Broken Worlds: Age of Ruin

Chapters

Prologue
The Boy With The Skull Bandana [Wayne]
Resistance [Joseph]
Twilight Sparkle, Auxillary Princess [Twilight]
Gun For Hire [Victor]
Journey Through The Portal [Wayne]
Crossed Paths [Joseph/Wayne]
Bruised Apples [Applejack]
Lighting A Candle [Joseph]
Training Day [Gentle Blade]
Following The Trail [Victor]
A Ghost Of A Chance [Spike/Celestia]
Making Friends (Reluctantly) [Wayne]
Dust And Echoes [Applejack]
Incognito [Wayne]
The Adventure Begins [Twilight]
One Hell Of A Party [Tess]
Understanding [Joseph]
The Lost Knight [Twilight]
A Questionable Errand [Cyrus]
Preparing For Battle [Gentle Blade]
Failed Effort [Wayne]

Prologue

Five years ago, a young boy found and activated a portal that bridged the worlds of Earth and Equestria for the first time in thousands of years. During his stay, he made new friends, new enemies, and discovered new powers.

But, I bet you’ve already been told that story, haven’t you?

Well, how would you like to hear a new one?

This particular story begins four years ago - you may be familiar with the events that led up to these events - when an ancient warlord possessed the body of an alicorn prince, and tried using his power to converge and conquer the human and pony worlds. He was eventually defeated by a more-or-less heroic man, but there was nothing that could be done about the imminent connection of the two dimensions.

The prince and the hero had bright hopes for the future, now that their races had a second chance at living in harmony.

Fate, however, had other ideas in mind.

Upon the worlds’ convergence, several portals opened on either side, and the results were disastrous. Human technology was not accustomed to Equestrian magic, and many electronic systems that operated near a portal’s epicenter were overloaded and destroyed.

It only took one unlucky portal to cause a nuclear reactor on the eastern seaboard of the United States to end the world as they knew it.

Now, the entire eastern half of the United States, as well as large portions of many other countries, is trapped in a nuclear winter. Any humans who were too close to the portals when they first opened were either killed instantaneously, or died at a later date from direct exposure to magical energies. For several months, there was widespread chaos.

In mankind’s darkest hour, however, there was a glimmer of hope: BlackTech, a scientific organization and weapons contractor, was the largest remaining power in the United States, and brought order to the now-lawless country, and established a new government. The remaining citizens were rounded up and relocated to several major cities, some pre-existing and some created by the company itself, where they were well-taken care of. They were told that the attacks that had destroyed their once-peaceful lives were not an accident, and that BlackTech had every intention of striking back at their otherworldly enemies.

There were few humans who were unwilling to help them achieve that goal.

For the first time since their last meeting, Earth had officially declared war on Equestria.

And so we begin our tale here, four years later. The BlackTech Initiative and the Equestrian Alliance are still at war, with either side daring their opponents to concede defeat and refusing to give in. If Equestria loses, then BlackTech will exterminate the inhabitants of Equestria, and claim the planet as their own. If humanity loses, mankind will be pushed out of Equus, and doomed to die out on a broken world.

The Boy With The Skull Bandana [Wayne]

I groaned as a beam of sunlight streamed through the partially-open flap of my tent, rudely bringing my slumbering thoughts back to the real world. I gently rubbed my shaved head as I blinked rapidly to clear the sleep from my eyes.

“Several million miles away, and you still have perfect aim,” I mumbled in annoyance at the sun as I unzipped my tent and emerged from the darkness within. I closed one eye to ease the sudden change of light and took a good look at the landscape around me. It had been too dark to get a good view of my surroundings when I set up camp the previous evening, but now that it was the daytime, I could see the beauty of the Colorado Plateau unobstructed. I had slept near the edge of one of the many valleys and canyons that dotted the area, and by taking only a few steps from my tent I could look straight down at the tan-and-orange cliffs staring back up at me. To avoid the risk of constantly climbing the rocky faces, however, I tended to avoid actually descending into these indents.

“Well,” I said to myself, “I suppose I should get going.” I kicked the tent spikes out from the reddish soil and watched as my temporary shelter collapsed in a heap of camouflage-green fabric. I gave it a good shake to make sure no dirt would cling on, and then packed the tent into my tan duffle bag. I had carried this bag during my several months of travel, using it to carry my few worldly possessions as I trekked from my home in Montana to New Phoenix, Arizona, which was supposedly a safe haven from the destruction of the war. It was managed by BlackTech, who I trusted about as far as I could throw an elephant, but I needed a place to live, and they had an entire city full of space.

Besides, it wasn’t like I had much other choice; the only family I ever really had was gone.

~-~-~-~-~

Eight Months Earlier

“Wayne! Come get some food!”

I poked my head up from the tall stalks of grass I had been laying in and grinned. Dinner time, I thought excitedly as I leaped to my feet and sprinted for my uncle’s farmhouse, where he was waiting out on the back porch in his wheelchair.

“What’s on the menu tonight, Tony?” I asked breathlessly as I jumped and vaulted over the railing, landing gracefully on my feet next to my uncle.

He shook his head and chuckled. “I swear, boy, you are one of the most acrobatic kids I’ve ever seen,” he said as he turned his chair around and wheeled himself inside. “Even if I could walk, I don’t think I could do half the tricks you pull off!”

I smiled sheepishly. “Sorry,” I said apologetically. I knew my uncle wasn’t happy about being stuck in his chair, and sometimes my enjoyment of running and jumping overshadowed that fact.

The old man shook his head. “Don’t apologize,” he said with a laugh, “it’s good you can do all that stuff! Without you and your enthusiasm and energy, It would be a lot harder to keep things in shape around here!”

Twenty years ago, before the accident that resulted in the removal of his right leg, my uncle was a businessman that worked for a rapidly-growing manufacturing company, and was very well-off. However, the company was eventually bought by a weapons contractor, and he was quickly let go now that the company had a much larger work force. Nowadays, thanks to the stocks he still had in the bought-out company, on top of his disability benefits, he was able to move to a farm a few states over and retire.

Ever since my parents died… he was the only real family I had.

I sat down at the picnic table on the porch and waited as my uncle scraped a burger from off of the grill and onto a bun, which eventually found its way to me.

“Mmm, I know I’ve said this before, Tony, but you should have gotten into culinary arts instead of financing!” I said appreciatively as I chewed a juicy bite. I didn’t even bother putting ketchup or mustard on Tony’s burgers; it got in the way of the flavor.

My uncle nodded, smiling proudly. “That was actually my dream once,” he said wistfully. “When I was about your age, I wanted to grow up to work in a five-star restaurant. Your grandfather, however,” he said, suddenly sounding angry, “had different plans, and forced me to study to be a stockbroker.”

I frowned. I never liked my grandfather very much, and neither did my parents; he was a bitter, cranky old man who looked down on anyone who thought differently than he did, and didn’t care if people thought poorly of him.

Now, you may think I’m exaggerating when I say this, but my entire family hated him; hell, even my grandmother cheered when they read his eulogy at the funeral, which elicited some strange looks from the rest of us.

“But, that’s all in the past,” he said with a shrug. “I’m plenty happy where I am now.”

I nodded. “At least we’re outside of the radiation zones,” I pointed out.

Tony nodded sadly. “It’s a damn shame what’s happening to our world these days,” he said sorrowfully, but suddenly got a strange look in his eyes. “Do you even know why we’re fighting this war, or who it is we’re up against?” he asked, suddenly lowering his voice as if someone were listening.

I shrugged. “I’ve heard stories,” I replied, confused. “Creatures from another world, I guess?”

Tony nodded, his eyes shining. “Yeah, but that’s the thing! That company, BlackTech, they say we’re fighting them because of the Disaster about four years ago, but I have…” he broke off for a moment, “sources, that say they never meant to attack us, and BlackTech is merely using those ‘attacks’ to stir up anger against these ‘creatures’.”

I raised an eyebrow. “What could BlackTech possibly gain from starting a war with another world?” I asked, lowering my tone in case my uncle wasn’t just being paranoid.

My uncle shrugged, leaned back and stared for a moment, and laughed loudly. “Don’t you worry about any of that, pal,” he said dismissively. “Where we are right now, we don’t need to worry about any of this war stuff; I’m sure it’ll all blow over eventually.”

I nodded slowly, but something about my uncle’s tone made him seem uncertain. Was he hiding something? I pondered this thought for a moment, but pushed it aside as I finished my burger.

~-~-~-~-~

“Wayne!” my uncle whispered urgently, waking me from my slumber on the couch in the living room. I opened my eyes and looked around, confused. “Wayne, you have to get up, right now!”

I rubbed my eyes and gave him a worried look. “Why?” I asked tiredly, “What’s going on?”

My uncle looked at the window hurriedly. “There’s no time to explain!” he said quickly as he wheeled himself over to the wall, where he slid a false panel near the floor off to the side. “You need to hide in here! When it’s safe to come out, I’ll knock three times, got it?”

I nodded quickly and crawled into the tiny space as the false panel slid back into its former position, erasing any sign of the secret compartment’s existence. I heard the doorbell ringing and a violent knocking at the door, followed by the sound of my uncle’s chair rolling across the floor.

“Evening, sir,” a professional voice said from the doorway, “we’re here because we have reasonable suspicion that you may be harboring escaped war criminals.”

My uncle chuckled. “I think you’re confused,” he said kindly, “the only person here is me.”

The man laughed darkly. “I think we both know we’re not looking for any people.”

I heard several sets of footsteps enter the house as my uncle continued to explain they were mistaken, but the sounds of furniture being pushed around told me they would not be so easily dissuaded.

“Sir!” a voice called out, “I found a trapdoor under the rug!”

I raised an eyebrow. I didn’t know my uncle had so many secret places in his house.

The man who spoke earlier chuckled. “Well, what would be the odds of that?” he asked rhetorically. I heard the sound of a heavy door being swung open, Tony’s now-angry protesting, and footsteps descending into a previously unknown part of the house.

That’s when the gunshots started.

They lasted for a couple of seconds, a mixture of a few automatic weapons and my uncle’s lucky rifle blocking any other noise in the house. There was a long silence that seemed to last ages, until I heard three heavy, deliberate knocks hit the sliding door in front of me. I pushed the secret panel aside and gasped at the sight that awaited me.

Two of the men lay dead on the floor, and one more lay with his upper body sticking out from a hole, taking up space that a coffee table and rug had previously occupied. I saw my uncle, his face twisted in pain as he bled profusely from several bulletholes in his arms and stomach. He was breathing heavily, but he tried his best to downplay his pain.

“Tony!” I said worriedly, and rushed over to his side, “What should I do?”

My uncle laughed weakly. “I could use a beer,” he said, only half-joking, and I ran and grabbed him a cold bottle from the fridge. He pried the cap off using the metal rims on his wheelchair, spilling some of his beverage on the wooden floor, and took a hesitant sip. “Wayne,” he said tiredly, “I didn’t want this to happen to you.”

I stared blankly. “What do you mean?” I asked slowly, “What did you have down there?” I started to turn toward the hole, but Tony grabbed my arm.

“Don’t go down there,” he said sadly, “I don’t want you to see what happens to anyone who opposes BlackTech.”

I nodded slowly as he went on: “Those guys I killed aren’t going to be the last. There’s probably another group on their way now, and it would be best if you were as far away from here as possible when they show up.”

I widened my eyes. “What? No,” I said defiantly, “I’m not leaving without you.”

My uncle laughed and gestured to his bleeding wounds. “Wayne, face it: I’m done for,” he said with a sad smile. “If you want to help me, then make sure you get out of here safely.

I stared, tears starting to well up in my eyes.

“Don’t cry,” my uncle said, grabbing my shoulder and glaring at me. “You’re going to have to be strong from here on out. You’ve gotta look out for yourself, and don’t let anything happen to you, you got it?”

I nodded, and my uncle sighed. “I promised your mom and dad that I would take care of you; I just hope everything I’ve done for you so far will be good enough.”

I smiled sadly. “It was more than enough,” I said, giving him a hug, but I quickly retreated when he groaned from the pressure I had put on his wounds. “Sorry,” I apologized.

Tony waved dismissively. “Forget about it,” he said, his voice still straining, “just get a duffel bag and fill it with some clothes and food, and get out of here. Take my rifle, too,” he said, holding out the firearm slowly. “I won’t be needing it anymore,” he added jokingly.

I gently took the weapon and stared at it for a moment; in the five years I had spent living with Tony, I had only fired it a few times. It was a pretty cool experience, and I struggled to keep my excitement at receiving it to a minimum as I placed the strap attached to it over my shoulder. He had built it himself, scavenging parts from other guns and putting whatever he could use together into one weapon.

“Now, go! Hurry up and pack, and run!” my uncle said, shooing me toward the stairs. “Use the back door and cut across the field; you don’t want anyone to see you!”

I flew up the stairs and shoved some clothes into a duffel bag, putting on a pair of aviators shades and wrapping a black bandana emblazoned with a skull around my face. Then, I ran to the kitchen and packed whatever food I could fit into the remaining space in the bag, and stood by the back door, staring crestfallenly at my uncle.

“Bye, Tony,” I said sadly.

My uncle nodded. “Bye, bud,” he said quietly.

I lingered for a second longer, and burst out the door, letting it swing back and slam shut behind me.

I kept running across the field, not turning back. Not even when I heard the sound of tires skidding across the gravel driveway, the front door being thrown open, and the sounds of gunshots from within. As I ran, several tears streamed down my face and soaked into the bandana, which I tore from my face and gasped for breath as I continued my sprint.

This is it, I thought, bewildered, I’m all alone.

~-~-~-~-~

Present Day

I hated BlackTech, and wasn’t too proud about living in one of their cities. But, if it meant I would be well-taken care of in this screwed world, then I was willing to set aside my grievances, for a while. I swore, though, from that night onward, that I would get my revenge against them.

No matter what the price.

Ever since that night, I trained myself, body and mind, so nothing could hurt me. I starved myself, I punched wooden posts and brick walls until my knuckles bled, and I slept in dumpsters and on piles of cinder blocks. I picked fights with bandits and raiders, I fought off predators, and I treated everything from snake bites to poison ivy. Eight months ago, I was just an immature teenager with a mild interest in parkour.

Now, I’m a survivor.

Resistance [Joseph]

“You ready, Joseph?”

“I’m not sure about this plan, Tess…”

“Great, let’s GO!”

My sister vaulted over the concrete barrier we were hiding behind, drawing her two submachine guns and firing them wildly at the enemies standing in front of her. I rolled my eyes as I placed my sniper rifle on top of my cover and fired several shots at the enemies standing on the sidelines that she hadn’t noticed.

Yep, leave it to Tess to run straight into danger like that, I thought in annoyance, moments before a blade pressed against my throat.

“Now you’re dead, and without your covering fire backing her up, so is your sister,” a condescending voice said simply. I sighed heavily as an air horn rang through the replica city street, and Tess held her guns at her side and groaned.

“What did we do wrong this time, Drayke?” she asked sadly.

The man standing over me sheathed his sword and smiled slightly, pushing a strand of his blonde hair to the side. He wore a red-trimmed, black longcoat with a black sheath slung over his shoulder, and his eyes were a bright green with a leader-like fire within them; especially his left eye, which was crossed by a scar that stretched down his face. “Your brother was so focused on protecting you that he forgot there were people trying to kill him as well,” he explained.

Tess pointed a thumb at one of the sandbag dummies that surrounded the training room. “I don’t think these guys would be able to sneak up on him like that,” she said with a slight giggle.

Drayke’s humorous look faltered, being replaced by a much more serious one. “Yes,” he said slowly, “but BlackTech’s soldiers might. You two may be a team, but you must also remember that you are in the fight, too; not just watching from the sidelines.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “But, I’ve got to admit, your accuracy has improved dramatically, Joseph,” he added, sounding impressed.

I smiled as I stood up, holding my rifle at my side. “Practice makes perfect,” I replied humbly.

Drayke smiled. “Indeed,” he said quietly. “Hey, there’s a meeting after lunch; why don’t you two go get some food, and I’ll see you in the conference room after?” he said with a friendly smirk.

I widened my eyes. If Drayke Blackwood personally invited you to join in a planning meeting, that meant you were guaranteed to be on the roster for the resulting mission. “Yeah, sure!” I said eagerly, and turned to see my sister vaulting over the concrete barrier to join us.

“We’re going on a mission?” she said excitedly, “YES!”

Drayke held up his hands calmingly. “I never said that,” he replied slowly, “but yes, you are. Just be careful, and pay attention during the meeting, okay?”

I nodded quickly. “Yes, sir!” I said dutifully, and led my sister to the mess hall.

~-~-~-~-~

Before the war began, the base we currently occupied was nothing more than a run-down stronghold from a war thousands of years ago. Now, however, thanks to Drayke’s leadership, and a little help from some Equestrian magic, it was a fully-stocked headquarters for the Resistance. See, in the pony-human war, there were two major sides: the BlackTech Initiative, who wanted to take over Equestria so humans could have a place to live and so they could harvest Equestrian magic, and the Equestrian Alliance, who wanted to drive humans back to Earth and have things go back to the way they were before.

And then, there was the Resistance. Led by Drayke Blackwood, we were in support of a new world, one where humans and ponies could live together in harmony. Unfortunately, that couldn’t happen as long as BlackTech was in the picture, so my sister and I have been training day and night to fight them.

Of course, we have made some pretty good friends along the way, including…

“Look out below!” A voice cried as I entered the mess hall, and a cyan blur from the corner of my eye warned me of the coming attacker. I quickly ducked and rolled as Rainbow Dash flew past, skidding to a halt across the marble floor. The pegasus smirked at me. “You’re getting better, Moore,” she said, sounding slightly impressed.

I bowed dramatically. “Well, it isn’t hard when you use the same tactic every day,” I said teasingly as the blue pony galloped over, and I hugged her warmly. Before coming to Equestria, I wasn’t one who liked hugs, but my time with the Resistance had warmed my heart and made me a much happier person. “So, what’s on the menu today?” I asked suddenly, standing up straight as Dash led me to the service area. Thanks to Equestrian magic, we were able to generate food that both humans and ponies could eat, without killing any animals or compromising nutrition.

“Same thing as always,” Dash replied matter-of-factly, “whatever you want!”

I smiled contently. “Hmm, I think I’ll have some pizza today,” I said with a polite nod to the pink unicorn standing behind the counter. She nodded happily as her horn glowed brightly, and a slice of pepperoni pizza materialized onto the plate in front of her. “Thanks!” I said as I shuffled out a few bits from my pocket and placed the on the counter, and followed Rainbow Dash and my sister to one of the several tables that dotted the room.

“So, did you hear?” Tess asked Dash excitedly, “Joseph and I are going to be chosen for a mission today!”

The cyan pegasus looked up, surprised. “Really?” she asked disbelievingly, “That’s great! Now we can charge into battle together!”

I held up an interrupting finger. “Uh, I won’t be doing any ‘charging’; I’m a sniper, remember?” I pointed out.

Dash rolled her eyes. “Come on, Moore; one of these days, you’ll be joining me in the primary assault instead of hanging back and staring through a viewfinder,” she said, giving my shoulder a friendly nudge.

I shrugged. “Maybe,” I agreed, “but until then, I’ll keep my distance.”

I heard the sound of someone politely clearing their throat, and turned to see Cadence, the second-in-command, staring at us expectantly in her black bodysuit. “The meeting starts in ten minutes,” she said gently. “You should finish up if you want to make it in time!”

Dash nodded appreciatively. “Thanks, Princess,” she replied.

Cadence smiled and rolled her eyes. “Rainbow Dash, you don’t have to call me ‘princess’. Even if I hadn’t stepped down from the throne when this war began, we still know each other well enough to refer to each other by our actual names!”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Sorry; thanks, Cadence,” she corrected as the pink alicorn walked away and turned back to us. “Man, Drayke is one lucky guy; he was able to score himself a princess!” she said, surprised. “There’s only one other human that was able to do that,” she added reminiscently.

I was about to ask about this ‘other human’, when Tess suddenly spoke up. “Hey, we should probably get going,” she pointed out, “we don’t want to be late for our first mission briefing!”

I nodded in agreement as I stood up. “Yeah, let’s go!” I said quickly, and led my friend and sister out of the mess hall and to the briefing room.

~-~-~-~-~

“So, as you can see,” Drayke said, pointing to the map being projected on the wall behind him, “this building gets scheduled deliveries every Wednesday at three P.M. If we can hijack one of their delivery shuttles a good distance before it arrives and hide in some of the crates, then they’ll literally be bringing us right into their base, and we can hack in and steal all of their plans!”

Rainbow Dash stood up. “Why don’t we just attack?” she said, annoyed. “If we hide in the crates, they’ll search them before they bring us even close to the main terminal! And on top of that, what if someone in the truck contacts the base before we can knock them all out? There’s too many risks in this plan, to be honest,” she explained.

Drayke glared at her. “Rainbow Dash, I know we’ve been friends for a while, but even I have to say that that is a stupid plan,” he said in a low voice. “Have you already forgotten what happened the last time we tried to rush into a BlackTech building?” he snapped, his temper suddenly flaring as everyone in the room flinched.

The cyan pegasus shrunk back sadly, her ears folding back as she lowered her now-tearful eyes. Drayke quickly walked over and wrapped his arms around her gently. “Hey, hey, I miss her, too,” he said quietly. “It’s my fault Pinkie is gone, but there’s nothing we can do to change that. All we can do is keep fighting BlackTech, for her and all the ponies lost in this stupid war.”

Dash nodded, wiping a few tears from her eyes. “So, we hijack a transport shuttle and hide in the crates?” she asked quietly.

Drayke nodded, and looked around at the several people and ponies in the room. “But, Rainbow Dash brought up some good points. What if they search the crates? What if they alert the base before we can successfully take out the drivers?” he asked aloud as he rose to his feet. “That is where you come in, Joseph,” he said, turning to me and smiling proudly as the slide changed to a map of a road. “You are going to sit on this ridge here,” he said, pointing to a small hill several yards away from the road, “and take out the driver. If there’s a passenger, you’ll have to line your shot up just right to take them both out at once.”

I stared for a moment, panicking that almost the entire plan sat on my success as a sniper. “Yeah,” I said confidently, “no problem. I’ve made harder shots in training.”

That wasn’t entirely false, either; have you ever shot a round and hit a target standing directly behind you? I didn’t think so.

Okay, it was a complete accident, and occurred under completely unrealistic circumstances, but it happened nonetheless!

“And you, Tess,” he said, turning to my sister, “will be dealing with the guards checking the boxes. In training, how many people have you been able to hit in a five-second span?” he inquired.

Tess shrugged. “Anywhere between twenty-five and fifty,” she replied proudly.

Drayke nodded happily. “Then taking out the guards investigating the crates should be child’s play,” he said simply. “So, we have a plan: we hijack a truck, ride it to the base, and sneak in to steal all of their data. Then, we might finally have the upper hand against BlackTech!” he cried, and everyone in the room let out a happy whoop as Drayke dismissed us.

I stood up and walked over to Drayke. “Hey, Drayke,” I said slowly, “who’s ‘Pinkie’?”

Drayke stared ahead sadly. “Pinkie…” he said sadly, pausing as if he was remembering his entire life in that brief moment, “Pinkie was one of my oldest friends; hell, one of my only friends when I first came to Equestria,” he sighed. “On one of our earliest raids on a BlackTech security office, she was killed by an assassin who caught us off guard. We escaped without any other casualties, but it was one of the gravest defeats I have ever suffered.”

I nodded understandingly. “I’m sorry,” I said sadly, “I can’t imagine what it’s like to lose someone so close to you.”

Drayke sighed heavily. “Not as sorry as I am,” he replied. “It’s my fault she died; it was my plan, and I should have been more careful.”

We sat there in silence for a few moments. “Well,” Drayke said suddenly, “I had better get back to work. We’ve got a big day ahead of us tomorrow!”

I grinned. “You’ve got it,” I said quickly, and walked out into the hallway where Dash and Tess were waiting for me.

“Good old Drayke,” Dash said with a slight laugh, “he tries to be all tough and leader-like, but deep down inside he’s really just as soft as a cloud.”

I nodded. “I didn’t know he had been through so much,” I said sadly, “it’s surprising he can lead such a tight-knit organization like this.”

Rainbow Dash stared ahead sadly. “You don’t know the half of it, Moore,” she said quietly.

“What do you mean?” I inquired, giving the rainbow-maned pegasus a questioning look.

She glanced up at me, and there was a strange sadness in her eyes; it was a look that just didn’t seem natural on her usually headstrong, determined face. “Drayke Blackwood wasn’t always a hero, you know,” she said simply. “In fact, when he first appeared in Equestria, he wanted to destroy or enslave us all. But, his time here let him open up and be more cheerful, and now… well, look around!” she said, gesturing to the fortified compound we were strolling through.

I nodded in agreement. “Well, if someone with an origin as dark as that can become a legendary war hero… well, I guess the chances of us winning this aren’t all that small, are they?” I asked aloud.

Tess laughed. “As if we needed odds on our side; we’re the good guys!” she said cheerfully, “the good guys always win!”

Twilight Sparkle, Auxillary Princess [Twilight]

“So, you’re certain I can’t speak with Princess Celestia?” a young pegasus asked desperately as he stood awkwardly before me in the Castle Canterlot throne room.

I gave him an apologetic look from the throne. “I’m afraid not,” I said gently. “But, if you really need to speak to someone, I am more than capable of helping you,” I offered.

He looked away nervously. “I don’t know, Princess Twilight,” he said slowly, “I would much rather speak to a much more experienced princess… and besides, the last time I was here, Celestia was more than happy to assist me!”

I struggled to remain calm; just because I hadn’t been a princess for as long as my teacher didn’t mean I was inexperienced and unable to assist my subjects! “Look,” I said calmly, “Celestia is very busy at the moment. She is contacting the other countries of Equus and persuading their leaders to assist us with the human problem. If you want council with a princess, you will have to make do with the only one who is not otherwise occupied: me.”

The pegasus still looked uncertain. “What about Princess Luna?” he asked hopefully.

I sighed heavily, trying not to roll my eyes. “Luna has not been seen in Canterlot in a few years,” I explained, “so Celestia and myself are the only ones who would be able to help you. Like I told you before, Celestia is in a very important meeting, so I am the only one available to help you. Now, what is the problem?”

He sighed heavily. “Well, we received Celestia’s message requesting more pegasus soldiers, but we can’t fill the quota she requested,” he explained.

I nodded stiffly. “Okay, how many did she request, and how many can you spare?” I asked, glad to be getting somewhere.

He pondered this for a moment. “Well, she requested five hundred, but we can only spare two hundred and fifty for her army,” he said finally.

I frowned slightly; that was a pretty steep deficiency, and we needed more pegasi for our battles against the humans. Unicorns were already in short supply, so we needed as many of the other two types of ponies as we could get in order to make up for the slack. “Well, I suppose we will have to make do with what we can get,” I said slowly, “I’m sure Celestia will understand. Thank you for bringing this to our attention,” I told the young pegasus, and he nodded and ran out of the room.

I sighed and stepped down from the throne, setting my crown on the arm of the massive golden seat. In the four short years since the war began, I found myself bearing many of the responsibilities of a full-fledged princess and, more often than not, being Celestia’s substitute when it came to the affairs of the citizens. On top of all this, however, there was one thing that had been bothering me: the strain this war has been putting on my former teacher. She had always known that the humans had lain just outside the boundaries of our universe, and she always feared that another war would break out. Thanks to the arrival of two humans who proved that humanity may not be as cruel as we were led to believe, however, her fears were dismissed, and she happily looked forward to a future where humans and ponies could live together peacefully.

