Survival of the Fittest

Both Shining Armor and Talon was getting close to borderlines between Equestria and the Zebra Empire. Both of them thought it was best to lay low until they reach to the border. As the unicorn stallion and the griffon mercenary was getting closer to the zebra front lines Shining Armor noticed that the only zebras he sees was supply trains which got him thinking why he was only seeing supply trains. Soon he got his answer as they hid behind a nearby bush, look at the other side, and Shining Armor couldn't believe his eyes. The zebras have broken though the entire Equestrian front lines and was taking a lot of pony prisoners of war. The zebras was diving the pony stallions from the pony mares. The stallions was getting forced to stand in front of a brick wall with their hands tied behind their backs, faced the wall, and have blindfolds over their eyes. Then a line of zebra troops would come up behind them with guns at the ready just a few feet away. As the zebras present their arms before they take aim and finally Shining Armor turned away as the order to fire was given.

After a minute of hearing gun fire the unicorn captain then look at the mares was being forced to stripped their armor and their clothes underneath leaving them with the only thing for them to wear was their underwear and bras. Then the blushing mares was being forced into a caged wagon to be locked in and moved away. Shining Armor then noticed that the unicorn mares had magic blocking rings on their horns to make sure that their magic won't work and the pegasus mares had their wings tied to their backs from stopping any of them to fly. Shining Armor tried to shake his head in hopes that this was a bad dream but it was all too real. Then the unicorn stallion feels a tapping on his left shoulder and he turned to face Talon. "Clearly this was a bad idea to come." The griffon mercenary said. "I think that we should stay here until night comes."

"B-but my people." Shining Armor said in a shaking voice. "We can't just leave them."

"Look at those lines Shining Armor the zebras clearly are winning this war thanks to those new guns of theirs. We are going to be cut down if we stop to help those ponies. Remember this Shining Armor it's 'survival of the fittest' those ponies wasn't strong enough to hold their lines so we are staying here to survive." As much Shining Armor hates it the griffon mercenary was right. He'll be killed on the spot if the zebras saw the both of them in a slit second so he and Talon waited out until night.
_______________________________________________

2 HOURS LATER

After waiting for two full hours night has finally come at last and with Luna's moon hidden behind some clouds it was the perfect time for both the unicorn captain and griffon mercenary begin to sneak though the zebra lines. Shining Armor can see that the zebras was taking their time to make plans to attack Equestria again with all of the supply wagons all over the place. Soon both of them begin smell something very very bad and was wondering what is that smell. Then the unicorn stallion and the griffon mercenary got their answer after them a left turn and found dozens of dead stallions. All had been stripped of their armor and was left to rot in the battlefield.

Shining Armor couldn't help but to slowly walk through the piles of his brothers in arms feeling both a hatred to the zebras for this slaughtered mess and a sad feeling for not being here to at least try to fight off the zebra's attack. Then Shining saw one all to familiar face that belongs to a wonderbolt flyer. It was Soarin the second of command of the wonderbolts with his eyes open and with four bullet holes in his chest. Both Shining Armor and Soarin became good friends when the war started and the unicorn stallion promised the wonderbolts captain, Spitfire, to make sure that Soarin comes home safe because both the pegasus was fixing to get married once the war was over. Then Shining feels a hand on his right shoulder and turned to see Talon. "Are you gonna stand there like a sank of potatoes." The mercenary said coldly. "Or are you going to escape back to your home land." Than the griffon mercenary started to walk over the former Equestrian lines. Shining Armor turns back to his dead pegasus friend with a sad look on his face before juggling to his griffon partner.
_______________________________________________

1 WEEK LATER

Both Shining Armor and Talon was on the run for one whole week with the both of them getting very tried. After they both ran out of food from their packs they started to look for more food. Since Shining Armor is a unicorn pony and eats anything that is like a plant he just eats some grass, flowers, and wild berries he finds. But for Talon it was a different story because he is a meat eater and he would go hurt along and comes back with some mice, or a fox, or a bobcat which made Shining Armor almost throw up the sight of the griffon mercenary tiring the dead animal's flesh with his beak. So they were like this until finally they reach Ponyville and that made Shining Armor's blood run ice cold.

Ponyville was more like Wreckville because most of the buildings had fallen down and the entire village was like a ghost town. The streets was completely deserted and there was bricks, paper, and everything else just laying all over the place. Shining Armor heart begin to beat faster and faster because he remembers Spike and the rest of Twilight's friends live here and he didn't hear a word from them back when the war started. He begins to run with Talon right behind him and the first place Shining stopped was the Ponyville library where Spike was living at. One half of the library was missing but the unicorn stallion didn't found a body anywhere so that means must have escape at that's what Shining Armor is hoping for.

Then came the homes of Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack. The first four houses was nothing more than giant piles of wood and bricks showing no signs of life anywhere before he begins to run over at Sweet Apple Acres. As the unicorn captain and the griffon mercenary was on their way to the apple farm Talon noticed something that Shining Armor didn't. "Hey Armor hold it." Talon said with his left clawed hand grabbing on to Shining Armor's shoulder making them both stopped in their tracks.

"Not now Talon." Shining Armor said. "I have to make sure that my sister's friends are alright."

