could always snip away at certain parts of your uniform. Having no insignia might make you a Chaos traitor." Rarity said.

"And I could always order you up as our meat shield for the glory of Equestria!" Suddenly said Twilight, even though she had wanted to say something nicer than that. Saying something so dark made her body bristle.

Steeltrix went from being joking to looking at them with a touch of dread as he said, "I think I may call it a day and go to sleep... Please don't stab me while I sleep...."

He put Sweetie Belle down as he went back to his cot and before she could react, he shoved her onto a nearby cot, laid down onto his cot, rolled over, and covered his face with his helmet, as if trying to make up for his snoring problem. And as Twilight watched him sleep and suddenly she felt her cheeks grow warm as she quickly looked away. No need to get those thoughts in your head. Not when Flash is in the dugout next door. She thought as she quickly got up to resume her book.

And as she read her book, she let her mind go back to Flash Sentry, who could be her coltfriend but then again didn't always seem like the perfect match for her. He was a really nice guy and she still had fantasies about him. But ever since the war started, she hadn't seen him as much, focusing more on keeping herself and Squad Mane 6 alive from the forces of evil that they faced here at the Sweet Apple Acre's.

And with that last thought, she soon was consumed completely by her book.

*** ***

As the night skies stayed dim instead of being full of light, Twilight felt a hoof on her body and she immediately woke up and grabbed her bayonet as she swung it at whoever was touching her. A bayonet stopped hers and she came face-to-face with Steeltrix, who wore his full gear and armor. He had his lasrifle out and as he looked around at the others, he said to her, "Shh! Come on. I need you to keep me covered. Wake the others if need be but for pete sakes, I'm gonna go get your friends from that barn!" He meant the barn that was just on the outskirts of the enemy lines, past the tree's that dominated No man's land.

"How do you know they're there?" she hoarsely whispered back at him.

"Because I saw them enter the barn, being escorted by Cultist! You want them alive or dead? I don't have time for orders, I'm going now!" Steeltrix left her as he immediately marched straight out of the dugout. She looked around as she quickly put on her uniform, her flak armor, and battle saddle as she checked her las clip charge before she soon followed Steeltrix out of the dugout.

I'm sure the others will be fine without us for a little bit. She thought as they approached the trenchline's firing steps. Steeltrix went to a nearby ladder and slowly climbed up as Twilight suddenly rushed up behind him and he looked at her before he sighed and said, "Fine. Just, try not to get either of us killed, okay?"

She nodded as he lead her into the desolate wastelands of No Man's land.

She watched with near blindness as Steeltrix stopped behind the burnt remains of a zapple tree and as she tried to see, he asked her, "Can you see at all?"

"No." She whispered back to him as she instinctively shook her head.

She felt a hoof grab hers and suddenly she was being lead over the terrain of No Man's land as Steeltrix said, "Keep low and be quiet no matter what!" His voice was a hissing whisper in the unpiercable darkness that was the night.

Steeltrix suddenly dragged her down to the slimy mud that covered the ground and it got in her face as it soon made her body feel cold and she nearly shouted something when she saw what was before them. The barn leaked light from a few holes that had been created by either bolts or shrapnel, she couldn't clearly tell. But as she looked at the color of the light, she realized that something dark was being done inside. Steeltrix shushed her needlessly and she made a tsk! sound as he slowly lead her by her hoof to the wall of the barn and as he peeked his head around the corner, she could almost hear his heartbeat from where she was and she could see him visibly shaking, wether from excitement or fear she couldn't tell.

Then, he looked back at her as he said, "Here goes nothing." as he put the lasrifle back on his saddle and she watched as he casually strolled around the corner and she sighed as for some reason she decided to follow his example and walked right around the corner. She looked around and saw he had somehow lead her into the enemy trench lines and as he went to the door, he nodded to her as he slowly opened it a crack and they both silently slipped through and into the barn.

Twilight saw no one within the barn except for what looked like three cages that were stacked up nearby and within the center was a machine that she didn't recognize but somehow she knew it wasn't a natural creation. Steeltrix reached one cage and he took out what looked like a lockpick and he took a small knife as he twisted the lockpick around in the lock before it finally clicked open and as the door swung open, he said to her, "Dawn is coming really fast. We have to be at least half way into No Man's land before it comes up. Otherwise, the Chaos sentries are going to spot us and then we failed this little operation."
He quickly began to work on the next one and as Twilight looked into the cage, she saw a familiar stallion slowly getting up.

