AMONG THE TROTTING DEAD

Applejack pushed a cart of apples and apple-based products along the cobblestone streets of Ponyville. She had a smile on her face, but her mind was occupied with worry for her friend Twilight. She had been in the hospital for over a week now, with no signs of improving. Stopping the cart at her usual spot just in front of the glass hardware store. She kicked out the kickstand and popped the awning. Feeling the cool shade over her body she hung her sign, telling all she was open for business.

Looking out over Ponyville’s town square, she frowned at how sparse it was. She was just not worrying about Twilight. She was also worrying about the rumors of a strange sickness that was coming out of Gryffindor.

The rumors although unconfirmed sent shivers down her spine. ‘How could something make sick ponies attack others?’ She stared at her fresh apples and jars of applesauce. ‘Dag nab-it!’ She shook her head. She needed to focus on her work. No sense worrying herself into a frenzy over something she couldn’t control.

“Applejack?”

Hearing a regal voice, Applejack turned around and saw her friend Rarity walking up to her stall. “Hey’a Rarity!” Giving her a hug, she put on her best smile. “I thought you’re watching over Twilight with Spike?”

“Oh, I am, just thought of getting something for us to eat before, Rainbow Dash comes to relieve us.” Rarity eyed her produce. “How about three jars of your applesauce?”

Applejack rolled her eyes at her friend’s smirky grin. “No probs, Rarity.” She took out a brown paper bag and stuffed the jars in.

Watching her friend work, Rarity’s smile slowly faded. “I’m awfully worried about Twilight.” She let out a soft sigh. “I really do hope she wakes up from her comma real soon, especially with this sickness going around. A hospital is no place for her to be in.”

Applejack stopped packing her bag. She looked over her shoulders and stared at her friend. Her mind replayed the news reports she heard over the radio the last couple of nights. A shiver danced down her back for a second time today. “You think it’s getting that bad?”

“Well, darling, from what I’ve heard.” Rarity shivered at her own thoughts on the matter. “I hope it’s something that’s nothing to worry about, but sicknesses are nothing to scoff at.” She dropped some bits in a jar on Applejack’s stall. “If this sickness is going around, I do believe it would be best to transfer Twilight’s care to one of our homes until it blows over. Just in case it comes to Ponyville.

Applejack nodded. “If you think it’s the best for her, I think Shining won’t argue with that.” She handed her friend her food. “Let just hope it stays where it came from.

“Indeed,” Rarity smiled. “I’ll tell Twilight you said hello. Positive vibes do good for a recovering pony.” She waved to her friend as she made her way to Ponyville’s hospital.

Applejack returned the wave. Hearing a cough, she looked to her left and saw a stallion in his mid-thirties wearing a hoodie as he stood on the front porch of a shop a few yards from her stall. Applejack found it weird that he would be wearing something that heavy when the morning air was humid and warm.

Studying him further, she saw how pale he looked and how damp his fur was. He let out another cough, holding a hoof to his mouth. He groaned as he wiped away the phlegm on his mouth. Letting out a sigh he slowly flipped his store’s sign that was on ‘open’ to ‘closed’. Feeling eyes were on him, he looked at Applejack.

She shivered when he stared back at her. His eyes were hazy and bloodshot. He gave her a little wave before stepping into his store, closing the door. Applejack smacked her drying lips as she looked at her produce. A ringing sung in her ears as news reports replayed in her mind once more.

-Present Day-

“Plans changed?” Applejack spat. “What do you mean by that?”

Strewn smiled. “Give us the farm, unless you want blood on your hooves.”

Twilight and Rainbow Dash shivered. “What did you do?” Twilight asked, but her voice lowered as her eyes went wide.

Applejack’s eyes went wide at her own realization. “You son of a bitch!” Applejack spat. “Where are they?”

Strewn stepped back from her getting in his face. “They are with my brother.” He frowned. “If you want them alive, you’ll leave the farm and head into the city towards town hall. You have an hour!”

Applejack’s world went dark. A ringing echoed in her ears. The events of the past two months came barreling from her subconscious. She felt clammy as the thought of her sister as one of the dead at the hands of Ratchet swam in her mind.

