Strength Beyond Strengthby MellowSoulChaptersAn Unexpected WelcomeSuperhero ModePurposeThe BasicsIntermissionTo The LimitTeamworkAn Unexpected WelcomeThe sound of soldiers roaming across the the campsite outside his tent reminded Chris of how many times he'd done this same routine before. Some nefarious individual would orchestrate a B.O.W attack, and the BSAA would be called in to clean up the resulting disaster. Years of this song and dance left him with many memories and regrets to go over in his mind. All he could hope for now was to get this over with quickly so he could return home. The later it got into the night, the heavier his eyes grew. Soon enough, regardless of the commotion, he would collapse into his sleeping bag and be consumed by his subconscious for at least a few hours. He would be thankful for what rest he could attain. The closer he got to that border, the more he found himself remembering something Leon described about a month prior. "Let me get this straight; you're telling me you had a vivid nightmare about magical talking horses?" "What was really strange about it was how I was holding conversations with them through the entire night." "And you ended up killing them all?" "The way it was explained to me, they'd somehow been reincarnated time after time to commit some kind of atrocity or another. They needed me there to finish the job and break the cycle." "Guess it's something to think about at least. That's where the responsibility part of possessing power comes in." "Yeah..." The images of their conversation eventually subsided from his mind. He began thinking back to Sheva's comments on his capabilities as a fighter. What kind of damage would he have been forced to inflict had it been him in the dream instead of Leon? Would he have been able to do it at all? It was disheartening to believe more than one world was being destroyed; even worse, to believe what was destroying the other world may be even more frightening. "Something worse than Raccoon City, huh...?" Chris closed his eyes, drifting out of consciousness bit by bit. The world soon went dark. When Chris opened his eyes, he felt a slow, cold chill. The bluish-gray sky staring back at him marked the beginning of his confusion. He sat up only to be greeted by the sight of a cliff edge. "What is this place?" He quickly stood up and a scanned around the perimeter. There were no signs of life. "Either someone's playing a prank on me or I've been abducted. But, why leave me out here?" Chris thought for a moment. He couldn't be far from camp, right? "Oh well. No sense wasting time." Chris walked away from the cliff. There's no telling how much time passed before Chris found his way to a nearby town. "Is this like the Los Illuminados incident?" Indeed, the buildings resembled some of Leon's descriptions mentioned in his report. "What's the Los Illuminados incident," a female voice asked from nearby. Chris quickly turned around and drew his gun. "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." Looking closer, he saw a purple figure in a baby blue hoodie. "What are you," he asked. "I'm a pony. I know what you are too...Chris." "How do you...!?" "I assumed. You know someone named Leon, right?" "I do. So this is the world he was talking about before." "Did he tell you who I am?" "He told me you were dead." "He was always tense. I guess death was something he was used to seeing." Chris lowered his weapon. "What's your name?" "Twilight Sparkle." "Pretty mellow name for a serial killer." Twilight's breath for that moment reflected the severity of her defeat. "Ex-serial killer." "Ex?" "I'd really rather not talk about this in public. Can you follow me?" "Why should I trust you?" "Because I remember everything; every act of evil that ever emanated from our hooves and claws." "How can I be sure you forgot?" "Because the killing isn't the only thing I recall. There's so much more than I realized." "More?" "Please; I really don't want to say here." "Alright." Chris holstered his gun and began walking behind Twilight. If necessary, he could make a quick escape. "What's all this about?" "Now we understand why everything kept going wrong." "Why?" "There was no balance." "Meaning...?" "Every action is supposed to have a reaction, but that wasn't true here. Sure, we suffered consequences, but they only served us until we died of natural causes. After that, everything started all over again. It was one event of travesty after another." "Is that why you needed Leon?" "He was the first one capable of doing anything. To counter our unrestrained killing mentality, someone of virtue with pure intentions needed to stop us. Without knowing we could be put out of our misery, we were doomed to repeat the system of pain over and over. Just ask Rarity and Rainbow Dash." "What happened to them?" "In a previous life, Rainbow suffered severe physical and psychological abuse from her romantic partner. Rarity lost her sister in a timeline before that." "I'm sorry..." "For what?" "Me and Leon are supposed to protect people. If we'd been here in time, we would've tried to help." "I know you would've. Don't blame yourself. It couldn't have been helped." "I know what it's like to face my inner demons. It's been a hard battle from day one." "What matters is we can live normal lives now; aside from the PTSD." One of the castle doors opened, revealing a humanoid dragon-like figure. "Hey, Spike." "Hey, Twilight." "So that's Spike." "He's all the family I've really got in this forsaken place." "I'm detecting a bit of bitterness." "Aren't you about the zombie thing?" "I am, but you have to make a choice. You can sit here and be pissed off for the rest of your life, or you can make a positive change with the knowledge you've gained." "Easy for you to say. You're a big muscle man who uses his limbs to solve problems." A shrill scream suddenly rang out across town. "That sounded like a filly!" Chris immediately started bolting out of the castle. "Come on! We've gotta' help!" Superhero ModeChris ran as fast as his legs would carry him. Twilight followed close behind with Spike. The sprint carried them all the way to the other side of town near the everfree forest. Twilight was correct. It was a young filly; about six years old. "Are you okay," Chris asked as he tried to catch his breath. The filly pointed into the grove of tress with a terrified expression. Chris examined it closer. There were two yellow eyes peering out through the darkness. "You didn't tell me there were monsters here!" "It's a timber wolf! Get out of the way!" "The hell with that. Watch and learn." Chris stood directly in front of the grove. "You're not fooling anyone. Go back to the forest and leave them alone." "Don't antagonize it, Chris!" The wolf jumped out immediately after Twilight's warning. Chris moved to the side to avoid injury before it landed. "It's your funeral." The beast charged at Chris. Right before it commenced a second strike, he cocked his fist back and moved. Giving a loud yell, he struck the wolf dead center, exploding its head on impact. The townsfolk could only gawk in awe at the impossible display of power they were witnessing. "There've been too many casualties already. While I'm around, this'll be the last." "Chris...Just how strong are you?" The crowd slowly began dissipating. After some time, only the filly, Twilight, Spike, and five other mares remained. The filly in particular was starry-eyed. Her life had just been saved by a hulking giant she'd never met before. Chris knelt down to meet her gaze. "It's alright, now. You should go home. There might still be more of them out there." The filly complied and moved away inch by inch. Her heart was racing, and her face felt flushed. Something told her she'd remember this for a long time. Twilight made her way over to where Chris was standing. "I guess my friends are here." "That's them?" "Mm." Chris, Twilight, and Spike joined the rest of the team. "You must be Mr. Redfield," Rarity spoke sheepishly. "Chris is fine." Rarity gulped. She was visibly shaking. "You look scared. Are you okay?" "Chris, you just crushed a timber wolf with your fist. Of course they're scared!" "I'm sorry about that. I wasn't going to be able to reason with it. It would've killed her if I hadn't done something." "O-oh," Rarity stammered, somewhat relieved by the justification. "Hey, Chris," Rainbow Dash wondered, "how did you get that strong?" "I've been training for a long time." "Can you show me how to do it, too?" "Maybe." "I expect ya' know what's going on at this point," Applejack interrupted. "Yeah. Now