Unfortunately, it was quickly revealed that that was never to be, and the humans attacked us the moment our worlds were joined. We later learned that the portals that bridged our worlds caused great destruction in their world, but they would not listen to our efforts to convince them we meant them no harm.

“Princess?” I asked softly as I carefully poked my head through the doorway to the war chambers. This was where, using magical projections, she would communicate with the other rulers of Equus. She had been speaking with them more often now, practically begging them for assistance in the war.

Celestia was standing before the great table with her head lowered, all alone in the darkened room. The torches that usually lit the walls had been extinguished, and the stone chairs that lined the table had been thrown to different parts of the room.

“They refuse to help us,” she said softly, “I’ve tried and tried to convince them, yet they still won’t assist us.”

I stood next to her sadly. “I’m sorry, Princess,” I said quietly.

Celestia looked up sadly. “I have little right to be referred to by that title,” she said quietly. “I have failed my subjects, and most of all, I have failed you, Twilight.”

I gasped. “Celestia!” I snapped suddenly, “you have not failed! You are the strongest alicorn to ever rule Equestria! Who defeated Sombra and Discord a thousand years ago? Who single-handedly ruled this country for a thousand years? You did, Celestia, and one little war is never going to make that mean less!”

The white alicorn looked down at me, smiling slightly. “Thank you, Twilight,” she said quietly, “I don’t know what I would do without you by my side.”

I nodded appreciatively. “It’s my honor, Princess.”

~-~-~-~-~

“Have you heard from Luna or Cadence at all?” I asked as we watched the workers from the castle balcony. There were numerous ponies building all kinds of contraptions, ranging from something as simple and ancient as catapults, to much more advanced and complicated mech suits.

“I have not received word from Luna since her capture; the humans are doing all they can to keep her from contacting us with her magic. Cadence, on the other hand, is still working with Drayke on his Resistance project,” she explained.

I smiled slightly. “It’s good to know there are still some out there that are trying to unite humans and ponies; after all, we’ve seen firsthand how easy that can be,” I pointed out.

Celestia nodded as a cool breeze blew past. “Yes, I suppose you’re right,” she said with a light sigh. “How long has it been since we last heard from him?” she asked suddenly.

I looked down sadly. “Since the war first began, not long after Luna was taken,” I said quietly.

Celestia nodded. “It hasn’t been the same without him,” she said wistfully. “It hasn’t been the same without any of the others.”

I nodded. “One day, Princess,” I said slowly, “one day we’ll all be back here together, just like it was before this mess started.”

~-~-~-~-~

Later that evening I was lying in my bedroom, immersed in a very interesting book on manticore eating habits, when something out of the corner of my eye caught my attention: a small, tattered journal sticking out of my bookshelf just slightly more than the other books. Using my magic, I levitated the small book closer, and sighed sadly when I realized what it was: the secret journal of Starswirl the Bearded, in which he kept his notes on the Crystal Guardians he created, as well as notes on the war between humans and ponies. It was a very interesting look into Equestria’s history, but it wasn’t the book itself that brought me so much distress; it was the memories it held.

Five years ago, this journal told me of a strange, bipedal race called ‘humans’, who were powerful and savage, but also incredibly smart. I was afraid they would return to Equestria and try to take over again, but my fears were temporarily put to rest when a young human boy showed me that, despite the stories from the war, humans were capable of showing empathy and friendship. When the war began, however, he grew bitter at the display both his former and adopted people showed. He fought alongside us for many months, until Princess Luna was captured; then, he just… vanished.

“Oh, Allen,” I said sadly, “out of all the times we needed you, why did you have to leave us now?”

I heard the door creak open, and I turned and smiled as my assistant and friend, Spike, poked his head through the small gap in the doorway.

“You okay, Twilight?” he asked slowly, “I heard you talking, and you sounded upset.”

I smiled warmly at the young dragon. He had grown quite a bit over the past few years, and it felt so strange knowing that he used to be only so big. It was a relief that he had only grown in size and not appetite for treasure, for he was one of the few friends I had these days; if he were to give in to his draconic instincts and leave Canterlot to start a hoard, I would be all alone. While there was a time when he was just a little guy, he now stood nearly a full foot taller than I did; he was growing up so fast.

“I’m fine, Spike,” I reassured him, but my voice betrayed my wishes to hide my true thoughts.

Spike narrowed his eyes and closed the door as he entered the room, sitting on the floor next to me and placing a comforting arm over my shoulder. “Come on, Twi,” he said gently, “You can tell me what’s up.”

I sighed heavily. “It’s just… when we first met Allen, I was suspicious that he was planning to lead more humans to Equestria, but then it turned out he was just a scared kid, and I thought humans wouldn’t be all that bad. And then with Drayke... he was evil at first, but eventually turned out to be really nice! My only experiences with humans up until this war started had only been positive, but now…” I broke off, lowering my eyes to the book, which was now opened to a picture we had taken during what we had believed would be our last day with Allen; we all sat together aboard the train to Canterlot with hopeful looks on our faces.

Five years, and that boy went from being a naive and gentle young man to a cold and distant loner.

“Still no word from him, huh?” Spike asked sadly.

I shook my head. “Ever since Luna was captured, nopony has heard or seen any sign of him,” I murmured, fearing the worst for my human friend; his powers were always tied to his emotions, and the blast of magic that enveloped him after Luna’s capture could have simply teleported him somewhere else, or - and I hated to admit the more likely option was - it could have completely wiped him from existence.

Spike sighed deeply. “Remember the good old days?” he asked, suddenly brightening, “I mean, before any of this started. Before the war, before Sanguis Cruciatus, before Allen and Drayke and the Sentinels; back when it was just me, you, A.J., Pinkie, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Rarity?”

I smiled and nodded slightly. “Back when everything was simple,” I said fondly, “Back when friendship was magic…” A stray tear drifted down my face, landing on the picture with a small “pat”. Spike leaned over and wrapped his scaly arms around me, stroking my mane comfortingly with his talons.

“There, there, Twi,” he whispered as my quiet sobs shook me, “We can make it through this, just like we have with everything. We just need to hold on.”

I looked up at him sadly. “How can we make it through this?” I asked disbelievingly, “We’ve already lost so much! Canterlot is one of the few remaining cities in Equestria, and every day we’re attacked by humans! If Celestia’s magic were to fail, everything would be lost, and the humans would exterminate us.”

Spike nodded slowly, but suddenly his eyes lit up as he ran to a nearby desk, pulling out a sheet of paper, a red ribbon, a quill, and an inkwell. He carried these items over to me, placing them on the floor between us, and smiled reassuringly. “Maybe we all need a little reminder of how things used to be,” he said quietly, and I smiled slightly as my horn and the quill became enveloped in a violet aura. The feather floated into the air and lightly dipped itself in the ink, before gracefully gliding across the paper.

“Dear Princess Celestia,” I said aloud, and continued to write my letter, just as I had done so often long ago, reading my message out loud as each word appeared on the paper as I spoke. When I was finished, Spike rolled the paper up and tied the ribbon around it, and then gently breathed a wave of green fire over the white parchment. We watched as my letter burned away, transforming into a puff of sparkling smoke that wafted out the window and out of sight.

“Hey, Spike,” I said slowly, an idea suddenly forming in my head. It was a long shot, but desperate times called for desperate measures. “Would you be up for delivering a few more letters?” I asked slowly. “I think we have some long-lost friends that we need to get in touch with.”

Spike nodded and saluted proudly. “That’s why I’m your number-one assistant, Twilight,” he said, bringing me a stack of papers.

I smiled determinedly. “Maybe if we can get everyone back together, we’ll finally have the power to win this war.”

Gun For Hire [Victor]

“Alright, Lars,” my target said as he eyed me from his seat at the bar, “I’ll give you one chance to just walk away from this table, and you’ll live to see another bounty come your way.”

I scowled. “Victor,” I corrected firmly.

The man looked confused. “What’s with the accent? And what do you mean by ‘Victor’?” he asked, utterly stupefied.

I sighed. “I said ‘Victor’ because I only go by my last name when speaking to my employers; you, on the other hand, are my mark,” I explained slowly, “and I have an accent because I’m British, you jackass. Anyways, I will make you a deal: since it is clearly obvious that you will not make it out of here on your own, why don’t we settle this with a friendly game?” I asked, pulling out a rather large, seven-chambered revolver. It was one of a six-piece set I had custom-made to throw off my targets when they thought I had run out of shots.

The man raised an eyebrow. “What sort of game?” he said hesitantly.

See, I had been trailing this guy for a few weeks now, after a client asked me to take him out. Apparently he had conned a family out of several thousand dollars, and they didn’t take too kindly to it. The only bit of information about his personality they were able to give me is that he loved gambling.

That was all I needed.

“A rather old game, really,” I started slowly as I loaded a single bullet into the chamber and closed it, “but a personal favorite of mine. Tell me, have you ever played Russian Roulette?”

My mark smiled cleverly. “Maybe,” he said ominously, “if I have, then the fact that I’m talking to you right now tells you I’m a pretty lucky guy, huh?”

I grinned dangerously. “We’ll see just how much luck you have,” I said, reaching out to pass him the gun. “You can go first,” I said politely.

The man frowned. “Why let me go first?” he asked hesitantly, “I could just shoot you with your own gun!”

I looked straight into his eyes. “Because I’m feeling lucky,” I said coldly, all humor that was in my voice moments before now gone.

The man gulped as he took the gun, held the barrel against his chin, and pulled the trigger.

Click.

I smiled gently. “Good, looks like you’ve got a smidge of luck this evening,” I said slowly, “but let’s see if I can match you.”

I snatched the revolver, held it an inch below my lower jaw, and pulled the trigger.

Click.

I handed the gun back to my mark, who I now noticed was sweating nervously. “Calm down, man,” I said kindly, “we’re only getting started! It isn’t until the gun clicks five times that things get really interesting.”

We continued passing the gun back and forth to each other, pressing the barrel to our heads and pulling the trigger, then breathing a sigh of relief as we handed it off the other player’s turn

I took the gun and held it so my mark could see it clearly. “Two pulls left,” I said teasingly, “and if it clicks this time, you lose.”

I pressed the barrel to my temple and pulled the trigger.

Click.

I gave the man a predatory smile as I passed him the gun. “Your turn,” I said simply.

The man smiled cleverly as he took the gun. “I’m afraid there’s been a change in the game,” he said, admiring the revolver for a moment, “it seems you will be taking my turn for me.”

The mark aimed the weapon at me and pulled the trigger as a loud gunshot rang through the bar. Everyone turned and stared in shock as I eyed my opponent, still very much alive.

“B-but… how?” he asked, bewildered.

I smirked and held up a bullet identical to the one I had loaded in, and his eyes became as wide as saucers when he saw the tip was hollow.

“Blank,” I explained, and pulled out a second gun. “This one, however, is genuinely loaded.”

A second gunshot sounded throughout the bar, and the man fell to the floor, dead. I pulled out my cell phone as I pushed passed the terrified patrons and dialed the number of my contractor.

“He’s dead,” I said simply.

“Oh, thank you!” the man on the other end said, relieved. “I just transferred your payment. Again, I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for us!”

I nodded proudly. “Thank you for your patronage,” I said politely, “please remember my name when you need any other… questionable work done.”

I lifted the collar of my coat and continued to walk down the street, the dim streetlights and grimy neon signs lighting my way, when I noticed a white-haired, suited man wearing sunglasses and carrying a briefcase was following me.

“Can I help you?” I asked loudly.

The man held a finger to his ear and mumbled something, and then turned his attention back to me. “Victor Lars,” he said, his voice as cold as a Siberian winter, “my superiors are impressed with your work, and would like to buy your services for a short time.”

I crossed my arms. “I’m listening,” I said, my mood brightened at the prospect of another job.

The man smiled slightly as he pulled out a tablet-like device, and a face flashed on the screen as he handed it to me. It was a blonde, middle-aged man with long hair and green eyes.

I carefully read the name below the picture. “Drayke Blackwood?” I asked aloud, “what do you want with this guy?”

The suited man cleared his throat. “He is a direct obstacle to my superiors’ plans, and they would like to see him removed,” he explained. “We are ready to pay you five million dollars if you would be willing to take him out.” I held out my hand to return the tablet, but the man smiled. “Keep it,” he said gently. “Study up on your mark.”

I raised an eyebrow. “What’s the catch?” I inquired. Many of my jobs that had huge payouts usually had some fine print I needed to read beforehand.

“You will have to travel to Equestria, through one of the portals, and you will be taking some BlackTech soldiers with you,” he explained.

I shook my head and started walking away. “Not happening,” I said quickly, “I work alone, and I sure as hell am not going into that other world.”

“We thought you would say that,” he called after me, “which is why my boss has given me the name of one other hunter to seek out in case you declined.”

I turned back to him. “What name?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

“Marcus Ripley.”

I whirled around and marched right up to the stranger. “I’ll take it,” I growled angrily. Back in my days in the military, Marcus was in the same experimental program I had been in; the only difference between the two of us was he wasn’t discharged for refusal to listen to orders. He may be more decorated than I was, but I had more skill and instinct.

The man smiled. “Glad to hear it,” he said calmly. “There will be a shuttle to pick you up tomorrow. Don’t be late.” And with that, he walked away without another word, leaving me to stare after him in confusion. I pulled a cigar from my jacket and lit the end, taking a long drag as I contemplated my latest contract.

“Well, shit,” I said aloud, “I had better get ready.”

~-~-~-~-~

The next morning, I found myself standing in the center of town idly, making sure I had everything I needed. Under my jacket, I wore a vest that held my six-piece revolver set, and on each thigh I had three combat knives fastened to my pants.

“Drayke Blackwood,” I said slowly as I examined the profile the man had given me the night before. Apparently, he was wanted for the sabotage of BlackTech property, assisting enemy forces, and the murder of numerous soldiers. Clearly he would be a skilled mark.

“This should be fun,” I said quietly as a large, black military van pulled up beside me. The door slid open and I saw several men inside, each wearing some kind of robotic exoskeleton and a black-visored helmet.

“A pleasure to have you, Mister Lars,” one of them said with a respectful nod as I stepped on board.

I looked down at the man, a pleasant look crossing my face. “Please,” I said politely, “call me Victor.”

Journey Through The Portal [Wayne]

I trudged along the dirt road, glancing around through my darkened lenses at the surrounding area; I was drawing closer to New Phoenix, which meant I had to keep my guard up as well as possible. Bandits and raiders liked to hang around several miles from the remaining cities and prey on any travelers migrating to or from the safety that their walls provided. I could see the shining spire of the BlackTech headquarters building, the sight of which filled me with relief and anger; anger at the sight of those responsible for ruining my life, and relief that my journey would soon be at an end.

However, the sound of revving engines reminded me that things very rarely go my way these days.

I jumped and rolled to the side just as a maroon, windowless van sped past my previous location, drifting to a halt several yards away. The darkened passenger window rolled down, and a man wearing a bloodstained hockey mask and beige tank-top poked his torso out, giving me full view of the machete he held in his right hand.

“Give us your gun and the shit in that bag, and we’ll let you pass to New Phoenix unharmed!” he demanded in a gruff voice.

I wasn’t stupid; I knew that if I were to willingly hand over my bag and my gun, they’d just shoot me and leave my carcass for the buzzards. I took aim with my rifle and fired, my below-average accuracy causing the bullet to embed itself in the man’s shoulder. He screamed in agony and retreated into the van.

“Go get 'im, boys!” I heard a voice call, and the side door slid open, unleashing a pair of ravenous-looking wolves that charged at me.

I narrowed my eyes and fired a round at each wolf, the first shot breaking the back leg of one, and the second striking the other wolf square in the skull, killing it instantly. As the crippled wolf drew near, I braced my leg and swung it forward at full force as the predator pounced, my strike connecting squarely with its jaw and shattering it. The wolf staggered away, whimpering and with blood dripping from its shattered mouth, before collapsing on its side. I walked over as the creature eyed me fearfully, and took aim.

“I’m sorry,” I said simply, and ended the wolf’s misery with a shot to its head.

I turned back to the van and watched it expectantly, when a pair of men jumped out, each of them armed with what looked like SWAT gear. One of them wielded a combat shotgun, while the other toted an assault rifle.

“Son of a bitch,” I muttered as I dove behind a rock just before my attackers opened fire. Bullets whizzed past my cover as I wildly looked around for something that could save me.

That’s when I saw it: a stone archway sitting about a football-field’s length from my current location, filled with a screen of pink light and emanating a similarly-colored glow. I narrowed my eyes at the sight; I had always been a little edgy about entering the other world, but considering my current circumstances, I had little choice. I reached into my bag and pulled out a grenade I had picked up from a bunker I found during my journey, pulled the pin, and tossed it over the rock as I booked it for the portal. The two men dropped low to the ground as I jumped and rolled away from the explosion of shrapnel, and then leaped to my feet and continued my sprint for salvation.

Just a few yards from the portal, I felt a sharp pain in my thigh; one of them had landed a lucky hit on my leg, and I was forced to finish my escape with a slight limp. I dove into the portal headfirst as the world around me exploded in a white blaze, and I landed on my stomach in one of the last places I expected to arrive: the middle of a forest. There wasn’t even anything special about it, either; it looked like any ordinary forest you could find on Earth.

Did I even go anywhere? I asked myself, but quickly pushed these questions aside for later; right now, I had to make sure if my pursuers did decide to follow me, they wouldn’t be able to find me. I quickly started to limp forward a ways, when the sound of something approaching made me drop behind a bush.

Must be one of those guys, I thought decisively, okay, I’ll just grab him and break his neck before the other one can catch me.

I leaped from my cover and tackled the oncomer, who I quickly found was not one of the men trying to kill me. In fact, it wasn’t a human at all.

“Hey, what the buck are you doing?!” the horse shouted angrily as she wrestled from my grasp. I stared in confusion for several moments. “What’s the matter with you?” she snapped, “did the trip through the portal turn your puny human brain to mush?”

I kept staring. She was very small; she was eye level with me, but since I was on my knees that put her at about waist-level. She was a light tan color with a dark-brown mane, and her left ear was ragged and torn.

“You’re… you’re a horse,” I said slowly. “You’re a horse, and you’re talking.”

“Well, I guess your brain is in good shape after all, but for your information, I’m a pony, you jerk,” she said hotly. “What are you doing, trying to tackle me?”

I looked around suddenly as I heard the sound of two men shouting; my attackers had decided to take the risk of entering the portal. I quickly grabbed the pony and pulled her into the bushes, holding her close with one arm and clamping the other around her mouth.

“Shut up!” I hissed as she struggled, praying the men wouldn’t hear me, “those guys want me dead, and if you make a sound, they’ll probably kill you, too!”

That convinced her to quiet down, and she went limp in my grasp as the men drew closer to our location. Eventually, they stood directly in front of the bush I was hiding behind.

“Well, where do you think he went?”

“Beats me; he must have given us the slip!”

“You moron, he’s around here somewhere! Nobody can get far with a leg as messed up as his.”

Just then, I heard a monstrous roar, and peeked through the branches to see a large creature approaching the two men. It had a lion’s head, body, and legs, but a pair of leathery wings stretched from its back, and its tail was like that of a scorpion’s, but it was covered in needle-like spines. I remembered this creature from a story I had read once, during my days on the farm with Tony.

“A manticore,” I whispered, and the pony’s eyes widened with fear.

The both of the men had totally different reactions; while one turned and ran like a sensible human being, the other held his rifle at the ready.

“Back the fuck off!” he screamed, sounding more afraid than threatening. The creature gave an unimpressed snort and whipped its tail, launching one of the spines and striking the man square in the chest. He dropped to the ground instantaneously, his breathing becoming ragged as the creature drew near. It licked its lips hungrily and proceeded to eat the man alive, just a few feet away from where I sat.

I waited there for ages until the beast had finished gorging itself, and stalked off into the depths of the forest. I removed my arm from the ponies mouth, and she immediately gasped for breath.

“Sweet Celestia, that was the most terrifying moment of my life!” she said, keeping her voice low in case the manticore was still in earshot. “Why’d you have to grab me like that?” she suddenly asked, her fear receding as her former anger boiled back to the surface.

I glared. “It’s kinda hard to think straight when you’ve got a fucking bullet in your leg,” I snapped, pointing to the wound in my thigh.

Her expression softened. “Oh, are you alright?” she asked worriedly, “Can I help you?”

I held up a dismissive hand as I pulled a ripped shirt and a leatherman from my bag. “Thanks, but I’ve got it,” I said stiffly as I used the pliers to painfully pry the bullet from my leg, and then wrapped the wound with a strip of fabric I tore from the shirt. The pony watched in horror as I haphazardly performed minor surgery on my leg.

“How can you just do that to yourself?” she asked, disturbed.

I stood up and tested out my leg; it hurt a little when I put too much weight on it, but the bullet hadn’t broken any bones, and I could still walk.

“It isn't the first time,” I said simply, and began to walk in the direction of where the forest became less dense.

The small horse ran to catch up with me. “Wait, do you need any help?” she asked, still worried.

I shook my head. “I’m fine,” I said quickly, not looking down at the quadruped that walked beside me. “Now, if you would please leave me alone, that would be a real treat.”

The pony huffed angrily. “Wow, no need to be a jerk,” she snapped.

I stopped and looked down at her. “I prefer to travel alone unless absolutely necessary. Now, please, go away.” With that, I continued my walk, and noticed I was coming up on a road. “Ah, perfect,” I said happily, but scowled when I realized the footsteps that followed me had not yet receded. “Can I help you?” I asked, turning to face my quadruped stalker.

The pony looked up at me sadly. “Look,” she said slowly, “can I please walk with you for a while? It’s been ages since I’ve had anyone to talk to, and it would be nice to have some company that isn’t a tree or something that would like to eat me.”

I stared for a few moments. “Fine,” I sighed, “but only for a little while; I plan on getting back to Earth as soon as I can,” I added quickly.

The pony let out a strange, high-pitched noise, not entirely unlike a squeak, and happily trotted to my side. “So, what’s your name?” she asked eagerly.

“Wayne,” I said simply, “Wayne Douglas.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Wayne,” she said kindly, “my name is Gentle Blade; but, you could probably have guessed that from my cutie mark, huh?”

I looked down, raising an eyebrow over my sunglasses. “‘Cutie mark’? What is that?” I asked in confusion.

The pony giggled. “Oh, you must not know much about ponies, huh? That’s okay; most humans are pretty ignorant when it comes to Equestrian society. A cutie mark shows a pony’s special talent; as you can see,” she said, turning and presenting her thigh, which I now noticed was emblazoned with a red heart overlayed with a pair of crossed swords, “my mark means I’m caring and gentle, but I know how to handle a sword like an expert!”

I stared blankly. ‘Cutie marks’? ‘Equestrian society’? Did I have a stroke when I went through that portal?

Just then, I heard a vehicle approaching, and Gentle blade hid in a nearby bush.

“What’s the matter?” I asked with an amused laugh.

“That’s a BlackTech transport shuttle!” she said fearfully, “BlackTech means bad news for us ponies!”

I nodded thoughtfully. “Huh,” I said, and stepped out onto the road as I waved my arms to flag down the truck.

“What the hay are you doing?” Gentle Blade hissed.

I glanced over to her without turning my head. “Hitching a ride,” I murmured as the truck slowed to a halt. “Hi!” I said cheerfully as the driver came to a stop and rolled down his window, “Could you give me a lift? I’m trying to get home, and I got hurt a little ways back,” I said, gesturing to my bandaged leg.

The driver widened his eyes. “Oh, jeez, that looks terrible!” he exclaimed. “Hop in on the other side; I’ll gladly give you a lift! The BlackTech facility I’m heading to has some medical supplies, so we can fix you up there and send you on your way.”

I nodded and turned to head around to the other side, when I noticed Gentle Blade staring at me with big, sad eyes. I turned back to the truck driver and cleared my throat.

“Is it okay if I throw my bag in back?” I inquired politely, pointing a thumb over my shoulder at my duffel bag.

The man nodded. “Yeah, no problem!” he said, pressing a button on the dashboard as the back door slid up. I nodded thankfully and subtly beckoned Gentle Blade to the back of the truck. She crept along the treeline until she was out of the driver’s line of sight, and trotted up to me.

“Get in,” I said, tossing my bag in with the several crates inside. “It may not be comfortable, but you’ll have to deal with it if you want to stick with me that badly.”

The pony nodded eagerly and delicately jumped inside, sitting on top of one of the crates and curling her legs underneath her body; she kinda looked like a cat.

I slammed the door down and walked to the passenger side of the truck. “Sorry about that,” I said apologetically, “I thought I saw something important, but it was just my imagination,” I explained.

The driver nodded. “Don’t you hate it when that happens?” he asked cheerfully, and revved the truck’s engine as he started down the road once again.

Things are finally starting to look up, I thought happily, I can get my leg fixed up, and soon enough I’ll be relaxing in New Phoenix and won’t have to worry about talking horses ever again!

Crossed Paths [Joseph/Wayne]

I rolled my shoulders as I lay uncomfortably in the dirt, covered in a camouflage blanket. I was used to staying in one spot, though; after all, that’s the mark of a sniper.

The walkie-talkie on my belt crackled to life suddenly. “Moore? You alright up there?” Dash’s voice whispered from the other end. I reached down and pulled the walkie to my face.

“Yeah, everything’s all set up here,” I whispered back, “are you guys in position?”

I heard a rustling on the other end, and assumed Dash was nodding. “Yeah, we’re ready. Just waiting for your shot,” she replied.

I switched off the walkie and re-fastened it to my belt. Okay, Joseph, I thought nervously, Just pray there isn’t a passenger in the shuttle, and there shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

Just then, I heard the sound of a motor, and aimed my gun in the direction of the sound as a transport shuttle rolled down the road, right on time. I smiled cleverly as my crosshairs lined up with the driver, when I noticed that someone was sitting next to him.

Shit, I thought angrily, this will be tricky.

There was something strange about this guy, though; he wore a dark-grey, hooded sweatshirt, a pair of aviators sunglasses, and a black bandana that covered the lower half of his face with a skull; with all of these items covering his face, it was impossible to identify him.

Oh well, I thought, adjusting my aim, if he’s gonna throw his lot in with BlackTech, that’s his own fault.

As the shuttle turned down the road, and the two heads inside lined up, I squeezed the trigger.

~-~-~-~-~

“So, where are you headed?” the shuttle driver asked nonchalantly.

I sighed. “I’m on my way to New Phoenix,” I said simply. “Some raiders chased me into a portal, and I popped up in the middle of the woods. Now I’ve got to find another portal and get back to Earth.”

The guy nodded. “Yeah, the world’s gone to shit,” he said, twisting in his seat to stretch his back. “Bandits attacking harmless migrants, nuclear disasters everywhere, and riots breaking out anywhere you look. It’s gonna take a miracle to bring things even close to the way they were before.”

I nodded, coughing a little. “Hey, is there anything I can drink?” I asked politely.

The driver pointed to the glovebox. “There should be a couple of bottles of water in there; go ahead and take one,” he said kindly.

I nodded and leaned forward. “Thanks,” I said, but froze when my gratitude was answered by the sound of breaking glass. I looked up to see the driver slumped over in his seat, dead from a bullet hole in his head.

“Oh, shit,” I said, quickly opening the door and rolling on the ground below as the truck slowed to a stop without a driver operating it. I quickly ran and hid behind the inoperational vehicle as Gentle Blade tapped on the wall from inside.

“Hello?” she asked worriedly, “is something going on?”

I tapped the side in response. “Stay quiet!” I growled as I peeked around the corner; there was no sign of any attackers, but I didn’t want to risk grabbing my bag. Just then, I felt a blade against my throat.

“On your knees,” a rough voice commanded. My heart stopped at the cold touch of steel, and I slowly got down on my knees.