She shivered as she looked at Twilight. She was confused at the lack of emotion on her face. Usually, Twilight was the type of pony to break down and think of the worst-case scenarios. But for whatever reason, she wasn’t… A bright purple beam of light emanated from Twilight’s horn striking the stallion beside Strewn. In what felt like minutes but in reality, lasted a few seconds, Twilight grabbed the stallion’s gun and pointed it a Strewn.

“Don’t make any sudden movements!” Twilight growled; anger coating her words. Adrenaline, like she had never felt before coursed through her veins. Strewn glared at Twilight. Seeing his horn lighting up, Twilight’s anger filled mind didn’t hesitate.

A loud crack echoed across the land.

Strewn fell to the ground, blood trickled down his face. Touching to the top of his head where his horn was, he let out a hiss and pulled away his hoof and saw blood on it. Before he could comprehend what happened, Twilight struck him across the face with the mouth piece of the pistol. He let out a huff before falling to the ground face first.

The other stallion ran. Twilight still on autopilot, aimed the pistol at the fleeing stallion, but before she could pull the trigger, Rainbow Dash pulled the gun from her magical grip.

“What the FUCK!” Applejack cursed. “What did you do!”

With her adrenaline fading, reality came crashing back. Twilight held her head from the throbbing. Seeing her handywork, she felt her throat tighten up, but she wasn’t ashamed of what she had done. She was, proud… It scared her that she had done the unthinkable without hesitation. But then again, Strewn’s group kidnapped Applebloom and Spike… Spike… Her lips frowned as she summoned all her magical strength and grabbed one of Strewn’s hindlegs. “Help me!” She huffed as she dragged him to the barn.

“Woah, nelly, what you did will not help us get them back!” Applejack barked as she followed her down the hill. “You just doomed them!”

“HELP ME!” Twilight turned around and glared daggers at her friend.

Applejack saw something that sent shivers down her spine. She’d seen Twilight angry before, but this was something else. Rainbow Dash swallowed her fears and picked up Strewn by the shoulders and hovered just above the ground.

“We heard a gunshot, what happened… What the hell?!” Shining stopped as he ran out of the farmhouse. He stared at his sister dragging Strewn with help from Applejack and Rainbow Dash. “What did you do?”

Twilight growled from the weight she was pulling. “What needed to be done!”

“What needed to be done?” Soarin asked.

“Twily, shooting Ratchet’s brother is not going to help us!” Shining huffed. “We’re trying to handle this without getting killed!” He spat. “You’re not the one in charge here!”

“THEY HAVE SPIKE!” Twilight cried as she dropped the stallion. “I DID WHAT NEEDED TO BE DONE!” She jabbed her hoof into her brother’s chest. “WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE? RUN AWAY!”

Shining’s anger died down as he saw the hurt in her eyes. “Spike’s gone?” He frowned as he looked a Strewn. “I didn’t know…” The others behind him gasped.

“Spikey?” Rarity cried as she placed a hoof over her lips.

“They have Applebloom as well…” Applejack turned to her brother and grandmother and saw their worry. Seeing Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo standing on the porch she sighed. “Grandma, could you get the kids inside.”

“I’ll help her.” Summer Wind nodded as she coaxed them back into the house.

“How did they slip past us.” Derpy tapped her front hooves together.

“The orchard has too much ground to cover.” Zipper sighed as he spat out some chewed tobacco.

“Why are they doing this?” Copper asked, “We did nothing to them!”

“We did now.” Marley scoffed as he looked at Strewn’s broken horn. “Didn’t know you had that in you little missy.” He looked at Twilight.

“They forced our hooves!” Twilight’s body shivered from the overabundance of adrenaline coursing through her. She growled as she pickup Strewn and dragged him towards the barn. Getting to the two large double doors, she sat down the stallion and let out several heavy pants.

“If they want a fight, they’ll get one!” She kicked the doors open and dragged Strewn to the center of the barn. Twilight stared at the stallion. Strange feelings were taking hold of her mind, feelings she knew were wrong, but this stallion’s group was in the wrong. They killed Jet Cloud. They have Spike and Applebloom. She needed to do what was dancing into her mind. ‘We’re going to have to do things that we’re not comfortable with.’ Rainbow Dash’s words replayed in her mind. She killed a trotter… but could she kill a pony…

“Twilight, are you okay?” Rarity asked as she walked up to the unicorn.

