Diamond's Evil Journey

Leon and Diamond followed a narrow path until Leon got a call on his communicator. He was far from surprised to see Saddler on the other end “What do you want?” he questioned.

Saddler gave a chuckled and grinned “I heard that Krauser has been cut down.” he said.

Diamond smirked “Are you surprised?” she said.

“Slightly, but more than that I'm thankful.” Saddler said.

Leon narrowed his eyes at him “What do you mean you're thankful?” he asked.

“He was American, I never trusted him. He was just a means to an end. My only concern was how to be rid of him, but you took care of that for me. Both of you have shown great promise. Once you've both assimilated, you'll be my bodyguards.” he said.

Diamond looked disgusted at the thought “Thanks for the offer, but I'd rather die.” she said.

Saddler smiled and gave a shrug “You said it, not me.” he said before hanging up.

Leon put the communicator away with a skeptical look on his face “No matter how bad things get for him, he doesn't seem shaken. He must still have something up his sleeves.” he said.

Diamond sighed “He always has something up his sleeves, they have to be close to empty now.” she said.

Leon rubbed his chin in thought “That means that he'll throw everything he has at us. Be ready for anything.” he said.

Diamond nodded and they continued up the path. They turned a corner to see the path start to open up. They could see tents set up and buildings around. Leon suddenly stopped and and jumped behind a crate. Diamond didn't understand what he saw “What's wrong? Did you see something?” she asked.

Without waiting for an answer she poked her head out of cover and her jaw hung open at the sight. Blocking their way was an army of soldiers. She could only see about thirty, but she assumed that there were more that she couldn't see. They were armed with all sorts of weapons and she even saw one manning a mounted machine gun on top of one of the buildings. She started feeling intimidated by their sheer numbers.

She got back behind cover before they could spot her “I think you were right about saddler throwing everything he has at us.” she said.

Leon had a grim expression “I don't like our chances of getting through that many soldiers alive. We'll have to play this smart to survive.” he said.

Then they heard the sound of helicopter blades as one flew onto the scene. Diamond raised an eyebrow at the new arrival “What is that?” she asked.

Leon studied it and smiled “It's a helicopter, and it's American. It's on our side.” he said. A beep came from Leon's belt and he saw that it came from an earpiece. He took it in his hand and pulled out a spare to hand it to Diamond “Put this in your ear.” he said. She did as he said “You're late.” he said.

A male voice came over the earpieces “Sorry, I got held up in traffic. I'll make it up by covering you.” he said. The helicopter flew over to the army of soldiers and started firing it's machine guns at them. They started to scramble from the surprise but their numbers were falling quickly. One soldier ran to the mounted machine gun that was attached to a building. The helicopter turned to it and fired a missile. The building blew up, killing all near it and after a few seconds the blockade was finished.

Leon chuckled in relief “Now that's what I call backup.” he said.

The pilot laughed “The name's Mike and I'll be your savior this evening. Hey, is that the pony Hunnigan mentioned?” he asked.

Diamond frowned at that “That pony's name is Diamond Tiara.” she said.

Mike seemed shocked “She really does talk, I thought Hunnigan was pulling my leg. Well it's nice to meet you, your majesty.” he said jokingly.

Diamond was about to scold him but decided against it “Normally I'd be angry at that kind of tone, but I think I can over look it since you just saved our flanks.” she said.

“Oh you're so benevolent.” he said. He then noticed more soldiers making their way over “More of them. Get your asses moving, I'll keep doing my thing.” he said.

“Right.” Leon said before running out of cover with Diamond behind him. Three soldiers charged at them. Two of them were carrying flails while the last held a large wooden shield. Leon fired two handgun bullets into a soldier's chest to distract him. He then landed a roundhouse kick to his jaw to knock him to the floor before jamming his knife into his neck.

He then glance behind him to see another soldier swinging a flail at him. The soldier was cut off when Diamond jumped and kicked him in the chin. He fell onto his back and tried to get beck to his feet. Diamond quickly stomped on his neck to keep him down. She then fired her revolver point blank into his forehead.

The shield wielder charged Leon, planning on bashing into him. Leon brought out his shotgun and shattered the shield in one blast. Once the soldier was unprotected, Diamond threw her knife into his throat.

They then heard an impressed whistle over the earpieces “That's pretty good Tiara. Did you learn that in karate class?” Mike said with a laugh.

Diamond gave an unamused frown “Don't you have something to be doing right now?” she questioned.

Suddenly bullets started raining down near them. They quickly dove behind a metal crate for cover. Once the bullets paused, Leon took a peek to see a soldier manning a mounted machine gun on a high building. He quickly got back behind cover before he could start firing again “Mike, we're pinned down. Can you handle the machine gun?” he asked.

The helicopter turned to the building “I'm almost hurt that you had to ask.” he said. He then fired a missile to destroy the building along with the machine gun “He'll feel that in the morning, oh wait no he won't.” he said with a laugh.

Diamond and Leon ran out of cover and down a hill leading to a metal gate. Two soldiers jumped down from a higher cliff to block their path. Leon just shot them both with his handgun and ran past them. When they arrived at the gate, Leon saw a huge, solid metal lock on it. Diamond stared at the lock “Is there any chance that you can break that?” she asked.

Leon took his shotgun out “I can try.” he said. He fired at the lock only for it to stay in place “I think it's weakening. It should only take a few more.” he said.

Diamond turned around when she heard footsteps approaching. She took her rifle in her hooves when she saw the small group of soldiers “Hurry up with that, I'll hold them off.” she said. Leon started working on the lock as Diamond fired into the crowd. After a few moments, the soldiers were closing in on them “Mike? Where are you? I could use some help here.” she said.

Suddenly Mike came over and started firing into the soldiers “Sorry, I was off kicking ass elsewhere.” he said.

Leon gave the lock one final blast causing it to break and fall to the floor. He then kicked the gate wide open “We're good to go!” he said. They ran through the gate but was stopped when machine gun fire started to rain down from above. They dove under a bridge that shielded them.