“Look,” I said slowly, “I don’t know what’s going on here. Just let me go, and I won’t get in your way.”

My attacker laughed. “You were on a BlackTech supply shuttle; how could you not know what was going on?” With this, he put more pressure on my throat; any more, and I’d be choking on my own blood.

I started panicking. “I really don’t know what’s going on!” I screamed fearfully, “please don’t kill me, I’m just a kid!”

That probably wasn’t one of my proudest moments, but hey; if I get to stay alive, I’m more than willing to act like a helpless child.

Just then, I heard a loud banging sound coming from the back of the truck, and the sword’s pressure on my throat ceased. I looked up to see that Gentle Blade had kicked the doors open and tackled my assailant. I quickly ran and grabbed my rifle from the back and aimed it at the man, who I now saw wore a black-and-red longcoat, and had long blonde hair.

“Gentle Blade, get back!” I called, glaring at the man as my equine companion ran to my side. He held up his hands, glaring angrily.

“I have reinforcements,” he warned, “so I’d put the gun down.”

“Why?” I snapped, taking a step closer, “So they can try to kill me, too?!”

The man held his hands calmingly. “It’s okay, kid, I’m sorry I freaked you out. I thought you were with BlackTech, but I can see now I was mistaken. Put the gun down, and I’ll tell my friends to leave you alone.”

I stared tensely for a few moments, before shakily lowering my weapon and sighing. The man nodded and held up an empty hand, and several ponies and humans rose from the surrounding forest. I watched in surprise as they lined up behind their leader, who was smiling gently.

“My name is Drayke Blackwood,” he said clearly, “Leader of the Resistance. Who are you?”

“My name is Wayne Douglas,” I replied simply. “I’m just heading to New Phoenix, so I’ll be on my way.”

Drayke stared at me for a moment longer, as if he were trying to remember something, but shook his head. “We can bring you to the nearest portal, but first I want to ask you something: how do you feel about BlackTech?” he inquired.

I narrowed my eyes. “Not that it’s any of your business, but they killed my uncle a few months ago,” I said bitterly. “I’ve been on my own ever since.”

Drayke nodded. “So, I take it you hate them?” he pressed on.

I nodded stiffly.

“Well then,” he said slowly, “if that is the case, I would like to invite you to join us in our mission to unite pony and human societies.”

I raised an eyebrow. “What’s in it for me?” I asked suspiciously.

Drayke laughed. “For you? You’ll be making a difference, that’s what,” he said humorously. “But, if that doesn’t sell it for you, you’ll also have a place to live at our stronghold, as well as a group of humans and ponies that will befriend you and fight alongside you,” he added.

I stared for a moment. “I’ll pass,” I said simply. “I don’t try to seek conflict unless necessary, and I'm not interested in making friends.”

Drayke nodded. “I understand,” he said, sounding disappointed. “We are on a mission right now, but when we’re finished, we’d be more than happy to escort you to the nearest portal.” Then, he turned to Gentle Blade. “What about you?” he asked hopefully, “Will you join us on our quest to build a better world?”

She nodded happily. “Sounds like a good cause to me,” she said eagerly.

Drayke nodded happily before turning back to me. “Even though you don’t want to stick with us, would you be willing to help me on my mission? We can always use an extra pair of hands, even if it’s for a short time,” he said persuasively.

I considered this for a moment. I may not be willing to throw myself into a group, but these guys were doing something that would hurt BlackTech; they were going to help me, so the least I could do was help them in return.

“Sure; why not?” I asked with a dangerous grin, and tightened the knot on my bandana. “What’s the plan?”

~-~-~-~-~

I sighed heavily from inside the cramped metal crate. If I had known my job was to sit and wait inside a tiny box in the back of a truck as it rolled down a dirt road, I would have been a little more hesitant about offering to help Drayke and his Resistance. After several moments, however, I heard the truck’s engine idle and stop, and the sound of the door opening told me it was almost showtime.

Okay, Wayne, I told myself silently, when the shooting starts, that’s when you can get out.

It was exactly thirty seconds later that the shooting started.

I kicked the cover off of my crate and aimed my rifle at the open door, which led to a wide-open loading bay with stacks of metal crates lining the walls and several transport shuttles parked nearby. A group of BlackTech soldiers lay on the ground dead or unconscious as Drayke climbed out of the driver’s seat, and Gentle Blade, two ponies, and two humans climbed out of some adjacent crates. One of the other humans, a guy named Joseph, turned out to be the one who killed the original driver; he apologized for trying to shoot me, and probably wouldn’t have risked the shot if he knew I wasn’t with BlackTech.

I was alive, so I couldn’t really be mad at him.

The other human, who had started the gunfight moments before, was Joseph’s younger sister, Tess. The two ponies that joined us were a cyan pegasus named Rainbow Dash, which I thought was clever due to her rainbow-colored mane and “cutie mark”, and a pink, winged unicorn named Cadence. I couldn’t gather too much about her, other than the fact that the others respected her almost as much as they did Drayke.

“How many people do you have in your Resistance, Drayke?” I asked as we all climbed out of the truck. Drayke was searching the bodies for security passes, and made an impressed noise at the sight of one of their shotguns as he slung it over his shoulders.

Drayke thought about my question for a moment. “I’d have to say anywhere between fifty and one-hundred humans and ponies,” he said slowly, “but I never really counted. I’m sure we have some sort of record back at the base. Why?”

I shrugged as I followed my allies to the double-doors that led into the main compound. “I just thought this seemed like a really small group for infiltrating a BlackTech building,” I replied quietly. “Don’t you think an army would have been a little more appropriate?”

Drayke chuckled. “We aren’t looking to destroy this place; we’re just stealing some information. If we kill a few soldiers and grab a couple of files, that might not be looked at too carefully for a while. Blow up a building, though,” he said, trailing off, “well, I’ll just say we want to remain as far off-radar as we can, for as long as we can.”

We all crept down a series of hallways for several minutes, until we finally reached a room filled with computer terminals, all covered with bright, multi-colored lights. I watched as Drayke pulled a small hard drive from his pocket and plugged it into what I assumed was the main terminal, and he whistled nonchalantly.

“Equestrian magic has a really neat habit of greatly enhancing computer technology,” he explained as a light on the stick pulsed steadily. “This thing used to be a simple one-gigabyte flash drive, but with just a spark of magic, this thing gained the capacity to hold the data of the entire American stock market, three times.”

I widened my eyes, impressed; no wonder BlackTech wanted this world to themselves.

Just then, and alarm sounded, and a large metal panel slammed down in the doorway, sealing us in.

“Intruders detected in the Information Stockade,” an unconcerned female voice spoke over the blaring sirens, “All personnel take defensive action.”

Drayke groaned as he pulled a combat shotgun from his back. “Well, it looks like they beefed up their security. Who’s ready for a firefight?”

Tess jumped up in the air excitedly as she pulled out a pair of submachine guns. “I am! I am!” she cried eagerly.

Joseph pulled out his sniper and aimed it at the door. “Here we go,” he said uncertainly.

Drayke unsheathed his sword and handed it to Gentle Blade. “I’m assuming your name and mark means you know your way around one of these?” he inquired seriously.

The small tan pony eyed the blade for a moment before taking the handle in her mouth. “Do gryphons have anger problems?” she asked rhetorically.

Drayke smiled slightly before turning to me. “Sorry this all went to shit; I was hoping this would be a quick in-and-out mission,” he said disappointedly, “but for the immediate future, consider yourself a full-fledged member of the Resistance.” With that, he turned back to the door and held his shotgun at the ready. “My apologies in advance if that ends up being your entire remaining lifespan,” he added as all hell broke loose.

Bruised Apples [Applejack]

“Move it, horse!” the supervisor shouted as he jabbed me with a long, black pole, causing an electric shock to tear through my body. Years ago, I probably would have screamed in pain and collapsed, but now I just grunted and kept walking. I was tied to a large, horizontal wheel, along with three other ponies as we pushed the massive machinery that powered the factory we had been imprisoned in. There were about fifty other wheels in the room, each with four ponies harnessed to it that continued to sadly walk in circles as the human guards stalked up and down the rows with their cattle prods ready to silence any resistance.

The only thing that kept me going was the hope that my family was still alive.

They have to be, I thought certainly, Apples never give up!

~-~-~-~-~

THREE YEARS EARLIER

“Applejack!” I heard Granny Smith call from the house, “Soup’s on!”

I lowered my hind legs from my mid-buck stance and started galloping toward the smell of my granny’s fresh-baked apple pie, sighing contently at the sweet aroma. When I got there, my big brother, Macintosh, known by most as “Big Mac”, and my younger sister, Applebloom, were already waiting at the table.

“Boy, Applejack,” Applebloom said with a giggle, “You spend so much time out there in the orchard these days, you’re head might turn into an apple!”

My brother smiled slightly. “Eeyup,” he agreed in his baritone voice.

Granny Smith sighed reminiscently. “I remember when I was your age,” she said slowly, “We would stay out there in the orchards till long after the sun had gone down… Of course, it wasn’t because we were buckin’ apples, of course,” she said with a sly wink.

I rolled my eyes. “Granny, I don’t think we should be talking about your days of kissing boys in front of Applebloom,” I said slowly, and Applebloom nudged my side with her foreleg.

“Hey, I’m not so young that I can’t hear about kissing!” she protested, but laughed when she saw the teasing look in my eyes. “Why do you always have to tease me like that, big sis?” she asked, trying to sound angry.

I rubbed her red mane lovingly with my forehoof. “Because it’s my job,” I replied with a laugh, and started to eat the slice of apple pie that was waiting for me on the table.

Just then, the smell of smoke filled my nostrils, and I ran to the window to see a raging fire had started in the orchard. “What in tarnation?!” I yelled as I burst out the back door, and saw several groups of humans emerging from the treeline. “Big Mac, get Applebloom and Granny Smith down to the cellar!” I cried as a soldier aimed a curious looking device at me. I had moments to move before the weapon spewed a wave of fire at the spot I had just been standing in, and I quickly plowed into him. I looked up in horror at the sight of all the burning trees in front of me.

I had learned a few impolite words from my human friends, Allen and Drayke, and I promised myself I would never use them, even if my life depended on it.

Today, however, was a day that promises were broken.

“YOU BASTARDS!” I shouted as I reared back and slammed my hooves into an approaching human’s chest, sending him flying into a blazing tree with a hard thud. Another soldier charged at me with a razor-sharp knife drawn, a slight grin on his face as he approached, but I ducked under his swinging arm and bit his wrist, spitting as I tasted blood. He screamed as he quickly grabbed the blade in his other hand and swung downward, barely giving me enough time to leap to the side and slam my back hooves into his leg, shattering his bones and dropping him to the ground in agony.

I nodded with grim satisfaction, and was suddenly pulled to the ground by a large net. I turned around to see a pair of humans riding on a strange, four-wheeled vehicle as they started to drive off, dragging me with them.

“NO!” I screamed, sticking my legs through the holes in the net and dragging them against the ground, but even my powerful muscles couldn’t halt my abductors’ efforts to take me from my home.

Right when I was about to give up any hope of escaping, I heard an angry yell and saw Big Mac galloping after me, his breath heavy and quick as he bit down on the ropes that bound me and tugged, causing the vehicle to stall for a moment before my prison was torn apart, allowing me to escape.

“Thanks, Big Mac!” I called as I rushed back to the farmhouse while my brother dealt with the humans on the strange vehicle.

“Eeyup!” he replied, running at full speed and ramming into the humans like a derailed train.

I heard a rapid whipping noise above me, and looked up to see some kind of flying vehicle descending from above. It had two wings that each ended in a quickly-spinning propeller, and was a seamless jet-black all over. When it landed, somewhere between ten and twenty humans poured out, each dressed in a strange, armor-like getup that obscured all distinguishable features about them. On top of this, they had some sort of metal framework on their bodies, like a second skeleton outside their skin that gave them incredible strength. I tried to get away from them, but their equipment gave them the upper hand against me.

“Big Mac!” I cried out desperately as the humans dragged me by my hind legs towards their flying vehicle, and I saw my big brother barreling towards my captors with hate in his eyes. One human tackled him from the side, the force of both him and the metal suit knocking my brother onto his side. The human quickly stabbed a syringe into Big Mac’s neck, and his movement’s slowly ceased as he fell unconscious. I felt a sharp pain in the back of my neck, and the world around me blurred as I looked up to see the other humans running to the farmhouse. The last thing I could remember was the smell of burning apple trees as the world as I knew it ended.

~-~-~-~-~

“Didn’t you hear me, you little bitch?” The taskmaster shouted as he kicked me in the side, “I said get your ass moving!”

I blinked quickly, realizing I had completely spaced out during my flashback, and continued to march mindlessly around as I pulled the wheel with me.

“Psst, hey,” A voice behind me whispered softly, “What’s your name?”

I turned around to see a skinny, earth pony stallion smiling slightly, with a look that was a mixed expression of pain and shyness.

“Applejack,” I said quietly, surprised by this friendly gesture. In all the three years I had been here, not a single pony had said a word to me, as their spirits were just as broken as mine.

The skinny stallion chuckled lightly. “It’s nice to meet you, Applejack,” he said softly, “My name is Swift Sprocket. How long have you been here?” he asked nervously.

I smiled slightly; it had been so long since I had seen a pony in this place show any sort of emotion; he must have been new here. “About three years,” I replied, keeping my voice down so the taskmaster wouldn’t overhear me, “What about you?”

Swift Sprocket shrugged. “I dunno. A couple of weeks, maybe?” he said simply. “I just got transferred here from Manufacturing. Those asshats finally got all of their heavy machinery up and running, so I got thrown down here to help run them.” He sighed sadly. “I remember before these humans came along, back when I made machines that helped others instead of ones that hurt them,” he said wistfully.

I nodded. “I remember those days, too,” I said sadly, “But I gave up on hoping for things to change long ago.”

Swift Sprocket looked confused. “Why?” he asked, “Isn’t there always a chance things will change for the better?”

Just then, there was a loud grinding sound, and the wheel I was fastened to refused to turn. I looked around, confused, as the taskmaster stalked over, his cattle prod sparking with electricity.

“What the hell is going on over here?” he demanded, practically foaming at the mouth.

I shrugged. “The wheel won’t turn anymore,” I explained, struggling to push the machine forward to prove my point.

The taskmaster sighed. “Piece of shit machines,” he muttered, “Almost as worthless as these horses.” He pulled a black box from his belt and pressed a button on it. “Can I get a repair crew down to sector-” he stopped suddenly, a shocked expression on his face as he looked down to see a blade jutting out of his chest. The man collapsed on the ground, revealing a masked pony standing behind him. She wore a purple-and-blue suit, with a hat and cape to match.

“The Mysterious Mare Do Well?” I asked slowly, remembering when my friends and I had created the character to teach Rainbow Dash a lesson. “What in tarnation is going on here?”

Mare Do Well said nothing, simply pulling a small, purple sphere from her belt and squeezing it in her forehooves, causing it to glow with a blue light.

“Cover your ears!” she shouted as she threw the device at the wall, and everypony obeyed as it let out an earth-shattering boom that demolished the wall. “Run!” she yelled, untying me from my harness, then Swift Sprocket, “Once your free, help somepony else and get out of here!”

I quickly untied a nearby filly from the wheel she was fastened to. “What’s going on?” she asked, bewildered by the sudden commotion.

Mare Do Well looked her in the eyes. “You’re getting out of here,” she said comfortingly, before quickly turning to the door to see a group of human soldiers marching into the room.

“Stop those prisoners!” one of them shouted, and screamed as Mare Do Well threw a knife that struck him directly in his left eye. The room was alive with cries of fear and triumph as some ponies attacked their former masters, while others wasted no time in getting as far away from the factory as they could. I started to follow the escapees, but Mare Do Well stopped me by placing a forehoof on my shoulder.

“You come with me, Applejack,” she insisted, and motioned for me to follow her.

I stared, confused, but obeyed nonetheless. “How do you know my name?” I asked quickly as I followed her through the crowd of ponies scrambling to freedom.

“No time to explain,” she replied, “All you need to know is Equestria needs its heroes again. It’s time to take down BlackTech.”

Lighting A Candle [Joseph]

“This is a lot more intense than it looked in training!” I called out as I took cover behind a terminal to reload, then quickly aimed my rifle and struck an advancing guard in the chest.

Drayke laughed. “I know; fun, isn’t it?” he called, using his sword to slice the barrel from his shotgun before firing two shells at a trio of soldiers, filling them with holes as they collapsed.

Out of all the people and ponies on our side, the one that surprised me the most was Wayne; he said he had been wandering through the desert for several months, yet he was clearly a skilled marksman. Obviously, he had taken time to hone his skills, knowing he would one day need to kill a man to defend himself.

He probably already has, I thought, seeing the cold, emotionless look in his face as he dispatched his enemies one by one from behind a desk. He was no longer wearing his sunglasses, but just that skull bandana that covered his mouth was enough to give me chills. I shook my head, refocusing my thoughts on the battle, and started shooting again.

“This is going on forever!” Wayne shouted, glancing around for an alternate exit. “How about we blow this joint?” he suggested suddenly, pulling a pin from a grenade and tossing it into the corner nearest him as he dove under the desk. The wall burst open, revealing the hallway that lay just beyond. “Let’s go!” he cried, rolling out of the room to avoid the constant gunfire. His earth pony companion, Gentle Blade, wasted no time in following him.

Drayke glanced back at the wall the strange boy had just destroyed. “It’s a shame he won’t be joining us,” he said sadly, blindly firing a round at the enemy soldiers as he rushed for the hole, “He’s pretty damn resourceful!” he added as he ran out into the hallway.

I sighed. “That, or insane,” I muttered. “Tess, Dash, let’s go!” I cried, and ducked as I ran for the destroyed wall. I waited as Tess and Dash followed suit, and provided some covering fire for the group as we all ran down the brightly-lit, white halls for the exit.

When we returned to the loading bay, we piled into the back of the truck and took off, all of us whooping victoriously as Cadence created a glowing orb that allowed us to see. Drayke was in front at the wheel, with Wayne in the passenger seat, as he had reached the truck first.

“We did it!” Dash whooped happily, throwing her forelegs over my shoulders and squeezing me tightly, before withdrawing with an embarrassed look on her face.

Tess held out her hand victoriously as we all traded excited high-fives. “The Resistance scores another point!” she yelled, and we all cheered in agreement.

For once, things were looking up for us.

~-~-~-~-~

“So, what exactly did we steal?” I inquired back at the base as Drayke took a look at the data he had stored on his flash drive.

“Well, it looks like some blueprints for an upgrade for BlackTech’s exoskeletons,” he said slowly. “If they kept these plans, they would have been able to install built-in weapons systems on the suits, freeing up the operator's hands to maneuver, operate vehicles, or whatever they wanted,” he explained. “We got them just in time, too; by the looks of things, they were just about to be sent to the manufacturing plants, where they would be mass-produced for all BlackTech soldiers to be equipped in just days.”

I nodded. “Is there any way we could use it?” I asked hopefully. I knew the chances were slim, since we didn’t have any sort of manufacturing equipment, and the resident unicorns’ magic was rather restricted on what they could generate.

Drayke looked thoughtful for a moment. “That actually isn’t a bad idea,” he said slowly, “But we would have to get ahold of some sort of 3-D printer in order to produce all the parts…”

Wayne cleared his throat. “So, is that all?” he asked impatiently, “because I should really be going now.”

I glanced at the masked boy. I didn’t trust this guy; he was too secretive and solitary. I never liked the lone-wolf types, and this guy could have been their spokesman.

Drayke nodded as he stood up. “Yeah, thanks for the help back there,” he replied. “You sure you don’t want to at least stay here for a little while?” he asked hopefully, “We can use all the help we can get around here.”

Wayne glanced around nervously. “No, I’m good,” he said simply. “I prefer to stay alone.”

The pony that had been traveling with Wayne, Gentle Blade, gave him a sad look. “You aren’t going to stay?” she asked, disappointed.

Wayne looked down at her, his sunglasses and mask hiding any signs of emotion. “I need to get to New Phoenix,” he said flatly. “You guys have a good operation going on here, don’t get me wrong, but it just isn’t my style.”

I took a step forward. “Can’t handle being part of a team?” I asked hotly. Drayke held up a calming hand, but Wayne stepped forward to meet me.

“No,” he said slowly, “I just prefer to plan things out on my own. You’re all taking it one step at a time, taking out minor BlackTech bases. I’m going to burn them to the ground as soon as I can.”

I laughed emptily. “You’re an idiot,” I shot back. “BlackTech has state-of-the-art security, high-tech weapons, and expertly-trained soldiers. You wouldn’t be able to get through the front door without getting killed a hundred times over.”

Wayne stared for a moment, seemingly unsure of how to respond. “I’m careful,” he said finally. “I’ve got know-how, finesse, and skill. What more is there to need?”

Drayke cleared his throat. “While I agree that those are some good traits to have,” he said slowly, “Joseph is right, Wayne; you can’t fight them alone. The reason we do these small missions isn’t just to pass time; we’re weakening BlackTech, one shot at a time. We’re making them nervous, and when they’re nervous, they make mistakes. When they make mistakes, THAT is when we make our big hit.” He walked over to Wayne, holding out a friendly hand. “So, what is it gonna be?” he asked slowly, “Will you help us take down BlackTech, or will you get killed trying to go it alone?”

The boy stood there, unmoving, before his shoulders sank slightly. “Alright,” he sighed, “I’ll join you guys. But, let me get this clear,” he added quickly, “I’m not here to make friends. I’m here to take down BlackTech, and once their organization is nothing but ashes, I walk. Are we clear?”

Drayke nodded. “Crystal,” he said, chuckling slightly. “Sorry, it’s an old joke,” he explained. “Come on, and we’ll show you how things are run around here,” he said, motioning for Wayne to follow him as he exited the office. Tess, Dash, Cadence, Gentle Blade, and I all followed Drayke and our new member as Drayke showed him the different rooms of the compound, explaining the purpose of each one.

Eventually, we reached the armory, where Wayne gazed around at the numerous weapons we had… “borrowed” from BlackTech storage bunkers.

“Quite a nice selection you’ve got here,” he said, chuckling as he ran a hand over a rocket launcher.

Drayke nodded. “Yep, we like to keep our options open,” he said proudly. “Better to have something and not need it, rather than need something, and not have it, right? Go ahead and pick something out,” he added casually. “We’ve got plenty to spare, as you can see.”

Wayne took an awkward look around. “Uh, thanks for the offer,” he said slowly, “But I’ve got a weapon of my own. It means a lot to me, and I’d rather stick with it, if you don’t mind,” he explained, gesturing to the rifle he carried on his back.

Drayke nodded understandingly. “Alright, then, but I’d insist you take this,” he said slowly, handing Wayne a silver revolver with a pearl-white grip. I recognized the model; Smith and Wesson 500. “Joseph and Tess will show you to the sleeping quarters, and you can settle in until training starts.”

I cleared my throat. “Uh, Drayke?” I asked hesitantly, “I actually wanted to talk to you about some things.”

Drayke shrugged. “Okay, Tess will show you to the sleeping quarters,” he corrected himself, and Wayne nodded as my sister led Wayne and his earth pony companion out of the room. Then, Drayke turned to me expectantly.

“What’s up, Joseph?” he asked seriously.

I sighed hoplessly. “You aren’t really considering letting this guy join us, are you?” I asked flatly.

Drayke nodded. “I am, actually,” he replied, standing up and walking over to a bookshelf that sat against an adjacent wall. “He could be a valuable member to have on our side, and we can use all the help we can get.”

I rolled my eyes. “With all due respect, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I said, trying to convince him to see reason. “This guy has ‘lone wolf’ written all over him, and I can already tell he has a knack for causing a lot of collateral damage. This kid, Wayne, is going to be nothing but trouble for us.”

Drayke gave me an angry look. “And I suppose you know this for a fact? Because I can recall him getting us out of that base and back here safely. Nobody was harmed, and no mistakes were made,” he said simply. “If it would put your mind at ease, I’ll keep an eye on him for a while, but I don’t think I will be going back on my decision.”

I nodded stiffly. “I understand,” I muttered.

Drayke sighed. “Good. Now, I’ve got some work to take care of. I’ll check on you and your sister in training tomorrow. Perhaps you could let Wayne join you?” he suggested, his tone hinting that it was more of an order than a suggestion.

I nodded once again. “Yes, that would be a good idea,” I said with an unenthusiastic tone, and exited the room.

~-~-~-~-~

In the hallway, I punched the wall angrily, feeling the smooth concrete collide with my knuckle and send a shooting pain up my arm. I was too angry to acknowledge it, however, and I marched down the hall, not quite sure where I would go.

“That guy could have killed us,” I muttered, “Who the hell throws a live grenade so close to his allies?” I laughed emptily. “He’s going to be in training with us? That’s just fine,” I said with grim determination as a plan began to form in my mind, “I’ll give him a warm-up he’ll never forget.”

Training Day [Gentle Blade]

I followed my two human friends, Wayne and Tess, as the latter led us to the sleeping quarters of the Resistance stronghold. I was pretty excited; I was finally going to get a chance to help out in this war!

“So, as you can see,” Tess began sunnily, “We’ve got several rooms fully packed with beds and storage compartments to keep your belongings in. Our only rules around here are don’t start fights with other members, and stay out of each other’s lockers if you don’t have permission. Anything you guys want to ask me?”

Wayne stepped over to a nearby vacant bed and investigated it, as well as the locker that lay on the floor in front of its frame. “How many members do you guys have living here?” I asked curiously.

Tess thought about this for a moment. “Somewhere between seventy-five and one hundred, if I had to guess,” she said slowly.

Wayne nodded. “Tell me about your leader, Drayke,” he said, more demanding than asking.

Tess shrugged. “What’s there to tell?” she asked with a slight laugh. “He’s a strong guy who always has a plan.”

Wayne pressed on. “I mean, how did he start all this?” he asked, gesturing to the room around him. “It’s kinda hard to believe that one man started all this on his own.”

Tess nodded. “He was never on his own,” she replied as she sat down on an adjacent bed. “In the beginning, it was just him, Rainbow Dash, and Cadence, but when word got around that there was a group striving to unite human and pony societies, more and more showed up. Now, we’re nearly a hundred members strong, including my brother and I,” she concluded proudly.

I perked my ears up. “Speaking of your brother, what is he like?” I asked curiously. “He seems pretty serious about all this.”

Tess nodded vigorously. “Oh, you bet!” she replied. “The Resistance is practically his life; he used to be an emotional wreck, but coming here and having something to fight for helped put him back on track,” she explained. “Of course, having me around helped a tiny bit,” she added with a giggle.

Before we could continue talking, however, a light-blue pegasus with a rainbow mane stepped into the room and cleared her throat; I recognized her from the assault. “Uh, is there someone called ‘Wayne Douglas’ in here?” she inquired from the doorway.

Tess pointed a thumb at Wayne. “This guy right here!” she cried helpfully.

The pegasus nodded and turned to Wayne. “I’m Rainbow Dash; nice to meet you,” she said kindly. “Drayke sent me down here to see if you were available for a skills evaluation.”

Wayne raised an eyebrow. “What sort of skills evaluation?” he asked slowly.

Rainbow Dash shrugged nonchalantly. “Just an obstacle course to see how well you can move around, and then a target test to see how well your shooting is,” she replied. “You interested?”

Wayne shrugged. “I don’t see why not,” he said slowly as he rose to his feet. “Let’s go.”

~-~-~-~-~

“Are you sure this is safe for him to go through?” I asked Tess as we watched Wayne step out into a seemingly empty hallway. We were staring at a monitor that tracked Wayne’s progress through a remote-controlled camera that could slide freely across the wall.