“Wake up!” Twilight spat as she threw a bolt of electricity onto Strewn. Rarity let out a squeak at her tone of voice.

Strewn let out a yelp from the static coursing throughout his body. He let out a growl as he tried to stand, but the pain was too much for him to bear. With his eyes darting around, he saw that he was in a barn. Confused, he turned his head to the left and saw Twilight and her posse under lantern light. Feeling sticky fluid on his face, the memory of what happed a few seconds ago came flooding back. “You bitch!” He tried to stand but Twilight shocked him again.

“Where’s SPIKE!” She spat as she picked up a rake resting against the wall near the barn’s doors.

Seeing the impromptu weapon floating over the stallion, Applejack went to snatch it out of her magical aura, but a hoof rested on her shoulder. Looking over her shoulders, she saw her brother shaking his head. “She needs to calm down!”

Again, Macintosh shook his head. “We need to know where they are.” His face went sour as he pulled her away, before walking to Twilight’s side.

Applejack felt a heavy sensation on her chest. The look her brother gave was one she wished she had never seen. And one she wished to never see again. Looking at the others, she saw their conflicting emotions, but none dared to stop the irate mare. Shining, Rainbow Dash and Marley on the other hand joined Twilight and surrounded the stallion.

Strewn looked up at the five ponies surrounding him. “Y-You think you scare me? I’ve been to prison! I’ve seen shit that you couldn’t stomach! AH!” Twilight stuck him across the back with the rake. Macintosh placed a hoof on his upper back pinning him to the ground.

“Where are they!” Twilight growled.

“Fuck you! AH!” Again, Twilight struck him with the rake.

“Where are they being kept!” Marley placed a hoof on the stallion’s broken horn and pressed what was left into the barn’s dirt floor.

“AH! STOP IT!” Strewn yelled. Twilight struck him several times. Some of the sharp ends of the rake pierced skin in several places across his body. Blood started to ooze out of the wounds, soaking the dirt around him.

“Twilight! Stop, that’s enough!” Doctor Hooves yelled. “Twilight! You’re going to kill him!” He grabbed the rake. Twilight snapped out of her haze and saw the damaged she’d done. Her eyes trembled. Had she let herself become consumed by anger that easily. Twilight looked at the others who stared at her with wide eyes.

“Naw, keep going, the fucker deserves it!” Marley laughed. “Some pony going after kids deserves nothing good.”

“This is not us, we’re not like them!” Applejack walked up to her brother. “Please there is another way, there has to be!”

Hearing Strewn let out a laugh, the group looked down at him. “There was, giving up the damned farm!” Strewn groaned through clenched teeth.

“That wasn’t going to happen!” Macintosh huffed.

“We could’ve worked out a deal!” Applejack looked down at the stallion. “We could’ve traded supplies.” She could feel some of the group tensed up as those words left her mouth. She even knew it was a stupid idea, but it would’ve prevented this.

Strewn just laughed. “You’re naive as shit!” He spat out blood pooling in his mouth and looked up at Twilight and Applejack. “When my brother finds out what… What you did to me! They’re so dead…” He growled. “When we take this farm, I’ll make sure you’re the last ones alive so I can gut them little brats right in front of you!” He tried to break free but Macintosh’s weight kept him pinned.

Any holdout Applejack had for sympathy, another way to solve this issue without resorting to killing left as the image of her sister being gutted without mercy danced in her head. An emotion she rarely felt, not since her parents died took hold. “The fuck you will!” Applejack turned around and kicked him in the face with her hind leg, knocking him out cold.

Hearing a distant crack, Ratchet’s ears swiveled, trying to pinpoint the direction it came from. Though its distance made it hard to know exactly where. It could’ve come from the orchard or somewhere in town. If it was within town, then his stallions weren’t doing their jobs keeping other ponies out. Or maybe it was them shooting a trotter and if so, ringing the damned dinner bell. “Those, morons!”

