The Mark of Duty

The final battle was starting. I am not so dead to the world as to say I wasn't worried. I was forced to contain my breathing as I watched Sunset's fall through the scope. Her wings sprouting with flecks of red dripping from her back. I flinched at that and centered the scope over Twilights head. This was the moment. I could put a bolt in Twilights head right now. If I did that Sunset would go through the portal, and I would have a full revenge against Celestia. Having to either strike down her former student or be beaten by her. I watched as Sunset did the villain bit. She played it well honestly. I looked at her and saw her eyes through the scope. They were wrong. The flash of kindness was buried beneath rage, and joy at her own power seemed to be engraved on her face. I sighed and closed my eyes for a moment. I couldn't damn this girl for my revenge. I moved the scope back to Twilight, who was now in her little Ginyu Force formation. I watched the rainbow of random effects shot from her and her friends before it crashed into Sunset. And that part was definitely different then I remembered. I flinched as it crashed through concrete, sending rubble flying. I was scanning the ground the second after it hit. "Come on Sunny, you're a tough girl. Don't make me destroy Equestria just to avenge you." I found her after a moment, face down in the rubble.

I stared at her through my scope and began counting. "One, two, three, four..." And let out a sigh as she stirred. She reached at her back with a hand as Twilight made some sappy victory speech, but I knew how it ended already. I slung my bolter to my back and grabbed my bags. I began a quick jog down the building, jumping down the staircase a full flight at a time, utilizing my still superhuman abilities. I reached the exit quickly, and put my bags down on the back of my bike before grabbing my helmet. Never know when you want a helmet with bulletproof inserts. I ran across the street and found an area without people looking. Namely the mirror statue. I stood around the corner and pulled out my phone. Dropping my helmet on the ground beside me, I held it so only the camera was visible, I spied around the corner. The mane six were all talking, as they did their thing. I was interrupted by a text from Shining Armor. Hey, Sunset turned into a freaking Demon, what do I do?

I smiled, moving the phone to text. There's no form for that?

"Haha. No, in fact, I'm just gonna say it was a gas leak. Way easier that way."

I nodded at that. "I figured. Take her to my house, I have one more thing to do here. Make yourself scarce after you get her home, I'm going to be rolling in hot."

"Don't wanna know man, but I expect a full explanation later"

I nodded and replaced my phone again. And saw Twilight herself walking up. Perfect. I waited a moment before speaking. "Not Bad for a pretty pony princess." She paused, and I smiled. She was gonna be easy to reel in.

I shifted my bolter slightly as Twilight used her trademark charm. "Uhm, Hello?" I couldn't help it, I laughed. This young girl stood against Discord? Such wonderful Dichotomy. "Well, come on over here. You can stay in sight if you want, you just had quite the experience." She turned the corner slowly, before stopping in front of me. She looked like a frightened rabbit, trembling and worried at me. "Well, send me through the Warp without a Geller Field, if it isn't the youngest alicorn. Freshly minted and unsure of herself." I crouched in front of her, inspecting her unscarred face. "I must admit, you are lucky."

She flinched away from me. "H-how?"

I stood back up. "Well, the elements are a surprisingly random source of power." My smile widened as she took a step back. Fear and curiosity. If she had any of Sunset's nerve then she was already hooked. "Redemption was the only path that would have allowed you to live. If that girl had been petrified or banished..." I lazily pointed out my armor and weapons with my hands. I saw her go a few shades paler as her eyes fell upon my bolter. And that was the sinker. Now she would have to wonder why I cared. "But that is neither here nor there. I came to offer something the local bibliophile couldn't bear without."

She stared at me for a moment, before she shuddered away. It was slight, but it showed a miscalculation on my part. I had been too scary. She spoke in barely a whisper. "Duty."

I nodded, backpedaling the fear factor a few steps. "Indeed, but you may call me Marx if you wish. It's much less awkward. But enough on that. I will offer you a deal. I am curious if you know what your own power does. If you would accompany me to my home, I will answer a few questions." And the final piece of icing. Knowledge. Hopefully enough to counter my ugly mug scaring her.

I reached down and picked up my helmet, slipping it over my head. "I shall stay here for five minutes. Tell your friends what you will. But I will take you to their slumber party if you wish to follow me." I leaned against the statue, before whistling a random tune. She walked off, and I pulled out my phone again. Using the camera trick I watched as she went to talk to the girls. After a moment I saw Rainbow begin shadow boxing besides Twilight. "Frak." I pulled open my contact list and looked for Rainbows number.

She would sneak behind Twilight unless she got distracted. Luckily I was prepared. I had done part-time work at an MMA dojo. By coincidence, Rainbow went there. I found her number and sent out a quick text. Mentioning that she left some gear in the dojo, and it was stashed behind the building. This was all true. The fact I had stolen it last Tuesday was just not mentioned.

Sure enough, she ran off. The dojo was halfway across town, so I wasn't sure how she was planning to get there, but her wings were fading anyways. No weird government group would kidnap her tonight. I waited a moment as Twilight turned around, and turned the corner myself. I nodded to her and waved at her to follow before turning around. She jogged to catch up. "Uhm, Mr. Marx?"