"Big Macintosh! Are you alright?" She asked without breaking a whisper.

"Eh-yup." Mac said meekly and she threw a hoof around him as she began to help him get moving towards the door.

Steeltrix cracked the second lock but as he looked up into the third cage, which was open, he shook his head in sadness as he said, "Alright, little lady. Lemme help you out of here." as he picked up Applejack from the cage and began to carry her on his back.

Both Big Mac and Applejack were covered in blood, badly beaten, and though both kept silent, Twilight hoped the silence didn't get them killed as she looked at the gash on Applejack's left foreleg. Steeltrix lead the way as he closed the door behind Twilight and as Big Mac finally regained the strength to move, Steeltrix began to look behind him and saw that dawn was appearing over the ridgeline and his heart rate went off like a full-auto bolter as his spike of fear made him hiss to Twilight, "We better move! We don't have much time!"

Twilight nodded as she began to lead the way into No Man's land. She helped mac over some flattened barbed wire as he managed not to fall onto the wire and as Steeltrix clambered over the wire, Twilight helped him by levitating Applejack over before putting her back onto Steeltrix's back. He lead the way as Twilight took her lasrifle out but that's when the first rays of sun began to illuminate the field and Steeltrix suddenly broke out into a dead run as Twilight and Mac tried their best to keep up with the stallion.

But just as they reached the half way mark into No Man's land, a flurry of las fire flashed around them and Twilight turned her head back to see a squad of Cultist ponies, wearing what could've been black dusters over cut-covered bodies and shaven heads dabbled with chaotic symbols, as they carried laspistols and lasrifles and she watched as one took up his rifle and fired another burst at herself and her small team. Steeltrix grunted as one shot hit the armor on his flanks and as he tossed Applejack to Twilight, he shouted to her, "Just keep running! I'll hold them off!!!"

And he took his lasrifle out as he fired full-auto at the pursuing cultist. It was only then that he realized Twilight was firing shots off next to him and though he appreciated the help, he wanted to curse her for being some stupid glory-hunting filly but he watched as her shots dropped two Cultist ponies in their tracks. He fired another shot off and watched as it catch the head of another and he watched as it blew the ponies brains out to splatter the ground and his comrades.

"Alright, now lets fall back to our lines!!" Suddenly shouted Twilight as she grabbed him by his armor and suddenly hauled him out of the small fox hole made by an artillery shell as she threw him in the direction of their trench lines and he ran onward as she followed him close behind. Their dead run soon had them near their trench lines when suddenly a explosion lifted Steeltrix off into the air and straight into the trench lines of friendlies. Twilight felt dirt against her face mixed with mud but she ignored it as she threw herself into the trench line and she soon landed on mud covered floorboards. As she groaned, a shrill voice said, "Twilight! What were you doing out there trying to get Applejack by yourself?"

"It's good to see you to Rarity." Moaned Steeltrix from nearby and as Twilight slowly sat up with the help of Rarity, she gasped as she saw Steeltrix without a boot on his hoof and having cratered into the trench walls. She managed to get up and she trotted over quickly as she pulled him out of the mud and as he hit the floor boards with a thump! she looked over to see Big Mac coming over and shrugging Steeltrix onto his back as he said, "Come on."

And she followed him as she saw Pinkie Pie carrying Applejack and Rarity was keeping the Cutie Mark Crusaders inside the dugout so they didn't see the blood-covered bodies of both Big Mac and Applejack. And as she followed Big Mac from the trenchlines, she could hear the screams of cultist dying to the fire of Guardsponies all around her.

**** ****

The Ultrapony Apothecary looked down at the forms of Applejack and Big Mac as he said, "They will recover within a day's time. We have been blessed by the Emperor for having them come back as they are."

He turned back to Steeltirx, who leaned against Twilight because of the fact his right hindleg hoof had been bruised severly from the mine as the Apothecary said to him, "You can still go off into duty. You are a lucky one for having survived a standard Imperium Anti-personnel mine, let alone just having a boot come off... You both are dismissed."

Twilight nodded as she slowly helped Steeltrix on his injured leg. It was kinda weird for her to have him so close to her because for one reason or another, it made her really uncomfortable and as they walked out of the hospital, she suddenly found herself walking straight into the form of Flash Sentry, his orange fur hidden beneath his uniform and his blue mane was cropped short to fit inside of his helmet, although she didn't know why her mane was still the same length as it was.