I just need to find out why I'm here." "Ooh, ooh! Chris, is that a big knife strapped to your back!? Do you use it for baking," Pinkie questioned. "I guess it could be used for that." "Pinkie's a little eccentric," Twilight admitted. "We've all got our quirks." Fluttershy suddenly stood before Chris with a meaningful look in her eye. "Hey there." "Um...Hi..." "Forgive me," Rarity remembered, "We haven't introduced ourselves yet. I'm Rarity. They are Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Fluttershy." "It's a pleasure to meet you all." "For a brawler, you seem like a proper gentleman to me." "Cooperation skills are part of my job. You know what I do, right?" "Zombie hunting." "I actually wanted to ask you a few questions about what went on here before Leon showed up." "Of course, darling, but not here. We wouldn't want to cause a public panic." "I get what you mean." "Come. We shall speak at the boutique." Purpose"So, what happened here?" "We're not really sure when it all started, but our earliest recollections go back to two timelines in particular. The first was one where pinkie pie, or rather, her original personality, Pinkamena Diane Pie, cut Rainbow Dash into ribbons for cupcake ingredients." "I can still see it," Pinkie clarified, "It's...Horrible..." "I'm right there with you, Pinkie," Rainbow comforted her friend. "Good God," Chris uttered. "The second timeline was one where Scootaloo was taken to a top-secret facility run by Rainbow Dash. They drained the Pegasi who failed their flight tests of their life force and used it to make Rainbows. Thinking back, that one was kind of ridiculous. Rainbows are completely natural phenomena. Pegasi bleed just like everyone else. Maybe the mechanics of that time worked differently. I'm not really sure." "What else can you remember?" "From there, the clearest memory seems to be an extension of Pinkie's timeline. It turns out Rainbow Dash was suffering from sleep deprivation because of nightmares. She viciously attacked Pinkie after a psychotic breakdown. Your guess as to where the timeline split again is as good as ours. Sleep deprivation was one of the common themes involved in the killings, though." "What other incidents occurred." "Let's see..." Twilight thought for a moment. "There was one where I gave Applejack a waking potion. It had adverse effects and caused her to start killing everyone she mistook for a greedy rich pony. He was extorting everything for a previous debt." "Guess greed is a problem here too." "The last one I can recall with complete clarity is the timeline where the trees in the everfree were actually living beings. They tore Applejack's younger sister Apple Bloom to shreds. That timeline was a bit stranger than the others." "How so?" "I was the one who found Apple Bloom's diary. The events were recounted and found in their original context." "That's an extremely rare scenario, but from you're saying, it seems like all the timelines were playing out each possibility. Every way you could turn on each other and everyone around you was being tackled." "What I don't understand is why." "I'm betting it was because you could." "That's not what we ever wanted; at least, I don't think so." "Sometimes it was a series of unfortunate circumstances, others it was unavoidable insanity." "But why did we keep coming back from the dead?" "You have magic powers, right?" "Right." "Maybe someone else was resetting the timeline trying to make things right." "That can't be; unless...!?" Twilight's eyes shot fully open. "PRINCESS CELESTIA!" All of Twilight's friends gasped. "She was the one who remained relatively unaffected by all this!" "The pieces are coming together." "Our unlimited accessibility to murder was stamped out when Leon killed us last time! We're not invincible anymore!" "Which brings it all to why I'm here. I know why I'm here now." "Tell me." "I'm here to train you." "It all makes sense now! With the chain broken, we have a chance to make sure it never happens again!" "I can't leave out the little ones, sadly. It's gonna' be tough, but I know they can do it." "Little ones." "Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. They were just as much a part of this as the rest of you were." "Me too," Spike asked. "Yeah. No soldier can afford to be left behind. This is the most important thing you'll ever do." "Applejack, Rarity, what do you say. Can you trust him enough to keep us alive?" "I reckon we ain't got much of a choice." "Very well. I hate dirt, but I hate dying gruesomely far worse." "Okay. It's decided then. Your first lesson starts tomorrow." The group nodded in unison. "Get all the rest you can. You'll need it." The BasicsThe next morning, Chris met everyone in town. The sky was still the same dull shade as it had been for the previous 24 hours. "Okay. It looks like we're all here." "Excuse me," Rarity questioned, "I know we're supposed to get really strong, but is there a way to do it without the muscle tone?" "Don't worry. I already took that into account. I'll show you how it works." "Why do we have to get strong, too," Apple Bloom asked. "Yeah," Sweetie Belle wondered. "I think it could be fun," Scootaloo cut in, "We could be cutie mark crusader superheroes!" "Think about it this way, Apple Bloom; you want to help me and Big Mac on the farm, right? This is a good way to do it." "Really?" "Mhm." "You guys seem really tightly knit," Chris noted, "That's good. This is going to rely a lot on moral support." "You said it yourself, right? No soldier gets left behind," Twilight reminded him. She wrapped a foreleg around Spike. "That's right. I did." "So, what's first on the list?" "You guys have a gym in town, right?" "We do." "Alright. They should have everything we need; specifically jump ropes, treadmills, and weights." "Should we go?" "Not yet. The biggest thing that's going to help is diet. I wrote down diet plans for everyone on these pamphlets. Scan them over and tell me what you think." Everyone took a pamphlet and started reading. "I see," Twilight said, "There are diet plans for burning body fat and improving muscle. I wasn't actually aware of that before." "The form your body takes stems from your type of diet, the calories you eat, and the weights you lift. I trained using both heavy weights and low repetitions and light weights with higher repetitions. Both types increase your strength, but they cause different types of muscle hypertrophy. Heavier weights pack on more muscle. Lighter weights tone the muscle you already have and increase your muscular endurance." "I don't know if weightlifting would be the safest thing for the younger ones here." "Glad you brought that up. You're right. It's not. But they can hold very light amounts of weight. The best thing to do would be to get them each a set of four one pound weights; one for each limb." "Like strapped weights to put around their arms and legs?" "Exactly. You want to put them on the lower portions of each limb for the best resistance." "I understand." "We're not doing weight lifting today. That comes tomorrow. Today, we're starting off with the easiest form of cardio there is; brisk walking." "Brisk walking?" "We honestly don't even need the gym today. We can just walk a little faster than usual around town." "Sounds easy enough. How long should we walk for?" "About an hour. There's debate about how long to exercise each day. It ranges between half an hour to two hours, so we're taking the middle ground and doing one." "Seems reasonable." "I'll carry the pamphlets until we're done." "Alright." Chris put the pamphlets in his pockets, careful not to crumple them. "Let's move out." "That was more exhausting than I thought it would be," Rainbow Dash mentioned. "When you spend a bunch of time buckin' apples, I guess it doesn't wear you out as much," Applejack replied. "Consistent hard work increases your cardiovascular endurance. A little walk is a piece of cake for farmers." "Um...Chris," Rarity was curious, "When you mentioned body fat earlier, what exactly were you meaning?" "Oh God, no! I didn't mean for that to come out wrong. What I meant is, the lower our body fat, the faster and longer we can move." "How lean are we trying to get," Twilight asked. "Men can be as low as five percent body fat. I'm actually a little higher than that because I needed to be. I'm at about eight or nine percent. Women can be anywhere between ten to thirteen percent. It's hard to calculate without measuring tools, but you'll know when you're nearing that point." "Rarity, I'm tired. Can we go home?" "Is that okay, Chris?" "Yeah. Here's