I nodded, as we came up on my bike. "Yes, young princess?"

She paused as I opened one of the saddlebags, pulling out Sunset's spare helmet. "I was just curious, what do you mean by what my power does?"

I passed her the helmet, before straddling my bike. "Simply put. What the elements can do. Do you know exactly what little Sunset just went through?" Twilight shook her head, and I patted the seat behind me. "Then we shall find out." I started the bike and grinned as she jumped at its noise. "Hold on tight young one, we're about to outpace most pegasi." She held onto me as close as possible, almost making me groan. One thing I didn't miss from Equestria, so much touching.

I gunned the engine, doing a half doughnut to turn the bike around. I made the bike sing, jetting through the short distance between my house and the school in less than five minutes. When I pulled up, Shining was already walking to his patrol car. I raised a lone finger to my helmet and walked up, leaving Twilight to recover from her traumatizing ordeal on her own. She hurt Sunny, even if it was necessary I had to get her back somehow. I took off my helmet and leaned into Armor, whispering in his ear. "She's one of the folks involved in this, and the only one knowledgeable. I'm gonna call Alice. Noon tomorrow we should have the details for you. Don't respond, just head on to your car. We have some black ops type stuff to get done real quick."

He nodded, looking between me and Twilight. He pointed once to her, and I sighed. "It's not your sister Shiney, she's from my side of the fence. Don't ask." He nodded more vehemently and stepped into his car. I then turned to Twilight. "Alright young princess. Welcome to my little slice of heaven, watch out for Clint, he likes visitors." I looked to my door and could see the German Shepards nose poking from the window. Checking my watch I saw it was about six, so he's only been up an hour or two. Though with Sunset hurt he was probably gonna be protective. Doofy pup.

I walked up to the door and opened it, only to get an instant attack from Clint. He jumped up to about my waist. Full-size German Shepard or no, I'm still huge. I moved to pet him before he suddenly dropped low, I looked down at him and found him baring fangs, growling at Twilight, who was stopped about a foot behind me. "No Clint. Friend, not food." He didn't look at me, but his growl stopped. "Twilight, stick your hand towards him. Let him get a whiff of you." She stuck out a hand, and I watched it tremble as Clint stuck his head out slightly, sniffing it for a moment. After a few tense seconds, he huffed once and walked back into the house. Apparently, the surprise guest ruined his good mood, and he posted up by Sunset's door.

Twilight looked at the dog. "He doesn't seem very nice."

I shrugged and moved to the bathroom, looking for my medical kit. "He's a guard dog with a wounded charge. He's keeping you out of her room. It's exactly what he's supposed to do." I found the big red box and opened it, looking it over. It was filled with the average things for a medical kit, and a few goodies I got from working in a fight club. Namely sedatives and the like that were normally reserved for hospitals. I turned to Twilight. "On the table by the couch, there's a small journal. Look over it while I treat my ward, then we can talk." I left to Sunset's room without another word, leaving Twilight to stare at the unmarked book beside my couch.

I patted Clint on the head once as I passed into Sunset's room. It was decorated with her own drawings. Equestrian vistas and local views covered the walls. There was a small painters pallet in the corner, and a guitar she had taken up last year with gusto. The girl herself was laying flat on her stomach, with her jacket thrown in the corner and her shirt sporting two red stains on her back. I winced at it. "Sunny, I'm here to patch you up."

I heard a sniffle, and she rose up moving to sit on the side of the bed. She refused to look at me as I cleared my throat. "I'll need to see your back munchkin." She moved numbly stripping off her clothes as I got a pair of bandages out. I winced at the bleeding red gashes on her back. I decided on medicine first. "I know you hate shots Sunny, but your gonna need one for this." I began sizing up the gashes and frowned while I pulled out a suture kit. Living as a rough and tumble thief gives you skills that come in handy later in life.

I then pulled out a small syrette. Pure morphine in a tiny package. Enough for a bullet wound, since it used the old WWII design. I popped the cap and squeezed it slightly, seeing a single drop of morphine plop out. I found a vein on her back and injected the syrette. Sunset grunted at it, but I forced my self to ignore it. I waited a few seconds before Sunset sobbed. "I just wanted her to see..." I threaded my needle and guided Sunset to lie down on her back.

"Make who see what?" I pushed the gash together by hand, getting blood on my hands as I began to run the needle through the skin.

Sunset sobbed some more, obviously crying as I patched up one of her gashes. "Mom. She hurt me, and she hurt you. She needed to see what she did, but I went about it all wrong. I thought that if I did this, I'd get to show her what she did to us..." She paused her talk, sobbing into one of her pillows. "And she never said sorry. I've been trying to talk to her from the journal, but she just doesn't answer me." I froze in my stitchings. I had been assuming Sunset hadn't been writing in the book. Instead, it appears she just wasn't receiving an answer. This was not okay. And the fact she went through all this for me. Well, family fights and dies for one another, and she was fighting and dying for me just now.

