*BANG*

A trail of smoke slowly seeps out of the barrel of my gun. My ears ring from the sudden silence following the gunshot. I had acted without thinking. The creature that brought me here, Discord, just laughed at the small hole slowly closing on his chest.

"Nice try, Josh, I must commend you on your excellent reflexes!" Discord says with an amused smirk. "Truly remarkable, though it does show your true nature."

"My true nature?" I mumble to myself, though Discord seems to hear me.

"Ah, I see you have yet to tell them one of your biggest secrets, even sweet little Amber." Discord disappears, then reappears behind Amber. "How could you lie to her?"

"Get away from her! I have no idea what you're talking about!" I yell as I point my gun back at Discord, though I know that bullets will do nothing to this freak of nature. What does he mean secret? I've told all of these ponies and Amber everything about myself! Wait, he doesn't mean that time when I... Oh no. No no no no they can't know about that!

"Oh Josh, I've been watching you for a while now, ever since I created the walker virus..."

"You son of a bitch!" I yell, firing another shot at Discord out of anger. "Do you know how many innocent people you killed!?"

"Oh you would know about killing..." Discord says with an evil laugh.

"Josh, what is he talking about?" Rainbow asks with a worried look on her face. I can't let her find out what I did... They'd all hate me if they found out.

"Allow me to show you myself!" Discord says, while somehow pulling a projector and screen out of nowhere. A real god of chaos... this is way too much for me.

The light in the room starts to fade despite the windows being opened in the middle of the day. The screen flickers to life as an image of myself appears, covered in dirt and blood. In front of me is a ragged looking man with a large blade, an angry look on his face. His arm is wrapped around Ed's neck, blade inches from his throat.

I remember this now... Ed and I went alone on a supply run at a supermarket near the warehouse. A crazy man tried to use Ed as a way to get our supplies. I wasn't going to let it happen. The figure of me on the screen pulled out a gun in the blink of an eye, which is followed by a loud bang and a large flash of light. When the screen pans back to Ed, the man that was holding him hostage is dead on the floor in a pool of his own blood.

"You... killed someone? A living person!? That wasn't a walker!" Amber yells at me with a disgusted look.

"He was going to kill Ed! I had to kill him!" I yell at everyone in the room. "I wasn't going to let that happen! It was him or us!"

"Yes Josh... you are a killer at heart, you always have been and you always will be..." Discord says through an evil smirk.

"I am not a killer! I defended a friend in need! Why would I just shoot someone?" I yell, anger rising in my voice.

"Well you DID shoot me in the chest twice."

"After what you did to me, who wouldn't you fucking asshole!"

"Such vulgar language, did my creations really do this to you?"

"Your creations destroyed the entire planet!"

"No no, they didn't destroy the planet. You can clearly see that by looking around you. No, they simply destroyed the scum that was the human race. Once all of the walkers decayed, I made my move. With the world clear of all that filth, I was able to shape it after my own will. Ever wonder why the weather no longer controls itself? That was me! Ever wonder why Celestia must raise the sun instead of the earth orbiting around it? That was me too!" Ever wonder how a mountain formed in what you used to called Florida? Me!"

"You'll pay for what you've done you fucker!"

"How about we make a wager... You play a little game with me. If you win, I will leave you to live here peacefully and you will never hear from me again."

"Let's say I take you up on this... wager. What happens if I lose?"

"... I release the walker virus on Equestria." Discord's already evil smile grows even bigger.

"And If I don't accept?"

"I'll send Amber back to Miami..."

My heart stops beating in my chest as I'm taken back in shock. Would he really just do that to Amber? Sending her back would be like killing her! I don't have a choice! I have to play his little game.

"Josh... I do not know you well, but I hope you will make the right decision here." Celestia says with a stern tone.

"As do I." Luna expresses with the same tone.

"Alright you son of a bitch..." I reach out my hand, which he leans in to accept. "You've got a deal."

As soon as our hands meet, the entire room flashes into a bright white light. Wind rushes around me at extreme speeds, and I cannot see or hear anything other than the light and rushing wind. Slowly, the light fades and I can see where I am. A putrid, yet familiar smells hits me like a bullet as I slowly open my eyes. I know that smell, I smelled it constantly for six months... Walkers.

However, when I look around, It's not walkers that I see. Instead I see hundreds of confused looking ponies, all behind a giant circular fence that surrounds me in a full circle. I spot Rainbow and the others tied down to their seats. I then realize that every other pony is tied down as well.

"Welcome... to the arena!" I hear Discord's voice yell over what sounds like a mega speaker. I look up, near the top of the arena is a box like where the emperor would sit in the Roman Colosseum. Discord sits on a throne, looking down at me in the arena.