everybody's pamphlets. Remember to eat for your preferred body type. Get plenty of sleep tonight. Rest is essential for muscle recovery. We start strength training tomorrow morning." "Why are we going to Canterlot, Twilight?" "I want to confirm or discredit my theory." "You mean about the princess?" "Yeah..." Chris stayed at the local inn that night. Not only did he have to plan for tomorrow's lifting schedule, but there was a key element he'd forgotten to bring up: survival skills. He wrote all the information down as quickly as he could before turning in. "Training ponies and dragons, huh? Can't say that's a usual part of the job description." Everyone met up in front of the town fountain at about nine in the morning. Rainbow Dash barely showed up on time. "How are you guys feeling today?" "We're in pretty good condition, all things considered," Twilight responded. "Excellent. Then it's time to get started. Lead the way to the gym." "You heard him, Rainbow." "Wonder if Bulk is gonna' be there." "Isn't he always?" "True." "Here it is." "It's nice and small too," Chris commented. "Why do you prefer smaller gyms," Twilight asked. "The environment is less focused on socialization and more on the training process. We need to work as hard as we can with the time we're given." "I can see that," Rainbow Dash agreed. "Let's go." "Right," they concurred simultaneously with unified nods. "I'll go pay the guy at the counter," Rainbow offered. "Thanks." "So, what's first," Twilight wanted to know. "Everything is on this list." Chris gave Twilight a piece of papyrus, which she levitated over to herself and her friends. Written on it were detailed instructions on the exercises and how to perform them. "Twilight, Rarity, Applejack; I need to borrow the younger ones while we're here." "Right; they shouldn't lift yet." "They can do bodyweight exercises; push ups, pull ups, crunches, and plyometrics." "Plyometrics?" "Jumping exercises." "Guess I should've studied a little more." "Don't sweat it. Sometimes you have to learn through practice." "I guess we're ready." "Okay. We'll be over where the boxes and mats are." "We'll meet you there when we're done." "Sounds like a plan." "Let's start with the dumbbell curls," Twilight instructed her part of the crew, "The list says to grab two each between 30 to 50 pounds." "Fluttershy and I are newer to physical activity. We'll use the lighter ones," Rarity stated. "Me and Pinkie will take the 40s. Rainbow, you and Applejack can handle the 50s, right?" "No problem," Rainbow answered confidently. "Let's rock and roll," Pinkie chimed in. "Okay guys. You're probably wondering why you can't lift yet, right?" "Yeah. What gives," Scootaloo asked. "Simply put, your bodies are too small. You aren't able to handle the pressure of external weight yet. It'll be a few years before you're ready for that. Instead, we're doing a different type of strength routine that uses your body to build strength and endurance." "I have a question," Sweetie Belle said. "Go for it." "What's endurance?" "Basically the amount of stress your body can take." "Oh. Okay." "We're going to start with push-ups first." Chris got into a plank position with his hands spread shoulder-width apart on the ground. "You want your bodies to be straight and aligned like this." The fillies and dragon emulated his position. "Lower yourselves until you're about an inch from the ground like this, then lift yourselves back up at about the same speed." They did as instructed. "Do the same thing two more times, then stop and rest." "My legs feel like they're burning," Sweetie Belle squeaked. "I know. Just bear with me for a couple more times." An hour passed by. The team came together near the entrance of the gym. "You all put in a hard day's work. Good job." "If you'll excuse me, dear, I must go home and faint." "Tomorrow's a rest day, but we need to meet up to go over some important information I forgot." "Okay," Twilight said. "Make sure to eat healthy and control your calories." "We will." "I'm going to scout the town and forest. It's vital to be familiar with the terrain. You're already fairly well-versed in the layout, so I can go alone." "I'll study more on training mechanics. See you later." "Take care of yourselves." "Don't worry. I think we'll be okay this time. Besides; we've got a superhero now." Chris gave a warm smile before parting ways with the group. Intermission"Did you get a good idea of what the environment is like?" "Yeah. Applejack, can you tell everyone what you told me when I dropped by the farm yesterday?" "Sure thing," Applejack assured Chris, "There's a hidden wing on the farm where I hid a few bodies after one of our kerfuzzled time escapades. I didn't realize until yesterday you guys never found it." "I remember, too," Apple Bloom said sadly, "I died during that one, didn't I?" "I'm sorry, sugarcube. I wasn't in control of myself at the time. You know I would never hurt you if I could help it, right." "I know..." Applejack hugged her baby sister. "I promise you I won't ever let anything happen to you again." "That's not all either," Chris added, "You remember a little too, don't you Twilight?" "Apple Bloom, you're the one who cured Applejack." "I...I did?" "That's right. It was the only act of justice at the end of that timeline. Even I failed to do the right thing. You saved her." "You guys have been calling me a superhero, but look at what Apple Bloom sacrificed for Applejack. She's already more of a hero than I'll ever be." Applejack smiled down at her sister. "Hey, Chris; I just realized something. The other timelines are starting to become more clear." "Hm. I wonder why." "I can't be sure yet, but it looks they followed a chronological sequence. I asked the princess about it, and she confirmed what I was thinking. Not only was the timeline reset, but it was reset at a later date. Odds are we're not even in the same year anymore from when the timelines started branching off." "You think it means anything?" "Not really. It all seems to be rotational. One of us went crazy until eventually it exploded into one timeline where we all lost our minds at the same time in a massive killing spree." "Well, there's no point in being concerned about it now. The whole focus of our training is to avoid repeating history." "I guess you're right." "The reason I called you all out here today is to go over survival skills. During any of the timelines, were any of you ever trained in how to find food, water, and supplies?" "Shining Armor taught me some of what he learned in the royal guard." "Good. I need your help showing the others how to survive on their own should another incident occur. This is called a contingency plan; a plan that takes future possibilities into account. If our original plan fails, we can use the contingency plan to reduce casualties from mounting." "I know the four essentials; Food, Water, Shelter, and a controlled fire." "Well done. Can you explain how to find them?" "Fish, fruit, and vegetables are going to be the main sources of food. A lot of the plants that look edible could be poisoned though. Don't eat any unusually colored or soapy-tasting plants. Stay away from mushrooms. Don't eat plants with three leaves, shiny leaves, milky or strangely colored sap, or an almond smell. White and yellow berries are off limits too." "Finding water is actually less tricky than food," Chris explained, "Use water filters, pots to boil it, and anti-bacterial tablets to purify it. You can find water everywhere from streams, lakes, and rivers to plant roots. Use everything from your ears to the movement patterns of the wildlife to track it down. Dig stills in the ground if necessary to build condensation from the sun." "Shelters can be built with branches, sticks, twigs, leaves, and dirt." "Use flint, sticks, dry rocks, lighters, and stones to light and control a fire. Everything you need to know has been written down in these memos I wrote last night; from the measurements of stills to the supplies you'll need to collect and purify water. Read them over thoroughly. Your knowledge will be put to the test in two days. Tomorrow is combat training. The day after is all about perfecting your survival capabilities." "Understood," Twilight affirmed. "You're all free to go. Be ready to meet back here in the morning." Everyone nodded and went their separate ways. To The Limit"We're going to take a more unorthodox approach today. I want the youngest ones to fight me first." "Why," Twilight asked. "They need to be about twice as strong as the older ones are now. A battle