Diamond saw a tunnel to her right “Over here!” she called before running towards it with Leon. Waiting for the in the tunnel was a shield bearer and two archers behind him. Diamond fired a revolver bullet at the shield to break a piece of it, exposing the soldier's head. She then threw her knife through the hole and between the soldier's eyes.

The archers fired their bolts at Leon but he nimbly dodge them both before tossing an incendiary grenade at them. The archer went up in flames and when the flames died down, Leon and Diamond ran past.

They then heard Mike through their earpieces “He shoots...” they heard an explosion “And he scores! Ten points!” he exclaimed.

On the other side of the tunnel was a ladder that brought them to the outside of a building. From inside they saw a metal door with a button next to it. After thinking for a moment, Leon spoke up “Mike, do you see an exit to this battle field anywhere?” he asked.

Mike hummed in thought “If you follow the path through that door, there's a few gates that seem like the only exit.” he said.

“Thanks, good to have an eye in the sky.” he said. He then pressed the button to open the door. Once the door opened, they saw an archer waiting for them a good distance away. There was also a shield bearer approaching them. Leon took a step out of the door with his rifle ready but bullets started spraying from his left. He quickly rolled back into the safety of the building. He then peeked out of cover to see a man using a gatling gun “Mike, we have a gatling gun on us. Do you have eyes on him?” he asked.

After a few seconds Mike spoke up “Negative. I don't have a good visual on him. Can you handle him yourself?” he asked back.

Diamond answered for him “Of course we can.” she said. She took her rifle in her hooves and aimed it at the archer. She took his head off and killed the shield bearer with another shot. She made sure that there were no more soldiers ahead “Alright, I'll distract him so that you can take him out with your rifle.” she said.

Leon nodded “Be careful.” he said. Diamond gave him a grin before dashing out of the door. The spray of bullets followed right behind her as she tried to pick up the pace. She saw a nook in the rocky wall ahead. She dove into the nook which protected her. She heard a rifle fire and she peeked out to see the gatling gun user on his back.

Leon joined her and they continued to the solid metal gate ahead. Leon checked around the gate for some way to get it open but saw nothing. Diamond then nudged his leg and pointed to a switch up on a high ledge “That has to open the gate. Boost me up there.” she said. Leon nodded and grabbed her. He then ran to the cliff and threw her up. She caught onto the edge and pulled herself up.

After getting up, she jumped to pulled the switch down. The gate rose out of sight. Diamond jumped off of the cliff and into Leon's arms. Through the gate was a compact area filled with stacked sandbags for cover. Along the sides were high pathways along two buildings. At the end of the area was a solid metal gate just like the one they entered through.

Leon saw two switches at the end of the pathways “Looks like we're gonna have to pull both of those switches to proceed.” he said.

Diamond was about to respond but stopped when she saw soldiers started to enter into the area. They started to operate three mounted machine guns. They noticed this and dove behind a stack of sandbags. Leon glance up at Mike's helicopter “Mind lending a hand here?” he asked.

“On it.” he said as he started firing at one of the machine guns. The two others started firing up at him. He tried his best to dodge the bullets and to fire back “Be careful! You might hurt someone doing that!” he said to the soldiers.

While Mike distracted the machine gunners, Leon laid out a plan “Since there are two switches, we should split up.” he said.

Diamond stared at the mounted machine guns that were on the paths to the switches “We have to take out the machine guns first. I don't think Mike can last much longer.” she said.

“Hey! I take offense to that!” Mike said.

Diamond rolled her eyes “So you don't want us to help you?” she questioned.

“Do what you want, I won't stop you.” he said.

Diamond shook her head with a sigh as she took her rifle out. She peeked out of cover and aimed at the right machine gunner as Leon did the same for the left. They both shot at the same time at the soldiers fell to the floor.

Mike shot a missile at the last and blew it up “You couldn't touch this in a hundred years!” he taunted.

Leon stood up and scanned the area “Alright, I'll pull the right switch. Take care of the left.” he said.

Diamond nodded and ran forward toward a ladder that would bring her up to the pathway leading to the switch. In her way was a shield bearer with a flail. He swung the flail at her but she ducked under it and fired at his exposed feet. The soldier fell forward onto his shield and Diamond fired one last bullet into the back of his head.

She then climbed up the ladder and saw soldier with a gatling gun between her and the switch. He pointed the barrel at her and started firing with a yell. She dove behind the wall of the building as the bullets barely missed her. Once the bullets stopped flying she jumped out of cover with her revolver in her mouth and knife in her hoof.

She shot his hand to make him drop the huge weapon and his leg to get him to his knees. She then jumped and plunged her knife into his skull to finish him. She put her weapons away and stood before a gate that separated her from the switch. She thought about how Leon would kick open a gate. She smirked and got into position.

She gave a quick spin before shooting her left hind leg into the gate, knocking it off it's rusty hinges. She then jumped up and pulled the switch. Afterwards she glance to the right to see Leon pulling his switch as well. The gate then rose out of their way. Diamond saw Leon jump to the ground, so she did the same and broke her fall with a roll.

Behind the gate was a door that they quickly entered. They then climbed some stone stairs to reach a area near a cliff. The area had old stone pillars scattered throughout. But most importantly, there were a small army of soldiers waiting for them. They all raised their weapons menacingly at the sight of them.

Leon took his shotgun out “I thought we were thinning their numbers out. How could Saddler still have so many?” he wondered.

Diamond stared at the army with a mix of anger and uncertainty “We can do this, right?” she asked without much confidence.

Then Mike's helicopter rose up from under the cliff “Get down!” he warned. Leon and Diamond quickly ran behind a stone pillar and Mike started firing into the crowd. The soldiers all started to panic and scramble to escape the machine gun fire but they were being mowed down too quickly.

