Hours had passed since the ponies had left the library to handle the situation at the schoolhouse. John looked out the window, noticing that the sun was beginning to set. Surely the six mares could have handled the situation long ago? But after another hour passed, the soldier began to feel that something had gone wrong.

Spike finished the chores that Twilight gave him, as John looked stared out the window.

“Spike, where's the school?” asked John.

“Its not that far from here,” said Spike, "Why?"

“I have a feeling that the situation isn't under control. And I was wondering if you could take me there."

Spike gave John an appraising look.

"What?" asked John, a little perplexed.

"Are you worried about them?" Spike asked.

"Well, yes," John admitted, "Aren't you?"

The little dragon thought it over for a moment, before he replied back.

"Come to think of it, Twilight definitely should've come back by now, because it dinner time. Okay, I'll take you."

So, Spike guided John to the school. Along the way, they saw no pony outside. Both the human and the dragon were confused by the stark lack of ponies. Despite the eerie absence of anyone, John felt a little at ease that there wasn’t anyone screaming in fear at him.

After a five minute walk, they finally arrived at their destination. The school looked like a typical one-room schoolhouse from America’s early history. John once again noticed how this town’s architecture looked so dated. If the building’s designs were anything to be believed, the ponies would need at least another hundred years to catch up with the humans.

When they entered the schoolhouse, they instantly noticed that something had gone horribly wrong. The chalkboard at the front of the classroom was cracked in half, papers and broken pencils littered the upturned desks and on the floor, and paint was splattered all over the walls. It was like a hurricane had decided to hang out in the little schoolhouse. The whole place was a complete mess. Finally, John and Spike noticed the net hanging over the middle of the room, and the seven ponies it contained.

"Twilight!" they both exclaimed in unison.

They approached the ponies and saw that they were unconscious, with multiple cuts and bruises covering each of their bodies.

"What the hell happened to them?" John wondered aloud, disgust entering his voice.

"The girls must've hurt them," said Spike as he began to cut the net down. "But where are they, and why would they do such a thing?"

The moment the tiny dragon cut through the first rope, there was a sudden blinding flash of light that filled the classroom.

What the hell was that? John thought, blinking repeatedly in an attempt at rebooting his stunned eyes.

By the time he got his eye sight back, he saw that Spike wasn't with him anymore. John quickly searched the room for him, but didn’t see anything pertaining to where he had gone. He wondered where he went.

Suddenly, the room was filled with what sounded like the echoing laughter of multiple young girls. His gaze frantically roved around the room, seeing no one. At a sign of movement, he turned to the dark corner on the other side of the room, and saw three little filles slowly walking out of the shadows towards him.

An orange pegasus filly shook her purple mane out of her eyes before speaking, “Look girls, it's that alien from yesterday."

"John, was it?" spoke a yellow filly with a red bow in her equally red mane, "Mah sister told me about ya."

In unison, their eyes shifted from their normal colors, to a deep crimson.

"Sweetie Belle, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" the little orange filly turned to her friend, a white unicorn filly with a two-toned mane of pink and purple.

"Oh yes, Scootaloo." Sweetie Belle replied with an evil grin, she looked to the yellow filly, "Applebloom?"

They stopped about two feet away from John. They chuckled as John simply stood and gaped at them, he couldn't believe that these three innocent looking little fillies could have caused this much damage. Even worse, they had injured the only ponies he knew, as well as their own teacher. If this was a cartoon, John would have turned white as paper.

"Cutie Mark Crusaders!" yelled Applebloom, "Slay the alien!"

At the evil demand, the three fillies began to glow with a sinister red aura. John looked at them and knew that if he ran away, they would chase after him into the town, possibly into innocent bystanders. So without any options to pick, he had to do the unthinkable: fight these children.

Without warning, Scootaloo lunged at John’s chest, her outstretched front legs slamming into him. The force of the impact slammed him against the broken chalkboard, and he fell to the ground in a daze. He tried to regain his feet, but the pain in his ribs was preventing him from moving his arms underneath him.

“Man, these little ponies are strong,” groaned John.