He stood up from his chair and made his way down to the first floor. He looked down at his posse of twenty stallions who were milling about the floor. He saw Blaze making some pipe bombs. Others were either counting supplies or preparing the MREs they took from a military truck they came across a few days ago. He saw Bolt feeling up one of the captured mares they had gotten from Sanctuary. The others, ten in total were patrolling the streets around Town Hall.

“RATCHET!” A stallion ran into the building, his breaths were sporadic as he looked for said stallion. Seeing the stallion at the top of the stairs, he made his way up to him. “Shits fucked!”

“What’s fucked?” Ratchet looked at the stallion. “Where’s my brother?” He walked up and grabbed the stallion’s neck with his magic. “What happened?”

The stallion groaned through the discomfort. “This mare, crazy bitch!” He choked. “She took my gun and shot him!”

Ratchet felt numb as his words replayed in his mind. “What?”

“They shot him!” The stallion squirmed as he felt the pressure on his neck increase. “It happened so fast, I…. I… Boss?” He struggled to breathe.

Ratchet turned to face Blaze. He could see fear in his eyes. “You said they were weak!” His horn glowed brighter as he snapped the stallion’s neck.

Blaze watched the body tumble down the stairs. “I…” He watched Ratchet walked up to him. “They are! I mean they’re just a bunch of glorified babysitters!”

“Glorified babysitters?” Ratchet smacked him across the face. Blaze fell to the floor. He let out a groan as he held a hoof to the forming bruise on his face. “This is the second time you let us in to a bloodbath!”

“I… I didn’t know!” Blaze pleaded.

“Your old group wasn’t easy to take down, but I was willing to take the losses, for the rewards.” Ratchet huffed. “But fuck, you should’ve stopped when you found out they knew of Sanctuary!” He got in Blaze’s face. “I thought you said your cultish group rarely ventured out of the Everfree meadow?”

“They did, but I didn’t know that there was a fucking Zebra living in the forest all this time!” Blaze sat up and rested his head against the wall. “And how was I support to know that they knew her!” His mind drifted to the mare that was brought to Sanctuary.

Ratchet ground his teeth. “You don’t know much, do you?” He punched Blaze across the face. “The sly stallion looking to get a better deal!”

Blaze held his right cheek. He glared at Ratchet and shot up! “Screw you!”

Ratchet grabbed Blaze and threw him to the ground. “I’m starting to lose my trust with you.” He looked at Bolt. “Lock him up with our guests.” Bolt nodded and lifted him off the ground. He tried to fight back, but the Bolt overpowered him with his magic. Letting out a growl, Ratchet looked at the dead body on the floor by the base of the stairs. “Toss his body on the streets and prepare yourselves, we’re putting an end to this!”

Spike worked on his restraints. The ropes around his wrists hurt as he kept moving them around. Applebloom sat beside him as she sat shivering from her worries. Seeing her souring state of mind, he stopped what he was doing and stared at her. A knot formed in his throat. “Bloom?”

She looked up from her lap and looked at him. “Yeah?”

“We’ll get out of this.” He swallowed his own fears. “I promise.”

She gave a small smile, but it slowly faded. “I hope so.” Hearing the door open, they looked over and saw Blaze being thrown in.

“Stay here until we get back!” Bolt growled. He looked at Spike and Applebloom. “We’ll tell your friends you said hello.” He laughed as the door shut with a hefty thud.

They shivered as they looked at Blaze. “What does he mean by that?” Spike asked.

Blaze stayed on the ground holding the right side of his face with a hoof. “What do you think!” He growled as he rolled over on his back. “What have I done?”

Applebloom frowned and scooted closer to the stallion. “What are yer friends planning?” Blaze stayed silent, which made her fume in anger. Spike seeing her fiery eyes scooted away from her. “Hey mister!” She kicked him with her hindlegs. “What are they planning?”

Blaze groaned from the hits and sat up. “What the hell?” He growled staring daggers at her, but his resolve faltered. Her scowl made him uncomfortable. It reminded him of a colt in Sanctuary… her colt. He rubbed his eyes as his mind morphed the colt into the image of the mare. ‘Why?’ She asked him. “Fuck!” He pulled his hooves from his face and looked at Applebloom. “My… Ratchet’s group is going to kill your friends and family for the orchard.”