will let me know where they're at." "You're not going to use any weapons, are you?" "Absolutely not. This is all hand to hand. I've never drawn a child's blood and I never will." "That's a relief." "Pick me! I want to go first," Scootaloo offered. "I guess we have a taker." "Be careful, kid," Rainbow told her, "This guy's WAY stronger than me." "How strong is he?" "He made a timber wolf's head explode by punching it with his bare hands." "Woah! Are you serious!?" "Dead serious. I saw it myself." "I'm not going all out on them unless they ask me to. Don't worry. They'll be safe." "Got get him," Rainbow encouraged her young friend. Scootaloo stepped over to where Chris was and faced him. "Get in a little closer. If you're too far away, you won't be able to reach me. Don't get too close, either. It'll be too easy for me to reach you. Gauge your distance." Scootaloo did as she was told. she found the perfect distance and stood stationary. "Now try to hit me." Scootaloo leaped forward, only to find Chris had already moved to the side. She fell into the ground. "You okay?" "Yeah. I'm alright. Just a little dirty." "Get up and try again. Move a little faster this time." "Right." The orange filly got back up and leaped again. To her dismay, Chris dodged a second time. "You almost had me that time." "Really?" "Yeah. Keep trying. Move as fast as your body will let you." Without a shred of hesitation, she got back up a third time and leaped with her hoof cocked back. She moved so fast Chris hardly saw her coming. She landed a successful blow to his stomach. "Not bad," he grunted, "You're stronger than I gave you credit for." "I did it!" "Go ahead and take a break. It's Apple Bloom's turn." Apple Bloom was eerily quiet throughout the rotation process. "Are you okay," Chris asked. "I don't know," she responded. "Do you want me to let you practice, or should I go all out?" Apple Bloom stared at him for a moment. "Give me everything you've got." "Okay." Chris got into a fighting stance. Apple Bloom immediately leaped at him with everything she had, but it didn't stop there. Every time Chris dodged and landed a punch, she keeled over in pain for a moment, but got back up and kept fighting. This cycle continued with them trading blows for a few minutes. Chris stopped when he saw her eyes. "She's been broken down..." Apple Bloom got one more shot in on Chris before he grabbed her and pinned her against him. "Applejack; Apple Bloom's judgement is being affected! I need you to calm her down!" "ABBADON!" "Did she just say Abbadon," Twilight yelled. "Who is Abbadon," Chris yelled back. "He's the demon of death and destruction!" Applejack galloped over to Chris and began stroking her sister's mane. "It's okay, Apple Bloom. I'm right here." Apple Bloom steadily grew calmer. Eventually, Chris was able to let her go. The filly began to cry. "Applejack, I'm so sorry!" "What are ya''ll sorry for, sugarcube?" "I was jealous of you and Big Mac for gettin' to see ma and pa. We were playin' with the Ouija board and it broke. Abbadon came and killed everybody!" "Oh my Celestia..." "A demon!? They exist here!?" "Do they exist in your world, Chris?" "I don't know for sure, but back in 1949, there was a kid named Roland Doe supposedly possessed by a demon. Nobody really knows what happened aside from the people who were there." "This is bad," Twilight spoke, "If demons are getting involved, I don't think there's much we can do." "Don't give up yet," Chris encouraged, "From what I understand about demons, they can still be destroyed." "How?" "Can you use holy magic?" "I've never even heard of it." "After we finish up here, go talk to the princess. She might be able to give you some information." "Understood." Chris knelt down where Apple Bloom and Applejack were. "You did good, Apple Bloom. Why don't you take a break, okay?" "Okay, Chris..." "Rainbow Dash, it's your turn." "Don't hold back on me." "I won't." Training ended after a short battle with each pony and Spike. They were surprisingly durable for their lack of direct combat experience. "You all did incredible today. Go home and get ready for tomorrow. We're going into dangerous and isolated territory. We have to be ready for anything." "I'll drop by Canterlot on my way home. Hopefully I can get some answers." "Abbadon's stuck in the Ouija board," Apple Bloom said, "It's in an old box on the farm..." "Thank you, Apple Bloom. I promise we'll get him." "I'm sorry," Applejack said to her sister, "If only I'd know it was messing with your mind so much, I would've taken you to their graves and been there with you all night." "It's alright. I know you were only tryin' to help." "I'll see you all tomorrow." "Yeah," everyone agreed. Teamwork"I need you all to listen to me very carefully. If we get separated, we could die out here. We need to stick together, no matter what." "Understood," Twilight assured Chris. "Okay. Let's move in." Chris drew his gun and led the party into the woods. "This looks like a good place to set up camp. Scramble in an extended circle and collect supplies. I'll be here in the middle in case anything happens." "Right," everyone agreed before scattering. The first night was uneventful. Supplies were gathered and divided among the group. With stress levels at a minimum, less energy was required. Little food was consumed to stretch out what they had. Sitting around the campfire, they began talking. "Hey, Chris," Twilight said. "Yeah?" "I remember now; all of it. There were so many timelines it's impossible to count." "What else do you remember?" "There are so many unusual things in our pasts. incest, rape, abuse, pedophilia; the list goes on, and that was in addition to all the killing." "I don't wanna' sound judgmental, but you should really try to steer clear of that stuff." "I agree wholeheartedly, but that's not all I remembered. There's a lot more; timeline's where things went completely right." "So there were happily-ever-afters..." "For reasons I can't really put into words, even those make me uncomfortable. There were too many loose ends. They feel kind of incomplete." "What happened in those ones?" "One example is the timeline where Spike brought me back from the dead and we started a family." "We did WHAT," Spike yelled. "How was it incomplete?" "It completely ignored someone else who'd become a substantial part of my life at that point for no reason. All thought of him vanished." "I get the picture." "What do you think it means?" "The balance issue. There was too much tragedy at certain points and not enough during others." "The princess must've been trying to fix that." "Maybe." "There was one more thing I found out that's fairly significant." "What is it?" "I'm highly trained in survival skills." "Can't say I saw that one coming." "I spent a year in four other forests fighting my darker half. By the end, I might've been as strong as you." "Are you still that strong?" "No. I would've felt it." "At least you know how to get that strong now." "I guess so, but to tell you the truth, I'm afraid." "Why?" "What will we use the power we gain now for?" "What you have to." "If we use it and stop every evil force in this world, it'll slowly deteriorate. We might not have it if we need it again." "Only if you stop training." "Or when we age..." "Train someone else before you're too old to fight anymore. That way, someone will be able to take your place." "Hey, Twilight," Rainbow Dash suggested, "why don't you show your brother? He can teach the other soldiers in the royal guard. A whole army of super ponies would keep anything away." "That's...Not a bad idea, actually." "There you go, then," Chris concluded. "I guess we have a plan." Everyone went silent for a while. Finally, Chris spoke. "I'm off to bed. I'll see you guys in the morning." "Goodnight, Chris." He left the group and entered his makeshift shelter. "Spike?" "Yeah, Twilight?" "Sorry if I embarrassed you. I thought he should know everything." "No worries." "I love you, but I don't think it's that kind of love. Can you understand?" "No hard feelings. I doubt it would work out now anyway." "Thank you." "You all did an excellent job," Chris commended, "Take the next two days to rest and collect your thoughts. We're continuing with the planned schedule starting Monday." "I'm going to see my brother and let him know what's happening." "Good. If you guys can't handle something by yourselves, a prepared cavalry should do the trick." "Take care, Chris." "Copy that." Everyone split up and returned home. Chris went back to the inn to rejuvenate himself for the trials ahead.