"What did you do!?" I yell up at him. "Who are all of these ponies!?"

"Why I simply brought you to the game board dear Josh! And as for the audience, these are the residents of Ponyville and Canterlot. They are here to remind you what is at stake should you lose."

"What kind of game would have me in an arena!? I'm not your pawn!"

"This? Why this is a game of humanity!"

"How do I win a game like that!?"

"Allow me to explain the rules. This is a test of human nature. If you can prove to me that humans are strong, good creatures, then you win! However, should you be morally impure, the entirety of Equestria will meet the same fate as your beloved Miami. You will have to make choices that may hurt those close to you, and you may have to make sacrifices to win."

"Is that it? Bring it on then!"

"Allow me to finish... The game will take place in two different tests. A test of strength, mental and physical, and a test of emotion. Let the first game... Begin!"

As soon as the last word leaves Discord's mouth, the ground starts to shake violently. Slowly, out of the ground, rises ten different cages, each with five walkers in them. That explains the smell I suppose.

"The first round will test human strength both mentally and physically in a game of survival. You must kill EVERYTHING in the arena. To even to odds, I shall allow you to have one weapon from any time period."

Alright, so what would be the best weapon to use against fifty walkers that will allow me to walk away still in one piece. If I use a gun, I could easily run out of ammo and be left without a weapon. However, if I use a blade or a blunt weapon, I could easily be surrounded. I need to make a choice now, I just hope that I won't regret my decision.

"I want an M4!" I yell as I picture the rifle in my mind. I always loved the thought of just tearing down an entire horde of walker with a rifle like that. In the blink of an eye, a weight falls into my hands unexpectedly. I adjust to the weight, and take aim at the cages in front of me. I've never fired a gun this heavy. I know how to use it thanks to my uncle who was in the military, but the recoil may be a bit much for me if I use it in full-auto mode.

A loud siren goes off, and the entire crowd starts cheering, hopefully in my favor. I look over at Rainbow how is just watching, trying desperately to break out of her restraints. When she makes eye contact with me, she stops suddenly, and a sparkle of light bounces back at me from her eye. I assume it's a tear forming in her eye. I can't think about that now, I have a job to do.

The doors on the cages fly open, and the walkers all fall out, and immediately start running at me. These were nothing like normal walkers, they were actually running and screaming like living people!

The first walker gets about ten feet away from me before I pull the trigger for the first time. The recoil jars my shoulder back hard, but the bullet hits exactly where I aimed. The bullet flies right into the walkers head, which immediately explodes in a red mist. A satisfied smile spreads across my face, but quickly vanishes when I see the other walkers running at me.

I pull down hard on the trigger, and two more walkers fall. If I'm going to kill them all before running out of ammo, I'll need to get collateral kills, which will be pretty difficult.

I run around the arena, just barely staying out of reach of the walkers that stick close to me. I run straight at a wall, and I shit you not, I jump on the wall, and do a half spin after jumping off. While in the air, I fire three more shots and take down five more walkers. There's no way I could do that if I wasn't pumped up on adrenaline.

Eventually, when I try to pull the trigger, all I hear is a disappointing click. Two walkers remain, and I'm out of ammo. I rush the walkers, making sure to stay out of their reach. I approach the first one, and bring the gun around with a heavy swing. The gun makes contact with the walker's skull, which makes a sickening cracking sound.

The second walker, which had gotten behind me, grabs me by the shoulder. It's mouth hangs open just inches away from my throat. I have to pull away with all of my remaining strength, which is mostly gone. I push away with the rest of the energy in me, and the walkers left arm comes off with a disgusting ripping sound. I rip the arm off my shoulder as I gag in disgust.

Out, of energy, I have to watch as the walker stumbles towards me at an alarmingly quick pace. Out of nowhere, a blur tackles the walker, just as it was about to reach out at me. I look to my right to see Rainbow of the ground, beating the absolute shit out of the walker. Blood covers her front legs as she pummels the walker's brain to mush. It almost makes me throw up in disgust. I look up at her seat and seat and see that the bindings were suddenly gone. They hadn't been broken, they just disappeared completely. Did Discord let her out?

"Looks like I won this round huh?" I yell up at Discord with a cocky smile. It surprises me when he retorts with an amused laugh.

"Oh no no no Josh. You have yet to win. I said you must kill everything in the arena, and that means EVERYTHING!"

I slowly turn my head towards Rainbow, who gives me a horrified look.

"WHAT!?" I yell in absolute anger, my strength starting to come back to me.