Applebloom shivered. She felt clammy as her innocent outlook on life fell apart in real time. “What?” Her voice cracked. “Why?” Tears started to pool around her eyes. “Why would your group wanna kill us?”

Spike stared at Blaze and saw his defeated posture. “They want the farm at all cost?” He swallowed a lump. “Right?”

Blaze nodded. “Yeah…”

Spike looked the stallion up and down. “Why are you locked up with us?”

Blaze stared at the ground as he softly rubbed the bruised side of his face. “I’m just the odd one out in all this…”

Spike stared out the small slit widow at the star filled sky. “You going to help us?”

Blaze kept silent as he looked up at the ceiling. “And how are we going to do that?” He kicked the door with his hind hoof. “Its made of metal!”

Applebloom heard the sound of trucks starting up. “How long do they have?”

Blaze just rolled over. “No long.” His wrapped his tail around him for comfort.

Spike stared at the door. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Hot green flames gracefully exited his mouth. He smacked his lips, dissipating the heat that lingered in his mouth. Applebloom watched as he breathed out another breath of flame. “You think you can breathe fire for that long?”

“I have to try.” He looked at Blaze. “I just need some help.” He looked at his cutie mark.

Blaze squinted his eyes at Spike and then at the door. “Go for the handle…”

Marley sat on an apple cider barrel. He fiddled with his crossbow, cleaning the wood finish and messing with the tensions on the strings. Hearing a groan, he looked up and saw Strewn slowly stirring awake. “Hello, fuck face.”

Strewn shook the haze from his head. “What time is it?”

“Late.”

Strewn slowly looked at Marley and watched him mess with his weapon. “How late?”

“Close to midnight.” Marley smiled. “Don’t you worry I’ll be watching you all night.”

Strewn didn’t respond as he eyed the stallion. “You’re not like the others…”

Marley stopped fiddling with his crossbow and laid it in his lap. “How so?”

Strewn smacked his dry mouth. “You’re rough around the edges, like me.” He moved his front limbs and found they were tied to a pillar. “Maybe we can work something out. Help me and we can prevent what’s coming.” Marley kept staring, his smile never leaving. Strewn felt a cold sweat wash over him. “Fuck, colt come on! Untie me!”

Marley’s only response was taking out a cigarette and plopping it in his mouth. He took one out for Strewn and placed in his mouth and lit it. “Enjoy it.” He laughed. “It might be your last.”

Strewn took a drag. “You’re no killers.” He took another.

“We ain’t leaving this farm.” Zipper who sat up in the barn’s rafters laughed. Strewn stared at the stallion before hanging his head. Marley shook his head as he stared out at the sky through one of the rafter windows. He studied the moon lit hills past the farmhouse. Seeing dark shadows moving along the ridge, he took a long drag of his cigarette.

Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Applejack sat at the dining table in the kitchen. Twilight looked into her tea. Her mind was overwhelmed with the day’s events. With her magic she lifted her cup to her lips and took a sip. “Damnit!”

“What’s wrong dear?” Rarity placed a hoof on her shoulder.

“I don’t know if I made the right choice?”

“I would’ve done what you did.” Rainbow Dash fidgeted with her cup. “I was just shocked is all. You’re usually not like that.”

Twilight stared at her reflection in her tea. “It felt so natural…”

Applejack grimaced at her words, but she let out a long sigh. “You were just upset… Hell I was too.” She looked past Rarity and saw her brother, Shining, Copper, Thunderlane, and Soarin going over the guns they had laid out on the living room’s coffee table. “I just had some naïve though this would be solved without resorting to violence…” She stared at Zecora laying by the fire as Lotus and Aloe bradded her mane.

Twilight looked up at her friend. “And that’s why we love you AJ,” She smiled. “Always the negotiator.”

“Alright, here is what I have.” Hearing the front door open, they saw Willy and Jiminy entering the house carrying a rifle and a pistol.

“That’s all?” Soarin sighed. “Damn it.”

“We’ll make it work.” Macintosh stated.