After a few seconds, all of the soldiers were finished. Leon walked out from cover and smiled at Mike “I owe you one. How about when we get out of here, drinks are on me.” he offered.

“Yeah I'm down. I know a great bar.” he said.

Diamond walked out of cover as well “Can I come too?” she asked.

Mike chuckled in amusement “Yeah sure kid, we'll get you a milk.” he said. While he laughed a rocket came from somewhere and struck the helicopter in the side. Mike screamed in pain as he was caught in the fiery explosion. The helicopter quickly fell apart and descended under the cliff.

“Mike!” Leon and Diamond called in shock as they ran to the cliff. They looked over the edge to see the burning wreckage. They both knew that he couldn't have survived that.

Leon looked towards where he saw the rocket come from to see Saddler and a soldier holding an empty rocket launcher. They were standing on top of some kind of small temple. Saddler smiled before walking off with the soldier.

Leon clenched his fists in anger “You're next Saddler.” he said.

Diamond gritted her teeth and growled “Every time we get some help, they're killed almost instantly! I'm so sick of it!” she yelled.

Leon suddenly got a call on his communicator and answered it to see Saddler again “My apologies Leon, was that a friend of yours?” he taunted.

Leon's frown deepened “You signed your own death warrant with that.” he said.

“There's no need for such hostility. I just swatted a bothersome fly. Sometime you have to step on those who are beneath you. I'm sure Diamond understands that.” Saddler said.

That got Diamond's attention “Leon! Give me that thing!” she demanded. Leon did as she said and she glared daggers at Saddler “What's that supposed to mean? You don't know anything about me!” she said.

Saddler chuckled “Of course I know about you, because I know that look in your eye. That look of anger and superiority. I once had that look in my eye. I can tell that you know you're above others, and you make sure they know it. You have no qualms with stomping on those beneath you if it teaches them their place. Am I correct?” he asked, but he was sure he already knew the answer.

Diamond was at a loss for words “What? No, I... I mean...” she tried to say.

Saddler found her floundering amusing “I knew it. That is why you will make a fine addition to my army. I await your assimilation with bated breath.” he said before cutting the transmission.

Diamond was still feeling the effects of his words “I'm not the same as him, I'm not! It's not true!” she yelled to herself.

Leon knelt down to her level “Whatever you did in the past is in the past. You are whoever you chose to be in the future. Don't let his words make you doubt yourself.” he said.

Diamond thought about what he said and took a calming breath. The images of the cutie mark crusaders flashed in her mind “I can be better. He's wrong, I won't ever be anything like him.” she said.

Leon patted her on the back “Now let's hurry and get rid of these parasites.” he said. She smiled up at him and they continued on. Inside the temple they found a ladder that led them underground. They passed a small room that only held a stone coffin.

They entered a small room lit by one small light bulb. Leon suddenly stopped and clutched his in pain and started to stumble forward. Diamond stared at him with worry “Are you okay Leon?” she asked.

Leon let go of his chest as if the pain was gone. He waved away her worries with his hand “I'm fin-ack!” he suddenly clutched his chest again and doubled over in pain.

Diamond ran to his side “Is it the parasite? Talk to me!” she demanded. Leon slowly stood straight again and Diamond sighed in relief. Her eyes widened in fear when Leon turned to her with blood red eyes and a blank expression “L-leon, no.” she said.

Leon viciously grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up to his eye level as he started choking her. She tried to struggle out of his grip but he held onto her tight. Her vision started to blur but she focused and kicked Leon in the jaw. He dropped her and she used the chance to give him and uppercut to the crotch. He fell to his knees from the pain before she punched him in the temple to knock him onto his back.

Leon lifted his head to look at her to see her aiming her handgun at him while her eyes were starting to tear up. She then noticed that his eyes had returned to their normal color. She dropped her gun and jumped onto him with a hug “You terrified me, you jerk! I thought you were gone!” she scolded.

Leon returned to hug to comfort her “It's gonna okay. I'm sorry for attacking you.” he said.

Once Diamond calmed down she smiled at him “It's fine, I attacked you back anyway.” she said.

“And I'm proud of you for defending yourself without letting your feelings get in the way.” he felt the aching pain in his balls “Although, I wish you had hit me somewhere else.” he said.

Diamond got off of him “Sorry.” she said with a giggle.

Leon got to his feet and took out the bottle of pills he got from Luis. He poured two into his hand before swallowing them “Hopefully that will keep it at bay until we can get cured.” he said.

“Let's hurry. We don't even know where the cure is yet.” she said. Leon nodded and walked out of the room with Diamond behind. They exited the temple and entered another building that resembled a jail. The room was dimly lit and had a long hallway with cells on both sides. The cell bars were rusted and bent as if they weren't used in years.

Diamond glanced around as they walked down the hall “What a creepy place. I guess Saddler needed some place as creepy as him.” she said. They neared the end of the hall when they passed a cell with it's bars bent as if something pulled them apart. Suddenly two gray arms shot out of the cell and grabbed Leon by the shoulders. He was pulled into the cell to come face to face with a regenerator. It tried it's best to sink it's teeth into his neck but Diamond shot a revolver bullet to blow it's jaw off.

Leon took the opportunity to kick the Regenerator away from him. It's jaw quickly grew back as Leon took his rifle out. He identified the five parasites hidden in it's disgusting body. He quickly killed the first four as it approached him. Once it got close enough, it swung it's arm at him. He rolled under the arm and ended up behind the creature to shoot the final parasite.

The regenerator's torso exploded and legs fell forward. Leon turned to the exit of the jail “Let's get out of here before we're attacked by anything else.” he said. They climbed up some broken stairs to the door.

They found themselves back outside with concrete walls surrounding them. They walked down the only path which opened up to an area with sandbags stacked for cover and a few soldiers scattered around. There was also a few rooms up high, connected by metal paths. Diamond and Leon dove behind the sandbags as crossbow bolts flew past them.

