A Few Good Ponies

Chapters

A New Threat
The Journey Continues
A New Plan
Ghost Town
What Lies Ahead
A Familiar Face
Ponyville
Hitchhikers May Be Escaped Convicts
Homecoming
Every Plan Is Perfect Until the First Step
The Mile High Club
The Forest
Corruption
Demons
A New Form

A New Threat

Canterlot Castle

0200hrs

Celestia tossed and turned in her sleep, sweat matting her coat, as she found herself in the grasp of a nightmare. A series of visions flashed through her head: Flash. An army of ponies in black armor so dark that it seemed to absorb all light around it. Flash. Canterlot in flames as a robed figure watched, only its eyes visible as they reflected the flames of the burning city. Flash. A fiery gateway, surrounded by the moonlight hills and rocky spires of a desert. Only darkness visible through its shimmering surface.

She awoke with a start, breathing heavily. Her sister Luna rushed into the room, a look of worry in her eyes as she embraced the white allicorn.“Sister, what is it you saw? I sensed your nightmare in the dreamscape, but 'twas gone before I could see anything.”

Celestia composed herself, “I fear there is a threat to Equestria from Tartarus. One of its prisoner has escaped, and I believe they have opened a gateway to our world somewhere in the badlands.”

Luna responded, “Tis a grave threat indeed, we must take action immediately!”

Celestia thought for a moment. “Agreed. I will send a detachment of the Royal Guard to the Badlands to assess this threat, and hopefully deal with it before anything can come of it.”

Canterlot

0230hrs

In the silence of the early morning as everypony slept, an airship came to life with the soft hum of magically driven propellers, casting off its moorings and flying off into the darkness.

Royal Guard Airship Wayfarer en route to the Badlands

0800hrs

SGT Sunrise sat on a bench in the dimly lit interior of the Wayfarer, shivering slightly as a cool breeze blew through an open window, ruffling his silver mane that stuck through the top of his gold helmet, and chilling him though his orange coat. The room consisted of two long benches running form the front to the back. Both were packed with guard ponies decked out head to hoof in brilliant gold armor. A full platoon of Canterlot's finest. His horn was lit with a dull orange glow as he read over the mission briefing for the third time since leaving Canterlot. It seemed straightforward enough. Scouts would go in ahead of the ship and search for a supposed magical anomaly. The guards would then land, secure the area, and deal with whatever it was appropriately. He yawned quietly. It was far too early for his liking, and he hadn't had time to grab so much as a cup of coffee during the organized chaos of everypony getting geared up and loaded onto the ship. Couldn't they have at least given him the time to grab some breakfast?

His quiet musings were interrupted as and officer walked down the stairs from the top deck and cleared his throat. “Attention everypony! Our pegasi scouts have reported back with the location of the anomaly. We will be landing within 15 minutes, get ready.”

The Wayfarer touched down gently on to the desert sands, the wood hull creaking as it settled to a stop. Several pegasi flew out carrying ropes and stakes to secure the ship to the ground. A ramp was tossed over the side and the guards disembarked. Sunrise looked around. The desolate landscape was bathed in the light of the morning sun, causing him to squint.

A member of his squad, a dark blue pegasus with a black mane, PVT Lightning Strike hovered high in the air next to him. “This sure is exciting huh sarge? It feels good to finally be doing something real.” Then, with an excited look on her face she said, “Oh I think I can see it from here!”

Sunrise couldn't see anything with there being a large sand dune between him, and whatever was on the other side. He just mumbled an unenthusiastic “Uh huh” as the group moved forward, fanning out as they moved over the dunes. As they crested the dune, he was finally able to see the object in question. It was a large door shaped object wreathed with magical flames that charred the sands around it. Even as they approached it, nothing could be seen through it other than an inky black darkness.

“Alright.” Spoke the officer. “Lieutenant Firefly and SGT Sunrise, take a team of unicorns and scan the portal. See if we can't shut this thing down. The rest of you provide security. There's no telling if anything came through already.” As the other guards spread out into a large circle to watch the area, Sunrise and the other unicorns approached the portal. He could feel the magical energy pouring off of it. It felt wrong, like it was somehow rotten. They lit their horns, probing every angle of the portal, searching for a weakness.

“Should be easy to close it.” Spoke Firefly. “If we target each of these nodes, it will collapse on itself, but that will also cause it to release a lot of energy. Violently.” Minding the warning, the unicorns backed up to a distance they figured to be safe, and channeled their energy into the designated areas of the portal. Quickly, the portal began to crumple in on itself, almost like someone was crumpling a ball of paper. It disappeared into nothing, then with a loud boom a wave of energy exploded outward, causing Sunrise to shield his eyes as sand was flung everywhere. When he looked up, all that was left was a smoking crater where the portal had been, all of the sand around it super heated to the point that it looked like liquid glass. Cheers erupted from the guards; however, it was short lived as a cloud of thick fog rolled in to cover the area, making it impossible to see more than a few feet in any direction.

Screams were heard in the distance as Sunrise's ears swiveled around trying to get an idea of where they were coming from as his amber eyes darted back and forth.

Then, a deep raspy voice was heard, seeming to come from everywhere at once. “You fools, you have done away with one way you could have gotten rid of me, and now all shall be mine.” The guards that had been stationed farther out walked back toward the group, but something was wrong. A faint green glow could be seen in their eyes, before it slowly faded away, a sickly smile on their faces. Behind them a hooded figure approached, and from under his hood black tendrils of magic shot forth, hitting any pony unfortunate enough to be close to him. They fell to the ground, but soon stood back up with the same sickly glow around their eyes. They all spoke at the same time in an eerie harmony with the creature, who removed his hood, revealing the face of a smiling black unicorn with an even darker black mane that seemed to flow in an invisible wind.

“There is nothing you can do. Fight, run, you will all be mine in the end, for we are Multis” The ponies under his influence began to attack their former comrades, pinning them down so that they could easily be hit with the unicorn's spell. The guards were quickly outnumbered as more and more turned against them. Sunrise began to run, but was quickly tackled by Lightning strike as a magic tendril shot past him. He was about to hit her with a blast of magic with his horn, when she offered him a hoof, helping him up, and yelling at him to move. They ran through the chaos as more and more of the guards were taken down, he dodged past one of the infected, and jumped over another as Lightning flew next to him. Suddenly they breached the edge of the fog, emerging into bright sunlight. Blinking, and shielding his eyes from the sudden brightness, he tumbled down a sand dune and into a rocky outcropping, Lightning flying next to him didn't fair much better, slamming into a rock wall and falling down to land on one of her wings. Sunrise helped her up, glancing at her wing. It was clearly dislocated, if not broken, and several of the feathers were bent out of place. They walked farther into the stand of rocks, hiding them from the battle behind them that was quickly fading as less and less were left to fight back. A short time later it stopped completely, and the fog dispersed.

Sunrise and Lightning sat next to each other in the rocks panting.

“We just left them!” Sunrise said with an angry whisper.

“We didn't have a choice.” Hissed Lightning. “If we tried to fight, we would ended up the same as them! We can't help them if we're infected too!”

Sunrise sighed. “You're right Private.” His ears perked up as the sound of the Wayfarer's engines starting up sounded in the distance. A short time later they pressed themselves to the ground, a large shadow passing over them as the Wayfarer flew past, flanked by several pegasus guards.“If he's controlling them completely, he has all of their knowledge and memories. If they're heading back to Canterlot, they'll have no problem infiltrating the castle and doing Celestia knows what. We have to get back and warn them, but we're going to need help, and we've got a long journey ahead of us.”

Lightning stood up, a determined look in her sapphire eyes. “It may be a long flight, but I'm one of the fastest pegasi in the guard! I can beat them there!” Sunrise put his armored hoof on her wing and gave it a gentle nudge. Lightning flinched, as she looked down at her injured wing. Tears sprang to her eyes as she tried to move it, spikes of pain lancing through her body as the adrenaline from the battle wore off.

“It's broken” Sunrise said softly. I'm sorry private, but it looks like we're walking."

The two ponies left the rocky outcropping, climbing over dunes, heading North. Every so often Sunrise would light his horn, casting a spell to confirm they were heading in the right direction. He silently thanked himself for taking the time to enroll in the Royal Guard's path finding course. With the rough and confusing terrain of the Badlands, they would surely be lost without it. Looking back, he noticed several pegasi in the distance circling around, searching for survivors.

He looked over to Lightning. “We should ditch our armor. With the sun shining on us like it is, it will be real easy to spot us.”

Lightning nodded, and they dug a small hole. They quickly stripped off their armor and buried it. Sunrise cast a quick spell over the hole to mark the location. That gear isn't cheap after all, and he didn't want to have to explain to supply why he just ditched it in the middle of nowhere.

After walking for some time, the sun began to get low in the sky. Both ponies were sweating, but it was quickly wicked away by the dry desert heat. Licking his dry lips, Sunrise decided to use another trick he had learned. He signaled Lightning to stop, and dug a shallow hole in the sand. Concentrating, he cast a spell, and water began to seep out of the ground, filling the hole. Both ponies drank their fill before moving on. Sunrise was a talented mage, but that spell had taken a lot out of him. Lightning wasn't fairing much better, flinching as each step caused her injured wing to move around. With the sun going down, the sweat that had been evaporating was now matting their fur, and they were both starting to shiver from the cold. They stopped next to a rocky spire and piled up rocks to make a crude shelter against the rock face. By this time it was now completely dark, so the two ponies huddled together in the shelter, shivering. Huddling together they shared their body heat, and with the exhaustion of a long day setting in, they quickly fell asleep.

The Journey Continues

Canterlot Castle

1700hrs

Princess Celestia sat in her meeting room, tapping a hoof idly as she waited for news from the Badlands. The door opened and a blue guard pony wearing gold and purple armor walked in.

“Ah, Captain Valiance, what news do you bring?” She asked.

“The Wayfarer has returned. Captain Lance reports they found and destroyed the portal in the badlands, but suffered heavy casualties. Apparently they didn't expect the portal to explode so violently when they brought it down, and the resulting explosion took out over half the detachment.”

Celestia sighed. “They were good ponies. We can only hope that with the portal gone, the threat is gone with it.” The captain snapped a salute and left the room, leaving Celestia alone once again. Speaking to no one in particular, she mused “It seemed almost too easy. If the problem has been dealt with, then why do I feel so.....uneasy. I fear there may be more to this.”

Somewhere in the Badlands

1800hrs

Dozens of former guard ponies moved around in a flurry of activity. Their once golden royal armor now colored a black so dark that it seemed to absorb the light around it. Tainted with dark magic. Unicorns were cutting away at a rock face, creating large blocks from the brown stone that were then hauled away by teams of pegasi to be used as the foundation for a large structure. Several earth ponies were put to work digging a moat around the complex, which was already several feet deep in some places, their dark armor seeming to give them an unnatural amount of strength and endurance. Meanwhile, standing on top of a nearby spire, Multis watched the activity with a smile on his face. His glowing green eyes following their every move. What was a king without his castle? Sure he could take Canterlot with ease, and that time would come. However, he wanted something a little more....fitting. He frowned. Progress was too slow, he needed more minions. Delving into the minds of his servants, he searched their memories for the perfect place to find more “help.” Ah, Dodge Junction. He smiled. Pulling strength from his servants, he disappeared in a flash of green.

Northern Badlands

The next day

0700hrs

Sunrise woke slowly, squinting his eyes at a ray of sun shining on his face through the wall of the shelter. Lightning's head was resting on his withers, a small stream of drool running out of her mouth and dampening his fur. “Ugh.” He got up and gently shook her awake. “Suns up private, time to get moving.” She moaned, and opened her eyes. “Before we go, let me take a look at that wing.” He looked at it closely and cast a quick diagnostic spell. Nothing fancy, but it did give him a better idea of what he was looking at. “Well, the joint's a little swollen, but it doesn't seem to be infected. You should be fine until we can get help. I just hope it doesn't set like this before then.”

Lightning nodded. “I've been through worse. Broke the other wing in three places during the changeling attack on Canterlot. And that was on top of a sprained hoof. I'm sure I can deal with this.”

Sunrise frowned, “alright, but be sure to let me know if you need help. You are my responsibility you know.”

The two ponies left the shelter behind, resuming their trek North. Shortly after noon, Sunrise noticed movement off in the distance and got Lightning's attention. “Quick, behind this hill, get down.” The two ponies got low to the ground, and a short time later they noticed a large group of earth ponies heading South.

“Should we get their attention?” Asked Lightning.

“No. Something doesn't seem right.” Sunrise replied. The earth ponies were marching in two orderly columns, there were at least a hundred of them, if not more. All were loaded down with bulging saddlebags, and all of their faces lacked any kind of expression. As they passed by, one of the ponies at the rear of the group, a small yellow mare with a brown mane began falling behind, and walking unsteadily. A moment later she fell over, still. The other ponies seemed not to notice, not even looking back as they continued walking. When the column of ponies passed out of sight, the two guard ponies approached the fallen mare.

As they walked up to her, she looked up weakly, and upon seeing them, her eyes widened with fear. “No, stay away! I don't want him in my head anymore!” Her head then dropped back to the ground.

Sunrise touched his horn to her head, then looked over to Lightning. “She's dead.” Opening the mare's saddlebags he found two canteens of water, several apple fritters, and a small collection of cookware. “As much as I hate doing this, we're going to need this more than she does.” With that, he unbuckled the bags and levitated them onto his back.

Continuing their walk, they eventual came across the path. Following it into the distance, they saw that it wound up into a mountain range, before heading through a narrow pass. “Hmm, if I remember my geography correctly, those must be the Macintosh Hills, which would make that the Southern Pass. We should be less than a day's walk from the edge of the Badlands.” Stated Sunrise. They followed the path up into the mountains until the sun started to dip below the horizon.

Spotting a small cave off the side of the trail, not much more than an indent in the side of a cliff, Lightning Strike gave Sunrise a nudge. “We can spend the night in there.” Sunrise nodded and they made their way into the cave. Opening the saddlebags, he pulled out one of the fritters and broke off two large pieces before returning the rest to the bag.