An Unexpected WelcomeThe sound of soldiers roaming across the the campsite outside his tent reminded Chris of how many times he'd done this same routine before. Some nefarious individual would orchestrate a B.O.W attack, and the BSAA would be called in to clean up the resulting disaster. Years of this song and dance left him with many memories and regrets to go over in his mind. All he could hope for now was to get this over with quickly so he could return home. The later it got into the night, the heavier his eyes grew. Soon enough, regardless of the commotion, he would collapse into his sleeping bag and be consumed by his subconscious for at least a few hours. He would be thankful for what rest he could attain. The closer he got to that border, the more he found himself remembering something Leon described about a month prior. "Let me get this straight; you're telling me you had a vivid nightmare about magical talking horses?" "What was really strange about it was how I was holding conversations with them through the entire night." "And you ended up killing them all?" "The way it was explained to me, they'd somehow been reincarnated time after time to commit some kind of atrocity or another. They needed me there to finish the job and break the cycle." "Guess it's something to think about at least. That's where the responsibility part of possessing power comes in." "Yeah..." The images of their conversation eventually subsided from his mind. He began thinking back to Sheva's comments on his capabilities as a fighter. What kind of damage would he have been forced to inflict had it been him in the dream instead of Leon? Would he have been able to do it at all? It was disheartening to believe more than one world was being destroyed; even worse, to believe what was destroying the other world may be even more frightening. "Something worse than Raccoon City, huh...?" Chris closed his eyes, drifting out of consciousness bit by bit. The world soon went dark. When Chris opened his eyes, he felt a slow, cold chill. The bluish-gray sky staring back at him marked the beginning of his confusion. He sat up only to be greeted by the sight of a cliff edge. "What is this place?" He quickly stood up and a scanned around the perimeter. There were no signs of life. "Either someone's playing a prank on me or I've been abducted. But, why leave me out here?" Chris thought for a moment. He couldn't be far from camp, right? "Oh well. No sense wasting time." Chris walked away from the cliff. There's no telling how much time passed before Chris found his way to a nearby town. "Is this like the Los Illuminados incident?" Indeed, the buildings resembled some of Leon's descriptions mentioned in his report. "What's the Los Illuminados incident," a female voice asked from nearby. Chris quickly turned around and drew his gun. "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." Looking closer, he saw a purple figure in a baby blue hoodie. "What are you," he asked. "I'm a pony. I know what you are too...Chris." "How do you...!?" "I assumed. You know someone named Leon, right?" "I do. So this is the world he was talking about before." "Did he tell you who I am?" "He told me you were dead." "He was always tense. I guess death was something he was used to seeing." Chris lowered his weapon. "What's your name?" "Twilight Sparkle." "Pretty mellow name for a serial killer." Twilight's breath for that moment reflected the severity of her defeat. "Ex-serial killer." "Ex?" "I'd really rather not talk about this in public. Can you follow me?" "Why should I trust you?" "Because I remember everything; every act of evil that ever emanated from our hooves and claws." "How can I be sure you forgot?" "Because the killing isn't the only thing I recall. There's so much more than I realized." "More?" "Please; I really don't want to say here." "Alright." Chris holstered his gun and began walking behind Twilight. If necessary, he could make a quick escape. "What's all this about?" "Now we understand why everything kept going wrong." "Why?" "There was no balance." "Meaning...?" "Every action is supposed to have a reaction, but that wasn't true here. Sure, we suffered consequences, but they only served us until we died of natural causes. After that, everything started all over again. It was one event of travesty after another." "Is that why you needed Leon?" "He was the first one capable of doing anything. To counter our unrestrained killing mentality, someone of virtue with pure intentions needed to stop us. Without knowing we could be put out of our misery, we were doomed to repeat the system of pain over and over. Just ask Rarity and Rainbow Dash." "What happened to them?" "In a previous life, Rainbow suffered severe physical and psychological abuse from her romantic partner. Rarity lost her sister in a timeline before that." "I'm sorry..." "For what?" "Me and Leon are supposed to protect people. If we'd been here in time, we would've tried to help." "I know you would've. Don't blame yourself. It couldn't have been helped." "I know what it's like to face my inner demons. It's been a hard battle from day one." "What matters is we can live normal lives now; aside from the PTSD." One of the castle doors opened, revealing a humanoid dragon-like figure. "Hey, Spike." "Hey, Twilight." "So that's Spike." "He's all the family I've really got in this forsaken place." "I'm detecting a bit of bitterness." "Aren't you about the zombie thing?" "I am, but you have to make a choice. You can sit here and be pissed off for the rest of your life, or you can make a positive change with the knowledge you've gained." "Easy for you to say. You're a big muscle man who uses his limbs to solve problems." A shrill scream suddenly rang out across town. "That sounded like a filly!" Chris immediately started bolting out of the castle. "Come on! We've gotta' help!"
Superhero ModeChris ran as fast as his legs would carry him. Twilight followed close behind with Spike. The sprint carried them all the way to the other side of town near the everfree forest. Twilight was correct. It was a young filly; about six years old. "Are you okay," Chris asked as he tried to catch his breath. The filly pointed into the grove of tress with a terrified expression. Chris examined it closer. There were two yellow eyes peering out through the darkness. "You didn't tell me there were monsters here!" "It's a timber wolf! Get out of the way!" "The hell with that. Watch and learn." Chris stood directly in front of the grove. "You're not fooling anyone. Go back to the forest and leave them alone." "Don't antagonize it, Chris!" The wolf jumped out immediately after Twilight's warning. Chris moved to the side to avoid injury before it landed. "It's your funeral." The beast charged at Chris. Right before it commenced a second strike, he cocked his fist back and moved. Giving a loud yell, he struck the wolf dead center, exploding its head on impact. The townsfolk could only gawk in awe at the impossible display of power they were witnessing. "There've been too many casualties already. While I'm around, this'll be the last." "Chris...Just how strong are you?" The crowd slowly began dissipating. After some time, only the filly, Twilight, Spike, and five other mares remained. The filly in particular was starry-eyed. Her life had just been saved by a hulking giant she'd never met before. Chris knelt down to meet her gaze. "It's alright, now. You should go home. There might still be more of them out there." The filly complied and moved away inch by inch. Her heart was racing, and her face felt flushed. Something told her she'd remember this for a long time. Twilight made her way over to where Chris was standing. "I guess my friends are here." "That's them?" "Mm." Chris, Twilight, and Spike joined the rest of the team. "You must be Mr. Redfield," Rarity spoke sheepishly. "Chris is fine." Rarity gulped. She was visibly shaking. "You look scared. Are you okay?" "Chris, you just crushed a timber wolf with your fist. Of course they're scared!" "I'm sorry about that. I wasn't going to be able to reason with it. It would've killed her if I hadn't done something." "O-oh," Rarity stammered, somewhat relieved by the justification. "Hey, Chris," Rainbow Dash wondered, "how did you get that strong?" "I've been training for a long time." "Can you show me how to do it, too?" "Maybe." "I expect ya' know what's going on at this point," Applejack interrupted. "Yeah. Now I just need to find out why I'm here." "Ooh, ooh! Chris, is that a big knife strapped to your back!? Do you use it for baking," Pinkie questioned. "I guess it could be used for that." "Pinkie's a little eccentric," Twilight admitted. "We've all got our quirks." Fluttershy suddenly stood before Chris with a meaningful look in her eye. "Hey there." "Um...Hi..." "Forgive me," Rarity remembered, "We haven't introduced ourselves yet. I'm Rarity. They are Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Fluttershy." "It's a pleasure to meet you all." "For a brawler, you seem like a proper gentleman to me." "Cooperation skills are part of my job. You know what I do, right?" "Zombie hunting." "I actually wanted to ask you a few questions about what went on here before Leon showed up." "Of course, darling, but not here. We wouldn't want to cause a public panic." "I get what you mean." "Come. We shall speak at the boutique."