Diamond poked her head out to take account of all the threats “Two archers up in that room. Three soldiers with flails. One with a stun rod. One with a gatling gun.” she said.

Leon nodded as he took in the information “Take the archers while I keep the others busy. Join me when you're done.” he said. Diamond took her rifle out and stepped back until she had a good view of the archers.

Leon vaulted over the sandbags and ran towards the other soldiers. One of them attacked with his flail but Leon leaned back to avoid it before landing a kick to his head. He then shot the floored soldier with his handgun. He then dove out of the way of gatling gun fire. He then fired three shots into his chest which seemed to only stun him.

Another soldier came from his side with his flail raised. Leon quickly threw his knife into the man's heart. Then the soldier with the stun rod came from behind him. Before he could strike, Diamond fired a rifle bullet into his head. The man with the gatling gun grunted in anger and aimed at Diamond. She jumped behind the sandbags for cover as the bullets started flying.

Leon turned his attention to the last flail wielding soldier. He ducked under a horizontal swing before stabbing his knife up through his jaw. He then turned his attention to the gatling gun guy who had his back to him. He fired a few handgun shots into his back to make him cease fire. Diamond used that chance to shoot at his legs and knock him to his knees. Leon then finished him with a shotgun blast to the back of his head.

Diamond came out from cover and scanned the area “Where to now?” she asked.

Leon turned his gaze upward “There should be a ladder that leads to those metal bridges. From there we can search those buildings.” he pointed out.

Quickly, Diamond spotted a ladder that seemed to lead into one of the buildings “I see one over there!” she said.

He gave a nod before proceeding towards it “Good eye.” he complemented. They climbed the ladder and looked around the room. There was an empty table in the middle and there was some sort of machine near the wall. Leon immediately checked the machine.

Diamond walked up behind him “What is it? Something useful?” she asked.

Shaking his head, he stepped away from it “Not likely. It's a button of some sort that's not active, but I can't tell what it would activate.” he explained.

Diamond pondered this for a moment but couldn't come up with anything useful “Well there's no use in standing here, let's check the other buildings.” she said.

They walked out onto the metal bridges to come to a split. A ladder let to two higher building while a path to the right led to another. Leon rubbed his chin in thought “Let's split up and search to save time.” he suggested.

Diamond nodded and walked over to the ladder “I'll take a look at these two.” she offered.

“Alright, keep your guard up. There might still be some soldiers around.” he said. With that they went their separate ways and met up at the same spot a minute afterward.

Diamond shook her head “I got nothing. The only interesting thing I found was a machine that needed a key card. Sadly I didn't find the card for it.” she said.

“I just found another button just like the last one. It didn't do anything, so maybe it has a connection to the key card reader that you found. I think that the buttons might be some kind of locking mechanism.” he said.

Diamond gave a frustrated sigh “So we have to find the key card?” she asked.

He shook his head “Luckily no. It's deactivated at the moment, so whatever its connected to is already unlocked.” he said.

She shrugged “Alright I guess that's fine, but we still wasted precious time with all of this. Let's just hurry and find the way forward.” she said.

Leon nodded and led the way back to the ground. They walked forward under the metal bridges to see a solid metal door ahead. There was two lights next to the door that were both green. As soon as they approached the door, the lights both turned red with a loud beep. Leon tried the door only to find it locked “Damn it! Someone must have activated the lock behind our backs.” he guessed.

With a groan of anger, Diamond turned around to see soldiers pour into the tight path leading to them “We've got company, and lots of it. This must have been a trap.” she said. She used her rifle to pick off as many as she could while they struggled to fit into such a small space.

Leon didn't like the position they were in “We have to create a break in them and get through.” he took out a frag grenade “This should do the trick. Be ready to run as soon as it goes off.” he said. He then threw it into the crowd and the explosion created a gap in the soldiers. The two then dashed through them and used the new advantage to shoot more of them.

Their numbers were starting to thin when diamond noticed something among the bodies “There's a key card on that one! That should be what we need for the door!” she said.

“Hurry and grab it. Go and get the door unlocked while I clean thing up down here.” he said.

Diamond quickly ran in to snatch the card while Leon kept her covered. She then retreated back to the ladder leading to the metal bridges. She first went to the card reader and inserted the key card. Once it was in place she dashed off to activate the two buttons. When they were pressed, a loud beep rang out signifying the door's unlocking.

When she came back down the ladder, Leon was done with the soldiers and was waiting by the door “Good job. Now let's get going.” he said as she approached. He then turned and kicked the door open. They walked through a small hallway that led to a large metal door. Leon was about to enter but stopped when he heard pained grunting.

He turned to see Diamond with her eyes shut tight and clutching her chest. He instantly knew what was happening and ran to her to kneel down “Diamond! Focus and fight it!” he yelled.

Diamond eventually calmed down and hung her head while keeping her eyes closed. She then started up at him with red, dull eyes. His own eyes widened with shock, allowing her to pounce at him. She got her hooves around his neck with surprising strength and started choking him. He quickly grabbed her hoof and slammed her back onto the floor.

She let out a loud scream in pain and her red eyes melted back to her regular blue. She slowly got to her hooves while wincing at the pain in her back “D-damn that hurt.” she said.

Leon felt instant relief at seeing her back to normal “Sorry for being so hard on you.” he said.

Diamond stretched herself out “That's alright, I guess we're even now.” she said.

With a slight chuckle, Leon brought out Luis' pills “Looks like we're down to the last two. Here, take them.” he offered.

Diamond gratefully took the offer and downed the pills “I'm good to go now.” she said. They then entered through the door together. They found themselves in a large lab with lots of machines around. What caught their attention was a large capsule in the center that held an unconscious Ashley “Ashley!” Diamond said happily as they approached.

Before they could reach her, they heard a familiar but unpleasant voice behind them “I offer you power and status, but still you defy me. To what ends?” Saddler asked.

They turned to glared at him “Ashley's coming home with us, whether you like it or not.” Leon countered.