“Don’t worry about it,” Tess said cheerfully, “We have a unicorn medic standing by just in case something goes wrong!”

I gave her a worried look. “Will something go wrong?” I asked slowly as Wayne got ready to start the course.

Tess rubbed her chin. “Uh… it’s kind of a hit-and-miss on that one,” she replied uncertainly. “My course went smoothly, but Joseph ended up with some bad burns across his back. Nothing too serious, though!” she added with a friendly nudge.

I took a shaky breath as I heard Rainbow Dash’s voice shout “GO!” over the intercom, and Wayne started running down the hallway. A few feet in front of him, a solid concrete wall dropped down, giving a two-foot gap between it and the floor. Wayne acted quickly, dropping to his knees and rolling sideways under the barrier, then quickly leaping to his feet when he cleared the obstacle. In front of him were two concrete walls on either side, with a narrow gap between them. Waiting just beyond this gap was a large flamethrower, which Wayne just barely caught sight of before it blasted a wave of fire at him. He quickly dodged to the right, pressing his back to the wall as he peeked around his cover at the turret.

I watched the monitor nervously. “How’s he gonna get past this?” I asked worriedly.

Tess stared intently. “This is the timing test,” she said slowly. “It’s to test how quickly someone can pick up on patterns in a security system. See how the flamethrower shoots a blast for ten seconds, before cooling down for two?” she asked, pointing at Wayne’s automatic adversary on-screen, “he’ll have to take advantage of that tiny window if he wants to sneak past it.”

As she explained, I noticed Wayne was counting on his fingers between bursts. “It looks like he has a plan,” I breathed, and when the blast ended, Wayne quickly leaped from behind the wall and ran at the flamethrower turret, grabbing the nozzle and forcing it to turn around just as several wooden targets appeared in the next section.

“How could he have…?” Tess asked slowly as the flamethrower belched out a wave of fire, burning the cutouts to charcoal as Wayne released the turret and moved on. “Either this guy is psychic, or he’s really good at predicting an enemy’s next move… Drayke picked a good recruit on this one,” she murmured as Wayne continued running down the hall, jumping and spinning past several metal bars that were now swinging out from the wall in an attempt to knock him down.

After who knows how many other obstacles, Wayne finally reached the final checkpoint: a white-walled, empty room, where Drayke was waiting for him.

“Good to see you made it this far without getting hurt,” Drayke said, impressed, “but now comes the most serious part of your test.” Saying this, he pulled the two swords he wore on his back from their sheaths and tossed one to Wayne.

Wayne inspected the blade, rotating his wrist as if he were testing its weight. “I don’t think we’ll be using swords too much in this war,” he said dryly. “After all, we’ve got guns, don’t we?”

Drayke chuckled. “Well, yeah, but swordfighting is still a good skill to have. What if you run out of ammo in a fight and have no other options? You’ll be glad you know how to use one of these,” he pointed out.

Wayne shrugged submissively. “If you say so,” he said, holding the sword straight in front of him.

Drayke smirked. “Good. This room is protected by a special spell that prevents injury to anyone inside, so don’t hold back!” he cried, and swept his blade at my head. I quickly swung my own sword to block his, redirecting the blade towards the ground.

Drayke gave an impressed nod. “Not bad,” he admitted.

I shrugged. “Movies,” I said simply, and went in for a quick jab at Drayke’s chest. He quickly twirled to the side, sweeping his own weapon at my legs. I felt a strange sensation in both of my legs, sort of like pins-and-needles, and fell to my knees with a discomforted groan. I looked up to see Drayke standing over me, blade pointed directly at my face.

“You lose,” he said with a smug grin.

I couldn’t see his mouth, but by the way Wayne narrowed his eyes, it looked like he was smiling. “I don’t think so,” he said in a low voice, and quickly pushed himself backwards, pulling the pistol Drayke had given him earlier from his belt, and fired a single round at his opponent. Drayke jerked backward, holding his head in both hands as he staggered around for a moment, and fell to the ground.

“Oh no!” Tess cried, and quickly ran out of the room. I galloped after her as she ran down the hallway that led to where Wayne and Drayke were, and rushed to his side. Joseph was already there, and he was glaring at Wayne accusingly.

“What the fuck did you do?!” he screamed as he confronted the hooded boy.

A look of concern and confusion crossed Wayne’s eyes. “I just did what came to my mind,” he said quickly, “He told me we couldn’t get hurt in here!”

Suddenly, Drayke rose to his feet, groaning as he stood. “Wow, so that’s what it feel like when you get hit in the head,” he exclaimed. “That was wild!”

Joseph rushed to Drayke’s side, looking him over carefully. “Are you okay, Drayke?” he asked worriedly.

Drayke waved dismissively. “Yeah, I’m fine,” he said reassuringly, and then glanced at Wayne. “Well, you didn’t beat me with a sword,” he said slowly, “but I won’t deny that you won that fight. Just remember, though: you can’t always rely on your guns. There will be a time when you’ll be out of ammo, and you might not even have a blade for backup. Always be ready for those desperate situations, just in case they happen.” With this, he hastily exited the room, trying to hide the fact that he was still dazed by the bullet’s impact.

Joseph looked at Wayne, trying to think of something to say. “You’re… lucky, kid.” he said finally.

Wayne eyed him coolly. “That’s one of my more favorable traits,” he replied flatly. “And, ‘kid’? You’re a year older than me, at best, and I’m just as strong and smart as you are.”

Joseph laughed. “Yeah, sure,” he said incredulously, “you could never take me down in a fight.”

Wayne got a dangerous look in his eyes. “Is that a challenge?” he asked, reaching into a pocket on his jacket.

Joseph didn’t notice what Wayne’s hand was doing as he stepped over to him, coming inches away from his face. “I’ll fight you anytime, anywhere,” he shot back through gritted teeth.

Wayne held up a grenade, which he had taken the pin out of while Joseph was trying to be tough. “Game, set, match,” he said smoothly, and let go of the trigger as the room became engulfed in an explosion.

~-~-~-~-~

I coughed as I struggled to stand, the numb feeling slowly fading from my limbs. I looked around to see Joseph, Tess, and Wayne all laying on the floor in similar conditions.

“Why would you do that?” Joseph coughed, almost sounding fearful.

Wayne shook himself to quicken his recovery as he stood, and looked down at Joseph. “To prove a point: all your training, all your knowledge, and all your strength doesn’t mean shit if you aren’t willing to take risks. You said that my disadvantage is I only work alone, but you need to learn that teamwork isn’t the only thing needed to bring down an empire. With a little bit of luck and an understanding of the fact that you will die, skill is just an accessory.”

After making his point, Wayne turned and exited the room. I thought about following him, but a part of my mind was starting to see exactly why this boy preferred to travel alone.

Following The Trail [Victor]

“What the bloody hell happened here?” I asked as I peered into the computer room through a jagged hole in the wall. Apparently, someone had the balls to throw a grenade in an enclosed space in order to bust out.

“Drayke Blackwood; that is what happened,” a voice said behind me. I turned and recognized the white-haired man who had recruited me the previous day. “He and some of his followers broke in here and stole valuable blueprints for an upgraded version of our exoskeletons, and then nearly tore the place down escaping,” he explained, almost sounding impressed by all this.

I narrowed my eyes. “You sound as if you admire this Blackwood guy,” I said slowly. “Why exactly do you have me hunting him if his skill makes you so happy?”

The man shook his head apologetically. “Do not mistake my impressed mannerism for affection; I want Drayke dead just about as much as I want this war to end in humanity’s favor. You have to give a worthy opponent the amount of respect he deserves, though; am I wrong?” he asked with a questioning glance.

I nodded. “I can see where you're coming from, but I can’t relate to it very well; I’ve only ever had one worthy opponent,” I said, clenching my fists slightly.

My employer smiled slightly. “Marcus Ripley, I assume?” he asked rhetorically.

I glared at him. “Marcus is the yin to my yang,” I said darkly. “When I was discharged, he went on to become the perfect soldier. He was honored and respected, and I became an errand boy,” I added regretfully.

The man shushed me gently. “Now, now,” he said reassuringly, “where Marcus has all his military training and awards, you have two qualities he does not: resolve, and a willingness to listen to your gut. Marcus does as he is told and only kills when absolutely necessary, while you follow your own rules and kill anyone who stands in your path. Do you really want to live his life when your own is so free?” he asked with a comforting smile.

I raised an eyebrow. “Normally I would punch somebody for acting so gay,” I said slowly, “but you’re right; I am better than Marcus, and you were right to ask me to do this job instead of him.”

Just then, the sound of footsteps and deep laughter sounded behind me. “Is that really what they told you?” a condescending baritone voice said mockingly. I turned, glaring, at a tall, dark-skinned man in a decorated soldier’s uniform as he strode toward me with confidence in his step. “Clearly our employers are keeping secrets from you,” he added with a smirk.

“Marcus,” I growled through gritted teeth, “what is he doing here?” I asked, quickly turning to face the white-haired man.

The man held up his hands calmingly. “Just a bit of an extra measure,” he said slowly. “My employers figured that it would be best to have the both of you hunting Drayke at once; it would only increase the odds of him being taken out if two hunters were after him,” he explained.

I turned back to my rival. “So, the great Marcus Ripley is reduced to being a gun-for-hire?” I asked teasingly, “What happened to your squadron?”

Marcus stared, unblinkingly. “They were crushed under the rubble of a fallen Equestrian strongpoint nearly three years ago,” he said flatly. “I was the only one strong enough to dig myself out, and I was honorably discharged afterwards.”

I smirked. “So, you’ve taken a contract as an odd job out of boredom?” I inquired, “I thought bounty hunting was ‘beneath you’.”

Marcus shrugged. “Just doing my part for humanity,” he said dismissively. “If Blackwood is a major obstacle for BlackTech, then I’ll do all I can to remove him.”

I frowned and moved in inches from his face. “Drayke Blackwood is my mark. You stay out of this hunt, and let me handle the grown-up work,” I hissed.

Marcus didn’t blink. “I’m more trained than you are,” he shot back coolly. “If you’re the ‘grown up’ in this scenario, then I should have no trouble whatsoever.”

I narrowed my eyes and stared Marcus down for several seconds, before giving him a dismissive wave as I turned to leave. “First one to find him wins,” I called behind me.

“Bonus points if we take him alive?” Marcus inquired with a slight laugh.

I turned back and smirked viciously. “I was thinking the opposite, actually,” I said slowly.

~-~-~-~-~

I stared at the security monitor as I reviewed the footage from Drayke’s attack on the base. They had tried to sneak in using a BlackTech delivery shuttle, but ended up tripping an alarm when they hacked into one of the computer terminals.

“Damn computers,” I mumbled, irritated. Too many people relied on them these days, and BlackTech was the biggest offender. I kept my gaze on the screen, and saw a teenage boy toss a live grenade, blowing the hole in the wall I had commented on earlier.

“That kid is either an idiot,” I said, impressed, “or a genius, and I’d like to see firsthand which one.”

As for Drayke, I got a pretty good assessment of his fighting preference; he liked to lead the charge, acting as a sort of combat cheerleader as he encouraged his allies to keep pushing forward with him. “Alright, so he fights with a team,” I said slowly, “So I’ll have to get him alone.”

After him was another young boy, who seemed to hang back with a sniper rifle. “That’ll cause some trouble,” I noted, “I’ll have to make sure I know where he is at all times.” Right next to him was a girl, a couple of years younger than the sniping boy. She seemed to have a more erratic style of fighting, making it hard to predict her next move. “I always love a good challenge,” I chuckled.

There were three ponies with them, but they wouldn’t be any trouble; with proper preparation, I could set up a trap that would make their magic useless. On top of this, it looked like only one of them even had the capability to use magic, and it was an alicorn! A pony of royalty was hanging out with a rag-tag group of misfits rather than sipping tea in Canterlot.

“I had better get paid extra for her,” I muttered as I shut down the monitor. “I’ve never fought one myself, but I know they aren’t the easiest things to beat.”

I exited the security booth, where my white-haired employer was waiting for me. “Did you find the information you needed?” he inquired kindly.

I nodded. “It will do,” I replied gruffly. “At least I have a good idea of who I’m up against.”

The man nodded, a pleased smile stretching across his face. “Excellent. My superiors will be very pleased to hear this. Speaking of whom,” he added, motioning for me to follow him down the hall, “They wanted me to remind you that if there is anything you may need to assist you in your mission, you only need to ask.”

I nodded. “That’s not necessary at the moment,” I said slowly, “But I will keep your superiors’ offer in mind.”

The man stopped at a sealed door with a keypad, which he quickly tapped at for several moments before it slid open, revealing a darkened room with a table in the center, draped with a white plastic sheet. There was something underneath it, but I couldn’t quite tell what it was.

“Tell me, Victor,” the man asked slowly, “what do you know about androids?”

I shrugged. “Outside of being illegal, not much,” I admitted.

My guide’s creepy smile widened. “Not anymore,” he purred, sliding a finger delicately over the plastic covering. “A bill was recently passed that would allow BlackTech to use autonomous weapons on the condition that they only be activated on Equestrian soil. And now,” he declared, removing the sheet, “We are nearly ready to use them.”

Laying on the table was a horrific thing; it was humanoid in shape, with two arms, legs, and a head, but that was where the similarities ended. It was plated and wired, and shined a glossy black. On it’s head, it wore a large, toothy grin, like a perpetually mocking smile, and had one narrow, eye-like slit on the left side of its face; on the right, a trio of different-sized telescopic lenses. I shuddered at the thing’s unnatural appearance.

“What is this thing?” I asked, my gaze sweeping the table.

The man stared at the android as if he were admiring a piece of art. “A masterpiece, is what this is,” he said softly. “Say hello to Headshot, the first-ever BlackTech android. Of course, we have used this fellow before, keeping its operations tightly under wraps, but he was badly damaged in the last run,” he explained, sounding heartbroken by the android’s current condition. “Soon, however, he will be operational, and can be used to hunt down targets without the need for risking human life.”

I gave the man a suspicious look. “If BlackTech has assassin-androids that they’ve been using under the radar, why are they bothering to hire bounty hunters?” I asked slowly. “Isn’t that just a waste of money?”

The man shrugged. “I do not question my superiors’ wishes,” he replied flatly, “I simply do as I am told. However, if I had to hazard a guess, I would say they want Drayke taken out so badly, they don’t want to wait for Headshot to become operational again; or, more likely, the fact that they already know that Headshot cannot overcome Drayke,” he added ominously.

I raised an eyebrow as the man went on: “Oh, yes, Drayke and Headshot have met before,” he said cleverly, “and it did not go well for either party. Headshot was put out of commission, and Drayke lost many close friends, human and pony alike.”

I clenched my fists. “Why would anyone be willing to work with those… disgusting animals?” I asked, suppressing my anger as best as I could.

“You’ve got me and my superiors on that one,” the man chuckled softly. “Perhaps they are remnants of that ‘brony’ group, as these creatures are remarkably similar to that show, ‘My Little Pony’. Or, maybe they are enemies of prosperity, and would betray their own species to a group of aliens!” he suddenly snapped, but quickly smiled apologetically and recomposed himself. “My apologies,” he said slowly, “I’ve been under quite a bit of stress lately.”

I nodded slowly, slightly more disturbed by this man than before. “Yeah,” I replied uncertainly, “I’m just going to head on out and continue my hunt. Good luck with your… creepy fucking robot,” I added under my breath as I exited the room. Looks like I’ll have to step up my game, I thought certainly, because now I’ve got Marcus hunting for the same mark as me, and every day that passes, that android gets closer to putting me out of the job.

A Ghost Of A Chance [Spike/Celestia]

“I’m not sure about this, Twilight,” I said uncertainly as my alicorn friend lined up several candlesticks in the center of our bedroom, “you don’t see any way this could go wrong?”

Twilight sighed heavily. “I do,” she affirmed, “but I need to do this if I want more information on how the Elements of Harmony can be used to their full potential; who would be more reliable to ask than their original bearers?” she explained, trying to sound cheerful.

I shrugged. “You’ve got a point there,” I said slowly, “but aren’t two of the original six gone? You might be able to summon the other four, but Drayke said Argentum passed on, and Sanguis was not only destroyed by the Elements themselves, but he was obliterated in the Void! I don’t think there’s any way he can come back from that; then again, I don’t think we’d want him to.”

Twilight inspected the candles one last time as she pushed the final stick into place. They all stood in a line, each one about two or three feet from its neighbor. “Four out of six will have to do,” she said flatly. “Although Argentum would probably have been the most reliable source of information, I’m sure the others will have valuable knowledge on the Elements as well.” Saying this, she held her head high and closed her eyes as her horn became bathed in a violet aura. When she had gathered enough power, she quickly nodded toward each candle, firing a spark of magic at each that lit the wicks. The first one looked like an ordinary, orange flame, but the second one was red, the third yellow, and the last a snowy white.

There was a moment of tense silence as we stared at the candles, their flames dancing in the air gracefully, until they suddenly exploded upwards, forming a blanket of multi-colored fire that stretched out before us. I took a startled step back, but Twilight stared at the inferno expectantly; she knew what was going to happen, and refused to show any fear. Just then, four armored humans stepped out of the blaze as if it was some kind of doorway, and looked around in confusion. The first, a male by the looks of his physique, was wrapped from his head to his feet in white bandages, and wore some kind of mask over his head that covered all but his mouth. Next to him stood another male, dressed in heavy-looking, red-and-black armor that was adorned with pearl-white spikes, and had a pair of white horns on his helmet. Next was a slender-looking woman, dressed in a yellow-and-black coat and hood, and had an innocent face. Finally, there was a second woman, dressed in an elegant, white-and-blue garment with thick fur lining the ends of the sleeves and the collar.

“What is the meaning of this?” the elegant woman snapped as her eyes darted around the room; something about the way she spoke and carried herself reminded me of our friend, Rarity, as she stood in a straight and dignified manner, like she was royalty. The similarity ended there, however, as she seemed much more fierce and cruel than my unicorn friend. Her eyes swept over Twilight, and she glared as if the lavender alicorn was some kind of unnatural insect. “Oh, it’s just one of the equines,” she spat angrily.

The armored man took a step forward and drew a thick broadsword that was strapped to his side. “How dare you summon us here, creature!” he shouted, and brought his blade down on Twilight with all his strength. I cringed as the sword fell, but was relieved to find it had passed right through Twilight’s body, leaving her unharmed.

Twilight narrowed her eyes. “You cannot harm me, spirits,” she said clearly. “I have summoned you here to ask for your guidance.”

The caped woman stepped forward carefully, and regarded Twilight in a much friendlier manner than the other two humans who had already spoken. “What is it you want, equine?” she asked in a gentle voice. This human was almost exactly like our old pegasus friend, Fluttershy, who always spoke in a soft, kind voice, and had a caring look in her eyes.

Twilight decided it would be more productive to speak with the kind spirit rather than her mean-spirited companions. “I need to know more about the Elements of Harmony,” she explained, “Do you know how I can unlock their full potential?”

The bandaged man stood beside the caped woman. Although I could not see his eyes, I could tell by the shape of his mouth that he wore a grim expression. “We sought the same thing in our time,” he said darkly. “The Elements of Harmony corrupted us, and turned us into darker versions of ourselves. Where we once aimed to bring peace, we instead set out to conquer.”

I decided to speak up now that I knew half of our spectral guests were willing to speak, and none of them could harm us. “We know about Argentum Vindex and his band of warriors,” I said quickly. “You were the first humans to set foot in Equestria, and you were chosen by the Elements of Harmony to unite our races.”

The well-dressed woman looked down at me, her head slightly tilted in confusion. “Is that what Argentum told you?” she asked quietly, “We were not ‘chosen’ by the Elements; we were cursed.”

The masked man stormed over and held an accusing finger toward her. “We were cursed because we were weak; Argentum was the only one who could see that what we were doing to the inhabitants of this world was wrong, and we tried to kill him when he told us to stop. We deserved everything that has happened to us,” he snapped angrily.

Twilight spoke up before the spirits could quarrel anymore. “You may have been punished for your misdeeds,” she said carefully, “but I can make amends if you are willing to help us.”

The armored man looked down at her, his eyes burning behind his helm. “How can you help us, creature?” he growled. “Our time has come and gone; there is nothing we desire in this world anymore.”

Twilight smiled slightly. “Teach me how to unlock the true power of the Elements, and I will send you all to Elysium.”

This caught the spirits’ attention. “Elysium,” the gentle woman said quietly, hardly able to believe what she was hearing. While Tartarus was a prison for unnatural creatures and dead evildoers, Elysium was the exact opposite: a place where the righteous could stay for all eternity, and one day be reunited with those they cared about.

The elegant woman rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Hmm… your terms are... agreeable, equine,” she purred happily. “Bow your head, and I shall bestow the knowledge you desire,” she added craftily.

I raised an eyebrow. “Twilight, I don’t think you should listen to her,” I said, giving the spirit a nervous look.

“Silence, dragon!” she hissed as Twilight obeyed, bowing her head before the human. She placed her hands on either side of Twilight’s head, and her face suddenly took on a devious expression. “Perfect,” she said softly, and just as the words left her mouth, she disappeared. Suddenly, Twilight’s front legs buckled beneath her, and she collapsed on the ground. I quickly tried to help her stand, but she looked at me with terrified eyes as the color bled from her irises, slowly taking on a bleach-white color.

“Spike, run!” she gasped, and let out a pained wail that made me draw back in fear. She shakily stood up as her breathing calmed, and a wicked expression replaced her usually peaceful mannerism.

“Not the body I would like to inhabit,” Twilight said disappointedly, her voice heavily layered over by the elegant spirit’s voice, “but at least it will allow me to channel my old powers.” she gave me a crafty smile, and I jumped aside just as she hurled a ball of violet-and-white magic in my direction, narrowly missing me and colliding with a bookshelf. The books caught in the main impact were completely incinerated, whereas the rest of the shelf’s contents were ignited with a flame that matched the color of the blast. I quickly scrambled to my feet and ran for the door, which slammed shut and locked before I could exit the room.

“What’s the matter, Spike?” Twilight asked in a falsely friendly tone, “isn’t my number-one assistant going to help me clean up this mess?”

I ducked as she fired another bolt at me, the resulting explosion from its impact with the door scorching the spines on my back. I quickly ran over the smoldering timbers and out into the hall, hoping I could get some distance between myself and my possessed friend on my way to the throne room.

I know Celestia has a lot on her mind right now, I said, pushing past a confused butler pony, but I don’t think anypony else can fix this!

~-~-~-~-~

I sat in my throne, eyes closed as I tried to clear my mind. I enjoyed meditation during my days before the war began, when the only thing I needed to worry about was my subjects’ affairs, but now it had become second-nature to me, as it was a vital lifeline for keeping my sanity under the constant threat of human attack. I breathed in deeply, feeling the air slowly fill my lungs, and exhaled softly, feeling my heartbeat slow as I reached a state of serenity.

Just then, I heard the throne room doors burst open, and I snapped open my eyes to see Twilight’s dragon assistant, Spike, breathlessly sprinting in my direction.

“Celestia, it’s Twilight! She’s-” he cut off with a pained cry as a blast of magic struck him in the back, knocking him to the floor. I looked to the doorway to see my former student trotting into the room, a proud look on her face. Her eyes were completely white, with her irises just barely distinguishable from the rest.

“I assume you are Princess Celestia?” she asked, her voice distorted and layered with that of another. I nodded slightly as she went on: “I am Liberalis Anima. I have taken control of this creature’s body, and if you do not concede to my wishes and step down from your throne, I will destroy this castle and the surrounding city.”

I raised an unimpressed eyebrow. There had been many dangerous entities that posed a threat to my kingdom in the past five years, well before this war had began: Crystal Guardians, the Obsidian King, an ancient warlord, and even my brother-in-law himself, Allen Greathouse. Now, some fallen spirit was going to possess my student and try to claim my throne?

I let out a snort of bitter amusement. “Right,” I replied, and a beam of golden energy from the sun itself shot through the window above my head. The glass, rather than being broken by the attack, merely refracted and strengthened my attack, and Twilight and her controller were enveloped in the blast. When the magical assault ended, Twilight lay on her side, breathing heavily.

“Twilight, are you okay?” I asked, drawing near her motionless form. Just then, she leaped up and slammed her head into my side, her horn stabbing into my abdomen. I fell back, grimacing in pain, and I saw Twilight’s eyes had changed again; this time, her irises were a ring of blood-like crimson that sat in a sea of inky blackness.

“Now it’s my turn,” she growled, her voice much deeper and masculine. I rose to my feet, ignoring the pain of the hole in my side as I struggled to charge up another attack, but Twilight rushed me again, this time throwing herself against me and knocking me into a nearby pillar.

“They say you alicorns are supposed to be immortal,” she said, charging up an orb of violet-and-red energy at the tip of her horn. “Let’s see if those stories are true, shall we?”

Just then, a purple talon prodded Twilight’s shoulder, and she halted the charge of magic as she turned to investigate the disturbance.

Spike stood behind her, his hands behind his back. “Actually, that’s a common misconception,” he explained informatively. “Alicorns aren’t immortal, but their lifespan and vitality does exceed that of normal ponies, allowing them to live much longer. Kinda like dragons,” he added, balling his fist and swinging a powerful punch at his possessed friend’s face, his draconic strength throwing her aside. Wasting no time, I quickly raised my horn in the air as a circle of golden flame surrounded Twilight, and her eyes slowly regained their former violet color.

“What just happened?” I demanded, cringing as I used my magic to speed the healing process of the wound Twilight had just inflicted on me.

Twilight shuffled her hooves nervously. “Well, I wanted to know more about the Elements of Harmony, so I summoned the spirits of their original bearers so they could tell me how to gain their full power,” she explained guiltily. “I thought if we could unlock their true potential, we could finally bring an end to this war.”

I sighed heavily. “Twilight, although your intentions were good, you should know better than to summon the spirits of the dead!” I snapped. “What if you had brought back Sanguis Cruciatus? He very nearly killed all of us when he possessed Allen, and now that the portals are open, he wouldn’t hesitate to do it again!”

Just then, a soft voice spoke up behind me. “Be gentle with her, Princess of the Wun,” it said, and I turned to see the spirit of a hooded woman in a yellow-and-black coat, and next to her stood a spectral man wrapped in white bandages. “Your student did well to call us. I am sorry my friends caused you such grief, for they were not shown the error of their ways before their death. With your permission,” she said kindly, looking me in the eyes with respect, “I would like to show her the knowledge she seeks.”

I stared suspiciously, realizing this human’s intentions were pure, and nodded. She got down on her knees before Twilight and closed her eyes, placing her hands on either side of Twilight’s head as the two glowed brightly. After a few moments, the light faded, and the human stood once again.

“It is done,” she said wearily, and I nodded thankfully. Holding my horn in the air, a golden archway filled with a bright light opened in front of the two spirits.

“You may depart,” I said simply, nodding toward the doorway. The spirits nodded thankfully and looked at each other, smiling warmly as they departed to the fields of Elysium.

“That’s where ponies go when they die?” Twilight asked, standing next to me as she strained to see through the doorway.

I nodded affirmatively. “Yes,” I said softly, “that doorway leads to Elysium.”

Twilight continued staring in wonder. “Is my big brother in there?” she asked hopefully.

I let out a heavy sigh; I knew she would ask this. “I believe so,” I started slowly, “but you cannot see him. Only the deceased are allowed in Elysium.”

Twilight sank a little, and her ears folded back in disappointment. “Oh,” she said softly.

I gave her a comforting smile as the portal faded away. “What did the spirits tell you that needed to be done?” I asked, changing the conversation.