Purpose"So, what happened here?" "We're not really sure when it all started, but our earliest recollections go back to two timelines in particular. The first was one where pinkie pie, or rather, her original personality, Pinkamena Diane Pie, cut Rainbow Dash into ribbons for cupcake ingredients." "I can still see it," Pinkie clarified, "It's...Horrible..." "I'm right there with you, Pinkie," Rainbow comforted her friend. "Good God," Chris uttered. "The second timeline was one where Scootaloo was taken to a top-secret facility run by Rainbow Dash. They drained the Pegasi who failed their flight tests of their life force and used it to make Rainbows. Thinking back, that one was kind of ridiculous. Rainbows are completely natural phenomena. Pegasi bleed just like everyone else. Maybe the mechanics of that time worked differently. I'm not really sure." "What else can you remember?" "From there, the clearest memory seems to be an extension of Pinkie's timeline. It turns out Rainbow Dash was suffering from sleep deprivation because of nightmares. She viciously attacked Pinkie after a psychotic breakdown. Your guess as to where the timeline split again is as good as ours. Sleep deprivation was one of the common themes involved in the killings, though." "What other incidents occurred." "Let's see..." Twilight thought for a moment. "There was one where I gave Applejack a waking potion. It had adverse effects and caused her to start killing everyone she mistook for a greedy rich pony. He was extorting everything for a previous debt." "Guess greed is a problem here too." "The last one I can recall with complete clarity is the timeline where the trees in the everfree were actually living beings. They tore Applejack's younger sister Apple Bloom to shreds. That timeline was a bit stranger than the others." "How so?" "I was the one who found Apple Bloom's diary. The events were recounted and found in their original context." "That's an extremely rare scenario, but from you're saying, it seems like all the timelines were playing out each possibility. Every way you could turn on each other and everyone around you was being tackled." "What I don't understand is why." "I'm betting it was because you could." "That's not what we ever wanted; at least, I don't think so." "Sometimes it was a series of unfortunate circumstances, others it was unavoidable insanity." "But why did we keep coming back from the dead?" "You have magic powers, right?" "Right." "Maybe someone else was resetting the timeline trying to make things right." "That can't be; unless...!?" Twilight's eyes shot fully open. "PRINCESS CELESTIA!" All of Twilight's friends gasped. "She was the one who remained relatively unaffected by all this!" "The pieces are coming together." "Our unlimited accessibility to murder was stamped out when Leon killed us last time! We're not invincible anymore!" "Which brings it all to why I'm here. I know why I'm here now." "Tell me." "I'm here to train you." "It all makes sense now! With the chain broken, we have a chance to make sure it never happens again!" "I can't leave out the little ones, sadly. It's gonna' be tough, but I know they can do it." "Little ones." "Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. They were just as much a part of this as the rest of you were." "Me too," Spike asked. "Yeah. No soldier can afford to be left behind. This is the most important thing you'll ever do." "Applejack, Rarity, what do you say. Can you trust him enough to keep us alive?" "I reckon we ain't got much of a choice." "Very well. I hate dirt, but I hate dying gruesomely far worse." "Okay. It's decided then. Your first lesson starts tomorrow." The group nodded in unison. "Get all the rest you can. You'll need it."
The BasicsThe next morning, Chris met everyone in town. The sky was still the same dull shade as it had been for the previous 24 hours. "Okay. It looks like we're all here." "Excuse me," Rarity questioned, "I know we're supposed to get really strong, but is there a way to do it without the muscle tone?" "Don't worry. I already took that into account. I'll show you how it works." "Why do we have to get strong, too," Apple Bloom asked. "Yeah," Sweetie Belle wondered. "I think it could be fun," Scootaloo cut in, "We could be cutie mark crusader superheroes!" "Think about it this way, Apple Bloom; you want to help me and Big Mac on the farm, right? This is a good way to do it." "Really?" "Mhm." "You guys seem really tightly knit," Chris noted, "That's good. This is going to rely a lot on moral support." "You said it yourself, right? No soldier gets left behind," Twilight reminded him. She wrapped a foreleg around Spike. "That's right. I did." "So, what's first on the list?" "You guys have a gym in town, right?" "We do." "Alright. They should have everything we need; specifically jump ropes, treadmills, and weights." "Should we go?" "Not yet. The biggest thing that's going to help is diet. I wrote down diet plans for everyone on these pamphlets. Scan them over and tell me what you think." Everyone took a pamphlet and started reading. "I see," Twilight said, "There are diet plans for burning body fat and improving muscle. I wasn't actually aware of that before." "The form your body takes stems from your type of diet, the calories you eat, and the weights you lift. I trained using both heavy weights and low repetitions and light weights with higher repetitions. Both types increase your strength, but they cause different types of muscle hypertrophy. Heavier weights pack on more muscle. Lighter weights tone the muscle you already have and increase your muscular endurance." "I don't know if weightlifting would be the safest thing for the younger ones here." "Glad you brought that up. You're right. It's not. But they can hold very light amounts of weight. The best thing to do would be to get them each a set of four one pound weights; one for each limb." "Like strapped weights to put around their arms and legs?" "Exactly. You want to put them on the lower portions of each limb for the best resistance." "I understand." "We're not doing weight lifting today. That comes tomorrow. Today, we're starting off with the easiest form of cardio there is; brisk walking." "Brisk walking?" "We honestly don't even need the gym today. We can just walk a little faster than usual around town." "Sounds easy enough. How long should we walk for?" "About an hour. There's debate about how long to exercise each day. It ranges between half an hour to two hours, so we're taking the middle ground and doing one." "Seems reasonable." "I'll carry the pamphlets until we're done." "Alright." Chris put the pamphlets in his pockets, careful not to crumple them. "Let's move out." "That was more exhausting than I thought it would be," Rainbow Dash mentioned. "When you spend a bunch of time buckin' apples, I guess it doesn't wear you out as much," Applejack replied. "Consistent hard work increases your cardiovascular endurance. A little walk is a piece of cake for farmers." "Um...Chris," Rarity was curious, "When you mentioned body fat earlier, what exactly were you meaning?" "Oh God, no! I didn't mean for that to come out wrong. What I meant is, the lower our body fat, the faster and longer we can move." "How lean are we trying to get," Twilight asked. "Men can be as low as five percent body fat. I'm actually a little higher than that because I needed to be. I'm at about eight or nine percent. Women can be anywhere between ten to thirteen percent. It's hard to calculate without measuring tools, but you'll know when you're nearing that point." "Rarity, I'm tired. Can we go home?" "Is that okay, Chris?" "Yeah. Here's everybody's pamphlets. Remember to eat for your preferred body type. Get plenty of sleep tonight. Rest is essential for muscle recovery. We start strength training tomorrow morning." "Why are we going to Canterlot, Twilight?" "I want to confirm or discredit my theory." "You mean about the princess?" "Yeah..." Chris stayed at the local inn that night. Not