“We’re still doing this?” Summer Wind asked as from the stairs.

“Yes, dear. Yes, we are.” Rarity looked at the guns. She shivered. She never liked such things. Always believed weapons should stay within police and military institutions.

Summer Wind sighed. “Let me check on the kids, Derpy, Dr. Hooves, and Carrot Top.” She walked back up the stairs. Getting to the top of the stairs, she slowly walked the down the hall to the back rooms. Along the way she stopped at a room on her right, turning the knob with her hooves, she slowly opened the door and saw, her niece and nephews, as well as Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Rumble, and Dinky sleeping. She could see their dreams were not happy ones from the expressions on their faces. ‘Dear Luna, where are you?’ She slowly closed the door.

Getting to one of the last rooms at the end of the hall, she could hear muffled sobbing. Summer Wind grimaced. “Sis?” She slowly knocked on the door. Hearing no response, she opened the door. Sunny was sitting on the floor, her head face first in the mattress. “Sis, you want to join the others. We’re preparing the farm.”

Hearing no response, she sighed and sat beside her. “I miss him too.” She laid a wing over her. “He was a great stallion. You knew how to pick them… Better than me.”

Sunny lifted her head and stared at her sister with bloodshot eyes. “How?”

Summer Wind tilted her head. “How what?”

Sunny fought her emotions. “How I’m I going to protect them without their father?” She let out a sob. “I can’t do it without him! How can I raise three kids all alone?”

“Sunny! Stop it!” Summer Wind placed a hoof under her sister’s chin. “You have me! As their aunt, I’ll help you at all cost!” She pulled her into a hug. “You’re all I have after dad died.”

Sunny returned the hug, before pulling away and wiping her eyes. “Yeah…” She looked out the window at the star filled sky. “I just, can’t believe there are ponies that would resort to violence so quickly… I mean look at what Marley and Twilight did to that stallion.”

Summer Wind sighed. “That stallion’s group kidnapped Applebloom and Spike. Killed your husband.”

Sunny looked down at her hooves. “I know…” She looked at her sister. “I just hope that…”

The sounds of glass shattering followed by a meaty thump filled the room. Crimson coated Summer Wind as blood shot out of her sister’s neck. Time slowed as she watched her drop to the floor with a thud. Panic took hold as she dropped to the floor and placed her hooves on her sister’s neck. “No! No! NO!” She cried as she tried to stop the bleeding.

Several more cracks whizzed by as bullets tore through the thin walls of the farmhouse. Hearing silence once more, Summer Wind lifted her head. Seeing the hollowed eyes of her sister staring back at her, reality came crashing as her emotions took hold. “NO…” She held onto her sister pulling her into a desperate hug causing her sister’s blood to coat her body.

Ringing sang in Twilight’s ears. She let out a groan as she felt a sharp sensation shooting from her shoulder. Letting out a hiss, she forced herself to sit up but only managed to stand on her front hooves. Her hind hooves rested on the floor. She could still feel them which was a good sign, it just, the pain she felt was overwhelming her. Looking around she saw glass coating the floor around the table. Seeing holes on the floor, she shivered as she looked at the others.

Rarity held a hoof to her left foreleg. She let out a hiss and lifted her hoof to assess the damage. Seeing that it was just a cut from a grazing bullet, she put her hoof to her wound once again to stop the bleeding.

Rainbow Dash groaned as she looked over at her left wing and saw that its radiale of was broken. She growled as her wing twitched involuntary. “Fuck!” She struggled to stand from the pain.

Applejack let out a hiss as she picked up her hat that was blown off from a round. Twilight’s eyes went wide as she saw blood running down her face. “Applejack!” Applejack looked at her in confusion. “Your head.” She hissed as she held a hoof to her shoulder.

Applejack placed a hoof on her head. She hissed as she felt the cut. Letting out a huff she looked over into the living room. Her blood ran cold as she saw Jiminy laying in a pool of his own blood. Willy Pette was over him, trying desperately to save him, his mind ignoring that his friend was dead. Zecora, Aloe, Louts, Shining, Soarin, and Thunderlane were alright but were in utter shock. Copper on the other hand, was holding his front right foreleg as he gingerly pried a piece of shrapnel from it with his mouth.