This cheered my former student up a little. “She told me I needed to gather the chosen bearers, as well as anyone not chosen who used the Elements after Argentum Vindex and his friends,” she explained, and she suddenly frowned once again. “But… that can’t be right,” she said slowly, “I may have once felt my connection with the Element of Magic, but it has been some time since I last felt its presence.”

I thought about the spirit’s instructions once more. “Perhaps the Elements of Harmony have chosen new bearers?” I asked slowly. “It would take some effort, but you could find them. And, of course, you could search for your old friends along the way,” I added with a slight smile.

This was all Twilight needed to get her spirits up again. “That’s it!” she cried happily, “I’ll find the new chosen bearers, and my old friends, and then we can finally defeat BlackTech!” She suddenly noticed that I was giving her a suspicious look, reminding her of her current duties. “I mean, as long as you can handle things here in Canterlot on your own,” she added nervously.

I smiled warmly. “I’m only teasing, Twilight,” I said happily. “Go find your friends and the new bearers. I can handle business here just fine on my own; I think this glimmer of hope we’ve been shown has given me newfound strength. Hurry, Twilight, time is of the essence!” I said urgingly.

“Let’s go, Spike!” Twilight cried, and her draconic friend followed quickly behind as the two dashed out of the throne room, eager to begin an adventure just like the ones they had so long ago.

Making Friends (Reluctantly) [Wayne]

I sat at one of the many folding tables arranged in the mess hall, completely isolated from everyone else.

I guess nobody wants to share a meal with the guy that was willing to blow himself up to prove a point, I thought bitterly as I hungrily mowed away a piece of corn on the cob, holding the ends with my fingertips with the rest of my hands covered by my gloves. I didn’t care too much about the other Resistance members’ avoidance and uncertain looks, but I couldn’t help but feel conflicted by Gentle Blade’s sudden distance; although we had only known each other for a short time, I felt as if she was the closest thing I had to a friend, if I couldn’t call her one already.

“Stop it, Wayne,” I muttered to myself, “you’re better off alone. Friends will just slow you down and get you hurt in the end.”

I flinched as a curious voice spoke behind me. “You okay there, pal?” it said cheerfully. I looked back over my shoulder to see Rainbow Dash staring at me, her head tilted quizzically. “You were talking to yourself; you sure you wouldn’t rather talk to somepony a little more real?”

I stared at her for a moment through my tinted shades. “No,” I said gruffly, and went back to eating my food. I had devoured the last bits of my corn, and was now beginning to tear away at a chicken breast. I had no idea how they were able to pull it off, but the unicorns and their magic had created a completely unnoticeable copy of fried chicken; you couldn’t tell the difference if you had both the imitation and the real thing in front of you. “I’d prefer to eat alone.”

Rainbow Dash wasn’t dissuaded by my coldness, and trotted to the other side of the table and took a seat across from me. “Why do you wear those glasses and that mask?” she asked curiously.

I glanced up at her, trying to force an angry burning into my eyes to scare her away. “So people know to stay away from me,” I said darkly. “Just like how a moth has face-like shapes on its back to scare away other animals. People see my mask, and it scares them off.”

The pony gave me a teasing look. “A moth has those patterns to scare off things that will hurt it. Are you afraid of something hurting you?” she asked slowly.

I looked back up at her, further forcing my hostile glare. “It’s everyone else that should be scared of me; didn’t you hear about what I did in training?” I asked bitterly. If she hadn’t, then telling her would probably scare her off. If she had… well, then she’s just as crazy as I am.

“Yup,” she said, stretching her back and letting out a relieved sigh. “Didn’t you try to blow yourself up or something?”

Huh. I guess she is crazy. “I pulled a pin from a grenade and dropped it at my feet,” I explained, smiling slightly at the thought of Joseph’s terrified face. It was satisfying seeing that self-righteous prick finally getting a good look at how much people can afford to lose these days.

The pegasus nodded, almost looking impressed. “Well, you’d better not do that for real, huh?” she asked rhetorically.

I stared at her a moment longer, before giving her an affirmative grunt and continuing to eat my meal.

Just then, my unwanted company turned her head and smiled broadly at an all-too-familiar passing pair. “Joseph! Tess! Come sit down!” she said invitingly. The two gave me nervous looks, but quickly sat down beside their friend.

“Dash, why are you sitting next to this guy?” I heard Joseph murmur. I couldn’t tell if he was trying to keep me from hearing, or if he was just making it look that way.

“Because we need to treat our new friends with a little decency,” she responded, just a little bit quieter. “Besides, I think I’m getting through to him.”

I picked a last sliver of meat from the bones I held in my hand, and then let them clatter noisily onto my tray. “No, you aren’t,” I said flatly as I stood up and walked away, dumping the tray into a nearby trash bin.

“Wayne,” I heard Tess’s voice call after me. I don’t know why, but something about her tone made me stop and turn. “Please, sit with us for a little while,” she pleaded shyly. After a moment of uncertain silence, I quietly strode back to my former seat and sat down.

“So, Wayne, why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself? Where did you come from?” Rainbow Dash asked curiously.

“Probably a mental hospital,” Joseph muttered under his breath.

I slowly turned to face him, while still directing my speech to Rainbow. “Minnesota,” I replied. “I was heading for New Phoenix before I ended up here in… what exactly is this place called?” I asked, not realizing the name of the dimension I now occupied.

“Equestria,” Rainbow Dash answered quickly. “Well, that’s the country we are in right now, anyways. Our planet is called Equus,” she added.

I gave her a blank look. “You guys really like your horse puns, don’t you?” I asked flatly.

Rainbow shrugged nonchalantly. “Hey, I didn’t name the place,” she responded. “You got any family?” she asked.

I tightened my fist a little. “I had an uncle,” I said in a hard voice. “My parents died a long time ago in an accident, and anybody else I was related to probably died during the Disaster.”

Rainbow looked confused. “‘The Disaster’? What’s that?” she asked slowly.

Joseph spoke up. “It’s what they call the Convergence back on Earth,” he explained, and looked back at me. “It’s been a while since any new human members joined us, so the ponies aren’t quite used to our slang,” he clarified.

I nodded. “I see. That guy, Drayke,” I asked, suddenly changing the subject, “Is he your leader or something?”

Tess shrugged. “You could say that,” she said slowly. “He handles all the big responsibilities around here and organizes the missions, but he isn’t really a leader. More like… a supervisor,” she said thoughtfully.

Joseph nodded. “He’s a pretty cool guy, but don’t get on his bad side,” he said darkly. “He’s been through some bad shit, even before this war began. I heard he was even with the Canterlot Royal Guard, but he left and formed the Resistance,” he added. “He didn’t agree with the Equestrian Empire wanting to drive humanity out, and instead decided to try uniting our societies.”

A looked at the two humans and pony that sat before me, one by one. They had obviously been through quite a bit during their training together, and had developed a close bond. I could see that they cared deeply for each other, but I couldn’t understand the feeling myself; I had never worked with someone long enough to develop that kind of bond aside from my uncle, and he was gone.

“Well, we aren’t going to get anything done by just sitting around and talking,” I said, rising to my feet. “What’s next on the agenda?”

“That is an excellent question,” I heard Drayke say behind me, and I saw the blonde man striding toward us confidently, his coattails trailing behind him like a cape. “I have received word of a BlackTech charity ball being held in New Phoenix, where there is most certainly going to be some high-ranking members of the corporation making an appearance; the CEO himself might even attend, but that’s doubtful,” he explained craftily. “We are going to infiltrate that ball, gather any info that we can, and, if we’re lucky, take out a few of our bigger problems while we’re there. Who’s up for a little undercover work?” he asked, giving the four of us expectant looks.

Joseph and Tess leaped to their feet quickly. “Hell yeah!” Joseph said excitedly. “What’s the plan?”

Drayke nodded with satisfaction as he placed a map of New Phoenix on the table in front of us. “Tess, Wayne, and I will be infiltrating the party; Tess and Wayne disguised as a married couple, and myself disguised as an elderly stockbroker. Joseph, you will be camping out on the rooftop here,” he said, pointing to a storage warehouse less than a block away from the ballroom, “to give us some backup if needed.”

Dash looked confused. “But, Drayke, what if they recognize you?” she asked worriedly. “They might even recognize the others, too, if the security footage from our assault the other day has been circulated enough.”

Drayke grinned cleverly. “Cadence, would you care to do the honors?” he asked, and the slender, pink alicorn stepped out from behind him as her horn took on a vibrant, blue glow. Just then, Drayke’s facial features began to change, making him look older and wiser. The scar over his left eye had even been wiped away as well.

“An easily-reversible aging spell,” Cadence explained. “It will only affect your appearance, just to keep BlackTech personnel from recognizing you. We also have some sophisticated clothing for you to try on,” she added with a teasing wink to me and Tess.

Tess seemed excited to play dress-up, but I scowled behind my sunglasses. “I don’t wear suits,” I grumbled.

~-~-~-~-~

I tugged at the red tie around my neck, struggling to loosen it enough to allow more air into my lungs. “Cadence, could you help me out?” I asked, practically gasping as a light-blue aura surrounded the tie, loosening it just enough to release me from a strangle hold. I looked in a nearby mirror and stared for a long time, mesmerized by my appearance; I looked almost exactly like I had moments before, but my features were much more defined. My chin looked more sturdy, and my brow was more arched, making me look more like a ruthless businessman than a lone survivor. My hair had also been grown out as well, causing it to fall to my shoulders in uncontrollable wisps. Cadence had acted quickly, however, and painfully tugged at my hair with a comb until it was smooth and professional-looking.

“Part of me thinks I look like a spoiled asshole,” I said slowly, “but another part thinks I look damn good.”

Cadence giggled lightly. “I’m not as good as some ponies at beauty and style, but I can do good enough to get by,” she said modestly. “Let’s see how Tess is doing, shall we?” she asked, motioning for me to follow into the next room.

We walked into the second sleeping quarters room, and the sight that awaited me caught me by surprise. I could still tell it was Tess, but her hair had been taken out of its usual ponytail and straightened out so it reached down to her shoulders. She wore an elegant, white dress with blue trimming, and a pair of pearl-white stilettos. Her face had already been altered by the aging spell, but the changes were not as dramatic as mine had been; her chin was much smoother, and her cheeks were a bit slimmer, but anyone who knew her could tell it was still Tess.

“How do I look?” she asked blushingly, doing a quick twirl that made her dress fan out a bit.

I stared, unsure of how to react. It had been ages since I had had feelings for a girl, so I wasn’t completely certain how it felt to have a “crush”, but I had a good idea that this was pretty close. “You look… nice,” I said finally, which made her beam happily. Drayke walked in, dressed in a black tuxedo that completed his “old stockbroker” look perfectly. Joseph followed close behind, and was giving me a suspicious look.

“Well, now that everyone’s all set, what say we get going? There will be a vehicle waiting for us on the other side of the portal, which we can take to New Phoenix,” he explained, his voice sounding raspy and aged. I couldn’t decide whether he was a really good actor, or if Cadence had cast a spell to alter his vocal chords in some way.

We all headed for the exit, but Joseph stopped me as the others walked past. “I’m willing to overlook your little tough-guy stunt in training the other day,” he said in a low voice, “but this mission is all an act. You are not really married to my sister, and if you try any funny business with her tonight, I will make your life a living hell. Do I make myself clear?”

I stared at him for a moment, our scowls matching in intensity and neither of us willing to back down.

“Crystal,” I said finally, and Joseph let me pass. “but empty threats don’t have much effect on me,” I added.

Joseph raised a challenging eyebrow. “You don’t think I’m a man of my word?” he asked hotly.

I gave a slight, emotionless smile. “Not at all,” I replied flatly. “I just think it will be a little hard for you to top what I’ve already been through. I’ve slept in alleyways, abandoned bunkers and buildings, landfills, dumpsters, and out in the desert. I’ve fought off wolves, mountain lions, infection, and even people on my way here. Do you really think one man can scare me by saying he can give me hell, when I’ve been waiting ages to finally meet the devil?”

Satisfied with the confused and spooked expression that Joseph now wore on his face, I quickly departed to where the others were waiting.

Dust And Echoes [Applejack]

I followed Mare Do Well breathlessly as she led me through a dense forest. I could hear shouting and rustling far behind us, evidence that BlackTech was in hot pursuit.

“Hold on a minute,” I gasped, “Who are you? How do you know me?”

Mare Do Well stared straight ahead, ducking under branches and leaping over fallen logs. “Don’t speak,” she said quickly, “it will make it harder for them to locate us if we don't make any noise. I’ll explain everything soon enough.”

Eventually, long after our pursuers had given up, we reached the edge of the forest, which led to a small village. The buildings were burned down for the most part, with their doors and windows smashed or missing. Old, broken furniture, weapons, and even scorched skeletons, human and pony alike, littered the streets. It was like walking through a nightmare.

“Where are we?” I whispered as we trotted down the empty streets, glancing around nervously at the burned-out homes and businesses.

Mare Do Well glanced over at me. “You have been gone a long time,” she murmured sadly. “Have you forgotten all of the adventures you had here with your friends?”

I stopped in my track, my eyes suddenly widening with emotion and memory. “Ponyville,” I whispered, the memories of the time I had spent here rushing back to me all at once. “What happened?” I asked, looking sadly at my costumed companion.

Mare Do Well looked up and down the streets, sighing heavily. “Ponyville was one of the first places to be attacked,” she explained. “BlackTech went for the weaker towns and cities to quell resistance, and slowly targeted larger and larger cities. Now, Canterlot, The Crystal Empire, Cloudsdale, and Manehattan are the only remaining cities that haven’t been destroyed or captured by BlackTech.”

I stared disbelievingly at the ravaged town my friends and I once called home. “I could have done something,” I said sadly, “I could have helped…”

Mare Do Well began walking toward the remains of Sugarcube Corner. “There’s nothing that could have been done,” she called back. “The citizens of Ponyville fought valiantly, but it was a doomed effort. BlackTech destroyed this town and most of its inhabitants, and then they moved on to their next target.

“Not all is lost, however,” she added as I caught up with her, “Those who survived went into hiding right under BlackTech’s noses.” She walked up to the counter, atop which sat a polished, golden bell. Next to it was a small, folded card that said “Ring For Service”.

“Would you care to do the honors?” the masked mare asked, gesturing to the bell. I stared at it for a moment, confused by the bell’s pristine state when compared to literally everything else around us, and trotted over. I pressed my hoof down on the button, and a clean, friendly “ding” rang throughout the ravaged bakery. We sat in silence for a few moments, until a rhythmic knocking sounded from the floor beneath us. Mare Do Well responded by stamping her hooves on the wooden boards in a similar rhythm, and a previously unnoticeable trapdoor swung open in front of us.

“Welcome home, Mare Do Well,” a familiar zebra said acknowledgingly, “I trust you have good news to tell?”

Mare Do Well nodded. “I have liberated the ponies from the nearby labor factory,” she reported, “and I have brought along an old friend who happened to be imprisoned there,” she added, stepping aside to let Zecora see me.

“Applejack!” she cried, rushing forward and wrapping her forehooves tightly around me, “it is so good to have you back. Come with me down below, for there is much I have to show,” she said, gesturing for us to follow her into the hole. The trapdoor led into a dirt tunnel lit with torches that lined the walls, and wooden supports every few feet kept the tunnel from collapsing.

“It is here that friends, both old and new, have found a place to build anew,” Zecora explained as we descended beneath Ponyville.

I stared in awe as we passed several branching tunnels on our way down, until we emerged into a vast cavern. “Was this place always here?” I asked, amazed by the underground city that matched the one that lay on the surface in terms of size.

“Sort of,” Mare Do Well said slowly. “Mayor Mare had a secret tunnel beneath her office that led to this place in case of an emergency. When she caught wind of BlackTech’s advancement, she got as many ponies down here as she could before the army arrived. After that, we just expanded this place to make room in case any new refugees arrived.”

I nodded, watching as the ponies in the cave went about their daily business. It was almost exactly like life in Ponyville, except the citizens now had hardened, determined looks on their faces. It didn’t surprise me; the world had changed a lot in the past few years, and their lives were no longer peaceful and idyllic.

“Do you know where our friends are?” I asked Zecora worriedly, “Twilight and the others?”

Mare Do Well stepped forward. “Twilight is helping Celestia with the war, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie have started a group of guerilla fighters with Drayke, Rarity is a soldier in the Equestrian Army, and Fluttershy,” she said, trailing off, “well, she’s been with you this whole time.” As she said this, she took off her hat and pulled away her mask, revealing the butter-yellow fur underneath. She now stared at me with bright-green eyes, but the softness they once had was gone, replaced with fierce determination. Her once-long mane was now cut short, similar in style to Rainbow Dash’s.

“Fluttershy,” I gasped, staring at my old friend with joy-filled eyes.

“Hello, Applejack,” she said with a slight smile, “It’s good to see you again.”

~-~-~-~-~

Fluttershy told me the story of what she went through during the years since the war began. With humans constantly roaming the forest, she was forced to relocate to a less conspicuous dwelling, a barren, hollowed-out tree. With danger all around her and little to take comfort in, she trained night and day, growing stronger as time went on. Now, she was just as strong as I had once been, and had a more solid build. Her new strength wasn’t apparent through her physical appearance alone, although she was more fit than when I had last seen her. What really made her look like a new mare was the way she carried herself; long ago, she always kept her head low, and let her mane fall over her eyes. Now, however, she stood straight and proud, had a confident look in her eyes, and spoke much more clearly than she once did.

“Why dress as Mare Do Well?” I asked as I followed her around the vast underground city, “Why hide yourself?”

Fluttershy shrugged. “Ponies need a symbol to get behind,” she said nonchalantly. “A mysterious and heroic figure like Mare Do Well would make an excellent symbol to encourage ponies to resist BlackTech and fight back. Also,” she added, trying to hold back a smile, “It feels really cool wearing it.”

I nodded, smiling for the first time in a long time, when something hit me. “Fluttershy, have you seen any of my family?” I asked suddenly, giving my family a worried look. “I haven’t seen them since BlackTech attacked Sweet Apple Acres.”

Fluttershy looked ahead grimly. “I’m sorry, Applejack,” she said quietly, “but… we found Granny Smith and Big Mac. A group of ponies and I went out searching for survivors after BlackTech’s initial attack, and… we found them,” she explained, obviously trying to avoid describing their fate. She didn’t have to say exactly what happened; the look in her eyes and the tone of her voice were enough.

Tears streamed down my face. “What about Applebloom?” I asked desperately, “Please tell me my little sister is okay!”

Fluttershy gave me a sympathetic look. “There wasn’t any sign of Applebloom at the farm,” she said lightly. “She might have escaped and gone to hide out somewhere else.”

I sniffed and nodded, my eyes screwed shut. “That’s the best news I’ve gotten in a long time,” I admitted.

Fluttershy nodded. “Well, then I have some more news that might get your spirits up even further,” she said, motioning for me to follow her into a nearby hut. It was constructed using various wooden planks, stones, and bricks, most of which was probably salvaged from the abandoned town above. “This was on my bed when I woke up a few days ago,” she said, gesturing to a piece of paper that sat on a nearby table. I walked over and read it, the style of the letters telling me who the sender was long before I reached the end of the page:

Dear Fluttershy,

I hope you are doing well in Ponyville. I’m sorry I can’t help you and the others rebuild, but our resources are spread thin, and until recently I feared for Princess Celestia’s sanity under the heavy burden this war had brought her.

I’m writing this to let you know that I am searching for a way to use the Elements of Harmony to drive BlackTech out of Equestria. I do not know how long it will take, but I am hoping I will arrive in Ponyville with answers sometime within the next few weeks.

I hope to see you soon.

Your friend,

Twilight Sparkle.

Fluttershy gave me an excited look as I turned my gaze from the letter to her. “So, Twilight has a plan?” I asked slowly.

My old friend nodded quickly. “It looks like it,” she said eagerly, “and I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you again.”

I sighed deeply, all of the information I had received in the past few minutes overwhelming me. On one side, my hometown had been destroyed, and most of my family was dead. On the other, there was a chance that my little sister was still alive, many of my friends had banded together to rebuild their old lives, and now we had hope of ending this war once and for all.

“Twilight said she’d be here in a few weeks to get us, right?” I asked suddenly, giving Fluttershy an expectant look. “Is there anything I can do to help out before we leave?”

Fluttershy smiled warmly. “I thought you’d never ask,” she said happily, and led me outside, explaining some of the jobs that needed to be done.

For the first time in four years, I wasn’t just a slave to the humans; I was making a difference for my kind.

Incognito [Wayne]

After a tense drive through the desert, Drayke, Joseph, Tess, and myself arrived at the gates to New Phoenix. The city was surrounded by massive walls that kept raiders out, and had guards patrolling a perimeter a few miles outside the city itself.

“Credentials,” a BlackTech soldier requested as our limousine rolled up to the security box. Drayke, who was driving, pulled a small, leather fold from his pocket and handed it to the man. After a few seconds of scrutinizing every detail that the object had, the guard handed it back. “Welcome to New Phoenix, Mr. Schtauffen,” he said with a respectful nod, and motioned for Drayke to continue driving.

We eventually reached an alleyway about a block away from the building where the banquet was being held. “This is your stop, Joseph,” Drayke called back to us, and Joseph nodded as he slid a ski mask down his face and quickly exited the vehicle, carrying a duffel bag that held his equipment for the mission. Drayke then turned to me and Tess as we sat beside each other awkwardly. “Remember, your names are Jason and Kris Richards, and you’re here on honeymoon. You’re a rather rich pair, and aren’t really taking sides in the war. You’ll have to ad-lib the rest, but I’m sure that will be easy,” he said nonchalantly, and we pulled up in front of the building. “Go on in; I’ll park the car. Remember, you’re married, so link your arms!” he hissed as we stepped out of the limo.

I gave Tess a nervous look and held out my arm, which she happily hooked around her own.

“It’s good to see you showing some sort of emotion other than anger,” she murmured as we walked toward the entrance. It was a large, marble structure that looked almost like a government building, with a large dome on top and patriotic flags adorning the sides.

I laughed emptily. “I’ve always been awkward around girls, and I’m not one for physical contact. Those two things at once is like a living nightmare for me,” I explained quietly.

Tess raised a teasing eyebrow. “Oh? What happened to the stoic survivor, wandering the wastes of Earth on his own?” she asked, giggling slightly.

I gave her a serious look. “Any problems I face in the Wasteland, I can just shoot. This is more of an emotional thing,” I said hotly.

A well-dressed waiter walked up to us as we stepped inside the building. “Hello, and welcome to the third-annual BlackTech Charity Banquet. Would you like me to show you to your table?” he asked politely.

I gave the man a slight nod. “Yes, thank you,” I said smoothly, and the man led us to an empty table. There were two plates set up, each with a fork, knife, spoon, and a glass of champagne. I sniffed the drink a few times, and took a sip.

Tess gasped. “Wayne, what are you doing?” she whispered, glancing around to ensure no one was listening, “you aren’t old enough to drink!”

I rolled my eyes. “Please. I’ve been living on my own for almost a year, and water isn’t always the cleanest outside city walls. You really think I haven’t had my fair share of alcohol?” I asked, raising a challenging eyebrow. “Besides, it’s not like I’m an alcoholic or anything; I’m very withheld with my drinks, and tend to stick to the finer wines and champagnes,” I added, and took another sip, swishing the liquid around in my mouth a few times. “Hmm. This stuff is non-alcoholic,” I commented, slightly disappointed. “I guess BlackTech doesn’t want to risk anyone getting wasted at this thing.”

Tess eyed me suspiciously for a moment, before taking a good look around at the room. “This place is beautiful,” she said in an awed voice as she stared at the paintings that covered the ceilings. I looked up and nodded appreciatively, as the pieces that stared back at me looked like Renaissance-era paintings. The artist clearly took inspiration from DaVinci and Michelangelo.

“They pulled out all the stops for this thing,” I said in a hushed voice, and the waiter who had led us to the table earlier approached us with his hands behind his back.

“Are you ready to order yet?” he inquired, looking back and forth between us.

I nodded. “Yes, I will have the fillet mignon with a ceasar salad, and some more of this delicious wine,” I replied eagerly, glancing at my glass. It wasn’t the greatest wine on Earth, but I knew a casual request like that would help my cover.

The waiter nodded eagerly, and turned to Tess. “And for you, my dear?” he asked.

Tess tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Hmm… I’ve heard this place has a very good roast veal. Do you have anything to add to that?” she asked maturely.

I raised an impressed eyebrow as the waiter discussed the particulars that went into preparing the restaurant’s veal. She was good at this, much better than I thought she would be.

Maybe this mission will go smoother than I thought, I thought as Tess nodded thoughtfully.

“Yes, I think I’ll have that, and some grilled potato skins as well,” she said with a quick glance at the appetizers. The waiter nodded dutifully, and then scurried off.

I took another sip of wine. “Well, that was some excellent acting,” I said quietly. “I wonder how Drayke is holding up?”

Tess nodded, giving the room a quick once-over. “I think that’s him over there,” she said, pointing subtly at the entrance. I turned and saw an aged man with pale, blonde hair sweet-talking one of the waitresses; I recognized Drayke’s disguise almost instantly.

“Why’s he hitting on the waitress?” Tess wondered aloud, “I thought he and Cadence were married, or at least in a relationship.”

I shrugged. “The same reason you and I are disguised as a married couple and drinking wine; to blend in and appear inconspicuous,” I replied, and heard feedback spark through a speaker system throughout the room. I looked up to see a white-haired man approaching a podium and clearing his throat.

“Esteemed guests,” he said in an icy, silky voice, “welcome to BlackTech’s third annual charity banquet. I hope the food and drinks are to your liking, as DeLancie’s has earned a reputation for their amazing dishes. Between you and me,” he said, lowering his voice, “I personally prefer the prime rib.” As he said this, I heard a few disappointed murmurs from the nearby tables; apparently, they had considered this dish, but second-guessed themselves.

“But I digress,” he said suddenly, resuming his full speech-giving volume, “Tonight is a night of remembrance. I know many of you here have friends or family who lost their lives because of the tragedy four years ago, or perhaps some of you have loved ones serving in combat as we speak. Tonight’s meal is in honor of them, and the idea they fight for: we will not be silenced!” A cheer resounded from throughout the room. “The Equestrians think that we will just take their assault without retaliation; they think they can launch a global attack on our species, and expect us to lay down in the dirt? No!” he shouted angrily, but calmed his voice. “This war has also done much good for mankind, though. We have been brought us together as a species, and petty things like race, gender, sexuality, and age are no longer major social or political issues. Our technology has advanced significantly, giving us the tools we need to win this war, as well as the tools needed to survive in this changed Earth. So please, continue your meals, converse with one another, and know that although some of us may be different, deep down we are all the same.”

The man stepped back and bowed slightly, and everyone in the room applauded. “Who was that?” I asked Tess over the cheers.

Tess followed the man with her eyes as he strode over to a glass punch fountain and poured himself a drink. “I’m not sure,” she said slowly, “but he must be important. If only we could get close to him…”

I nodded, taking one final sip of my drink and standing. “I’ll be right back,” I said quickly, and strode confidently across the room toward the table the white-haired man stood by.

“Hey!” I said cheerfully, and the man glanced at me. “That was a hell of a speech you gave up there,” I said, extending a friendly hand. “Jason Richards. I’ve got a brother fighting on the front lines,” I introduced myself.

The man slowly reached out and shook my hand, an uncertain look in his eyes. “Cyrus Anderson,” he said bleakly. “Tell me, Jason, can you keep a secret?” he asked suddenly.

I shrugged, pouring myself a drink from the nearby fountain. “Sure, what is it?” I asked.

Cyrus reached into his suit coat and pulled out a small, silver flask, pouring a clear liquid into the glass of punch he held. “BlackTech strictly prohibits the imbibement of alcohol at their public events, especially by personnel,” he explained, glancing around nervously and taking a sip.