"Twilight!" He said in sudden surprise as Steeltrix suddenly began to hobble away on his own as he said, "I'll leave you two alone."

Twilight was about to argue but then watched as Steeltrix continued on without even skipping a beat. She turned back to Flash Sentry as she asked him, "What brought you over here, Flash? I haven't seen you since the start of this whole war."

"I just heard you had brought some of your friends over and were currently here... So I thought maybe I could talk to you before we both need to go back to the front lines." He said almost sheepishly.

"Sure, I have time to talk... just don't make it too long, okay? I'm afraid that Steeltrix is going to get hurt." Twilight said as she glanced back to the direction of Steeltrix.

"The Steeltrix? In your squad?... what did you do to get such a bad stallion on your squad?" Suddenly answered Flash, who was quite stunned that such a stallion existed at all, let alone in Twilight's squad.

"He isn't that bad... he's actually a good guy. Just the other day, he covered my back even though I stayed to help him. And I think that had I not been behind him, I might have lost my leg instead of him just lose his boot. He was the one to help Apple Jack here, too!" Twilight said as she defended her squad mate. "Sure he has more quirks but that doesn't mean he is all bad."

"I hope so. I just don't want my girl to get hurt, that's all." Said Flash as he looked around before he finally said, "I think we should part way's now. See you around."

"See you around, Flash." She said with a small smile that he returned before she trotted off after Steeltrix.

Except, just as she reached the back trenches, she heard whistling and she suddenly felt a thrill of fear blast her as screams and shouts of "Incoming!" sounded out just as the first part of the Chaos artillery barrage began to slam down into the front trenches and she watched as bodies and blood spray high into the air as she began to gallop through the trenches at breakneck speeds. She passed scrambling Guardponies as she took out her lasrifle and as she neared the second line of trenches near the front, another wave of Chaos artillery smashed into the trenchworks and she felt something wet and warm splatter her entire right side. She stopped to see at least a half dozen Guardponies dead in the trench, most torn to bloody bits and barely recognizable from where she was.

She made it to the front trench line and as she ran passed Guardponies firing on the firing step, she found her trench dugout and found Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders scrambling to get their gear on.

"Have you all seen Steeltrix?" She asked them as another explosion rocked the trench. Above them was the sound of a chattering heavy bolter turret, its brass casings hitting the top of their ceiling as the Guardponies tried to fight back the Chaos tide that was now swarming through No Man's land.

"No! I don't think he even made it here!" Rarity said as she put on her battle saddle and finally ran out with everyone else on her tail.

Twilight was very anxious for Steeltrix, knowing that he could've died in the opening bombardment from the Chaos ponies but as she turned back and got onto the firing steps, her lasrifle put on full power and with a full las clip, she watched as Chaos cult ponies swarm all around the land, firing laspistols and lasrifles at the defenders of the trenches and as she positioned herself and took aim, her sight drifted around the swarm of ugly ponies.

Her first burst of las bolts winged one Cult pony and stabbed another in his gut and the stallion howled as he collapsed into a hole made by an explosion. She adjusted her aim and fired again as she felt Rarity and Pinkie Pie next to her as they fired their guns. Las bolts crisscrossed through the air as ozone waves washed over Twilight as near hits seared by her face and hit the trench walls behind her. She downed another Cult pony, a mare who was shot through her chest, as she managed to wound a few more but only two dropped and stayed down on the ground, one hollowing in rage and pain. She snapped another las clip into her lasrifle as she fired another burst of ruby-red beams down into the torrent of Cult ponies when suddenly a shell smashed close by to her on her left. She tasted mud in her mouth and she spat out the grime as she looked over and saw six more Guardponies dead in the trench, blown to pieces.

Celestia be with you all. She thought as she heard galloping hooves and she saw that the Cultist ponies were almost into the trenches. Just as she began to fire her lasrifle, a figure blitzed last her with a bayonetted lasrifle and she watched as the brave, or equally stupid, Guardpony stab his rifle through the neck of a Cultist pony and he roared as he continued his charge against the Chaos ponies. Then, she watched as other Guardponies get up and go over the top as they charged after the figure and she suddenly found herself following them all into the melee that was flooding across No Man's land.

