The racket of zombies scratching, pounding and biting at the doors of the main hall came back to them instantly once they got back to the main desk.

"They'll get in eventually", Thorax commented.

Twilight looked to the door and said "I know. They're stupid slow but restless monsters", she replied.

"We'll be gone by the time they get in anyways", Thorax told her calmly.

Thorax looked up to the long metal ladder that hung down from the balcony of the second floor above them. He put his hoof onto the first step. He reached above him, gripped a rung above him and began to climb. The metal pads on his knees and elbows changed slightly against the rungs as he climbed.

Twilight tucked her combat knife into her shoulder strap, approached the ladder and began climbing up behind him. She looked up after Thorax as she stepped up the first few rungs noticing his hooves and more.

“You know for such a jerk.. even in the full covering outfit, he certainly has some nice muscles” Twilight found herself thinking. A split second later, her eyes bulged and she blushed a little “Whoa.. where in Equestria did that thought come from Twilight? He's an uncaring jerk!”

Twilight shook her head and forced herself back to focus.

Thorax latched onto the last rung and pulled himself up onto the balcony and Twilight did the same.

"Okay we need to get to that staircase" Twilight told him as she activated her horn.

"Yeah this way", Thorax replied calmly activating his horn as well.

They crossed the length of the balcony, towards the open wooden door that Thorax had came through earlier, Thorax activated the flashlight on the left side of his mask lighting up the staircase of the dark hallway. Thorax walked up the stairs slowly.

Finally they neared the top of the second floor. Thorax stopped suddenly in his tracks right on top of the staircase, right before rounding the corner. Twilight accidentally walked headfirst into his armoured back.

"Ow, hey, why did you-"

"Quiet princess Sparkle"

"What ?"

"Listen"

Twilight listened. There was nothing but dead silence for a few seconds but then there was a familiar hissing coming on the roof of the hall, she turned and whispered back to Thorax.

"A licker"

"Yes I'll shine the light on it. Use your throwing knives"

Twilight nodded as she unsheathed her throwing knives "okay be careful they jump far and move quickly and they also have a long tongue"

Thorax nodded, raising the flashlight, Twilight stepped beside him preparing to throw her small throwing knives at it.

"Now"

Thorax leaned to the side, peaking around the corner and pointing his flashlight at the dark roof. It stopped on a distorted fleshy coloured shape.

Twilight stepped past Thorax and threw the knives at the licker and it immediately emit a screech of pain and rage. It dropped off the roof at an astonishing speed and scrambled at the same speed towards the pair of survivors.

The licker lunged at Thorax with its tongue whipping through the air, Thorax bent his body downwards and shot it in the belly and the magic shot went through it chest and the licker fell on the floor dead.

"Nice moves" said Twilight.

"It's just a part of my training" said Thorax.

"Let's go we have one more floor to go up and we're on the roof" Twilight told him.

Thorax already knew this but wasn't about to reveal that to her.

They continued on down the hall slowly, stepping through the puddles of the Lickers blood which caused Twilight to close her eyes.

As they rounded the next corner, a moan rang in the air. A formerly young mare, now a zombie grabbed Thorax by the shoulder and tried to pull him in.

Twilight raised her horn but before she could shoot the zombie, there was muffled noise as Thorax head butted the zombie in the nose with his metal helmet, it's head snapped back and the creature staggered backwards moaning. Thorax drew back his right boot and raised a high kick aimed and her head. There was a crunch as his solid grey boot connected with her face, the zombie fell to the ground. Twilight aimed down and shot it once between the eyes before it could rise, it convulsed for a moment and soon stopped.

Thorax turned to Twilight for a moment and back to the hallway and the kept on moving quietly.

They kept on moving quietly, Twilight stopped in front of the next broken wooden door to their right with another zombie's body in front of it.

"Somepony broke this ones neck" Twilight muttered looking at the uniformed body and continuing on.

Thorax nodded.

“That would be me princess Sparkle” He spoke in his mind.

They headed down the quiet hallway, passing officers and magic ridden bodies until they reached the next staircase, leading to the roof.

When they claimed on the staircase Twilight gripped the cold metal handle with his gloved hoof and twisted the handle and pushed the door open.

The cold night air fell upon her bare hooves when she walked to the roof.

"Brrrr it's freezing up here! I hate the cold!" Said Twilight as she glanced back at Thorax who was closing the door behind them so that the other zombies wouldn't get to them.

“He must be boiling in all that armour though” Twilight thought.

However if Thorax was hot and uncomfortable he certainly wasn't showing any signs of it.

Twilight took several steps forward and looked up at the beautiful night sky above them. The stars were out and twinkling, along with the full moon. A sharp contrast to the horror, chaos and destruction on the once peaceful city that lay below them. Twilight watched clouds of thick smoke rising from the city in the far distance.

“Why did it have to happen? Umbrella, the changelings and the queen has to pay for this” Twilight thought to herself.

Thorax turned and watched Twilight staring sadly at the ruined city in the distance and he shook his head “I don't need her distracted from the task.. she's too skilled to make a rookie mistake”, Thorax said to himself in his mind.

Then he walked to Twilight's side, laying a gloved hoof upon her shoulder and firmly, yet gently, gripped it. She flinched in surprise at the warmth of the touch against her skin. It felt oddly welcoming against the coldness.

"Pay attention to the mission ahead princess Sparkle. What's done is done brooding is dangerous during a mission" He told her quietly then removed his hoof.

Twilight stared at the city a moment longer and then looked back to him.

"I know let's get off this rooftop", She replied.

They both moved slowly across the roof towards the apartment building which was a few floors larger then the precinct, Thorax stopped at the edge of the large roof and peered over the side, the narrow alleyway lay three stories below to see a metal scaffold just below, not quite on the third floor but above the second floor. A Windows leading to one of the apartments was just above the scaffold then Twilight stepped beside him and examined the scaffold.

"Do you think it'll support the weight of the two of us ?", She asked.

Thorax said nothing for a moment, thinking about it, then replied pointing to the scaffold.

"One of us can jump first break open that window and climb through it to the department. The second person can do the same once the first person is inside", he told her.

Twilight nodded in agreement then looked sideways into his gas mask.

"Who goes first?", She asked.

Author's Note

Another chapter finished I hope all of you will enjoy it.