Saddler shook his head in defeat “You leave me no choice but to kill you. And you two would've made such useful subordinates. Oh well, I guess we can't have everything we want.” he said. Before either of them could react, he dashed forward at superhuman speeds and send Leon flying with a devastating palm strike. The capsule's hard glass broke his flight as he slid to the floor.

Diamond tried to reach for her knife but Saddler grabbed her by the face. With a twirl, he tossed her into the capsule and she fell on top of Leon. Saddler slowly walked towards his floored opponents. He stopped when he started getting shot rapidly from behind.

Leon and Diamond looked up to see Ada on a metal platform with a SMG “Leon, Diamond! Now's your chance!” she exclaimed.

Leon quickly got to his feet and pressed the button to open the capsule. Ashley daintily fell into Leon's arms as he shook her awake. She opened her eyes sleepily “Wha...what happened? Where am I?” she asked.

“Save the questions for later! We have to move now!” he exclaimed.

Saddler didn't seem very effected by the bullets. He just grunted and the bullets fell from his fingertips as if nothing happened. Ashley looked frightened at the sight of him but Leon and Diamond quickly led her to a nearby exit.

Saddler followed after them but Ada tried to think of some way to slow him down. She then spotted some red barrels over the exit that Leon and the others just passed. She shot at the barrels to fall and explode, creating a wall of fire between Saddler and the others.

Leon, Diamond, and Ashley made it through the door. Diamond glanced back at the door “Ada just helped us again. What's her game?” she wondered.

Leon got her attention “No time to wonder that at the moment. My guess is she won't be able to hold him back for long. Let's make sure her help isn't for nothing.” he said.

Ashley smiled at them “Thanks for saving me for, hopefully the last time.” she said.

Diamond returned the smile “Of course we did, we'd do it even if it wasn't our job.” she said.

Leon gave her a strange look “It's my job, not yours.” he said.

Diamond chuckled and rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment “Right, I forgot. I guess after all of this it just feels like it's my job. Let's just get going.” she said.

After taking a few steps they saw the merchant waving them over “Stranger, do ya have the need for some supplies?” he asked.

Leon nodded and walked over “Yeah, we're running low on ammo. Better to be safe than sorry, right?” he said.

The merchant started going through his coat for the right wares “I get the feeling that this will be the last time we meet here. I just wanted to say that I appreciate your continued patronage. I also wish you luck on your future endeavors.” he said.

Diamond gave him a nod and smile “Thanks. I thought that you were creepy at first but you're actually very nice. I almost feel bad for not learning your name. What is it?” she asked.

The merchant shook his head with a laugh “Let's stick with the merchant, it's much simpler that way.” he said. After the ammo was supplied, Leon reached for his money but was stopped by the merchant “let's call this one on the house.” he said.

Leon nodded gratefully “It's appreciated.” he held a hand out to him “It was nice meeting you, merchant.” he said.

The merchant shook his hand “The feeling's mutual. Make sure to get the young lady home safe.” he said. He then turned to Diamond “And you little one, keep watching over the stranger. He'll need it.” he said with a wink.

Diamond nodded “Of course, no one's dying on my watch. Goodbye.” she said. With that, they turned around and entered the next building.

They found themselves in a hallway. When they turned a corner, they saw two armored soldiers guarding a door. Once the guards saw them, they charged with hammers raised. Leon and Diamond took ready stances as Ashley hid behind the corner in fright.

Leon ducked under a hammer swing and slipped behind him. He gave him multiple slashes to the back before shooting him in the back of the head. Diamond jumped back as the hammer slammed into the ground in front of her. She then ran up the handle to land a powerful jump kick to his chin. He fell onto his back and she plunged her knife into his forehead. He still seemed to be holding onto life so she punched the knife's handle to drive it deeper.

With that the two were finished. Ashley came out of hiding with a happy smile “You both are so strong and skilled. I really don't think I could've asked for better heroes.” she said.

Leon grinned lightly “Don't call us heroes until you're safely back home.” he said.

“I'll call you what I want, so you're my heroes. My knights in shining armor.” she said.

Diamond gave an amused roll of her eyes at her goofiness “Come on, we can't even think about going home until we get cured. Let's do that first.” she said.

The other two agreed and they continued through another door. They walked into the small lab that had a large control panel connected to a screen. There was also a leaned back chair that had two apparatuses hanging over it.

Diamond walked over to the chair to inspect it “What's all this for? It looks important.” she said.

Leon walked over to the control panel and pressed a few buttons. He smiled when he saw who this lab belonged to “Diamond? I think you'll like to hear who this lab belongs to.” he said. Diamond gave him a questioning look but waited for the name “Luis Sera. And that's not all, this is also what we need to destroy the parasites.” he said.

Diamond gasped in happiness and shock “Finally! And Luis was the one to save us in the end, how poetic.” she said.

Ashley glanced at the chair with suspicion “Are you sure this is safe? I don't like the look of it.” she said.

Leon turned to face her “I'm not sure if it's safe or not. That's why I'm going first.” he said.

Diamond's eyes widened “Wait, what if it kills you?” she asked.

Leon gave her a smirk “Then I'll be able to rest easy knowing that I left Ashley in capable hooves.” he said before sitting down in the chair “Ashley, activate it. It should be simple enough.” he said.

Ashley still felt worried “If you feel like this will work then, I trust you.” she said as she walked to the controls to familiarize herself with them.

Diamond walked up to Leon “I'll never forgive you if you die like this.” she said.

Leon chuckled “I'll try not to disappoint you.” he relaxed his body with a breath “Do it Ashley.” he ordered. She pressed the button to activate the machine while whispering a quiet prayer. The apparatuses started moving over a certain spot on his chest. The screen showed the large parasite moving about his chest.

Electricity shot out of each apparatus and into his chest. Leon gripped the armrests tight and grunted in pain. Diamond started to feel scared “Ashley, turn it off! It's hurting him!” she commanded in a panic.