“Here” he said offering a piece to Lightning. “We don't have many of these so we need to ration them carefully, but at least it should keep us from starving.” Having been more than two days since either of them had eaten, it was gone in seconds. Sunrise levitated over several sticks, and some rocks to cover the entry. “There, that should keep us hidden from anypony on the road.”

They lied down to sleep, and before he closed his eyes, Sunrise noticed some writing chiseled onto one of the walls. “Candle Light Supertramp was here.” Hmm, must have been some kind of wanderer he thought, before closing his eyes. Lightning was already asleep, her hooves wrapped tightly around his barrel.

“Ugh, I hope she doesn't drool on me again.” He smiled before falling asleep.

Canterlot Castle

0900hrs

Princess Celestia sat at a table in the royal banquet hall, an assortment of various fruits and pastries laid out before her. She casually sipped from a cup of tea as she poured over her daily schedule. Everything seemed pretty standard. Same stuff, different day. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was...off. As usual a squad of royal guards covered every entrance. As the princess worked, one of the guards approached her.

“Is something wrong?” Asked the princess.

The guard just smiled, and with a flash of steel he plunged a dagger into Celestia's side. Leaning over so his mouth was next to Celestia's ear, he whispered, “Multis is our king now. The time of the princesses is coming to an end. We are everywhere, nopony can stop us.”

Quickly two earth pony guards ran over and tackled the attacker, while a unicorn guard ran up to Celestia to provide aid. The dagger was still in her side, but the wound was gushing blood, staining her normally pristine coat, and flowing down onto the marble floor. The guard ignited his horn, applying pressure to the wound, but being careful not to move the weapon, lest he cause more damage. Two other guards rushed in as the attacker was dragged away, a sick smile on his face as he let himself be pulled away. His shining gold armor stained red with the princess's blood.

The guards helped a barely conscious Celestia to her hooves, supporting her weight as they rushed her to the infirmary. The world around her was a blur, quickly fading to black as she lost consciousness.

Canterlot Castle Infirmary

1300hrs

Pain. Betrayal. Fear. Celestia slowly opened her eyes. She was lying on a bed in a brightly lit room.

“Thank the heavens, thou art awake.” Said a familiar voice. Celestia looked over to see Luna sitting beside her bed with a relieved expression on her face.

Memories flooding back, Celestia looked down at her side. It was wrapped with clean white bandages, aching slightly whenever she shifted.

“The doctors did the best they could.” Said Luna. “Thankfully the knife missed the major organs, and they were able to heal most of the damage, though you did lose quite a bit of blood. Unfortunately it's going to leave quite the scar.”

Celestia sighed. “Why would one of my ponies do this? A royal guard no less?”

Luna waved a hoof, and Captain Valiance entered the room, offering the sisters a quick salute before sitting at the other side of the bed.

“I believe I can answer that.” He stated. “We have received a few reports of the Badlands survivors acting strangely, observing the activities of the other guards, and acting coldly toward their comrades. Initially we assumed it was stress from the events in the Badlands, but now I fear it is something much worse. We have rounded up the survivors and placed them under guard until we know more. For their safety, and for ours.”

“This will not go well if word gets out.” Stated Celestia. “If the common ponies hear of this, they may fear that the guard tried to stage some kind of coup against us. I believe if they had truly been trying to kill me, they would have sent more than one assassin. It seems their true goal was to send a message.”

Valiance nodded. “For the time being we have decided to keep today's events a secret. All the guards that were present have been sworn to secrecy, and the families of the guards who were sent to the Badlands have been told that they have been quarantined due to a possible contagion, and can't be seen until it's cleared up.”

Celestia agreed. “That would be most prudent. This attack has also brought to light the possible nature of the threat we're dealing with. Send word to the archives, tell them to bring me any writings referring to a creature know as Multis.”

With that, Valiance got to his hooves, snapped a quick salute to the princesses, and hurried out of the room.

Southern Pass, Macintosh Hills

1500hrs

Snow covered the ground, falling heavily as Sunrise and Lightning made their way up the path. Going was slow., as a strong gust of wind whipped past them, causing them to shiver, their tails tucked tightly to their bodies against the icy cold.

“I'd like to meet the idiot that decided to call these hills.” Groaned Sunrise. “Any one of these so called 'hills' could give Canterlot Mountain a run for its money.”

After several hours of trudging uphill against the wind, they finally crested the summit. Through the occasional clearing in the storm, they could make out the length of the trail in the distance as it wound its way down the far side of the barren mountains, before giving way to rolling hillsides covered in lush green, and disappearing into a dense tropical forest.

Unfortunately going downhill wasn't much easier. The icy rocks and occasional gust of wind made going slow and precarious. Every step of the hoof had to be made carefully, lest they slip and tumble to their doom, with narrow rocky canyons running to each side of the narrow trail, each one like a sinister maw waiting to pull them in. Occasionally they would spot the frozen corpse of an unfortunate pony. Judging by their gear, they were part of the group heading through the Badlands. Multis' sinister influence stripping away any will for self preservation, leaving the weaker ones to fall victim to exhaustion and exposure.

Eventually, after several hours of cursing, and the occasional panic attack at each slip of the hoof, they made their way below the storm, and onto more even ground. As they walked, Sunrise's ear swiveled as he heard Lightning singing softly to herself. Timing each line of the hushed cadence to a step of her hoof.

“Oh hail oh hail EUP

Queen of battle follow me

Queen of battle queen of war

It's Celestia we're fighting for

For the princess we will die

We make sure that none get by

Off to war we will go

We're not here just for show”

Sunrise smiled, remembering the song from his days back at the Royal Guard Academy, and began humming it to himself as well.

“In the storm, in the rain

The Royal Guard we feel no pain

Our enemies will never rest

For they know we are the best”

A New Plan

Hayseed Swamps

Just North of the Southern Pass

2000hrs

Swamps. Why did it have to be swamps? Sunrise thought to himself as he walked. The trail they had been following had long since faded away. Occasional stretches of it could be seen before it disappeared into dense foliage, and some areas were simply flooded, costing them large swaths of time as they had to navigate around murky ponds and marshland.

The sun had dipped below the horizon not long ago, and with the growing darkness making progress that much more difficult, Sunrise decided to call it. Spotting a cypress tree with an opening large enough to shelter both of them, he signaled Lightning to stop.

“We take shelter here for the night. With how thick the forest is, it should be safe to make a fire without fear of being spotted.” Said Sunrise.

Lightning nodded, and they set to work gathering wood. Before long they had a small fire going in front of the tree, warming their hooves on it against the chilly night air.

Opening his saddlebags, Sunrise pulled out the last apple fritter. “This will do for tonight. I'm hoping tomorrow we'll be able to find some edible roots, and maybe even some fruit in this forest.” He said.

They sat by the fire, talking and enjoying their meal for some time. Lightning Strike had been a member of Sunrise's squad for over a year, but he had never really gotten to know her all that well. He had to wonder why since she had always seemed to be the center of conversation, always talking to ponies and motivating them with her warm and energetic personality. If he had to guess, he figured it was because he always took his job so seriously. He had always done things by the book, and after experiencing the stress of battle he had begun to see his fellow guards as expendable. They looked at each other, his amber eyes meeting her sapphire gaze. Slowly he leaned in and their lips touched. She pulled away quickly.

“Is something wrong?” Asked sunrise.

“Nothing at all.” Replied Lightning, before pressing her lips against his once again much more passionately. Her tongue finding its way into his mouth and wrestling with his own.

********************

“How about we take our minds off the mission for a while.” She whispered, standing up. Nickering softly as she broke the kiss, she walked past him, swaying her hips seductively, and flicking his face playfully with her tail.

Sunrise felt his dark orange member harden, slowly emerging from its sheath. Lightning glanced down at it with a smirk.

“Ah ah, ladies first.” She said playfully, before turning around and lifting her tail to the side, exposing the smooth flesh of her marehood and tight pucker. Her eyes sparkled in the firelight as she looked over her shoulder at him. Taking the hint, Sunrise pressed his muzzle forward, running his tongue in a small circle, teasing her clit before slowly moving it up her slit, parting her lips with a soft “slick.”

He repeated this a few times before rimming it around her firm anus, causing it to clench briefly from the unexpected attention. She let out a soft moan, panting lightly from the sensation, and winking her vulva, exposing the soft pink interior of her opening, already glistening with desire. She looked back at him with a sultry smile and whispered, “Take me.”

Not needing to be asked twice, Sunrise reared up, placing his fore hooves on her shoulders. His hard member probing around for a moment before finding its mark and parting her soft lips, sliding in about half way before pulling it out and pushing it back in completely. His balls slapping her rear as he hilted himself before settling into a steady rhythm of thrusting.

Neighing softly as she felt his member sliding in and out of her, Lightning began to moan as her climax started to build. Feeling his pace quicken, she was sent over the edge, screaming as she orgasmed, followed only a few seconds later by Sunrise as his thrusting suddenly stopped, balls deep inside of her, his member twitching as she was filled with his hot fluid. Panting in the afterglow, Sunrises's softening member slid out of her with a soft squelch, leaking a mixture of their fluids down her leg.

*****************

Shortly afterward, they left the orange glow of the dying embers of the fire, and made their way into the tree. Lying down next to each other, Sunrise wrapped his forelegs around her, as she laid her head on his shoulder, cuddling each other as they fell asleep.

Several hours later, Lightning Strike was awoken by a rustling sound just outside of the tree. Standing up, she peered out into the darkness, watching as a pony-like head poked its way through the entrance. This wasn't any kind of pony she had seen before. It looked like an earth pony, but even in the darkness she could make out a set of strange markings beside its eyes. A set of dark brown lightning bolts contrasting against the tan fur of its face.

“Hello?” She inquired.

It didn't respond, but she could see a clear look of curiosity and intelligence in its green eyes. It moved forward slowly, nuzzling her broken wing gently before pulling back cautiously. Suddenly it opened its mouth, 3 long black tentacle-like tongues springing out. One wrapped around her front legs, holding them together while the other two wrapped around her rear legs. She was quickly pulled forward with a yelp, and found her head stuffed into the strange pony's throat. In seconds her whole body was in the creature's tight throat, leaving only her rear legs and tail sticking out as she was swallowed. She tried to scream, but it was muffled by the wet walls surrounding her.

Sunrise awoke with a start to see a strange creature in front of him, the tip of a black tail hanging out of its mouth before it disappeared, following a massive bulge down its throat, before that too was quickly deposited into its bulging stomach.

“Lightning!” Sunrise yelled, charging his horn and shooting off a blast of deadly magic. In his panic though, he missed, and the bolt of energy struck a root next to the creature, instantly reducing it to smoldering splinters.

The creature's eyes widened, and it quickly turned around and ran out into the night, giving Sunrise a glimpse of its snakelike tail, ending in a brown tuft of fur, before it disappeared into the darkness.

Casting a light spell, Sunrise ran after the creature, chasing it through the woods with tears in his eyes. Its bulging belly swaying side to side as it fled, barely seemed to slow it down, as muffled yelling was heard from within. Sunrise fired off bolt after bolt, splintering trees left and right of the creature as it zigzagged, continuing to elude him. After several minutes of this, they both emerged into a clearing, dimly lit by the rising sun shining through the trees. Both were breathing heavily. The pony-like creature turned around to face Sunrise, and he grinned.

“I've...*pant*...got you now...*pant*....creature!” Hey yelled, charging his horn.

Before he could release the blast though, two more of the creatures ran up to him, one of them, clearly older than the rest, with a dark green coat and gray mane held up a hoof.

“Stop!” It yelled. “We mean you no harm!”

Puzzled, Sunrise let the spell fizzle out.

“You can talk?” He asked. “What the Tartarus are you, and why did he eat my friend?”

The creature made a strange gurgling noise, as if struggling to speak, before continuing. “We are....tatzl....tatzlponies.” He looked over to the younger one that Sunrise had been chasing, exchanging a series of unintelligible noises and body language, before turning back to Sunrise.

“My son here....said your friend was injured. Our kind engulfs others, not to consume them, but to protect them. To heal them. He was trying to help her.” Said the elderly tazlpony.

The tan tatzlpony started to make several hacking and gagging noises, before a large lump traveled up its throat, and a very wet Lightning Strike was deposited onto the ground. She looked around in confusion before running over to Sunrise and embracing him.

“Thank Celestia you're okay.” He said, before looking down at her wing. Though soaked with saliva, it looked normal. It was no longer hanging at an incorrect angle, and the formerly broken feathers were smoothed out and healed.

“What is your name?” Sunrise asked the elderly tatzlpony.

“Our names would not be pronounceable in Equestrian, but you can call me Swamptongue.” Said the older tatzlpony.

Sunrise looked over to the tan tatzl pony that had eaten Lightning.

The tatzlpony tilted its head to the side like a dog before pointing a hoof at its chest and making an unintelligible screeching sound.

“Alright....” Said Sunrise. “How about we just call you Screech?”

The tatzlpony smiled and nodded.

“What brings you to our territory?” Asked Swamptongue. “We don't typically see ponies around here.”

“We are royal guard ponies from Canterlot.” Sunrise stated. “I am SGT Sunrise, and this is Private Lightning Strike. We were on a mission to deal with an escaped prisoner of Tartarus in the Badlands, when our whole detachment was.....corrupted. Made to serve an evil unicorn calling himself Multis.”

Swamptongue's eyes widened. “We have much to discuss, please follow me.” With that he led the small group into a small hut fashioned out of logs and moss with thickly thatched straw roofs. With the sun now up, Sunrise noticed there were actually several of these huts, arranged in a neat semicircle around the edge of the clearing.

Swamptongue sat down behind a small table, Screech sitting at his side. “Welcome to my home, please, have a seat.” He gestured with his hoof for them to sit down on the opposite side of the table. In the corner of the room a small fire burned in a fireplace built out of smooth river stones, bathing them all in a warm glow.

When they were all seated, Swamptongue began to speak. “We know of this Multis you speak of. He is an ancient legend in our culture. You see, there used to be a lot more of us. Thousands of years ago, back in the time before your princesses. We used to live with ponies, share your culture. Sure, many of us were hermits who lived on the outskirts of your civilization, but many chose to live in your towns and cities as well. That is until Multis rose to power. Corrupting ponies to join him with his dark magic. But our magic is different. His powers couldn't corrupt us, so he chose to destroy us instead. Where we were once a flourishing race, we now only number in the hundreds. These day, outside of our society, most are not even aware we exist.”