"Hahaha... Kill her!" Discord yells with amusement. A small podium rises between Rainbow and I. On the podium is my revolver. I can see a single bullet in the cylinder. He wants me to shoot my girlfriend? No way in hell will I let that happen.

I run over the gun and pick up with shaking hands. If I shoot Rainbow, I win the test of strength. However, If I don't shoot her, I lose and Equestria will fall. Either way... Rainbow is fucked.

An idea comes to mind that might satisfy Discord once in for all. He said I would have to make sacrifices, and it looks like that's what I'm going to do.

Rainbow looks at me in horror and screams when I quickly raise the gun to my own head.

"I love you Rainbow Dash..." Is that thing I say before pulling the trigger. I squeeze my eyes shut as hard as I can, not wanting to see the flash of the gun.

I hear a loud explosion right in my ear, but other than that, I feel no pain. I slowly open my eyes to see Rainbow crying into her bloody hooves on the ground. Everything is still here, the arena and the audience are deadly silent.

"Blanks...?" I whisper to myself as I open the cylinder to look at the ammo. Sure enough, the bullet is fake.

"I must say Josh... I'm impressed." I hear Discord standing right behind me. "I didn't expect you to pass that test."

"Wh-Whatever. Just start the next test..." I mumble as I look at Rainbow who is now hugging my legs in joy.

"But there are no more tests Josh. You win, and I am proud to say that I am glad that I chose you for my little experiment."

"What?"

"I freed Rainbow Dash on purpose, knowing well that she would jump into the arena with you. Shooting her would not have killed her as you found out. However, you would have failed the morality portion of the game. I can say that you have truly proved to me that not all humans are evil."

"You... you're the evil one. Why would you want the human race to be good?"

"Ah you don't understand. I am not the god of evil. No no no, I'm the god of chaos! A totally different subject! I created the walker virus to destroy the evil in the world, but it turns out that there was still some good after all. For months, I watched you Josh. You were selfless, caring, and strong. That's why I chose you as a part of my experiment. You proved to me that you are not only strong physically, but also mentally. So I must congratulate you on your victory. I truly did not expect you to chose Rainbow over yourself. While I cannot change the past, I can allow you to live peacefully in Equestria."

A bright light flashes throughout the arena, and everyone pony and Amber disappear instantaneously. Discord and I stand alone in the arena in silence.

"Josh... I am not evil, I am chaos. While I myself do not wish to harm anyone, there are beings out there who do. Always stay on the watch for anything truly evil out there. While this world may seem peaceful at first glance, darkness and evil lie in the shadows, waiting to attack the good."

"I gotcha. I still hate you for destroying my race, but I have to thank you for bringing me here. Without you, I never would have met Rainbow, and I probably would have died."

"I understand. That girl really likes you, but that's for you to go find out. Again I'm truly sorry for all I have done to your race. I had no idea that there was still some good hiding in the darkness. Now go, live and be happy, but do not let the darkness take over."

Rushing winds surround me once again, and a bright light surrounds me as I slowly raise into the air. I feel myself fall as I hit the floor of the castle. I slowly open my eyes to see everyone and the princesses sprawled out on the floor. I guess their return wasn't as smooth as mine.

I look around at all the mares and Amber on the floor, who are slowly getting up, and a small smile spreads across my face. I'm truly blessed to have such good friends.

"Josh... that was incredible!" Twilight says as she trots up to me, only to turn away in disgust. "But... could you please go hit the showers?"

I look down at myself to see that I'm covered in walker blood. My only clothes are ruined dammit! I guess I'll just have to shower in the to get the stains out.

"You too Rainbow, you're filthy as well darling." Rarity says as she backs away from Rainbow.

"Shall we?" I say messing with Rainbow's mane.

"Y-yeah, let's go." Rainbow says, still choking on tears.

The two of us sluggishly walk towards the exit of the throne room. Finally my questions have been answered. I now know why I was brought here, and I know that Discord will never bother us again. A though lingers in the back of my mind of what he meant by darkness hiding in the shadows. Is there something truly evil out there that could destroy this peaceful world without second thought?

I press the thought away as I walk with Rainbow down the hallway. Her mane is hanging in her eyes, clumped together with sweat. She leans into my legs as we walk, giving me a secure feeling like nothing can separate us now.

We can finally live together in peace... Right?

Author's Note

Long chapter? I think yes!

Decided to pump this one out despite being on vacation. Had a few hours of downtime so I pulled out the laptop and started writing, and I couldn't stop!

The next few chapters will be more laid back and will focus on character development more than plot development

As always, I hope you enjoyed!