Her eyes went wide as she saw her brother’s left flank bleeding, two perfect gashes through his cutie mark. “MAC!” Applejack cried as she got to her brother’s side.

“I’m fine!” Mac growled through the pain. “It went in and out…” He saw Jiminy’s hollowed eyes staring up at the ceiling. “Shit!”

Hearing sobbing coming from the second story. Soarin and Thunderlane ran up the stairs. “Are the others, okay?” Twilight asked as she rested her head against the wall.

Soarin came back down the stairs. “Sunny’s dead and one of her kids has a gun shot through his stomach!”

Get the medical kit under the sink, by our room!” Applejack sighed. “Give it to Dr. Hooves!” Soarin nodded as he ran back up the stairs.

“WHO’S IN CHARGE!”

Hearing a booming voice. Twilight and her friends looked at one another. “The son of a bitch!” Shining spat a he used his magic to turn off the lights in the living room and kitchen. “Stay down!” He picked up a rifle and held it tight to his chest as he laid against the wall. His military training kicked in as he held the rifle up and looked through the hunting scope. Seeing several silhouettes on the hill, he cursed. “They’re early!”

“SHOW YOURSELVES!”

Twilight swallowed her fears and stood up, but hissed as her front right limb twitched from the pain. “I need to face him. Buy us some time to head into the basement.”

“You’re not going out there alone!” Shining growled as he stopped her. The glow from the fire highlighted the fear in their eyes. “I’m not letting you put yourself into unnecessary danger!”

Twilight stared at her brother. She had never seen him this vulnerable before. “I got us into this mess.” She placed a hoof on his shoulder. “Besides, I need a military pony to cover my back.” She could see he was hesitant. “I need you. We need you to help get the rest of us to safety.”

“What about Spike and Applebloom?” Applejack asked.

“We’ll get them…” Twilight made her way to the front door. “I know we will.” She picked up jacket from the coat rack and a pistol. Putting on the jacket, she slipped the pistol in one of its side pockets and exited the farmhouse.

Thunderlane, Macintosh, Applejack, Soarin, and Rainbow Dash each grabbed a weapon and took positions by the shattered windows. Shining watched as his sister neared the dark shadows on the hill. Sweat coated his forehead. His hooves gripped the rifle tighter to his body.

Willy Pette who had stopped trying to revive his friend let out a reserved sob and gave on final nod goodbye as he picked up his rifle. Joining Shining by the window, but before he took aim, he looked back once more and stared at his friend. “?” Swearing he was seeing things, he shook his head and stared at him once more. “Jiminy?”

Twilight grimaced as she ascended the hill. She could see in the dim moonlight, Ratchet standing on the hood of a putter-truck. He looked down at her with hate filled eyes. Swallowing her fear and pain away, she closed the gap. “So… You’re Ratchet?”

“And you must be Twilight?” Ratchet spat. “How many did we kill?”

Twilight swallowed. “None…”

Ratchet noticed her pain. “We at least wounded you.” He gritted his teeth. “Where’s my brother?”

Twilight closed her eyes as she looked back at the farmhouse. “He’s in the house you just shot up.” She gave him a cocky smirk.

Ratchet’s eyes lit up. “Is he okay?”

Strewn’s battered body came to mind. “Sort of…” She groaned from the pain radiating from her shoulder.

“Show me!”

Twilight glared at him. “Show me, Spike and Applebloom first!”

Ratchet shook his head. “That’s not how this works!”

“If you want your brother, you’ll show me them first!” Twilight growled.

Ratchet bit his tongue. “They’re not here.” He cleared his throat. “They’re back at base.”

Twilight bit her own tongue. “Bring them!” She spat, turning around, walking back to the farmhouse.

Ratchet frowned. She was a stubborn hot head. “Fine, but you don’t hurt him any further!”

Twilight turned around. “Don’t worry, he’s safe and sound with us!” She fought through the pain as she quickened her pace. Her mind ran a million miles a second trying to come up with a plan, but before she could come up with one a loud crack rang out from the farmhouse, followed by several more.