As John struggled to get to his feet, the fillies picked up some objects in their mouths. When John had finally gotten back up, he looked to them, and saw their weapons. They looked like wooden swords with wickedly sharp points. The soldier realized that he had to think of something quickly, before he met his death by these psychotic foals.

They drew closer as an idea formed in his mind.

“Now Spike!” John yelled, as he pointed at the doorway.

The fillies quickly looked to the door and saw that the dragon wasn't there. Before they could refocus on him, John dashed forward, and delivered a powerful kick to Applebloom’s chest, causing her to fly across the room. He quickly followed suit with the other two fillies. They landed on their heads, but quickly got up and picked up their swords.

“What!?” John exclaimed, utterly perplexed, "How can you girls manage to get up after a hit like that?"

Suddenly, the crusaders began to hover in the air, the auras darkening to a burgundy, and flickering like flames. The fillies looked at John and gave him uniform evil grins. Then, it clicked.

"You girls are being controlled!" John said, more to himself than the fillies.

“Ready girls?” said Sweetie Belle with voice that held multiple tones.

“We sure are,” Applebloom replied with the same voice.

If these girls are possessed, I can’t seriously hurt them, John thought, readying himself for another scuffle.

The ponies charged at John with their weapons, but with their awkward stances, and small size, only Applebloom managed to land a hit. She had seen his dodge coming, and had turned in time to cut into his left side. He looked at the wound and noticed that it was bleeding a lot more than could be considered good. John looked at the filly who had wounded him, as she came back for another attack.

The human dodged the attack this time, and as Applebloom stumbled, he grabbed her around the neck and brought her into a hold. She tried to struggle, but John kept her tight. He took a deep breath and looked down at the filly.

"I’m really, really sorry about this."

John balled his hand into a fist, and brought it down on the back of the fillies neck. As a result, the aura surrounding her disappeared. John surveyed Applebloom, noting that she was unconscious, but still breathing. John placed her on the floor and looked at the other two crusaders.

"That alien stopped Applebloom!" Sweetie Belle shouted, in her multi-hued voice "Get him!"

The two fillies charged at the wounded human with all their might. Despite the adrenaline coursing through his veins, John took note that he was beginning to feel lightheaded. The first to reach him was Scootaloo, and he easily dodged her clumsy swing at his throat. As she flew past him, John quickly took the opportunity to hit the back of her head. She dropped to the floor, out cold.

He wasn’t paying attention to Sweetie Belle when she slashed at his right thigh, and as a result, the cut landed. He hissed in pain as the wooden tip sliced through his pant leg and skin, and took several steps back. He shifted his full attention to the final crazed filly, as she stoled herself for another lunge. When she finally made her move, John fell to his knees, avoiding the thrust at his chest. He quickly grabbed the wooden sword around it’s dull blade, and yanked it from Sweetie Belle’s mouth. Before the filly could react, John brought the hilt of the weapon down against her head, hard. She fell over, joining her companions in unconsciousness.

“Finally...I'm...done.” said John tiredly.

John looked around the messy classroom, and saw the fresh blood on the floor. He scanned his body, and noticed that his wounds were still leaking blood, though not as much as before. He took another, more detailed, look around the room and at his body. He was astonished, with the amount of blood soaked into his clothes, and pooled on the floor, he should have passed out by now.

“Funny, I feel dizzy, but I'm-”

John collapsed to the floor. His vision blurred, and darkened, and he looked around. Then, he noticed a shadow. He couldn’t make out the figure’s shape, but he could feel it’s stare on him.

“Who...are you?” he asked, blearily.

The dark shape’s only response was to dissipate in a cloud of shadow.

"Maybe you-" he managed to struggle out, before unconsciousness finally came to claim it’s fourth victim.

John slowly closed his eyes, barely noticing the voices and hoofbeats that struck his ears.

"John, no!”

“Quick, he needs medical attention!"

Author's Note

Yeah, dark as it is, I'm fucked up.

Edit by Narlepoax III

Naden Gryphon wasn't present in this chapter.