I nodded slowly. “Why take the risk, then?” I asked in a low voice.

Cyrus shrugged, rolling his shoulders. “I’ve been under a lot of stress lately,” he said admittedly. “Tell me, what is your stance on the war?” he asked suddenly.

I shrugged. “Can’t say, really,”” I replied nonchalantly. “I mean, it’s terrible, what those Equestrians have done to us, but I don’t think it’s right to just go in and kill them; after all, what if they didn’t mean to attack us?” I pointed out.

Cyrus nodded slowly. “And your brother? What does he think?” he pressed.

I was already finding holes in my lies, writing them as I went along without properly backing them up. “Uh, I never really got along with him,” I explained awkwardly. “When he heard that BlackTech needed soldiers, he was on the first bus out of town.”

Cyrus sighed heavily. “It’s a shame, really, that humans are so willing to rush into something without any prior knowledge. Your brother knew nothing of the enemy we were fighting, and was willing to fight them with little thought. Human’s are a patriotic species, and that is our biggest weakness; we no longer fight for people, we fight for symbols.”

I nodded. “You’ve got that right,” I said with a humorless laugh.

Cyrus glanced over at me, a friendly smirk stretching across his lips. “You’re alright, Jason,” he said, patting me on the shoulder sloppily; apparently, whatever he had put in his drink was a little stronger than typical alcohol. “I’m not even working for BlackTech because I’m against the ponies; I’m not particularly fond of them, but I couldn’t care less either way if we beat them or not,” he admitted.

I gave him a shocked look. “What do you mean?” I asked, trying to keep the eagerness out of my voice; this guy was about to spill some crucial secrets.

The man chuckled sadly. “I’m only working for BlackTech to appease my father,” he explained. “He’s a rather important person in the company, and it would crush him if his only son wasn’t as successful as he was.”

I stared at Cyrus. “Is your father… the C.E.O.?” I asked slowly.

The man glanced at me questioningly for a moment, and then he sputtered with laughter. “Oh, heavens no!” he guffawed. “No, my father is a geneticist, working on the more human-oriented projects BlackTech is researching,” he explained.

I nodded, suddenly several soldiers had entered the room, and were eying me and Cyrus while talking into communicators on their wrists. “‘Human’ projects?” I inquired, “What other projects would BlackTech be working on?”

Cyrus leaned in close, placing one arm on my shoulder to keep himself upright. “BlackTech is working on something big,” he whispered, giggling slightly, “an automated army that could rule out the need for human soldiers. My father thinks humans are much more productive than machines, but,” he said, slurring his words and swaying, “what does he know?”

Just then, Cyrus collapsed on top of me, and I took a panicked look around as the soldiers advance on me. Just then, something hit me: I’ve got an unconscious guy lying on top of me, and several armored guards are headed in my direction. What’s this going to look like to Joseph? “Things are about to get loud,” I muttered, giving Tess a look that told her to get moving. As she stood, one of the windows shattered and a guard fell to the floor, blood leaking from a hole in the side of his head, and the guests exploded in a panic.

The Adventure Begins [Twilight]

“Now, Twilight, are you sure you two have everything you’ll need?” Celestia asked worriedly as I trotted down the front steps that led away from Castle Canterlot. I rolled my eyes and smiled as I turned back to my worrisome teacher.

“Yes, Princess; Spike and I have triple-checked our supplies, and we are certain we aren’t missing a single thing,” I said reassuringly. “You really shouldn’t worry about me so much; after all, you’ve got a whole country that needs you,” I reminded the alicorn gently.

Celestia quickly descended the stairs, slowing her pace as she drew closer to me and my dragon companion. “I know, but,” she said quietly, wrapping her wings around us comfortingly, “I could never forgive myself if anything happened to the two of you. You’re like the children I never had, and the best friends I could ask for.”

I smiled gently as she embraced me. “I know, Celestia,” I replied, “which is why we’re going to finish this mission and be back here as soon as possible!”

Celestia nodded with satisfaction as she withdrew her wings. “Just in case, however,” she said slowly, and let out a loud whistle, “I am sending someone with you.” As she spoke, a young pegasus dressed in royal guard’s armor quickly ran up to us.

“What is it, princesses?” he asked, looking between us dutifully. His pelt was an azure-blue, and his mane was jet-black and cut short. His eyes shone teal, and had a courageous, dutiful look to them.

“Brave Wind,” Celestia said clearly, “you will be accompanying Princess Twilight on her journey to Ponyville,” she explained. “You are to protect her and her friend, Spike, at all costs. No harm must come to them.”

Brave Wind nodded respectfully. “It is a privilege to be given such a task,” he said slowly, “but don’t you think this is a job more suited for a guard with more experience than I have?”

Celestia gave him a thoughtful look. “It is true that you have superiors with more training than you do, but they must stay here; Canterlot must be as well-defended as possible, which means I cannot allow any of the senior guards to leave their posts,” she explained. “You are the best choice for this job because, though you have not completed all of your training, I believe you will still have the ability to keep the Princess safe, and sending you will not compromise the safety of the city.”

The pegasus swelled with pride, but did his best to maintain his professional composure. “Thank you, Princess,” he said with a grateful bow, “I will not fail you.”

Celestia smiled slightly at the young guard’s spirit, and looked over at me. “Brave Wind will accompany you on your quest and ensure you return safely,” she said gently. “Please, Twilight, find your friends and these ‘new bearers’ that the spirits spoke of, and come back to Canterlot safely.”

~-~-~-~-~

I had been journeying with Brave Wind for just a few hours, and already I was wishing Celestia had just let me go on the mission alone. Spike didn’t seem to mind the energetic pegasus’s company too much; after all, he was a juvenile dragon, and often enjoyed the company of other male ponies, especially since he spent most of his time helping me with my duties. I wasn’t mad at him for that, though; I was happy he had somepony to relate to during the trip, so I alone would be the one that had to worry about finding our friends. He did seem to be a bit bothered by Brave Wind’s light bullying, though, so I made sure to listen closely to their conversation and make sure they two remained civil.

There were some things I overheard in their conversation, however, that I would rather have gone unsaid.

“Come on, tell me the truth: do you think she’s hot?”

I could practically feel the heat of Spike’s blush upon being asked this. During the time we had spent trekking along the road to Ponyville, I had learned that although the pegasus seemed dutiful and respectful around Celestia, he was just like an ordinary, immature, teenage stallion when he wasn’t under the princess’s gaze.

“No!” Spike whispered quickly, “We’ve known each other so long that she’s practically my sister! Why would I have a crush on her?”

I glanced back as Brave Wind shrugged. “Well, she isn’t really your sister, so it wouldn’t be weird or anything. Besides, if you don’t want her, maybe I would have a chance,” he added craftily.

I scoffed. “Sorry, pal, but I’m not available,” I said hotly, turning my eyes back to the road ahead. “I’m far too busy with helping Celestia to worry about such trivial things as ‘relationships’.”

I glanced back again and saw Brave Wind still had a smug look on his face, as if he believed I was playing “hard to get”. Spike, however, was a bit harder to read; he looked upset, but I couldn’t tell if it was because of my words, or the young guard’s plans to “seduce” me.

Good luck, pal, I thought angrily. “You okay, Spike?” I asked gently.

Spike quickly changed his expression to one of hopeful optimism. “Yeah, I’m fine,” he said quickly. “How far are we from Ponyville? I can’t wait to see Fluttershy again after all these years!”

I smiled warmly at the thought of seeing our old friends again. “Neither can I, Spike,” I said happily. “I’m sure our friends miss us just as much as we miss them.”

Brave Wind increased his pace so he trotted beside me. “Who are your friends we’ll be seeing, Twilight?” he asked smoothly. I could tell by his tone he was still hitting on me, but the question seemed sincere enough to deserve an actual answer.

“We’re going to be meeting Fluttershy in Ponyville, and from there we’ll be searching for my friends Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rarity,” I explained. “We’re going to need their help to finally win this war.”

Brave Wind nodded. “Alright, sounds good,” he said slowly, “but why is this guy tagging along?” he asked, jerking his head toward Spike.

Spike stopped and glared at the pegasus. “What is that supposed to mean, exactly?” he asked angrily.

Brave Wind shrugged. “Well, for one, you can’t fly; if you had stayed back in Canterlot, the princess and I would probably be in Ponyville by now. Secondly, if we get into a fight, you won’t be much use to us. The princess has magic, and I have specially-developed combat training. You’re about as useful to us as a baby on this mission!”

I was about to speak up, but Spike stomped over to Brave Wind and looked the pegasus in the eyes. “Take that back,” he growled. “Twilight is happy to have me along on this quest, and would rather you had stayed back in Canterlot!”

Brave Wind stared back coolly. “Denial won’t get you anywhere, buddy,” he replied. “You’re just the bag-boy,” he added, poking a wing at the satchel Spike wore over his shoulder.

I took a step forward. “Listen, you two-” I began, but Spike silenced by pointing a single talon at me.

“Stay out of this, Twilight!” he snapped, not taking his eyes off of his challenger. “I’m going to have to teach this guy a lesson…”

Brave Wind’s eyes lit up sarcastically. “Oh boy, what are we going to learn today?” he said with false hopefulness. “Maybe little Spikey-Wikey will show me what it’s like to suck up to a girl and never make a move on her, even though it’s obvious he’s madly in love with her.” He wore a vicious, teasing smile as he finished this sentence.

Spike let out a low growl that quickly escalated into an enraged roar as he tackled the pegasus. The two rolled on the ground, wildly punching and kicking each other as they thrashed around.

I quickly decided I wasn’t going to put up with any more of this. “Enough!” I yelled as my horn glowed a violent violet, and the same aura surrounded my two companions. My magic quickly tore them from each others grasp, and I held them in the air in front of me. “We do not have time to waste arguing about these things! We are on a mission to find the former and new bearers of the Elements of Harmony. Nopony is fighting over who gets the right to hit on me, and nopony is a burden to our quest! Now apologize to each other, or I’ll make both of you walk back to Canterlot, and I’ll finish this myself!”

The two boys stared at me in shock, and quickly turned to face one another. “Sorry,” they mumbled in unison, and I gently lowered them to the ground on either side of me.

“Until you’ve both proven that you can handle interacting with each other in a civilized manner, you’re going to stay separated. When we reach Ponyville, we’ll give this another try,” I said, satisfied.

After a tense moment of silence, Brave Wind finally spoke up. “So, when we reach Ponyville, how about you and me go out for a nice, romantic dinner?” he suggested smoothly.

I quickly gave him a glaring glance. “I wasn’t kidding when I said I would make you turn around,” I growled threateningly. “And if it does come to that, I’ll make sure Celestia knows about your behavior while you were with us, and why I was forced to send you home.”

That was finally enough to shut him up, but a strange feeling in the back of my mind kept me from appreciating the silence that our group had finally achieved. I couldn’t shake the notion that something sinister was watching us from the shadows, tracking our every move. I knew something was out there; I may not have been able to tell exactly what it was, but I knew it was there by the branches it rustled and the shadows it cast. My two companions didn’t seem to be bothered by it, but our unseen stalker filled me with nothing but dread.

~-~-~-~-~

The sun was beginning to set by the time Ponyville was in our sights, and I was finally starting to ease up. It had been nearly an hour since I had last seen any signs of whatever had been following us, and I figured it had given up it’s trail.

I was, of course, proven wrong almost as soon as I opened my mouth.

“Well, it looks like it’s smooth sailing from here,” I sighed happily.

The words had barely left my mouth when our pursuer acted. I had barely a millionth of a second to dive into Brave Wind as I saw the setting sun’s light glint off of the attacker’s blades as he rushed at the pegasus guard. I was barely faster, though, and I knocked Brave Wind out of harm’s way. He smiled smoothly as he lay on his back, looking up at me.

“Well, no need to be so forward, Princess!” he said teasingly, “My code of chivalry prohibits explicit activities with a mare until we’ve been dating for a week, at the very least.”

“Shut up!” I snapped, leaping off of him and turning to face our attacker. I gasped when I saw the sort of creature stood before me; it stood on two legs, tall and slender, and had a menacing and battle-ready stance. It exuded confidence and savagery, but what horrified me the most was what it was made of: Pale, white-blue crystal.

“A Crystal Guardian,” I breathed, my eyes widening fearfully, as the creature let out a monstrous screech and sprinted right at me, wielding a pair of crystal swords in either of its hands.

One Hell Of A Party [Tess]

I looked around wildly as the party exploded in a panic. Wayne had vanished, leaving the unconscious man leaning over the punch table he had just been standing by. The soldiers were gathered around their fallen ally as the guests all scrambled for the exit, and a few guards stood by the doorway, most likely keeping an eye out for Wayne, who had been last seen with the drunken, white-haired man.

“This is not good, this is not good,” I muttered, deciding to blend in with the crowd as they frantically scrambled out the doors; maybe Wayne and Drayke had already escaped and were waiting for me outside?

“Stop right there, miss,” one of the guards said quickly just as I reached the exit, and grabbed me by the shoulder. “You were seen with the man who has been linked to tonight’s attack. You’ll have to come with us for questioning.”

I struggled to think of an excuse, but nothing would come to mind as I was quickly escorted to the back of the restaurant through the screaming crowd. I knew Joseph couldn’t save me without risking a shot on a civilian or hitting me by mistake. The man roughly sat me down in a steel folding chair in the kitchen as a pair of guards blocked each of the two exits.

“Alright, I’m going to ask you once: who was the man that fled once the shooting started?” he asked, pulling his coat to the side to reveal a military-grade pistol fastened to his belt.

I gave him a confused look. “What do you mean? Everyone was running for the exit when the shot was fired,” I replied innocently. “If you are talking about my husband, he must have been swept up in the crowd.”

The man nodded, a smirk stretching the corner of his mouth. “Right. We had guards posted at every exit, and they would have been able to stop him before he could escape. Your ‘husband’ is still in the building somewhere, and we’re going to hang on to you until he shows up again.”

I glanced around nervously. “My family is going to wonder where I’ve gone,” I said, still ad-libbing excuses to buy time for… what? Joseph was probably the only one who knew where I was, and the room was guarded, so my chances of rescue were pretty slim. “My mother is ill and is depending on me to take care of her; if I don’t return right now, something could happen to her!”

The soldier gave me a dismissive wave as he began to pace impatiently in front of me. “The party still had another couple of hours before it was scheduled to end; your mother won’t miss anything.”

Just then, one of the guards by the door to my right stepped into the room and cleared his throat loudly, and my interrogator gave him an impatient look. “Yes?” he asked angrily.

The guard shuffled his feet awkwardly. “Uh, sir? The man you were looking for is standing outside, and is demanding we let him in to see his wife,” he said, sounding thoroughly confused.

The soldier held his arms at his sides hopelessly. “Well, let him in, then!” he snapped. “If the person we’re looking for turns himself in, then you’re supposed to take him in immediately, not wait around for orders!”

The guard nodded quickly and exited the room, returning moments later with his partner and Wayne, with an arm being tightly gripped by each guard.

“Let my wife go!” Wayne growled, and one of the guards elbowed him in the side, causing him to double over and fall to his knees. My interrogator slowly walked over and smiled smugly at Wayne.

“So, tell me, sir, what is your name?” he asked with false kindness.

Wayne glared up at him. “Jason Richards,” he growled his fake identity numbly, giving the guards at his sides angry glances.

“Tell me, Mr. Richards,” the soldier began slowly, “why is it you had the unconscious body of Cyrus Anderson lying on you moments before a sniper shot and killed one of our guards?”

Wayne shrugged. “Because I’m a member of a secret resistance that aims to unite human and Equestrian societies peacefully,” he said openly. “I came to this party in hopes of gathering information so my organization can plan our next move.”

The soldier frowned. “Huh. why’d you tell me so quickly? I was looking forward to beating the information out of you. I’m pretty sure that my men were looking forward to it, too,” he added, gesturing to the armored figures beside Wayne.

The boy smirked suddenly. “I’m not so sure about that,” he said slowly, glancing smugly at the armored guards. “You see, the men that you posted outside this door a few minutes ago, when you first took this girl captive? They’ve been dead since they left the kitchen,” he explained as the two guards removed their helmets, revealing that it was actually Drayke and Joseph underneath the armor. “When you get to Hell, tell your buddies I said ‘hey’,” he added, and my brother and mentor unleashed a spray of bullets from their assault rifles, killing the soldier in seconds. The guards by the other entrance ran to investigate, but they were met with a similar fate.

“That was a pretty decent nudge,” Wayne complemented Joseph as he and Drayke led us out of the building. “I know we were going for authenticity, but did it really need to be so hard?”

Joseph looked at him, the BlackTech mask hiding his emotions. “Sorry, it was a reflex,” he apologized, not sounding very meaningful. “You said ‘wife’, and I kinda forgot that this was all pretend for a moment.”

Joseph and Drayke led us out of the kitchen and into a nearby alleyway. where our limo was waiting for us with the engine still running. When we got inside, he handed Wayne and me each a small, white pill. “It’ll force the disguise spell to wear off, instead of having to wait for it to end,” he explained as he swallowed a pill of his own. The effects took hold almost immediately, and his grey hair regained its shiny blondness, and the wrinkles and pockmarks that covered his face smoothed out; the only blemish left was the scar over his left eye.

Wayne glanced up as his own changes faded away, and he slowly began to return to his 16-year-old self. “How long was the spell supposed to last?” he inquired, glancing at me curiously as my own changes vanished.

Drayke laughed nervously. “Uh, permanently?” he replied. “I probably should have told you that before, huh?”

Wayne rolled his eyes. “Yeah, probably,” he agreed, annoyed.

~-~-~-~-~

“Drayke, I’m really sorry I jumped the gun back there,” Joseph apologized as we entered the stronghold, “I just panicked when I saw all those guys heading for Wayne; I thought we’d been found out.”

Drayke nodded understandingly. “Hey, it’s alright,” Drayke said forgivingly, “Nobody was hurt, and we got plenty of intel. Wayne, what was it that white-haired guy told you before everything went crazy?”

Wayne cleared his throat from behind his mask, having put it on along with his jacket and sunglasses on the way back. “He said BlackTech was getting ready to launch an automated army,” he explained worriedly. “He also said his father was a geneticist, working on the more ‘human-oriented’ projects,” the boy added.

Drayke raised an eyebrow. “I thought BlackTech was already using automated soldiers,” he wondered aloud. “In any case, we’ll have to look into sabotaging another one of their production facilities. There was one on the other side of Ponyville that got hit a few weeks ago, but the attackers just liberated the slaves. We’ll have to make sure that factory doesn’t produce any more parts for a long time,” he said mischievously.

Joseph grinned proudly. “It’s good to see that we and the Equestrian Empire aren’t the only ones fighting BlackTech,” he said with a laugh. “Who do you think it was?”

Drayke shrugged as we continued to walk through the hallways in the direction of his office. “It could be anyone; I haven’t heard from any of my contacts from around the area about an assault operation, so it must be somebody we haven't met yet.”

I looked up suddenly. "Drayke, what about those blueprints you stole during the raid a few days ago?" I asked curiously,"Couldn't you make an exo-suit using the files and the equipment at the factory?"

Drayke nodded slowly. "I'll admit, we can use all the help we can get, but I don't want to take any unnecessary risks," he explained as we reached the doors to his office. "I'll tell you all what; go get some grub at the mess hall and relax for the rest of the night, take tomorrow off, and I'll work on our plan. After tonight's mission, you've earned some free time." With that, he closed the doors to his office, leaving the rest of us in the brightly-lit hallway.

I looked around, noticing Joseph was the only person standing next to me. "Where'd Wayne go?" I asked, looking up and down the hall for any sign of the mysterious boy.

Joseph shrugged. "Who cares? He wants to be a lone wolf, that's fine by me," he said hotly as he stormed off for the mess hall.

I jogged to catch up with my estranged brother."Why are you so mad at him?" I asked gently. "He's the one who found out BlackTech's next plan, and I hate to point this out, but you did almost get us captured tonight," I added cautiously.

Joseph stopped walking and sighed heavily. "I know, and I'm sorry," he said softly. "You know I'd never do anything to intentionally put you in danger. It was my first time on a recon mission, and I panicked when I saw the guards running toward that drunk guy." Joseph laughed emptily. "I bet the night would have gone without any snags if I hadn't taken that shot," he sighed regretfully.

I patted him on the shoulder comfortingly. "You don't know that," I said reassuringly. "Come on; let's go grab a bite to eat," I smiled, and started walking toward the mess hall. "Other than getting me detained, your little stunt cost me my dinner," I added teasingly.

Joseph looked up at me sadly for a moment, but a grin slowly stretched across his face. "I cost you dinner? In case you've forgotten, I was gonna be stuck eating a sandwich on a rooftop while you ate fancy-feast with the upper crust of New Phoenix!" he laughed as he ran to catch up with me.

Understanding [Joseph]

“Hey, Moore, you in there?” I was suddenly awakened from my daze as a hoof playfully knocked on my forehead. I turned to see Rainbow Dash grinning at me teasingly; I had spaced out in the mess hall. “You were doing that thing again.”

I sighed. “Yeah, sorry,” I apologized. “I’m just a little stressed out is all.”

Tess spoke up from the opposite side of the table. “What’s got you so upset?” she asked, concerned.

A bit of movement from the corner of my eye caught my attention, and I looked up to see Wayne standing in the lunch line. The masked boy was scanning the mess hall slowly, his shades and bandana hiding any sign of emotion as he continued to study his surroundings. I clenched my fist angrily as Tess turned to see what I was staring at, and then sighed heavily.

“Joseph, you really shouldn’t worry about that guy,” she said, sounding a little annoyed. “He isn’t looking to hurt anyone, and he’s done nothing but help us on the few missions he’s been on.”

Dash nodded. “He’s a little on the quiet side and kinda comes off as hostile, but that’s just the skull-mask and dark glasses,” she explained. “He seems pretty calm and peaceful for the most part.”

I rolled my eyes. “He’s a lone wolf,” I snapped. “and lone wolves only mean trouble. Drayke may think he’ll be of some use to us, but I can tell that he’s mainly looking out for himself in this,” I glanced up to see him walking away from the line with a tray of food, and he sat down at an empty table some distance from where we sat. “There’s going to be a time when it comes down to us and him, and I know what he’s going to choose.

“Just you watch,” I said, still watching Wayne as he pulled down his bandana and started to gnaw at a drumstick. “The moment any of us become a risk to his survival, he’ll abandon us without a second thought.”

There was a few moments of silence. “I think you’re just being over-dramatic,” Dash finally said dismissively. “Nobody can be that selfish.”

I glanced over at her. “We’re fighting a war that wants your species extinct so they can make a couple of extra bucks harvesting Equestria’s natural resources, and you say nobody can be selfish enough to abandon their team to save their own hide?” I asked disbelievingly. “You obviously need to take another look at the moral scale of the world, Dash.”

The cyan pegasus stared at me for a moment, a surprised and slightly hurt look on her face. “Look, I don’t know what’s gotten into you, Moore,” she said slowly, “but you need to get that attitude of yours in check. I know Wayne is a stranger we picked up in the woods, and I know his methods may be a little… dangerous, but we need all the help we can get, and he is definitely capable of hurting BlackTech; isn’t that enough to give him a little bit of a chance to show us what he can do?” she asked, getting up from her seat. “I’m heading to my bunk for the night,” she said with a yawn, “I’ll catch you guys tomorrow.”

Tess waved slightly. “Nighty-night, Dash,” she said, returning the yawn. “We should probably get to bed, too,” she remarked with a glance at the clock. “Gotta be up bright and early for training.”

I nodded, casting another glance at Wayne. He was staring back at me, his mask back over his mouth now that he had finished eating. I stared at his black lenses, sending a challenging look to his shielded eyes. We stared at each other for a long time, until he finally rose to his feet and exited the hall without looking back at me.

I stared after him, feeling grim satisfaction from having stared him down and won, but I suddenly felt guilty for being so rude to my best friend and my sister. After all, I knew Dash was a pretty good judge of character, so who was I to mock her for trusting Wayne?

Eh, I had better get to bed, too, I thought, rising to my feet with a long, deep yawn. Maybe my head will be clearer in the morning.

~-~-~-~-~

I had the most disturbing nightmare that night. My vision was darkened and blurred, but I could make out that I was a pony, and I was being kept in a glass container and hooked up with all sorts of wires that drained my strength. I tried biting at the wires and slamming my body into the side of my prison, but my struggle just made me feel worse.

Just then, I found myself standing outside the box, looking inside of it. I could see the pony that was being held captive now, but I couldn’t make out any distinct features. I assumed it was an alicorn, like Drayke’s wife, Cadence, but there wasn’t much else I could determine from physical attributes due to my failing vision. I could hear a female voice crying out from inside the cage, her cries of pain muffled by the sheets of glass surrounding her.

I looked around, confused by what was going on, and decided to try and calm the imprisoned pony. “Hey, calm down,” I said soothingly as I studied the cage and the surrounding room for some way to release her. The room was empty, and looked like some kind of interrogation room, like you’d see on a crime show, like CSI or Law and Order.

As I spoke, the pony turned to face me, and her tormented cries stopped. She stared at me with wide, blue-green eyes, brimming with relief.

“I didn’t think… I was strong enough…” she said slowly.

I raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?” I asked, bringing my face closer to the glass so I could hear better.

The alicorn sighed sadly. “I’ve been trapped here, my energy slowly being sucked out of my body by these wires and tubes,” she said, spreading her wings weakly to show the full extent of her treatment. “But I found a way… I resisted their torture, and I saved enough to get word out…” she said, her weakness fading as her tone became filled with triumph. “You need to get me out of here. I cannot escape on my own, and you will need my help to defeat BlackTech.”

This got my attention. “What?” I asked quickly, “How can I get you out of here?”

The alicorn shook her head sadly. “You cannot help me like this,” she explained quietly, “this is just a dream; I’m using my power to send a message. When you awaken, you must find the Crystal Prince,” she said quickly, her ears perking as we both heard the sound of approaching footsteps. “He is the only one who can help you rescue me!”

I stared, uncertain of where to begin with my questions. “Who is the Crystal Prince? Where are you being held? Who are you?”

Just then, the door burst open, and a trio of lab technicians stormed in. “We’ve got brain activity on the subject; she’s using her dream powers to contact someone outside!”

Another one began pressing some buttons on a nearby console. “Sedate her, now! The largest, non-lethal dose we can give her,” he snapped urgently. Another technician nodded and rushed to the glass cage and pressed a button on the side, causing the alicorn’s prison to be filled with a strange, white smoke.

I pounded my hands on the sides of the cage as my already-terrible vision began to fade. “Wait! How can I help you? Who are you?” I cried desperately. I tried punching the lab workers who were studying some nearby screens, but my strikes passed through them harmlessly. I finally gave up moments before everything faded, and turned to see the pony staring at me through the glass; all I could see now was the faint shape of her body and her eyes, which were filled with joyful relief.

“My name is Luna,” she said tiredly as her eyes closed, and the dream faded to blinding darkness.

~-~-~-~-~

I did not have a clearer head in the morning.

I strolled into the base’s shooting gallery, rolling my shoulders and grabbing a training rifle from the gun rack, and took the booth next to where Tess was standing.

“How’d you sleep?” she asked, firing her twin SMGs at a group of practice targets. The bullets ripped the wooden mannequins to splinters, their heads and arms lying on the floor amidst a pile of sawdust.

I yawned. “Not too well,” I said tiredly. “I had the weirdest dream last night.”

Tess glanced at me. “About what?” she inquired, letting loose another burst of bullets. This time, the mannequins were ground down to their waists.