"Maybe so but did you notice that there are no dead bodies anywhere in this town." That got Shining's eyes to look around town once again and the griffon mercenary's words we're true there are no bodies anywhere just prices of brick and trash. Soon the both of them started to run again and when they reach Sweet Apple Acres Shining Armor's eyes popped out from his head. The once great apple farm was nothing more than a giant graveyard of pony stallions all over the place. Shining Armor and Talon slowly walk through the bodies trying to not breath in the smell of death and rot. Then Shining noticed that not only stallions but also older mares that should live in a retirement home. And a other familiar face came up to him like a stab to the heart. It was that sweet old mare Granny Smith she still had all her clothes on but she did had a sword made hold in her side where her stomach should be. Shining Armor turned his eyes away trying not to cry as he was still moving forward. Soon both the unicorn stallion and the griffon mercenary reach the barn where they found a huge pile of clothes... clothes that belong to mares and fillies.

There was shirts, skirts, shorts, coats, jackets, pants, shoes, and hats. There one thing in the pile that made Shining Armor's heart skipped a beat. It was the cowgirl hat that belongs to Applejack resting at the base of the pile. "They got Applejack." Shining Armor thought to himself. "And the rest of the young mares they wanted." Then Shining Armor put up the hat and was about to put it in his pack until....

WRACK

The unicorn captain landed on the floor with some of his blood going down the side of his head. Shining Armor look behind him to find the face smirking griffon mercenary. "Talon what was that for." Shining ask as he got back up on his feet.

"(chuckle) Oh come on Armor you haven't thought it yet." Talon chuckled. "Think of it. Your magic not working right, that I'm the only griffon that made it out okay from the ambush, and how I was able to sneak the both of us though the zebra lines."

That made Shining Armor's mind click before his widened in shocked. "You told the zebras about the plan." The unicorn stallion snapped.

"Why of course. Before this war began the zebra emperor himself came to me and made me a offer l just couldn't refused." Then Talon brings out his battle axe and Shining Armor takes out his long sword. "A perfect deal that has one little catch."

"Oh yeah what's that."

Talon smile with those words. "The death of your weakling little sister."

Now bells was in Shining's head as he looked at the griffon in disbelief. Then his shock begin to slowly to into anger. "You... your the archer that kill the only sister l had." The unicorn captain yelled.

"FINALLY YOU ARE STARTING TO GET THE PICTURE." Talon yelled out in voice of satisfaction. "I'm might be a mercenary but the money wasn't good enough for my needs so I wanted more. All I had to do is eavesdrop on your little plan of attacking the zebras back door, poured a potion I got from the zebras into the soup that we had on the night before the ambush to stopped your magic, and here we are right in the middle of your greatest failure. If that attack of yours work this here town would still be safe."

Soon the both of them started to slowly walk in a circle. "And what was this deal you made with the zebra emperor who bastard." Shining Armor cursed.

"Oh nothing more than the crystal empire... your thrown... and your wife." That was the final straw and the unicorn captain attack. The long sword and battle axe made a big crashing sound when the two weapons hit each other as it was starting to rain. But that didn't matter if Shining Armor gets wet because all he wanted to kill this overgrown bird for his sister. The unicorn stallion then rise his long sword again to strike downwards but Talon just duck to his left and give Shining Armor a fist to his face. Shining was forced a few steps backwards but he didn't care as he duck his head to avoid a swing from the battle axe and took the opportunity to kick Talon in the leg to forced the griffon mercenary to one knee. Shining Armor then tackle Talon leaving the long sword and battle axe on the ground.

Talon on ground with his clawed hands covering his face to block the pouches with the angry unicorn stallion. Then the griffon mercenary brings his tail up to wrapped around Shining's neck making him gagged before he was tossed straight into a nearby table. Shining Armor crashed into the table like a boarder and his left leg got stabbed with sharp broken wood. Shining bear his teeth as the pain was going through out his entire leg before he spotted something he didn't believe underneath a larger part of the broken table. He began to slowly crawl to it as Talon got back up and walk over to the injured unicorn. "Don't worry Shining Armor." Talon said as he brings out a dagger from behind his back. "The only reason why I don't kill you this past week is because when somebody finds you here in Ponyville the rest of the world would believe that you died here trying to safe those ponies and died a warrior's death. But once I take Cadence as my slave I would tell her that you died like a outcast weakling and l would be her new lover... the griffon that took her husband's life." Then Talon grab hold of Shining Armor's neck just as the unicorn stallion grab something underneath the broken wood.

The griffon mercenary then forced Shining to look at him straight in the eye. "Any last words Shining Armor." Talon mocked as he puts the dagger on pony captain's throat. "Before I end this little game of ours."

"Only two."

"What are they."

Then Shining Armor pointed a flintlock pistol to Talon's head. "For Twilight."

BANG

Shining Armor fell on the ground with a thud fellow by a other thud as a dead griffon mercenary fell on the ground as well. With that settle the unicorn captain forced himself to walk over to the main house even his leg was coursing a lot of pain to the rest of the body but he manage to get inside. Shining Armor then finds a first aids pack in the kitchen, sits down, and begins to stopped the bleeding. It took roughly around a hour to do that but Shining did it thanks to his military training and then he broke off some wooden sticks from a chair, grabs a bloom and some tape to made a makeshift walking stick and put it underneath his left armpit. Shining Armor then walks outside, takes one more look at the dead griffon who took his sister before he begins the walk back to Canterlot.