Ashley turned to do as she said but stopped when Leon spoke up “No! I-it's fine. I'll l-live.” he managed to get out. Ashley thought for another second before deciding to respect his wishes. Leon's grunts turned to screams as the pain before more severe. Ashley gasped at the screen “Diamond! Look at the screen!” she said.

Diamond turned to see the parasite disintegrate to nothing “Holy Celestia, it actually works.” she said.

The machine turned off and Leon took a second to catch his breath. The girls ran to his side to check his condition. Ashley got his attention “Are you alright?” she asked.

Leon sat up and got off of the chair “Considering I don't have a life threatening parasite living inside me anymore, I'm feeling pretty damn good.” he said. He then gestured to the chair “Alright. Who's next?” he asked.

Diamond looked up at Ashley “You should go now that we know it's safe. You were infected before us so you might turn at any moment.” she said.

Ashley swallowed a lump in her throat “G-good point. Okay, I can do this.” she said as she sat in the chair.

Leon activated the machine and it got to work on her. She instantly started screaming as the electricity started coursing though her. Tears started to form in her eyes as the process came to a close. Leon helped her down from the chair as her legs were a bit wobbly from the pain “Feel good?” he asked.

She pouted at his joke “Yeah, best massage of my life.” she said sarcastically.

Leon glanced to Diamond “Are you ready? 'Cause you're next.” he said.

Diamond took a calming breath before climbing onto the chair “As ready as I'll ever be. Let's get this over with.” she said.

Leon nodded and fired up the machine. She started screaming out in pain as the burning pain only intensified with time. Once it was almost unbearable, the electricity cut out. She slowly got to her hooves and to the floor “So? Am I parasite free?” she asked.

Leon gave her a nod “You are, and do you know what that means?” he asked.

Diamond wonder what he was getting at “It means that I won't become a mindless slave to a crazy cult leader?” she guessed.

Leon chuckled “Yes but you can also go home now. Can't they bring you home with a spell now that you're no longer infected?” he asked.

Diamond gasped in realization “You're right! I can finally go home! I can see my father and Silvy again. I can actually sleep in my own bed again!” she happily exclaimed.

Leon and Ashley smiled down at her “Go on and tell them the good news.” he said.

Diamond quickly pulled her mirror out and held it in front of her. She saw her father and Twilight on the other side “Twilight! Dad! I'm...I'm...” she stopped and lost her smile.

Filthy raised an eyebrow “You're what, honey?” he asked.

Diamond glanced up at Leon and Ashley again. Her heart started to hurt. For some reason the thought of leaving this hell was almost unpleasant. She cleared her throat as she looked back to the mirror “I'm just checking in. I wanted to let you know I'm still hanging in there.” she said.

Twilight smiled when she heard that it wasn't bad news “That's good to know. Have you found the cure for your parasites yet?” she asked.

Diamond shook her head “Not yet, but I think we're close. I still feel alright so I think I still have lots of time.” she said.

Filthy sighed in relief “Thank you for letting us know. Tell us right when you get cured so that we can bring you home.” he said.

Diamond gave a nervous smile “I will, I promise.” she said before slipping the mirror back into her saddlebag.

Leon stared at her with a frown “Want to explain why you lied to them? Do you not want to go home?” he asked.

“I do want to go home. I desperately want to go home but...the mission isn't over. Saddler is still alive, and Ashley isn't safe yet.” she said.

Leon crossed his arms “I told you that all of that is my mission, not yours.” he said.

Diamond wasn't backing down “You told me that I was your partner! That make this just as much my mission as it is yours!” she pointed out.

Ashley knelt down to her with a gentle smile on her face “I know that you want to see the mission to the end but your family is missing you. They need you.” she said.

“But you're my family too and I want to help! I don't know what I'd do if I left and you two died. Please, let me stay just a little longer?” she pleaded.

Leon closed his eye to ponder her words for a few moments. Finally he opened his eyes and looked down at her “Fine but when Ashley is safely at home, you gotta go got it?” he asked.

Diamond smiled and jumped for joy “Yes! Yes! Yes! Thank you so much! I won't let you down!” she exclaimed.

Ashley leaned toward Leon to whisper in his ear “Does this count as kidnapping?” she asked.

Leon nodded and whispered back “I think so but what can I say, the filly knows how to get what she wants.” he said. He then got Diamond's attention “Alright, let's move out partner.” he commanded.

Diamond gave a salute “Yes sir.” she said before they continued out of the building. They walked out into a construction zone. They walked up to a lift that would take them up to a large construction platform.

Leon seemed slightly uneasy which Ashley noticed “Is something wrong?” she asked.

He gave it some thought “I'm just getting a bad feeling is all.” he said.

Diamond gave Ashley a worried look “Maybe you should stay back and hide. Leon's gut usually isn't wrong.” she said.

Ashley nodded “Alright, I'll trust you two to come back safely.” she said. Leon and diamond looked to each other and nodded before walking onto the lift. Leon activated it and they were taken up.

The first thing they saw when they reached the top was Ada bounded and hanging from a rope attached to a crane. “Ada!” Leon called. Before he could help her, he saw saddler standing in front of him. Saddler pointed his palm at the two in an attempt to control them. He then frowned as nothing happened.

Diamond pulled her smuggest grin “Sorry Saddler, but consider your gift rejected.” she said.

Leon pulled out his knife “That little trick is old hat now.” he said before throwing his knife up toward Ada. The knife sliced through the rope like butter and Ada fell on some boxes that broke her fall. “I think this makes us even Ada.” he said.

Ada got to her feet and dusted off her dress “You'd better check your math.” she said.

Saddler chuckled darkly. Diamond glared at him “What do you have to laugh about? You can't control us, you're outnumbered, and you're on you last leg. You're as good as done.” she said.

His chuckles quickly evolved into full blown laughter “Do you really think you've seen all of my power? You're all ants to me! I will crush you with the same power that you willingly gave up! You will be the first to see my true form, a god!” he yelled out.

