“Okay notes check, guards check, hazmat suit check, serum check, helicopter escort?” She paused for a moment to make sure that those beating sounds were indeed beside her and not echoing of the buildings around her, and smiled as she saw the black helicopter hovering beside her carriage. “Check, meet Dr. Mercer and help him, not check. Okay that’s everything that I can do checked.”

Smiling to herself she looked over her pad one last time, re-reading the checklist again before shoving it into her saddlebags next to her, containing everything that Gentek had requested and some other things she thought they might want. With nothing else to do she looked out the windows of her carriage at the glass-paned buildings speeding past. She idly flicked at her hair but otherwise watched the sky-scrapers, appropriately named, reach far above even the cloud cities of the pegasi.

She’d been traveling through the US for little over a week, visiting the Golden-Gate bridge, Grand Canyon, Space Needle and now the Big Apple, all in an effort to boost relations. Even if there weren’t humans at some of the locations, it still wasn’t lost on her what they’d managed to accomplish without magic. Buildings that would put even Canterlot Castle, and her own castle, to shame. Then this city, packed full of millions that lived day to day packed so tight was something she still had trouble managing to believe how many people could be contained.

Then there were the machines they built to make up for their ineptness towards anything magical, such as the ones flying in a triangular formation around her. Easily keeping pace with some of the more seasoned Royal Guards, maneuvering easy in the slight buffets of winds that kept curving around the buildings and the gleaming weapons on them. Not things she personally liked but the way they operated she loved, just so fascinating in how they directed missiles and the like without magic. Or at least so she heard according to the one guard that saw the rockets being launched.

And down below, carriages capable of outrunning Rainbow Dash, as long as she was on the ground. Those things were mundane and common, not at all special compared to the other contraptions that had been built, and she’d still been witnessing more and more. It was a shame that magic was the equivalent to radiation for them, their races could have benefited so much from one another.

Though that’s why she was here today, to help Gentek with their own cure, though she had her doubts. It took some of the greatest minds in Equestria and many a human scientist to manufacture the serum they were using, which still had the occasional problem. The way they spelt their company’s name didn’t help either.

Speaking of which, as they rounded another glass building she saw said company’s headquarters just ahead. Along with a veritable horde of soldiers, metal boxes, not to mention the vibe she was getting from the building itself. Sent a slight shiver down her spine, which she chalked up to being nervous about all the soldiers surrounding the building she was going to go into.

She hummed to herself as she slung her saddles across her back, much to the dismay of many ponies she knew, who always complained that it wasn’t Princess-like of her. Not that she cared, she could take care of herself. The whine of the helicopters lessened as her carriage descended down, while they stayed up, into a cleared out space where a noticeable number of the soldiers were gathered around. Even a few of those massive metal boxes, with sticks coming out pointed in her general direction.

Not exactly a sign of peace, though she did remember some of the attitudes of people she met across the US. She waited in the carriage until her pegasi guards unhitched themselves from the carriage and walked over to the side, eyes wandering over the crowd of soldiers. None of whom showed their faces, all being clad in the same black uniform with mask, guns held at the ready to their sides, held up to the sky on their shoulders, some still in slings.

With a few more seconds of looking she noticed one face that wasn’t covered by a mask, an older man with gray hair and a beard walking towards them, labcoat floating out behind him. Flanked by six more soldiers, one of which wore a white version of the same uniform everybody else wore, seeming to demand respect from the black-clad ones.

As the seven humans reached the halfway point the scientist quickened his pace as a mad smile splayed across his face. “Ah hello Princess Sparkle it’s a pleasure to meet you in the flesh!” He half-shouted waving his hand, before actually coming close to her.

She gave him a light smile and said truthfully, “It’s always a pleasure to help somebody out, especially when their entire race is at stake.”

He slowed as he neared her and lenaed down slightly before grimacing as a sharp crack sounded from his back. He swore under his breath before straightening back up and extending his hand towards her from there. “I’m afraid I’m a bit too old to talk to you on your level Princess, so I’m afraid I can’t be more courteous.”

She shook his hand and laughed slightly. “It’s alright I assure you, so let’s move onto business? I have a feeling we can chit-chat while walking there.”

He nodded before turning around abruptly, almost hitting her in the face with his lab-coat. “All to true Princess, so if you’ll follow me to Mercer we can get started on the tests.” Her guards moved to be beside her as the scientist moved away, and as soon as she moved to take a hoof step forward everything changed.