I shrugged and took aim at a separate dummy with my rifle. “I’ll tell you about it later; I need time to remember everything that happened,” I said, and pulled the trigger. A gunshot rang throughout the shooting range, and a bullet punched a hole in the concrete wall behind the target I was shooting at; the mannequin remained fully intact.

I rolled my eyes and lowered the rifle. “Whatever,” I sighed. Just then, I heard a series of shots, and looked down the lanes to see Wayne standing in a far booth, holding his odd-looking hunting rifle.

“You should go talk to him,” Tess said with a gentle nudge. “Try to bury the hatchet between the two of you.”

I glared at Tess for a moment. “Why are you so intent on getting us to get along?” I asked suspiciously.

My sister shrugged. “Which do you think is worse for a team: a lone wolf, or someone who refuses to give the new guy a chance?”

I sighed. “Honestly, I think the lone wolf is more dangerous,” I muttered, “but I’ll go talk to him if it will make you happy,” I added, and strolled toward where Wayne was practicing his shots.

As I approached, I got a better look at the rifle Wayne was holding; it was old and weathered, probably used for deer hunting; how he was able to survive for as long as he claimed with that thing as his main firearm, I have no idea.

“So, you’re a pretty decent shot with that thing, huh?” I asked nonchalantly.

Wayne unlocked the clip wordlessly and loaded eight rounds into it, and then locked it back into place again. “Yep,” he said simply, and rattled off all eight bullets into the mannequin.

I sighed and shuffled my feet awkwardly. “What, uh, what model rifle is that?” I asked curiously. “It looks like a .22, but it doesn’t look like any .22 I’ve ever seen before.”

Wayne stood motionless for a few moments, before turning to face me, holding the rifle out for me to inspect. “My uncle made it himself,” he explained, motioning for me to take the gun in my own hands. “The stock is from a 12-Gauge, and the barrel is from a Thompson. He modified everything from the trigger to the firing mechanism, so it’s dead-accurate, lightweight, and supports any attachments you may want to use.”

I whistled appreciatively as I studied the firearm; it was a Frankenstein's monster assembly of parts, looking both terrible and impressive at the same time. Some of its parts were the sleek, black steel of military- or civilian-grade weapons, while others were the rough, wooden finish of something that would be at home in a hunter’s arsenal. “Your uncle must be a great handyman,” I said, genuinely impressed; I had never seen anyone able to reverse-engineer their own rifle from miscellaneous gun parts.

Wayne nodded and took the gun back gingerly. “He was,” he said slowly, “but he’s gone now.”

I stopped, suddenly feeling awkward about my previous comment. “I’m sorry,” I said apologetically.

Wayne shrugged. “It’s all in the past,” he said, reloading his rifle and taking aim.

I held out a careful hand. “Mind if I take a shot?” I asked pleasantly. Wayne stared at me for a moment, then handed me the rifle again.

“Sure,” he said slowly, his tone much gentler than I was used to.

I held the stock against my shoulder and looked through the sight, finding the crosshairs fell right on the mannequin. I let out a deep breath and pulled the trigger, my shot knocking the target’s head clean off its shoulders.

Wayne nodded slightly. “Not bad,” he complimented. “I know you’ve been beating yourself up for taking the shot last night, but looking back I have to admit you’ve got excellent aim,” he added.

I shrugged. “Sniping is my specialty, I guess,” I replied proudly.

As I walked away, I felt a hand rest on my shoulder, and I turned to see Wayne wasn’t quite done speaking with me. “I know you don’t trust me, and you think I’m some kind of selfish loner. Well, you aren’t wrong on that assumption,” he explained in monotone. “That’s why I’ve been on my own for so long, and why I didn't want to join this Resistance in the first place; I can’t hurt anyone if there isn’t anyone to hurt. I guess what I’m trying to say here is you don’t have to worry about me trying to hit on your sister or anything. I’m already going against my own rules by sticking around here, and it’d be even stupider for me to go and get a girlfriend.”

There was a strange sincerity in his words, and I slowly realized why I had gotten such a bad vibe from him in the first place. “You only pretend to be this badass loner so other people will stay away from you,” I said slowly.

Wayne nodded. “Kinda. I am pretty badass in my own right, but I’m not always so rough and cruel; that’s just so I don’t end up endangering anyone. I have trouble watching out for more than just my own skin when I get in trouble, so if mine is the only one to watch, then there’s no loss,” he explained, and laughed emptily. “I’d rather you didn’t tell anyone I told you that, though.”

I nodded. “Hey, one more question,” I asked as Wayne started to go back to his booth, and he turned and stared at me. “Why the mask? You told Dash that it’s like what insects do to keep others away, but she thinks that it’s because you want to protect yourself. What’s the real reason?”

Wayne continued to stare for a few seconds, his darkened shades continuing to do their job of hiding his emotions. Eventually, he let out a long sigh and turned to gaze at the shooting gallery. “Probably a bit of both,” he admitted finally, “but if I had to pick a definite answer? It looks damn cool,” he added with a laugh. “I’ll talk to you later.”

I nodded, smiling slightly at the boy for the first time. “Yeah,” I replied, and walked back over by my sister, realizing that my head was now much clearer than it had been before.

The Lost Knight [Twilight]

I leaped over the charging creature as it ran at me, its blades waving wildly in an attempt to shred anything it touched. I fired off several bolts of magic, but the creature’s twin swords deflected the energy with its impossible-to-follow movements as it came back around for another strike.

“What is this thing?” Brave Wind cried, looking around frantically for some way out of this situation, and quickly leaped into the air to take shelter in a tree. Spike, although he had no way of fighting, stayed right by my side as I attempted to combat the creature.

I studied the Guardian’s body carefully; it was humanoid, with a jagged, pointed head and an armored body. “It looks like a Crystal Knight,” I shouted back, remembering the creatures my friends and I had faced shortly before the second Convergence. “I have no idea what this one is doing so far from its home, though!”

We learned that the Knights were separate from the ancient Equestrian defence system that had been created thousands of years ago by Starswirl the Bearded to drive off attacking humans. Crystal Knights weren’t allowed to leave the area of the Badlands known as the Fissure, though; what was this one doing so close to Ponyville?

Having given up on fighting this obviously invulnerable creature, I turned away from him and fled toward Ponyville. “Spike, Brave Wind, come on! Maybe we can outrun it and hide!”

Brave Wind jumped out of the tree he had been hiding in, and glided through the air a few feet above us, constantly looking over his shoulder to check on the Knight’s progress.

“He’s gaining on us!” he cried fearfully, flapping his wings in an attempt to gain every extra inch he could.

I rolled my eyes as we continued our escape. “Your name is pretty ironic, huh?” I huffed between breaths. I was starting to tire, but we weren’t too far from Ponyville; we could rest there.

As we entered Ponyville, I couldn’t help but slow my progress in horror; the once-bustling village I had called home so many years ago was now a ruined ghost town. Shops lay empty and crumbling, scorched by the fires of a forgotten battle, and homes lay in ruin, many of them hardly qualified to be called “homes” anymore. I was well-aware that Ponyville had been destroyed by BlackTech, but I had never seen the destruction for myself.

Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, I gasped when I saw my old residence, Golden Oaks Library; the ages-old tree, large enough to house myself, Spike, and an entire collection of books with room to spare, had been torn apart. Its huge branches lay scattered around and were charred, and the stump had been partially uprooted. I could see that one soldier had decided to carry a can of spray paint with him, as BlackTech’s logo was tagged on the library’s sign; now, a circle with the letters “B” and “T” inside it covered the old sign in messy, black paint.

“My home,” I said in a hushed voice as I slowed to a halt a few yards away from the remains of Golden Oaks. I stared for a long time, until I heard the sound of approaching footsteps. I turned to see the lone Knight who had just been chasing me, whose head was tilted quizzically as it stared at me, confused that I had stopped fleeing. “This was my home!” I snapped tearfully, and I could have sworn the creature flinched at my words.

“Ho… home,” it murmured, its voice an icy whisper. The Knight slowly turned its head to gaze at the charred stump, and it just stood there for a few moments.

“Do you… do you have a home?” I asked gently, taking a few steps forward. This was the first time I had heard a Crystal Guardian speak in a gentle tone like that, and my old scholar instincts kicked in; this was an excellent opportunity to learn about the Crystal Knights and their social structure, as well as why this particular one was so far from home. The Knight took a tense step back as I drew closer, and I realized that it hadn’t attacked us out of anger or malice; it was afraid of us.

The Knight continued to stare at me, its prismatic face showing no emotion. “I… I don’t… know,” it said, its words choppy and forced, as if it was trying to remember how to speak. “All I remember… is the two-legged creatures… They hunt me… They hurt me…” the Knight was beginning to sound angry.

I carefully trotted over to the Knight’s side. “It’s okay,” I said soothingly, “I’m not going to hurt you. My name is Twilight Sparkle. I am a Princess from Canterlot, and I’m here in Ponyville to visit some friends,” I explained. “Do you have a name?” Do Crystal Guardians even getnames? I added silently.

The creature looked up at me slowly. “I… I do not know…” it whispered. “I feel as though… I had a name… but it is lost now. The two-legged creatures… they call me… ‘Crystal Midnight’...” it added slowly. “I am not sure… if I like this name… but it is all I have.” It was strange hearing a Crystal Guardian talk like this; when I first encountered them, their voices were full of anger and confidence, but this one was clearly scared and alone.

I tilted my head. “You mean, you can’t remember anything about your past?” I asked the creature, “You have no memories at all?”

Crystal Midnight shook its head. “No… that’s not it… there is an empty space… where memories should lie… but they are gone,” it explained. “Sometimes… I see flashes of emotion… anger… joy… sorrow… love… I cannot recall any names or faces… but I know I had friends, once… I had a life, once.”

I nodded slowly; I felt sorry for this creature, who knew it once had friends who cared for it, but couldn’t even remember its own name. “Well, ‘Crystal Midnight’,” I began slowly, “We Equestrians mean you no harm, so you don’t need to attack us. However, if you see any humans wearing black armor, or have that logo on their clothing,” I said, pointing a hoof at the sign, “Then you may want to avoid them.”

Crystal Midnight glanced at the BlackTech logo that had been vandalized on the library’s sign, and it suddenly bristled with anger. “THEM!” It roared, “THEY ARE THE ONES WHO HUNT ME!” It reached for a crystal spike that protruded from its back and tore it loose, unsheathing a slender, crystal katana from its body. It charged at the sign and demolished it, the Knight’s strikes so fast my eyes could hardly comprehend what was going on. When it was finished, little more than a pile of sawdust lay in front of it. “They attack me… with their strange weapons…” it turned to me slowly. “Why does it hurt?” it inquired, “Why are they the only things that can hurt me?” It’s speech was sounding much better now, as it paused less to find the words to describe its thoughts and feelings.

I sat down next to Crystal Midnight, and motioned for him to do the same. “Their weapons cancel magic,” I explained gently. “Your body, and the bodies of other Crystal Guardians, are made of magical crystals; when their weapons hit you, they’re literally destroying you on a genetic level.”

Crystal Midnight nodded slowly, taking in my words like a foal would from a teacher. “So, their weapons are designed to hurt me,” it said thoughtfully.

I nodded. “You, and everything else in this world. My species, Dragons, Gryphons; every living creature on Equus has some form of magic running through their body. You just have a little more than the rest of us,” I added with a friendly nudge.

I got the feeling that if it had a face, Crystal Midnight would have been smiling right then. “Twilight Sparkle, are you my friend?” it asked suddenly, sounding the slightest bit nervous.

I laughed, finding it hilarious that this 6-foot-tall mass of living glass was worried that it wasn’t my friend. “Of course you are,” I said, patting it on the back with my hoof. “I think that’s what you’ve needed all this time: a friend.”

The Crystal Guardian sighed. “I am glad to hear that,” it said, standing up. “I am afraid I must leave you, Twilight Sparkle,” it said apologetically, “for the two-legged ones may find me if I stay in one place for too long. Tell your companions that I am sorry for attacking you all,” he added, and kneeled before me respectfully. “Should you ever need my help, fire a spell into the air, and I will come to your aid. I hope to see you again soon,” he said wistfully, and ran off without another word.

“Princess, forgive me for using human slang, but you are a badass!” I heard Brave Wind call as he and Spike approached. I rolled my eyes; soldiers, having had more experience than most when it came to humans, usually picked up some of their… less desirable conversational ticks. I didn’t mind too much, however; having two human friends prior to this war gave me a bit of tolerance for their more foul words.

I shrugged. “It just needed a friend to talk to, is all,” I explained nonchalantly. “Now, where is Fluttershy? She said she would be waiting here for me…” I trailed off, scanning the deserted town for any signs of my old friend.

“And here she is, just like I said I would be” I heard a voice say behind me. I turned to see Fluttershy standing behind me, a slight grin on her face. There was a determined look in her eyes I had only seen a few times before, and her mane was much shorter than I remembered it being, but I knew Fluttershy when I saw her. I dashed to greet my old friend, giving her a warm hug for the first time in ages.

“Fluttershy, how are you?” I cried happily, “I saw how the town was, and I was afraid you wouldn’t be here.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “Ponyville’s remaining inhabitants have migrated underground,” she explained, motioning for us to follow her to Sugarcube Corner, “We’ve been digging to expand a secret tunnel that Mayor Mare had constructed a while back in case of emergencies; now, we’ve practically rebuilt the city right beneath your hooves.

“Oh, by the way,” Fluttershy added secretively, "there’s another old friend here that’s been very eager to see you again.”

I tilted my head, confused. “What do you mean?” I inquired.

Fluttershy gave me a teasing glance as we arrived at Sugarcube Corner. “Why don’t you go in and see for yourself?” she said, motioning for me to step into the abandoned bakery. I pushed the door open with my forehoof and trotted into the darkened room.

I glanced around, uncertain why Fluttershy had sent me in here. “Hello?” I called into the shadows.

I heard hoofsteps approaching. “I never thought I would see you again,” a faint voice whispered. It sounded tired and defeated, like somepony who had lost hope long ago.

I squinted, struggling to see who I was talking to. “Who are you?” I asked suspiciously.

I could see a pony-shaped silhouette now, drawing closer with each small step. “The only thing that kept me going was the thought that I might see you and the others again,” it continued, “and even though that wish seemed more and more foolish every day, I still kept hoping.” The obscured pony continued to walk towards me, until she was just a few feet in front of me. I saw her emerald green eyes, once filled with strength and now filled with despair and pain. Her mane, which I remembered was always tied in a knot about halfway through, was disheveled and twisted, even missing hair in some spots. Her pelt, which was once strangely clean for a farmhand, was ragged and patchy from years of neglect, and I could see deep scars in some of the areas that her skin stood out.

Many years ago, not long after this war began, I was told that the Apple family had been killed during a BlackTech raid, yet here was one of them now, staring at me like a literal ghost.

“Hey there, Twi,” Applejack said quietly, her eyes beginning to tear up.

I stared back. “A.J.,” I whispered, he name practically a foreign word to me now, “I thought… I thought you were…” my words were cut of when Applejack suddenly wrapped her forehooves around me, and I burst into tears as I returned the embrace.

“There, there, Sugarcube,” Applejack said calmingly, practically sobbing herself, “It’s okay.”

I continued sobbing despite my best efforts to stay calm. “No, it’s not okay,” I wailed, “So you have any idea how long it’s been since I’ve seen any of the old gang? Allen was the last, and he’s…” I trailed off, once again losing my words to tears.

Applejack held me tighter. “I know things have been bad, Twilight, but we’re gonna make them okay soon enough. In your letter, you said you had a plan to end the war; what was it you had in mind?” she asked, changing the subject.

I wiped my eyes and sniffed. “Right, the plan. Have you noticed that you haven’t been able to feel your connection with your Element of Harmony since the war began?” I inquired.

My orange friend looked thoughtful for a moment. “I can’t say that I have, but now that you mention it, I have felt like something was missing in my spirit,” she explained. “Is that what you mean?”

I nodded eagerly. “Yes, that’s it!” I cried, happy that my hypothesis was correct so far. “If we’ve lost our link to the Elements of Harmony, then that can only mean one thing: new bearers have been chosen,” I explained, my voice quickening as I became more excited. “If we can retrieve the Elements and find their new destined bearers, we might be able to muster enough power to launch a final assault on BlackTech!”

Applejack nodded, grinning slightly. “Well, that sounds like a solid plan to me,” she said happily. “But it’s getting late now; how about Fluttershy and I get y’all underground, and you can rest up for the night? We’ll head out in the morning to get the Elements,” she said, and held the front door to Sugarcube Corner. “Come on, y’all; we’ll show ya what’s been going on while you were gone!”

I heard Spike gasp. “Applejack?!” he cried, and practically tackled our friend in a big dragon hug. “This day gets better and better!” he cried happily, and we all howled with laughter as Fluttershy rang the bell on the counter, and a secret trapdoor opened before us.

“Right this way,” Fluttershy said as she motioned towards the newly-revealed tunnel. “Welcome back to Ponyville, Twilight.”

A Questionable Errand [Cyrus]

“Mr. Anderson, your father will speak with you now.”

I opened my eyes at the sound of my name and glanced around in confusion, having spaced out and forgotten where I was. I was sitting in a completely black-walled, almost hospital-like waiting room, with a book turned upside-down in my lap. The voice who had said my name belonged to a young receptionist who was looking up at me expectantly. We had spoken a few times before, but not many; just casual, passing-each-other-in-the-halls kinds of chats.

“Um, yes, right,” I said awkwardly, placing the book on a nearby table and smoothing out my wrinkled coat. I always dressed well, wearing a suit and bowtie and keeping my silver hair neatly combed. Thanks to my father’s high standing in BlackTech, I was given a career as spokesman for the company. It was my job to give my superiors a good image at formal and public events, give speeches, and answer questions to keep citizens’ minds at ease.

After the fiasco at the banquet, however, I doubted my father saw me as a viable candidate for this position any longer.

“Listen,” I said softly as I approached the desk, “I was wondering if you would like to get together for dinner later tonight? If you aren’t busy, of course,” I added with a friendly smile.

A small grin tugged at the edges of her mouth. “I think I’d like that,” she replied calmly. “I get off at seven; how about I meet you outside?” she suggested.

I nodded and began to head down the hall to my father’s lab. “Perfect,” I called back, my voice suddenly falling. I may have had family in the company, but BlackTech took their public image very seriously; they may be waging a war, but they still needed the people to like them. Having the face of the company passing out drunk at a party? Not something that will cast a positive light on them.

I took a shaky breath as I pushed open the doors to my father’s lab. There were technicians at several work stations, some of them mixing chemicals, some of them running simulation experiments on computers, and some of them pretending to work, when really they were playing games on their smartphones or socializing with their coworkers. I cast a harsh look on these nonproductive workers as I passed them, and they quickly got back to whatever it was they needed to be doing at the time.

I stood straight as I approached my father, who faced away from me as he stared at a set of notes that were spread across his desk. “You…” I voice caught as I spoke, but I quickly cleared my throat. “You wanted to speak with me, father?” I asked nervously.

My father glanced over his shoulder through his thick glasses, which made his eyes look huge. “Ah, Cyrus,” he said in a withering, aged voice as he turned to face me, “so happy you could find time to visit your dear father. How have you been?” he asked, wrapping me in a warm hug.

I returned the embrace awkwardly. “Um, I have been well,” I said slowly. “But, I came here on your request; was there something you needed to speak to me about?”

My father waved a dismissive hand. “Oh, you mean the party? Bah,” he said with a slight chuckle, “Our superiors said they would leave the disciplining to me this time, but they don’t want it to happen again. I know your job can be stressful, so I’ll let you off easy on this little incident; just try not to bring any vodka to banquets in the future, eh?” he added with a friendly punch to my shoulder.

I nodded respectfully. “Thank you, father,” I added with relief. “But, if you didn’t call me in to talk about the incident at the banquet, what did you want to speak about?” My father wasn’t usually the type of man who called in just to catch up with his son.

My father sighed. “Perceptive as always, my boy,” he said with a low chuckle. “I wanted to ask for a small favor for my latest project…”

I swallowed hard. Whenever my father asked me for help on a project, bad things always followed. “What were you thinking about?” I asked with forced nonchalance.

My father sighed. “Well, I have a new serum that needs testing, but I need a female test subject in order to observe its full applications,” he explained as he led me to a nearby desk, atop which sat a vial of glowing crimson liquid. “I saw that you asked the receptionist out just before you came down here; perhaps you two could stop by the lab before you drop her off at home?” he suggested with a clever grin.

I took a step back. “Father, are you insane?” I whispered, glancing around to make sure nobody was eavesdropping, “We’re still under investigation for the last girl that went missing! Just because BlackTech gave you Carte Blanche when it comes to gathering components for your experiments, does not mean you can just abduct people and use them as lab rats!” I stared at the old man intensely for a few moments, but I backed down when he glared at me, his eye twitching slightly. “You’d think a child would be more willing to help his father,” he sighed, reaching for a small, black remote on his belt.

I held up my hands calmingly as soon as I noticed what he was doing. “No, you don’t need to do that,” I said quickly. “I’ll bring her in, just like you asked.”

My father smirked. “Excellent,” he said happily. “Of course, it would be most gentlemanly of you if you took her out on a date like you said you would, first,” he added. I nodded dutifully and turned around, briskly walking towards the exit. My father may seem like a kindly old man at times, but his temper can be rather… explosive.

~-~-~-~-~

Our date went rather well; I took the young girl, who was named Alice, to a fancy restaurant downtown. Not the same one the banquet incident had occurred, of course, which was a shame; that particular establishment had excellent veal.

“I had a wonderful time tonight, Cyrus,” she said dreamily as I led her to the limousine that was our mode of transportation for the evening.

I nodded, smiling slightly. “I enjoyed it as well, my dear,” I said, trying to keep the anxiety out of my voice. It wasn’t from talking to her; I was excellent at talking to people and maintaining decent composure. What had me so uneasy was what I needed to do next: “Listen, would you mind if we stopped by my father’s lab? There’s something I think you will be interested in,” I said hopefully.

Alice looked interested. “Ooh, I get to see inside your father’s top-secret laboratory? Are you sure I’m allowed?” she said, giggling slightly.

I nodded and gave her a clever grin. “I have unrestricted access, and so will you, as my guest,” I reassured her. Don’t do it, I told myself silently, You could just make something up; tell Father she fell ill at the restaurant, or she just wasn’t interested in seeing the lab. My fear got the best of me, however, as I pressed the intercom button that sat beside me. “Driver, take us to BlackTech Genetics,” I said clearly, and the engine revved to life as we drove for my father’s lab. With every block we passed, I could feel my unease growing more and more, until I eventually exploded when my hand fell on the doors to the lab.

“You can’t go in there!” I cried suddenly, shooing her away from what might as well have been the gates to Hell. “It… it isn’t safe… I forgot that there was an accident this morning, and only personnel wearing the proper protective gear may enter,” I explained quickly, wiping a bead of sweat from my forehead.

Alice nodded, disappointed. “I see,” she said slowly. “Well, I can understand; hazardous chemicals and whatnot. There’s a reason only the technicians are allowed inside,” she added with a giggle.

I nodded, momentary relief washing over me, until I heard the “woosh” of the doors opening behind us. “Cyrus, good to see you again!” I heard my father’s cheerful voice call from the end of the hall, “and you’ve brought a lady-friend to visit! A pleasure to meet you, miss…?” my father trailed off, casting my date a questioning glance.

“Alice,” she replied, holding out a hand that my father shook gently. “I’m actually the receptionist, but I don’t think we’ve ever actually met in person.” she added.

My father nodded. “Then, allow me to properly introduce myself,” he said with a slight bow. “I am Doctor Cyrus Anderson, head scientist here at BlackTech Genetics; I’m sure you’re well aware of all that, but it’s only good manners to tell a new acquaintance who you are,” he explained, chuckling slightly.

Alice raised an eyebrow. “‘Cyrus Anderson’? Would that make your son ‘Cyrus Junior’?” she asked, giving me a teasing glance.

I gave her an uneasy smile as my father spoke up. “Well, I suppose Cyrus brought you in for a little tour? I don’t normally allow visitors in the lab, but for a young woman as lovely as yourself, I’m sure I can make an exception…”

Alice looked confused. “Cyrus said there was some kind of accident, and it wasn’t safe to go inside,” she said slowly.

My father waved a dismissive hand. “Oh, we cleaned that up hours ago! Just a slight gas leak; nothing a couple of engineers couldn’t fix.” As he said this, he shot an angry look at me; it lasted just a moment, and then his polite demeanor returned. “Come, come; I’m sure there will be many things in here that will interest you.”

Alice gazed around the room at the many workstations and equipment that filled the room. “Well, it’s a nice change from the all-black color scheme that BlackTech seems to love so much,” she said dryly.

My father chuckled. “Yes, I will admit, the darkness gets hard on the eyes at times,” he agreed. “Now, if you would like, I could show you my latest, top-secret project,” he said mysteriously.

I cringed fearfully as Alice replied with an intrigued “Of course”. The next few moments all happened in a flash; My father jabbed a surgical syringe into Alice’s neck. She threw an instinctive swipe at my father, her nails raking his face with four neat, red lines. She collapsed on the floor, gasping for breath as she struggled to keep her eyes open.

I couldn’t move; all I could manage was a scared, apologetic look as she fell unconscious.

“Well, that could have gone better,” my father said as he wiped his bleeding face with a disinfectant wipe. Specially created by him, the scarlet lines darkened as the chemicals in the wipe mixed with his blood, coagulating his wounds instantly. “Cyrus, would you take her to the operating room and secure her? I’ll be just a moment,” he called over his shoulder.

I nodded numbly as I hooked my arms under hers, dragging her across the lab toward a door labeled “Operating Room”. Inside, I lifted her onto a table and strapped a series of leather restraints over her arms, legs, head, chest, chest and waist.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered as I stroked her sleeping face, pushing a few strands of her hair behind her ear. “I would do something if I could, but…”

Just then, the door burst open, and my father strode in, putting on a pair of surgical gloves. “Thank you, my boy. I’m afraid you cannot be in here during the procedure for contamination purposes, but you can watch from outside, if you’d like,” he suggested, pointing a finger at the large window facing us.

I nodded dutifully. “Yes, father,” I mumbled dutifully, and slowly exited the operating room.

As I sat outside, I watched as my father worked on the girl I had lured to this cruel fate; I knew she wouldn’t survive whatever this was. None of my father’s patients survived his personal experiments. “This is Doctor Cyrus Anderson, performing my first test of the Pandora Serum,” he spoke aloud into a camera that he had aimed at his workspace, documenting the procedure. He began by shaving a section of her head, exposing her scalp, and then used a drill to secure a small, black box to the side of her head. “Primary implant has been secured; now I start the injections,” he reported, pressing a button on a nearby console. The bed turned upright, so Alice looked like she was standing straight up. A flat, metal panel rose from the floor in front of her, covered with several robotic arms. Each arm held a large, metal syringe, filled with a thick, red liquid, almost like blood, but darker red and glowing slightly. I had to turn away to avoid vomiting as the arms extended, injecting whatever concoction my father had made into her veins.

“The serum has been applied to the body,” my father reported. “For the fastest, and most full effects, some injections are applied to the bloodstream, while others are applied to the bone marrow centers,” he explained.

I stared in horror as Alice’s sleeping face twitched slightly, and her skin seemed to be… moving. Rippling, almost, as if it were water. Just then, her eyes snapped open, and she let out a pained scream as her right arm began to spasm violently, her skin changing to a dark-red, almost leathery texture. The muscles in her arm expanded, and her fingernails fell loose as her bones protruded from her fingertips like claws. The right side of her face was changing as well; her mouth was extending, and her teeth had fallen out, becoming replaced with a set of razor-sharp canines. Her eye was a sickly yellow, and her pupil had narrowed, almost like a cat’s. She thrashed around and screamed as these changes took place, her cries garbled and distorted as she struggled to break free from the restraints. The heart monitor was going wild, reading 240 beats per minute, and my father simply watched her pain observantly, as if taking note of the events as they occurred.