only did he have to plan for tomorrow's lifting schedule, but there was a key element he'd forgotten to bring up: survival skills. He wrote all the information down as quickly as he could before turning in. "Training ponies and dragons, huh? Can't say that's a usual part of the job description." Everyone met up in front of the town fountain at about nine in the morning. Rainbow Dash barely showed up on time. "How are you guys feeling today?" "We're in pretty good condition, all things considered," Twilight responded. "Excellent. Then it's time to get started. Lead the way to the gym." "You heard him, Rainbow." "Wonder if Bulk is gonna' be there." "Isn't he always?" "True." "Here it is." "It's nice and small too," Chris commented. "Why do you prefer smaller gyms," Twilight asked. "The environment is less focused on socialization and more on the training process. We need to work as hard as we can with the time we're given." "I can see that," Rainbow Dash agreed. "Let's go." "Right," they concurred simultaneously with unified nods. "I'll go pay the guy at the counter," Rainbow offered. "Thanks." "So, what's first," Twilight wanted to know. "Everything is on this list." Chris gave Twilight a piece of papyrus, which she levitated over to herself and her friends. Written on it were detailed instructions on the exercises and how to perform them. "Twilight, Rarity, Applejack; I need to borrow the younger ones while we're here." "Right; they shouldn't lift yet." "They can do bodyweight exercises; push ups, pull ups, crunches, and plyometrics." "Plyometrics?" "Jumping exercises." "Guess I should've studied a little more." "Don't sweat it. Sometimes you have to learn through practice." "I guess we're ready." "Okay. We'll be over where the boxes and mats are." "We'll meet you there when we're done." "Sounds like a plan." "Let's start with the dumbbell curls," Twilight instructed her part of the crew, "The list says to grab two each between 30 to 50 pounds." "Fluttershy and I are newer to physical activity. We'll use the lighter ones," Rarity stated. "Me and Pinkie will take the 40s. Rainbow, you and Applejack can handle the 50s, right?" "No problem," Rainbow answered confidently. "Let's rock and roll," Pinkie chimed in. "Okay guys. You're probably wondering why you can't lift yet, right?" "Yeah. What gives," Scootaloo asked. "Simply put, your bodies are too small. You aren't able to handle the pressure of external weight yet. It'll be a few years before you're ready for that. Instead, we're doing a different type of strength routine that uses your body to build strength and endurance." "I have a question," Sweetie Belle said. "Go for it." "What's endurance?" "Basically the amount of stress your body can take." "Oh. Okay." "We're going to start with push-ups first." Chris got into a plank position with his hands spread shoulder-width apart on the ground. "You want your bodies to be straight and aligned like this." The fillies and dragon emulated his position. "Lower yourselves until you're about an inch from the ground like this, then lift yourselves back up at about the same speed." They did as instructed. "Do the same thing two more times, then stop and rest." "My legs feel like they're burning," Sweetie Belle squeaked. "I know. Just bear with me for a couple more times." An hour passed by. The team came together near the entrance of the gym. "You all put in a hard day's work. Good job." "If you'll excuse me, dear, I must go home and faint." "Tomorrow's a rest day, but we need to meet up to go over some important information I forgot." "Okay," Twilight said. "Make sure to eat healthy and control your calories." "We will." "I'm going to scout the town and forest. It's vital to be familiar with the terrain. You're already fairly well-versed in the layout, so I can go alone." "I'll study more on training mechanics. See you later." "Take care of yourselves." "Don't worry. I think we'll be okay this time. Besides; we've got a superhero now." Chris gave a warm smile before parting ways with the group.
Intermission"Did you get a good idea of what the environment is like?" "Yeah. Applejack, can you tell everyone what you told me when I dropped by the farm yesterday?" "Sure thing," Applejack assured Chris, "There's a hidden wing on the farm where I hid a few bodies after one of our kerfuzzled time escapades. I didn't realize until yesterday you guys never found it." "I remember, too," Apple Bloom said sadly, "I died during that one, didn't I?" "I'm sorry, sugarcube. I wasn't in control of myself at the time. You know I would never hurt you if I could help it, right." "I know..." Applejack hugged her baby sister. "I promise you I won't ever let anything happen to you again." "That's not all either," Chris added, "You remember a little too, don't you Twilight?" "Apple Bloom, you're the one who cured Applejack." "I...I did?" "That's right. It was the only act of justice at the end of that timeline. Even I failed to do the right thing. You saved her." "You guys have been calling me a superhero, but look at what Apple Bloom sacrificed for Applejack. She's already more of a hero than I'll ever be." Applejack smiled down at her sister. "Hey, Chris; I just realized something. The other timelines are starting to become more clear." "Hm. I wonder why." "I can't be sure yet, but it looks they followed a chronological sequence. I asked the princess about it, and she confirmed what I was thinking. Not only was the timeline reset, but it was reset at a later date. Odds are we're not even in the same year anymore from when the timelines started branching off." "You think it means anything?" "Not really. It all seems to be rotational. One of us went crazy until eventually it exploded into one timeline where we all lost our minds at the same time in a massive killing spree." "Well, there's no point in being concerned about it now. The whole focus of our training is to avoid repeating history." "I guess you're right." "The reason I called you all out here today is to go over survival skills. During any of the timelines, were any of you ever trained in how to find food, water, and supplies?" "Shining Armor taught me some of what he learned in the royal guard." "Good. I need your help showing the others how to survive on their own should another incident occur. This is called a contingency plan; a plan that takes future possibilities into account. If our original plan fails, we can use the contingency plan to reduce casualties from mounting." "I know the four essentials; Food, Water, Shelter, and a controlled fire." "Well done. Can you explain how to find them?" "Fish, fruit, and vegetables are going to be the main sources of food. A lot of the plants that look edible could be poisoned though. Don't eat any unusually colored or soapy-tasting plants. Stay away from mushrooms. Don't eat plants with three leaves, shiny leaves, milky or strangely colored sap, or an almond smell. White and yellow berries are off limits too." "Finding water is actually less tricky than food," Chris explained, "Use water filters, pots to boil it, and anti-bacterial tablets to purify it. You can find water everywhere from streams, lakes, and rivers to plant roots. Use everything from your ears to the movement patterns of the wildlife to track it down. Dig stills in the ground if necessary to build condensation from the sun." "Shelters can be built with branches, sticks, twigs, leaves, and dirt." "Use flint, sticks, dry rocks, lighters, and stones to light and control a fire. Everything you need to know has been written down in these memos I wrote last night; from the measurements of stills to the supplies you'll need to collect and purify water. Read them over thoroughly. Your knowledge will be put to the test in two days. Tomorrow is combat training. The day after is all about perfecting your survival capabilities." "Understood," Twilight affirmed. "You're all free to go. Be ready to meet back here in the morning." Everyone nodded and went their separate ways.