“So what happened to Multis?” Asked Lightning.

“He ruled for several years before a group of ponies bearing the magic of harmony banished him to Tartarus. A tatzlpony named Hypothesis bore the element of kindness.”

“Wait...so your race is immune to his magic? You could be the key to defeating him, we could make a counter to his spell!” Exclaimed Sunrise.

Swamptongue and Screech exchanged a brief conversation in their strange language before turning back to him.

“If Multis has indeed returned, then he is a threat to us all. My son would like to join you on your journey. Hopefully you will be able to use his magic to save your comrades.”

Sunrise looked over at Lightning, who gave him a nod. "We would be glad to have him."

A short time later the 3 of them began their journey to Canterlot, loaded down with saddlebags containing fruit and supplies given to them by the tatzlponies. Now with a solid plan to deal with Multis, Sunrise felt something he hadn't felt in quite some time. Hope.

Ghost Town

Somewhere In the Hayseed Swamps

1200hrs

There it was, the edge of the forest. With the help of his pathfinder spell, and the guidance of the tatzlponies, Sunrise figured they couldn't be far from Dodge Junction. Being a former mining settlement, it was a major hub of the Equestrian railway. The plan would be to catch a train from there to Canterlot. Though without any bits, or their distinctive armor, it would be a challenge to convince the ticket master to let them aboard.

Emerging from the woods, the trio soon spotted the small town in the distance. Something seemed off though, and as they got closer it soon became apparent why. The place was deserted. The streets were empty, and doors to shops and homes alike were left open, as if the residents had just up and left without a care as to what happened to the place. All that could be heard was the soft rustling of the wind, and the occasional banging of a loose door.

They walked into a nearby inn called “The Marvelous Manticore” according to the brightly colored sign hanging out front, depicting a large lion-like creature with a beautifully styled mane. The first floor was largely open, with several tables taking up most of the floor space in front of a small bar. Everything was covered in a fine layer of dust. Not so much as a note from the owners to be seen.

Walking into the kitchen, Screech noticed an apple pie sitting on a counter. A few flies buzzed around it, but it was otherwise untouched. He shot out a tentacle, wrapping it around the pie and pulling it into his mouth, swallowing it whole with a slurp.

Sunrise walked in behind him. “Ugh, do you know how long that might have been there for?” He said disgustedly.

Screech just shrugged and continued searching the kitchen. Finding nothing of interest, they returned to the main room.

Lightning called down from upstairs. “Nothing up here, all the rooms are either locked or empty.”

Walking up to the bar, Sunrise poured himself a shot of apple whiskey, levitating the bottle as the brown liquid splashed into the glass. Lightning flew down the stairs, landing next to him. She flashed him a judgmental look.

“What?” He asked. “It's not like there's anyone here to pay for it, and I could use something to take the edge off.”

“No no.” She replied. “I was wondering why you didn't pour me a shot.”

Grinning, he levitated over another glass before filling it and placing it in front of her. Clinking their glasses together in a quick toast, they threw them back, grimacing at the burn of the strong liquor.

“Well this explains where all the ponies heading South came from.” Said Sunrise as they walked back into the street. “Multis must have been here, keep your eyes open. Who knows what might be waiting for us.”

As if on cue, several earth ponies burst out of a nearby shop, quickly forming a semicircle in front of the group. There was a crash behind them as 3 more ponies emerged from an alley, blocking their escape.

One of the ponies in front of them, a cream colored mare with a curly crimson mane stepped forward. “Ah, the one who got away.” She stated bluntly. Her eyes narrowed when she noticed Screech. “A tatzlpony? I always hated your kind. A bit too grabby for my taste. No matter, none of you will be leaving this place alive.”

With that, the corrupted ponies rushed forward. Sunrise quickly charged his horn, launching fireballs at the two closest ponies, immediately setting them ablaze as they impacted. Lightning took to the air, dive bombing ponies, trying to keep them on the defensive as several of them attempted to surround Screech. A stallion came at him from the side, attempting to slash at him with a broken bottle held in his teeth. Screech quickly spun around, knocking the stallion to the ground with his thick tail, before grabbing a mare with two of his tentacles and throwing her through a window like a rag doll. One more pony approached him from behind, a pickaxe held in his mouth as a makeshift weapon. Before he could strike, Lightning shot forward, bringing her forehooves down on his head, and knocking him to the ground dead.

Sunrise was panting heavily, sweat pouring down his face. Fireballs were effective, but very draining, even for a skilled battle mage. Hearing a pony running up behind him, he kicked out with his rear legs, catching a stallion in the jaw, incapacitating him immediately.

In moments it was over. All the attacking ponies were either dead or unconscious. Lightning came to a hover next to Sunrise.

“How's the wing?” He asked.

“It's a bit stiff, but it sure feels great to be able to fly again.” She replied, doing a quick back flip in the air.

“We'd better get moving before any more of those ponies show up.” Stated Sunrise. “Now that Multis knows we're here, it's only a matter of time before more of his minions come for us. Let's just hope there's still a train at the station we can steal.”

The group galloped through the town, eyeing the empty windows and rooftops carefully as they made a beeline for the station. Soon it came into sight. It was a large wooden building with a clock tower in the middle. The group continued up the steps, and through a set of large wooden doors. Proceeding through the large deserted building, they walked out onto the platform. Waiting on the platform was a colorfully decorated steam engine connected to several passenger cars, before ending in a caboose. On the other side of the track was a small wooden water tower.

“Alright, do any of us know how to drive a train?” Asked Sunrise.

Lightning shook her head, and Screech just tilted his to the side like a confused dog.

“How difficult can it be?” Said Sunrise. “They just need water and coal to work right? Lightning, fly up and make sure the water tank is full. If it isn't, fill it from that tower. Keep a lookout while you're up there.”

Lightning nodded and took off.

“Alright. Screech come with me. We need to load coal into that engine before we can even try to start it.” Said Sunrise.

Screech nodded, and the two of them boarded the train.

“How's it looking up there Lightning?” Asked Sunrise.

“Tank's about half full.” She replied, peering into a hatch on top of the engine, before she got to work maneuvering a water pipe into position. She pulled a rope, opening the valve and allowing water to flow from the tower. Soon the sound of water pouring into the metal tank could be heard.

Sunrise opened the door to the furnace, finding it empty. Looking back, he noticed the fuel car was filled up about half way with coal, and there was a flat shovel secured to the side of the cabin. He levitated the shovel over to Screech, who looked at it for a moment before grabbing it with a tentacle.

With Screech loading the furnace with coal, Sunrise tried to make sense of the controls. There were several levers and gauges. “Okay, that looks like a brake....that must be the throttle......that looks like a pressure release.”

Once the tank was full of water, and the furnace with coal, Lightning hovered above the train keeping lookout as Sunrise worked. He ignited his horn, setting the coal ablaze, and closing the furnace door. Once the gauge showed that pressure was building, he called up to Lightning.

“Looks like we're good to go, get on!” He yelled.

“That's good, because it looks like we might have company soon!” She yelled back, noticing several ponies in the distance running toward the station. These ones were different than the group that had ambushed them. Several of them were wearing midnight black armor, and there were several unicorns among them.

White smoke was billowing out of the stack on top of the engine as Sunrise released the brake and pressed forward on the throttle. Lightning fluttered down to land beside him, and Screech watched with interest as the train hissed, before creeping forward. Picking up speed, they soon pulled away from the station. Behind them, the door to the platform burst open, and a group of armored ponies rushed out. Several unicorns threw spells at the fleeing train, breaking windows, and blasting holes in the caboose. A few blasts flew past the engine, one ricocheting of its metal side with a flash. A metal railing went flying off, hitting the tracks with a flash of sparks. It would be of no use though, as they quickly faded into the distance.

The two ponies watched with amusement as Screech shoveled coal into the furnace, the shovel held in one of his tentacles. At some point he had found a conductor's hat, and had placed it on his head as he worked.

Feeling the clattering and gentle rocking of the train as it sped down the track, Lightning Strike let out a sigh of relief. Giving Sunrise a quick kiss, she said “Next stop Canterlot.”

What Lies Ahead

“Rise and shine cadets! If Celestia can raise the sun, you should have no problem raising your sorry asses out of bed!” Yelled a shrill but authoritative female voice.

Sunrise started awake, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as a unicorn mare walked up and down the aisle between the row of beds. She wore and immaculately pressed black jacket trimmed in gold, displaying various awards and insignia, a black hat with a round brim on her head with a circular gold crest on the front displaying a depiction of the two princesses with their wings outstretched in front of a set of crossed spears.

“Let me hear you say good morning!” Yelled the mare.

Sunrise got to his hooves along with several dozen other ponies. Each of the ponies, all unicorns, levitated a heavy stone blocks in front of them, lifting them up and down in their magic in time with each other. A chorus of “Good Morning ma'am” sounding off with each movement. Sweat running down their faces as they exercised.

After several minutes the mare ordered them to stop. “Alright cadets, give me 10 laps around the barracks and form up out front!” She yelled.

Several minutes later Sunrise was outside, running with the other cadets, panting heavily as he started to fall behind, slowing to a jog. The unicorn mare ran up beside him, effortlessly keeping pace.

“Come on cadet!” She yelled. “You don't see me giving up on you, so don't you dare give up on me. Come on, you've only got 2 more laps. 2 more bucking laps.”

A similarly dressed stallion ran up on his other side. Running on 3 legs, he held a hoof out in front of him. “You see this cadet?” He yelled. “This is the world's smallest heart!” Before running ahead.

Digging deep, sweat stinging his eyes, Sunrise broke into a gallop, catching up to the cadets in front of him, and just barely keeping pace with them until they stopped, where he collapsed panting heavily, his orange fur matted with sweat.

About 20 Miles North of Appleoosa

1700hrs

Sunrise woke drenched in sweat. Looking up he noticed he was laying only a few feet from the furnace. Heat washed over him. Its doors sliding open as Lightning tossed in a shovel full of coal. Screech laid next to him, his tongues hanging out of his open mouth, moving with each breath as he snored quietly. The conductor's hat still perched on his head.

“Morning sleepy head.” She said cheerily.

He yawned, stretching. “How long was I out?” He asked.

“Meh, not too long. Maybe about an hour or so.” She replied, observing the sun's position in the sky.”You're kind of cute when you sleep, you know that? At one point you were kicking your legs like a dog and mumbling yes ma'am.” She said, giggling.

“Yeah.” He replied. “I had the unfortunate experience of reliving memories of my training days back at the academy. You know, sometimes I think I'm not cut out to be a leader.”

“Why do you say that?” She asked. “You've gotten us this far.”

He sighed. “What about the rest of my squad? I just left them behind. Now every day I have to live in fear of having to face them as an enemy. I was never at the top of my class. Sometimes I feel like they made a mistake putting me in charge of other ponies.”

“Don't do that to yourself.” Replied Lightning, wrapping a foreleg around his shoulder. “No pony could have known what was going to happen. Believe it or not, I always looked up to you since I got to the unit, and I still do.”

Sunrise remained quiet for several moments, listening to the rumbling of the train before changing the subject. “So, what do you think of the tatzlponies?” He asked. “It's strange thinking they were living under our noses this whole time.”

“I think I read about them in a Daring Do book once.” She replied. “She described them as monsters.” Looking over at Screech's sleeping form she continued. “It's not hard to see why when your first impression involves being afraid that you're going to end up as a pile of tatzl shit.” She sighed. “I fear it might be hard for ponies to accept them if they learn of their existence, no matter how well intentioned and friendly they might be.”

Sunrise nodded in agreement. As the train continued down the track, the sun began to dip below the horizon, bathing the sky in a brilliant palette of orange and yellow.

“At least we know the princesses are alright.” Stated Sunrise softly, gesturing at the setting sun before losing himself in his thoughts. He thought of home, wondering if they knew what had happened. Did they think he was dead? What did they tell his family? What if they had found out the truth? Would he be killed on site being mistaken for one of Multis's minions? This was getting him nowhere. All they could do was get there as fast as they could and deal with those problems when they presented themselves.

Somewhere in the Badlands

1800hrs

Multis's brilliant green eyes followed the myriad of activity taking place below him as he stood atop a newly completed tower constructed of red desert stone. Well over a thousand ponies worked, as they carried out his commands. Already an outer wall lay mostly completed as teams of earth ponies hauled stone from a quarry chiseled into the side of a mountain. Groups of unicorns levitating the blocks into place when they reached their destination, and magically fusing them together. Inside the walls, pegasi moved clouds into place, providing water for a newly planted garden. Already it was teeming with the lush green of young plants and saplings. This brought a smile to his face. Though he liked the remote and hostile terrain, he had missed the beauty of nature during his imprisonment. He had used to love strolling through the woods, feeling the calming aura of magic that radiated off of all things living. It had always helped to center him. Calming the voices in his head that clamored for attention. Several millennia ago, a time that he himself had nearly forgotten, he had once been a simple farmer. The other unicorns had mocked him for it. Calling him things like mudpony, and peasant. Even after all these years though, the desire to care for growing things had stuck with him.

Teleporting with a flash, he appeared in the garden. Running a hoof over an apple sapling brought a smile to his shadowed face. Closing his eyes, he lit his horn, channeling energy into the young tree. When he opened them he looked up to see a fully grown apple tree, lush with green leaves and ripe red fruit. Carefully, he plucked an apple off of a branch with his magic, levitating it down to hold it in his hoof. He took a bite, savoring the sweet flavor as juice splashed across his muzzle. Oh, how he had missed moments like this.

A Familiar Face

Canterlot Royal Archives

0900hrs

Princess walked down an ornately furnished hallway, sunlight pouring in through the windows basking everything in a warm yellow glow. Her bandages had been removed, and a clever application of white powder concealed the still healing scar on her side. The attack still remained secret from all but a few, and seeing such an injury would only give rise to questions and conspiracies.