She quickly snapped on her bayonet as she galloped across the field after the other Guardponies, hoping none of her friends were following her into the suicidal charge. She watched as Cultist ponies and Guardponies clash amongst the craters and ruined tree's as they stabbed, kicked, bit, punched, and used their weapons as clubs as she soon found herself tripping over one Cultist pony herself. They tumbled into a crater and she launched herself at the evil stallion as she unhooked her bayonet from her rifle barrel and thrust it through the stallion' face. As blood dribbled down her hoof, she suddenly felt guilt wash over her and as she let go of the bayonet, she looked at the blood on her hooves as she realized she had never killed a pony with her own hooves before. Shooting a rifle and killing a pony is different from stabbing them, right? She was so broken in her mind that when a Cultist pony popped over the ledge, she didn't even react to them.

Only when she heard a lasrifle fire and felt a body tumble next to her did she acknowledge the familiar voice as he said, "Come on! Get up, or else you will die in there filled with guilt!"

She looked up to see Steeltrix with the fiercest eyes ever, both grey eyes being as cold as the mud she was in. She nodded limply as she reached with a bloodied hoof and as Steeltrix grabbed her hoof, she instinctively grabbed her bayonet and yanked it out of the dead ponies face. She felt Steeltrix haul her up slowly up the mud-slick sides as she soon landed on him in the mud and as she got up, she said with courtesy, "Oops, sorry."

Steeltrix sighed as he shoved her off and as he got up, he said to her, "Come on, we best be following up the others. It seems your friends are already here."

She turned back and saw Pinkie Pie, the Crusaders to her surprise, and to her shock she saw Rarity marching forward, covered head-to-hoof in mud and slime. She wore a normal face, neither filled with disgust nor rage, and as she trotted by Twilight, Twilight asked her, "Are you.... okay Rarity?"

"No but we have a mission to do, don't we?" Rarity asked back as she continued on and Steeltrix leaned over casually and asked Twilight in a mutter, "Is it just me or is she not herself?"

Twilight shrugged as she and her squad continued on after Rarity, into the teeth of the Chaos ponies lines.

*** ***
Lasbolts fried the air around her as she dropped into the third Chaos controlled trench as Rarity dropped down behind her and blasted a Chaos pony in her face at point-blank range. The mare screamed as the las bolts seared her face right off and as Rarity brutally kicked down the mare, she fired at more of the Cultist ponies who were all scrambling around in the trenches. More Guardponies dropped in and the rest of Twilight's squad joined in. She watched as Apple Bloom fire a stream of las bolts into an opening and though she heard screams of dying Cultist ponies, she saw how scared she was as she watched her soon dropped down against the trench walls and slid down them till she was sitting on the floorboards, crying small tears to patter against her armor and the floorboards.

"Come on, Apple Bloom! We can't cry right now! Not when we're so close to winning back your farm!" Twilight said as she picked up Apple Bloom in her arms.

"I wish Applejack was here!" Apple Bloom bawled as she buried her face into Twilights chest and as Twilight looked around with wide, nervous eyes, Steeltrix put a hoof on her back as he said, "Come on... Here, let me carry her."

And as she did so, she heard him begin to tell Apple Bloom things: "Are you okay?"

"No! Why are we killing these ponies!" She asked in a floor of tears.

"Well, didn't these ponies hurt your sister and brother?" Steeltrix said to her as he held her while he sat down in the trench.

Twilight watched as more Guardponies past them and Apple Bloom said, " Yeah but shouldn't we be nice to them anyway?"

"If we could, this wouldn't be happening. But these ponies want war, they want to kill us all, beat them and slice them up like your sister... No one should die that way... No one, and that is why we fight. So no one can die a horrible death." Steeltrix voice was very kind and soothing, something she hadn't expected from him and she found herself soothed by his words, forgetting this was just a war and that she was just a soldier.

But then Apple Bloom gave a long sniff! and she looked around as she asked Steeltrix, "When this is done.... am.. would I be allowed to have a day off?"

"Heck yeah! I'll make sure you three youngsters have more time off then the rest of us. You need it." Steeltrix said with a grin.

As he slowly sat up, he looked around as he said to Twilight, "Alright I think we're good to go."

Just as Twilight nodded her head, an explosion lifted everyone off their feet and as she was hurled against the trench walls, her head hit something hard and she was knocked out cold instantly.