They Came from the Everfree

'tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock.'

I loved the sounds of clocks, there's nothing more relaxing than to get away from all the speed, violence, and problems in the world. Every fuck-face douche canoe on earth, and just enjoy the nice sound of time passing by.

Nobody spoke, no one dared disturb the quiet. Perhaps we were so nervous that we would speak too loudly, or say something in vain when the quiet was so peaceful.

Luckily, some asshole did it for us.

"Hey, past closing hours. You guys gotta go." A short male nurse ordered through the doorway, before quickly moving to the next room, where I heard him repeat the line.

"I guess that's it, we can wait outside for Elliot's crippling walking speed." I should have gone instead of him.

I looked at the clock. It was 2130, he had been gone for about half an hour.

"That motherfucker." I whispered to myself.

We all got up, the girls started murmuring things to each other. Perhaps to me. I didn't pay attention, I was thinking about Elliot. Something in my chest didn't feel good.

Something leathery touched my hand, I nearly screamed like a little girl.

I looked down, it was the little lizard dude. He stood at about my thigh-height. Pretty short.

"You're the new species Twilight discovered?" He asked. I felt Twilight clear her throat loudly, but he seemed to ignore it.

"I wouldn't say she discovered us, no. We'd seen her over a week before she even knew we existed. We've seen her in the forest a number of times. We just decided, one day, to reveal ourselves." I explained, trying to sound innocent. It was the first male with any personality I'd spoken to, so I may as well keep it interesting.

"So how many of you are there?" He asked, causing Twilight to step extra-loudly, which he again ignored.

"Just us two, we're not where we belong. As soon as we get a method to get us both back home, we're out. We've still got a job to do. My platoon is in danger right now, and I'm nowhere to help them." I trailed off as my mind drifted back to Elliot. My heart was exploding now, racing for a reason I didn't understand.

Suddenly, without warning, my heart EXPLODED, I felt a burst of energy, like every muscle in my veins lit up at the same time. I felt stronger than I ever had before. I don't remember anything after that for a while, but the next thing I know, I kick down the door to Twilight's library and am raiding for my gear.

They were far behind, I presume, since I didn't get any company.

"Grayson help me! HEEEEEEELP!" Elliot wailed from the Everfree.

So that's what it was... God DAMN it.

"I'm coming!" I yelled uselessly, he wouldn't hear me, his voice was like a megaphone.

My rifle was in my hands, and my armor plating was over my t-shirt. I was booking it out the door and into the Everfree.

My feet stung sharply, I felt thousands of needles digging into them through thick calluses. I didn't care, I needed to find Elliot.

"God help me, Grayson!" The voice was nearby now, only about 50 meters. I sprinted in the direction of the voice.

I ran for several seconds, which was cut short as my foot tangled onto a root, and I went flying forwards, only to land on my belly. My rifle clattered next to me, which I grabbed quickly out of reflex.

I was about to get up, but I saw the clearing, there was a vast expanse of plains around him, Elliot was kneeling into a patch of grass. Surrounding him, were a large group of small flying ponies. They were certainly not pegasai, they had wingbeats comparable to that of a humming-bird, and it produced a sickly buzzing noise. They also had ghastly, pale blue eyes. They seemed to shatter the darkness.

Without thinking, I aimed my rifle. At such a close range, I lacked any need to zero in. I fired one shot, and heard one scream. The rest immediately swarmed, flying so spastically I couldn't get a fix on any of them, especially against the night sky.

I fired several more shots, until my weapon clicked on the fourth. I was empty. Not only that, but they had heard me, as now a swarm was moving in my direction. I kept my eyes trained on Elliot, how could I save him? Could I even save myself? Damn that Purple dictator stealing my weapon! She's the reason I'm defenseless! She's the reason I'm in this! Oh God damn that cockroach!

Elliot looked right at me and shouted my name, I ducked down and hoped they didn't see where he was looking. I continued to hide, but the swarm of about 20 identical black creatures was moving slowly towards me now. I needed to stay hidden in the tall grass of the treeline.

I could have held my position, laid motionless and remained hidden for as long as time would pass, however, they knew just how to get me to make some noise. One of the bugs had stayed behind, remained floating in a circle above Elliot. Without orders, warning, or any form of hint, he dove down at Elliot. Teeth locked onto bone, and I heard him scream. I covered my mouth and stifled a yelp. His scream destroyed my ability to stay calm. My heart was racing and I felt like I was going to vomit. All at once, my situation came to me. I was alone, defenseless, Elliot was under attack and I was, too. There was no escaping alive. I was going to die here, with Elliot. I needed a plan.

But before I even started my thought, the creature shifted onto Elliot, rolling its weight onto him.

"Fight back..." I pleaded God that he would do something to stop it. But he didn't.

Elliot wailed in misery, before the creature lifted a hoof, something glistened in the moonlight, bright and visible.

'A knife!' I thought.