Turning, she walked through a large doorway flanked by a pair of royal guards standing silently at attention as she passed. Their eyes locked forward, and their expressions blank.

She entered a large brightly lit room filled with towering bookshelves. In the center was a wooden table covered in a myriad of ancient yellowed scrolls and aged books. Gathered around the table were several ponies hard at work pouring over various texts, and jotting down notes. Noticing the princess they bowed, before an aging white earth pony mare with a gray mane approached her. A pair of thick round spectacles perched on her nose.

“Hello Dusty Scroll.” Said Celestia. “How goes the research? Have you been able to find anything on Multis?” She asked.

“We have only been able to find one text that makes mention of the name.” Replied Dusty. “We discovered it in an old guide on powerful magics and artifacts from the Pre-Discordian era.” She said, offering Celestia several pages of neatly written notes. “However, the Multis that it refers to is not a creature, but a necklace known as the Multis Circlet. It was created by a council of unicorn researchers. The purpose was to allow the wearer to join their mind with others in order to share thoughts and information quickly between them. However, something went wrong with the enchantment. Instead of simply opening a connection, it gave the wearer control of others' minds. Ripping a portion of their soul from their body, and merging it with the wearer's own consciousness. Beyond that, it makes no mention of what became of it. However, we were able to find some accounts from the council. The problem is, they are written in a Pre-Discordian language called High Equestrian. It's a dead language. We have been been hard at work attempting to translate it, but we have been unable to make any real progress.”

Celestia smiled. “You've done well here Dusty. This knowledge may be of great help. Be sure to send word if any progress is made with the translation.”

Canterlot Castle

1000hrs

Celestia entered passageway lit by flaming sconces, making her way down to the castle dungeon. On each side she was flanked by a grim faced royal unicorn guard. Their golden armor enchanted to give them matching gray coats and amber eyes.

She came to a door made from thick steel bars with a unicorn guard seated beside it. Standing up, he levitated a gold key ring that was clipped to his armor. Selecting one and sliding it into the lock, he beckoned her forward.

“Right through here princess.” He said, leading her into a dimly lit room lined with cells, before stopping in front of one.

Inside the cell sat the former guard who had attacked her. No longer in his armor, he had a teal coat with a short cropped navy blue mane.

“Ah, Princess Celestia!” He said happily. “I was wondering when you would show up to chat.”

“Multis I presume?” She replied.

“The one and only.” He replied, before stopping. “Well, I guess that's not technically accurate, but all the same. So, to what honor do I owe this visit?”

“What do you want with us? For what reason do you attack my ponies?” She asked.

“Oh don't get me wrong, I want nothing more than to live peacefully in this world. Carve out my own little slice of heaven so to speak. But I know that you would never let that happen. Consider it a preemptive strike of sorts. If I didn't protect myself, I'm sure you'd throw me back in Tartarus at the first chance you get. You see, you ponies are all the same. Jealousy, hate, war. None of that would exist if we were all united” He replied.

“And what of free will? It's our flaws and our ambitions that make us unique, how can you take that away?” She asked.

“Individuals are weak.” He replied, and with a flash of green the stallions eyes rolled up in his head, and he fell to the ground dead.

Without hesitation, a mare in the next cell opened her mouth.

“You see? An individual is nothing. Under me, Equestria will be a utopia, all of us living as one. There will be peace! There will be harmony! There will be.......perfection.”

“No.” Replied Celestia, speaking over her shoulder as she walked out of the room. “What you are trying to do is sick, and I will do everything in my power to stop you.”

Approx 60 Miles South of Ponyville

1100hrs

Lightning Strike stood atop the train, feeling the wind blow through her mane, her tail flowing behind her. Flaring her wings, she took off quickly gaining altitude as she flew up into the clear blue sky. Well. Almost clear. She thought, narrowing her eyes at a small cloud ahead of her. Darting forward, she spun around, kicking out with her rear hooves and causing it to disappear in a puff of mist. Fully outstretching her wings, she settled into a glide, following the train as it chugged along far below.

Suddenly she saw something bright flash past her. Looking to her left, her eyes widened. Approaching from the south were several pairs of pegasi. Each pair was strapped to a harness that held a unicorn between them. Yelping as another bolt of magic flashed past her, she barrel rolled, tucking her wings to her side as she went into a dive. The ground rushing toward her, she waited until it completely filled her vision before she opened her wings, pulling up at the last minute, she flapped her wings hard before alighting on the train.

Sticking her head in through the engine's window, she yelled “We've got company!”

Getting to his hooves, Sunrise looked up as the pegasi began to descend toward the train. Charging his horn, he fired several rapid bolts of energy at the group before ducking back down as they returned the favor. His ears flattened to his head as several bolts impacted the side of the train with loud bangs.

Two of the pegasi teams veered off, heading toward the back of the train as the third kept him pinned down.

“Lightning, distraction!” He yelled.

Giving him a nod, Lightning took off, veering to the right. As the unicorn' head turned to track Lightning, Sunrise poked his head out and fired off a blast. The bolt missed the unicorn, but managed to strike the harness, cutting one of the pegasi loose. With the sudden lack of support, the tethered unicorn pulled the pegasus down like a rock. The pegasus flapped his wings desperately, but it was no use as the pair hit the ground with a sickening smack.

Now suddenly free, the other pegasus flew at Lightning. She turned around to buck him, bit he caught her leg with a hoof as she kicked out, and used her momentum to throw her into a spin. Recovering quickly, she flashed forward and delivered a solid uppercut to his jaw. Dazed, he didn't have a chance to block the second strike as it connected with the top of his head, knocking him unconscious and sending him tumbling to the ground. One down, two to go.

Lightning landed in the coal car next to Sunrise and Screech who were standing at the back of the car with their hooves on the rim as they looked toward the rear of the train. The front of the next car, a passenger cabin, blocked their view, but they could hear the clattering of hooves over the wind as the approaching unicorns made their way toward the front of the train.

As the anticipation built, the trio stood at the ready. Screech hefting a chunk of coal with a tentacle, as Sunrise lit his horn and Lightning flared her wings.

When the door swung open, the first unicorn was completely overwhelmed as he was first struck by a flying chunk of coal, and then blasted back through the doorway by a bolt of magic. A pegasus attempted to dive bomb them from the side before a tentacle grabbed him by the hoof and slammed him off the side of the train.

Another pegasus landed behind them, rushing for the brake lever before he was tackled by Lightning, sending them in a roll across the floor as they struggled for dominance.

Out of the corner of his eye Sunrise noticed the remaining pegasi streaking off into the distance, abandoning their comrades. As Lightning finally got the upper hand and finished off the remaining pegasus, Sunrise noticed the last unicorn approaching.

Wait....Sunrise recognized this unicorn. Yellow coat, orange mane. Yep, it was his former platoon leader Lieutenant Firefly.

“Don't make me do this!” Yelled Sunrise. “Please sir, if you're in there, you have to fight it!”

The former officer just smiled as he lit his horn. Sunrise and Firefly released their magic at the same time, the beams colliding in midair. Firefly's grin widened as his yellow beam started to push forward, slowly overtaking Sunrise's. Sweat beaded on both their faces as they locked eyes, sparks of yellow and orange arcing off of the storm of magic between them.

Suddenly a tentacle shot forward, wrapping itself around Firefly's horn and instantly extinguishing his magic. Screech grunted, making a sound that sounded vaguely like 'hot', before wrapping his other tentacles around Firefly's forelegs.

Screech opened his mouth wide, his lower jaw splitting in two, exposing his cavernous maw and dark throat. Pulling Firefly forward, he slowly engulfed his head, pushing Firefly's muzzle into the back of his throat. Releasing Firefly's horn, he then wrapped a tentacle around the unicorn's haunches, lifting his rear end into the air as his front half disappeared down Screech's throat. With a series of wet gulps, the rest of the unicorn's body was hidden from the world, only visible as a lump moving down the tatzlpony's throat. Soon all that remained was his orange tail before that too was pulled into the pink abyss. The other ponies watched with a slightly horrified expression on their faces as Screech closed his mouth. His stomach was now bulging out obscenely, and the occasional imprint of a hoof or muzzle could be seen as the pony struggled violently within. Soon though, the struggling stopped. With the bulge now still, one could almost mistake Screech as just being very fat if it weren't for the barely discernible outline of various body parts.

Walking up slowly, Sunrise placed a hoof on the tatzlpony's belly. “Did you...kill him?” He asked.

Screech shook his head.

“No....asleep.” He replied in a very heavy accent. “We can get him help.”

“Thank you.” Said Sunrise, letting out a sigh of relief. “Let's just hope there's a pony in Canterlot who can reverse the spell.”

Ponyville

Approx 5 Miles South of Ponyville

1200hrs

Lightning felt the wind rush through her feathers as she soared through the air, far above the forested hills below. Her altitude giving her an incredible bird's (or in this case pegasus's) eye view of the sprawling landscape. Squinting and holding up a hoof to shield her eyes from the sun, she was able to make out a good sized town off in the distance. In the middle of the town was a tall round building, and on the far side she could make out the silhouette of a large tree shaped fortress, the sun gleaming off of a brilliant star shaped crystal at its precipice. On the edge of town the colorfully painted wooden buildings gave way to a sprawling orchard and lush farmland.

Letting the wind carry her, she glided slowly down to the train before alighting on the coal car.

“How's it looking up there?” Greeted Sunrise.

“We're coming up on Ponyville. If I had to guess I'd say we're about 5 minutes out.” She replied.

“That's good, we'll be able to stop there for fuel. There's no way we'll make it all the way to Canterlot with what we have left. Might even be able to get help for Firefly. I heard that the element of magic lives there. If she can't find a cure, I doubt there's anypony that can.

Minutes later the town came into view as the train rounded a bend. Not far ahead Sunrise could see a train station. Reaching over, he pulled the brake lever. With a hiss the train shuddered, sparks flying off of the wheels as they locked up. Sunrises's eyes widened as the platform continued rapidly toward them.

“Huh. Probably should have pulled that earlier.” He muttered as the train flew past the station, before finally coming to a stop several feet beyond it.

“Well, second time's the charm.” He said, releasing the brake and pulling back on the throttle. As they approached the station once again he applied the brake, bringing the train to a stop well before they reached it.

“Buck.” He grunted, looking around. Several ponies looked on in bewilderment as the train backed up once again before coming to a stop at the station.

The three ponies disembarked, stepping onto the wooden platform of the station. Walking down a small set of stairs, they left the station behind as they headed into town. Several ponies stopped what they were doing to watch the group as they passed. Their stares falling on the strange pony with the lizard-like tail and bulging stomach. A small filly cowered behind her mother as the tatzlpony passed by, shaking with fear.

Suddenly the group was approached by a pink earth pony with a fluffy mane.

“Ooh you guys must be new in town I'm Pinkie Pie and this is Ponyville but you probably already knew that since you're here after all.” Exclaimed the pink pony, speaking so fast that she was barely comprehensible.

“Um yes-” Sunrise started to say.

Pinkie Pie's eyes snapped to Screech before she interrupted. “Hey, I've never seen a pony like that before you guys must be from from far away or on some important mission or something.” She replied, taking a breath before she continued. “Is there anything I can do to help? Helping ponies is kind of my specialty after all.”

“Yes, we heard the element of magic lives around here, do you know where she lives?” Sunrise replied.

“Oh, you must mean Twilight. She's a friend of mine. I can take you to her right now if you want.” Pinkie replied before dashing off.

As the group ran in the direction Pinkie had disappeared, she poked her head around the corner of a building.

“Aren't you coming?” She asked before disappearing again.

The group followed the pink pony, barely keeping up with her as she bounced along excitedly before she eventually brought them to the steps of the crystalline fortress Lightning had spotted from the air. The three of them stood there, breathing heavily with sweat pouring down their faces. Pinkie Pie casually walked up to a set of double doors and knocked, apparently not winded at all from the race through town.

After a few moments one of the doors opened, revealing a lavender allicorn with a navy blue mane highlighted with pink and purple stripes.

“Hi Pinkie.” She greeted before spotting the trio of ponies waiting below. “Oh, you brought guests. Please come in.”

As the doors closed behind them, the allicorn introduced herself. “I'm Twilight Sparkle, the princess of friendship, but you can just call me Twilight. Who are you?”

Sunrise quickly bowed before replying. “I'm Sergeant Sunrise of the Royal Guard.” Gesturing with a hoof toward the others, he continued. “That is Private Lightning Strike, and Screech. Myself and Lightning were part of a mission to deal with a threat in the Badlands, but it went badly. The rest of our unit had some kind of magic cast on them by an evil unicorn that turned them against us. We were the only ones who escaped as far as we know.”

“It sounds like there's a lot to discuss. Come, let us sit and you can tell me your story. I'll have my assistant make us some tea.” She said before leading them into a large room. In the center of the room was a round crystalline table surrounded by several chairs made from a similar material. Each one was adorned with a pony's cutie mark.

Soon they were all seated, a steaming cup of tea in front of each of them. Sunrise began to recount their journey, with Lightning chiming in every so often. Twilight took particular interest when they described the tatzlponies' unique magic, and how they hoped it would be the key to undoing Multis's work. After well over an hour of talking, Twilight occasionally asking them to emphasize certain details, or repeat segments, they reached the part about capturing Firefly.

Twilight's eyes lit up at the prospect of conducting tests and performing experiments.

“So you'll help us?” Asked Sunrise.

Twilight nodded. “Yes, but I'm going to need to take magic samples from both Screech and from Firefly.”

At that moment Screech, who had been perched on a chair the whole time listening intently to the conversation, got down and walked over to an open section of the floor. Twilight watched with keen interest as he made a series of wet gagging noises, a large lump moving up the tan tatzlpony's throat before he opened his mouth wide, regurgitating a still unconscious Firefly onto the floor in a puddle of saliva.