Leon whipped his head back to Ada “Get out of here! We'll handle things here!” he said.

“Have fun.” she said before running off.

Saddler opened his mouth wider than what should be possible to reveal a huge orange eyeball. His right arm then mutated into a long tentacle with a pointed end. His neck extended and bulged out with muscles. Four huge crab-like legs grew from his neck and lifted the rest of his body off the ground. Three blade-like horns grew from his face in a triangle. Out of his back sprouted four tails that had blades at the ends that were constantly whipping about. Lastly, one eyeball sprouted in the joints in each leg.

Leon steeled himself for the fight ahead of him “What do you think Diamond?” he asked.

She narrowed her eyes in focus “I think this ugly mother bucker has too many eyeballs.” she said.

Leon smirked “You're right. Let's get rid of a few.” he said.

Saddler charged towards them with his heavy legs crashing to the ground with every step. Leon shot at his right fore leg but the bullets only bounced off. He then landed a hit to the leg's eye, causing Saddler to trip to the ground. His head fell on the ground and he opened him mouth to expose his mouth eyeball. Thinking quickly, Leon ran towards the eye and plunged his knife into it. The head recoiled in pain and knocked Leon away in retribution.

Leon got back to his feet to see that Saddler had done the same “The main body is bullet proof, the eyeballs seem weak through. Try to do as much to the eyeball in his mouth as possible.” he said.

Diamond saw him start approaching and looked around to see no easy method of escape “If we let him corner us here then we're dead meat. We'll have plenty of space if we can get behind him though. Distract him by firing at him while I run past. Then I'll distract him so you can too.” she said.

Leon nodded “It's a solid plan. Alright.” he agreed and started to fire at Saddler's unarmored torso. It wasn't doing much but it certainly got his attention. Diamond then took the opportunity to run under his legs. When she got behind him, the bladed tails started waving around even faster. Diamond slipped through most of them and even managed to sever one with her knife.

Once she got a safe distance, she looked back to see Leon dodging Saddler's attempts at trampling him. She took aim at the eyeball located on his left fore leg and fired. Saddler grunted in pain and once again fell to the floor. Leon jammed his knife into the exposed main eye again and rolled away before he could retaliate. He then ran to join up with Diamond while Saddler recovered.

Saddler used his three horns to grab a hold of a large metal girder and lifted it. It was then thrown in the two's direction. Diamond ducked under it while Leon jumped over it, causing it to crash behind them. Leon turned to his left to see a bridge that led to another platform “Diamond, get across that bridge and give me some long range cover.” he ordered.

“On it.” she said as she quickly dashed off across the bridge. Once she made it to the other side, the bridge split down the middle and both sides fell limply to their sides. After a few seconds it returned to normal “I guess these bridges will give way sometimes? I should make note of that.” she said to herself before getting back on track.

She ran to the edge and took her rifle out. Saddler turned from Leon to her. He used his long legs to jump across the gap to and on the platform with Diamond “Well there goes that plan.” she said as she switched her rifle for her revolver.

Leon didn't like the thought of Diamond being alone with Saddler but her decided to roll with it. He took out his rifle to assume the supporting role.

Saddler protected his face with his horns before trying to ram his head into Diamond. She cartwheeled out of the way of his attack. He then tried to ram her from above but she rolled out of they of that too. Before saddler could attack again, Leon fired a shot into one of his small eyeballs to floor him again. Diamond jumped onto his head before plunging her knife into the main eye. Saddler's head shot up to send her flying in the air. She landed behind him with a roll to break her fall.

She then decided that she should return to Leon. She took an incendiary grenade out and tossed it at Saddler's feet before rushing across the bridge. The bridge gave out from under her but she caught onto the edge and pulled herself up. Once Diamond had made it back to Leon, Saddler wasn't far behind. He jumped across the gap again and tried to land on the two. Diamond backed up far enough to be unaffected while Leon was tripped up from the shaking of the platform.

Saddler grabbed Leon in his horns and tried to squeeze the life out of him. Diamond quickly took her rifle out and shot out one of his small eyes. Saddler dropped Leon and fell the the floor. Leon landed sloppily due to the pain he was put through but didn't injure himself. Diamond ran towards the main eye again and stabbed her knife through it. While Saddler was recovering, Leon and Diamond heard a loud whistle coming from the other platform.

The looked to see Ada standing on a higher platform with a rocket launcher in her hands. They could tell that it was different then the others since the rocket itself was red “Use this!” she called before tossing it down on the other platform.

Leon nodded “There's no way he could survive something like that, but I doubt he'll just let us waltz over and grab it.” he said.

Diamond took a deep breath before suggesting something “I'll keep him distracted while you grab it.” she said.

Leon pondered her plan “Fine but remember that I won't be able to take the shot if you're too close to him. Keep your distance.” he said.

Diamond smiled and rolled her eyes “I know, I know. Just get going before he figures out our plan. Trust me, I've got this in the bag.” she assured.

Leon nodded and ran off toward the bridge. Diamond faced Saddler as her charged her. She dodged a few attempts to hit her with his head. When that didn't work, he turned around and tried to slash at her with his three remaining tails.

She took her knife out and parried what she could while dodging what she couldn't. One of the blades connected with her chest and she suffered a shallow cut. Saddler then turned around and grabbed a hold of her with his horns. He raised his head high before slamming her down hard on the metal floor.

He stood and watched as she laid motionless in front of him. He started to turn around but stopped hen her heard her speak up “Wait!” she called as loud as she could, which was fairly quiet due to her pain.

Saddler turned to see her slowly trying to get to her hooves as blood trickled from a new wound on her forehead “I'm still breathing. We're not done here. You crazy bastard.” she said weakly as she finally managed to stand on two legs again.

Saddler narrowed his eye at her. He wrapped his tentacle around her neck and lifted her up to his face “Every time I decide to show you mercy, you throw my good will back in my face.” he said with a voice that was distorted by his transformation.