The world drained of color, seeming to slow slightly. She didn’t even have a moment to puzzle over it as the building in front of her exploded, a massive shockwave moving outwards from it throwing the old man onto his back and shoving over a few unprepared people. A few other people still fell, even though they were caught less off-guard. That reason being massive pieces of steel or glass flying outwards from the building, flying everywhere.

She threw up a barrier around herself just as the first piece came within reach, but pinged harmlessly off into the ground besides her, followed by dozens more pebble sized pieces. Eyes clenched shut she kept the purple barrier up, only opening her eyes when the pings on her shield stopped. Her mouth moved to ask if everypony was okay, but no sound came out audible over the ringing. When did it start ringing?

All around her she could see the soldiers springing to life, running to take up positions around the compound, guns pointed outwards and inwards, several of which were pointed at her. She ignored them and kept looking around, noticing that the scientist was being hoisted to his feet by the white-clad soldier and another black-clad one, dragging him off towards the entrance. Up above she could see smoke billowing out of the building, a black cloud of death and despair as humanity’s last hope lay burning above.

And she was going to be blamed for it, judging by the hostility of those pointing guns at her. Slowly the ringing died off and she could hear them screaming at her to get down on the ground. She lowered the barrier but continued to ignore them as she turned to her guards, meeting the sight of a massive steel bar piercing his chest-plate going right-through to the ground, a river of blood running up and down the metal bar.

She stared and locked eyes with her pegasus guard, as the blood dribbled out of his mouth, mouth silently forming words but no sound coming out. One of her other guards slammed into her side, and made her tumble to the side as another piece of the building fell from above and slammed into the earth. If it hadn’t been for that guard she would have died. She made to say thanks when she noticed the small pool of blood slowly spreading outwards, a nice reflection of her agape mouth and frizzy hair, a slight trail of tears rolling down her cheek through the ash that had built up from the explosion, showing in the blood. She briefly noticed that her crown was gone, before another guard touched her.

The part he touched? Her wing. Something he shouldn’t have touched, much less yanked, she vaguely thought to herself as he dragged her away from the burning building, a raging inferno starting to build up as the steel beams holding the building up started to melt. Inside the building was hell, unfortunate souls running out flailing their arms as their compatriots tried to put out the fires on them.

A few soldiers came over to her and the guards dragging her away, shoved the guards aside and fully picked her up and started running towards the building that surrounded Gentek HQ. Their guns swept the skies above and the ground below, expecting another attack any second, while her guards took to the air to watch her from above and to stop any threats that might pop out.

As they neared the entrance of one of the buildings they unceremoniously dropped her, like a sack of potatoes, beside the scientist from earlier. Didn’t they drag him off in another direction? Several loud bangs sounded as the soldiers engaged some targets somewhere. And where’d her guards go? The skies were empty of her guards now, only populated by the helicopters.

Her head lazily rolled back and forth from side to side, while she was swept up in thoughts. The guard with a steel beam through his chest. The one that had sacrificed his life to save her. The guards that had just gone missing.

“Wha-wha-what are you-ou?” Echoed a ghastly voice in front of her, like that demon Celestia had shown her once upon a time. Normally she would have jumped as she hadn’t been paying attention but she felt to drained to even react. She just looked at the human with the messy, ragged red hair and black jumpsuit, and slight amount of blood on her right cheek. The human in turn looked at her, lips tightly pressed together in thought, in her ashy, crownless state, crumpled up against the wall

Her hoof slowly rose to point at that cheek. “You’re hurt.” She said dumbly.

The human shook her head and grabbed her hoof, bringing it to her face and rubbing it against her face. “No no no, better.” She paused her rubbing to point at her. “You hurt, not me. I’m better.”

Twilight laughed slightly. “I wish I could be better, I’m not happy right now.” As soon as she mentioned wishing she could be better the human grew a large smile across her face, replacing the tight lips.

“You want to be better?” Twilight gave a dumb nod, not sure of what was going on anymore. The human patted her head and leaned in to give her a kiss on her forehead, before pulling back and smiling at her. “Not often do one want to be better, no need to worry, you’ll be better soon.”

Twilight blinked and the human was gone, making her question if she was even there. “Who doesn’t want to be better?”

Author's Note

One more chapter to go before switching to another Prototype fic.