I resumed my stitching, tying off the first and moving to the second. "Then I shall talk to her. Don't bother with her for the moment, just focus on healing." I paused as her sobs began to subside. "And know this. Despite what I may seem, you are my sister now. And family sticks by each other. No matter what." She didn't say anything, and by the time I finished the stitches I heard a soft snore coming from her pillow. Morphine must have knocked her out. I put the bandages beside her and walked to the door.

Opening it, Clint looked at me. "Go ahead boy, calm though." He walked through the door as Twilight stared at my book. "Princess? Come and see what your victory has earned." She looked at me. I still saw the faint flicker, but it seemed tempered with a bit of... something. Maybe pity? I didn't think about it as I walked back into Sunset's room.

Twilight walked in a moment later and gasped. She looked like she was about to scream until Clint glared at her. She stared at the stitched scars on Sunset's back. Blood still wet on her back as I slowly lifted her up to bandage them. The Princess had a hand to her mouth. "I didn't... I-I mean I never would have-"

I raised a hand. "Words mean little young one." I leaned Sunset against Clint, checking the bandage over before grabbing a moist towelette from the kit. "If you want to help her, I could use it. But this is how battle works. The loser rarely escapes unscathed." I glared at her. "Be glad they are mostly safe, any permanent damage I would have done to you." I sighed as I washed the blood off Sunset's back. "As is a lesson on consequences is just as good." Being done with washing the wounds, I began bandaging her back. Twilight wordlessly walked up, being an extra pair of hands as I wrapped Sunsets back fully. When done, I sighed. I laid Sunset back down on her stomach. "Come young one, we will speak in the other room."

I stood slowly, making sure to keep Sunset steady as I grabbed Clint. Carrying him while he made a few quiet whines, I walked into my living room. I looked at Twilight, who was now pale as death. Good. "Dinner is next. Ask your questions while I throw together a salad for you. The girls will feed you more, but you need something to distract you."

I dropped Clint on the ground, and moved to my fridge, with him curling up at the door to Sunset's room. I smiled at the protective little pup. Twilight sat down on the couch again. She looked to the book again, before letting out a breath. "Okay, uhm... I don't really...." She paused, taking another deep breath. "How do you know who I am?"

I shrugged. "I know many things. The future is an open book to one who has glimpsed the multi-verse." I stared at my fridge, before pulling out a pre-made salad from the grocery store. No effort would be spent on this. I also grabbed a thing of beef jerky from my cupboard for me. "Where one might only see stories, I see different worlds, different futures." I looked at Twilight. "One has you being assaulted by the cult of the nightmare and remaking Nightmare Moon. Fortunately, it failed, leaving a lost and scared foal that you adopted." I grabbed a fork and moved Twilights meal to her. "In one Sunset's judgment was harsh, forced to do anything anyone asks. A million futures with a million outcomes. But there are a few things that are almost constant. Your brother's wedding is almost certain, as well as your ascension."

I paused. "But that is barely important. Honestly, it is a curse more than a blessing. Knowing enough of the future to fear, but not enough to plan. I knew me and Sunset would go here, but not our age. We got lucky, but we could have been here for ten years instead of two and a half before this happened"

Twilight paused. "D-do you really want to kill the princesses?"

I looked to her for a moment, before taking a bite of beef. "I truly don't know. They have wronged me greatly, and my code is absolute on what to do against the traitor's hand." I grimaced as what they did came back to me. "Especially if it is inspired by cowardice. Ask Celestia what she did to me. Maybe she likes you more than Sunset, and you won't have to learn from me yourself."

Twilight looked at me strangely. "But, what did they do? I know the Great War was before he made this mirror. Then, you came in with Sunset, so where were you in between?"

I glared at Twilight. Cute pony or not she was getting on my nerves. I reached into a pack of water beside my couch and pulled one out, taking off the cap and chugging the whole thing down. "Ask the Princess. It is not my place to state their sins. They must bear their own cross. But besides that, I have a question of my own." I leaned back. "What became of the clan Bangs, and Do as well."

Twilight paused. "Old clans? Well, the Do family is pretty well off in Canterlot. They have an estranged daughter in Ponyville. But the Bangs..." She looked at me strangely. "They were lost in the Great War, one of two clans to fall in its entirety during the battles."

I took in a breath. Slowly, letting the pain of loss was over me. "That is a shame. Flash Bangs was a masterful enchanter. I shall simply be glad that his daughter's clan survived." I thought of Flash Bang with his little filly. A rare moment of peace in our war-torn lives. I could still remember her name. Paying Do. His own piece of Ponykind. I smiled at it. "Then that is enough. I had hoped he survived, he deserved a happy ending." I bit off another piece of jerky. "Hope the bastard who killed him died."

I stood up. "Eat your food Twilight. When your done head to Sunset's room. I shall be picking it up a bit so she doesn't try to when she awakens." I walked into the room, closing the door behind me.