At this point, I decided I had seen enough. I rushed to the door and tugged at the handle, finding my father had locked the door. “Father, stop this!” I begged, pounding my fist on the window. Alice jerked her neck, and her eyes narrowed angrily as they fell on me, and the already-spastic heart monitor rose about a hundred beats per minute before overloading and shutting down. I saw her flex her shoulders and push against the bed, and the restraints snapped as she leaped at the window, smashing it with her mutated arm. She let out an enraged screech as she began to sprint at me, and I quickly jumped to the side as she swiped her claws, barely missing my chest. She pursued me as I climbed over desks and chairs, growling and screeching like some kind of animal.

Eventually, I found myself backed into a corner with Alice stalking towards me, like a predator preparing to finish off its prey.

“Alice,” I said, trying to keep my voice calming, “if you’re in there, I’m sorry. Just settle down, and I can help you.”

Alice snarled, and launched herself at me. I held my arms in front of my face fearfully, and heard a loud “bang” just when I thought the poor girl would be all over me. I peered through my arms and saw Alice lying on the floor, her limbs sprawled out and unmoving. She was breath came in short, rapid gasps, and her eyes stared straight ahead. I walked over slowly, and gagged when I saw what had happened: the implant my father had attached to her head had detonated, destroying a large portion of her head and brain. I quickly recomposed myself, and knelt next to her. Her eyes snapped over to me, full of anger, pain, and confusion.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered as I stroked her hair comfortingly, and her breathing began to slow. “I’m so sorry.” She continued to stare at me, her breathing becoming shallower as her eyelids began to droop. When they finally closed, she let out one final sigh, and fell still forever.

“Well, that could have gone a little more smoothly,” I heard my father say nonchalantly from behind me. I turned slowly as he went on. “It would appear the serum still needs some work done, and I may have to run some tests on our subjects to see if they are mentally stable enough to have it administered.”

I stared at my father disbelievingly. “You knew this could happen?” I asked, anger rising in my voice.

My father shrugged. “It was a possibility,” he replied. “But what’s done is done; bring her body back into the operating room, and I can give her a closer examination to find how well the serum worked,” he commanded, turning around and strolling away.

I stared after him, unblinking. “No,” I said defiantly.

My father looked back over his shoulder, a confused smile stretching his lips. “What?” he inquired, sounding amused.

“You already mutated and murdered her; I’m not going to let you dissect her just so you can see how well your little pet project went,” I snapped. My bravery was short lived, however, as my father quickly strode over to me and placed an arm over my shoulder. This wasn’t a comforting embrace, however; I felt his fingers trace the back of my neck, falling on a hard object embedded in my skin just below my brain stem. He held up the black remote he kept at his belt, his thumb resting gently on the single button on its surface.

“You may want to reconsider this sudden outburst, my boy,” he said coldly. “You may be my own flesh and blood, but do not forget that you are replaceable.”

I stared at his cold, angry eyes for several moments. “Please, father,” I pleaded quietly, “let me clear my conscience.”

My father stared back, his gaze softening only slightly. “Very well,” he said finally, removing his arm and reattaching the remote to his belt, “You may take her body to the incinerator and have a little funeral.” Saying this, he looked down at the still body that lay beside me. “I will admit, I do feel bad for you; she was quite pretty,” he said simply, and walked away, leaving me alone in the sterile lab with my date.

Preparing For Battle [Gentle Blade]

I rubbed my eyes tiredly as I sat up in bed. It had been nearly a week since I had first met Wayne out in the forest, and nearly a week since I had first joined the Resistance. It took some getting used to a new living space, but I managed; it was nice being able to fall asleep at night without worrying about waking up in a cardboard box or behind a dumpster.

“Hey, Gentle Blade!” I looked up to see Tess poking her head through the doorway to the bunk room I was sleeping in. “Good to see you’re finally awake!”

I yawned and stretched my forelegs out in front of me, sighing happily as my spine “popped” a couple of times. “Morning, Tess,” I replied cheerfully. “What’s up?”

Tess motioned for me to follow her. “We’ve got another mission all set up; we’re taking down a BlackTech labor factory,” she explained as I reluctantly leaped from the cushiony mattress and followed her into the hallway. “They’ve been weakened by a breakout a few days ago, and now we’re going to finish the job!”

I looked up at the peppy human fearfully. “You mean, we’re actually going to fight BlackTech? What happened to guerilla tactics? You know, stealing info, sabotaging equipment?” I asked quickly.

Tess nodded. “That’s our usual strategy, yeah,” she said nonchalantly, “but Drayke has a good feeling about this place; they’re already in bad shape, and they’re distracted by repairs and capture squads searching for the escaped prisoners. This might be our only chance to take out an important BlackTech facility!” she said excitedly.

I nodded slowly. “Well, I can see your point,” I agreed, “but it just isn’t what I was expecting when I signed up for this…”

I heard a derisive laugh behind me, and looked over my shoulder to see that Wayne had been trailing us for some time. “Another reason I work alone,” he said smugly. “you always know what’s going on. A big operation like this? Too many people; some of the little guys aren’t going to know when the rain’s coming, while the boss is sitting under his umbrella.”

I raised a curious eyebrow; Wayne may have seemed like a jerk at times, but I couldn’t deny that he had a point.

Tess turned around and crossed her arms. “Well, you’d better pack your umbrella, pal,” she said, giving Wayne a friendly pat on his shoulder, “because the forecast is calling for some heavy showers.”

Wayne stared back at her through his glasses. “I can live without one,” he replied cooly. “I just like to know if the occasion would call for one.” With that, he continued to walk down the hall. As he passed, I could just barely see his dark-brown, almost black irises staring at me through the little space between his lenses and his face. It was the first time I had seen the boy’s eyes, and even though it was just for a second, I saw something that scared the living daylights out of me.

He walked tough, talked smart, and thought fast, but those eyes betrayed the elaborate cover he had put over himself; maybe he was just acting, or maybe he had just worked it into his head that he really was some kind of slick, unstoppable survivor, but in that moment, I saw Wayne Douglas for what he truly was.

“Gentle Blade, are you okay?” I shook my head quickly, snapping myself from my deep thoughts. Tess was looking at me with a look of concern. “You spaced out for a moment there; is something wrong?”

I gave her a false smile. “Yeah, everything is fine!” I said sunnily. “Just spaced out for a moment there.”

Tess nodded, smiling back. “Well, how about we head to the training room?” she suggested, motioning for me to follow her. “Rumor has it you know how to handle a sword pretty well…”

~-~-~-~-~

“Well, those rumors weren’t false,” Tess said breathlessly as I pointed the tip of an arming sword at her nose. I tossed the blade aside and helped her up. “You completely destroyed me.”

“Hey, don’t beat yourself up about it,” I said with a laugh, “you held your ground pretty well for a while. Best seven out of thirteen?” I asked teasingly.

Tess held up her hands and shook her head. “No, I’ve had enough of getting my butt kicked for today,” she said with a giggle. “So, where are you from?” she asked nonchalantly.

I shrugged as Tess sat down beside me. “Here and there,” I replied. “My hometown was razed by BlackTech long ago. Since then I’ve just been wandering from place to place, searching for a new home.”

Tess nodded slowly. “Do you think you’ve found one?” she said hopefully.

I smiled at the human girl. “I think so,” I replied. “What about you and Joseph? What brought you two here?”

Tess shrugged. “There isn’t much to tell. Our parents were BlackTech supporters, and we weren’t. They treated us like garbage because we thought what BlackTech was doing was wrong, so one day Joseph told me to pack our bags, and we left.

The only thing he had to go on was rumors of a group of fighters trying to unite human and pony societies,” she continued. “We wandered the forests of Equestria for weeks searching for leads, and just when all hope seemed lost, we happened across this old place,” she said, gesturing to the room around us. “Drayke kept the original, run-down fortress standing so nobody would think to check it for secret entrances or anything.”

I nodded slowly. “So that just leaves Wayne,” I said quietly.

Tess shrugged. “He’s been on his own for some time, that’s all I’ve picked up,” she explained.

I looked over at Tess. “I saw something earlier,” I said in a low voice. “When he walked past me, I got a glimpse of his eyes. He’s been hurt real bad, and that pain just gets worse and worse as the days go by,” I explained fearfully. “It’s more than just pain, though, I can tell; it’s… regret.”

Tess stared ahead thoughtfully. “He’s a hard nut to crack,” she said slowly, “but I’m sure we’ll get to him eventually. It’s just going to take some time, but I can tell that behind that lone wolf act - no matter how much he denies it - all he really wants is some people to call his friends.”

I nodded uncertainly. “Maybe,” I said slowly.

Tess stared at me as I looked at the ground for a long time. “Is that ‘seven out of thirteen’ offer still on the table?” she offered comfortingly.

I glanced over at her and smiled. “Sure,” I said with a laugh, and grabbed the handle of my sword with my mouth as Tess took a defensive stance. “You want me to go easy on you?” I asked teasingly.

Tess shrugged. “Not like it’s going to matter,” she pointed out, and we charged at each other.

~-~-~-~-~

“...So, all we have to do is rig some charges on the primary support pillars, and the whole building will collapse,” Drayke explained, pointing to a set of blueprints he had projected on the screen in the meeting room. A bunch of Resistance members surrounded me, listening to their leader’s plan. Among them were Tess and Joseph, who sat by my side, and Wayne, who was leaning against a wall in the back of the room. “This is our biggest mission yet, and as a result we’ll need as many soldiers as we can afford to spare. So, I’m taking a squad of twenty-five of us, including myself, to blow up the manufacturing plant.”

Drayke proceeded to hand-pick the attack squad one by one, his eyes scanning the group for excellent candidates. He eventually picked me, Joseph, Tess, and Wayne. “You four have spirit, and seem to get along with each other pretty well,” he explained when I asked why we, a bunch of trainees, had been picked. “I would rather have a group that can work well with what they have than a group of knuckleheads that will make this a contest and get in the way of the plan.”

I nodded. “I understand,” I said respectfully. “Is there anything I should be aware of before we leave tomorrow?”

Drayke shook his head. “Not that I can think of,” he said certainly. “I will say this, though; you don’t have to go on this mission if you don’t want to. Being out in the open with me can be kinda dangerous, because I am a very high-value target for BlackTech. If they kill me or capture me, anybody travelling with me is going to face the same fate.”

I shrugged. “I’ll do what I can to help,” I replied confidently. “BlackTech destroyed my home, and I’m more than happy to risk my own safety to help pay them in kind for what they’ve done.”

Drayke smirked. “That’s the kind of attitude I like to see,” he said, impressed. “You should go talk with your friends; come up with a strategy and what your individual roles will be.”

I smiled and began to head towards my bunk room. “I’m sure we’ll figure something out,” I called behind me.

~-~-~-~-~

“Look, I’m the best shot out of all of us; I’ll hang back and provide covering fire for the rest of you!”

“Joseph, we just explained in training a week ago that when you hang back, you focus too much on whoever you’re watching! Somebody will have to stay back and cover you.”

“Why not Wayne? He’s pretty resourceful, and I’m sure he’d have no trouble watching your back.”

“Pass. Sitting around watching a guy stare through a scope isn’t my idea of a good time. No offense, Joseph.”

“Well, why don’t we all go in together?”

The four of us looked up to see Rainbow Dash, who had just entered our bunk room. “We don’t have to worry about who’s watching out for who if we all watch out for each other,” she pointed out, taking a seat next to Joseph.

Joseph thought about this for a moment. “She’s got a point,” he admitted. “Besides, once we’re inside, we won’t have much need for a sniper; better to have everyone sticking together.”

I nodded. “So, it’s all settled, then; we fight together.”

Dash gave Joseph a friendly nudge with her shoulder. “Looks like I was right about you charging in with me after all, huh?” she said smugly.

Joseph rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah,” he said, sounding slightly annoyed. “Let’s do an equipment check. I’ll be taking one of the BlackTech Stinger rifles we have in storage.” The “Stinger”, I had learned, was a semi-automatic assault rifle that BlackTech soldiers were primarily equipped with. It was gas-powered and battery operated, and fired long, slender needles that could punch through armor and pierce bone.

Wayne cleared his throat. “I’ll stick with my rifle and the Smith that Drayke gave me,” he said nonchalantly.

Tess spoke up next to him. “I’ll need a rocket launcher, some grenades, a couple of katanas, and a pair of Uzis,” she reported confidently, and Joseph gave her an incredulous look.

“How about you just take the Uzis, a knife, and one grenade?” he suggested.

Tess sighed. “Okay,” she mumbled. “I never get to have any fun…”

Dash was next. “I’ve been working on a couple of improvised weapons of my own,” she said proudly. “Steel-toed, edged horseshoes, as well as some bladed wing sheaths. I’ve just gotta get up close, and any BlackTech goons that I see get diced,” she explained excitedly.

I nodded. “I’ll just take a pair of arming swords,” I said simply. “That’s all I can really use, anyways.”

Tess gave me a sympathetic look. “And you can use them better than anyone I’ve seen, human or pony,” she said kindly. “We’re gonna kick ass tomorrow!”

Joseph glanced over at Wayne. “You get to have your first bit of revenge tomorrow,” he said with a slight chuckle. “Aren’t you going to show at least a little emotion?”

Wayne looked at him, his bandana and glasses keeping up their job of hiding his face and emotions. “I don’t have my revenge until BlackTech Tower lies in a pile of smoking rubble,” he said angrily. “But, I’ll admit this is a nice way to get started,” he added with a hint of dangerous glee.

Joseph grinned and turned back to the group as he stood up. “Alright, get in some extra training if you can, but don’t work yourselves too hard,” he said in a leader-like tone. “We’ve got a factory to blow up tomorrow, and nobody wants to be half-asleep when that happens.”

Failed Effort [Wayne]

"Today is the big day," Drayke said proudly in the mission briefing room. "Tonight, we leave to attack the BlackTech labor factory and destroy it. With this factory gone, BlackTech will have one less location they can collect supplies and resources from. The place is more than likely heavily guarded, so bring your best with you; there's no telling how many of us are going to make it back."

A awkward hush fell over the group. "You might wanna end this speech on a more positive note, Drayke!" Rainbow Dash called from the back of the room.

Drayke gave her a helpless look. "You know I've never been great at giving speeches!" he pointed out, and Dash marched up to the front of the room.

"Sit down, bud, and I'll show you how it's done," she said smugly. Drayke sat down in one of the chairs as the cyan pegasus took a deep breath.

"This is our biggest mission yet," she said clearly. "If we make it through this, then this will be the biggest blow we've ever dealt to BlackTech. Is there a lot of risk involved? Sure. Are there going to be a lot more soldiers than we're used to taking on at one time? Definitely. Are we hilariously outgunned? You've got it. But, there's one thing we have that those soldiers will never have in a million years," she said, her voice brightening, "and that's friendship. I'm not only standing before some of the best fighters that the Resistance has to offer, but I'm also standing before some of the best friends I could ask for. We will win tonight, and when we do, we're gonna come back here and celebrate like there's no tomorrow!" she cried triumphantly, and an excited cheer shook the whole room.

I clapped my hands and cracked a grin behind my mask as I rose to my feet. "Fireteam Cyan, suit up!" Rainbow Dash called as she rushed off to the armory, and Joseph, Tess, Gentle Blade, and I followed suit. When we reached the armory, I put a bulletproof vest on underneath my jacket, and strapped a pair of sheathed machetes to my waist. I watched as the others got into their own combat gear; Joseph and Tess wore black, leather jumpsuits, and Dash wore the armored horseshoes and wing-guards she spoke of the previous evening. Gentle Blade had a sword fastened to each of her forelegs, where she could quickly pull one out whenever she needed a weapon.

"Well, are you guys ready to go?" Rainbow Dash asked expectantly as she waited by the door.

Joseph toted his sniper rifle over his shoulder. "You know it, Dash," he said confidently.

Tess whirled her submachine guns around her fingers like a western action star and placed them into a pair of holsters on her back. "Ready as we'll ever be!" she cried cheerfully.

Gentle Blade nodded bravely. "Let's go," she said dutifully.

The group turned to face me as I stood nonchalantly at the back of the group. "Let's kill some people," I said darkly, and the others gave me an awkward look. "What? Too much?" I inquired. "Oh, fine... Let's kick some ass?" I suggested.

The group found this acceptable, and they all cheered as we rushed out into the hallway. On our way out of the base, we came across Drayke and Cadence, who were talking rather quietly.

"Just promise me you'll be safe, okay?" she asked worriedly. "I wish you'd let me come with on this mission..."

Drayke gave her a tight hug. "Cadey, you need to stay here and keep things running, just in case something goes wrong. You know nothing is going to happen to me, but it's always better to be safe than sorry," he explained.

Cadence nodded. "Be safe out there," she said lovingly. "You wouldn't want to leave the love of your life here all alone, would you?"

Drayke smirked. "Cadence, you're more than the love of my life," he said kindly, giving her a kiss on her forehead as he stood up and walked over to join us, "you're my best friend. Alright, you five, are you ready to go?" he asked confidently, and we all nodded vigorously in unison. "Alright then; let's blow up a building!" he said, and rushed out of the base, a shotgun and a sword strapped to his back as he led us and the other fireteams toward the labor factory.

~-~-~-~-~

We all stood at the edge of the treeline, crouched low and peering through bushes and branches as moonlight filtered through the foliage above us. I scanned the wide-open plain that lay ahead of us for possible threats; I didn’t like this at all.

“This isn’t good,” I murmured to my team, “there’s too much space. I can tell they’ve set up some kind of ambush or something.”

Joseph nodded. “I get that feeling, too,” he replied, “but I don’t think Drayke is feeling like turning back now.”

I heard rustling beside me. “You’re damn right,” Drayke said confidently, and began to march into the clearing. The other assault members all looked amongst themselves uncertainly, and quickly followed behind their leader. I stayed with them, keeping to the edge of the group so I could maintain a good view of our surroundings. It looked like BlackTech had cleared away a section of the woods in order to build this factory; there was subtle differences in the shade and texture of the grass beneath our feet, which told me some of it had been artificially planted to cover the loose soil brought up from uprooted trees.

I kept my gaze shifting, never focusing on anything for longer than a few seconds. The grass, the treeline, the factory, the sky above us; nothing was safe. An threat could come from anywhere, even from…

“STOP!” I hissed loudly, and the whole group froze. “They’ve got bombs and tripwires all over this damn field; we’ve walked right into a minefield,” I growled.

One of the more ballsy soldiers that stood next to me looked around. “I don’t see anything,” he said dismissively, and lifted his foot into the air to take a step.

I grabbed him by the neck and aimed my rifle at his face. “Put your foot down, and we all die,” I said in a deadly voice. “Fucking do it; I dare you.”

The soldier quickly returned his foot to its former position. “Alright, then. Drayke?” I called as quietly as I could manage, “What do we do?”

Drayke scanned the field. “Are you sure this place is full of mines?” he asked uncertainly.

I nodded. “There’s one about a foot in front of you,” I said, pointing my rifle at a patch of grass in front of him; it was just barely noticable, but the grass was slightly longer in that exact spot than the rest of the field. “Just watch the grass carefully, and you can guide us through,” I explained.

Drayke nodded and took a cautious step around the patch, avoiding it like… well, like it was a high-powered explosive device that would vaporize him if he stepped on it. The rest of the group followed single-file, making sure to step exactly where their leader did.

Everything was going so well, until somebody had to go and ruin it.

I heard a loud noise from somewhere in the middle of the line; some idiot had sneezed. They stumbled and fell over, a look of horror on their face as the patch of grass they landed on glowed a bright red.

“Oh, no,” he said simply, and the energy mine he landed on detonated, vaporizing his bodily form in an instant. Just then, there was a loud blaring noise, and a pair of spotlights on top of the factory turned and shined right on our group.

“SCATTER!” Somebody screamed, and half of the group ran in different directions, many of them meeting their fate by stepping on the hidden mines. Drayke stayed still and looked around, clearly aware that running wouldn’t help anyone. Joseph, Tess, Dash, Gentle Blade, and a handful of others followed his example, their legs staying completely still as our foolhardy companions were disintegrated.

Finally, after the blaring and the explosions stopped, we heard a battle cry from the factory, and a group of BlackTech soldiers rushed to meet us. I smiled under my mask and grabbed my rifle from my back, taking aim at one soldier’s head. Gentle blade unsheathed one of her swords, and Tess and Joseph held their own guns at the ready.

“Tess, now would be a good time for that grenade,” I heard Joseph say in a low voice, and Tess wasted no time in throwing the grenade her brother had given her back at the base like an expert pitcher. The resulting explosion took out four or five of the soldiers, leaving just enough for each of us to fight one-on-one. I charged at one of them, firing off a few rounds that bounced off his armored exoskeleton, and quickly rolled past as he swung a fist at my face. I flipped my rifle around and slammed the butt into the back of his head, but his helmet reduced my attack to a mere annoyance.

“Alright, screw this,” I growled, pulling a machete from my belt. “Come and get some,” I said daringly.

The soldier stared at me through his visor for a moment, then whipped his forearm, causing a long blade to fold out of his armor.

“Of course,” I sighed, and swung as the armored grunt held his blade horizontally to block. I quickly parried a strike of his own, before retaliating with a slash for his stomach. He leaped back, avoiding my blade by inches, and thrust his forearm outward. I screamed as the blade stabbed into my abdomen, thankfully missing any vital organs, and slid back out with a nauseating shliiiiiick. I saw the soldier’s blade in the spotlight, painted a dark red.

I looked up at him, a sudden overload of angry adrenaline making me forget my pain. “Now you’re dead,” I growled as I took of my bandana and sunglasses and threw them to the ground. I flipped my machete around so the handle was pointed upwards and threw it, the blade whirling through the air until it struck the soldier’s chestplate tip-first. It didn’t cause any wounds, but the piece sparked violently as the soldier suddenly fell, his suit no longer supporting its own weight. I stalked over to my fallen enemy, aimed my rifle at his head, and fired.

“Wayne! Are you alright?” I heard Gentle Blade cry. I turned to see the others had successfully subdued their attackers, and were now running to check on me. I quickly retrieved my discarded disguise and put it on.

“I’m fine,” I said calmly, trying to direct their attention away from the hole in my gut. “I think this rodeo has just started, though.”

The others looked around, suddenly realizing that we were completely surrounded. “Ah, shit,” Drayke said aloud, dropping his gun and placing his hands behind his head. The rest of us followed suit, but a confident voice spoke from the crowd of soldiers.

“Drayke, there will be no need for that,” a british accent said kindly. I looked to see a tall man striding towards us, a long, black jacket stretching down to his ankles. His hair was cut flat, military-style, and his chin was covered in a light stubble. He had a pleasant look in his eyes, as if he were greeting an old friend. “My name is Victor Lars; I’ve been hired by BlackTech to eliminate you,” he explained.

Drayke smirked. “Didn’t they tell you what happened to the last guy they sent to kill me?” he inquired smugly, “I’m pretty sure they’re still cleaning his ass out of the train tracks outside New Phoenix.”

Victor grinned. “I’m a bit of a specialist,” he said slowly, “and you won’t find any train tracks around here. I’ll tell you what,” he said, sounding as if he had an idea, “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you, and it would be a shame if I were to just kill you here and now. So, I’ll make you a deal: beat me in a fair fight, and I will let you and your friends go. Lose, and you die, and we take your friends as prisoners.”

Drayke glanced at the rest of us. “Not like I have much choice,” he said slowly. “What’s the weapon of choice?”

Victor grinned and held his fists like boxing gloves. “Melee,” he said simply.

Drayke nodded, taking a defensive stance. “Alright,” he said, rolling his shoulders and neck, “Let’s do this.” He ran at the mercenary, his fist pulled back for a punch. The blow was met with a raised palm, and Drayke widened his eyes as Victor yawned mockingly.

“You’ll have to try harder if you want to defeat me,” he said teasingly, and threw Drayke to the ground. Drayke leaped to his feet and jumped back, getting some distance between him and his opponent. He ran in again, this time faking a right blow and swinging with his left. Victor simply ducked under his arm and knocked out his legs with a swift kick. “Keep trying,” he said smugly, “You’ll get it eventually.”

Drayke rolled his eyes as he stood up and unsheathed a sword from his back. “You did say melee, right?” he asked cleverly as he held the blade in front of him.

The soldiers steadied their guns, but Victor held up a cautionary hand. “Everything is fine, boys,” he said reassuringly, and reached into his coat. “I can handle this punk.” With that, he pulled a pair of combat knives from his thigh and charged, swinging at Drayke with the blades held downward. Drayke quickly dodged these strikes and swung with his sword, but Victor was ready; he dropped one knife, spinned to dodge the swing, pressed it down with his remaining blade, and threw a powerful punch at Drayke’s chest that knocked him backwards.

“Drayke!” Joseph yelled, rushing to aid his leader, but a pair of armored soldiers rushed from the crowd to restrain him. The rest of us tried to help, but we met similar fates as more of the soldiers broke off to hold us back.

Drayke struggled to get to his feet, but Victor kicked him in the side, knocking him down once again. “I never lose, Drayke,” he said confidently. “I’m a supersoldier! I have the strength to match at least five of you. I’m stronger, faster, and more skilled than you ever will be.”

As Drayke rolled over onto his back, Victor planted a boot on his chest and pulled a revolver from a vest he wore under his coat. “Any last words?” he said with false kindness as he aimed the revolver at Drayke's face and pulled back the hammer.

Drayke widened his eyes for a moment, before relaxing his gaze. He turned his head to look at me and the others. “Sorry, guys,” he said in a pained voice. “Tell Cadence I love her.”

Joseph struggled to break from his captors. “Drayke, NO!” he screamed, but one of the grunts holding him jabbed him just below his chest, knocking the wind out of him.

Drayke looked back to Victor, a smug smirk on his face. “As for you,” he said slowly, “all I can think of is a saying an old friend of mine was fond of: something along the lines of ‘fuck you’ comes to mind.”

Victor’s eye twitched angrily, and he pulled the trigger.

~-~-~-~-~

“Alright, let’s move out,” Victor said after a few moments. Tess, Rainbow Dash, Gentle Blade, and the handful of others that were still with us had gone ballistic and tried to break free, but the soldiers quickly subdued them. I was too weak to fight, though; my adrenaline was gone now, and I was starting to feel the effects of my wound. I suddenly fell to my knees as my vision blurred.

“Mr. Lars, this kid is wounded; what should we do?” one of my captors asked as they dragged me to the man who had murdered Drayke.

Victor shrugged. “He isn’t my problem,” he said uncaringly. “I’d say fix him up, though; he looks strong, and you could probably use him in the factory. Take them inside,” he called, waving a hand toward the factory. “Get them suited up for work, and call me a helicopter; I need to have a word with my employer now that my job is done.”

As they dragged us away, I saw Joseph suddenly break away from his captors and grab Victor by the collar of his jacket. “I’m going to fucking kill you,” he growled as the armored men tackled him, “Mark my words! My face is going to be the last thing you see!”

Victor chuckled. “Cute,” he said, patting Joseph on the head. “Move out,” he barked, and the soldiers began to march us toward the factory.

I couldn’t believe it; even with Drayke’s leadership and all of our training, we were still beaten. Drayke was barely able to put up a fight against Victor, and the rest of us were taken down with ease.

“This is why I go it alone,” I mumbled, before passing out from blood loss.

TO BE CONTINUED...