Twilight quickly ran over. She leaned over Firefly, touching her horn to his cutie mark and withdrawing it with a small orb of yellow magic stuck to the end. She quickly levitated the orb off of her horn and into a small glass jar, before repeating the process with Screech. When she had both samples she levitated the jars to the ground. Concentrating she lit her horn, delving into each sample with a magical diagnosis. Smiling, she levitated both of the spheres from the jars, holding them in the air in front of her. Sweat began to bead on her face as she wove a complex spell. Tendrils of magic began to flow from the brown sphere of Screech's magic, snaking through the air before disappearing into the yellow orb. When she was done the brown orb was slightly smaller, and they yellow orb was slightly darker in color. Releasing the orbs, they quickly flew back to their respective hosts, disappearing as soon as they made contact with their cutie marks.

“There..” Panted Twilight. “I was able to extract the part of Screech's magic that makes his species resistant to the spell and apply it to Firefly. It should purge the spell from his mind.”

Slowly Firefly opened his eyes. Getting shakily to his hooves, he looked around in confusion. “What happened?...Where am I?.....and why am I soaking wet?”

Letting out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding, Sunrise walked over to the confused unicorn. “Welcome back sir.”

Hitchhikers May Be Escaped Convicts

Twilight's Castle

1600hrs

“What do you remember?”

Firefly sat at the table, now wrapped in a soft towel, though his red mane was still disheveled and slightly damp. A steaming cup of tea was held in his hooves as he spoke.

His voice was shaky and unsure at first. “I.... was in the Badlands. We had just closed a gate to Tartarus itself.”

He looked over at Sunrise and Lightning.

“I remember you two being there. We were attacked by something...I....I remember our comrades turning on us. I tried to fight back, but I was hit with something. The next thing I remember is waking up here.”

Sunrise spoke up. “It was a unicorn named Multis who attacked us. He controls ponies with some kind of spell. Myself and Private Lightning were the only ones to escape.”

“Still doesn't explain why I was soaking wet.” Replied Firefly.

“That would be our friend Screech over there.” Sunrise gestured. Screech nodded his head humbly in response.

“We left that Badlands and commandeered a train hoping to get back to Canterlot. On our way we were attacked by you along with several other ponies controlled by Multis. Screech was able to incapacitate you and bring you here. You see, he's a tatzlpony. They have a strange way of....protecting ponies by...um....swallowing them.”

“Wait...What? I was inside him?” Replied Firefly, running a hoof through his damp mane with a look of disgust.

“Yes. If it wasn't for his actions we probably would have been forced to kill you.”

“Well then, in that case I suppose I owe you my thanks.” Firefly stated, looking in Screech's direction.

Once again, the tatzlpony nodded his head politely.

“So, how did you remove the curse?” Asked Firefly.

“I can answer that one.” Replied Twilight. “We found out that tatzlponies' magic is unique. They aren't affected by Multis's spell. I was able to isolate that quality and apply it to your magic, like a vaccine of sorts.”

“So we have a cure?” Asked Firefly.

“Yes.....and no.” Replied Twilight. “Though it did work, the spell is far too taxing to use more than once a day, even for an allicorn like me. I doubt any but the most powerful of unicorns would even be capable of attempting it, and without help it would take me months to cure all of the afflicted.”

“Our next course of action should be to get word to the princesses.” Interjected Sunrise.

“I was thinking the same thing.” Replied Twilight. “I'll send a letter to Celestia letting her know of your mission and our progress here.”

“Spike!” She yelled, calling over her assistant. A small purple and green drake. “Take a letter.”

Spike quickly rushed over holding a piece of parchment and a quill. After several minutes of dictating the message to him, he wrapped rolled it up and stamped it with wax seal before sending it on its way with a puff of green flame.

Several minutes later Spike let out a belch and a scroll appeared, falling into his outstretched hand in a gout of green fire. Breaking the seal with a claw, he quickly handed it over to Twilight.

Holding the letter in her magic, Twilight read it aloud.

“My Dear Twilight,

Here at Canterlot we are well aware of the threat Multis poses. Your progress in countering his magic may very well be of great help, and should not be understated. I am also relieved to hear of the return of my guards. Tell them I will be sending over members of the night guard so that they might return to Canterlot as soon as possible. Considering your involvement in all of this, I would like you to join them. Your escort should arrive within the hour.

Take care,

Celestia.”

The next several minutes were spent preparing as the orange glow of the fading sun streamed in through the windows, casting the crystal chamber in an orange glow. Sunrise rechecked his saddlebags as Twilight went about packing her own set, filling them mostly with an assortment of parchment, quills, and bottles of ink.

Spike had showed Firefly to the bathroom as he grumbled something about taking a shower. In the corner Screech sat juggling several apples in his tentacles. Deftly catching each one before tossing it back into the air.

As Sunrise finished packing, Lightning walked over, giving him an affectionate nuzzle before planting a quick kiss on the side of his muzzle.

“Almost home lightning bug.” He nickered, before looking over to see a now clean Firefly glaring at them.

“Heh...maybe not the best choice of bet names.” Sunrise said, awkwardly rubbing his head with a hoof.

“Not to mention fraternization in the ranks. Sergeant.” Firefly said in a serious tone before a smile lit up his face. “I have to admit I never saw you two together.”

A short time later they heard a flutter of wings and the sound of multiple heavy objects landing outside. Hearing the arrival of their ride, the ponies quickly got their gear together and finished their preparations. Screech stopped his juggling, throwing the apples into the air and swallowing them all down at once. Twilight walked over to him, a large wool cloak held in her magic.

“Here, this should keep you warm on the ride over. Plus it should keep away any unwanted attention. Ponies here don't always react well to unfamiliar creatures showing up in town as you probably saw.” She said, draping the thick green cloth over his shoulders.

Screech offered a thankful smile before drawing the hood over his head, obscuring the top half of his face in shadow.

It was now completely dark as they left the castle, noticing a pair of chariots awaiting them on the moonlit grass outside. Each one was pulled by a pair of pegasus guards, though they were no ordinary pegasi. They were dark gray with cat-like amber eyes, leathery bat wings protruding from their dark purple armor.

“We're here on orders to take you to Canterlot Castle, hop aboard!” One of them yelled.

The group quickly hopped aboard the waiting chariots, Lightning, Sunrise, and Firefly getting in one, while Twilight and Screech boarded the other. Once they were all settled the chariots took off. In moments Ponyville turned into a sea of glittering lights as it faded into the distance. As they gained altitude Lightning wrapped a wing around a shivering Sunrise. As a pegasus the icy winds of the night sky didn't bother her as they soared thousands of feet off the ground, and his shivering quickly faded as her soft feathers shielded him from the worst of it.

Meanwhile on the other chariot Twilight attempted to strike up a conversation with Screech, a quill and notepad held eagerly in front of her.

“It's always so exciting to meet a new species!” She squealed. “You don't mind if I ask you a few questions do you?”

Screech shook his head.

She had noticed his cutie mark earlier. A wicker cornucopia overflowing with fruit. “So what do you do? What's your special talent?”

Screech thought for a few seconds before making a pawing motion with his hoof. “Farmer.” He said softly.

Twilight scribbled on her notepad before continuing. “Is that a common thing for tatzlponies to do?”

Screech nodded. “Most.....farm or gather. My species....close to nature.” He replied, almost struggling with each word.

“Are tatzlponies typically this quiet?” She asked.

Again Screech nodded. “Some.....cannot talk at all. We use body language mostly. Our language is also different in some ways. We share words, but many you would not be able to understand. My father was our best speaker. He...traveled when he was younger. Told us many stories.”

“Do the lightning bolts beside your eyes mean anything?”

“No. But they are different for every tatzl.” Screech replied, seemingly growing more confident now that he was being pressed to talk more.

The ride continued like this for a while longer before eventually giving way to silence. The ponies on both vehicles immersed in their own thoughts, only the flapping of wings, the howling of the wind, and the occasional scribble of quill on paper or the creaking of a harness could be heard. Eventually they began to descend, and soon a city came into view. Sticking off the side of a steep mountain, its elegant gold and white spires reflected the moonlight with a gleaming brilliance. Colorful banners waved in the night breeze. The three royal guard ponies took in the sights, motivation stirring in their hearts. Canterlot. They were home.

Homecoming

Canterlot Castle

2100hrs

With the fluttering of wings and the clatter of hooves the pair of chariots landed in the moonlit courtyard of Canterlot Castle. Awaiting them stood the princesses of the day and night, Celestia and Luna. Both the golden armored day guards and the darkly armored night guards were present in equal numbers as several dozen of them stood formed up in a protective semicircle facing the new arrivals.

As the ponies disembarked, Celestia approached them, flanked closely by a squad of grim faced guards.

Bowing her head respect respectfully, she greeted them. “Welcome my ponies. Please stay where you are. This won't take but a moment.”

Lighting her horn, Celestia cast a wave of magic over the group, filling their bodies with an almost uncomfortably warm sensation that seemed to emanate from everywhere at once. After a few moments the sensation vanished abruptly as she terminated the spell.

With a relieved look on her face, Celestia continued. “Now that I have proven that you are indeed who you appear to be, please come with me. I know you must all be tired from the long journey you have endured, but we have much to discuss.”

As the large group of guards dispersed, heading back to various posts, or in the case of the day guards a warm bed, the group followed the two princesses as they headed into the castle. After following them through a myriad of elegant hallways, they arrived in a small room with several low tables ringed with plush cushions. Following the princesses' lead, they seated themselves around one of the tables, the royal princesses sitting side by side at the head of the table.

For several hours they talked about how Twilight was able to save Firefly from Multis's spell. The majority of the conversation involved Twilight explaining her method, with the others occasionally filling in various details. The princesses took great interest in the discovery of the tatzlpony village. In the thousands of years they had lived, even they had thought them to be extinct. Eventually, now in the early hours of the morning, the discussion came to a close.

“I believe that creating a version of this cure that can be more easily replicated should be our top priority. We have lost contact with several of our Southern settlements, including Appleoosa and Dodge Junction, which I believe to be the work of Multis. With this many ponies potentially under his control, it's only a matter of time before he attacks a major city. ” Said an exhausted Celestia. Looking over to Twilight, she continued. “First thing tomorrow, I will assign a team of my best magical researchers to work with you towards this goal. Due to your important roll in these events, I have arranged rooms for all of you to stay here in the castle. I recommend you all get some rest.”

With that, they all went their separate ways. A guard showed the group the way to their rooms. A room was set aside for each of them. Normally reserved for royalty and visiting ambassadors from distant lands, they were some of the best rooms in the castle, second only to those of the princesses themselves. Each one was nearly as big as a decent sized house, containing a massive bed, a variety of elegant furniture and beautifully tiled bathrooms. Twilight and Firefly made their way to their own rooms, While Sunrise Lightning and Screech decided to share a room instead. After spending so much time traveling together, they preferred to stay together, and the room was certainly large enough to accommodate them. After a long night, Sunrise and Lightning quickly made their way under the covers of the enormous bed. Screech too jumped up, doing a few quick circles before lying down at the foot of the bed like a loyal dog. It was not long before they all fell fast asleep.

Canterlot Castle

1000hrs

Sunrise and Lightning walked through the deserted barracks of their unit. It had remained empty since the incident in the Badlands, and with no ponies to maintain it, a thin layer of dust had settled over everything. Sunrise walked over to his footlocker, rummaging through it before retrieving a spare set of gold armor. Contained in the locker were several other items, including a dress uniform, a set of ceremonial armor enchanted with an illusion spell to make him identical in appearance to the other unicorn guards, and a variety of personal items. Sunrise levitated out a picture of a smiling unicorn mare and stallion. His parents. He sighed, before returning it to the locker. It would be some time before he would be able to see them again with everything that was going on. Did they think he was dead? He wondered. He usually kept in touch with them regularly, but that wouldn't be a possibility for some time. Probably not until the threat of Multis was dealt with. Pushing it to the back of his mind, he closed the locker and put on his armor. He walked over to Lightning, who stood already dressed in her armor as well. Noticing the sadness in his eyes, she wrapped her hooves around him in a hug.

“Family?” She asked.

“Yeah, I'm worried about my parents. I've always been so close to them, and now I can't even tell them that I'm okay.” Replied Sunrise. “What about you?” He asked.

“I was an orphan. I never knew my parents, but I was adopted by my foster mother. She was a royal guard captain and was always very strict when I was growing up. I always wanted to make her proud of me, but it seemed like there was nothing I could do to make that happen.” She sighed. “I haven't even so much as sent her a letter in years.”

They stood there holding each other for several minutes before finally breaking the embrace as they were approached by a royal messenger.

Meanwhile

Multis Vaccine Trials

Experiment #25

Attempts to infuse tatzlpony magic into a wearable item were unsuccessful. While it is possible to transfer it into gemstones, the magic is just too foreign to interact with the subject's own magic in a sufficient capacity to negate the effects of Multis's corruption.

Twilight sat at a desk scribbling in a notebook. For several hours she had been working with a team of unicorn researchers with the help of Firefly and Screech to develop a cure with little success. Many of the attempts had even led to several of the researchers being sent to the infirmary in various states of magical exhaustion. It was starting to seem hopeless. As she worked, she was approached by a royal messenger.

“Celestia has requested your presence in the meeting room immediately.” Stated the messenger.

1130

Canterlot Castle

Sunrise, Lightning, Screech, and Firefly sat across the table from Celestia as she addressed them.

“My experts have made progress translating an ancient document written by a unicorn scholar who knew the pony we are familiar with as Multis before his imprisonment. I have here an exert

that could be of great importance.” She said.

Levitating the document before her, she began to read.

“Something has gone wrong. When Greenleaf put on the Multis Circlet, it changed him. He turned on us. Instead of joining our minds together to share our thoughts, it poisoned his mind. It was more powerful than we imagined, seemingly adopting a personality of its own, for which poor Greenleaf was no match. It lashed out, forcing other ponies to bend to its will as well. Stonehoof was the first to be turned, struck as he attempted to remove the circlet from Greenleaf's neck. It spread quickly. As far as I know I was the only one to escape. I can hear them looking for me as I write this. The ponies I once knew as friends now hunting me. If anypony finds this, please know that this is not their fault. Please help them. The Multis Circlet is the source of the corruption. I believe that if it is removed, the effects will be undone. There was no time to find a way to counter the effects, but I believe it is possible. If anypony can get close enough to Greenleaf without being affected, all you have to do is remove the Circ-.”