Diamond futilely struggled against his grip “You call any of this good will? Stop trying to feed me that misunderstood manure.” she said.

“Fine, I'll just kill you now and be done with it. Any last words before I snap your neck like a twig?” he asked.

Diamond managed a smirk “Yeah, I have two. Party time.” she said. Saddler seemed confused before Diamond summoned the strength to kick him in the throat. The attack didn't do much damage but surprised him enough to make him release her. She landed and pulled out the party cannon mini and aimed it up at Saddler “Don't let me down Pinkie.” she said before firing it.

The cannon fired with enough strength to knock Saddler off his legs and send him into the railings. His head was heavily covered in cake batter and confetti. He shook the batter off so that he could see again and saw Leon aiming the rocket launcher at him “That's all she wrote.” Leon said before firing.

Saddler had no time to react as the rocket exploded with intense power. After the fiery explosion passed, all that was left was a completely charred body. Something near the body caught Diamond's eye. She walked up to the item to identify it as the Las Plagas sample “This is the sample that Luis wanted us to retrieve.” she took it in her hoof the get a better look at it “A sample of Las Plagas huh?” she wondered.

She heard the sound of a gun being cocked behind her. She turned to see Ada pointing her handgun down at her “That is nothing that a child should be touching. Now give it here like a good kid.” she said.

Diamond glared at her “We just saved your life! This is how you repay us?” she said.

Ada nodded “Consider this a lesson. Life isn't fair. Now hand it over before I have to grab it from your corpse.” she threatened.

Leon came up behind Ada and pushed the barrel of his handgun into her back “You've done some bad things but threatening a kid is a new low.” he said.

Ada frowned at him “Trust me Leon, the sample is best left in my hands. Now put your gun down before I kill your partner.” she said.

Diamond chuckled “You won't kill me.” she said.

Ada raised an eyebrow “What makes you so sure?” she asked.

“Because you're not stupid. If you kill me then Leon will kill you and take the sample. I'm sure you know this, so stop bluffing.” she challenged.

Ada sighed in defeat and holstered her handgun “Fine, take it and go. You should hurry though...” she pulled out a small device and pressed a button on it “This island will go up in flames in three minutes.” she said.

Leon and Diamond was stunned in shock. Ada took the chance to sprint towards the edge of the platform near the ocean. She swan dived off the edge without hesitation. Diamond shook off the surprise “What the buck?” she asked.

Then a helicopter emerged from where Ada fell and she was sat comfortably in it. She held up a key on a key ring “Here, catch!” she warned before tossing it toward Leon.

He caught it and saw that it had a cute little teddy bear key chain on it “Adorable.” he said dryly.

Ada gave a short laugh “Near the lift is a tunnel. It leads to a vehicle that you can use to escape. Have fun.” she said before the helicopter started flying towards the orange horizon.

Leon turned to Diamond “Are you in any condition to run?” he asked.

She stuffed the sample into her bag for now “I don't think so.” she said. With no more discussion, Leon scooped her up in his arms and ran towards the lift.

They reached the bottom and Ashley came out of hiding to greet them. Before she could, Leon dumped Diamond into her arms “Carry her and follow me, fast.” he said.

Leon ran into a nearby tunnel and Ashley tried her best to keep up “Wait! Leon, whats with the hurry?” she asked.

Diamond decided to answer for him “This place is a few minutes from being blown up.” she said.

Ashley's eyes widened and she tried to run faster. Eventually they came across a water filled tunnel with a single jet ski waiting for them. Ashley seemed concerned “Are we really escaping on a jet ski?” she asked.

Leon mounted the vehicle and waved Ashley over “We don't have much choice, hop on or stay behind.” he said.

Ashley got on behind him with Diamond. While Ashley wrapped her arms around Leon's midsection, Diamond held onto his neck. Leon blasted off and started making his way through the winding path. They heard some explosions behind them. Ashley looked back and saw a huge wave gaining on them “Leon! Go faster!” she said in a panic.

“You got it.” Leon said before increasing to top speed. More explosions rocked the island causing large rocks to start falling in front of them.

Diamond sighed “I swear it hasn't even been three minute yet.” she said. Leon swerved between the falling rocks while trying to keep his speed up. He then saw a literal light at the end of the tunnel. There was a ramp like rock in the way so he decided that he would have to go over it. They flew out of the cave and landed roughly in the ocean.

The island behind them continued to explode but they were out of range of any danger. Ashley sighed in relief but gasped when she saw that Diamond was unconscious on Leon's back. She tried to shake her awake “Diamond! Are you okay?” she asked.

Leon stopped her “Wait, listen.” He said. They quieted down and listened. They heard soft snores coming from Diamond. Leon chuckled “She's probably exhausted. Let her sleep, she's been through a lot.” he said.

Leon then got a call on his communicator. He smiled when he saw the familiar face of Hunnigan “I finally got a hold of you. Someone was intercepting the signal.” she said.

Leon nodded “Yeah, I know.” he said.

“It's been awhile, what's the status of your mission?” she asked.

“Complete. The subject's secure and we're on our way home.” he said.

“And what about the pony, Diamond Tiara?” she asked.

Leon glanced at the sleeping pony before returning his gaze to Hunnigan “She's getting some well deserved rest, but she's alive as well. We all are no longer carriers of Las Plagas.” he said.

Hunnigan smiled and breathed a sigh of relief “That's all great news. I have a lock on your location. I'll send a chopper to intercept and pick you up.” she said before hanging up.

Ashley got Leon's attention “Now that the mission is complete, do you think we should tell the ponies that Diamond can be brought home?” she asked.

Leon thought about that for a moment “Let's hold off on that. I think President Graham should meet the pony that brought his daughter home safe, don't you?” he asked.

Ashley giggled and nodded “Definitely.” she said. Leon then sped off toward the horizon that had the sun peeking up from behind it.