To The Limit"We're going to take a more unorthodox approach today. I want the youngest ones to fight me first." "Why," Twilight asked. "They need to be about twice as strong as the older ones are now. A battle will let me know where they're at." "You're not going to use any weapons, are you?" "Absolutely not. This is all hand to hand. I've never drawn a child's blood and I never will." "That's a relief." "Pick me! I want to go first," Scootaloo offered. "I guess we have a taker." "Be careful, kid," Rainbow told her, "This guy's WAY stronger than me." "How strong is he?" "He made a timber wolf's head explode by punching it with his bare hands." "Woah! Are you serious!?" "Dead serious. I saw it myself." "I'm not going all out on them unless they ask me to. Don't worry. They'll be safe." "Got get him," Rainbow encouraged her young friend. Scootaloo stepped over to where Chris was and faced him. "Get in a little closer. If you're too far away, you won't be able to reach me. Don't get too close, either. It'll be too easy for me to reach you. Gauge your distance." Scootaloo did as she was told. she found the perfect distance and stood stationary. "Now try to hit me." Scootaloo leaped forward, only to find Chris had already moved to the side. She fell into the ground. "You okay?" "Yeah. I'm alright. Just a little dirty." "Get up and try again. Move a little faster this time." "Right." The orange filly got back up and leaped again. To her dismay, Chris dodged a second time. "You almost had me that time." "Really?" "Yeah. Keep trying. Move as fast as your body will let you." Without a shred of hesitation, she got back up a third time and leaped with her hoof cocked back. She moved so fast Chris hardly saw her coming. She landed a successful blow to his stomach. "Not bad," he grunted, "You're stronger than I gave you credit for." "I did it!" "Go ahead and take a break. It's Apple Bloom's turn." Apple Bloom was eerily quiet throughout the rotation process. "Are you okay," Chris asked. "I don't know," she responded. "Do you want me to let you practice, or should I go all out?" Apple Bloom stared at him for a moment. "Give me everything you've got." "Okay." Chris got into a fighting stance. Apple Bloom immediately leaped at him with everything she had, but it didn't stop there. Every time Chris dodged and landed a punch, she keeled over in pain for a moment, but got back up and kept fighting. This cycle continued with them trading blows for a few minutes. Chris stopped when he saw her eyes. "She's been broken down..." Apple Bloom got one more shot in on Chris before he grabbed her and pinned her against him. "Applejack; Apple Bloom's judgement is being affected! I need you to calm her down!" "ABBADON!" "Did she just say Abbadon," Twilight yelled. "Who is Abbadon," Chris yelled back. "He's the demon of death and destruction!" Applejack galloped over to Chris and began stroking her sister's mane. "It's okay, Apple Bloom. I'm right here." Apple Bloom steadily grew calmer. Eventually, Chris was able to let her go. The filly began to cry. "Applejack, I'm so sorry!" "What are ya''ll sorry for, sugarcube?" "I was jealous of you and Big Mac for gettin' to see ma and pa. We were playin' with the Ouija board and it broke. Abbadon came and killed everybody!" "Oh my Celestia..." "A demon!? They exist here!?" "Do they exist in your world, Chris?" "I don't know for sure, but back in 1949, there was a kid named Roland Doe supposedly possessed by a demon. Nobody really knows what happened aside from the people who were there." "This is bad," Twilight spoke, "If demons are getting involved, I don't think there's much we can do." "Don't give up yet," Chris encouraged, "From what I understand about demons, they can still be destroyed." "How?" "Can you use holy magic?" "I've never even heard of it." "After we finish up here, go talk to the princess. She might be able to give you some information." "Understood." Chris knelt down where Apple Bloom and Applejack were. "You did good, Apple Bloom. Why don't you take a break, okay?" "Okay, Chris..." "Rainbow Dash, it's your turn." "Don't hold back on me." "I won't." Training ended after a short battle with each pony and Spike. They were surprisingly durable for their lack of direct combat experience. "You all did incredible today. Go home and get ready for tomorrow. We're going into dangerous and isolated territory. We have to be ready for anything." "I'll drop by Canterlot on my way home. Hopefully I can get some answers." "Abbadon's stuck in the Ouija board," Apple Bloom said, "It's in an old box on the farm..." "Thank you, Apple Bloom. I promise we'll get him." "I'm sorry," Applejack said to her sister, "If only I'd know it was messing with your mind so much, I would've taken you to their graves and been there with you all night." "It's alright. I know you were only tryin' to help." "I'll see you all tomorrow." "Yeah," everyone agreed.
Teamwork"I need you all to listen to me very carefully. If we get separated, we could die out here. We need to stick together, no matter what." "Understood," Twilight assured Chris. "Okay. Let's move in." Chris drew his gun and led the party into the woods. "This looks like a good place to set up camp. Scramble in an extended circle and collect supplies. I'll be here in the middle in case anything happens." "Right," everyone agreed before scattering. The first night was uneventful. Supplies were gathered and divided among the group. With stress levels at a minimum, less energy was required. Little food was consumed to stretch out what they had. Sitting around the campfire, they began talking. "Hey, Chris," Twilight said. "Yeah?" "I remember now; all of it. There were so many timelines it's impossible to count." "What else do you remember?" "There are so many unusual things in our pasts. incest, rape, abuse, pedophilia; the list goes on, and that was in addition to all the killing." "I don't wanna' sound judgmental, but you should really try to steer clear of that stuff." "I agree wholeheartedly, but that's not all I remembered. There's a lot more; timeline's where things went completely right." "So there were happily-ever-afters..." "For reasons I can't really put into words, even those make me uncomfortable. There were too many loose ends. They feel kind of incomplete." "What happened in those ones?" "One example is the timeline where Spike brought me back from the dead and we started a family." "We did WHAT," Spike yelled. "How was it incomplete?" "It completely ignored someone else who'd become a substantial part of my life at that point for no reason. All thought of him vanished." "I get the picture." "What do you think it means?" "The balance issue. There was too much tragedy at certain points and not enough during others." "The princess must've been trying to fix that." "Maybe." "There was one more thing I found out that's fairly significant." "What is it?" "I'm highly trained in survival skills." "Can't say I saw that one coming." "I spent a year in four other forests fighting my darker half. By the end, I might've been as strong as you." "Are you still that strong?" "No. I would've felt it." "At least you know how to get that strong now." "I guess so, but to tell you the truth, I'm afraid." "Why?" "What will we use the power we gain now for?" "What you have to." "If we use it and stop every evil force in this world, it'll slowly deteriorate. We might not have it if we need it again." "Only if you stop training." "Or when we age..." "Train someone else before you're too old to fight anymore. That way, someone will be able to take your place." "Hey, Twilight," Rainbow Dash suggested, "why don't you show your brother? He can teach the other soldiers in the royal guard. A whole army of super ponies would keep anything away." "That's...Not a bad idea, actually." "There you go, then," Chris concluded. "I guess we have a plan." Everyone went silent for a while. Finally, Chris spoke. "I'm off to bed. I'll see you guys in the morning." "Goodnight, Chris." He left the group and entered his makeshift shelter. "Spike?" "Yeah, Twilight?" "Sorry if I embarrassed you. I thought he should know everything." "No worries." "I love you, but I don't think it's that kind of love. Can you understand?" "No hard feelings. I doubt it would work out now anyway." "Thank you." "You all did an excellent job," Chris commended, "Take the next two days to rest and collect your thoughts. We're continuing with the planned schedule starting Monday." "I'm going to see my brother and let him know what's happening." "Good. If you guys can't handle something by yourselves, a prepared cavalry should do the trick." "Take care, Chris." "Copy that." Everyone split up and returned home. Chris went back to the inn to rejuvenate himself for the trials ahead.