Celestia set the document down. “I believe this Multis we now face is the same pony as the one described here. Twilight, I know you were not able to produce a more easily produced antidote, so I have a new plan. It is desperate, and hate to ask this of any of you, but I believe this is the best option. Because force will not work, I would like to send in a small team. Myself, Luna, and you Twilight will use your spell to make the four of you immune to the effects of the Multis Circlet. You will then go to the Badlands, find Multis, and remove the circlet. Our scouts have reported an army marching for Baltimare. I will send forces to engage them. Hopefully this will create a distraction large enough to leave you unnoticed. We will begin preparations tonight, and as soon as Twilight has regained her strength we will put the plan into motion.”

Moments after she finished speaking, a loud explosion rocked the room, causing dust to fall from the ceiling as it echoed through the castle.

“Hurry!” Yelled Celestia. “We must begin immediately.”

Every Plan Is Perfect Until the First Step

Canterlot Castle Dungeon

1200hrs

A royal guard patrolled a dimly lit room lined with steel barred doors deep beneath the castle. Hearing a strange noise, he walks over to one of the cells. Peering inside, he notices a unicorn stallion lying on the floor of the cell. As the guard watches, the unicorn rises to his hooves in an almost mechanical movement, his eyes now glowing with an alarmingly bright green color. Before the guard can react, a black tendril shoots from the unicorn's horn, smashing through the magic suppressing wards on the cell with a loud 'crack' before striking him between the eyes, and knocking him to the floor. After a few seconds the guard rises from the floor, a flash of green sparking across his eyes before disappearing. In the cell the unicorn lies dead on the floor, a smoking crater on his head where his horn used to be.

The guard quickly levitated a key ring from a hook on his armor, before running to each cell and unlocking them. In minutes a large group of ponies assemble behind the guard as he moves toward a large steel barred door. The only exit to the room. On the other side of the door, a guard's eyes widen as he sees the mass of ponies moving toward him. He quickly runs down the hallway as the unicorns in the group move forward, their horns glowing, and an eerie smile plastered across their faces. As he flees out of sight, a loud explosion is heard, and the reinforced metal door is blasted off its hinges, flying across the room before smashing into the far wall with a loud bang.

With nothing standing in their path, the corrupted ponies rush forward, swarming down the hallway in the wake of the fleeing guard.

Canterlot Castle

1230

Luna sat next to a visibly exhausted Celestia, a pair of colorful glowing orbs levitating in front of her. As she works, a brown orb slowly shrinks as energy flows from it into its dark blue companion. Once the transfer is completed a sweating Luna extinguishes her horn. The orbs quickly fly back to their respective owners, the diminished brown one disappearing into Screech, and the blue one into Lightning.

At this point Celestia is barely conscious, having used her considerable magic reserves to immunize both Twilight and Sunrise. A door opens, and a panting unicorn guard runs in. His normally pristine gold armor is marred with scorch marks, some of them still smoking. Stopping a few feet in front of the group, he takes a deep breath before speaking.

“Princesses, prisoners have escaped the dungeon! We have been holding them back, but they are slowly gaining ground, turning us against ourselves!” Yelled the guard.

Celestia nodded. “Take these ponies with you and rejoin the fight. They cannot be corrupted like the others.”

The guard hurried from the room, now with 5 ponies in tow. As the group entered a hallway, the sounds of fighting could be heard echoing throughout the castle. As the group grew closer to the noise, the sounds of screaming, explosions, and the clash of metal on metal became more distinguished. As they rounded a corner, they found themselves in the midst of an intense battle. It was difficult to tell the two sides apart as they clashed, many identical in appearance on account of their enchanted armor.

Twilight lit her horn, casting a wave of purple magic that spread through the room. When it came into contact with ponies, it caused several of them to become surrounded with a purple aura.

“I may not have found a solution, but that doesn't mean I didn't come up with anything useful!” Twilight yelled over the commotion.

It immediately became apparent what she had done. The attacking ponies were now clearly marked, but there was a problem. The glowing ponies massively outnumbered the dwindling royal guards.

The group rushed into the fray. Twilight, Sunrise, and Firefly lined up beside each other, hurling magic at the attackers as Lightning took to the air. A spell impacted her armor before the armored unicorn was hit by a return blast from Sunrise. While the unicorn was distracted, Lightning dive bombed him, knocking his helmet off before following up with a powerful strike of her armored hoof to his jaw, knocking him over. When he was down she quickly dispatched him with a buck to the head. As she went to turn around, she was tackled from the side by an unarmored pegasus mare, sending them both rolling across the ground. The mare ended up on top, rearing up to strike Lightning again, but before she could bring her hooves down, a dark green tentacle wrapped around her middle, and she was thrown heavily into a pillar with a crunch of breaking bone. Screech ran over to Lightning and offered her a tentacle. She reached out and grabbed it with a hoof, and was quickly pulled back onto four legs. Looking around, the majority of the uninfected guards had fallen back behind the line of magic wielders. The pegasus and tatzlpony quickly made their way behind the line as well as magical devastation was unleashed upon Multis's thralls. Where once dozens of attackers stood, now only a few still fought as they were assaulted by a withering barrage of magic bolts of all colors.

In short order, the last of the infected were dispatched, leaving behind a scene of devastation. The floor was littered with bodies, the walls were blackened and cratered. Many once glorious stained glass windows had been shattered into pieces, and a thick smoke filled the room. Though they had won the battle, it could hardly be called a victory. Of the hundreds of guards that had fought to repel the attack, only about a dozen were left standing.

As the smoke settled, a teary eyed Celestia approached the group.

“Twilight, there is little time. My scouts have reported that Baltimare is now under attack. It is clear that Multis's power is growing, and he is becoming bolder. Take the group and head to the skydock. An airship will be waiting there to take you to the Badlands.”

Twilight nodded, and the group quickly hurried from the room. They ran down a hallway before climbing several sets of stairs and coming to a doorway. Walking through, they came upon the magnificent sight that was Canterlot's skydock. From the side of the castle, a large stone walkway reached out over the edge of the mountainside city, rolling plains visible miles below the lofty structure. Several elegant airships sat tethered to the sides of the walkway, and as the group walked forward they noticed a green pegasus mare standing in front of one of them. She waved them over as they approached. The ship behind her was much smaller and sleeker than the others. It only had one deck, with a small dome shaped window at the front. It was made from elegantly crafted dark wood accented with gold. It was powered by a single large magically driven propeller at the back, and held aloft by a long narrow balloon. The mare led them on board before introducing herself.

“I'm Seafoam. Welcome aboard the Cloud Skimmer, the fastest airship in Equestria.” She said with a smile.

There was a hum as the massive propeller spun up. Seafoam flew about, undoing ropes and casting them overboard as Twilight and company headed below decks. There was a slight shudder as the ship came free of the dock. Seafoam joined them shortly, closing a hatch behind her, and taking her place at a set of controls behind the spherical window in the front. In no time at all, Canterlot was reduced to a speck in the distance as they quickly gained altitude and speed, heading South with a purpose. With any luck, Multis wasn't going to know what hit him.

The Mile High Club

Royal Airship Cloud Skimmer

1600hrs

The ship truly was as fast as Seafoam claimed. In only a few short hours the snowy peaks of the Macintosh Hills could already be seen far below as they glided smoothly through the air. During the trip Sunrise and Lightning had made their way into a small cabin, their armor laying discarded on the floor as they relaxed. Lightning was reclining on a narrow bunk as Sunrise sat at a desk, the chair turned so he was facing her as they talked. They kept the conversation light, seeking a distraction from the stress of their mission.

“I'm happy to see Screech finally talking more.” Sunrise said. “I think he's a lot more of an intellectual then one would th-.”

*******************

He stopped mid conversation, his eyes widening as he noticed Lightning on the bed. While they were talking she had moved from a sitting position to lie on her back. Her rear legs rested lazily to the side, and her tail was draped over the edge, leaving everything normally hidden beneath in plain sight. He felt a stir between his legs as his gaze moved over her body, shifting from her blue eyes and slowly moving down. As he looked lower the soft blue fur of her chest thinned out as it reached her belly, giving way to smooth dark blue skin from which protruded the two small lumps of her teats. Beneath that was a long narrow slit that neatly divided the plump lips of her marehood, and under that sat the round rosebud of her tail hole before finally ending at the dock of her tail. Taking note of his gaze, she winked her lower lips open, revealing a shiny pink interior. She shivered slightly as she felt the cool air flowing against her sensitive parts.

“Want to try something a little different?” Asked Sunrise.

“What do you have in mind?” She replied in a sultry tone.

Remaining silent, Sunrise walked over. Lighting his horn, he produced a small ball of glowing orange energy, which he moved down to her nethers. He moved it gently around her clit. She gasped as it produced a warm tingly sensation, causing her to open and close her lower lips. Slowly he moved the sphere lower, dragging it gently over her tiny urethra before lining it up with her entrance. It was already dripping with arousal as he increased the size of the sphere before slowly teasing it around the exposed opening. Gently he slid it in, and began working it in and out, never going more than an inch or so inside. As he did this, he reached down with his muzzle and gently took one of her teats into his mouth and suckling it. Smiling, he bit down lightly, stretching it out before releasing it , leaving behind a glistening sheen of saliva. As he moved his head back, he produced another sphere, this one smaller than the first. As he continued teasing her marehood with the first, now sliding it in deeper with each stroke, he lined the second one up with her tight pucker. She grunted softly, biting her lip as the sphere slid into her tail hole. The sensation was unfamiliar, but certainly not unwelcome. Her tail flicked side to side as she felt the pair of spheres going to work inside her. She panted softly as she felt a pressure begin to build, a pleasantly warm sensation filling her body.

“Nngh yes. Yes!” She panted as Sunrise increased the speed. Her breathing got heavier as she got closer and closer to reaching her peak. She could feel the sphere in her vagina as is moved quickly, sliding almost out before pushing back in all the way to her cervix. Looking at it from the outside one could see all the way inside her every time the glowing ball made its way toward the outside, casting a soft orange light that glinted off of her wet inner walls. She swore she could feel the two orbs almost touching through the thin walls of her intestine and vagina. Finally it was too much for her, and she screamed as a squirt of clear fluid flowed out of her opening, soaking her tail and the neatly made bed underneath. As she came down from the most intense climax she had ever experienced, Sunrise joined her, laying beside her on the bed.

Recovering her breath, she looked over to him. “I'm not the one who's going to get eaten this time.” She smiled, rolling him onto his back with the push of a hoof. This caused his erect member to stick up into the air in all its glory. She rolled on top of him, pressing her lips against his and worming her tongue into his mouth as he returned the kiss. They closed their eyes as they reveled in the intimate embrace for several moments before she broke it off. Winking at him, she turned around and with little warning she quickly slid the entire length of his shaft into her mouth. He returned the favor, plunging his muzzle into her wet folds as she slid her mouth up and down his length, the tip sliding down the back of her throat before she worked her way back up. She repeated this a few times before letting it slide all the way out of her mouth. Turning around again, they shared another kiss before Sunrise reached up with his hooves and rolled her over so that he was on top once again. They continued making out as Sunrise slid his now glistening member into her damp folds. Both having been very close already, it only took a couple of thrusts before he bottomed out inside her and she orgasmed for a second time as he came deep inside her, filling her with his warm seed. They rolled over again so that they were now both lying on their sides, his softening member sliding out of her with a wet squelch as they held each other. As they stared warmly into each others' eyes they began to realize just how deeply they loved each other. What had once been a simple brother and sister in arms had grown into something much more. Looking down at their bodies, their fur matted with sweat and....other things, Sunrise realized something else as well. This ship didn't have a shower.

**********************

The two guard ponies made their way back to the front of the ship, joining Seafoam in the control room. Seafoam looked over at them, crinkling her nose.

“You know this is a military transport, not a pleasure cruise right?” She asked sarcastically.

Their faces reddened in response. “Um yeah...how are we looking on the objective?” Sunrise asked awkwardly.

“Take a look Sarge.” Seafoam replied, waving a hoof at the window. “I'll bet my ship that's what we're looking for.”

The two ponies walked up to the window, their eyes widening at what they saw. Far ahead, the seemingly endless dunes and rocky spires of the Badlands were broken by a sea of green. It was a forest in the middle of a desert. In the center of this spontaneous oasis stood a looming monolith. A gigantic red stone tower reaching into the sky. At the base it was ringed by a high square wall which itself was ringed with a trench full of wicked looking wooden spikes.

“Guys, you might want to see this!” Sunrise yelled. Cabin doors opened as the rest of the group joined them at the front of the ship. They all stood watching in awe as the Cloud Skimmer descended toward the edge of the impossible forest. They had been expecting to find a cave complex, or at most a camp. It was clear to all of them, this mission was going to be near suicidal.

The ship descended rapidly until it was skimming only about twenty feet above the rocky wasteland. Their only hope was to land at the edge of the forest without being spotted, if they hadn't already. The ship shuddered as it quickly slowed to a near stop, sail-like air brakes springing from the sides of the hull. Seafoam deftly brought the ship around so that its side was now facing the trees as it kissed the ground. As soon as it had she opened a side hatch and flew out with a purpose. She zoomed around grabbing ropes and securing them to tree trunks in order to tether the ship to the ground. They were fortunate that the trees were so large, many of them towering more than a hundred feet into the air. This would hide their approach on the fortress, but there was one glaring issue. While the bulk of the ship was hidden below the treeline, the massive balloon stuck out like a sore thumb. When Twilight brought this up Seafoam just smiled at her before pulling a lever with her hoof. There was a rush of air as the balloon rapidly deflated, collapsing onto the roof.

“There.” Stated the pegasus. “Let's just pray to Celestia that they didn't see us come in. Go, do what needs to be done. I'll wait with the ship. The magical converters can get that balloon back up almost as fast as it went down, so we can leave in a hurry if need be.”

The group gathered their gear, the three guard ponies donning their armor, and Twilight levitating a set of saddlebags onto her back. A ramp was extended, and the five ponies departed the ship before disappearing into the dense forest. As they walked they noted the eerie silence that filled the woods. There was no birdsong, nor the scurrying of small critters, only the creak of wood and the rustling of leaves.