It was brought down before I could think, and Elliot stopped speaking, or moving. I felt my entire heart shatter. A pain filled my chest I hadn't felt before. It felt as if my very soul had been gouged out of my heart. And in all honesty, I wanted it to stop beating.

"ELLIOOOOOOT!" I cried, my eyes quickly blurring with tears.

My rifle was in my hand as I spun around and absolutely booked it. Faster than I had been before, I had to have been going 15 miles an hour on land. My feet hardly touched the ground, it was as if I was taking flight. I wasn't very far into the Everfree, I could make it.

I saw a blur of green all around me, I heard buzzing behind me, a loud siren called off from the direction of the Everfree. I sped up even more, I needed to get away. I was so close, something touched my shoulder, I swatted at it without changing speed. Arms wrapped around me tightly, but before they could pin me, I burst through the tree-line. I shouted something, I don't know what. I don't think anyone else did, either. But, to my surprise, there was a fierce wall of royal guard awaiting my return. They had spears aimed in my direction.

I hoped they wouldn't attack me, I felt the arms leave me, likely in response to the wall I was about to try to red-rover my way through. I sprinted at the guards, slightly to the right of the formation. Just before I ran myself into a spear, I leaped, launching myself over spearpoint. The guards moved to the side, but quickly sealed the wall behind me as I collapsed back onto the ground. Chaos erupted just behind me.

Swords clashing, screaming, I heard the sound of flesh splitting from bone. It was a disaster. I leaped back to my feet and spun around. There were already corpses of various sorts splayed onto the ground. The creatures were bug-like, now wearing armor, they had broken the line. Several were charging at me, swords drawn from sheaths made of fabric that hung below them.

They came one at a time, I gripped my barrel and swung it at one in the front, his sword re-directed it upwards, and he slammed into me. Before I was even on my back, I repetitively bashed my fist into him, I was strengthened by the sight of Elliot. He continued to flash in my skull, ringing like a symbol of suffering. I bashed its head harder, but it didn't let up, it pinned me hard, flapping its disgusting wings to push down.

Desperate measures. It is when you are faced with certain death that the most grueling, yet true sides of oneself will show. I lashed my head forwards, not by forhead, but with face. My teeth sunk into the creature's cheek, which split inside of my mouth. It shouted at me and backpedalled, it flew away like a crippled bird.

I spun my head for the other one, but didn't see it anywhere. It had gone elsewhere. On the ground, there was a sword made of a mysterious dark metal. I lifted the blade, which was shockingly light. It was a shortsword of a brittle metal. I waved it around to get a feel for it. My rifle was nowhere to be seen, so I used it as my weapon. Just in time, a guard let one slip by, he flung himself at me, spear first. My arm, however, was longer. I got him in the face with the blade. To which his momentum slid him even deeper into it. The blade, through his face, likely stopped somewhere in his chest.

No time to hesitate, I could die here, I could be forgotten, I need to get home. I can't let myself share Elliot's fate.

The blade flipped down under the weight, and I pulled it out. Another one came flying at my chest from the left, it looked furious. The insect lowered its blade at my midsection, I cocked my arm back and batted the sword just as it got close enough. I followed through with my rear-most hand by grabbing it by the horn.

Half anger, half instinct, but 100% reaction, I forced my hand down, breaking off the creature's horn. It was much harder to snap than I had expected, due to a more fleshy inside. Like a tooth, it began to bleed. Before leaving any further reaction time, I punched my hand forward, pushing the horn back into the creature's skull.

It resounded a sickening 'spulching' noise, that horrible noise could have silenced a planet, parted a sea, and stopped a train. I wish I had stopped there.

Mostly out of hate, I continued the motion, repetitively stabbing the thing. I stopped looking once it started to fall apart, but I continued to find uninjured places to keep attacking it. The creature had long since gone limp in my arms, but I had no choice to stop now.

Something hit me hard, in the side. I flew over and rolled, for an insect to appear above me. It pushed me down and raised a fist, striking me in my left cheek. I leaned up and hugged the creature, rolling over and taking it with me. Once it was pinned beneath me, I grabbed its head and battered it downwards. Hundreds of times I heard that noise, I thought I would never stop. But every time I did it, I felt the urge to continue again, forever.

Finally, my breath caught up with me. I was getting tired, I couldn't continue. I had to stop. I looked down at the creature I had liquefied, it was a mess. I got up off of him, I could feel blood running down my torso and onto my legs. That was when it hit me, it was quiet. Dead silent. As if the hum of Earth itself has stopped. I looked about.

The guards had stopped fighting, but several remained standing with mixtures of expressions on their faces. Beside them, a scattered couple of remaining creatures was looking at me in equal surprise.

I turned my head to the left, and Twilight and Rainbow were not too far away, only about 10 meters. They looked more disturbed than anyone.

I turned to face them, I looked between the two, searching for words, but found none that mattered.

"I'm sorry..." I began, "They've killed Elliot."