The Forest

Baltimare

1700hrs

The sounds of screams and explosions filled the air as ponies ran for their lives. Smoke hung in the sky as a legion of royal guard fought back, slowly losing ground as they were hopelessly outnumbered. On three sides they were surrounded by Multis's army. The bulk of the attackers was made up of former residents of the city, though several darkly armored unicorns were visible in their numbers as they lashed out with dark magic, turning any pony who was unfortunate enough to be in their path.

The guards were losing their will to fight as they retreated. They tried to pull their punches when they could, doing their best not to kill the attackers as they were forced to fight the ponies they had sworn to protect.

Meanwhile...

Somewhere in the Badlands

Lightning hovered just above the group as they made their way through the forest. It was a very unnerving place. Despite being in the middle of a dry lifeless wasteland, a humid breeze blew through the trees, and a light fog blanketed the ground. It felt wild. Not unlike the Everfree forest, the weather seemed unpredictable, yet there seemed to be an odd sense of order to it all. She fluttered to the ground as Twilight signaled the group to stop.

“Something doesn't seem right.” Twilight stated. “I can feel a strange magical presence ahead of us. I don't think we're alone here.”

The group looked around, their eyes darting back and forth, and ears flicking in various directions as they waited. Despite Twilight's warning, all that could be heard was the rustling of leaves and the creak of branches as they stirred in the breeze.

Moments later the rattle of metal could be heard over the sounds of the forest. Heavy hoofsteps echoed around them, drawing closer. With the snap of branches, several unicorns emerged from the dense foliage before them. They resembled the unicorns they had encountered before, wearing midnight black armor, but this armor was different. Much heavier, covering them almost completely in heavy plate mail from their hooves all the way to their heads, which were covered by thick helmets. Through the eye holes a faint green glow could be seen emanating from their eyes. Fastened to their sides were long scabbards that held weapons that were quickly drawn by mouth in a simultaneous motion that one would have considered unnervingly well practiced for a professional team of guards. Now held in front of them, the weapons were revealed to be vicious looking swords seemingly forged from the same dark metal as their armor. Their long double edged blades extended straight out from the hilt, following a slight curve before ending in a finely sharpened point.

Twilight lit her horn, erecting a shimmering purple dome around the group as the dark unicorns advanced towards them, smiling around the hilts of their swords.

The shield not phasing them in the slightest, the unicorns lashed out with their magic. Dark tendrils shot forth from their horns, going through the shield like it wasn't even there. As the tendrils contacted each of the ponies it dissipated as soon as it touched their fur, causing no discernible effect. Twilight's spell had worked.

The unicorns continued to close in on them, speaking in unison.

“I see what it is you have done. No matter, I will simply have to destroy you instead.”

Immediately the unicorns began battering the shield with a relentless barrage of glowing missiles. Cracks and booms resounded as they slammed into the shield. The lavender allicorn began to sweat from the strain of maintaining the spell.

“We need to do something quick, it won't be long before more of these guys show up!” Sunrise yelled as he lit his horn, combining his magic with Twilight's to strengthen the shield. It took on a slight orange sheen as he merged his magic with the spell.

Looking around worriedly, Twilight yelled back, “I'm not going to be able to hold it much longer. I'm going to have to teleport us all out of here!”

Sweat poured down Twilight's face as she activated the spell. Her horn glowed with a second aura overlapping the first as she concentrated. A large flash was seen as the five ponies disappeared into nothingness. As soon as they were gone the shield shattered, leaving the dark unicorns standing around a scorched black circle on the ground where it had stood.

****************

Sunrise opened his eyes to find himself lying on the ground. Thick underbrush filled his vision as he stood up. He was definitely still in the forest, but there was no sign of the others.

“Hello?” He called out.

Only silence answered him as he began to walk in a slow circle around the spot where he had fallen. Looking up he could see the sunlight filtering through the leaves as it cast long shadows across the ground. If the sun was still up that meant that he couldn't have been unconscious for more than a few minutes at the most. A quick check confirmed that he still had all his gear. He could also make out the tower through the trees, looming in the distance. Almost seeming to taunt him.

“Let's see. The wise thing to do would be to head back to the ship. Maybe that's where the others ended up.” He reasoned to himself.

He tried to cast a navigation spell to find his way back, but that idea was quickly crushed as his brain was wracked with a stabbing headache. Apparently the effort of helping Twilight hold the shield had been too much for him, and had put him on the brink of magical exhaustion. He doubted he could do much more than lift a pebble in this condition.

With no good way to get his bearings he simply chose a random direction away from the tower and started walking. After several minutes of making his way through forest he found himself standing on the edge of a steep hill that ran down into a narrow valley. In the heart of the valley the trees gave way to smooth sand before growing back in on the other side. He noticed several train tracks running through the valley. He counted four sets laid side by side, one end disappearing into the forest on one end of the valley, and the other following it for several miles before heading into a tunnel underneath a large fortified wall. Behind that wall he could see the tower reaching into the sky, mocking him once again.

Hearing a loud rumbling sound, he ducked down as a train came into view. It trundled down the tracks, pulling several open topped cars loaded with stone. He watched as it disappeared into the tunnel. However, just before the last car was gone he saw a dark shape throw itself off the train and beeline toward him.

Quickly he got to his hooves and rushed back into the forest. Branches slapped against his armor as he ran, panting as he wove his way around trees and pushed his way through thick brambles.

He turned around as the dark shape crashed through the forest canopy and landed behind him, revealing itself to be a darkly armored pegasus. Though the same in color, this armor appeared to be much lighter, and only covered the mare's barrel. Her helmet only covered the top of her head, held on with a chin strap. This gave him a good look at her eyes. Like the unicorns they gave off a green glow, spreading out from her irises and ended in glowing green flames at the corners of her eyes.

She drew a sword from her side and lunged at him. He rolled to the side as she brought it back to slash at him. He managed to dodge it, but the tip cut across his left foreleg, passing through his armor like it wasn't even there, leaving a deep gash behind. He ducked another slash that whipped through the air where his head had been, backing up as she pressed forward.

Another swing left a gash across his breastplate, just barely missing his skin. The pegasus shot into the air, landing behind him with a flap of her wings. He threw himself forward onto the ground as she swung again, catching the end of his tail and neatly taking off a few inches of hair.

Thinking quickly, he levitated a small clump of sand off the ground and flung it into her face. She stopped her advance as the sand stung her eyes, giving him just enough time to kick out with his rear legs, bucking her square in the jaw.

The impact sent the sword flying out of her grip, landing on the ground with a 'clang'. Sunrise rushed forward and slammed into her with his shoulder, sending her sprawling. She rolled across the ground before deftly righting herself with a flap of her wings. She was a mess. Her jaw was clearly dislocated and her glowing eyes were bloodshot.

Sunrise lowered his head and grabbed the sword in his teeth. The hilt was solid, but perfectly molded to be held in the mouth. Getting a good grip, he held it in front of him as she moved toward hi once again. He held the blade to the side, deflecting a blow a she swung at him.

“Plesth Thtop.” He mumbled around the sword.

His head rang as another strike glanced off his helmet as she continued to attack him with her bare hooves. He couldn't just strike her down! She was unarmed and he clearly had the advantage.

“Don't make me do it.” He mumbled, tears rimming his eyes. Sure, the Royal Guard was trained to use lethal force, but they almost never used weapons like this. Even then it was typically only for ceremonial purposes. It was just too....barbaric.

She didn't listen as she continued to land blows on him. One caught him in the face, causing his vision to blur, and completely lose sight from his right eye. He cried as he swung the blade in front of him, catching her in the neck. He saw her eyes go wide, turning a soft amber as the green glow disappeared. They almost seemed to hold his gaze as her head was separated from her body, falling to the ground with a thud.

The sword fell from his mouth as he cried. Tears flowed freely down his face as he leaned over and emptied the contents of his stomach onto the ground.

Sunrise sunk to his haunches, closing his eyes as he shook. He remained like this for several minutes before he heard soft hoofsteps approaching behind him.

“Just do it.” He whispered. “I don't want to have to kill anyone else.”

The hoofsteps stopped, and moments later he felt a hoof rub his shoulder. He looked over to find himself gazing into a pair of sapphire eyes.

“Oh Sunrise.” Lightning whispered quietly as tears rimmed her eyes. They wrapped their hooves around each other in a tight hug.

They remained like this for a while before getting to their hooves. As they made their way back into the forest Sunrise retrieved the sword. He looked at it for a moment before sliding it into a strap on his saddlebags.

A brief smile lit his face, and a glow of green flashed quickly across his amber eyes.

Corruption

Leaves rustled under her hooves as Twilight walked through the forest, Screech following not far behind. She was exhausted to say the least. This wasn't the first time one of her spells had gone wrong, but this fact didn't make it any less frustrating for her. She was supposed to be the element of magic, yet she had messed up once again and scattered the group to who only knew where in hostile territory.

Seeing that Twilight was clearly upset, Screech reached out to lightly stroke her shoulder with a tentacle.

"Ah!" She yelped, jumping into the air with a start.

"Sorry." Screech whispered, concern clearly visible in his expressive green eyes.

"It's okay." Twilight responded with a sigh. "This place has me on edge. There's a place near my home called the Everfree Forest that reminds me of this place. Somehow this place is even more off putting though. At least the Everfree was full of life. Animals. The silence here is just....creepy."

"You blame yourself for what happened?" Screech asked.

Twilight sighed despondently. "Yes. I shouldn't have messed up that spell. I mean, I'm the element of magic for bucks sake!"

Screech's eyes widened at that. "You're saying there are new e...element bearers, and you're one of them?"

"Yes. At least I was. A few years ago we had to return the elements to the tree of harmony. Without them it was dying. Losing its ability to protect Equestria from all kinds of threats."

"I had no idea. I had only heard of element bearers in legend. As isolated as my race is, we do not often hear of what's going on in the world around us."

Twilight held up a hoof, halting the conversation. Her ears flicked forward as she heard the sound of shouting and commotion nearby. Whatever was going on was obscured by the towering tree trunks and dense thickets that filled her vision. She dashed forward, branches snagging her mane and coat. After several minutes of struggling she was met with a terrifying spectacle. A disheveled Lightning Strike was backing away from an enraged Sunrise. In his mouth he held a dark sword. His face was a mess of bruises and cuts, and a large gash on one of his forelegs was gushing blood, matting his fur and staining the ground beneath him with crimson droplets. Whenever he closed the distance he would lash out at the terrified pegasus, trying to strike her down with vicious slashes as she desperately avoided them.

Twilight lit her horn and sent a blast of magic at the unicorn, sending him tumbling to the ground. The sword flew out of his grasp, flipping through the air before impaling itself nearly to the hilt in a tree.

Lightning seized this opportunity to run to Twilight's side. As she did Sunrise clumsily got back on his hooves and disappeared into the undergrowth.

"Sunrise!" Twilight yelled, but it was too late. He was gone. Turning to her side her attention was drawn to the panting pegasus. Swaying on her hooves as she struggled not to collapse where she stood. Screech reached out with a pair of tentacles, wrapping them around Lightning's barrel to help her stand. As he did, Twilight reached out with her magic, filling Lightning with an icy sensation as her wounds were healed, cuts knitting themselves back together and fading. Gradually her breathing slowed back to normal and she was able to regain her footing.

"What happened?" Asked a concerned Twilight.

"I'm not sure." Replied Lightning. "I ran into Sunrise about an hour ago. He had just killed one of Multis's minions with that." She said, nodding her head at the sword sticking out of the tree. "He was upset, but I was able to calm him down and we decided to try to make our way back to the ship. He began acting....strange, then just now he tried to kill me!"

"Hmmm." Twilight hummed thoughtfully, walking over to the blade in the tree. She closed her eyes, reaching out with her magic to scan it. After a few moments her eyes snapped open and she backed away from the tree.

"Whatever that is, it is heavily imbued with Tartarian magic. As soon as Sunrise touched it, it must have overpowered the cure and poisoned his mind. Fortunately Multis shouldn't be able to control him directly, but I fear the influence may be enough to corrupt him permanently unless something is done. I hope taking it from him stopped its spread, but it will need to be reversed."

"Have to find him. I think I can help." Screech chimed in.

"Agreed." Twilight replied. "His injuries alone looked very bad. I don't think we have much time."

With that the three ponies headed out, following the bloodstained trail that Sunrise had left.

************

Several things flashed through Sunrise's mind as he ran. Obey. Kill or be killed, it's your life or theirs. The shadows seemed to lengthen as he ran. His vision swam, and his head pounded. Dark shapes seemed to descend toward him, before merging into the shadows and disappearing.

Sunrises's gallop quickly slowed as his wounded foreleg caused him to limp awkwardly.

"Keep going." A voice whispered in the back of his mind. "Worse things then death await you if they catch you."

Sunrise picked up his pace once more. His breath came in ragged pants and gasps as he pushed himself beyond the limits of any sane pony. A twig snapping to his left caused his eyes to widen as he imagined dark forms reaching out from the trees to grab him.

"They're....*pant*....my friends. They only want to help." He argued to himself.

"No." The voice replied. "You're one of us now. They see you as nothing more than a monster. A murderer."

Sunrise continued to run, foam coated his muzzle, and his sides heaved with each breath.

"Sunrise stop!" A voice yelled from behind him.

He ignored it as he pressed on. At this point he could see little more than vague images to guide him. He slammed into a tree, getting thrown to the ground before rolling back to his hooves and continuing. He only made it a few more strides before his front hooves met nothing but air, and he was sent tumbling down an embankment, bouncing off rocks. One snagged his rear hoof, his momentum barely slowed and a *snap* was heard as it came loose. He rolled several more times before he came to a stop at the bottom.

Barely conscious and on his side, he lifted his head, looking over to see his right hind leg bent at an unnatural 90 degree angle at the joint. His head fell back down as he lost the strength to hold it up, barely able to keep his eyes open. As he lay there he heard the sound of approaching hoofsteps and concerned voices.

Suddenly a familiar face filled his vision.

"Sunrise!" Sobbed a tear stained Lightning Strike. Her mane was a tangled mess of twigs and leaves protruding from the top of her scratched and dented helmet. She reached out and stroked his muzzle with a forehoof, causing him to flinch.

"Over here, I found him!" She yelled.

Seconds later Twilight was at her side. She had a quick conversation with Lightning before looking down at him.

"You're not going to like this, but it's the only way to help you." Twilight whispered to him, before nodding her head at someone behind him.

*******

Sunrise felt something wrap around his uninjured hind leg, and then around the broken one. He winced as they were gently pulled together, causing the joint to pop as it was forced back into place. Something else wrapped around his middle, holding him firmly, but not painfully so. He felt himself being pulled backward and soon felt a warm sensation on his rear hooves. He began to struggle weakly as he felt something warm and wet around his rear legs that began to slowly move up his body. After a few moments he felt himself being lifted up as the sensation moved up to his chest. The sight of his two concerned companions was replaced by that of the darkening sky, mostly obscured by a dense patchwork of leafy branches. A few stars were visible, and the horizon was bathed in a brilliant palette of oranges and reds.

Soon that warm, wet sensation reached his neck, pulsing around him as he was pulled downwards. His vision was rimmed by darkened pink walls. Something slick dripped onto his face, and his vision was filled with darkness as his view of the sky was closed off. Now blind, all he could do was squirm around in the tight confines. His rear half had stopped moving, and he was slowly pulled into a curled up position as the rest of him caught up. There was a wet *pop* and the pressure around his head disappeared as he found himself in a space that was still very cramped, but nowhere near as tight as where he just was. He felt his coat matted with something wet as he pressed his hooves against the soft walls that seemed to hug him. Unable to hold his eyes open any longer, he lost consciousness.

************

Lightning walked over to Screech. His engorged belly shifted slightly from movement within. A couple of lumps were visible briefly against the taught skin before fading, and the movement ceased. She pressed a hoof against his stomach, able to vaguely feel the shape of Sunshine's form within.

"Is he going to be okay?" She asked.

"Think so. Only time will tell." Screech replied.

Leaning forward, she placed her lips against his belly and gave it a quick kiss. "Rest well Sunshine. We're going to need you."

Demons

Sunrise opened his eyes to find himself in a dark rocky void. The only thing he could make out was a glowing path beneath his hooves that ran out ahead of him before disappearing into the inky blackness. He slowly walked forward, his metal shoes making a series of soft clanks against the hard surface as he moved, echoing off of distant walls. It was the only sound to be heard as a deathly silence hung over the place, not even the reassuring whisper of a breeze made itself known.

"Am I dead?" He asked aloud to no one in particular.

"If only it were so easy." Replied an eerily familiar voice.

Moment later a figure stepped out of the shadows in front of him. It revealed itself to be an orange coated unicorn stallion dressed from head to hoof in midnight black armor, a green glow emanating from his eyes. An ever present smile lit up his face.

"Who are you?" Sunrise asked, lighting his horn.

The strange unicorn lit his horn in response, the glowing aura mirroring the same orange glow as Sunrise's.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm you! Well, the real you that is. The one you've been trying your hardest to ignore."

"Lies." Sunrise hissed, stepping forward and lowering his horn aggressively.

"Are they?" Replied the other Sunrise, mirroring his stance. "Accept it. We are two halves of the same coin you and I. Without me you are nothing."

Sunrise lashed out with a spell which collided with an identical blast from the other Sunrise. They stood for several moments glaring at each other, an orange maelstrom lighting up the space between them. Soon though Sunrise's magic gained ground, powering toward his mirror image before colliding with him with a loud *bang*. The smile never left his face as his head was blown clear from his body, falling next to it in on the dark floor.

Walking up, Sunrise rolled the head over with a hoof to reveal the tear stained face of the pegasus he had killed in the forest.

"Why?" The head asked him in a pained voice. "I had no choice but to fight. You didn't have to kill me, you could have ran. I was unarmed." She cried.

"There was no other way." Sunrise whispered sadly, sinking to his haunches. "You just wouldn't stop."

The head smiled and Sunrise was thrown backward by a blast of green magic, tumbling head over hoof before landing in a heap on the ground. Rolling back on his hooves, he looked to see Lightning standing in front of him, her face bruised and bloodied.

"How could you do this to me?" She whimpered.

Steeling himself, Sunrise felt a new feeling flow through his body. Anger.

"No! This isn't real!" He yelled.

The image of Lightning smiled and her face rippled and melted away, revealing Sunrise's own visage underneath.

"Oh but it is" Stated his twin, the smile on his face replaced with a sneer. "I am stronger than you. I made you do those things. Accept that I am a part of you and end this needless conflict."

"You may have forced me to bend to your will, but you are not me. You are a monster." Sunrise replied angrily, reaching out with his magic and lifting his twin into the air by his throat.

The other Sunrise smiled and shifted once again, this time revealing a black unicorn with a flowing black mane. His glowing emerald eyes gazed upon Sunrise with contempt.

"If I'm a monster what does that make you?" Multis asked, his voice rasping harshly as he struggled in Sunrise's grasp.

There was a flash and Sunrise looked to see that his magic had been replaced by a pair of black tentacles that were wrapped around Multis's throat. He gagged as he felt them protruding from his mouth, realizing that he could feel every detail of Multis's form through them, and could even taste the rough fabric of Multis's cloak and feel the warmth of his body where they were held against his skin.

Multis dropped back to the ground as he let go. The tentacles flailed around for a moment before quickly retracting back into his mouth, causing him to cough and gag. Multis smiled and disappeared in a flash of green. Suddenly the ground gave way beneath Sunrise, and he felt himself falling through the blackness, the wind whipping through his mane as he plummeted. He held his hooves to his face to shield himself from the inevitable impact as a rocky floor rushed up to meet him.

When he hit the ground it gave way, wrapping itself around him, and sealing him off inside. He struggled in panic. It didn't feel like rock. It was warm and wet. He opened his eyes to find himself curled up in a ball in a tight space. He was no longer in his armor and unlike the strange void this felt much more real. A rhythmic thumping, and a constant cacophony of gurgles and squelches could be heard around him. He was awake. At least it felt like it anyway.

"What in Tartarus?" He moaned.

*********************

Twilight, Lightning, and Screech sat warming their hooves around a small fire. Magical forest or not it was still the Badlands, and as soon as the sun had dipped below the horizon the temperature had dropped like a rock. Still in the middle of enemy territory, Twilight had cast a simple illusion spell over the makeshift encampment. The simple misdirection would hide them from any patrols unless they were right on top of them, and she had cast wards that would alert her in the event that should happen.

Night had fallen hours ago, but none of them could seem to get any sleep, so they just sat around the fire, occasionally breaking into hushed conversation. The forest was silent for the most part, though the faint sound hammering and the grind of stone being moved could be heard in the distance as the construction of Multis's imposing fortress continued around the clock. Every so often the rumble of a train could be heard chugging down the tracks, bringing in more stone and raw materials to feed Multis's ever hungry war machine.

"You know, I wonder where Firefly ended up. It seems like we should have come across him by now." Twilight said.

Lightning sat on the ground next to Screech with a hoof resting on his belly. She hadn't left his side since they had found Sunrise several hours ago.

"Well he is a Lieutenant." Lightning replied. "Anyone in the Guard knows they have a tendency to get themselves lost. I'm sure he'll turn up eventually."

Lightning looked over to Screech who lay resting on his side, his belly spilling out between his legs.

"How's he doing in there?" She asked softly.

"Still resting." He replied, wincing slightly as he felt a series of squirms and kicks. "His body is healed, but I think he is still struggling for control of his mind. That is something that will take some time to mend."

Lightning nodded, relieved. "And what about you? Is it painful to keep him like that?"

"No." He replied. "We tatzlponies are built for it. It may slow me down a but, but I can keep him here for as long as necessary."

Not wanting to worry her, there were some things Screech kept to himself. Something was not quite right. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but he did have some suspicions.

At that point the conversation once again gave way to silence. The group sat for several minutes listening to the crackle of the flames before Lightning felt a series of movements from Screech's belly and a muffled voice from within.

"I think he's awake!" She exclaimed, pressing an ear to Screech's belly. "Can you hear me Sunrise?" She inquired.

"Lightthng ith that you?" A muffled voice replied from within. Even given the fact that it was muffled, something seemed off about his voice. Almost like he was trying to speak with a wad of cotton in his mouth. Something definitely wasn't right.

A New Form

As Sunrise sat curled up in the darkness he felt the walls around him squeeze against him in a series of contractions. There was a tugging on his tail which soon moved to his hindquarters as he was quickly pulled into a much tighter space. Seconds later he felt cool air against his skin as he was unceremoniously regurgitated onto the ground. A pink abyss filled his vision when he opened his eyes to find himself looking up into Screech's wide open maw before the tatzlpony closed his mouth and looked down at the prone unicorn with a smile.

"Welcome back." Stated his beaming friend.

After several unsuccessful attempts to stand that resulted in his face having an uncomfortable meeting with the ground, Sunrise forced himself up into a sitting position. When he did he felt an unusual new sensation stemming from his tail. Looking back, he noticed that the flowing silver hair of his tail had been replaced with a thick snake-like appendage that extended out several feet behind him before ending in a tuft of silver fur.

"What the buck!" He screamed, jumping forward and immediately face planting onto the ground.

It was at this point that Lightning ran forward to help him up.

"Sunrise! You're a...a you're a tatzlpony!" She exclaimed.

Sunrise walked around in a few short circles before sinking back down onto his haunches. Reaching up, he ran a hoof across his forehead where it brushed against the familiar bony protrusion of his horn, allowing him to breathe a sigh of relief. At least some things had remained the same.

"How ith thith pothible?" He asked, still quite disoriented.

"I think I have a theory." Twilight chimed in.

"When we found you, you were gravely injured. When Screech's healing magic interacted with your own, it must have conflicted with the spell I used to immunize us all from the corruption. Since that spell contains a piece of Screech's tatzlpony magic, it must have confused you as a tatzlpony and changed you at a very basic level. Since your own magic is present as well though, I can only imagine what kind of implications this could have."

Sunrise had calmed down a great deal as he sat there listening to Twilight. He formed his words carefully as he spoke; slowly starting to get used to speaking around his extra tongues.

"Can it be reversed?"

Twilight sighed, looking down for a moment before meeting his gaze.

"I'm sorry....I....I." She stuttered, trying to get the words out.

Sunrise frowned. "I see."

Getting up, he noticed his armor piled up neatly a few feet away. Walking over, he attempted to light his horn. It sputtered, throwing off a shower of orange sparks before going dark again. He tried again. This time it lit up with a reassuring orange glow, and he reached out and levitated the chest piece carefully into place. He repeated this process with the boots, sliding each one into place on his hooves. He went to do the same with the helmet, but as it was floating over his horn flared and it shot forward, beaning him square in the nose.

"Ow." He grunted, bringing up his hooves and holding his nose with a grimace. He considered trying to levitate it again before thinking better of it and lifting it onto his head with his hooves.

"Well that confirms another part of my theory." Twilight stated. "Now that you have both unicorn and tatzl magic, they're going to conflict with each other as your body adjusts to the change. I'm not sure if they'll balance each other out eventually, or if this is permanent. I've read about transformations before, but they're so rare that not much is really known about them."

"Well I guess I'll just have to deal with it." Sunrise replied. "At leathst my armor still fits."

Lightning approached him, walking up and wordlessly wrapping a hoof around his withers.

He shook it off and got to his hooves.

"I'm sorry. I need a moment to myself to process this." He said before walking out of the camp and into the woods. It suddenly got several shades darker as he left the camp behind, the illusion spell hiding the light of the fire from his sight, leaving only the light of the moon to keep him company. Unbeknownst to him, a shadowy figure slipped into the woods behind him, stepping carefully to avoid drawing his attention.

***********

*Smash* Wood splintered as Sunrise slammed his rear hooves into a log, reducing it to splinters. His front hoof struck a sapling, snapping it in half. A trio of tentacle-like tongues shot from his mouth and wrapped around a rock that was about the size of a pony's head, lifting it with ease. He almost gagged as he realized he could taste every detail of it. Moss, dirt, and even a gritty metallic undertone from the stone itself. It was quickly flung away in disgust, connecting with a tree trunk and sending bits of bark flying in all directions. He staggered back as he looked at the serpentine forms protruding out in front of him, seeming to flail around with a mind of their own. His breath came in short gasps. He....he could't breathe! He panicked as he struggled to regain control of himself. After a few terrifying moments of choking and coughing he managed to pull the tongues back into his mouth and fell back onto his haunches.

Sunrise sat there in the moonlight, cold tears running down his face as he took slow deep breaths. His body was filled with unfamiliar sensations that unnerved him to his very core. He could feel every detail of the cold ground against his tail as it lay wrapped around his haunches. He let out a long yawn and almost shuddered as he felt his mouth open in not two, but three directions. His lower jaw splitting down the middle seamlessly and spreading out into two triangular halves. He quickly closed his mouth, rubbing a hoof against his jaw in a futile attempt to make it feel...normal. What even was normal for him anymore? He wasn't hungry, yet he felt strangely empty inside. It felt like he could actually feel his insides moving. It wasn't necessarily an uncomfortable feeling, like an upset stomach, but something much more alien. He didn't know if it was his imagination, or if he could actually feel the walls of his stomach rubbing together as if they had the same sense of touch as his skin, if not more.

He collapsed to the ground before curling up in a ball. What would they think of him if he ever made it back home? His friends? His family? He would be a monster in their eyes. He lay there for several minutes before he felt a hoof gently stroking his back. He looked up slowly to see a pair of sapphire eyes staring back at him reassuringly.

"Lightning?"

"Shhh it's going to be okay." She whispered back. "I can only imagine what you must be going through, but if there's one thing I want you to know it's that you're not alone."

He just lay there for several minutes as she stood over him with her hoof resting gently on his back. Neither of them said a word, but just knowing Lightning was there filled Sunrise with a sense of calm. Eventually she offered him a hoof. He wrapped his own around it and she pulled him up onto his hooves.

"Come on. Let's get back before the others start to worry."